Jeb Bush, whose father and brother served as US Presidents, came into the 2016 presidential fray with high hopes of adding to the Bush family dynasty by capturing the White House in November.
Jeb’s chances of success seemed fairly good. After, all he was very well- funded, a favorite of the GOP “establishment,” and was considered an affable, likable man who had served as Governor of Florida with distinction.
Likability, plus credible experience as a successful governor, seemed to bode well for Jeb, who was next in line to claim the natural birthright of a Bush family member seeking possession of the Oval Office.
As it turns out, the fanciful story of a Bush family dynasty ended abruptly, and in humiliating fashion, in South Carolina on Saturday when Jeb came in fourth place behind Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz.
As reported at the reference, Jeb was thus forced to face the harsh judgment of voters in South Carolina, who joined Americans in Iowa and New Hampshire, in rejecting the notion that the US Presidency was the birthright of anyone, including a member of the Bush clan:
Jeb Bush dropped out of the presidential race on Saturday, ending a quest for the White House that started with a war chest of $100 million, a famous name and a promise of political civility but concluded with a humbling recognition: In 2016, none of it mattered.
No single candidacy this year fell so short of its original expectations. It began with an aura of inevitability that masked deep problems, from Mr. Bush himself, a clunky candidate in a field of gifted performers, to the rightward drift of the Republican Party since Mr. Bush’s time as a consensus conservative in Florida.
“I’m proud of the campaign that we’ve run to unify our country,” Mr. Bush said, his eyes moist, in an emotional speech here Saturday night after his third straight disappointing finish in the early voting states. “The people of Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken, and I really respect their decision.”
Jeb’s failure is attributable to a number of hard facts: The Donald Trump phenomenon, his out of step stance on illegal immigration and Common Core, and the disinclination of American voters to install presidents on the basis of assumed birthrights.
The issue of illegal immigration seemed particularly problematic for Jeb who made the curious argument that illegal aliens should be afforded special treatment because their crimes were committed “out of love,” a specious contention at best, a naïve and simple-minded excuse at worse.
The Bush fall began in earnest when Donald Trump entered the fray and immediately seized upon the government’s outrageous failure to deal with illegal immigration in a reasonable, pro-American citizen manner, AND his promise to address the problem by building a fence at the US-Mexico border, construction thereof to be funded by the Mexican government.
With his harsh language and aggressive stance regarding illegal aliens, Trump immediately captured the hearts and minds of millions of Americans who had grown weary and bitter over the government’s pandering to illegals, including the shameful use of Executive Orders by Barack Obama to circumvent the US Constitution, Congress, the Rule of law, and the wishes of most Americans, by unilaterally altering the law pertaining to deportation of illegals.
In response, Jeb resorted to name calling and vindictive bile issued against the Donald. The disconnect between his personal views and those of the public seemed to elude Jeb and his wealthy donors, establishment elitists anxious to stock America with an endless supply of uneducated, illiterate, non-English speaking illegal aliens willing to work for next to nothing and without benefits.
Jeb Bush’s naïve belief that illegal aliens come to America out of “love” earned him the sound thumping he so richly deserved!
Only the widespread prevalence of “Bush fatigue” provides a reasonable alternative explanation for Jeb’s failure, a fail that all who believe in the rule of must celebrate with vigor!
Reference: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/21/us/politics/jeb-bush.html?_r=0
