Earlier on Monday, the Bush brothers and former first lady visited an American Legion post in Columbia, South Carolina, where they were greeted by about 100 people eating barbecue sandwiches. Here’s George W. Bush making the case for his brother.
Advertisement
I can understand why independents and Democrats might cross over in a Republican primary to vote for Donald Trump, but I cannot see even the glimmer of a reason why any member of the Republican Party would consider voting for a candidate who, last we knew, was a liberal Democrat, and who still espouses the views of a liberal Democrat.
Trump criticized President Bush during the debate Saturday.
It’s not without risks, but the Bush family has long, deep political ties in the state, and the former Florida governor has little choice if he wants to join his father and brother as Oval Office occupants.
The 2016 presidential polls are really at the point now that they have much more relevance and truly mean something.
On Monday, Trump wondered why Bush has not called for help from his brother sooner.
He urged voters to back a candidate who will be “measured and thoughtful” on the world stage. Trump rounded on the former president during Saturday’s debate in a bid to blunt any Bush progress, and he continued the assault Monday at a press conference, slamming George W, who was president during the 9/11, 2001 terror attacks.
Trump’s appearance came six hours before former President George W. Bush’s 2016 campaign debut for his brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, in North Charleston. George W. has already lent his famous face to ads for Jeb’s campaign.
Since leaving Washington in 2009 after eight years in the White House, Bush has not shown interest in being in the public spotlight or playing a leadership role within the Republican Party.
On the other side of the aisle, Bernie Sanders is also in MI.
Mr Bush finished in sixth place in the Iowa caucuses and in fourth place in the New Hampshire primary – the first contests in the state-by-state battles to pick a party nominee for the November 8 presidential election. But that is unlikely to be enough to overtake Clinton when voters go to the polls February 27, in a state where African-American voters make up a majority of likely Democratic voters.
He joked that the couple now spends a lot of time on their ranch in Texas, and that that as tree farmers, he still gets opportunities to practice his “stump speech”. “Look, let me just tell you something”.
At a rally in South Carolina Monday night, the 43rd president made a sweeping case for his brother Jeb Bush, pitching him as essentially the antidote to the tempestuous Trump – a “serious and thoughtful” man with the conviction of his faith, the humility to seek good counsel, and the sober-minded determination to get things done.
Jeb is hoping for a strong showing in SC, which handed primary victories to both Presidents Bush.
“The presidency is often defined by the unexpected”, he said talking about his experience. “Now, when he was arguing for the impeachment of George W. Bush, that was not a reasonable position”.
Advertisement
The former president’s return to presidential politics has been met with blistering attacks from Trump about the unpopular Iraq war and the economic recession that began at the end of his administration.
