But in the last few weeks, Bush family members – Barbara Bush and now George W. Bush – have cut ads and campaigned on his behalf. “Labels are for soup cans”.
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And so, Jeb appeared more than happy to walk side-by-side with his older brother on Monday to greet supporters in North Charleston.
Retorted Bush, who argued eminent domain should be reserved for public infrastructure projects, “There is all sorts of intrigue about where I disagree with my brother”. A tradition Jeb Bush is looking to continue on Saturday. It needs a jolt (laughter). “I hope the people of SC will send a message to Donald Trump that we don’t like Putin, we like W”.
Since leaving office, Bush has largely avoided politics and given only a handful of interviews. That was a fourth-place finish. Senator Marco Rubio, seeking a resurrection after finishing fifth in New Hampshire, is third at 14.3 percent, followed by 10.5 percent for Ohio Governor John Kasich, whose impressive second place New Hampshire finish was helping him surge here. And again, in SC, he inexplicably acts like he’s running far behind, taking calculated risks. If he doesn’t do well here, then it’s probably over.
Last night’s 666th GOP presidential debate (at least it feels like it’s been that many) was filled with the reasonable and respectful political discourse we’ve come to expect from this current group of maladjusted men whose profound insecurities and deep personal flaws have tricked them into believing they are each uniquely qualified to serve as our nation’s head of state.
But Trump wasn’t letting go of his line of attack Monday morning, vowing to come after both brothers if necessary.
“This is the first political rally I’ve been to”, he told TheBlaze.
Bush called it “weird” for Trump to discuss “impeaching a Republican two-term president who is extraordinarily popular for good reason among Republicans” on the debate stage.
Adding to the campaign intensity, and perhaps tearing at the very fabric of the Republican Party, candidates were digesting the implications of the political thunderclap brought by the sudden death of conservative Supreme Court justice Antonio Scalia. “So George Bush made a mistake”. And of course, he was not out there in 2008 or 2012.
You know, there’s a lot of theories.
“Thanks to my brother for giving us something to do today, something really important”, he said while introducing his “big little brother”.
He also joked that his life now is about being a painter and becoming a tree farmer back in Texas, something that helped him with his “stump speech”, a quip that drew laughter from the crowd. While she was excited to see George W. Bush – “an excellent president” – she said his appearance won’t sway her decision.
At his brother’s rally, the former president did not mention Mr Trump by name but left no doubt he was talking about the NY billionaire.
He said, ‘Oh, how dare you speak about my brother like that’. Jeb Bush spoke for about 20 minutes, but it didn’t feel like he was – there was any kind of one-ups-manship (ph) or that he was outshining him. I refer you to an essential column by David Horowitz titled “Jeb Bush is Right About Iraq”.
“All the sloganeering and all the talk doesn’t matter if we don’t win”, Bush said.
Now, Bush’s enlistment of his brother has the feel of a last-ditch effort aimed at coalescing establishment backing.
To be exact, Trump has not said that the Bush administration was “responsible” for 9/11 – that is, the “9/11 Truther” accusation that it was an inside job by the government.
As Peggy Noonan and others have pointed out, Jeb’s campaign at times seems silly, as when he says his father is “the greatest man alive”. “And from my experience, the strongest person usually isn’t the loudest one in the room”.
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“I like Jeb Bush, he’s experienced, intelligent, and I like the Bush family”, said Owens, a 77-year-old Easley resident.
