Jeb Bush's last best hope: Copy John Kerry?
Jeb Bush's campaign is on political deathwatch. He's "had a brutal few weeks," says Bill Scher at Politico Magazine, "and the vultures are circling," but he's essentially in the same sorry position as John Kerry in 2003. And that "was the start of a comeback story." In fact, Scher said, "the parallels between the Kerry and Bush predicaments at this stage of the race are beyond striking," starting with their 4 percent poll numbers just 27 days before the Iowa caucuses. The lesson from John Kerry '04, he adds: "You can be an uninspiring establishment candidate and still win the nomination. How? By being the last candidate left standing." Scher explains:
Once Republican voters, angry at the GOP establishment (as Democrats were at the Democratic establishment in 2003), start to focus on beating Hillary Clinton, "'freak show' maestros like Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, and [Ben] Carson" will fall by the wayside, Scher argues. Sen. Marco Rubio may very well wilt under the glare of frontrunner vetting, as fellow fresh-faced freshman Sen. John Edwards would have. And "if Rubio cracks, Republican voters will have little choice but to shrug and accept Jeb Bush as the safe choice, just like Democrats did with Kerry."
That's not a terribly inspirational model, but it doesn't require Republican voters to fall in love with Bush or for Bush to become a great campaigner. Of course, neither Kerry nor Jeb's other model comeback kid, Sen. John McCain, went on to win the general election. But at least they both have powerful jobs. If the presidency doesn't work out, maybe Jeb Bush can angle for secretary of state in the second Trump administration. Read more of Scher's argument at Politico.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Trump gets $289M break, first criminal trial date
Speed Read The former president's fraud bond has been reduced to $175 million from $464 million
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - March 26, 2024
Cartoons Tuesday's cartoons - the House GOP abandon ship, Joe Biden sets his stall, and more
By The Week US Published
-
US-Israel rift widens after UN cease-fire resolution
Speed Read The U.S. declined to veto a U.N. resolution calling for a two-week "immediate cease-fire" in Gaza
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published