Marco Rubio: I’m no Barack Obama

Bush had made the veiled swipe at Rubio last week, when asked about his longtime friend.

As Bush seeks to convince Republican primary voters that he is sufficiently conservative, his brother has become his favorite measuring stick – serving the dual goal of shoring up Jeb Bush’s conservative credentials while creating space between him and his family name. When pressed by reporters on the campaign trail to say where he differs from W., Jeb has a tendency to lament the fact that his brother didn’t use his veto pen to reign in congressional spending. But not all are competing for the same voters. “Embrace him”, Cavuto said. “Folks have a relationship with these people already”. It’s just, it’s – it’s very sad to see, but I resist the notion, I did – I had this challenge as governor because we had – look stuff happens.

Bush came under fire in McAllen, Texas, for his repeated usage of the term anchor babies to refer to the American-born children of illegal immigrants. They hate more than anybody in this room hates their neighbor.

“He’s been a lot of people’s second choice for a long time”, said Doug Gross, an unaligned longtime Republican consultant in Iowa, a former gubernatorial nominee, and former Mitt Romney adviser. Jeb Bush’s campaign instead sent his son George P Bush, who past year was elected to statewide office in Texas.

As for why he’s considering South Carolina specifically as the site of a Bush 43 revival, that’s easy. Monday, Trump came out in favor of the team keeping its nickname in an interview with the New York Times. “The average taxpayer in this group earned $29.2 million in 2013, meaning the plan proposed by Mr. Bush would have saved them an average of $1.5 million that year”, the Times reports. That’s not how he said it. That’s not what he meant, and I think it’s real journalistic malfeasance to present it, the newspapers that have presented that single headline is completely unacceptable. “But I am going to miss votes, I’m running for president….” A few of Jeb Bush’s allies are keenly aware of the delicate balance required.

Jeb Bush committed a mini-gaffe when, in reference to last week’s horrific mass shooting in Roseburg, Ore., he blurted out the phrase, “Stuff happens”. “We’re on your side, things can get better“, Bush said.

Mr Jeb Bush has offered mild criticism of his brother’s administration at times. But it is not a role he seems to relish, as was demonstrated when he struggled over the summer to answer questions about whether he would have invaded Iraq, a decision that still weighs down the former president with many voters. Not only does he have the baggage of the worst presidency in our lifetime in his genes, he also has no record of accomplishment beyond winning the birth lottery and serving as Florida’s governor during the inflationary curve of a housing bubble. “He needed the support to maintain that”.

His quandary is reminiscent of the one his brother faced in the 2000 Republican presidential primary. He has claimed in the past that people who use the public safety net are fleecing taxpayers by living high on the hog and not having to pay deductibles like those with private insurance do.

Bush has long said that his message is aspirational, that his policies would lead to growth for all people, voters of color included.

You get the drift – and no, that drift is not amusing, but it is unbelievable.

One of the biggest developments is a recent CNN poll in New Hampshire that shows Rubio in third place – trailing only Trump and Fiorina – even though he has been there less than nearly any other candidate. The general public being ignored in favor of his supporters and donors? Bush has dipped significantly, and the prime beneficiary has been Rubio.

It’s not just the anti-Black sentiments expressed in words that are troubling about Republicans – it’s their actions as well.