Barbara Bush has died.

Courtesy of the NYT: 

Barbara Bush, the widely admired wife of one president and the fiercely loyal mother of another, died Tuesday evening at her home in Houston. She was 92.

On Sunday, the office of her husband, former President George Bush, issued a statement saying that after consulting her family and her doctors, Mrs. Bush had “decided not to seek additional medical treatment and will instead focus on comfort care.” 

The Bushes had celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary in January, making them the longest-married couple in presidential history. 

Mrs. Bush had been hospitalized with pneumonia in December 2013. She underwent surgery for a perforated ulcer in 2008 and had heart surgery four months later.

It is always sad when somebody dies, but at 92 you certainly cannot say that Barbara Bush did not live a long and full life.

I have a lot of very strong feelings about the Bush family, I think only Laura Bush gets somewhat of a pass.

Barbara Bush was by all accounts a very hard woman, and one who was difficult to please.

In fact impressing his mother was one of the reasons given for George W. Bush wanting to invade Iraq and finish the job that his father, in his eyes, failed to accomplish.

How is that for a legacy?

Update: Probably need to add these.

Our statement on the passing of Former First Lady Barbara Bush: pic.twitter.com/MhTVYCL9Nj

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 18, 2018

Barbara Bush was a remarkable woman. She had grit & grace, brains & beauty. She was fierce & feisty in support of her family & friends, her country & her causes. She showed us what an honest, vibrant, full life looks like. Hillary and I mourn her passing and bless her memory.

— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) April 17, 2018

Warm and generous.

And then there was this:

.@FLOTUS Melania and I join the Nation in celebrating the life of Barbara Bush: pic.twitter.com/4NzyjxqAFM

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 18, 2018

Just what every First Lady hopes for when they die.

A form letter from the current occupant of the White House that does not contain a shred of humanity.

So classy.

In yet another sign of the upcoming Apocalypse Jeb Bush endorses Ted Cruz.

Courtesy of the "smarter Bush's" Facebook page:  

I wanted you all to be the first to know that today I am endorsing Ted Cruz for President. 

Ted is a consistent, principled conservative who has demonstrated the ability to appeal to voters and win primary contests, including yesterday’s Utah caucus. 

As I said from the moment I launched my presidential campaign, the stakes in 2016 couldn’t be higher. 

Washington is broken, too many families are stuck in poverty and Western civilization is under attack from radical Islamic terrorists, as evidenced by the horrific attack in Brussels, which was preceded by attacks in Paris and California. 

For the sake of our party and country, we must overcome the divisiveness and vulgarity Donald Trump has brought into the political arena or we will certainly lose our chance to defeat the Democratic nominee, most likely Hillary Clinton, this fall. 

That is the only way we can reverse President Obama’s failed domestic and foreign policy agenda, and turn our country around. 

Republicans can win back the White House and put our nation on a path to security and prosperity if we support a nominee who can unite our party and articulate how conservative policies will help people rise up and reach their full potential.

In any other election cycle, that did not feature a Donald Trump of course, Bush and Cruz would be mortal enemies.

Cruz is a Tea Party extremist who went to Washington D.C. in order to sabotage the government.

How ironic is it for Bush to say "the government is broken" while endorsing the guy who helped to break it?

I swear NOTHING makes sense anymore.

Up is now down, stop is now go, and Republican establishment saviors are now treasonous obstructionist assholes.

However on a positive note I just remembered that I'm a Democrat, so I guess this really just calls for more popcorn.

If you wondered what Jeb Bush spent that 130 million on, wonder no more.

This comes courtesy of the New York Times:

Positive Advertising: $84 Million

Well that was money clearly well spent.   

Clubbing: $94,100 

Instead of spending last winter on the hustings of Iowa and New Hampshire, Mr. Bush held off, using the first half of 2015 to raise money in places like New York, Chicago, Texas and Florida. His goal: Raise enough money for a super PAC to scare other candidates — especially those with a similar political profile — out of the race.Over the entire campaign, Mr. Bush’s team racked up tens of thousands of dollars in dinner and event tabs at the Yale Club, the Union League Club of Chicago, Nantucket’s Westmore Club, and more than two dozen other haunts of the well heeled and racquetball-inclined.

Yep another solid tactic.

Valets: $15,800

Well gee, of course you cannot have rich bigwigs parking their own cars.

People: $8.3 Million 

As Mr. Bush’s campaign matured, he and the group supporting him built one of the largest organizations of any candidate in either party, banking that his superior fund-raising would sustain his high overhead costs, which in turn would yield him wins or near-wins in states like Iowa and New Hampshire, where organizing is critical.

Man if only other candidates had thought this far ahead and been this organized. Then they could have dropped out of the race by now as well.

Wait.....

Branding: $88,387 

Right to Rise, the super PAC supporting Mr. Bush, and then his campaign directly, retained 30 Point Strategies, a public relations company in Bethesda, Md., specializing in “thought leadership” and “brand journalism,” according to the firm’s website. But in the end, the most lasting label of Mr. Bush was supplied by Mr. Trump: “low energy.”

And the thing that must really hurt is that Trump stuck that label on Jeb! using virtually no money whatsoever. He just kept saying it in debates and stump speeches, and tweeted it a few times.  

Vegas, Baby: $48,544 

Mr. Bush and his staff racked up sizable travel bills, including $3.3 million in airfare and hundreds of thousands of dollars at hotels, ranging from a Best Western in Phoenix to the Biltmore in Coral Gables, Fla. But what stands out is the Bush team’s taste for the Vegas Strip, where aides and allies patronized the Bellagio, the Wynn and the Venetian, owned by Sheldon Adelson, the Republican megadonor.

You know Vegas is where so many dreams go to die.

The Consultants: $10 Million 

A well-funded candidate tends to attract hordes of consultants, and Mr. Bush had plenty. All told, his team paid consulting fees to around 140 different companies or individuals, including senior campaign staff members, opposition research firms, and get-out-the-vote operatives in Iowa and South Carolina. 

And here we thought that Sarah Palin wasted too much money on consultants, with no real return on that investment.

And finally.

Pizza! At a whopping $4,837.

As his fortunes declined this winter, Mr. Bush sharply pared back employees’ salaries and consulting fees, even laying off some campaign staff members to bring down costs. But let it never be said that Mr. Bush allowed his team to go hungry. His campaign and super PAC were particularly fond of the pizza, whether from Domino’s or from Pizza Ranch, the Iowa chain.

Well hey, at least he fed people.

Look at that. 130 million dollars spent and he was never able to even break into the top three.

Just goes to show that no matter how much money you spend, you can never spend enough to make people forget that your brother damn near destroyed the country.

Donald Trump wins South Carolina primary. Update: Jeb Bush suspends campaign!

So Trump wins again, even after essentially blaming 9-11 on George W. Bush and getting into a pissing match with the Pope.

So apparently everything we have been told about Republicans and family values is pure BS.

It looks like second place is currently a knock down drag out between Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, with Jeb Bush coming in at a very distant fourth.

So once again this essentially illustrates why Democrats need a powerhouse to go up against the GOP nominee.

Right now it is almost impossible to argue against the fact that Trump is going to win the GOP nomination. And if he does he will run an incredibly negative campaign.

Like it or not in order to fight back we need a candidate who, first of all has been under attack from the Republicans for most of her adult life, and secondly knows how to land a solid punch.

If one looks back at Trump's history you quickly learn that he has an incredibly thin skin, and that he has an especially strong reaction to criticism from women. (Remember his disgusting attacks against Rosie O'Donnell.)

Hillary will know how to use that to her advantage, as will Bill.

In fact I believe that this is the fight that Bill Clinton is itching to have.

As much as I admire Bernie Sanders, this is like nothing he has ever seen before.

On the other hand it is like Hillary Clinton has been training for this her entire life.

Update: Jeb Bush just announced that he was suspending his campaign. 

If I had been told that this was a possible outcome at the beginning of this election cycle I would have never believed it.

All bets are off now folks.

So is Jeb Bush on the verge of dropping out of the race?

Wall Street source tells me top Jebber calling donors: He will drop out unless he finishes "strong third" in South Carolina.

— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) February 18, 2016

Okay so I saw that tweet yesterday, and my first response was "bullshit."

I mean there is no way that Jeb, with his name recognition and so much money at his disposal, is not going to stay in for the long haul.

Right?

But then this courtesy of Politico: 

A top Jeb Bush adviser on Friday morning repeatedly dodged the question of whether the former Florida governor will stay in the presidential race if he disappoints in South Carolina, instead saying the campaign is laser focused on Saturday's primary. 

Okey dokey.

So look I get it, being Jeb Bush right now must suck balls.

I mean everyday he must wake up and say, "Dammit! It's not a dream, I really am being crushed by Donald Trump."

And that would be enough to grind down anybody's will, not only to campaign, but just to go on living even.

But if Bush does indeed drop out after Saturday, that is going to cause the kind of after shocks throughout the GOP the likes of which I don't think we have seen in decades.

And it really will be down the rabbit hole for the entire 2016 race. Assuming we have not been down that hole this entire time of course.

Jeb Bush shows off his little metal manhood and it is just as unimpressive as you might imagine.

America. pic.twitter.com/TeduJkwQF3

— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) February 16, 2016

Well I think we all now know why Jeb! is running for the presidency, he is clearly compensating.

So this is what Jeb Bush thinks symbolizes America?

Well that certainly helps to explain his brother's two terms in office. 

George W. Bush hits the campaign trail for his brother Jeb! Why not? After all how much worse can it get?

AArrgghh!!! I was wrong, this is worse!

Courtesy of Yahoo News: 

George W. Bush never mentioned Donald Trump. But with his folksy touch, the former president unleashed a tough takedown Monday of the billionaire businessman who has upended a Republican Party his family has long led. 

"I understand Americans are angry and frustrated," Bush said during his first campaign rally for his brother, Jeb Bush. "But we do not need somebody in the Oval Office who mirrors and inflames our anger and frustration." 

The former president emerged from his self-imposed political hibernation to try to give Bush a boost. He layered each validation of his younger brother with an implicit critique of Trump. 

He urged voters to back a candidate who will be "measured and thoughtful" on the world stage. A candidate whose "humility" helps him understand what he doesn't know. A candidate who can win in November's general election. 

"All the sloganeering and all the talk doesn't matter if we don't win," Bush said. "We need somebody who can take a positive message across the country."

Jeb Bush can win in November?

Hah! He can't even win ONE of his own party's primaries.

In fact he can't even place among the top three in the primaries. 

And if he thinks that bringing his brother out of the mothballs and shoving him in front of the American people is going to help him one little bit, well then he drastically underestimates the damage that George W's presidency did to this country.

Now if you will excuse me I have to perform my "seeing George W. Bush on TV" ritual, which is to go into a closet and scream until I can't scream anymore.

Republican Debate Open Thread. Because, why not?

Personally I can hardly wait until November when ALL of these assholes are covered by a black mark.

So yes tonight we have yet ANOTHER GOP debate.

I have to admit that I am pretty over the whole GOP race, especially since it looks like Trump is going to emerge victorious. Which by the way COMPLETELY undermines every single thing the Republican party has said about the importance of morality, family values, experience, pro-life credibility, and just about everything else that they have been attacking Democrats over for the last thirty plus years or so.

The one possible thing about tonight's debate that might make it worth putting off my Netflix and chill plans for tonight, is that the friction between "the Donald" and Ted "so creepy I can;t look him in the face" Cruz is at an all time high.

Which means that Trump is going to make Cruz his butt boy tonight.

Don't think I want to miss that.

I also imagine that there will be quite a number of kisses blown toward the memory of Antonin Scalia, so for those brave souls sitting through this tonight remember to have your barf bags at the ready.

As always you can follow me on Twitter, and I will be updating the post as events dictate.

New Hampshire Primary Open Thread. Update!

Okay so here we go again.

Right now the polls have Bernie Sanders leading in the Democratic race, and Trump trumping his opponents in the GOP race.

I actually think that is pretty accurate, so I do not expect to be surprised by much this evening.

But having said that this is the 2016 race, so just about anything is possible.

The polls closed at 7:00 PM Eastern Standard time so the results are being tallied as we speak.

You can keep track by clicking here, or for more drama follow along on Twitter.

Update: So sorry folks I was at some appointments and not able to  update the blog before now.

So yes as predicted Bernie Sanders won (By a whopping 19 points) and Hillary of course is second.

And also as predicted Donald Trump easily won as well, but more surprising is that John Kasich (Who?) came in second.

And yes since the Donald won, guess who is taking her victory lap:

NH Living Up to State Motto: "Live Free or Die" 

NH competitive primary reveals this independent state's choice for a leader who will free our country from our out-of-touch government. Congratulations Donald J. Trump! 

No doubt voters there asked themselves the question we should all ask before pulling the lever: Will this candidate allow me to be freer? Or not? Are his issues intended to make us freer? Or more dependent on politics-as-usual in Washington? It takes an outsider, beholden to no one but We the People, to shake it up and shake off the bureaucratic shackles that have stymied American exceptionalism. 

Thank you to Granite Staters for standing solid behind our next President who'll let you make America great again! 

Now, on to South Carolina - can't wait to see the energized electorate ‪#‎stump4trump‬ in the Palmetto State!

Of course Palin had nothing, and I mean NOTHING, to do with Trump's victory.

But that will certainly not stop her from lapping up any reflected glory, even though most of her supporters now spend their days lobbing insults at her on Facebook. 

Nothing gets Jeb Bush as riled up as people "attacking" his brother. In that case Jeb! might want to skip reading this post.

Courtesy of Politico:  

During a 35-minute discussion for POLITICO’s “Off Message” podcast, the former Florida governor was at turns deeply reflective about the long-term implications of the brutal Republican primary on his party — and personally engaged in dismantling his opponents, especially his protégé-turned-rival Rubio, who, he believes, is too callow, inexperienced and calculating to be president. 

But Bush was most emotional when I asked what he’d learned from his brother’s tumultuous final few years as one of the most unpopular presidents in modern history. 

“I would say the last part of my brother’s time, the part I didn’t like, was that they just let the incoming come,” Bush said, his voice rising. “I got tired of that, tired because I love my brother, and my impulse watching the news in the last three years where they — no one seemed to defend him — was get out there and fight.” 

Gee, poor widdle Jeb.

Had to stand by and watch while the media went after his brother for almost destroying the fucking country.

The reason that "no one seemed to defend him" is because what he had done was indefensible.

He lied to the America people. Started two unnecessary wars. Stood by and did nothing while people drowned during Katrina. Was President during the worst terrorist attack in American history. And virtually destroyed the economy.

And that is by no means everything.

In fact as far as many Americans are concerned one the biggest travesties of our time is that George W. and this cohorts were not found guilty of treason and are not sitting in federal penitentiaries right now.

So if Jeb Bush does not want to hear bad things said about his brother, then perhaps he ought to end his failing campaign, go home, unplug his television and computer, and hide under the covers for the next thirty years or so.

Oh, and Fuck you and your entire criminal family.

So 2016 becomes the first election season when one candidate calls another candidate a pu**y. Thanks Donald Trump. (NSFW language.)

Look I'm not even going to disagree with Trump, and that lady in the audience's, assertion taht Ted Cruz is a pussy.

I actually think that a large number of the GOP candidates are a few testosterone points shy of a real man.

However hearing that said from a podium by a man who claims to want to hold the most important job in the world? Yeah, that's a little hard to digest.

And by the way since there is little doubt that the toughest candidate in this race actually HAS a vagina, perhaps we need to find a different word to describe weakness.

You know perhaps a word like "Jeb!" Yeah that works.

These guys can't even find their way to the debate stage, and yet they want to run the country?

Okay once again, because perhaps I heard this wrong.

Ben Carson is a BRAIN surgeon right?

Man have I been giving those guys WAY too much credit over the years.

Yes it's time for yet another GOP debate.

I actually missed the fact that this was on tonight until about six hours ago.

Probably a case of cognitive dissonance on my part.

So I have a handful of predictions for tonight, because those of us covering these events are supposed to do that sort of thing.

Mine are rather simple.

After missing the last debate Trump is going to go out of his way to make a mark tonight so that the people of New Hampshire have him on their minds when they caucus next week. So expect plenty of  Trumpisms and insults.

Speaking of insults Trump is also going to punish Ted Cruz like a naughty puppy for beating him in Iowa.

EVERYBODY is going to go after Marco Rubio. Especially Chris Christie and Jeb Bush.

Unfortunately nobody can go after Carly Fiorina because apparently she has now been sent to the back of the bus and will not be on stage with the fellas.  (Come on, it's the GOP did anybody REALLY think that her candidacy was going to be taken seriously?)

But most important of all is that those of us who were blown away by last week's Democratic debate are going to be totally underwhelmed by the low blows, backstabbing, and cat-fighting which defines the GOP debates.

If that happens just do what I'm planning to do and imagine Hillary or Bernie eating these idiot's lunches for them. 

As always I will be on Twitter.

And I will also be back to update the post as events warrant.

Jeb Bush brings his mommy onto the campaign trail with him, and then jokes that she was an abusive parent. Yeah that should help.

Courtesy of Mediaite:

Jeb Bush brought his mother Barbara Bush to a campaign rally in New Hampshire tonight and made things just a teensy bit awkward. 

Bush said he’s heard from plenty of people about how much they love his mother, before saying, “She’s not as great as everybody thinks she is. I can tell you that one.” 

“I jokingly say,” he quipped, “that when we were growing up in Midland and Houston that mom was fortunate not to have a child abuse hotline available, because the discipline of learning right and wrong was her doing.”

"Hey everybody here's my mom, but she's not really that great, and she used to beat the shit out of me when I was a kid. Hey vote for me!"

But don't worry about how awkward that was, because his Right to Rise SuperPAC completely outdid it by having his brother, you know the guy who trashed the economy and started two unnecessary wars that cost thousands of American lives, make a commercial for him.

See now you completely forgot about the fact that Barbara Bush used to physically abuse her children, because now you are in shock that anybody would think that having George W. Bush make a commercial for his brother was a good idea.

What's on the agenda for tomorrow? Will one of Jeb's kids talk about how their father's parenting forced them into a life of drug addiction?

Because you know that's a thing too.

Here's a wake up call to anybody who still thinks that Jeb! is not a Bush through and through.

Source

Jesus, just looking at that kick starts MY PTSD.

I am not at all sure I could survive another Bush presidency.

Or a Cruz presidency, or a Trump presidency, or a Rubio presidency, or a.....hell let's just keep the whole lot of them out of the White House why don't we?

Now Jeb Bush is begging for applause.

Oh that's just....sad.

Of course I don't like Jeb! even a little bit, but if he doesn't drop out of this contest pretty soon he's going to break my heart.

He's becoming like one of those sad kitties you see on the internet.

Yeah like that one.

Of course I imagine that the kitty did not have a brother who started two unnecessary wars and almost bankrupted the entire country. And who only became President because the kitty cheated the system to help him win.

Just saying.

On the list of things that Jeb Bush should never say "Mission Accomplished" belongs at the very top.

Unbelievable: the entire Jeb Bush campaign in a nutshell, via @SpideyScouting. pic.twitter.com/Zg7uJIL9oK

— John Whitehouse (@existentialfish) January 29, 2016

Courtesy of TPM: 

In a segment that aired on CBS News Thursday, Major Garrett asked Bush if he could be a surprise story in Iowa. 

"Yes, because the expectations are so low," Bush said, with a smile. 

"Well, you have succeeded there, governor" Garrett quipped, to which, Bush thrusted his hands in the air like a champion. 

"Mission accomplished!" Bush exclaimed.

It's like the guy is TRYING to sabotage his campaign. 

SuperPAC creates pro-Jeb! advertisement that uses the image of Terri Schiavo. The word you are looking for here is "disgusting."

Courtesy of the Daily Kos: 

The Right to Rise super PAC helping Jeb Bush is airing an ad in South Carolina that features a photo of Terri Schiavo, the Pinellas County woman, who died 10 years ago despite Bush's efforts to halt the removal of her feeding tube. 

The ad features a picture of Mrs. Schiavo as well as an image of what appears to be someone at the vigil outside her hospice holding a Jeb! campaign sign.

The image shows up around the 12 second mark and is accompanied by these words: 

"He's a man of deep faith who fought time and again for the right to life."

Some of you may remember the Terri Schiavo case and how she was used as a political football by the anti-choice groups and Jeb Bush.

After her death there was an autopsy which determined that the amount of damage to Schiavo's brain was massive. In the words of the Chief Examiner, the damage was "irreversible, and no amount of therapy or treatment would have regenerated the massive loss of neurons."

Here is what Michael Schiavo, the young woman's then husband, said in response to this disrespectful use of his dead wife's image: 

"It is simply disgusting that Jeb Bush and his super Pac would exploit my wife’s tragedy for his crude political gain. Shame on Jeb Bush."

You know I am going to stop assuming that these Republican politicians cannot go any lower than they already have.  Because every time I do I'm proved wrong.

Heckuva job. Jeb Bush praises Michigan governor Rick Snyder, for apparently poisoning children?

"I'd like to strangle me some terrorists. Yup, I sure would."

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush on Sunday applauded Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder's response to the water contamination crisis in Flint -- even though the situation was caused by Snyder's own administration. 

 "I admire Rick Snyder for stepping up right now," Bush said on CNN's "State of the Union." "He's going to the challenge. He's fired people and accepted responsibility to fix this."

This comes amid calls for Snyder's resignation for hiring the city manger who created the water disaster in the first place, ignoring the initial reports that there was a problem, and responding only when the media attention left him no choice.

Here is what Jeb! finds so admirable:

"Instead of saying, 'The dog ate my homework, it's someone else's fault,' once it became clear, he's taking the lead now," Bush said. "That's exactly what I think leaders have to do."

Once again HE HAD NO CHOICE but to respond.

Just how many lead paint chips did the Bush boys eat while growing up?

Of course if this whole running for president thing doesn't work out Jeb! has a fall back career choice.

He'd like to strangle some terrorists on the Showtime series "Homeland."

Looks like I'm on @Showtime this week...unfortunately not @SHO_Homeland...was hoping to kill a terrorist: https://t.co/UWcL5UR96d

— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) January 22, 2016

Okay for one thing, there is no strangling in G rated films.

Secondly have you ever seen Jeb Bush's skinny ass arms?

I would be surprised if he could choke out a hamster much less strangle a full grown terrorist.

Jeb Bush gets his mommy to help him against that big bully Donald Trump.

Just when I'm convinced that the Jeb! campaign simply cannot get more pathetic.

You know I remember when I got my mommy to come to the playground and handle the bullies for me.

Oh wait that never happened, because my mother would have told me to handle it myself and stop being such a pansy ass.

I can see Jeb's next campaign commercial now:

"Jeb Bush. Sure he's a pathetic wimp, but damn his mother's a tough old bird."