George Bush: The Last Bullet in Jeb Bush's Campaign

Some say that the Republican primary elections in South Carolina, which will be held next Saturday, are a matter of life and death for Jeb Bush's campaign! If he cannot achieve a satisfactory result this time, he will be under more pressure than ever to withdraw his candidacy for the presidency. Jeb Bush's campaign has reached a state of near death, whereas not long ago he was considered the main contender for the Republicans in this year's elections, leading in polls by a significant margin over his rivals. Then Donald Trump came along and not only dominated all discussions related to the elections but quickly sent Jeb Bush to the bottom of the rankings. One of Trump's first steps to victory was to turn Jeb Bush into his number one enemy and engage in a direct confrontation with him. In their verbal exchanges, suddenly a phrase from Trump stuck to Bush like a permanent label: he said that Jeb Bush lacks the 'energy' for the presidency. This magical phrase cut the breath out of Jeb Bush's campaign. Now that the Republican primaries for the 2016 presidential election have reached their third stage, a complex set of intertwined factors has put Jeb Bush under more pressure than ever. First of all, his performance in the first two states has been very disappointing. He received only 2.8% of the votes in Iowa, even less than Rand Paul (who has since withdrawn) and Ben Carson (currently at the bottom). In New Hampshire, Jeb Bush's biggest achievement was finishing fourth, slightly ahead of Marco Rubio, with 11% of the votes. While this 11% was described as a victory for Bush's campaign, 10.6% was considered a major defeat for Rubio's campaign. Beyond these two disappointing results, the potential candidacy of Donald Trump is another concern that has prompted influential Republican politicians to think about solutions. This established group of Republicans (mostly members of Congress or state governors) is supporting three candidates in their primary elections: Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, and John Kasich. Some believe that if two of these three withdraw in favor of the third, that third candidate is likely to gain more votes than Trump. All three candidates want to be that third one, with the other two stepping aside. Who will withdraw depends on the results of the primaries and the candidates' standings in the polls. In the polls, Jeb Bush's status is not promising, generally trailing behind Marco Rubio. The South Carolina primary holds special importance for Jeb Bush. The reason for this heightened importance is the popularity of the Bush family in this state. South Carolina is one of the few states where George Bush, Jeb Bush's older brother, has always remained popular. If he cannot compete against rivals like Rubio or Kasich in such a state, how can he become a candidate capable of defeating the Democratic nominee? Perhaps all these factors led Jeb Bush to fire his last bullet in his advertising campaign just before the South Carolina elections: George Bush, the former president who has been reclusive since leaving the White House, with his most notable news being his art exhibition. After months of Jeb Bush's campaign for the Republican nomination, George Bush finally emerged from his corner of isolation and gave a passionate campaign speech for his younger brother in this state. If the results of the South Carolina elections turn out as the polls currently indicate, it is possible that Jeb Bush will have to say goodbye to his presidential dreams for now, and the project of bringing the third 'Bush' to power will be delayed for at least four years, if not indefinitely. However, this South Carolina election also has the potential to become a turning point for Jeb Bush's campaign, not only bringing him back into the race but also providing an opportunity for his campaign to soar. For this to happen, Jeb Bush must at least finish third in this election. Everything will be clear on Saturday (February 20, March 1). The next step for the Democratic Party will be taken on Saturday in Nevada, where Hillary Clinton was expected to win easily and prepare for the South Carolina elections. But no! In this election cycle, where even the simplest predictions can quickly turn out to be wrong, the prediction of an easy victory for Clinton in Nevada has become harder than ever. In fact, the core of the Democratic primary battles has been significantly influenced by Bernie Sanders' remarkable victory in New Hampshire, which has considerably changed the position of this newsworthy senator; to the extent that in the latest polls, both candidates are now in an equal position, and the stunning lead of Hillary Clinton is no longer present! According to a joint poll by TargetPoint/Washington Free Beacon, both candidates will receive 45% of the votes in Nevada. CNN's poll shows a similar result: Hillary Clinton 48% and Bernie Sanders 47%. If these figures ultimately become reality, they will be a clear indication that Sanders has more chances than ever to win the Democratic primary battles, as he was far behind Clinton in all Nevada polls before the New Hampshire elections. In other words, it seems that the psychological impact of Sanders' victory in New Hampshire is much greater than some had predicted, and if a similar situation occurs in South Carolina, then we should eagerly await the results of Super Tuesday (March 1). Although even the day after Super Tuesday, predicting the final Democratic winner will be difficult, and there is a possibility that the Sanders-Clinton battle will continue for weeks.