Ruth: Jeb Bush plays the grown-up card (Some of the worst writing you'll read this year)

The Tampa Bay Times ^ | December 19, 2014 | Daniel Ruth

[2ndDivisionVet]

Nothing shakes up the political landscape more than the exciting arrival of a new, bold, spirited, youthful fresh face. And then there is Jeb Bush, 61, the Eddie Haskell of the Republican Party. Why that's a lovely dress you're wearing, Mrs. Koch.

For a while there the former governor of Florida was flirting with being tagged as the GOP's version of an overly cautious, indecisive Democrat — Mario Cuomo 2.0 — as he mulled and ruminated and pondered and cogitated on whether he should run for president. Decisions, decisions. But this was about as big a mystery as wondering if the Christmas season will pass without an airing of It's A Wonderful Life.

So it hardly came as a shock when Bush announced last week his intention to "actively" explore a presidential bid in 2016. After all, Bush was born to run for the White House. Would it surprise anyone if the first words he ever uttered were: "My fellow Americans ..."?

You can imagine that if Bush gets elected, his Secret Service code name will be Dynasty.

The deal was sealed over Thanksgiving, according to Bush, when after a big family sweat lodge, everyone thought a presidential run was a bully idea. Question: Did matriarch Barbara Bush, who had once disdainfully opposed another family member running for the White House, also weigh in? Or did the duct tape remain firmly in place?

To be sure, the semi-official ceremonial dipping of the royal toe into the 2016 GOP presidential Dancing With the Yawns primary did force the hand of all the other Republican princeling wannabees, who awaken every morning envisioning themselves cracking wise with Vladimir Putin.

The Bush strategy is to appeal to the mature, big boy wing of the Republican Party, which is an unimpeded pathway at the moment. He is well-positioned to begin collecting big checks and establishment Republican support from party elders who have grown weary of watching the GOP morph into an ideological purity test-driven Skull and Bones Society.

Now that the big lug from Florida has announced his intentions, one of the first egos to implode has to be our fair state's most junior U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who boldly claimed (in all likelihood before a cricket convention) that he will not arrive at a decision to run for the presidency based on who else is already committed. That is another way of saying he is really muy grande tostada.

With Rubio now left to devote time to doing what he does best — promoting his books, giving speeches, pouting over Cuba and gazing lovingly in the mirror, Bush has to look out across the field of probable bobble-head opponents and think to himself, "You've got to be kidding me. If I can't beat these guys, I'll be getting wedgies from W for the rest of my life."

Ted Cruz, the swampland salesman of the Senate? Phfttt. Outgoing Texas Gov. Rick Perry, living proof civics classes are a lost art in the Texas school system? Please. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who looks like he's 12 years old? C'mon. New Jersey Gov. Christie, a guy with more anger management issues than Sean Penn? Seriously? Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, the Elmer Gantry of the Ozarks? Don't think so. Rick Santorum, whose middle name ought to be "Former"? Oh, for heaven's sake. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, whose only saving grace is that he not quite as bizarre as his father, Ron? Hardly a glowing recommendation there.

That's not a lineup of viable presidential contenders. It's the opening act for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, billed as the Greatest Blowhards On Earth.

Bush has found himself getting sideways with the grump-wump wing of his party for not being severely conservative enough because of his support for the Common Core educational standards and pragmatic immigration reform. You would have thought Bush was in favor of a Karl Marx postage stamp.

In the real world, a former two-term conservative governor of an influential swing state ripe with Electoral College votes, who speaks Spanish fluently, whose wife is Hispanic and who is intimately familiar with the inner workings of the presidency, would be hailed as the Republican Party's savior. Instead Bush is regarded by some Republicans as an unworthy apostate.

Could the GOP find someone better, someone else actually electable? Sure. But not until the Republican Party DNA begins to include an adult gene pool.

[shortstop]

If you look up smarmy, liberal, elitist in the encyclopedia, you'll find Daniel (Baby) Ruth's picture. I had a back and forth email confrontation with him several years ago, refuting one of his left wing columns that I disagreed with. As I continued to refute his points, he finally ended the dialogue with "GFY". He's a real class act. NOT.

He belongs at the Pravda by the Bay- Tampa Bay Times. A legitimate media outlet wouldn't have him.

[entropy12]

The GOPe are very clever.
They will back and support only ONE candidate...most likely Jeb Bush. You will NOT see them backing 2 or more candidates.

There will be several conservative candidates in the field...
CRUZ
PENCE
JINDAL
PERRY
WALKER

The conservatives will duel each other till the bitter end.
Rinse and Repeat of 2012 and clear the path for the lone RINO.

We have seen this movie 3 times before.
The question is have we learned anything?