Why Jeb Bush Should Be the Next to Quit

Now that Scott Walker has called it quits in the 2016 race, it's time Jeb Bush follows suit, writes Matthew Yglesias at Vox. Wait, isn't Bush a frontrunner with money coming out his ears? Yes, which is why you'd be more likely to see a unicorn than a Bush-free race this week. But that doesn't mean it wouldn't be a smart move. "If he cares about his family legacy, the good of the Republican Party, and the ideological principles he espouses, he should drop out as soon as possible and endorse Marco Rubio," writes Yglesias. Here's his reasoning: While GOP insiders seem confident the fervor over Donald Trump and Ben Carson will die down, one of them could nab the nomination; Jimmy Carter did while lacking insider support. Rather than bury Rubio early, Bush should let the better man take his spot. After all, Yglesias writes, Rubio and Bush are essentially the same candidate, only Rubio "is better at politics."

Despite nearly identical stances on abortion, immigration, foreign policy, and deficit-increasing tax cuts, Rubio performs better than Bush in head-to-head polling against Hillary Clinton. He's also "a dynamic public speaker and gutsy political risk-taker … who impresses staffers on both sides of the aisle." Bush's campaign, meanwhile, has been "unimpressive" from the start. He's "struggled mightily with incredibly banal questions about dynastic politics and his brother's invasion of Iraq, while his arguments in favor of immigration reform have been so weak that the entire nominating contest has been dominated by Trump's racist demagoguery," Yglesias writes. Face the music, Bush: You could go out now as "a good man driven by a strong sense of duty," or you could wait while your campaign continues to unravel and "be humiliated," Yglesias concludes. Click for the full column. (More Jeb Bush stories.)