Republicans and Democrats have been accused of being two arms of the same corrupt political body -- the two-party system. Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush are demonized by each other, by their opponents, and even by factions within their own parties. All the while, they are seen as moderates on the political spectrum, and practically inevitable as the two leaders who will end up on the presidential ballot in 2016.
Hillary Clinton doesn't speak a foreign language, and Jeb Bush didn't go to Yale. These differences may be surprising, and so might some of their similarities. For two 'inevitable' candidates, they have more in common than you might think. Here are 30 ways Jeb Bush is just like Hillary Clinton:
1. Hillary and Jeb were both anti-Vietnam.
2. They were both for the Iraq war.
3. Held anti-Palestinian stances during Operation Protective Edge.
4. They project entitlement:
"Bush and Clinton represent a political class that is seen as living lives apart from those they represent, people who are seen as out for themselves rather than for ordinary people."- Dan Balz, Washington Post
5. Negatively viewed as members of political dynasties.
6. Both favor a path to citizenship for immigrants vs. deportation.
7. They think immigrants are a source of vitality for the USA:
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8. They both carry baggage from their political dynasties.
9. They condemn Edward Snowden's NSA leaks. Clinton says if he wants to come home, he will be held accountable, and Bush vows no leniency toward Snowden.
10. They've been accused of hiding documents: Hillary's infamous email case; and Jeb's court battle over open records laws.
11. Support for welfare to work incentives including: increasing employment and job training programs for welfare recipients, providing tax incentives to businesses that hire welfare recipients, providing child care for welfare recipients who work, and increasing access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
12. Agree the Confederate flag is racist. Jeb Bush removed the flag from Florida's capitol in 2001.
13. Both support the death penalty.
14. Hillary supports Common Core national education standards. Bush is the only Republican candidate that supports common core, and says it's a 'national priority.'
15. Against legal marijuana.
16. However, they support states experimenting with legalization.
17. They're environmentalists. Jeb Bush 'took on the biggest environmental restoration project in American history' by conserving Florida's Everglades. Hillary "has always been committed on it , and she’s voted right very consistently," according to Gene Karpinski, president of the League of Conservation Voters.
18. Hillary says that climate change is a defining threat of our time. Jeb Bush is also 'concerned' about climate change.
19. Supported the bank bailouts of 2008.
20. Agree that corporate pay is out of control. Hillary is 'outraged by corporate pay.' Jeb thinks inflated corporate pay without merit is a threat to capitalism itself:
"Large rewards for great results can still be attacked, but they're very defensible. But if the rewards for CEOs and their teams become extraordinarily high with no link to performance - and shareholders are left holding the bag - then it undermines people's confidence in capitalism itself."- Jeb Bush
21. Both support the controversial Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership (TPP).
22. Hillary and Bush signed on to the 25X25 pledge, committing to 25% renewable energy by 2025.
23. Oppose storing nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain. Jeb says, 'the community doesn't want it,' and Hillary is concerned about a fault that lies beneath the mountain.
24. Each supports fracking. Bush is invested in fracking.
25. Each has haunting corporate ties:
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26. Jeb and Hillary have family ties to the oil industry.
27. They make a pretty penny on speaking engagements. $10 million for Bush since 2007. Hillary made $5 million in the first half of 2014.
28. Both have high unfavorable ratings. Jeb's is 44%. Hillary's is 49% -- beat out only by Obama and Donald Trump.
29. They believe in the future of space flights. Jeb calls himself a 'space guy.'
30. Chided by conservative talk show hosts to run on the other party’s ticket. Bill O'Reilly told Hillary to run on the Republican ticket; Laura Ingraham told Jeb to run with the Democrats.