George W. Bush On The Campaign Trail For Brother Jeb
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Good evening. Thanks for joining us. Welcome to the battle lines. Just five days left until they go before the voters in South Carolina. The leading Republican presidential candidates are for all intense and purposes at war with one another. Trump against Cruz. Cruz against Trump. Cruz against Rubio. Trump against Bush. Candidates calling other candidates unstable, liars, threatening lawsuits. Hasn't been this tough since Andrew Jackson supporters called John Quincy Adams a pimp and Adams' supporter called Jackson's wife, well, you'll have to look that one up because I'm not going to say it. Now, Jeb Bush who has been used by Trump at times as a political punching bag is punching back bringing his brother, the former president, into the fight. George W. Bush may have left office as one of the least popular presidents in history but he remains one of the most popular Republicans in South Carolina where he campaigned with his brother today and where Donald Trump was the unspoken subject. We'll have more on the impact he made from our Gary Tuchman.</s>GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Former president George W. Bush with his wife Laura on the 2016 campaign trail to try to make his brother Jeb the next president.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I came here for two reasons. One, because I care deeply about Jeb and, two, because I care deeply about our country.</s>TUCHMAN: The two sons of another former president George H. W. Bush have not campaigned together during this election until now in South Carolina.</s>G. BUSH: There seems to be a lot of name calling going on. But I want to remind you what our good dad told me one time. Labels are for soup cans.</s>TUCHMAN: George W. Bush did not mention Donald Trump by name, but there were clear inferences to the real estate mogul.</s>G. BUSH: I understand Americans are angry and frustrated. But we do not need someone in the oval office who mirrors and inflames our anger and frustration.</s>TUCHMAN: And those inferences were sprinkled throughout the speech.</s>G. BUSH: Strength is not empty rhetoric. It's not bluster. And in my experience, the strongest person usually isn't the loudest one in the room.</s>TUCHMAN: Jeb Bush is significantly behind in South Carolina primary polls but hopes this event provides a spark. If Jeb Bush doesn't stun the political world and win the South Carolina primary it will break the Bush family palmetto state winning streak. His brother won here in 2000 with uncontested and 2004. His father won in 1988 and 1992.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a Bush country, man. South Carolina is Bush country.</s>TUCHMAN: Many supporters here believe George W. Bush's brotherly campaign appearance can help change the dynamics in the state's primary.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he was a wonderful president. I know he gets a lot of criticism. But I think given the cards he was dealt, he did a wonderful job.</s>TUCHMAN: So you think this will help his brother's campaign?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.</s>TUCHMAN: You think he can win South Carolina?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he can. I think if he doesn't win, he's going to do very well.</s>TUCHMAN: While many people here have supported Jeb Bush from the beginning, some others have gravitated towards him because of their dislike for one of the other Republican candidates. How does it make you feel when Donald Trump makes fun of Jeb by saying he's campaigning with his mommy and now brother.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Juvenile is really the only word to say it. I think that is the only way to describe the way that he really is in general is very juvenile. Very child-like. And it's not really, I think, getting him anywhere with people who are really paying attention to things.</s>TUCHMAN: But Donald Trump has a commanding lead in the polls. Much to the dismay of many people here who have supported Bushes in the past and plan to support this Bush in the immediate future this Saturday.</s>JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I ask for your support next Saturday. I ask for your prayers for our family. God bless you all. Thank you very much for coming.</s>COOPER: Gary joins us from North Charleston, South Carolina. Sounds like President George W. Bush has a very positive reception there from what we saw. What do supporters think about him spending more time on the trail with his brother?</s>TUCHMAN: Well, the second this event ended, Anderson, I heard a group of Jeb Bush supporters say why hasn't this guy been out on the trail more? And I talk to several people afterwards and they said they want to see him on the trail in the days to come. What was noble about the speech that George W. Bush spoke behind for about 22 minutes. His brother, wanting for president of the United States only 15 minutes. So the former president spoke longer than the man who hopes to be president. Also, an interesting side note here. At one point, George W. Bush said he doesn't really missed Washington and the White House after eight years and then a chant began. We miss you. We miss you, Mr. President. But the most noteworthy time of this evening, Anderson, was him slamming Donald Trump without once mentioning his name.</s>COOPER: All right, Gary. Thanks very much for the reporting. This, of course, is only the latest skirmish in a long running effort to put Jeb Bush in a corner using his brother's stance on Iraq and 9/11. Governor Bush himself has stumbled early on dealing with it. Fair to though, that no one has become better at twisting this particular night than Donald J. Trump who is finishing up a rally right now in Greenville, South Carolina. Take a look at this moment from Saturday night's debate.</s>J. BUSH: I could care less about the insults that's Donald Trump gives to me. It's blood sport for him. He enjoys it. And I'm glad he's happy about it. But I have -- I am sick and tired of him going after my family. My dad is the greatest man alive in my mind. And while -- while Donald Trump was building a reality TV show, my brother was building a security apparatus to keep us safe. And I'm proud of what he did. He's had the gall to go after --</s>DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The world trade center came down in your brother's reign. Remember that.</s>J. BUSH: Let me finish -- he's had the gall to go after my mother.</s>TRUMP: That's not keeping us safe.</s>COOPER: Joining us now CNN political commentator and former Reagan White House political director Jeffrey Lord who supports Trump. National Republican consultant and former South Carolina Republican party chairman Katon Dawson and CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash. Dana, what do you make, first of all, the former president George W. Bush's comments tonight? I mean, certainly, the gloves are off when it comes to Trump but avoiding his name is interesting.</s>DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was. Look. I mean, he didn't have to say his name. Everybody knew who he was talking about. Everybody knew what he was talking about. He has kind of made it his life's work post-White House to not delve into politics. Even going where he went tonight was way further than he has for years n years and years. But I actually think in some ways it was more powerful and, you know, dare we say presidential for him to do it the way he did by talking about his traits without saying his name and comparing and contrasting the Donald Trump that we have all come to know with the Jeb Bush that we hear Jeb Bush explain. You know, the fact that he is a quiet leader and so on and so forth. The way that he compared and contrasted that I think was pretty powerful.</s>COOPER: Katon, it is interesting. You know South Carolina better than anyone, certainly. I heard some people saying, you know, it was interesting to see Jeb Bush and his brother side by side one after the other. Their styles are obviously very different. I'm wondering how you think this played in South Carolina.</s>KATON DAWSON, FORMER CHAIRMAN, SOUTH CAROLINA REPUBLICAN PARTY: I think it will play real well. George Bush when he was president of the United States came to South Carolina eight different times raising money for Mark Sanford, raising money for Lindsey Graham, electing Jim DeMint to U.S. Senate. Certainly, eight times is a lot for a president compared to Barack Obama, one time in eight years. So that builds a base. His dad has been here. And what I saw was some confidence out of Jeb Bush that I haven't seen in the past. And that was with his brother showing up. I'm not sure, unless President Bush stays on the trail with him, that he can keep that momentum. He's pretty far down in the polls. Trump made some tactical errors on Saturday night. The exchange that you showed with Jeb going after Donald Trump on the issue of 9/11, I think one thing to make note is CNN and 2012, your exit polls showed 55 percent of South Carolinians made their mind up the last week of the election. And I contend that's getting ready to happen now.</s>COOPER: Jeffrey, I mean, what about that? These attacks by Donald Trump and the Bush family calling George W. Bush fair game, attacking again on 9/11 occurring during his presidency. Do you see that resonating in a state like South Carolina especially with the amount of military voters?</s>JEFFREY LORD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think it's possible. Anderson, I spent the day going back through the 2000 South Carolina primary. And it was pretty rugged. It was between George W. Bush and John McCain. And one of the things I think we're not thinking of here is the return of George W. Bush, President Bush, to the campaign trail. It's going to bring forth all the - sort of dig up the South Carolina primary of 2000 in the way the Bush family treated John McCain. Today they are saying he's a hero but it's obvious the Bush campaign and their allies in 2000 were slamming him as being, and I'm quoting from an article in "vanity fair," crazy, having fathered a black child out of wedlock. I mean, Mrs. McCain was supposed to be a drug addict. It was really pretty savage and left a pretty bad taste in senator McCain's mouth that I think took him quite a while to get over. So I think that's something that Donald Trump is going to, you know, be looking at here as the Bushes return to try and do this again.</s>COOPER: Katon, what about that? I mean, South Carolina politics are legendarily tough.</s>DAWSON: There are tough. And I was a member of the '99-00 Bush squad. I was chairman in 2004 and I was chairman in 2008. So we also nominated John McCain for the presidency in South Carolina. I think all that is eye wash talking about those former races won't matter. I think in the next couple of days, what's going to matter is the posturing. We're getting ready to have 700,000 people vote. About 100,000, none of the campaigns know exactly who they are, Anderson. That's going to be a big difference. I think that Donald makes a big mistake if he wants to make an issue of George W. Bush in South Carolina, a big tactical mistake. A guy with a pretty good lead, a pretty solid base and maybe some numbers are telling him he needs to do that. But he was in good shape. Right now the field is open. Rubio had a good night. Cruz had a bad night on Saturday. But the voters are open and I listened to them today, Anderson. They are moving. They are talking about it and there's a lot of energy and excitement here. And it's going to get a little rougher. So if anybody wants to start whining in South Carolina, the voters will usually punish you for that.</s>COOPER: Just no whining zone. We are going to pick up the conversation after a short break, focus on the Trump/Cruz battle as well. There is a lot of fascinating stuff there. Later the showdown over naming a Supreme Court justice. Republicans vowing to block any nominee that President Obama puts forward.