Conservatives shrug off Bush and Romney, remain confident in base-friendly hopefuls

MSN / The Washington Post ^ | January 15, 2015 | Melina Mara

[2ndDivisionVet]

Conservative leaders this week shrugged off the sudden moves by Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney toward 2016 presidential campaigns, saying the two establishment-friendly candidates are too far out of touch with grass-roots activists to win the Republican nomination.

At the same time, potential candidates with close ties to the party’s conservative base have moved to speed up their own efforts in response.

Senior advisers to several of the potential conservative candidates said Wednesday that GOP insurgents will have to do more in 2016 than they did in previous cycles to make a serious run for the Republican nomination. Building a campaign nest egg and winning the support of mega-donors to fill the coffers of allied super PACs has become a particular priority.

Former senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, a populist conservative who won 11 primaries and caucuses in his 2012 presidential campaign, called his top donors and advisers Wednesday to join him in Scottsdale, Ariz., this weekend to plan his likely 2016 bid....

[2ndDivisionVet]

"Populist conservative?" Hahahahaha!

[TBP]

If either runs, both should.

[TBP]

Hey, maybe McCain should run, too!

[dowcaet]

All of these retreads like Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, and Rick Santorum should enjoy their retirements because they will never be president. I think it’s true that once you get bitten by the “Potomac Bug” then you convince yourself that you can be president even when the rest of the world knows you haven’t got a prayer. Also, I think some of these guys are running and hoping to win a primary or caucus or two to make themselves viable candidates for cabinet and other high ranking positions in a Republican administration.

[2ndDivisionVet]

If Milt, Jebbie, Krispy, Gomer, Santorum and Huntsman get in, Mrs. Cruz needs to go furniture shopping.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Hey, Bob Dole is still with us...

[dowcaet]

The only reason Goober Graham is running is that he wants to show off what he thinks are his “superb” foreign policy credentials. He’s aiming to be a Secretary of State in a Republican administration. He knows he has no chance to be president.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Ted Cruz would make me Secretary of State before Linda.

[tumblindice]

“win the Republican nomination”

Oh, they’ll do that all right, like Juan and Mittens.

But for the third election straight, conservatives won’t donate to them or support them, much less vote for them.

[Billthedrill]

Interesting. Tweedledum and Tweedledee aren't energizing the base, what a surprise. Much of this noise is a media attempt to position Bush and Romney as conservatives and anyone else as an extremist radical too frightening to elect, which will be the theme of the election if I am not mistaken. "That's as far as we're going to let you Little People go," is what I'm hearing, and they're getting a finger in reply. The Boehner thing shook a lot of the nomenklatura up - that was a lot more heat than the establishment was expecting on a topic that never gave them much trouble before, and if they're slowly waking up to just how much the electorate despises 0bama and his racist minstrel show allies, it's their own damn fault.

[Jack Hydrazine]

[headstamp 2]

The quadrennial GOPe K-street lobbyist candidate rotation.

[GeronL]

I will not vote for a RINO or Santorum- whatever he is these days

[FroggyTheGremlim]

So where is Sarah Palin?

[rrrod]

yeah and Graham too!!! Can never have too many RINO scum on board lol.