Low-energy indeed.
Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, who finished with just 2.8 percent of the vote in the Iowa caucuses, has been campaigning in New Hampshire.
Now, a video snippet of one of his stump speeches there, where he tells his audience to “please clap,” is being passed around the web---for some, as an object of ridicule and pity.
The vine of Jeb Bush asking for applause is so brutal I don’t even have the heart to RT it.
— Amanda Carpenter (@amandacarpenter) February 3, 2016
“Please clap”. It’s the existential cry of our age. Jeb has become our saddest self.
— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) February 3, 2016
“Please Clap: The Jeb Bush Story” pic.twitter.com/uoXziycFq3
— Kerry Hayes (@Kerry901) February 3, 2016
But not everyone thought that Jeb’s “please clap” made him look weak. Some interpreted it as a successful attempt at self-deprecating humor.
@jeffspross @eliasisquith It’s being tweeted as embarrassing. But it killed. Very endearing.
— Michael B Dougherty (@michaelbd) February 3, 2016
After his weak finish in Iowa, Bush has been under pressure from establishment Republicans to drop out of the presidential race so that his supporters could presumably pool around Marco Rubio, who is currently trailing Donald Trump by double digits in New Hampshire.
Rubio finished third in Iowa, trailing Trump by thin margins, and is seen as the Republican candidate who can most likely beat Trump in the primary.
The New Hampshire primary is on Feb. 9.
