Jeb Bush 2016: His Mom Doesn't Want Him to Run, His Brother Does

Barbara Bush — spouse of George H. W. Bush and mother to George and Jeb Bush — is known for her off the cuff remarks. She’s totally unafraid to speak her mind and that’s exactly what she did with Matt Lauer on Thursday’s Today Show.  

The dedication of her son’s presidential library has sparked the normal amount of media attention you might expect for a former president. The media focus however, hasn't been so much on the library. Instead, it's been all about her other son, Jeb. Mrs. Bush found that she was not immune to the unyielding speculation surrounding Jeb Bush’s possible presidential ambitions. George W. Bush already gave his opinion on the subject to Dian Sawyer on Wednesday. “He’d be a marvelous candidate if he chooses to do so. He doesn’t need my counsel ’cause he knows what it is, which is ‘run.” 

Barbara Bush feels exactly the opposite. “He’s by far the best qualified, but no. We’ve had enough Bushes, it’s not just four families, or whatever.” She then told Lauer that there were plenty of other qualified candidates out there. Whether Jeb will take either his mom’s or brother’s advice on running for president remains to be seen. 

Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida appealed to moderate Democrats and Republicans. Speaking about Jeb Bush’s possible candidacy one Florida republican said, “Imagine if you could find somebody who is married to a Mexican . . . then they have children who look Hispanic. Then it would be like, ‘There’s nobody better.’ It’s him.” 

He would certainly help to address the Republicans diversity gap. Other Republicans speaking to the Hispanic Leadership Network might be seen as  pandering, but that’s not what happens when Jeb speaks. Bush has fully emerged himself in the culture, he understands it, he lives it. His association with Latino culture doesn’t come out of some cheap political ploy, it comes out of a sincere relationship he has developed over the years with the community he married into. The Washington Post calls it a “Hispanic consciousness,” and that awareness makes Jeb Bush an extremely desirable candidate for 2016.

Jeb certainly looks like he is getting ready for a 2016 race. He's been upping his media appearances, he’s got a book, and he’s cleaning out his political closet. All of these actions lead me to believe that it isn’t a question of if he will run, but rather how he’s going to break that news to his mom.