Maureen Dowd quoted Newsmax TV in a weekend column in the New York Times titled “Fall of the House of Bush.”
Dowd wrote that Jeb Bush had been “mistakenly assuming that the vassals were waiting eagerly to hail him” as the next GOP presidential nominee, following his father George H.W. Bush and brother George W. Bush.
She referenced the former Governor’s lackluster performance in last week’s CNBC presidential debate, during which he criticized fellow Floridian Marco Rubio for missing a large number of votes in the U.S. Senate.
“Before the debate debacle, the joyless candidate had been doubling down on his promise to be joyful, proclaiming on Newsmax TV, ‘I’m having a blast” and “I’m in phenomenal shape for an old 62-year-old guy. In fact, I think we ought to have five-hour debates.’
“With (Donald) Trump belittling him for being low energy and running to Mommy and Daddy for help, Jeb realized he was in a new world.”
Dowd continued: “Jeb is trapped in a nightmarish déjà vu. Once he was cast as the wonky one while his brother, the sparky one, slipped ahead. Now Jeb is cast as the wonky one while Marco, the sparky one, slips ahead.”
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