Bye Bye JEB!

It was inevitable. A wimpy, dumb-ass little brother with no charm, no self-confidence, little grasp of issues and certainty no moral or political center was bound to fail. Good riddance. Some other deer's eyes will have to be frozen in the headlights now. Goodbye, you lame and stupid a$$hole.

What did he spend, like $150M?  

How humiliating BUT good to know that even when backed by major sponsors, one still can lose. 

I have to say, compared to who is left in the game I was totally happy for Bush to stay in there. Wowza. 

Another moderate driven from the party. Not really such a great thing. 

kenboy said:

Another moderate driven from the party. Not really such a great thing. 

Hardly a moderate.

Steve said:

kenboy said:

Another moderate driven from the party. Not really such a great thing. 

Hardly a moderate.

Agree. The definitions of conservative, liberal, and moderate have shifted considerably. Eisenhower would be considered a pinko now.

The fact that "Jeb!" and "moderate" could be in the same sentence is a function of just how extreme the leading GOP candidates are.

I think the major funders had had enough.  The nomination was his to lose, and lose it he did.  The money sat him down and said, "Get out of the way, son, we need to push Rubio."

I don't think he ever really wanted to run in the first place.  Trump was right, he had no energy.  He looked miserable and frustrated every time he was in front of a crowd.   I think the family pushed him to do it, or he thought he had to run for the family.  Either way, there was no will IMHO, and therefore there was no way.

Wow. And here I was thinking that his brother stepping in as a voice of support would seal the deal.

project37 said:

Wow. And here I was thinking that his brother stepping in as a voice of support would seal the deal.

W on the campaign trail? That was an act of desperation. You could smell the fear. 

Maureen Dowd on the Bushies. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/22/opinion/escape-from-bushworld.html?ref=opinion&_r=0

And The New Yorker says:

max_weisenfeld said:

I think the major funders had had enough.  The nomination was his to lose, and lose it he did.  The money sat him down and said, "Get out of the way, son, we need to push Rubio."

"Push" is the word. He came in a poor third in Iowa, fifth, I think in NH and a distant second and tied with Cruz in SC. Someone asked on TV this am which State Rubio can win. The answer was "Florida, maybe".

I loathed GWB and was generally not a fan of the idea of another Bush in the White House, but I was open-minded to hearing Jeb and giving him a chance given the lackluster fields in both parties. 

However Jeb was awful on the campaign trail -- muddled, uninspiring, awkward, you name it. So, while I'd prefer Jeb over Trump, Cruz, or Rubio, I can't say I'm sorry to see him go. 

Jeb seemed as if he was in agony on the campaign trail; he heart really wasn't in it.  

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/21/jeb-bush-marco-rubio-donald-trump

"How Jeb Bush Spent $130 Million Running for President With Nothing to Show for It"

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/us/politics/jeb-bush-campaign.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

The only thing moderate about Jeb was his approach to dealing with Trump. In the end, that's what sunk him.

.

nohero,

Maybe he was just too decent to win...

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/us/politics/voters-might-not-miss-jeb-bush-but-campaign-reporters-will.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur&referer=

mtierney said:

Maybe he was just too decent to win...

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/us/politics/voters-might-not-miss-jeb-bush-but-campaign-reporters-will.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur&referer=

He may have been good to cover by journalists but: He. Is. Not. Presidential. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/09/opinion/i-miss-barack-obama.html

mumstheword said:

I don't think he ever really wanted to run in the first place.  Trump was right, he had no energy.  He looked miserable and frustrated every time he was in front of a crowd.   I think the family pushed him to do it, or he thought he had to run for the family.  Either way, there was no will IMHO, and therefore there was no way.

^ THIS ^ I just can't imagine that no one on his staff told him to rev up the energy; speak with bass in his voice; show a friggin' pulse! Maybe they did and he just didn't want to. Who knows? Agreed that his body language was that of a man who simply didn't want the job and maybe we're all better for it. 

Jeb's main qualifications were his father and brother.  He was not cut out for the job but the other guys are worse.

mtierney said:

Maybe he was just too decent to win...

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/us/politics/voters-might-not-miss-jeb-bush-but-campaign-reporters-will.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur&referer=

Too decent to win in today's GOP - you're probably right.

The "winners" in the GOP this year play the religious and cultural bigotry game.  Trump, Rubio, and Cruz all incorporate that into their messages.

Jeb Bush couldn't play that game.  Chris Christie couldn't play that game, even though he tried in the "late innings" with his ridiculous comments (being scared of Syrian refugee children, for example).

yahooyahoo said:

Jeb's main qualifications were his father and brother.  He was not cut out for the job but the other guys are worse.

No offense to Teddy Kennedy, but it was kind of the same thing.  Three was not a charm for Teddy or Jeb! (sorry, I keep putting that exclamation point in for fun).  Teddy was much more effective as a Senator, and hopefully Jeb! will find his place in society.

Plus Trump bullied JEB! and JEB! responded like, well, like a little boy being bullied. I don't want my president to be a bully nor be easily bullied.

Decent? Ask the Terry Schiavo's husband. 

John Oliver: "Jeb Bush, the side of plain white rice that nobody ordered," Oliver said.