Hosannas! This is the day that the sycophant Beltway media villagers have all been waiting for, the day that their favorite scion of the “Bush Dynasty” officially announces that he is running for president.
Like Sigerson Holmes, Sherlock Holmes’ younger smarter brother (Sigerson: His name is “Sheer Luck”), The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother, Jeb(!) (not named Bush) is out to prove that he is a better man than his brother, C-Plus Augustus. That is a mighty low bar to overcome in the Bush Dynasty.
Ed Kilgore snarks at the Political Animal blog, Jeb! and His Exciting! Predecessors! (Not Named Bush!):
So the one-time front-runner in the 2016 GOP Invisible Primary will finally escape the gymnastics of an unofficial campaign (which persisted long after its usefulness as anything other than a legal shield for the otherwise illegal activity of raising money for and coordinating with a Super-PAC) and announce his candidacy today. We’ll have more to say after his announcement, obviously. But it’s interesting to know he’s decided on a campaign logo with the simple message of Jeb!
Omitting his last name is a rather obvious ploy for obvious reasons. I suspect there are a not-insignificant number of Americans who think that Jeb Bush is actually his brother George operating under a false flag in defiance of the Twenty-Second Amendment. But the idea you used to hear in Republican circles that a Hillary Clinton candidacy relieved Jeb of any dynastic problems no longer holds any sway.
As for the exclamation point…well, there may have been other precedents, but I can remember just two Republicans at the presidential level using it. First of all there was Rocky! for Nelson Rockefeller. At the time William F. Buckley suggested that a mere “Rocky” wasn’t enough to convey the intended excitement of a Rockefeller candidacy, while “Rocky! Ahhhh!” might be a bit much. And the current senior senator from Tennessee ran for president twice under the label “Lamar!” which became something of a joke since neither candidacy exactly took off.
Speaking of something of a joke: Jeb(!) is just the carnival sideshow to the main attraction under the big top this week. “It’s going to be HUGE I tell ya!”
That’s right, “The Donald” apparently intends to bigfoot Jeb(!) on Tuesday and announce that he also is running for president. Christmas comes early this year!
Bloomberg News reported, Signs Point to Donald Trump Presidential Run:
Business executive Donald Trump appears poised to announce his entry into the presidential race on Tuesday and will travel to Iowa and New Hampshire immediately after making his intentions known, the Des Moines Register reports.
In Iowa, Trump plans an evening rally at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines. An invitation describing a “MAKE AMERIA (sic) GREAT RALLY” was sent to area residents, and gave further indication that Trump has made up his mind, the Register reported.
“BE A PART OF HISTORY!!” the invitation stated.
The following day, Trump will fly to New Hampshire for another post-announcement event at Manchester Community College, WMUR reported.
After flirting with past presidential runs only to forgo an actual declaration, Trump appears poised to have an immediate impact on the Republican race. Debate rules set out by Fox News would allow just the top 10 Republicans to participate based on polling averages. By that criteria, Trump could qualify, while candidates like South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina would likely not.
(h/t DonkeyHotey)
Trump, who has described the large GOP field as being made up of “clowns,” said last week that “a lot of people are going to be very happy” with his announcement.
“It’s about making America great again. I can do it, and nobody else can do it,” Trump told the News & Observer last week.
If “The Donald” was going to wuss out like he’s always done in the past, why would he prearrange trips to Iowa and New Hampshire? The comedy gods are smiling on us — this time it looks like it may be the real deal.