CNN Touts Mockery of 'Gaffe Prone' Bush: 'Which of Your Relatives Did Worse As President?'

August 6th, 2015 2:43 PM

On Thursday's CNN Newsroom, after showing several clips allegedly showing GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush to be "gaffe prone," anchor Carol Costello somehow thought it newsworthy to read and display on air some of the Twitter mockery of Bush and the other Republican candidates, including a suggestion that they are a group of clowns.

The CNN host began the segment:

Tonight's big -- no, huge --  no, populist -- debate will give candidates a chance to overshadow Donald Trump's bombastic, policy-free style. And no one needs to do that more than Jeb Bush. Once a shoo-in, a gaffe-prone Bush is stumbling into this forum.

After showing several clips supposedly showing verbal gaffes of former Governor Bush, Costello brought up the Twitter mockery against the GOP. Costello:

And while we know where Bush and his rivals will be standing on stage tonight, we don't know what questions they will be asked. But have no fear. The Twitterverse is stepping up with the hashtag DebateQuestionsWeWantToHear.

The CNN host began by highlighting one person who suggested that Presidents Bush 41 and 43 were both bad presidents. Costello:

This one is from Collin. It seems to be aimed at Jeb. Collin asks, quote: "Which of your relatives did worse as president?"

Then came a crack reminiscent of the clown car jokes made by some on the left about the GOP candidates. Costello:

For Eric, a more pressing question: "Did you all come in the same tiny car?"

The CNN host ended by giving exposure to liberal comedienne and anti-conservative provocateur Kathy Griffin. Costello:

And one famous comedienne is also taking a jab at the GOP field. Kathy Griffin asks: "How does it feel to officially be in #Kathy Griffin's act?"

Below is a transcript of relevant portions of the Thursday, August 6, CNN Newsroom with Carol Costello from about 9:13 a.m.:

CAROL COSTELLO (BEFORE COMMERCIAL BREAK): Still to come from the Newsroom, though the Donald will be center stage in tonight's debate, a lot of eyes will be on Jeb Bush. Can he bounce back from recent gaffes? We'll talk about that next.

(...)

COSTELLO: Tonight's big -- no, huge --  no, populist -- debate will give candidates a chance to overshadow Donald Trump's bombastic, policy-free style. And no one needs to do that more than Jeb Bush. Once a shoo-in, a gaffe-prone Bush is stumbling into this forum.

JEB BUSH CLIP #1: I'm not sure we need a half a billion dollars for women's health issues.

BUSH CLIP #2: My dad is probably the most perfect man alive, so it's very hard for me to be critical of him. In fact, I've got a T-shirt from the Jeb swag that says "I'm the -- my dad is the greatest dad alive. If you don't like it, I'll take you outside."

MEGYN KELLY, HOST OF FNC'S THE KELLY FILE: Knowing what we know now, would you have authorized the invasion?

BUSH CLIP #3, FROM FNC'S THE KELLY FILE: I would have, and so would have Hillary Clinton.

BUSH CLIP #4: If we're all supposed to handle hypothetical questions, knowing what we know now, what would you have done? I would have not engaged, I would not have gone into Iraq.

COSTELLO: And while we know where Bush and his rivals will be standing on stage tonight, we don't know what questions they will be asked. But have no fear. The Twitterverse is stepping up with the hashtag DebateQuestionsWeWantToHear.

This one is from Collin. It seems to be aimed at Jeb. Collin asks, quote: "Which of your relatives did worse as president?"

For Eric, a more pressing question: "Did you all come in the same tiny car?"

And one famous comedienne is also taking a jab at the GOP field. Kathy Griffin asks: "How does it feel to officially be in #Kathy Griffin's act?"