Free Republic

Earlier this year, Bush received some criticism from Republicans after he described illegal immigration as an “act of love.” Former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-Fla.) took a tougher line on illegal immigration Thursday, writing in an op-ed that federal law should be changed so that people who illegally cross the border aren't released from custody as they await hearings. Bush, who has expressed support for immigration reform and is considered a White House contender in 2016, said the existing law allows people who don't actually deserve asylum in the United States to too easily take cover under protections for real asylum...

If Jeb Bush decides to run for president, he’ll have to defend his family’s controversial political name. But more immediate family concerns might keep him from running at all. Republican donors and operatives are chattering about Bush’s publicity-shy wife, so worried she isn’t on board with a 2016 White House run that they’re urging people in the family’s orbit to make the case. Columba Bush has long been deeply averse to the spotlight, especially after an embarrassing encounter with U.S. Customs while her husband was still in office. Donors also wonder whether Bush is willing to subject his family and...

Suzy Welch, the power business journalist and former editor-in-chief of the Harvard Business Review, thinks former Florida Governor Jeb Bush would be a loser if nominated for president. The wife of former General Electric CEO Jack Welch is hardly a tea partier who feels more at ease among staunch conservatives than on the ideas circuit. In fact, with her Harvard and Andover pedigree, the author of the best-selling 10-10-10 book may be most comfortable in the elite worlds of academia, finance, and culture that make up the Acela Corridor. This is the same world that is clamoring for Jeb Bush...

It's not hard to understand why. Even without a replay of the Bachmann-Cain-Gingrich-Perry-Paul GOP primary freak show of 2012, the party is heading into its confrontation with Hillary Clinton at a serious general election disadvantage. Some of the weakness has demographic roots that no single candidate can change in a single race. But the rest is a product of the party's rightward lurch over the past six years — and a restive base that demands absolute ideological purity on the part of candidates. The result, as in 2012, is likely to be a primary contest devoted to winning the Real...

If 2016 brings another Bush-Clinton matchup, not all famous last names are equal at the start. The latest ABC News/Washington Post poll makes clear why it’s better to be associated with the 42nd president than the 43rd and 41st, at least for now. The poll has plenty of good news for Hillary Rodham Clinton. Two-thirds of Americans say they’d consider voting for Clinton in 2016, and a full 25 percent say they will definitely support her. Again, among all Americans – not just Democrats, or Democrats and independents – one in four say they are fully on board for Hillary...

The Bush family doesn't waste any time indoctrinating the next generation into the world of politics. George H.W. Bush's baby great-grandson Prescott joined his father George P. Bush in the voting booth yesterday as daddy runs for Texas land commissioner. Baby Prescott was swept up by his mom Amanda just as dad went into the booth - but he still got an 'I Voted' sticker.

The 2016 presidential election is Jeb Bush’s now-or-never-moment. As other potential GOP standard-bearers have been hit by scandal or seen their luster fade, many Republicans desperately want the former Florida governor to get in the race. His allies say he is considering it more seriously than ever before. They believe he could be their Goldilocks candidate: Not too conservative, not too centrist; not too dull, not too unpredictable; not too inexperienced, and not too marred by scandal. In fact, just right. But many of his greatest potential advantages could also be liabilities. The Bush name gives him a deep and...

George P. Bush Is Pitching Fellow Hispanics on Why They Should Consider Voting Republican As he barnstormed south Texas by bus last week, George P. Bush wasn't just selling himself as a Republican candidate for statewide office, but pitching fellow Hispanics—his mother was born in Mexico—on why they should consider voting for the Grand Old Party. Speaking before hundreds of residents in a school auditorium here on the Mexican border, the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and nephew of former President George W. Bush mixed English and Spanish as he urged Hispanics to vote for him and, more...

If the Republican Party is looking to make inroads with Hispanic voters -- it need only to look at Texas. A recent Gallup poll found that in the Lone Star state the Democratic Party’s traditional advantage with Hispanic voters is much narrower than the national average. Nationwide, 30 percent more Hispanics identify as a Democrat than a Republican, compared to just 19 percent in Texas. Part of the reason is that Latino culture has been ingrained in Texas since its founding. Many families can trace their family tree back to when Texas was part of Mexico. But Republican strategist Karl...

George P. Bush, nephew of George W. Bush and grandson of George H. W. Bush, said he has "reservations" and "concerns" about the Republican Party's rhetoric on immigration. In a sit-down with CNN reporters and producers Tuesday, Bush said that he and other Republicans wish the party would "return to George W. Bush on this issue," referring to the former president's bipartisan push to reform the nation's immigration policy. But with Election Day fast approaching, Bush said it's probably too late for Republicans to pivot away from the party's conservative base and seize the political high ground on the immigration...

George W. Bush is looking to what some call his “secret weapon” in the effort to win over Latino and 20-something voters: His hunky Latino nephew. The oldest son of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and his Mexican-born wife Columba, George Prescott Bush was born in Houston on April 24, 1976. George P. (or “P” as he is called by family members) lived with his parents in Venezuela for three years. In 1979, the growing family moved to Miami, where he was raised while attending private schools. George P. earned a history degree from Rice University in 1998. He immediately entered...

For George P. Bush, the nephew of the former U.S. President, George W. Bush, the Latino vote “has a critical importance in the national election, specifically in states like Florida, Nevada and Colorado,” and he has a message for the dreamers, “keep dreaming” to reach U.S. citizenship. -snip- VOXXI: What does Spanish language represent for you? You father, former governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, speaks Spanish very well. And you? George P. Bush: (In Spanish) More or less. I have to practice (Spanish) in Texas. English is the first language everywhere but I’m proud of my Hispanic heritage. When I...

George P. Bush has more than $2.8 million to spend on his campaign for Texas Land Commissioner. His two main challengers, a Republican and a Democrat, have a combined total of around $20,000. Democrat John Cook, former Mayor of El Paso, reports raising about $13,000 since June. Republican David Watts's campaign finance filing this week indicates fundraising in the second half of 2013 of about $7,000. Dr. Brian Smith is a professor of political science at St. Edward’s University in Austin. He says what the Bush campaign is doing is a tried and true intimidation tactic. “He’s over-raising money to...

George P. Bush said on Tuesday that “it’s never too late” for Mitt Romney to take a leadership role in the immigration debate, but he acknowledged Republicans were outflanked by President Obama’s election-year decision to allow hundreds of illegal immigrants to remain in the country without fear of deportation. “Governor Romney had an opportunity to get in front of the president on the issue,” said Mr. Bush, 36, the son of former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida. “But the president clearly has taken the initiative on it.” Mr. Bush, who is urging younger voters to increase their participation in the...

George P. Bush, nephew of George W. Bush and grandson of George H. W. Bush, said he has “reservations” and “concerns” about the Republican Party’s rhetoric on immigration. In a sit-down with CNN reporters and producers Tuesday, Bush said that he and other Republicans wish the party would “return to George W. Bush on this issue,” referring to the former president’s bipartisan push to reform the nation’s immigration policy. But with Election Day fast approaching, Bush said it’s probably too late for Republicans to pivot away from the party’s conservative base and seize the political high ground on the immigration...

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush sat down with ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl on Sunday for a discussion about the Republican tactics which led to the government shutdown. Bush said that he sympathizes with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) desire to defund the Affordable Care Act, but advised hi m to exercise a “bit of self-restraint” when it comes to tactics. Bush began by taking aim at Cruz’s tactics. He observed that the GOP actually lost ground with the public over the course of the shutdown and ironically made significantly reforming the ACA that much harder. “Tactically it...

Former President George W. Bush today cheered on the “progress” in pushing comprehensive immigration reform through Congress. “The legislative process can be ugly,” Bush said with a chuckle in an interview aired today on ABC’s “This Week.” “But it looks like they're making some progress.”

The U.S. House of Representatives should pass the Senate's comprehensive immigration reform package with a few additional requirements, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush co-wrote in an opinion piece.

by John HillStand With ArizonaMore than 50,000 Americans have been killed by illegal aliens since 9/11.Think about that. More than 6,000 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since that same date. But nearly ten times that number have been killed right here at home as a consequence of the Federal government's failure to secure our borders and protect its citizens, in direct violation of the Constitution's Article IV Section 4: The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application...

Jeb Bush is finally endorsing in the big GOP primary, but it's not the primary we've been waiting for. Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) reelection campaign announced Wednesday that Bush will back him over former Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.). We'll continue to wait and see whether Bush feels the need to weigh into the GOP primary in his home state. At this point, though, he'd really just be piling on by endorsing Marco Rubio over Charlie Crist. Here's Bush's statement: "As we continue to face tough challenges both at home and abroad, America needs leaders like Senator John McCain in the...