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From Politico.com:
New Hampshire primary 2016: Ted Cruz takes the fight to Donald Trump in New Hampshire - POLITICO
Although Bush implied that the three leading Republican candidates lack the ability to make “a tough decision,” the voters have already rendered their verdict against Bush. In their judgment, there is nothing in former Governor Bush’s past to suggest that he has the experience to lead the country.
The Iowa exit poll was revealing. Bush finished 6[SUP]th[/SUP] with 3% of the vote. Among voters seeking candidates with political experience, Bush did little better winning 4% of that group's vote. Rubio (39%) and Cruz (35%) easily surpassed Bush’s totals. Even more troubling for Bush, candidates with no political experience (Trump at 3% and Carson at 2%) garnered a similar share of the vote from this group. The blunt reality for Bush is that among Iowa’s voters who want the next President to have political experience, Bush’s experience mattered very little.
During the campaign, Bush has sought to differentiate himself in terms of his economic record, but failed to do so. Despite repeatedly claiming to have detailed policy plans, including during his closing statement from the most recent debate, he has unveiled only a tax plan when it comes to economics. He has never gotten into a detailed discussion of substance ranging from incomes to trade. Among Iowa’s voters who felt that the economy/jobs was most important (27%) Bush finished in a 3-way tie with Kasich and Paul at 4%. Even Carson, who has no economic experience whatsoever, won 9% of that group.
All said, Bush is a candidate who came into the race with an impressive resume, but proved unable to pass the proverbial interview in converting that resume into support. His efforts were hobbled by frequently weak debate performances, an inability to differentiate himself from his rivals from offering substantive ideas in contrast to their generalities, and an overall lackluster campaign. His messages were so badly muddled that he squandered his opportunity and a more than $100 million war chest in the process.
In Iowa, the voters soundly dismissed him. In New Hampshire, he faces a similar fate, as Cruz and Rubio rise in the polls on account of their Iowa performances. Bush will likely be relegated to 4[SUP]th[/SUP] or 5[SUP]th[/SUP] place, possibly winning around 10% of the vote. The tiny Emerson poll that showed his support at 18% in New Hampshire has proved to be an outlier, as subsequent polls placed it around 9%.
In New Hampshire and perhaps, but not necessarily, all the way to South Carolina, his campaign and his Right to Rise Super PAC may well exhaust most of their remaining funds, but the marginal return on investment will likely be close to zero in this campaign environment. Once voter perceptions harden, it's exceptionally difficult to change them.
Moreover, he is now doing little more than flailing away at the leaders. His desperation is transparent. It only serves to destroy the last vestiges of his desired narrative of a leader who is capable of making “tough decisions” under pressure. That approach is an unmistakable symptom that the Bush candidacy has already failed, even if it will stagger on for a little longer.
In the end, Bush is a decent and honorable public servant who did much for Florida. But that’s in the increasingly distant past and it is not enough to become President of the United States when a candidate is unable to connect that experience with the requirements of the Presidency. Now, if he truly wants a mainstream Republican candidate to become President, he should have the courage to make the tough decision to withdraw from the race to help make that outcome possible.
Bush told a packed town hall-style event at Franklin Pierce University Tuesday morning that "the three candidates who just won" — Trump, Cruz and Rubio — are all Republican versions of Barack Obama, who he said is "gifted and he’s an extraordinary speaker even today, but he uses his skills to push down the people who disagree with him to make himself look better."
"The three candidates who just won, it’s kind of similar, isn't it?" he said. "If you look at their records, they’re gifted in how they speak, but what about their life experience. Is there something in their past that would suggest they have the capability of making a tough decision?"
New Hampshire primary 2016: Ted Cruz takes the fight to Donald Trump in New Hampshire - POLITICO
Although Bush implied that the three leading Republican candidates lack the ability to make “a tough decision,” the voters have already rendered their verdict against Bush. In their judgment, there is nothing in former Governor Bush’s past to suggest that he has the experience to lead the country.
The Iowa exit poll was revealing. Bush finished 6[SUP]th[/SUP] with 3% of the vote. Among voters seeking candidates with political experience, Bush did little better winning 4% of that group's vote. Rubio (39%) and Cruz (35%) easily surpassed Bush’s totals. Even more troubling for Bush, candidates with no political experience (Trump at 3% and Carson at 2%) garnered a similar share of the vote from this group. The blunt reality for Bush is that among Iowa’s voters who want the next President to have political experience, Bush’s experience mattered very little.
During the campaign, Bush has sought to differentiate himself in terms of his economic record, but failed to do so. Despite repeatedly claiming to have detailed policy plans, including during his closing statement from the most recent debate, he has unveiled only a tax plan when it comes to economics. He has never gotten into a detailed discussion of substance ranging from incomes to trade. Among Iowa’s voters who felt that the economy/jobs was most important (27%) Bush finished in a 3-way tie with Kasich and Paul at 4%. Even Carson, who has no economic experience whatsoever, won 9% of that group.
All said, Bush is a candidate who came into the race with an impressive resume, but proved unable to pass the proverbial interview in converting that resume into support. His efforts were hobbled by frequently weak debate performances, an inability to differentiate himself from his rivals from offering substantive ideas in contrast to their generalities, and an overall lackluster campaign. His messages were so badly muddled that he squandered his opportunity and a more than $100 million war chest in the process.
In Iowa, the voters soundly dismissed him. In New Hampshire, he faces a similar fate, as Cruz and Rubio rise in the polls on account of their Iowa performances. Bush will likely be relegated to 4[SUP]th[/SUP] or 5[SUP]th[/SUP] place, possibly winning around 10% of the vote. The tiny Emerson poll that showed his support at 18% in New Hampshire has proved to be an outlier, as subsequent polls placed it around 9%.
In New Hampshire and perhaps, but not necessarily, all the way to South Carolina, his campaign and his Right to Rise Super PAC may well exhaust most of their remaining funds, but the marginal return on investment will likely be close to zero in this campaign environment. Once voter perceptions harden, it's exceptionally difficult to change them.
Moreover, he is now doing little more than flailing away at the leaders. His desperation is transparent. It only serves to destroy the last vestiges of his desired narrative of a leader who is capable of making “tough decisions” under pressure. That approach is an unmistakable symptom that the Bush candidacy has already failed, even if it will stagger on for a little longer.
In the end, Bush is a decent and honorable public servant who did much for Florida. But that’s in the increasingly distant past and it is not enough to become President of the United States when a candidate is unable to connect that experience with the requirements of the Presidency. Now, if he truly wants a mainstream Republican candidate to become President, he should have the courage to make the tough decision to withdraw from the race to help make that outcome possible.