[August 8, 2015] Lack of a compelling vision! This blog post is the third in a series that explores U.S. presidential candidates from the perspective of other senior leaders. What it is not, is a rehash of ideas from the media. We know at this point that Jeb Bush’s campaign has not taken off despite being flush with money and expertise. When a leader struggles to explain their position or does so belatedly, then they are not seen as a good leader.
Jeb Bush initially had a difficult time explaining why he’s running for president1 and has not been successful at aticulating how he is different from the others. Others have recognized his ongoing lack of clarity of where he’s going2 and the media, I think, has him pretty well figured out. Most believe he’s playing it safe with his campaign by trying harder to avoid mistakes than trying to “connect” to people. This is the same tactic that his Democrat competitor Hillary Clinton is trying to do; although she has additional problems.
Most importantly Bush simply lacks a compelling vision … or he cannot articulate the particulars of it and that is just as bad. What does he stand for? If you go to his website at www.jeb2016.com, it’s still not clear. Yes, he is offering a positive message but beyond the basics of being a conservative, he doesn’t stand out from the crowd. He appears to be trying to please everyone on every issue but comes across as pandering to people’s beliefs; in particular to Hispanics. Perhaps he’s trying to be grab onto what most American’s think and that is why (conjecture here on my part) that he tells us that the war in Iraq was a mistake. Military veterans will not like this stance.
Sadly, he’s slow to engage on critical issues. Certainly there is nothing wrong with a leader taking time to respond appropriately to something “hot” politically, like the Planned Parenthood scandal. But his approach is just too measured and his comments too bland. When senior leaders speak they must be unequivocally clear. Precision in their words means they will be less likely misinterpreted or their meaning distorted. For example, past U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was regularly accused of engaging in “racial propaganda” and was unable to distance himself from it because he could never be specific about his thoughts.
Jeb Bush could take a lesson from his brother on this front. George Bush, Jr. was clear in what he thought and was a leader of people; that is why so many disliked him also. Playing the middle ground is something the Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton has been expert at doing. Jeb Bush is struggling like Clinton, although for different reasons and should use a different tactic that involves “connecting” to people … like Hillary’s husband Bill Clinton.
Bush should be careful because people will begin to think he’s dishonest becuase he does not communicate his ideas well. Along with a lack of a compelling vision and inability to articulate it, will doom his campaign unless he changes direction.
Tomorrow: The first Republican debate will be analyzed from the perspective of Senior Leaders.
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1. http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/10/politics/jeb-bush-2016-competition/index.html
2. http://www.politicususa.com/2015/06/15/jeb-bush-announces-presidential-campaign-promptly-falls-flat-face.html