BUSH DYNASTY PART 2: GEORGE P. BUSH
After Jeb Bush suspended his bid for president, there was much gleeful chatter that the “Bush dynasty” was finally over. Kaput. NBC’s “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd advised his audience, “the Bush dynasty comes to an official end.” Vanity Fair published a lengthy “Requiem for the Bush dynasty,” while The Atlantic ran “An elegy for the Jeb Bush Campaign.” The Guardian put it this way: “Ding, dong, the dynasty is dead” while the New Republic declared, “And so the Bush dynasty comes to an end.”
These accounts appear to overlook the candidate’s son. George Prescott Bush, 39, is a former public school teacher, an attorney, U.S. Navy Reserve officer, real estate investor, married father of two and the commissioner of the Texas General Land Office. Mr. Bush the younger won his bid for that influential office in 2014 after conducting an aggressive campaign and promising Texas voters, “I will bring my conservative values and my real-world experience with me.”
He’s not likely to fade into the Long Star landscape anytime soon.
“I love you Dad and proud that you offered a servant’s heart to the people of this great country,” the young official tweeted Sunday. And of ironic note to Republicans tempted to mull the end of the “Clinton dynasty”: There are already bumper stickers out there noting, “Chelsea Clinton for President 2020” — and future election years right up to 2032.
OBSERVATIONS FROM THE DUCK DYNASTY
“Can all the money I ever make — can it remove your sin, South Carolina? What about all this fame I received — will it raise me from the dead? That’s why I follow Jesus. That’s why I vote for people who follow Jesus. We went with the atheists beginning about 50 years ago, and we’ve almost created in America a hell on Earth. Vote godly. I love you, and I love God. It’s the only way to roll.”
— Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson, at a recent rally supporting Republican hopeful Sen. Ted Cruz.
WHITE HOUSE INK
Tattoos have become such a cultural fixture that pollsters now track the trends of those who favor the ink. The Harris Poll, in fact, interviewed 3,300 people about their tattoo sentiments to find that nearly three in 10 Americans have tattoos, and there’s no partisan divide here. Equal numbers of Republicans, Democrats and independents — about 28 percent of each — have one or more tattoos.
Much of the public is not bothered by tats, even on authority figures: 58 percent would not mind a U.S. president or presidential candidate with a visible tattoo. And equal numbers felt that way about a tattooed primary school teacher, judge or doctor.
TRUMPALICIOUS
“I’m going to do what Mitt Romney was totally unable to do — WIN!”
— A finale in a series of 10 tweet from Republican front-runner Donald Trump, following a brief skirmish with Mitt Romney. The 2012 presidential candidate suggested Mr. Trump publicly release his tax returns for the past two years, implying that something was amiss. The billionaire tweeted that Mr. Romney “one of the dumbest and worst candidates in the history of Republican politics.”
MARCOMENTUM: RUBIO’S ENDORSEMENT SCORE
At last there are only five Republican presidential hopefuls to track, rather than 17. It’s still a complicated business, though. Their political currency goes up and down like the stock market. Grappling has commenced for the title of establishment favorite, conservative standard-bearer and mighty outsider. Indefatigable front-runner Donald Trump continues to roar down the campaign track, miles ahead. Keenly focused Sen. Ted Cruz holds his ground. Sen. Marco Rubio? He is having a good week.
“Marcomentum” is building. Mr. Rubio is picking up endorsements. Here’s the current tally in February; new names will likely surface. The list does not include local or state public officials, grass-roots groups, activists, entertainers, news organizations or former elected officials. It does include seven sitting senators, 16 House members, three governors and four former GOP presidential hopefuls. The names:
Sens. Dan Coats, Jeff Flake, Dean Heller, Orrin Hatch, Tim Scott, Thom Tillis and Mack White.
Reps. Mark Amodei, Gus Bilirakis, Dan Benishek, Rick Crawford, Mario Diaz-Balart, Trey Gowdy, Cresent Hardy, Peter King, John Kline, Jeff Miller, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Matt Salmon, Austin Scott, Glenn Thompson, Lynn Westmoreland and Steve Womack.
Govs. Nikki Haley, Sam Brownback, Bill Haslem and Asa Hutchinson.
Former GOP hopefuls Bobby Jindal, Rick Santorum, Tim Pawlenty and Bob Dole.
ONE FOR BIG MOUNTAIN JESUS
“A beloved World War II memorial, dubbed Big Mountain Jesus by locals, will remain standing on a popular Montana ski slope,” declares the Becket Fund, a nonprofit, public interest law firm. Championed by the Knights of Columbus, the 60-year-old statue honors soldiers who fought against the Nazis in the Alps of Italy. The Becket Fund defended the memorial in a five-year battle against The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin-based group that demanded the statue’s removal, claiming that its mere presence violated the First Amendment.
And here’s what happened: The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals protected the memorial in recent months, but the deadline for asking the nation’s highest court to remove it passed — with no comment from the opposing group.
“The statue now stands as a reminder that government cannot rewrite history or censor culture to strip the religious elements. The First Amendment prohibits religious coercion, not religious culture,” says Eric Baxter, lead attorney in the case. “Of course militant atheists have rights, but not the right to dictate history and culture for everyone else.”
NOW THERE’S A THOUGHT
“I have spoken often about the need for faith and compassion in America,” says Republican hopeful Ben Carson. “However, enforcing our immigration laws is not in contradiction with love and kindness. As Christians, we are called to love our neighbors. But as a nation, we must also defend our sovereignty and security.”
MARK LEVIN GETS A TV SHOW
Conservative talk-radio kingpin Mark Levin just signed a contract to continue his nationwide broadcast for another nine years. Now he’s upping the ante: Mr. Levin will launch his own daily TV show on March 7 — emphasizing liberty-minded “pro-American and patriotic values.”
Content will include history, economics, philosophy and the latest political and current events, according to advance production notes, with exclusive, long-form guest interviews. Find a preview of the new show at LevinTV.com
“I have the greatest audience in the world and I give them my best every night,” notes Mr. Levin. “I will speak directly to my audience — uncensored, without middlemen, and commercial free. I make no excuses for my patriotism, I am proud of it.”
JOHN SUNUNU: KASICH’S THE ONE
Things bode well for Republican hopeful Gov. John Kasich, according to those who laud his practical political experience, monitor the polls and compare the candidate’s public record with those of his rivals.
“John Kasich clearly is the most experienced candidate left in the race,” former U.S. Sen. John Sununu tells Inside the Beltway. “Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio haven’t cut anyone’s taxes, they haven’t rolled back regulations to help small business. John Kasich has done both. He’s the conservative candidate who can get things done, and he has demonstrated a very broad appeal with the public and an unexpected ability to grow the vote in New Hampshire and South Carolina. This candidate could win a big chunk of delegates”
Mr. Sununu adds, “This is obviously an unusual election year, but John Kasich is by far the strongest candidate the Republican Party can put forth. Voters are catching on to that.”
PERRYLESS
“Political scandals make for juicy journalism, but apparently a politician being cleared of wrongdoing isn’t even worth a mention,” says Mike Ciandella, an analyst for NewsBusters.com. He’s referring to the treatment of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who was indicted while in office after vetoing funding for a public integrity unit two years ago. The District Attorney in charge of the unit refused to resign following a drunk driving conviction.
The “Big Three” broadcasters — ABC, CBS, NBC — were all over the story at the time, devoting 25 minutes to the initial news followed by much speculation that the controversy could “end any chance” for Perry in 2016.
“But when Perry was cleared of any wrongdoing, all three networks were silent,” Mr. Ciandella points out, adding, “A Texas appeals court threw out the case against Perry, saying that the charge violated the Texas Constitution’s separation of powers provision by improperly limiting the governor’s veto authority.”
A MAYOR WHO KNOWS TRUMP
“You know, he’s very good. It’s clear that he has an exceptionally good understanding of how the economy affects our foreign policy. He understands what’s happening with China, how they could stop North Korea in a heartbeat. This idea that he’s only familiar with slogans, it’s not accurate at all.”
— Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on GOP front-runner Donald Trump, to The Washington Post. Mr. Giuliani has strategized with the candidate three times in February alone, and now is part of an informal “kitchen cabinet” of Trump advisers who include former Reagan administration stalwart and talk radio host Bill Bennett, Heritage Foundation chief economist Stephen Moore, who writes a regular column in this paper’s Commentary section, and uber-economist Art Laffer.
‘UNACCOMPANIED ALIEN CHILDREN CRISIS’
“Fiscal year 2014 saw a record number of unaccompanied minors illegally crossing the border. Customs and Border Protection apprehended over 68,000 minors in that year. This year, we are seeing another surge of minors illegally crossing the border with 20,455 apprehended as of January 31, 2016. If these trends continue, we can expect to see an even greater number of minors crossing the border this year than in 2014.”
— Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley at a recent hearing titled “The Unaccompanied Alien Children Crisis.”
POLL DU JOUR
42 percent of Americans say the news media is biased against Donald Trump; 27 percent say the media is biased in favor of him, 25 percent say the media has a “balanced” opinion.
31 percent of Americans say the news media is biased against Sen. Ted Cruz; 13 percent say the media is biased in favor of him, 49 percent say the media has a “mostly balanced” opinion.
28 percent of Americans say the news media is biased against Sen. Marco Rubio; 11 percent say the media is biased in favor of him, 54 percent say the media has a “mostly balanced” opinion.
24 percent of Americans say the news media is biased against Hillary Clinton; 42 percent say the media is biased in favor of her, 30 percent say the media has a “mostly balanced” opinion.
Source: An AP/GFK poll of 1,022 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 11-15 and released Monday.
Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.
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