Jeb Bush, who once dreamed of a fifth-place victory in Iowa only to have even those grim goals crushed, seems to be lowering the bar yet again. Rather than imploring New Hampshire residents for their votes, Bush has set his sights on something far more reasonable—polite applause.

According to The New York Times, Bush tried his hand at firing up the crowd at a town hall yesterday near the Vermont border. (It didn’t work.)

From The Times:

Mr. Bush finished a fiery riff about protecting the country as commander in chief — “I won’t be out here blowharding, talking a big game without backing it up,” he said — and was met with total silence.

“Please clap,” he said, sounding defeated.

The crowd laughed — and then, finally, clapped.

Please, excuse me for a moment as I weep.

[h/t The New York Times]


Contact the author at ashley@gawker.com. Image via AP.