In 2007, during a Democratic presidential debate in Iowa, candidate Barack Obama was asked how he would be able to deliver change when so many of his former advisers came from the Clinton administration. The moment became famous because the question prompted a loud and sustained cackle from his rival for the nomination, Hillary Clinton, who teased, “I wanna hear that.”
In the end, Obama got the best of the exchange, by quickly shooting back, “Hillary, I’m looking forward to you advising me as well.” The clip, which went viral at the time, enjoyed new life when Clinton was named as Obama’s secretary of state.
I was reminded of the moment when reflecting on how former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush could confront a tricky problem should he run for president (which is looking increasingly likely).
The issue that Obama faced when he was running for president was that if he wanted experienced advisers, especially on foreign policy, it was only natural that he’d have to dip into the talent pool of seasoned veterans who served in a prior Democratic administration — and Bill Clinton was the only Democratic president since Jimmy Carter left office in 1981.
Similarly, on the Republican side heading into the next presidential election, candidates will look to former staffers in the George W. Bush administration to fill out their teams. But this creates an especially thorny issue for Jeb.
One of the biggest challenges facing Jeb Bush — both during the primaries and the general election — is how he would be able to demonstrate that he’s different from his brother. But that effort will be complicated when a lot of former staffers of his brother’s administration inevitably join his team. Even if he brings on his own advisers from his days in Florida, the presence of former George. W. Bush staffers is going to be amplified.
Ultimately, this is part of a larger issue confronting Jeb, which is that being from the Bush family brings with it a lot of perks — immediate access to a large network of staffers, connections to major donors, and instant name recognition — but it’s hard to take advantage of them on the one hand, while trying to deflect charges that he’s running for his brother’s third term.
