February 27, 2015

Jeb Bush at CPAC.

Watch live, here, beginning right now.

UPDATE: It's over now. I watched it. Here's what I remember:

1. He asked if he could be your second choice.

2. He had that young-person's conversational tic of beginning every answer with "So." (He didn't do a speech, but only took questions from Sean Hannity.)

3. He looked presentable and reasonably trim, but he could use a better tailored suit... or is a too-big suit some way of covering flaws or seeming to be an un-rich guy?

4. He's got a good pitch about improving K-12 education in Florida, and he expresses pride in ending affirmative action by executive order.

5. In the instant word association portion of the questions, his response to "Obama" was "failed President."

6. Best but dubious effort at humor: When Hannity said he had one more question, Jeb said "boxers." (Bill Clinton's answer to the famously inappropriate question, by the way, was "Usually briefs. I can't believe she did that." Obama's answer was:  "I don't answer those humiliating questions. But whichever one it is, I look good in 'em.")

7. This was the first time — as far as I remember — that I ever spent any time actually listening to Jeb Bush. So... what's my impression? He seems solid and substantial. Nothing particularly negative. I never expect to agree with everything a presidential candidate stands for. You'd have to reshuffle what the 2 parties are for that to happen. And Jeb only wants to be my second choice.

50 comments:

D. said...

No, thanks.

F said...

D beat me to it.

traditionalguy said...

He's actually doing quite well. If he only planned to follow through on his words without counting the cost to the Bush Wealth Network that has picked him to be their own.



Nonapod said...

I guess we'll see how far his stance of apparently actively disliking and disagreeing with Conservatives gets him.

MadisonMan said...

F and D for the win.

Bob Boyd said...

I just watched it.
Jeb looked good, I have to admit. He looked Presidential. He spoke well, was well prepared. He seemed natural, relaxed, confident. He has a couple of physical mannerisms that were starnge and gave him a bit of distracted air at times. He did give a good answer to the the same ISIS question Walker flubbed. (It was a Q&A format with Hannity asking questions from the audience.)

Ann Althouse said...

He had that young people's thing of beginning every answer with "So..."

Lydia said...

"CPAC activists booed Jeb Bush when Sean Hannity broached the subject of immigration in a Q&A with the former Florida governor, but Bush stood by his perceived conservative heresies on the issue, winning applause as he argued that Americans shouldn’t feel deprived of jobs by incoming immigrants.

'For those who made an ‘oo’ sound — is that what it was? — I’m marking you down as neutral and I want to be your second choice,' Bush said, grinning."

Pretty good response. And has that good-natured Bush family (excluding Mama Barbara) touch.

Anonymous said...

He's not remotely my second choice. I'm for having the next president be Gen X, not a boomer; and even more important, having someone who's not a legacy candidate. Bush vs. Clinton is the most dismal presidential election I can imagine.

james conrad said...

Well, Jeb is going to have to earn it, i don't think anyone doubts that, including Jeb.

traditionalguy said...

Sneaky Jeb. He innocently wants to come along to the campaign debates a harmless second place guy in a rumpled suit, until that "farmer in over his head" Walker slips on a banana peel sneaked into his way by sneaky Jeb's polished team a week after the stories about walker's disasters are written and ready for insertion in Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and NYT editions.

Political consultants have probably already proof read and edited them.

mccullough said...

Jeb Bush did a good job overall as Florida governor.

I would say that in the last 25 years, he's been one of the 5 best governors. I'm a younger brother myself so I sympathize with his predicament (side note: Eli Manning has won 2 Super Bowls (over Tom Brady, no less) while Peyton Manning has won one).

That said, I don't see that he's right for the times. Unlike a Mitch Daniels, he has not demonstrated high competence on the pressing fiscal issues the U.S. faces.

People who are governors now are facing the fiscal issues that the current president and his predecessor were not willing to face.

Education always will be an important issue, and a majority of Americans will expect the federal government in general and the President in particular, to make it a priority. But the bigger issue is who can preserve and steward the limited money the U.S. will have to spend on education (and other things).

Unknown said...

I hate, HATE the "So..." thing. Unsure if I could tolerate hearing that from the president for four years, but I suppose I would take it over the refrain of "Uhs" in current residence.

Wince said...

Ann Althouse said...
He had that young people's thing of beginning every answer with "So..."

So... with Jeb as my wingman, maybe we can try that out at Coachella this year?

Hagar said...

A return to republican (small "r") government will be most welcome as far as I am concerned, and I do believe Jeb is a politician; not a "lightbringer."

SayAahh said...

So, so does Dr. K.
So, is he a young person by your definition?

Sebastian said...

Body language like W, actual language more articulate. Good sign.

"Solid and substantial" will go a long way. AA approval: a good sign.

Clearly plans to run on his record, which is also solid and substantial. Good sign.

Answers questions clearly and forthrightly (for a politician). Good sign.

Sure, he's got his name working against him, but this may be the best Bush yet. Third time, and all that.

Walker has momentum but has to raise his game to match Bush's substance. Handling unions and the press well won't suffice.

Revenant said...

Sure, he's got his name working against him, but this may be the best Bush yet.

You could elect the moldy corpse of Prescott Bush to the Oval Office and he'd be the "best Bush yet".

cf said...

Sure, he's polished, he is part of our royal aristocracy so he should be polished.

Only thing is, the worst thing we could do heading into the 3rd decade of the 21st Century would be to elect from these two late 20th century presidential family lines, Clinton and Bush.

What a mess my generation has made of America.

Skyler said...

Jeb has no chance of winning, but he can amass quite a lot of money that will serve him well in many ways, including being a king maker.

I pox on hereditary elections.

MadisonMan said...

The only good answer to that horrible "Briefs or Boxers?" question is "Yes".

D.E. Cloutier said...

AA: "or is a too-big suit some way of covering flaws or seeming to be an un-rich guy?"

It shows discipline. The person wanted to lose weight and did.

Some guys will intentionally wear a too-big suit to a meeting. If I remember correctly, Ross Thomas mentioned the reason in his 1978 novel "Chinaman's Chance."

- DEC (Jungle Trader)

tim in vermont said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Big Mike said...

...but Bush stood by his perceived conservative heresies on the issue, winning applause as he argued that Americans shouldn’t feel deprived of jobs by incoming immigrants.

Ah, but what if they really are being deprived of jobs by incoming immigrants? A Bush, trying to decide which cut of steak he'll have tonight (or will it be the Chilean Sea Bass?) may not get this, but once upon a time a person going through a rough patch could count on picking up some extra cash by working hard at odd jobs and handyman work, or even getting a "do you want fries with that" job at McDonalds or comparable fast food joint. Today those jobs are filled by "undocumented" immigrants, so there's nothing. Is Jeb stupid? Does he not realize such people exist? Or does he simply not care?

And Jeb only wants to be my second choice.

Not even close.

Birches said...

lol, Revenant

That was good.

traditionalguy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
traditionalguy said...

The hidden massive disaster of Bush and Friends beloved Hispanic invasion is the Balkanization of American life.

How will we feel when only Spanish is spoken and we are intentionally being shut out of most of life going on around us.

That's OK for a Bush and Friends who can live in the Nuevo Hispanic States of America as if they are relaxed rich tourists over in France where they can buy service and attention with their mega money. But it is very bad when you are just shut out and they won't talk English around you making a Frenchman seem polite.

The reason that coming illegally makes most Americans angry is that this is their English speaking country. The Hispanics have countries of their own.

Michael K said...

People who are governors now are facing the fiscal issues that the current president and his predecessor were not willing to face. "

In fairness to W, he was planning to be a domestic issue president. Clinton's neglect of the al Qeada problem, which was growing rapidly during his second term, left him to deal with 9/11. Clinton barely got out of town before the boom fell. The Cole bombing was the week before the election. It was Clinton luck that got him out of town before 9/11. And then the Democrats blocked all of Bush's appointments until summer.

I wonder if Obama will have similar luck and get out of town before the roof caves in.

Ann Althouse said...

"Jeb has no chance of winning..."

That would be true if it were not the case that someone must win.

Jason said...

I'm a Floridian. Jeb was a fine governor.

I'd vote for him in a heartbeat over any Democrat in the country and a damn lot of Republicans.

The rabid haters at CPAC are idiots.

Birches said...

Just wondering, how old are you tradguy? Over 65? Over 70?

richard mcenroe said...

You should have listened to him earlier and more often. He may be solid and substantial enough for the faculty lounge but he's solidly, substantially bad for this country. No more dynasties.

richard mcenroe said...

You might have mentioned the large chunk of the audience that walked out on him.

rcocean said...

Large hunk? According to reports it was just "scores" which means 40-80.

Bush knows he has the moderates/Establishment types on his side. All he needs is a portion of the conservatives to vote for him and the remaining conservatives to regard him as "acceptable".

Of course, once Conservatives say Bush is 'acceptable' they are lost -which is why Bush asked to be 2nd choice.

rcocean said...

BTW, I fully expect Bush III to be nominated and lose. Republicans are stuck on stupid.

The Godfather said...

I didn't know that starting a sentence with "So, . . . ." was a young person thing. I've heard it in TV interviews from lots of grown-ups, and I find it very annoying. Am I going to be forced to listen to it forever now?

I also hate cilantro, and I've had to tolerate that for decades.

Or, I should have said: So, I also hate cilantro, and I've had to tolerate that for decades.

Anonymous said...

Big Mike: Is Jeb stupid? Does he not realize such people exist? Or does he simply not care?

All of the above.

Jason: I'm a Floridian. Jeb was a fine governor.

I'm an ex-Floridian. To be fair, Jeb is not personally responsible for the fact that large parts of that once quite pleasant state are now indistinguishable from certain other Third World paradises I've also experienced. But he is a member in good standing of the gang that is.

The rabid haters at CPAC are idiots.

Yes, but their hating the Jebster is a sign of hope that maybe they've got two neurons among them to rub together, after all.

Hagar said...

I think "traditionalguy" is at least two people and maybe three.

averagejoe said...

Blogger Sebastian said...

Walker has momentum but has to raise his game to match Bush's substance. Handling unions and the press well won't suffice.

2/27/15, 3:27 PM

What substance would that be? What does Walker lack that Bush possesses? Handling unions and democrat party press is a significant requirement for a republican candidate. Althouse and progressive democrats and their media propaganda arm are just waiting for something, anything to disqualify the republican candidate, no matter who it is. So Walker so far has not given satisfactory replies to some of the press's gotcha questions, and apparently he crossed an invisible line of outrage when he asserted that his experience contending with crowds of hostile protesters threatening to kill him and his family has prepared him to contend with Islamic terrorists. This outrage over a politician's words only ever works one way. Yesterday Representative Cleaver (D-MO) compared Tea Partiers to ISIS terrorists and murderers, but you don't see comparable admonishment from Althouse or the democrat party media, do you? Do you really think the democrat party media is going to let another Bush into the White House? If he was the nominee they will portray him as the guy who pulled the plug on poor Terry Schaivo, fer crissakes. Bush is dead man walking, and the democrats would love for him to be the republican nominee.

wildswan said...

This country started going to hell when they started adding cilantro to good food. I silently endure it and I'll do the same if Job Bush is nominated. He is the cilantro candidate as far as I'm concerned. Hilary is the worm and s..t candidate, these being the latest additives for those who take their food and political ideas from the New Yorker.

Walker is butter (which tastes good and, it turns out, is good for you) and what Walker does is a far, far butter thing than the cilantro guy.

gadfly said...

John Ellis Bush is right at home at CPAC:

"Speaking at the Wall Street Journal CEO Council meeting on Monday, Bush said that whoever is nominated should 'lose the primary to win the general without violating your principles.' That statement doesn't seem to make any sense out of context, but Bush goes on to make it clear that conservatism is not going to win the day in 2016. He expressed his support for positions unlikely to garner a lot of excitement among the conservative base. Bush is in favor of Common Core, of course, but he’s also in favor of working more closely with Democrats on immigration."

Sebastian said...

"conservatism is not going to win the day in 2016"

Pure, hard-core conservatism is not going to win.

What will win is a candidate with proposals that can get to 270.

For the GOP, that means winning over most married white women and some working-class men in battleground states. It means keeping states like Colorado and New Mexico and New Hampshire in play. Winning Florida is essential.

A candidate much more conservative than Romney is unlikely to do better.

Both Walker and Bush have a legitimate shot. None of the Senators does. Christie is a real RINO. Perry has a chance but has to hurry up. Pence is nowhere. Jindal doesn't have the persona. Huckabee is a spoiler at best.

Walker/Bush probably wouldn't work. Bush/Walker might. Either man is likely to pick battleground help though. Think Martinez, Haley.

traditionalguy said...

To whom it may concern:

Je Suis only one lawyer with more than one imaginary client to fight for at a time Some of my imaginary clients deserve justice no matter who fears or hates them. They are not perfect but they need more than a fence sitter tspeaking out for them. They need an advocat.

Now, back to learning from The Professor.

Limited Blogger said...

Peggy Noonan seems to have it right: he can't stand the base.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/sorry-jeb-the-race-is-wide-open-1424994157

And he doesn't seem to think he needs it to win the primary, hence the *I'll put the "oohs" down as neutrals and ask them to keep me second* remark.

Apparently he feels certain he can win the primary without them (and probably the general, too) but it would be nice if they turned out and voted for him.

He seemed pained, and was deigning, to be there. But maybe it was just defensiveness? During the entire Q&A, rarely -- if ever -- did he smile broadly and show his teeth.

"So ... here's the deal, man" -- it looked as if it took all of his might not to scream:

CAN'T YOU SEE WE WILL BE JAPAN IF WE DON'T LEGALIZE THESE ILLEGAL PEOPLE? WITHOUT THEM PAYING INTO IT, OUR SOCIAL SECURITY PONZI SCHEME WILL COLLAPSE, YOU WEDNESDAY-NIGHT-CHURCH-GOING COVERED-DISH SUPPERS!

Big Mike said...

I wonder if Obama will have similar luck and get out of town before the roof caves in.

No.

He's not as slick as Willie Clinton, and his advisors are not nearly as good.

Lydia said...

Peggy Noonan doesn't like the Bush family. She especially dislikes G.W. and his neocon friends and their Iraq war. Largely why she voted for Obama in 2008.

Anonymous said...

I thought he looked pretty good. Did well. He agreed that we need border security first. And he agreed that we should stop Obama's executive amnesty.

I'd vote for him if he gets through the primary and keeps sounding like that.

But he isn't even my 2nd choice, or 5th choice.

Joe said...

No more relatives and/or family members. That goes for congress as well.

Jason said...

I'm an ex-Floridian. To be fair, Jeb is not personally responsible for the fact that large parts of that once quite pleasant state are now indistinguishable from certain other Third World paradises I've also experienced. But he is a member in good standing of the gang that is.

Sorry you don't like those icky colored people.

I happened to serve overseas with a lot of those kids from those large parts of the state now indistinguishable from third world paradises. Kids born in Guatemala, Honduras, Columbia, Mexico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Cuba. Kids who grew up in rough neighborhoods near Liberty City, where my Guard unit was based, and Hialeah and Miami Lakes.

They are great Americans.

Anonymous said...

Jason: Sorry you don't like those icky colored people.

I happened to serve overseas with a lot of those kids from those large parts of the state now indistinguishable from third world paradises. Kids born in Guatemala, Honduras, Columbia, Mexico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Cuba.


Yes, of course, Jason. My dislike at watching parts of my country moving toward Third World conditions has no basis in objective observation of reality but is merely an irrational reaction based on Fear of the Other. If only my experience of humanity were as vast as your own, instead of having spent my entire life in a gated whitopia, it surely wouldn't bother me at all.

Sheesh.

(Btw, if you're old enough to have served in the Guard, you're too old to be indulging in the juvenile tumblr-chick snarking of your first sentence, above.)