With businessman Donald Trump leading national polls and now ahead of the GOP primary pack in key states including Florida, former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., is relying on the last Republican to sit in the White House for help: his brother former President George W. Bush.
The former president went to bat for his little brother on Thursday, trying to rally Republicans behind the former Florida governor.
“This is a consequential time in our nation’s history, and we need a strong leader,” George W. Bush insisted. “Jeb took on tough challenges as Florida’s governor and delivered results. I know he will do the same as president.
“My brother will be a tremendous president,” the former president added. “He is a proven leader with an optimistic outlook and a clear, conservative agenda for America’s future. He’s got a tough road ahead -- take it from someone who's been there. With his strengths ... he will succeed.”
George W. Bush resurfacing is a reminder that Jeb Bush is in far worse shape than his brother was at this stage in the 2000 presidential cycle.
With his strong early fundraising and name recognition, Jeb Bush hoped to clear the decks, much like his brother had done in 1999. By bringing in $37 million early, the then-Texas governor drove out many of his top opponents. Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole rocketed to the top of the polls when she announced she was running but was out before Iowa. So was former Vice President Dan Quayle, who served under President George H.W. Bush. Former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander, who had done well in the 1996 primaries, was done in by the Iowa straw poll. Two conservative threats -- Pat Buchanan, who had stunned the first President Bush in the 1992 primaries, and U.S. Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H. -- left the GOP to continue their bids on minor party lines. U.S. Rep. John Kasich, R-Ohio, now the governor of the Buckeye State and running against Jeb Bush in the Republican primaries, was in 1999 a rising conservative congressman who pulled out early and threw his support behind George W. Bush.
By the time Iowa held its caucus, Bush was facing a far less crowded field with a lot of candidates who simply weren't electable. While he won the New Hampshire primary, U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., didn't fare well in other crucial contests. Steve Forbes spent heavily but did even worse than he had back in 1996. U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, was embarrassed by taking 1 percent in Iowa and that was the end of his bid. Conservative activists Gary Bauer and Alan Keyes made a lot of noise but simply never came close to winning a primary. George W. Bush's big haul made his road to the White House a lot easier, chasing away other possible nominees and allowing him to weather the McCain storm and go toe to toe with the Forbes fortune.
Jeb Bush had some luck at the start of the campaign, raising money and keeping potential Republican candidates like former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., out of the fray.
But Jeb Bush inherits a far different take on the family legacy than his brother did back in 1999. While he might have been a one-term president, Americans generally thought highly of George H.W. Bush’s presidency and its successes in foreign policy: chasing Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait, the end of the Cold War and the unification of Germany. Some conservatives never forgave the first President Bush for breaking his "read my lips, no new taxes" pledge but, with the 1990s ranking as the best of times for the American economy, the minor recession that sunk his chances for a second term was quickly forgotten.
George W. Bush didn’t hand down the same legacy to his brother. Conservatives were unhappy with his expansion of the federal government and No Child Left Behind. Military forces were engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan far longer than the Bush administration assured Americans they would be. The economy never returned to the heights it had reached under Bill Clinton.
Those differences are hurting Jeb Bush. By this time in the election cycle, George W. Bush was in good shape with Quayle, Kasich, Alexander, Smith and Buchanan out and Dole warming up for her swan song. Jeb Bush has to chase Trump and is held back in Florida by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. Also hurting Bush are Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio, who is moving up in the polls and Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J. Certainly Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wis., is more palatable to many conservatives than yet another Bush. At the same time, Jeb Bush can hope the two dark horses gaining the most traction -- Dr. Ben Carson and businesswoman Carly Fiorina -- can help take away voters from Trump .
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) will be more than happy to showcase the former president’s support of his brother. The Democrats had a field day when the former Florida governor waded into talking about Iraq which Americans far more associate with his brother than they do President Barack Obama.
But, even if their candidate will be hurt by Bush fatigue, the former Florida governor's supporters can offer their Republican colleagues a simple reminder. The last time the Republicans won a presidential election without a Bush on the ticket was 1972. Since then, Republicans have won five presidential contests and lost one with a Bush on the ticket. Without the Bush name, Republicans have lost four presidential elections. It’s a stark reminder of how one political dynasty has dominated a national political party -- and look to do so again next year.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
