Hillary`s `maternal instinct` or Jeb`s `new Bush`

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush officially announced Monday he`ll be running for the 2016 Republican presidential candidate. With former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton holding a commanding lead over other Democrats, Bush`s announcement is drawing attention on the rivalry igniting between the two people. They are from two dynasties in American politics who are also trying to build a new image different from the past.

Bush declared he`ll run for president Monday at Dade College, a community college in Miami in his political hometown of Florida. Through an official speech, he said he will put priority on education reforms and expand opportunity for socially vulnerable people. On Sunday, he had posted a three-minute video titled “Making a Difference,” on his Twitter account, introducing reform policies he had promoted while as Florida governor, and promising to do his best to eliminate barriers for people who want to make difference.

His moves are a part of a program to broaden votes from traditional Republican white supporters to Hispanic people, who hold casting votes in the next year`s presidential election. New York Times said Jeb Bush has embarked on building new image different from his brother George W. Bush by launching strategies to embrace socially vulnerable people and minority groups.

Meanwhile, Clinton began earnestly her presidential campaign by holding the first public assembly in her political hometown of New York Saturday. She is trying to build fresh image of a "warm mother," away from her existing cold and urbane image. At the assembly, she emphasized she`s an advocate of an ordinary American, and told a story of her mother who was abandoned at age 14 and had to work as a housemaid. Clinton is endeavoring to show a public-friendly image. Washington Post said since Clinton was hit by personal email account scandal and suspicions of collecting sponsor money for the Clinton foundation, when needs a new political image of a "spokesman for the working people."

The respective tactics of Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton come as they`re having tough times to rally their support rates, observers say. According to Fox News` opinion poll on June 4, Bush and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker had the same support rate of 12 percent to rank joint No. 1, but with little gap with other Republican candidates. At a joint poll conducted by ABC News and Washington Post on June 2, 56 percent of respondents said they don`t trust Clinton, whereas just 38 percent said they trusted her.

ddr@donga.com