Is Jeb Bush the most pathetic GOP "establishment" candidate ever?

[Maxwell]

Jeb might be the dumb brother

Oh he definitely is. I'm sure he has more book smarts, that's why he's hailed as "intellectual", but Jeb's problem is that daddy and everyone else pat Jebby on the back as the good boy, where as George W. had to learn lessons the hard way because he was the naughty boy. The fact is, George W. has more practical and personable knowledge than Jebby has so it's not even comparable which is the smarter of the two.

[Maxwell]

At least Jeb can form coherent sentences, Dubya has so many Bushisms it wasn't even funny.

Do you see how often Jeb is screwing up? Dubya made Bushisms, which were little goofs that did no real damage to his campaign - he didn't make outright tactical errors. Jeb does both.

I will accept the argument that Jeb is more learned, that does not make Jeb smarter. And if this campaign is evidence of anything, Jeb is the dumb brother.

[Maxwell]

George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush were anointed  by the party - yeah the former lost Iowa and the latter lost New Hampshire, but they never truly lost frontrunner status. Jeb Bush has to get nominated in a very crowded field, something the Bush family doesn't know how to do, so of course he's going to look pathetic until he wins a state.

H.W. managed a solid run in a relatively crowded field in 1980.

[Maxwell]

Rockefeller and McCain might give him a run for his money, but otherwise...

I'll give you Rockefeller, but McCain basically managed to be the most underfunded guy in the race and still managed to swipe the nomination from Willard Moneybags and Huckabee the Bible man. As much as I hate to admit it, McCain has political skills - he was just about 10 years too old when he ran in 2008.