Editor-In-Chic: Nia Langley
Jeb bush is cooked, done, terminated,
finished; it’s time for the little brother to hedge his bets and call it quits. In
a newly released national poll by CBS and The New York Times, the former
governor of Florida is tied for fourth place with Carly Fiorina, with a meager
seven percent of possible voters giving him their stamp of approval. After
beginning what was called a “low energy” summer, he has yet
to find his footing in the GOP race. Many had perceived him to be the
front-runner with the most staying power and resources to run away with the
nomination. Yet he has seemed lackluster, careless, and downright
disappointing, especially considering the field of visitors who have topped him
in this Republican primary.
First is the newest front-runner, Ben
Carson, the former neurosurgeon who has not had a day of governing experience
in his life. Second is Donald Trump, the
outspoken egotistical billionaire who seems to be running just so he can put
this job on his resume. Then there is the copy-cat Marco Rubio, the first-term
senator who is running the pseudo Republican version of the Obama 2008 campaign
and is the former understudy of Mr. Bush. Next is Carly Fiorina, the former businesswoman
and CEO of Hewlett-Packard, under whose watch more than 30,000 workers lost
their jobs while her salary tripled. So why hasn’t Jeb Bush been able to remain one of the
top tier candidates?
Well, for starters, the uphill battle for
the nomination begins with the name Bush. Now, I wholeheartedly believe that
the sins of the father, and brother in this case, should not fall unto the
younger Bush. Yet as a political tactician, it does not make sense for him to
defend his brother on issues regarding the Iraqi war, no matter how admirable
it may be. Jeb needs to realize that his brother is not running for president,
he is! Distancing himself does not necessarily mean throwing his brother under
the bus; what is better is shifting his tone one the issue in a more positive
direction, reassuring the American people that he will not make the same
decisions that his father and brother made. Name recognition was made a big
deal way before the campaign season began, but it really does not help Mr. Bush
that the name across the partisan aisle is Clinton. If by nothing less than a
miracle he gets the nomination, in a presidential name-war of Clinton v. Bush,
Clinton wins 10 out 10.
The next problem Bush has encountered
this primary season is the juggernaut named Donald Trump. Since announcing his
candidacy in June, Trump wasted no time in attacking the then front-runner
Bush. This, in retrospect, was a brilliant move by Trump because if you want to
be the king of the playground you find the biggest kid there and punch him in
the mouth. From that moment on, Jeb should have prepared for a 12-round fight
with a K.O. finish. Instead, he held timid and waited for the judges to gift
wrap this decision for him. His lackadaisical approach to Trump’s low-energy
comment and completely disrespectful comments about his wife should have
ignited a fire in Bush, yet he stayed the same course and let those punches
connect without throwing a counter of his own. That will not work with a “candidate” like Trump; you have to show some backbone and at the very least try
and hit back. The plan going into the campaign changes the moment a wildcard
jumps in. Granted, Bush has been throwing jabs lately, but it is a bit late to
show up to the fight now. Trump and Carson both have double digit leads in all
three major primary states, while Bush stands on the precipice of
relegation.
The final problem is Mr. Bush doesn’t take advantage of
the free media given to him, more specifically debates and interviews on the
cable news networks. Those are the perfect opportunities for Mr. Bush to show
the American people exactly who he is, not only as a candidate, but as a person
as well. So far throughout the campaign, he has yet to show some personality;
something that his brother, former President Bush, had no problem with. All the
other candidates have been trying to gain the small air-time they can get their
hands on, especially with Donald Trump taking most of the attention. So it is
important that, when given an opportunity, he take full advantage of it and
make it a memorable one. Mr. Bush has not, which makes me question if he has
the right team in place to take his candidacy any further. Unfortunately the
low-energy adjective placed on Mr. Bush has been spot on. This was proven
especially so last night after a more than embarrassing third debate performance.
If he does not get his act together soon, he is going to be
looking on the outside in, throwing support behind the Republican nominee,
which at this point is definitely not him. Barring something drastic to get his
numbers up, he is going to lose in a dramatic and embarrassing fashion. Good
luck, Mr. Bush; may the odds be ever in your favor.
~ Consigliere
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