Bush Discusses The Bushes

IMG_6040Jeb Bush gave a lengthy answer to a town hall questioner Thursday night who urged Jeb to engage and embrace his father and brother in his campaign.  The woman, who described herself as a “Bushophile” and brought pictures dating from the 1980s or 1990s of her own mother with George W. Bush, Laura Bush and Barbara Bush, captured Bush’s quandary well.

Dismissing what “the liberals are saying, that you ran home to mummy and had a meeting”, she affectionately described George W. Bush in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. “Your mother probably didn’t approve of you calling Trump a jerk, even though he is” the questioner added as her query unfolded.  “She probably did approve.  Trust me, I have first hand knowledge of this” replied Jeb.

Saying that he “love[s] them dearly” Bush spoke fondly about about his presidential relatives and reflected on the necessity of neither under or over relying on them and the oddity of having a third president from the same family.   Declaring that he’s “not running away from them” Jeb described George W. as the “most popular Republican in the United States today” and said that he expects to campaign with him.  (In a post-town hall Q&A Jeb said that no such plans are yet in place, however.)

Video – Here’s the full question and response:

Bush Press Q&A: The Dentists Edition

Bush - Hampton, NH 1-21-16Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush spoke with the press tonight following a town hall in Hampton, New Hampshire.

His family figured prominently in the question topics, beginning with  Bush’s mention during the town hall that his mother Barbara will appear in a campaign ad scheduled for release Friday.  Saying that “it’s good to get an endorsement from your mother” Bush said that he has not seen the ad and does not know what it’s content is.  Bush was also asked about his brother, former president George W. Bush.  Jeb said that he expected to have George W. campaigning for him, but that plans for doing so have not been made.  When asked whether he regarded his brother’s presidency a success and what elements he would seek to emulate in his own presidency Bush skipped replying on an overall assessment of the Bush 43 presidency, instead saying “the focus on building a homeland security structure that kept us safe, that avoided further attacks is probably the greatest accomplishment that my brother had,” along with “restoring a constant vigilant effort to protect the homeland”.

Bush was also asked about illegal immigration and the effect of the use of a “non-detained docket”, whether his father’s recent comment that he’s “mellowing out” on same-sex marriage affects Jeb’s view and for a reaction to to former Senator Bob Dole’s description of a Cruz nomination as “cataclysmic” for the Republican party.  He avoided the issue of a Cruz nomination, focusing only on saying that he’ll win it over Cruz.

As Bush was departing he was asked if he’s having fun and what the best part of tonight’s town hall.  As he wrapped up his answer and again moved toward the door a final, killer question rang out:  “Why do you think 4 out of 5 dentists in Florida prefer you over Rubio?”

Pat Benahhtahhh!

An audience member and Jeb Bush traded New England-accented “Pat Benahtahhh”‘s during a recent town hall.  As she rose to ask a question on term limits Bush blurted out “what’s that t-shirt.”   Her reply prompted a repeat from Bush, while her question prompted a fist-pump, swaying and a “praise the Lord” from Bush.  It also elicited support for congressional term limits, a constitutional convention and praise for the role of term limits in Florida.

Jeb Asunder

Bush - Hollis, NH 1-15-16His world has been torn asunder and he’s not quite sure what to do about it.  Among Jeb Bush’s observations at a recent town hall was the somewhat stilted characterization that “the world has been torn asunder.”   There’s truth in that statement, but it’s not the way that other candidates or most voters would say it.

Jeb Bush is a candidate out of sync with the current mood in his party who, notwithstanding some significant strengths, continues to struggle at gaining traction as the New Hampshire primary approaches.  He held a lengthy town hall Friday night in Hollis, New Hampshire, speaking with about 200 people for an hour and a half.  Casting himself as the “only guy taking Donald Trump on”, Bush argued that both electorally and substantively the Republican Party and the country will ultimately decide that they want “a serious leader” and that he is that “serious leader.”  His audience was very attentive and receptive, starting and ending with a standing ovation for Bush, but mostly they listened as he spoke for about 20 minutes and then answered 16 questions over an hour and ten minutes.

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Continue reading Jeb Asunder

Trump v. Beck

Donald Trump bashed his latest adversary Saturday – conservative TV and radio host Glenn Beck.  Beck recently attracted Trump’s ire by saying that Trump voted for Barack Obama.

Beck has since apologized for retweeting a tweet he now recognizes was a fake as evidence of Trump’s vote, but Beck still maintains that Trump voted for Obama over McCain.

Here’s what Trump had to say during an appearance in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Planted

Donald Trump doesn’t move.  We’re not talking ideologically or politically, but physically.  A combination of arm movements, facial expressions and an occasional shrug keep a viewer visually occupied, but Donald Trump is a remarkably motionless speaker.  Most candidates roam their stage, looking deep into the corners of the room or moving up close to audience members to listen or to emphasize a point.   Not Trump.  He stays rooted in a single spot, rarely moving with his feet fixed to the floor.

At his own rallies Trump speaks from a lectern with a fixed microphone, rarely venturing away.  That’s his choice – he could of course be outfitted with a handheld mic or a lavalier mic clipped to his jacket or tie.  On Saturday Trump appeared at Scott Brown’s “No BS Backyard BBQ” series, held that day indoors at a car dealership.  There was a modest sized stage, sans lectern, and Trump used a handheld wireless mic.  We’ve condensed 10 minutes of his speech into a 30 second clip – watch it below.

Is it a sign of confidence, steadily staying put as hundreds or thousands of people sit and watch him?  Is it a sign of insecurity, afraid to move under the glare of the lights and his audience?  I have no idea, but it is a fascinating small element of Trump’s performance.

Here’s a 10 minute clip from his Portsmouth, NH speech, run at high speed in a 30 second clip:

Note:  The clip is available at normal speed here, beginning at 3:00 in the full speech video.

Liftoff

Trump - Portsmouth, NH 1-16-16Concerned about “liftoff” for his plane as snow fell outside, Donald Trump never quite took off during a New Hampshire appearance Saturday.  Speaking at Scott Brown’s “No BS Backyard BBQ”, Trump meandered through a slightly shortened version of his typical remarks and answered audience questions.  His audience was supportive, but not nearly as vocal or demonstrative as his typical rally audience and Trump seemed less energetic than usual.  Held in a Portsmouth car dealer’s showroom, the event drew approximately 700 people.  (The space was full, but without any overflow.)

Trump - Portsmouth, NH 1-16-16

Trump superlatives began as he walked onstage, declaring that “we don’t have snow like this in New York” as about 3 inches accumulated outside.  He expressed concern about “lifting off” afterwards, saying “we’ll make it quick.” Continue reading Liftoff

Trump On Cruz

“Am I the only person that thinks he’s a nice guy?”  That was Donald Trump Saturday describing his previous view of Ted Cruz.  Trump clearly no longer holds that view, as shown in his lengthy critique of Cruz.

Trump attacked Cruz on the recent report that Cruz failed to report to the FEC personal loans from Goldman Sachs and Citibank which Cruz used to finance his 2012 senate campaign.   He also attacked Cruz over his recent “New York values” comment.   Trump gave a rambling recounting of New York’s response to the September 11, 2001 attacks as an illustration of the emptiness of Cruz’s crack.

Here’s Trump discussing Ted Cruz:

Bush On Trump

“Narcissism, a sociopath.”  That was how a Jeb Bush town hall questioner characterized Donald Trump Friday night.  Bush gave an extended answer, with some compliments of Trump while dismissing him as utterly unprepared to be commander-in-chief.

Saying “[t]his is the point in time where I feel compelled to say something nice about Donald Trump”, Bush called him “a talent … gifted” in respect of his communication ability and also, somewhat awkwardly, lauded him for his financial success.  Bush then moved on to less a complimentary assessment,  describing Trump’s unfamiliarity with the nuclear triad as “scary.”

Double Barrel Cruz

Cruz - Londonderry, NH 1-12-16Ted Cruz fired away at his political enemies, both elected and hypothetical, in a pair of New Hampshire appearances Tuesday.  At a “Second Amendment rally” in Hudson and a town hall in Londonderry Cruz spoke harshly about Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton while reverently characterizing gun rights as foundational to America’s continued existence.

“The real reason for the Second Amendment to our Constitution is to make sure that the People have the arms and the wherewithal to defeat an ever-encroaching tyrannical government.”  Those are the words of one of Cruz’s introductory speakers and it succinctly captures the Cruz view of gun rights and the state of the Republic.  Hunting and even self-protection against criminals are important, but the Second Amendment and the unfettered right to own and use guns is most vitally a “check on tyranny” said Cruz.  It’s a centerpiece of Cruz’s worldview, revolving around the notion that a tyrannical, or at least aspiring-to-be tyrannical, government is actively working to encroach its citizens’ liberty in a multitude of ways.

Continue reading Double Barrel Cruz

Cruz, Interrupted

IMG_5897Ted Cruz’s 2nd Amendment rally Tuesday in Hudson, New Hampshire began on a discordant note as two men separately interrupted the beginning of his remarks.  Cruz was as surprised as the rest of the crowd, not initially realizing what was going on but keeping cool as he figured it out.

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As Cruz declared “it’s a beautiful day in New Hampshire” a man walked up the steps and joined Cruz, looking for all the world like he belonged there.   Cruz stood, listening as the man thanked the crowd and announced that he was from “Arm America.”  What seemed perhaps off-script but okay suddenly veered off as the intruder asked “[w]hat made everyone so weird and sad that they had to come out here?”  As the man then asked “[w]hy is everyone so excited about guns?  [t]hey kill people” his ruse became apparent and Cruz moved to get him off the stage.   A second, less successful, attempt at interruption came a moment later.

Here’s how it went:

Cruz Press Q&A

IMG_5896Eleven minutes, three questions.  That’s the numerical recap of Senator Ted Cruz’s post-rally press gaggle Tuesday in Hudson, New Hampshire.  Two of the three questions involved Donald Trump; what is Trump up to in pushing on Cruz’s “eligibility to run” and why, despite polls consistently showing Trump as New Hampshire voters top choice, Cruz regards himself as the better choice.  The final question concerned Cruz’s absence from President Obama’s State of the Union address.

Cruz began with an opening statement reiterating his pro-gun rights positions and touting “conservatives uniting behind our campaign” and “the old Reagan coalition coming back together.”  His response on Trump’s motivation in pushing the issue of Cruz’s constitutional eligibility to be president began with a somewhat forced laugh and “I like Donald.”  He dismissed the legal question of his eligibility and attributed the focus on it on his rising prospects.   Although saying that he won’t attack his competitors Cruz characterized as “more than a little strange” Trump’s citing of a “liberal leftwing judicial activist Harvard Law professor who is a huge Hillary supporter” in his questioning of Cruz’s eligibility.

On his New Hampshire prospects he spoke positively of his chances, said that he’s been engaged in New Hampshire and then launched into attacks on his competitors as “campaign conservatives” who failed to act against Obamacare or join the “fight against amnesty” for illegal immigrants.  The final question produced a lengthy denunciation of President Obama, with Cruz dismissing the likelihood of any value in Obama’s speech.  He notably included complaints about the betterment of “billionaires … and the top 1%” during the Obama administration.

Video:  Here is Cruz’s full gaggle:

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