Soft on crime

Under attack, Bush calls Trump soft on crime

But whenever Bush responds to Trump, he risks giving further definition to Trump's carciature of him as "low energy."

By Eli Stokols

Jeb Bush tried again Monday to beat back another biting Donald Trump attack, but his tepid response to Trump's bare-knuckled tactics highlights both his unease engaging with the caustic billionaire and a fundamental misreading of the state of play.

After Trump released a scathing video on Instagram Monday slamming Bush for being lenient on undocumented immigrants, Bush's campaign responded hours later with a post on its campaign website contrasting Bush's record as "tough on crime" with Trump's. "Trump even supported Nancy Pelosi-who supported sanctuary cities," the text reads.

But whenever the mild-mannered Bush responds to Trump, he risks giving further definition to Trump's caricature of him as "low energy" because it's practically impossible to match Trump's bombast and gusto.

"Jeb Bush left office in 2006 as indisputably the most conservative governor in the U.S.," said Steve Schmidt, a GOP strategist who guided John McCain's 2008 campaign. "That was a moment in time when conservatism was defined by the positions you held and the actions you took. There is a fundamental misunderstanding about the nature of the Trump campaign and his susceptibility to an ideological attack.

"For huge sections of the electorate, the definition of who is a conservative is based on who's making the most incendiary comments," he said. "What Trump is conveying in every speech he makes is strength. If you respond to someone who is attacking your character by talking about issues, you're in the wrong type of fight."

Trump released a video Monday morning that features Bush's statement about undocumented immigrants crossing the border as "an act of love" with images of three undocumented immigrants facing murder charges — a video many are comparing to the infamous Willie Horton TV ad used by George H.W. Bush's supporters in 1988 to portray the Democratic nominee, Michael Dukakis, as soft on crime.

Bush responded that Trump is "soft on crime" based on his past support for "soft-on-crime liberals" and his call to legalize some "illicit drugs." And beneath Bush's bullet-pointed response is a photo of a front page of The New York Times showing Pelosi's swearing-in as House speaker in 2007, autographed and inscribed by Trump to Pelosi; it reads: "Nancy, you are the greatest! Good luck!"

"While Donald Trump was still supporting liberal, soft-on-crime politicians, Jeb Bush accumulated an eight-year record of cracking down on violent criminals as governor of Florida," said Kristy Campbell, a spokesperson for Bush's campaign. "Mr. Trump's immigration plan is not conservative; would violate the Constitution; and would cost hundreds of billions of dollars, which he will likely attempt to pay for through massive tax hikes."

For two weeks now, Bush has been attacking Trump from the right, contrasting his own record as a two-term Florida governor with Trump's record, which, Bush argues, is "not conservative."

It has done little to diminish Trump, who continues to lead the polls, or to elevate Bush, whose poll numbers have dropped into single digits as Republican primary voters continue to show far more enthusiasm for anti-establishment candidates than those offering pure ideological conservatism.