It's still more than 1,000 days until the next presidential election, but it's in the DNA of political reporters to speculate about who might run in 2016, despite the fact that Barack Obama was re-elected just over a year ago.
Nevertheless, let's play that game! It's always interesting to ponder whether Jeb Bush might decide to end the Hamlet route and let it fly one time on the national stage. In remarks last night in New York City, Bush agreed that it was far too early to make such an announcement, but defended himself strongly against any charges that he was the "M word"— moderate — which could doom him in a GOP primary campaign.
[jump]"Look, I’m a conservative and I’m a practicing one, not a talk-about-it one … I would put my record up against anybody that’s in Congress right now," he said at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan, according to a report published inPolitico.
Interestingly, he also said that he believes House Speaker John Boehner does want to pass an immigration bill, and thinks it will happen next spring.
If he does want in, Bush still has a better shot at being the nominee than such Tea Party faves as Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and yes, Marco Rubio.
Meanwhile, St. Petersburg-based state House Republican Kathleen Peters is expected to announce her candidacy for Congress in District 13 this morning. She hopes to win her January primary against David Jolly and face Democrat Alex Sink, who made a campaign appearance in Clearwater yesterday, where she sounded more authoritative on Obamacare than she ever did in 2010.
Speaking of immigration, are you aware the Obama administration has made another policy change loosening deportations law again, this time for relatives of military vets? It happened last week, and it may be the move that saves a Tarpon Springs man from being sent back to Colombia, a country he left when he was just 10.
And even though he doesn't take office for another month, St. Pete Mayor-Elect Rick Kriseman is working hard to be ready on Day 1 of his administration. Yesterday he announced a large and impressive transition team who will meet in public tomorrow night.