Speaking during CNN’s analysis of the first 2016 Republican presidential debate on Thursday night, CNN political commentator and former Obama White House adviser Van Jones panned Jeb Bush’s performance as “terrible” and “like oatmeal getting colder” but praised Ohio Governor John Kasich as “just unreal,” “emotional,” and an “authentic guy who cares.”
Asked by host Anderson Cooper for his thoughts on the debate, Jones came out immediately in stating that Bush “just did terrible” and made his brother and former President George W. Bush “look both eloquent and brilliant.”
Befuddled that Bush had been seen by Democrats as “this Bush guy we’ve been so afraid of,” Jones seemed to shock Cooper in declaring that the former Florida Governor “just looked like oatmeal getting colder, so I think he was a big loser tonight.”
Jones then shifted gears to praising the “brilliant” Kasich as “the authentic guy who cares and he did great” because “[h]e talked about people in prison, mental health, all of these issues you don't usually hear Republicans talking about, but he kept it within a conservative framework.”
The former White House adviser saved the last part of his opening thoughts for giving a nod to Florida Senator Marco Rubio for being “picture perfect” in the debate and predicting that “[i]f this guy gets in open water, he’s going to cause Democrats a lot of heartburn, a lot of problems.”
Such praise for Rubio by Jones comes as no surprise considering he stated following the 2013 State of the Union (in which Rubio gave the GOP response) that he views Rubio as being “dangerous for Democrats.”
The relevant portion of the transcript from CNN’s AC360 following the 2016 GOP debate on August 6 can be found below.
CNN’s AC360: Post Debate Show
August 6, 2015
11:55 p.m. Eastern
ANDERSON COOPER: Van, the first we’re hearing from you tonight. Winners and losers, major moments for you.
VAN JONES: Well, first of all, I just thought that Jeb Bush just did terrible. I mean, he made W. look both eloquent and brilliant. I mean, I just – I could not believe that this was this guy – this Bush guy we’ve been so afraid of. He just looked like oatmeal getting colder, so I think he was a big loser tonight
COOPER: Oatmeal getting colder? Ouch.
JONES: I mean, just – he was awful and he's got to get better. I thought Kasich was just unreal. He was emotional – if this is going to be about authenticity, you have Trump, the authentic angry guy. Now, you’ve got Kasich, the authentic guy who cares and he did great. He talked about people in prison, mental health, all of these issues you don't usually hear Republicans talking about, but he kept it within a conservative framework. I thought he was brilliant. I thought Marco Rubio was picture perfect. If this guy gets in open water, he’s going to cause Democrats a lot of heartburn, a lot of problems. He did one thing that helped us, though. He had that line where he said if this is based on resume, Hillary Clinton wins. That – if he winds up as VP or whatever, that line can be used against him because she does have such a formidable resume. Other than that, Rubio was frighteningly good. A little too slick, but Rubio, I think, big winner tonight. Kasich, big winner. Haven’t talked enough about Rubio. He’s one to watch.
