Former President George Walker Bush, right, hugs younger brother John Ellis "Jeb" Bush at a party fundraising event in Florida last year. To the left: George P. Bush, Jeb Bush's oldest son and the one considered by some to stand in line as the fourth generation in politics for a family whose service started with the late Sen. Prescott Bush. Jeb Bush has written off further political service, but still has a personal interest in education reform. (Photo by Allen Eyestone / AP)
by Mark Silva and updated
Guess who showed up at the offices of President Barack Obama's secretary of education today?
Jeb Bush.
Arne Duncan, the former superintendent of schools in Chicago whom the Democratic president recruited to run the Department of Education, and Bush, the brother and son of former Republican presidents and himself a former Republican governor of Florida, have a lot in common on the educational front.
Duncan has a reputation as a school-reformer. And Bush has been involved in promotion of educational "choice'' -- both in the creation of "charter schools'' run by private groups with public funding, and in the offering of tuition vouchers for students in failing public schools to attend better private ones -- since losing his first bid for governor in 1994.
After his first failing campaign as a crime-fighting, make-prisoners-work candidate for governor, he returned in 1998 as a school-boosting, make-students-learn governor. It was a winning formula for Bush -- just as it had been for his older brother in his first bid for office in Texas in 1994. The headstart that the older George W. Bush got in a governor's mansion had everything to do with which Bush succeeded their father, former President George H.W. Bush, in the White House. The younger brother always shied away from the description as "the smarter one,'' but facts is facts, ma'am.
Which brings us back to education. Bush, who seriously considered a bid for Florida's opening Senate seat in 2010, has always been a policy-driven politician. And his interest in education runs deep -- as governor, he won an "A-Plus'' plan that steeered added state funding to schools that improved from year to year, as measured in standardized testing, and offered vouchers to students in failing public schools.
Bush was talking about tuition vouchers in his meeting with Duncan, according to a well-placed source who also was calling on the new education secretary. However, a spokesman for Bush's Foundation for Florida's Future and Foundation for Excellence in Education says: "They didn't talk vouchers.''
"It was a productive meeting,'' Bush reported of his meeting with Duncan. "I believe he has a reformer's heart.''
See Bush's essay about school choice running in the Georgia press.
Comments
Man! That guy on the left makes Nixon's 5 o'clock shadow look like a newborn baby's bottom!!
Whisker burn, ladies??!
Posted by: C.Morris✈ | March 3, 2009 7:27 PM
Yeah, just what we need, another BushCo Republican to screw things up....NOT!
It's bad enough that the crybaby sore loser Repuglican minions are running around screaming 'socialism' about the way we're going about cleaning up their mess, I don't think we need to add a Bush to the recovery effort.
On a side note, the Repug 'socialism' meme is hilarious in all it's glorious failure. The little snot-nosed Repuglicans were screaming it all throughout the the Prez election and it failed for them then and yet they somehow think it's going to succeed for them now? Heck, half of the country doesn't even know what socialism is and the other half doesn't care, they just want the jobs that they lost during the BushCo Republican reign of terror back.
No How
No Way
Never....another Bush.
Posted by: Beam Me Up, Scottie! | March 3, 2009 7:31 PM
No, Bunch, that's not where you go to get some brains, nor cash in your family's S&L stocks !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AN WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, America | March 3, 2009 7:33 PM
Jeb Bush has great ideas on education as opposed to Obama and Durbin. Duncan will just follow BOs lead and education will be just more bigger gov't spending and more kids w/o an education
.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123604286020215187.html
Posted by: Terry | March 3, 2009 7:39 PM
Dumb and dumberer.
Posted by: dt☢ | March 3, 2009 8:14 PM
Wrong verb---service--for the Bush line. Starting with Prescott's profiteering with the Nazis and continuing with what Poppy did to the CIA (oh, that skull and bones crowd) and then the 'work' with CenTRUST MIAMI for JEB (never indicted) and Silverado Savings and Loan for Neil (never indicted) and quite probably stolen elections in Florida electing Jeb to Gubner---Please. And then along came Shrub.
Service indeed.
Posted by: shame on the bushes | March 3, 2009 8:26 PM
You know, if we had just 5% of those christian home school mommys sending their kids to the public schools and the christian mommys volunteering their time at the schools, I'm sure this would fix the mess too.
There is also something to be said about HOW you learn something, and not just WHAT you learn. Homeschooling, typically, is educational inbreeding.
Posted by: Xcellentform | March 3, 2009 8:45 PM
Yes the Bush Boys disguised themselves as "kinder, gentler" Replicans--and it worked.
And now Jebbie is looking for a way to project "attonement" for the misdeeds of W.
So the Education Dept. is a pretty good place to start.
Just don't let them near any actual kids.
Posted by: ornery | March 3, 2009 8:47 PM
People in Florida would disagree with you Terry.
Jeb can't finish a sentence without including the word 'privatize.' It seems to run in the family...govt. contracts for your buddies.
Posted by: Flo | March 4, 2009 7:55 AM
I wouldn't trust a Bush for anything. They are pathological liars. The entire family smells rancid and foul.
Posted by: Doug R. | March 4, 2009 9:01 AM
If Jeb spent a couple of days regulating private schools he wouldn't be so in love with them.
Here one day, gone the next. With all the money.
Posted by: Andrew | March 4, 2009 9:34 AM
Working in the education field in Florida....I can tell you that Jeb's policies (like privitizing) cost the State massive quantities of money. His dream goal would be to have all schools run by the catholic church.
Posted by: margaretmac | March 4, 2009 9:48 AM
I, for one, am getting sick & tired of seeing Florida Rethuglican politicians, both past AND present, sucking up to Obama and his appointees, ESPECIALLY when it has to do with education.
The Jebster did away with the Florida Board of Regents, which essentially privatized public higher ed institutions, making them nothing more than profit-driven corporations.
Florida is one of the most corrupt states in the nation, and is currently embroiled in a scandal involving now-former-Speaker Ray Sansom and President Richburg of Sansom's alma mater, Northwest Florida State College, for whom Sansom abused his power & procured millions of dollars for the school & his Developer buddy, Jay Odom, constructing the airport-hangar-to-nowhere.
I have filed a SACS (accrediting body) complaint against the college, as this is a clear-cut violation of their Principle of Integrity, but SACS, being the lame-duck organization that it is, has already deliberately lied to me several times via e-mail, refused to open e-mails, and deleted some completely without being read.
Florida media outlets are corrupt, and "good-ol'-boy," as well, as they'd rather "shoot themselves in the foot" than cover the SACS complaint, even though they immediately covered David Plyer's Ethics Complaints. This, however, is a reflection on them, not me.
E-mails sent to Arne Duncan remain unanswered, and now suddenly, Jebbie appears on his doorstep & Crist is sucking up to Obama right & left. This may fool some, but not all, and certainly not me.
The Dept. of Justice, in spite of President Obama's policy of openness, transparency, and accountability in government refuse to divulge Eric Holder's e-mail address, which is freedom of information, and AskDOJ@usdoj.gov yields nothing but roboresponses.
This must stop! Please inundate the White House with phone calls demanding Federal investigation into Florida corruption, particularly in higher ed. Tell the President that the PEOPLE are who he must listen to, not suck-up politicians like "the tan man" & the "Jebster."
Carol Tucker, MA
Court Reform-NOW
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/equaljusticeforall
http://www.courtreformnow.ning.com
Posted by: Carol Tucker, MA | March 4, 2009 9:53 AM
If George P. Bush, Jeb Bush's oldest son, (and the one considered by some to stand in line as the fourth generation in politics) becomes the next Bush in politics - they have done an incredible of covering up his record of run-in's with the law. The one that made it past the "handlers" described him breaking into a former girlfriend's home in Miami, leaving the scene, and then tearing up their lawn. Amazingly the owner of the home did not press charges...Bush family pressure???? Maybe.
Then there is his brother Jeb Bush Jr. Two security officers at the Tallahassee Mall found him parked in a blue Jeep Cherokee with an underaged female. Both Jeb and the teenaged girl were naked from the waist down. Quickly covered up. Then there were the many drug problems of their sister...I guess nobody's perfect, and they certainly aren't held to a higher standard!! Money and power hide a lot of sins.
In my opinion, the most heinous sin is that George W. declares WAR and justifies it with lies, but where are his daughters, nephews, and nieces when all of OUR young people are sleeping in mud, being shot at, and killed. FAR away in safety. I cannot forgive or forget that cowardly gesture. What an elitist view of the world and who should suffer.
If George P. Bush, Jeb Bush's oldest son, (and the one considered by some to stand in line as the fourth generation in politics) becomes the next Bush in politics - they have done an incredible job of covering up his record of run-in's with the law. The one that made it past the "handlers" described him breaking into a former girlfriend's home in Miami, leaving the scene, and then coming back to tear up their lawn. Amazingly the owner of the home did not press charges...Bush family pressure???? Maybe.
Then there is his brother Jeb Bush Jr. Two security officers at the Tallahassee Mall found him parked in a blue Jeep Cherokee with an underaged female. Both Jeb and the teenaged girl were naked from the waist down. Quickly covered up. Then there were the many drug problems of their sister...I guess nobody's perfect, and they certainly aren't held to a higher standard!! Money and power hide a lot of sins.
The most heinous sin/crime is that George W. declares WAR and justifies it with lies, but where are his daughters, nephews, and nieces when all of OUR young people are sleeping in mud, being shot at, and killed. FAR away in safety. I cannot forgive or forget that cowardly gesture. What an elitist view of the world and who should suffer.
Posted by: margaretmac | March 4, 2009 12:33 PM
Flo,
Yeah, BushCo is a real supported of corpo-socialism.
But if a common man asks for affordable health care, suddenly he is 'Joe Stalin.'
Posted by: C.Morris✈ | March 4, 2009 6:46 PM
Flo,
.
I have a relative in Florida that is a public school teacher. Want to guess where her kids got to school? - Catholic school. Enough said when you don't even support your own product.
.
Maggiemac,
.
Gov Bush wants to privatize the schools because he knows that private schooling is done better and cheaper.
Posted by: Terry | March 4, 2009 7:59 PM
Well Terry "I have a relative in Chicago" who says Blago is honest and kool. I lived through 8 years of Jeb as Governor in Florida. Got some nice Swampland for you to purchase, Terry.
Posted by: Flo | March 4, 2009 9:30 PM
"P"????
If you think they use Obama's initials belowthe belt, wait & see what they do with
P.
But the only competition is Mitt the Mittster.
Judy Ruliani? The Baptist preacher?
Pistol Packin' Momma?
Bobby Ray Jindal, fer God's sake?????
GHW Bush way too old to run again.
Besides, last time he was seen walking in pubic, looks like he has Parkinson's disease.
Wonder how W feels about blocking all the stem cell research that could alleviate those unfortunate symptoms.
Posted by: ornery | March 4, 2009 10:52 PM
Flo - you relative in Chicago would probably be just another stupid Chicago democrat that follows their "leadership" blindly. Is his name FITZ?
Posted by: Terry | March 5, 2009 7:04 AM
I lived (and still do) in Florida during the Jeb years, and sent my children to public schools. My children's teachers have been great, and in spite of all the onerous, unworkable, and draconian requirements put upon florida's teachers, they managed to provide a quality education. Jeb made them and their union the bogeyman to divert attention away from the fact that Florida is near the bottom in per student funding, and that FCAT, his high-stakes testing scam, is a miserable failure.
Jeb Bush was and is about destroying public education so it can be turned over to proifteers. The for-profit charter schools in Florida have turned out to be a cash cow for the corporate interests running them, but no more effective than public schools in student acheivement. Charters have been successful in re-introducing segregation along class and economic lines. Our large and growing charter school looks like a day camp for blond haired, blue eyed Arayan offspring. The students all come from upper middle class or wealthier homes, and the honest parents will sometimes whisper about how they don't want their yuppie larva to go to school with "those people."
Jeb's legacy will be with us for a long time - too bad's it's a negative one.
Posted by: wazman | March 7, 2009 12:20 PM
Some may find Jeb's interest in education is actually interest in privatization. It is amazing that he touts increased funding while Florida
actually is/was in danger of missing out on stimulus money due to its awful funding of education at bot the pre-k and k-12 level! Our ACT and SAT scores hit the floor as well. I have only found Jeb to have a bachelor's degree in Latin American studies..no wonder he ruined public education along with his education point person, Pat Levesque who had degrees in business and finance. Meanwhile teachers must be highly qualified but those who hold the reigns can be clueless!
Why has Jeb ignored the studies showing his A+ plan
failing to serve its purpose? Could it be politics? Is that Jeb's legacy..disguising politics as education to a naive population.
Posted by: s | March 8, 2009 5:09 AM
Buck Fush!
Posted by: bushwhackedinfla | March 8, 2009 8:04 PM