Will Jeb Become America's Next Top Bush?

If you were on the Twitter this weekend you may be forgiven for believing that Jeb Bush is dead and Joe Paterno endorsed Mitt Romney, because hurrah for journalism!

In fact, Paterno is no longer with us, but like a nasty case of herpes, the Bush family refuses to leave the body politic…

Jeb Bush, the popular former Florida governor, said he will "stay neutral" in the state's Republican presidential primary while warning his party's candidates to leave the "circular firing squad" of their debates behind and start appealing to a broader audience.

The announcement of Bush's non-endorsement comes as somewhat of a surprise, considering George H.W. Bush's "unofficial" support for Romney and Jeb's membership, alongside Mitt, in the relatively moderate/cravenly opportunistic wing of the Republican Party. The news is especially salient because Florida's winner-take-all primary, which takes place January 31st, has taken on special import for Romney after Republicans, who I'm told are not supposed to support assisted-suicide, handed Newt Gingrich a victory in South Carolina.

But perhaps the correct lens through which to analyze Bush's neutrality isn't the turbulence of Romney's campaign, or the desire by some Republicans to commit seppuku, but as part of the coming of Jebmentum. Consider…

* Jeb already has the coveted Laura and George W. Bush endorsement.

* The former governor's favorability ratings in Florida are over 50%.

* Most importantly, not since 1984 have Republicans won the White House without a Bush leading the party and as of Election Day 2012 it will have been 40 years since the Republican Party has won a presidential election without a Bush on the ticket as either the presidential or vice-presidential nominee.

So while you may ask yourself, "if the G.W. Bush years are remembered mainly for dimwitted leadership that brought us war, economic disaster, international ridicule and unfathomable debt, can the Republicans really win with another Bush on the ballot," the better question is, "can they win without one?"

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Tags: Florida, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney, Primaries, Republicans

President Obama and Our Non-War "Squirmish" Type Thing in Libya

I think the takeaway from all this is, if you live in Charlotte, North Carolina, I'd keep my eyes open…

Coverage continues after the jump.

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Tags: Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, CNN, Dwight Eisenhower, Energy & Oil, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Joe Biden, John Kennedy, Jon Stewart, Libya, Military, Muammar Qaddafi, NATO, Ronald Reagan, Sarah Palin, The Daily Show, Video, Wolf Blitzer

The Daily Show Correspondents Explain Life After the Presidency

There's this little-known clause in the Constitution states, "Being as the time that a President should leave the Office of Presidency at the time of the end of his term as President, that man should henceforth be marched off the nearest ye olde cliff available."

Very rarely is that clause adhered to. Unfortunately…

The Daily Show airs Monday through Thursday at 11/10c.

Tags: Aasif Mandvi, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Gerald Ford, Jason Jones, Jimmy Carter, John Oliver, Michelle Obama, Olivia Munn, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Samantha Bee, TDS Correspondents Explain, The Daily Show, Video

Fred Karger Will Be First Openly Gay Presidential Candidate

There's still no certain frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination. So many candidates, so many terrible choices for America. It's impossible to speculate on who will win. It's not, however, impossible to speculate on who will not win. Case in point: Fred Karger…

Karger is an old school ratfucker who honed his skills as a political strategist skills alongside Karl Rove under Lee Atwater. He worked for his "hero" Ronald Reagan (helping to craft the infamous Willie Horton ads that destroyed Michael Dukakis) as well both George Bushes, greater and lesser.

So, what's the problem. He sounds absolutely perfect, right? Well, there's just the tiniest little thing holding him back. He's a gay homosexual gay person…

[Karger's platform] includes a constitutional amendment to lower the voting age, a proposal to make school "more interesting," and support for abortion rights and gay marriage…

"I am doing this for the younger people," Karger says, especially gay kids. Like Hillary Clinton or Jesse Jackson, he says he wants to blaze a new, important trail. If he can get in the Republican presidential debates — a big if — "I will take the gloves off if necessary," and challenge his fellow candidates on their gay rights positions, he says. "That is what motivates me to make my voice heard. No more Mr. Nice Gay."

Kind of a shame the guy spent decades helping to institute a culture of fear and hatred in what would be his voter base. Sounds like he would have been am interesting guy to see up on the dais with the rest of the candidates.

Oh well, maybe next lifetime.

Tags: Fred Karger, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Lee Atwater, LGBT, Marriage Equality, Primaries, Republicans, Ronald Reagan

Barack Obama Will Almost Certainly Definitely Maybe Lose in 2012 (Unless He Doesn't)

A brand new poll from CNN shows some pretty dour numbers for President Obama's 2012 chances for reelection…

With less than a year to go till the Iowa caucus on February 6, 2012, the conventional wisdom is that President Obama is vulnerable, but there is no Republican who can beat him.

In a new CNN poll, 26% of registered voters say they will definitely vote for Obama and 37% say they won't. If you add in those leaning one way or the other, it turns out that 47% will probably or definitely vote for Obama and 51% probably or definitely won't.

51 percent say that "probably or definitely won't"? That's a lot of percent. I'm not 100 percent sure, but I think that's even more than half. Doesn't he need at least half of the vote to win? No? Well, he definitely needs more than the other candidates at least. No to that one, too?

Alright, well, whatever. These polls numbers gathered a year before the election season officially kicks off certainly mean something, don't they? Oh, come on.

(via Brooklyn Mutt)

Tags: Al Gore, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Polls, Ronald Reagan, Ross Perot