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You are here: Home / Past Elections / Election 2016 / Open Thread: One More Klown Down, But JEB! Clings On…

Open Thread: One More Klown Down, But JEB! Clings On…

by Anne Laurie|  December 29, 201510:30 pm| 58 Comments

This post is in: Election 2016, JEB! = John Ellis Not-Bush 2016, Open Threads, Republican Stupidity, Schadenfreude

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George Pataki (I know: who he?) is withdrawing from the 2016 primary for lack of interest… and not just on prospective voters’ parts.

Jeb ‘Third Time’s No Charm’ Bush, on the other hand, gets some WASP-style revenge on his mother by trying to revive her most famous political tactic — the tasteful hand-written note to supporters. Per the NYTimes:

The group Right to Rise is asking Bush supporters to revive the lost art of writing letters, in the form of hand-written appeals to undecided voters in New Hampshire.

In a preholiday mailer, the group thanked its supporters for their financial support, and asked them to make “a different kind of gift to Jeb by giving a few minutes of your time.” The mailer included stationery and pre-addressed envelopes for five undecided voters in New Hampshire. It urged donors to dash off a quick missive explaining why Mr. Bush deserved their vote.

“We are asking you to personally reach out and let these voters know why you support Jeb,” said the mailer, which also includes a sample note to send voters.

New Hampshire is a critical state for Mr. Bush, who has to finish in the top tier — as well as ahead of his rivals for the Republican Party’s establishment vote — if he hopes to reassure skittish donors and revive his foundering presidential bid…

Which I meanly translate as ‘No way in Kennebunkport hell is Momma Bar letting Jeb off the stage before #FITN, no matter how much abuse he takes from Trump/Cruz/Rubio, or how badly he does among the hayshakers in Iowa.’ As long as it keeps Ripe to Rot, or whatever its latest nym, hand-crampingly busy and off our internets.

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Reader Interactions

58Comments

  1. 1.

    Ajabu

    December 29, 2015 at 10:41 pm

    Pataki is gone, huh.
    I wonder if all his supporter will go to Gilmore?
    Or will Pataki’s mom just not vote now?

    ETA: Hooray! I’ve never been first commenter before!!

  2. 2.

    Mike J

    December 29, 2015 at 10:43 pm

    How do I sign up? I would gladly write letters to NH voters.

    “Dear Joe, it’s so important to keep a Democrat in the White House. Please vote for Jeb! “

  3. 3.

    Amir Khalid

    December 29, 2015 at 10:49 pm

    Well, a campaign of handwritten letters couldn’t hurt Jeb’s chances any more than Jeb’s inept candidating already has. So why not?

    Incidentally, Jeb reminds me of this recurring bit that Ted Knight did on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, where he played the pompous newsreader Ted Baxter. Ted would call his mom on the phone: “Hello, Mom? It’s me, Ted!” Mom’s reply would cause an incredulous look on Ted’s face. “Ted Baxter!“

  4. 4.

    Amir Khalid

    December 29, 2015 at 10:51 pm

    @Ajabu:
    Does Jim Gilmore even remember if he’s still running?

  5. 5.

    Dmbeaster

    December 29, 2015 at 10:52 pm

    @Mike J: lol. I would do that in a second, but then they would just think I was a Trump supporter. In fact, that is what Trump should do with his new lists.

  6. 6.

    Dmbeaster

    December 29, 2015 at 10:54 pm

    @Amir Khalid: No way mama bear Bush is gonna let the favorite son off easy by letting him have the peace of being forgotten.

  7. 7.

    Mike J

    December 29, 2015 at 11:00 pm

    @Ajabu:

    I wonder if all his supporter will go to Gilmore?

    Copperboom! I don’t mind if they go for Gilmore, but that twat Rory dated when she went to Yale is a deal breaker.

  8. 8.

    Suzanne

    December 29, 2015 at 11:01 pm

    I think the entire Pataki candidacy can be summed up in one word:

    “WHO?!?!”

  9. 9.

    Chyron HR

    December 29, 2015 at 11:03 pm

    Barbara Bush: I love all my children equally.

    (Earlier that day…)

    Barbara Bush: I don’t care for Jeb.

  10. 10.

    JPL

    December 29, 2015 at 11:04 pm

    @Amir Khalid: Unfortunately, his loved ones probably don’t remember.

    Truth be known, maybe they didn’t ever know.

  11. 11.

    GregB

    December 29, 2015 at 11:05 pm

    Too bad most Republicans will only respond to letters written in Crayon.

  12. 12.

    schrodinger's cat

    December 29, 2015 at 11:06 pm

    @Mike J: As the series progressed I thought Rory became more and more insufferable. Her boyfriends got successively worse too.

  13. 13.

    Ken

    December 29, 2015 at 11:08 pm

    “Dear Margaret, The J.E. Bush campaign gave me your address and asked me to write. Although we’ve never met I’m sure we’ll become very close friends. What are you wearing?”

  14. 14.

    JPL

    December 29, 2015 at 11:10 pm

    @Ken: Khaki’s

  15. 15.

    Mike J

    December 29, 2015 at 11:11 pm

    @schrodinger’s cat: When she went to Yale, she learned how to really fit in to her grandparents’ world and sort of forgot everything her mother believed in.

    I dread the revival series. I imagine Rory will be writing conventional wisdom stories for WaPo, being careful not to offend anyone with power since she still dreams of working at Judith Miller’s Times.

  16. 16.

    Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)

    December 29, 2015 at 11:13 pm

    Obligatory

  17. 17.

    ThresherK

    December 29, 2015 at 11:20 pm

    @Chyron HR: “Him Her? What, is he funny or something?”

  18. 18.

    Wag

    December 29, 2015 at 11:25 pm

    @Chyron HR:

    Both statements are probably true. She doesn’t care for any of them, considering the shame they each have brought to the family.

    Neil–convicted in the SNL debacle of the 80’s
    George–Iraq
    Jeb–a horrible campaign that was meant to erase the foul taste left by the failures of his brothers

  19. 19.

    dogwood

    December 29, 2015 at 11:25 pm

    Anne Laurie – I seriously doubt Barbara Bush gives a shit. She’s the one who clearly stated “No more Bushs In the White House” a few years ago. She might be a strong matriarchal figure in that family, but there’s no evidence she’s ever called the political shots. I remember reading Richard Ben Cramer’s excellent book on the 1988 campaign. Barbara was a good political wife in that she was excellent at keeping track of all the people she and her husband met , writing thank yous and remembering names and details of events. Other than facilitating her husband’s ambition in the most traditional ways, she wasn’t involved in campaigning or governing decisions. Jeb’s ill-fated run for the presidency is his own doing. The rest of the family might very well be glad when it’s over.

  20. 20.

    mdblanche

    December 29, 2015 at 11:27 pm

    Well, a letter writing campaign is credited with helping Dubya win Ohio in 2004. The trouble is the campaign was supposed to be supporting Kerry…

    @Chyron HR: Does anybody know if Barbara Bush and Jessica Walter have ever been seen at the same place at the same time?

  21. 21.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    December 29, 2015 at 11:30 pm

    @Wag: Neil–convicted in the SNL debacle of the 80’s

    Neilsie is responsible for the Denny Dillon-Charles Rocket season?

    (sorry, couldn’t resist)

  22. 22.

    Redshift

    December 29, 2015 at 11:32 pm

    Jeb ‘Third Time’s No Charm’ Bush, on the other hand, gets some WASP-style revenge on his mother by trying to revive her most famous political tactic — the tasteful hand-written note to supporters.

    Euh, I can’t in good conscience mock that tactic, because the Dean campaign used it, too. I remember it chiefly because I discovered I’d been using computers long enough that I could no longer write an entire page without my hand cramping.

  23. 23.

    Wag

    December 29, 2015 at 11:34 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: S&L. Although the late 80s were a difficult time for SNL as well.

  24. 24.

    Steeplejack

    December 29, 2015 at 11:34 pm

    @Wag:

    Neil—convicted in the SNL debacle of the 80’s

    Saturday Night Live was pretty awful back then, but did anyone actually go to jail?

    ETA: Late, as usual.

  25. 25.

    SiubhanDuinne

    December 29, 2015 at 11:42 pm

    @Ajabu:

    all his supporter

    What you did there. <3

  26. 26.

    benw

    December 29, 2015 at 11:45 pm

    @GregB: Comic Sans or GTFO.

  27. 27.

    mdblanche

    December 29, 2015 at 11:46 pm

    @Ajabu: PPP says Huckabee.

  28. 28.

    David Koch

    December 29, 2015 at 11:49 pm

    6 weeks from tonight we’ll be laughing our ass off at cluster-fuck results of NH’s gop primary. Trump’s looney victory speech will be.priceless.

  29. 29.

    NotMax

    December 29, 2015 at 11:49 pm

    Hm.

    Snippet said “pre-addressed” but didn’t mention if they already had postage affixed.

  30. 30.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    December 29, 2015 at 11:51 pm

    Isn’t Pataki pro-choice, the only one in the bunch this time around?

  31. 31.

    NotMax

    December 29, 2015 at 11:52 pm

    “Much as you, a loyal supporter and voter, might be tempted, please refrain from including any white powdered substance in the envelope.”

  32. 32.

    benw

    December 29, 2015 at 11:55 pm

    In OT news, we finally had enough snow up in VT that I had to shovel my in-law’s driveway. I got so pumped shoveling that I wanted to vote for Bernie, find a deceased person’s name on the voting registry, fake their identity, and vote for Bernie again!

    SANDERS/VOTER FRAUD 2016

  33. 33.

    David Koch

    December 30, 2015 at 12:00 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Atleast one other GOP candidate is pro choice

  34. 34.

    Schlemazel

    December 30, 2015 at 12:00 am

    Just heard that Norman Schwarzkopf died, 73, complications from pneumonia.

  35. 35.

    David Koch

    December 30, 2015 at 12:03 am

    @benw: dead people voting for Sanders — sounds like a sequel to “Weekend at Bernies”.

  36. 36.

    David Koch

    December 30, 2015 at 12:06 am

    @Schlemazel: was your comment stuck in moderation for three years, cuz he died 3 years ago.

  37. 37.

    kdaug

    December 30, 2015 at 12:07 am

    @NotMax: Pfft. Ebola, babe. Just write it in red letters on the envelope.

  38. 38.

    Frankensteinbeck

    December 30, 2015 at 12:07 am

    Damn, is Jeb:( getting desperate.

  39. 39.

    eemom

    December 30, 2015 at 12:11 am

    I was working out at the gym this afternoon and the teevee in my face there that is always infernally tuned to fox “news” had the headline: “Ben Carson next”. I thought it meant he was the next to drop out….but no, it meant that he was COMING UP next. In retrospect, I must admit, my reading seems rather a stretch.

  40. 40.

    NotMax

    December 30, 2015 at 12:12 am

    @kdaug

    Jebola!

  41. 41.

    Frankensteinbeck

    December 30, 2015 at 12:14 am

    @eemom:
    Ben Carson is their crucially important ‘even this black guy thinks black people are lazy’ commentator.

  42. 42.

    benw

    December 30, 2015 at 12:25 am

    @David Koch: Ha!

    ::surreptitiously lifts Bernie Sanders arm to give David Koch a high-five::

  43. 43.

    David Koch

    December 30, 2015 at 12:28 am

    Clark Roush ‏@YCChoir

    Moved to tears multiple times this evening by the inspirational tributes and art on the Kennedy Center Honors!! Wow! #KCHonors

    6 retweets 7 likes

    Tara B. ‏@rentabl

    What an incredible show the @KCHonors puts on each year.This year they outdid themselves,especially with the @Carole_King tribute! #KCHonors

    Jamie Grayson ‏@TheBabyGuyNYC

    The tribute to @Carole_King that just happened on #KCHonors will be a clip that people watch forever. And that’s what honorees deserve.

    James Padgè ‏@YourBoiFatz

    I Still Can’t Believe My Eyes @ArethaFranklin Made POTUS @BarackObama Cry! Loved It! Only Her WOW #KCHonors

    17 retweets 37 likes

  44. 44.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 30, 2015 at 12:34 am

    @David Koch: Aretha can make anyone cry. Except Dick Cheney.

  45. 45.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 30, 2015 at 12:39 am

    @efgoldman: ‘Twas my point, ’twasn’t it?

  46. 46.

    eemom

    December 30, 2015 at 1:09 am

    I thought it kind of sucked. AFAIC, You’ve Got A Friend was the best thing Carole King ever did — HER version, not the whiny ass James Taylor cover — and whoever that twit was who sang it didn’t even sing the whole song.

    To be fair however, there are a number of RL things upsetting me this evening, and having that glitzy bullshit in my face was the least of my worries.

  47. 47.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 30, 2015 at 1:13 am

    @eemom: Did Carole King deserve the honor? Yes. The rest is commentary

  48. 48.

    Suzanne

    December 30, 2015 at 1:16 am

    @mdblanche: Jessica Walter is a goddess. The elder Barbara Bush is, well, not.

    So I was musing on one of the most horrible people I know, and one of her statements that proves thus: this is a woman that I went through school with, from third grade onward. She friended me, even though I was happy to forget her, I accepted as a way of being polite. She, like most everyone I grew up with from Mesa, is a gun nut, and an idiot.

    The day after the Aurora shooting, she posted, “I don’t want to seem like I’m blaming the victims here, but WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU TAKE KIDS TO A MIDNIGHT MOVIE?!?! Especially a scary movie!!!”.

    If I could have slapped her, I would have.

  49. 49.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 30, 2015 at 1:24 am

    @Suzanne: I’ve shed most of the horrible people I know. My worst person is a friend from law school who went very religious when his first wife (our classmate) died of breast cancer. I stood up in my first Jewish wedding and was a pallbearer at my first Jewish funeral in less than a year. I stood up in his second wedding as well. Nevertheless, he went off the rails over Israel. I won’t debate the issue with him.

  50. 50.

    Suzanne

    December 30, 2015 at 1:26 am

    @efgoldman: She lives in Virginia. You want to do the honors next time you’re visiting the grandspawn? DOUBLE THE PLEASURE, DOUBLE THE FUN!

  51. 51.

    GregB

    December 30, 2015 at 1:31 am

    Norman Schwarzkopf died in 2012.

  52. 52.

    Omnes Omnibus

    December 30, 2015 at 1:32 am

    @efgoldman: My parents took me everywhere when I was a kid including artsy parties where weird artists and Playboy photographers were around. I turned out… Never mind. Protect the kid.

  53. 53.

    Suzanne

    December 30, 2015 at 1:51 am

    @efgoldman: You can leave the kid in the car. Ever seen Kill Bill? The Bride, aka Beatrix Kiddo, takes carra tings with the kid in the other room. The five-point palm exploding heart technique!

  54. 54.

    magurakurin

    December 30, 2015 at 3:14 am

    @Chyron HR: I suppose if one of the leading candidates were to be arrested, that would be a good development for Jeb.

  55. 55.

    Just One More Canuck

    December 30, 2015 at 6:57 am

    @eemom: There’s too many suckers left to fleece

  56. 56.

    Denali

    December 30, 2015 at 9:20 am

    Most of the people I know well or are related to are flawed human beings. That is, they do or say things from time to time that they should not have done or said. Shoud I “shed” them? Well, I would be pretty lonely then. I have known and loved people who were/are exceptional – loving, smart, perceptive. These people I treasure. But most of us are in the middle category – still trying to do the right/best thing – sometimes failing. Sometimes the scriptwriters do not come through. Then we just must carry on.

  57. 57.

    Paul in KY

    December 30, 2015 at 10:04 am

    @Mike J: Well played!

  58. 58.

    Paul in KY

    December 30, 2015 at 10:08 am

    @mdblanche: That’s a metaphor for the 2004 race. Sigh…

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