Rusty, but among the front-runners: Other views

Larry J. Sabato, Kyle Kondik and Geoffrey Skelley, Politico: "Everyone can see that Jeb Bush is doing poorly so far. He's in a much worse position than his father was in 1987 or his brother was in 1999. This Bush intimidates no one. His political skills are rusty, he's a pedestrian speaker and some of his views (immigration reform, Common Core, etc.) have made him many enemies among party ideologues. … Yet Bush is still undeniably among the front-runners."

Erick Erickson, Real Clear Politics : "The Jeb Bush candidacy stands and falls on its own. It has some serious structural problems right now. But those problems are fixable. ... Unfortunately for Jeb Bush, his talking points over the last few years and not his record as Florida's governor will get the focus. That, plus too many cooks in the kitchen, may sink his candidacy."

Ashley Killough,CNN: "Bush is a compassionate conservative who cares about education, the economy, domestic violence and helping people with disabilities. At least, that's the message of a new video released from his all-but-announced campaign. … The video not only tries to drive home the narrative that Bush is aiming to tell about his candidacy — that he can appeal to non-traditional Republicans — but it also represents part of his strategy to define himself before his opponents can."

Jonah Goldberg, National Review : "The Clinton name unifies Democrats while the Bush name divides Republicans. ... The Clinton brand and Clinton era are more popular with most Americans than the Bush brand and the Bush era. Voters typically want a change after an eight-year presidency. But if the election becomes a contest between two tired brands, the more popular one ... will probably win."

Byron York, Washington Examiner : "There are conservatives who will gag at what (Bush) is doing, just like older ones gagged at 'kinder, gentler' and 'compassionate conservative.' But Jeb's critics will have to confront this question: Can they name any Republicans not named Bush who have been elected president in the last 30 years? The fact is, the Bushes are the only Republicans who have cracked the code for winning the White House in more than a generation."