The fall of "preemptively presumptive" party nominees always seem to unfold in very similar ways. How much more amusing it is that that of La Clinton Nostra and House Bush are doing so in parallel and tandem to each other:
Jeb Bush is entering a critical phase of his Republican presidential campaign, with top donors warning that the former Florida governor needs to demonstrate growth in the polls over the next month or face serious defections among supporters…
Bush “needs to get his favorables up,” said a senior GOP bundler who is backing him and requested anonymity to speak candidly.
“People are looking at the stage and saying: ‘Jeb and Marco? I’m going with the new,’ ” said a top party fundraiser not aligned with a campaign. “You’re seeing people really gravitate to [Rubio] and saying, ‘Okay, we’ll buck the Bush machine.’
“What I hear everywhere when you say Jeb’s name is, ‘If you want to lose the general election, nominate Jeb,’ ” the fundraiser added. [emphasis added]
Just as with Hillary Clinton, Jeb thought the process would be sublimely simple: His surname would carry him to the Republican nomination (stop snickering) by raising him uncountable gobs of mountains of money that would keep any potential challengers on the sidelines. Then he and Mrs. Clinton could do their dance next fall and he would "do his job" and the Ugly Dutchess would move back into the White House and he could kick back with a fine-vintage wine and toast his fellow RINOs on another defeat well done.
But the fundraising "shock & awe" didn't prevent the eruption of a comically overpopulated field of challengers, and then Donald Trump and his hostile takeover of the Republican Party aimed at "establishmentarians" and Tea Partiers alike (though the latter are too hypnotized to realize it). All of a sudden his family name and gobs of mountains of money didn't matter anymore. Suddenly being "entertaining" and "high-energy" became the coin of the political realm, commodities in which Jeb Bush is absolutely dirt-poor.
Allahpundit is skeptical that the GOP establishment will pull the plug on the next in line to the Bush throne, but I'm not about the latest Bush crown prince, especially since they've got a much younger, more articulate, better-looking, more charismatic, and genuinely Hispanic alternative already in the race named Marco Rubio. I still think Rubio is running for veep, but everybody keeps saying that Rubio would be the biggest threat to the Democrat nominee next year - a "rightwing Republican Obama," as it were. If even the House Bush donor network is starting to have this dawn on them, I don't know where else Jeb has to go or what else he can do.
Sure, for us this is another "See, we told you so," something that was effortlessly predictable, but the conventional unwisdom is very difficult to get people to see in advance, and even after the fact. Having long-since fallen out of the top candidate tier and lacking any of the skills he would need to regain all that lost ground, it's looking more and more like the jig is up for Bush III.
Just for historical reference, 1980 was the last time that a Bush sought the GOP presidential nomination and failed to win it. But this makes 2016 a fitting (and merciful) bookend to that run to bring it to a once and for all close.
Something that I could celebrate....if only for the fact that I would take even Jeb over Donald Trump.
But that ship has long since sailed.
I wonder how long it'll take for Jeb to come to terms with it.
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