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The Buzz: Jeb Bush uses mom, 90, in mocking tweet against Trump

 
Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio laughs while speaking at a rally, Saturday in Johnston, Iowa. [Associated Press]
Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio laughs while speaking at a rally, Saturday in Johnston, Iowa. [Associated Press]
Published Feb. 7, 2016

Jeb Bush likes to campaign as if he's the grown-up among the Republicans running for president, but that doesn't mean he's not above acting like a middle-schooler sometimes.

On Friday, amid a heavy snowstorm in Iowa, Donald Trump announced he was canceling a town hall event scheduled in Londonderry, N.H.

Bush tweeted out a message to Trump in response: "My 90-year-old mother made it out to campaign," he said, including a photo of Barbara Bush shaking hands with a little girl at a campaign stop.

Bush's family fans

Barbara Bush isn't the only Bush stepping up for Jeb on the campaign trail. The pro-Bush super PAC Right to Rise has a TV ad featuring George W. Bush airing in South Carolina, where the former president also is expected to campaign for his brother.

"Our next president must be prepared to lead. I know Jeb. I know his good heart and his strong backbone," older brother says. "Jeb will unite our country. He knows how to bring the world together against terror. And he knows when tough measures must be taken. Experience and judgment count in the Oval Office. Jeb Bush is a leader who will keep our country safe."

Another take on the Bush family comes in a radio spot airing in New Hampshire courtesy of the super PAC helping Marco Rubio.

"Jeb Bush keeps talking about the past, about his brother, his father, his mother," the narrator says in the spot. "All good people, respected. But their time has passed. … It's time for a new generation of leadership. It's time for Marco Rubio."

Mistake in gun votes

Rep. Joseph Geller, D-Aventura, said last week he was "mortified" and "very embarrassed" by what he calls an honest mistake Wednesday night.

As the House was called to vote on a controversial measure to allow concealed handguns on Florida's public college and university campuses, Geller said he pressed the wrong button — not only for himself, but for his seatmate, Rep. Randolph Bracy, D-Orlando.

That's why the two Democrats came in as "yes" votes in the 80-37 result, which passed the bill out of the chamber. (The only Democrat to intentionally vote for it was Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, who co-sponsored the bill.)

"It was absolutely a mistake. I just hit the wrong button, and they locked the machine too quickly for me to fix it," Geller told the Times/Herald.

The voting board was open for nine seconds, during which time members could cast their votes.

During House floor speeches earlier in the night — and the night before when amendments were considered — Geller had railed against allowing guns on campuses, so his "yes" vote raised a few eyebrows.

Historic second term

Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Jorge Labarga continues to break historical records. Two years ago, he became the first Hispanic person to lead the state's judicial system. On July 1, he'll begin his second term in that role — becoming the first chief justice to succeed himself since the end of the Civil War and the first in four decades to serve more than one term.

The court announced Friday that the six other justices chose Labarga to serve for another two-year term as chief justice.

The Supreme Court has long followed a custom of rotating the chief justiceship to the next most senior member who has not yet held the post. In this case, Justice James E.C. Perry normally would have received the rotation in 2016, but he will be forced to retire due to age only a few months later. He chose not to stand for election, the court said.

As chief justice, Labarga leads the state's top bench and also serves as the administrative head of the state's judiciary.

Floridians in N.H.

A small army of Floridians has gathered in New Hampshire to help Jeb Bush, most of them former aides like onetime policy director Brian Yablonski and former spokesman Justin Sayfie or political allies, such as state Board of Education member Gary Chartrand.

This weekend, a few prominent Democrats hit that state to help Hillary Clinton: former Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and two potential candidates for governor in 2018, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Miami Beach Mayor Phil Levine.

Times staff writer Alex Leary and Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau writer Kristen M. Clark contributed.