Jeb Bush do yourself, your family and us a favor - Quit!

 Jeb Bush has for all practical purposes been running for president for a year. He has traveled all across the country collecting checks, promises of checks, hiring staff, enlisting volunteers and making the usual political promises – a better tomorrow, a return to America’s glory days, more jobs, better economy, protection from our enemies and better education for our children.

I have thought for some time he has less than a ‘snow ball chance in hell’ of getting the Republican nomination.   We were told by the political ‘experts’ he would be the front-runner.  As usual they were wrong.

He entered the latest debate in fifth place. Only one month after Bush formally launched his candidacy he began his decline. Many within the Republican Party have spent millions of dollars trying to turn his campaign around and as we often see in government programs’ spending more money does not always produce good results. The Jeb Bush supporters have spent more money than any other candidate.

The real front runner, much to the dismay of Karl Rowe and the likes, has turned out to be Donald Trump. But, those within the leadership of the party are determined that Trump will not be the nominee and following the debate were making the following statements: Republicans don’t start making decisions until the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses, which Bush’s camp has never expected to win. Voters in New Hampshire, who cast ballots on Feb. 9, tend to make up their minds at the last minute. Jeb Bush still has time to improve. Early polls aren’t predictive of anything because there is still a long campaign ahead. I think it is time for the Republican Party Bosses to cut their ties to Jeb Bush and get behind a possible winner. In my opinion no one looks more tired than Hillary Clinton than Jeb Bush.

On December 15 Jeb Bush was still saying Trump’s support would end.  The latest national Monmouth University poll released Monday shows Bush to be wrong. According to that poll Trump has the highest support yet, 27 percentage points ahead of his nearest competitor, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Trump led Cruz 41-14 percent. I admit I am surprised at Trumps continued lead in the polls. I still am not willing to commit to him, but it is time for Jeb Bush to pick up his marbles and go home? Jeb Bush only got 3% support in the last poll.

His campaign staff places some blame on Trump. They claim Trump’s strong numbers in the poll are the results of theatrical performances and not serious politics. They have said Donald Trump is the Kim Kardashian of politics and at some point, people will get over that. I guess it is only fair they try to place blame on someone else – Obama blamed Jeb’s brother, George Bush, for his failures. After all they say turnabout is fair play.

They even say in seven or eight weeks, when voters start picking a commander in chief to lead the country through perilous times, Jeb’s proven track record and his plan to take on ISIS will position him well in the primaries. Like me they still believe in miracles. But, I do not think it is in the cards for Jeb Bush to be granted a miracle in 2016.

Trump labeled Bush “low energy”. Bush had ample opportunities to respond and turn the table on Trump, but he didn’t. Trump suggested Bush’s immigration views were tied to his wife being of Mexican heritage. Bush demanded an apology, but Trump did not apologize. Voter do not like candidates attacking the family members of other candidates, but Bush fail to take advantage of that opportunity. Bush instead set his sights on Rubio; I guess he believed Rubio weaker than Trump. He attacked Rubio, his one-time protégé in Florida, for missing work in the Senate. But Bush’s attack appeared half-hearted, and Rubio got the better of him. The young dog took the bone out of the jaws of the old dog.

The only thing Jeb Bush has accomplished after spending millions of other people’s money is he kept Mitt Romney out of the race. He also has managed to raise 114 million dollars in campaign funds, more than anyone else.

I once had a friend who told me the secret to his success was he kept his church in debt. They gave and worked hard because they had a debt to pay or lose it all. That must be the same philosophy Jeb Bush is using. His well-heeled backers have spent so much money on Jeb’s campaign they cannot afford to walk away and lose the possibility of future political favors.  But, sooner or later they will have to face reality and admit the hole they are throwing their money in is only getting deeper and regardless of how much money they throw in the hole will never be filled.

Former failed Presidential candidate Bob Dole endorsed Bush after the debate in Wisconsin, describing him as the most qualified candidate to run against the Democrats. The endorsement came from the same Bob Dole that ran unsuccessfully against President Bill Clinton in 1996, which resulted in a dramatic loss for the Republican Party. Bush also earned the endorsement following that debate from another failed Republican candidate, former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Perhaps some other Republican failed candidates will come out after last night’s debate and endorse Jeb Bush.  They say if you want to be a winner surround yourself with a winner, maybe that is why Jeb’s not doing too well he is surrounding himself with too many losers. Maybe winners are afraid to back him!

There is a new generation of Republican politicians Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and others who have been shaped and trained in a new political style. They are men who are not afraid to break with the Republican Party when they do not agree with the Party hardliners or party bosses. Jeb Bush is a member of the old Republican guard and I do not think he understands or is prepared for politics in 2016.

Jeb Bush is one of the nation’s leading champions of Common Core standards. A program that is unpopular with the Republican base. Jeb Bush is committed to centrist causes such as federalized education and legal status for undocumented immigrants all causes that alienate the Republican base. Jeb Bush was on the Lehman Brothers advisory board before that bank collapsed, and he now sits on the Barclay’s board. The Republican Bosses may be for Wall Street, but the Republican base is not fond of banks and bank bailouts. Jeb Bush is friends with Bloomberg, an ex-Republican, and often meets with the Bloomberg Foundation.  Bloomberg and his foundation aggressively campaigns for gun control, shutting down coal-fired power plants and new taxes on junk food all causes the Republican base do not support. If he remains in the competition his competitors are going to hit hard on his association with groups and people who do not support the causes of the Republican base, in fact support the opposite causes of the Republican base.

Jeb Bush keeps saying Donald Trump was a Democrat before he became a Republican (like Reagan)? I would like to ask Jeb Bush why he can be best buds with Bloomberg and not fault him for being a Republican turn Democrat and yet at the same time condemn Trump for seeing the light and changing from Democrat to Republican.

 

Does Bush honestly think he will escape his 2013 remarks,” Immigrants create far more businesses than native-born Americans,” Jeb Bush made the statement at the Faith and Freedom Coalition Conference. He went on to say “Immigrants are more fertile, and they love their families, and they have more intact families, and they bring a younger population. Immigrants create an engine of economic prosperity,” many took these remark as meaning immigrant families were better than native born American’s families and they create a more robust economic atmosphere than native born Americans. Jeb Bush sounded a little like Obama when he made those statements.

Bush is a moderate and Republicans tend to be swayed by moderates, I suppose Bush was good for Florida, but Bush has a lot of baggage to carry and I just do not think he is strong enough to carry that baggage.

I did not think last night’s debate advanced Jeb Bush. While the rest were interrupting each other to get their points across Jeb Bush for the most part waited patiently until he was called, answered politely and shut up again. He just did not seem to be part of the pack. I like people being polite to each other, but it does not work in election campaigns Mitt Romney taught us that. 

I think Jeb Bush lost his last chance to turn things around at last night’s debate. I admit he was better at attacking Trump and a few others than in previous debates, but it was still too little, too late. His opening and closing statements were not strong enough to say the lease. 

Bush should step aside now!

The post-debate coverage will likely focus on Trump, Rubio and Cruz and any coverage Jeb Bush gets will probably emphasize his debate flaws.

Bush should have stepped aside before he disgraced himself and his family to bad he did not listen to many of us Republicans.  At least the Bush dynasty may finally be over thank you Jeb Bush.