Editorial: Between Jeb Bush and Donald Trump
Between Bush and Trump, who is ninth according to the latest partisan polls, there are all kinds of contenders - from senators to governors, from a priest to a surgeon
SPANISH VERSION
Donald Trump has absolutely no chance of becoming president of the United States. His nomination is only relevant because its tone and content puts him in one extreme of the Republican tent, even if he is not liked by the party’s majority. There was a big contrast when, the day before, former governor Jeb Bush announced his presidential run with a conservative message devoid of bravado, and much more moderate positions then the New York millionaire. The future of the GOP lies between what both men represent.
There is not much difference in economic and environment issues, for example, between the 16 contenders – announced or not – to the Republican nomination. The most significant differences so far are Bush’s favorable discourse on immigration and education’s Common Core. Those only two views cast him as a moderate, that is, an extreme among a radicalized group of candidates.
Between Bush and Trump, who is ninth according to the latest partisan polls, there are all kinds of contenders – from senators to governors, from a priest to a surgeon. The New Yorker’s stridency encapsulates a populist fury against the establishment that other candidates have appealed to, in order to attract Tea Party voters. At the same time, he presents himself as a successful entrepreneur who will fix Washington, also appealing the taste of a rabidly anti-government sector.
It is difficult to take Trump seriously but, like it or not, today he would earn a place in the Republican debate because he has enough partisan support to be among the top 10 most popular contenders, in spite of the exaggerations and nonsense he spouts. The good news for Republicans should be that Bush leads the poll with a 10.8% support; the bad news is that most of the candidates’ views are much closer to Trump than to Bush’s.
The fact that Bush is the front runner is good news for all Republicans, because he would have more possibilities than the rest to win a general election. The question is whether he will be elected by a political base motivated by incendiary discourses and extremist positions like Trump’s. The republican future will be decided between those partisan extremes.
