“I think Donald Trump is dead wrong on this, and I am right”, Bush said, before adding that he’s anticipating a Twitter attack from Trump now that he’s said that. “That is not my motivation”. The campaign is front and center on that.
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“Every dollar we can save in overhead is a dollar that goes on television, goes on radio, goes on media, goes on voter outreach”, Bush said, during a presidential forum hosted by Regent University.
He and his advisors built a campaign, but the voters haven’t come.
Jeb Bush on Friday belatedly conceded what has been evident for months: He’s an underdog with foggy prospects.
“I’ve got a lot of really cool things I could do other than sit around, being miserable, listening to people demonize me and feeling compelled to demonize then”. “That is a joke. Elect Trump if you want that”.
A day after slashing salaries and cutting campaign staff, the former Florida governor got an enthusiastic reception and delivered one of his strongest campaign performances to date. Like it or not, politics is a buyer’s market, and so far conservatives have not shown much demand for his electoral brand.
Bush talked about rolling out more policy initiatives, which pleased at least one attendee. His irritation at polling in single digits comes close to sounding like misplaced entitlement from the scion of a political dynasty.
No one who runs for president wants to see gridlock – although it certainly may occur.
The audience often broke out into cheers, whistling and occasionally a few people stood up while applauding Bush’s answers. He also inadvertently opens himself to charges of elitism.
Although Bush’s long-time political adviser Murphy told Bloomberg Politics recently that Bush’s strength in the March contests would earn him the nomination, the changes are an acknowledgement that Bush needs to first improve his standing in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. Well, welcome to the big leagues. It is Bush’s own fault, and the sooner he accepts this reality, the better off he will be. Many said they were eager to see Bush be more assertive and forceful in debates, in his TV ads and at campaign appearances. He stumbled over basic questions, like whether he would have invaded Iraq as his brother did. He’s made gaffes on everything from the need for funding for women’s health issues to the Oregon mass shooting (“Stuff happens”). Unlike them, Bush has actually run a government. “Cause he was the president for eight years before George Bush”. Many Latinos (and Asians) were flabbergasted when he used the derogatory term “anchor babies” to refer to the children of immigrants. They include many names already associated with the Bushes in the Lone Star State: former state Rep. Dan Branch of Dallas, Tyler oil and gas attorney Gaylord Hughey, El Paso real estate developer Woody Hunt, Houston pipeline tycoon Rich Kinder and his wife, Nancy, Texas congressman-turned-lobbyist Tom Loeffler, Fort Worth philanthropist Kit Moncrief and Warren Tichenor, former USA ambassador to the United Nations.
But in 2015, that appears to be exactly what the Republican electorate wants: someone who will express the particular flavor of anger now prevailing within the party base.
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Jeb Bush’s campaign insists the wholesale restructuring announced Friday is merely a course correction, a reallocation of resources and heightened focus on New Hampshire. The summit will conclude with remarks from former President George W. Bush, Jeb Bush’s brother, and a photo opportunity with both former presidents and Jeb Bush and his wife, Columba.
