Republican race is a circular firing squad, says Jeb Bush

 

Phoenix, Arizona

Jeb Bush, seen by some as a Republican candidate-in-waiting for the 2016 presidential season, has set aside normal party decorum by lamenting this year's contenders, likening them to a "circular firing squad" scaring away independent voters with right-wing rhetoric that plays on their fears.

His broadside, which took many in the party by surprise, came just as the 2012 nomination marathon is entering a critical stretch with Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum battling for advantage in voting on Tuesday in Arizona and Michigan. One week later, the candidates face the all-important Super Tuesday contests in 10 states.

The four candidates, who also include Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, scorched one another in a debate in Arizona on Wednesday, just as they have on the campaign trail with blizzards of mutually destructive negative advertising. Mr Romney, more than anyone, has used the airwaves to tear down any opponent who rises to threaten him.

It is a strategy that may be working, with latest polls yesterday hinting that the recent surge of Mr Santorum may now be evaporating. According to a Rasmussen poll, he now trails Mr Romney by 6 points in Michigan, losing a lead he had held there for the past two weeks.

"I used to be a conservative, and I watch these debates and I'm wondering," Mr Bush, the former Florida Governor and brother of George W Bush, said after a speech in Dallas, Texas. "I don't think I've changed, but it's a little troubling sometimes when people are appealing to people's fears and emotion rather than trying to get them to look over the horizon for a broader perspective, and that's kind of where we are.

"It's important for the candidates to recognise though [that] they have to appeal to primary voters and not turn off independent voters that will be part of a winning coalition. They are very capable... but I'm kind of hopeful the primary process ends so we unite behind a candidate and eliminate the potential of a circular firing squad." He said there would not be a consensus nominee if no clear winner emerges.

Mr Romney, who won the endorsement of the Arizona Republic, last night turned his focus to the economy, delivering a set-piece speech in a Detroit sports stadium, promising to revive the economy with an across-the-board 20 per cent cut in personal income-tax rates.

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Top stories
News in pictures
World news in pictures
UK news in pictures
UK news in pictures
More stories
       
Independent
Travel Shop
South Africa
15 nights from only £1,899pp Find out more
Paris and the Cote d’Azur city break
Seven nights from £579pp Find out more
Seville, Granada and Malaga break
Seven nights from £549pp Find out more
Independent Dating
and  

By clicking 'Search' you
are agreeing to our
Terms of Use.

iJobs Job Widget
iJobs General

Senior Employment Solicitor - Birmingham

Excellent Package: Austen Lloyd: This is a senior appointment with huge potent...

Teaching Programme Officer with Qualified Teacher Status

£28000 - £31500 per annum + benefits: Randstad Education Newcastle: Permanent ...

SAP FI-CA Consultant - up to £58k

£50000 - £58000 per annum + Benefits and Bonus: Progressive Recruitment: SAP F...

PHP/ Drupal Developer - £35k - WC

£30000 - £40000 per annum + BENS: Progressive Recruitment: Drupal Developer A ...

Day In a Page

'There is a battle going on inside us that is never discussed'

Masculinity in crisis?

'There is a battle going on inside us that is never discussed'
Have US shock jocks gone too far?

Have US shock jocks gone too far?

An incendiary remark from Rush Limbaugh may be the beginning of the end for outspoken right-wing US broadcasters
The ‘Beverly Hills’ of Surrey pays more income tax than big cities of the North

The ‘Beverly Hills’ of Surrey

Elmbridge pays more income tax than big cities of the North
Heavenly Bodies

Heavenly Bodies

Michael Landy's artistic marriage made in heaven... and hell
'He will always be a friend': Jackie Stewart backs Polanski

'He will always be a friend'

Jackie Stewart backs Roman Polanski
The price of pacifism: Refusing to go to war is finally being recognised as a brave act

The price of pacifism

From the Second World War refusenik to the 19-year-old Israeli, Holly Williams talks to five people who risked shame and suffering to take a stand as conscientious objector.
'It was mass hysteria': Jason Isaacs on groupies, theatre bores and snogging James Bond

Jason Isaacs: Groupies, theatre bores and James Bond

To millions, Jason Isaacs is one of Harry Potter's arch enemies – but his wife prefers him as a Scottish TV detective.
Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?

Sealand: 'Micronation' or illegal fortress?

Thomas Hodgkinson spent a week at the tiny platform off the Suffolk coast to find out.
Not a bad bone: Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

If you ignore cutlets and ribs, you'll risk missing out on some delicious and easy meals, says our chef.
The experts' guide to summer: From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz

The experts' guide to summer

From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz
Sex, drugs and fast cars: The legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

Legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

Early glimpses of Ron Howard's film Rush suggest it will portray Hunt as a high-living lothario, with an insatiable appetite for partying.
Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation when using drugs and alcohol. It was hurting my life'

Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation'

The next Vanilla Ice or the next Eminem? Macklemore doesn't have a record contract – but he does have the UK's biggest-selling single of the year.
Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

Sri Lankan cuisine is light, sunny, wonderfully spiced – and so easy to cook from scratch. Just as soon as you've broken into the coconut, that is.
Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

Doctors are hailing the revamp of a Bath neonatal unit, where babies sleep more and feed better, as the model for patient care
One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

Epecuen was submerged under 10 metres of water in 1985. Now the floods have gone – and 83-year-old Pablo Novak has moved back in