While much of the media ruled that Jeb Bush did not have a satisfactory debate performance on Wednesday, the sentiment stretched even into the late-night comedy shows as ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel panned the “embarrassing” Bush on Thursday for attacking Rubio on an issue “that literally no one outside of Florida cares about” concerning his Senate attendance record.
Kimmel started the shtick by first mentioning how “Jeb Bush has been trailing in the polls by a pretty wide margin, but boy last night, he really came out swinging.”
He then played this clip of Bush describing how he would react if he met a Democrat in favor of cutting government spending: “You find a Democrat that's for cutting spending by ten dollars, I'll give them a warm kiss.”
As the crowd laughed, Kimmel quipped: “Why does it have to be warm. Don’t worry, Jeb, it’s almost over.”
The liberal late-night host admitted that “Bush had a very rough night last night” when “he finally got time to say,” but failed miserably at making the most of his time:
[H]ow did he use it? He attacks not Donald Trump, not Hillary Clinton or Ben Carson. Of all people, he attacks Marco Rubio for missing votes in the Senate, which is something that literally no one outside of Florida cares about.
Kimmel closed by declaring that “[i]t was embarrassing and it’s like a Bush to attack the wrong guy, it really is.”
The relevant portions of the transcript from ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live on October 29 can be found below.
ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live
October 29, 2015
11:40 p.m. Eastern
JIMMY KIMMEL: Jeb Bush has been trailing in the polls by a pretty wide margin, but boy last night, he really cane out swinging.
JEB BUSH: You find a Democrat that's for cutting spending by ten dollars, I'll give them a warm kiss.
KIMMEL: Why does it have to be warm? [LAUGHTER] Don't worry, Jeb, it's almost over. Jeb Bush had a very rough night last night. He finally got time to say what he wanted and how did he use it? He attacks not Donald Trump, not Hillary Clinton or Ben Carson. Of all people, he attacks Marco Rubio for missing votes in the Senate, which is something that literally no one outside of Florida cares about. It was embarrassing and it's just like a Bush to attack the wrong guy, it really is. [LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE]
