The Sad, Humiliating Campaign of Jeb Bush

Jeb Bush was a highly regarded Florida governor from 1999 to 2007.  Many touted him as a future president, following in the footsteps of his dad.  But his brother beat him to it.  And perhaps because of that, Jeb had not been on the political scene in recent years until 2015 when he announced his candidacy for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination.

Although he topped polls for a brief period after that, his national Republican support quickly dropped into the single digits where it remains today.  (He received less than three percent in Iowa.)

What happened?  Times change.  The Bush name long ago lost appeal for most GOP voters.  The Iraq war played a part as did George W’s unpopular spending policies.  Further, putting a third Bush in the White House smacked of a dynasty not unlike the prospect of electing another Clinton.

 

By all accounts, Jeb Bush is a bright, thoughtful individual who would be a solid president.  But heritage for him is plainly disqualifying.   And his own personality has a role – albeit minor in my estimation – in his poor polling.  His personality is mild in a year where a forceful presence is more highly valued.

The sad aspect of his candidacy is that all of these considerations were readily apparent before 2015.  A Jeb Bush candidacy would be a loser.

So why did he run?  The so-called GOP establishment wanted him to.  They either chose to ignore political realities or convinced themselves that massive expenditures of money could overcome them.  In either case, they were fools and made one of the formerly-esteemed Florida ex-governor.

Jeb Bush has been subjected to humiliation as well.  Not only has he trailed badly in national polls behind a loud-mouthed New Yorker and a politically inept neurosurgeon, he has been forced to call on his mother, Barbara Bush, to say nice things about him to New Hampshire voters.  (What on earth could she do for him except remind listeners that her son is a Bush?  For reasons set forth above, not a smart move.)

In a few days, it is certainly possible that Jeb Bush will reach a double digit vote total in New Hampshire.  But it will be only a momentary bit of good news for a doomed campaign.  Jeb is going nowhere.