UK Guardian: One good thing about Donald Trump's campaign: it's ruining Jeb Bush's

[seafan]

Watching from across the pond:



Brian Snyder / Reuters

There are many, many reasons to abhor Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, but there’s at least one reason to appreciate it, for now: his constant and merciless trolling of Jeb Bush that is currently tanking Bush’s shot at the presidency. In some sense, Trump is doing democracy a service by helping ensure we will not have to suffer the embarrassment of having a third Bush family member as president within two decades.

Trump’s penchant for insulting anyone in his path is now well-known (and often deplorable and sexist), though most candidates usually have to deliberately poke the bear for Trump to engage in his usual charade. But just about every day, Trump will go after Jeb unprompted – whether on Twitter or at campaign events or in interviews with journalists – with a voracity virtually never seen in primary politics. Oftentimes it’s substantive and other times it’s not, but it’s almost always delightful to watch.

.....

But it’s repetition of his now infamous and nebulous phrase – that Bush is a “low-energy guy” who could not handle the rigors of the presidency – that has become a daily occurrence and clearly gotten under Bush’s skin.

.....

As one anonymous Trump associate told the Post, Trump is “driven and he has two goals: one, to be elected president, and two, to have Jeb not be president.” The former remains a terrifying prospect, but the latter is something a lot people can get behind.

While Trump remains strongly disliked by the vast majority of Americans who are not members of the Republican party, Jeb is often pitched as the “moderate” candidate who can appeal to a large swath of voters. Yet in substance, he is far more dangerous than Trump.

.....

Thankfully, Trump has exposed Bush, not only on substance but as someone who is just not a good politician. Jeb’s campaign knows it. His donors know it. And the voters certainly have been paying attention: Bush’s poll numbers have dropped so low, it’s hard to believe even the most conventional wisdom-spewing political pundits can still call him the “front runner” with a straight face. He’s dropped to fifth or sixth and to single digits in almost all the recent polls in the early primary states. He seems flustered on the trail, and no one can point to a path by which he recovers from this, despite remaining the DC elite’s odds-on favorite.

As embarrassing and terrifying as a Trump presidency would be, the virtual anointing of a Bush family monarchy could be far worse, and so at least for now, I hope Trump keeps swinging away.

This is exactly how I see it as well.

Keep it up, Mr. Trump.

[tularetom]

1. Trump is doing his part, keeping Jeb! out of the White House

Now it's up to us to help Sen. Sanders do his, keeping Hillary Clinton out of the White House.

[seafan]

2. Ab. So. Lutely.

Last edited Fri Sep 18, 2015, 11:06 AM - Edit history (1)

This is the way we are going to succeed.

When the choice finally becomes Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, then we will have the goods on Lloyd Blankfein, Jamie Dimon, US Chamber of Commerce, Koch and the rest of the Wall Street and Establishment Types.

Just as surely as The Clintons and The Bushes have to be ousted, Trump and Sanders need support, because they are steadily making that happen.

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. agree with keeping Jeb out of White house but I will vote for Hillary

If she is the nominee.

[merrily]

3. He's damaging a lot of his fellow Republican Presidential hopefuls.