The Bush Push

Florida went red in 2004. Four years later it goes blue. So which is it? Red or blue? Left or right? Democrat or Republican? Is Florida going to be the next Texas or the next New York?

We'll get a sneak preview in 2010 with the retirement of Senator Mel Martinez. I don't know if Martinez was in good shape to win re-election, but I sort of doubt it. And now that he's gone we'll have a good old-fashioned donnybrook. Side note: has the word "donnybrook" ever not been proceeded by the qualifier "good old-fashioned"?

Representin' the Republicans in said donnybrook: Jeb Bush. Well, maybe. He'd be, if not a prohibitive favorite, the definite front-runner. I can't imagine any Republican would dare challenge him in the primary. Only the most masochistic of politicians would try something so bone-headed.

If Bush runs, will the 2010 election be an early referendum on W's legacy? I can say, with authority: maybe. I'd lean against it. The name "Bush" means something completely different in Florida than it does in the other 49 states. Outside of Florida, "Bush" means "incompetence." But in the Orange state the name Bush is the seal of quality.

But who says a race has to have historical implications? A Jeb Bush run for the Senate would be good old-fashioned fun. Rest assured, it'd be the most covered senate election since Hillary ran back in '00.