After a campaign that some aides never saw as more than a vanity project, former Virginia Senator Jim Webb has dropped out of the 2016 Presidential race. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, given his anemic poll numbers, but a lackluster showing in the Democratic Debate earlier this month seemed to have sealed his fate. His campaign never topped 1.4% nationally even though the latest poll released had him ahead of both fellow bottom-dwellers Martin O’Malley and Lincoln Chafee.
Webb’s debate performance had more complaints about airtime than policy ideas. To make things worse, he provided one of the more bizarre answers at the Democratic Debate when answering a question about the enemy he is most proud of making, he responded by naming the:
“enemy soldier that threw the grenade that wounded me, but he’s not around right now to talk to.”
In his press conference, Webb took a parting shot at the Democratic Party’s leadership:
” (their) hierarchy is not comfortable with many of the policies that I have laid forth, and frankly I am not that comfortable with many of theirs.”
Webb appears to be leaving himself open for an independent run, especially in the way he worded his withdrawl:
“For this reason I am withdrawing from any consideration of being the Democratic Party’s nominee for the Presidency.”
Only time will tell if Webb will take his 1.4% support and go rogue. Until then, let’s remember the good times on the Webb campaign trail. MSNBC called him an egg salad sandwich on national television. Stephen Colbert mocked his Democratic Debate pleas for equal time. And finally, he was portrayed by Alec Baldwin on one of Saturday Night Live’s most talked-about sketches in years.
