Posted on 10/24/2015 6:01:16 AM PDT by csvset
VIRGINIA BEACH
Republican presidential contender Jeb Bush wanted to talk issues during a visit to Hampton Roads on Friday but also had to explain why his campaign was slashing spending.
At Regent University, Bush acknowledged that the strong showing by real estate executive Donald Trump has led him to make deep campaign spending cuts, including trimming payroll by 40 percent and slashing travel.
"The circumstances when we started the election were different," said Bush, who had accumulated one of the largest campaign bank accounts but has been lagging behind Trump and a few other candidates in most state and national polls.
"I have not met a person that thought Donald Trump would be the front-running candidate at this point. God bless him for his success in that regard. Let's see how long that lasts," Bush said during an interview with Regent chancellor Pat Robertson.
While Bush's super PAC remains heavily funded, his campaign fundraising has slowed in recent months. He reported collecting $13.4 million between July 1 and Sept. 30, less than Ben Carson, who led the field with about $20 million. Bush ended September with about $10 million in cash.
The former Florida governor indicated to the audience of 700 in a Regent theater that he's far from done.
"I'm all in with the primary states including Virginia.... Every dollar we can save in overhead is a dollar that goes on television, that goes on radio, goes on media, goes on voter outreach."
With three months remaining before voters start choosing nominees, Bush is cutting staff in his main office in Miami to bolster operations in key early primary and caucus states. The Iowa caucuses are Feb. 1 and are followed in quick succession by the New Hampshire primary a week later, then Nevada and South Carolina. Virginia's primary is March 1.
When Robertson noted that Bush had collected about $500,000 at a fundraiser recently in Detroit, the 62-year-old candidate said, "This fundraising stuff is not as easy it looks."
With a nod to Robertson's viewer-sponsored Christian Broadcasting Network, Bush added, "I know you guys do great."
During his hourlong appearance, Bush also explained his stances on several issues including education and his desire to shift more government power from Washington to state capitals.
The federal government should have minimal involvement in education, Bush said, but should promote the use of school vouchers that allow students to use tax funds to attend private schools if they so choose.
A convert to the Roman Catholic faith, Bush said he favors a Catholic principle of subsidiarity, meaning that issues should be handled by the smallest, least centralized authority.
States should be in more control of education, transportation and energy, he said. "We have to fix those things by pushing power back to the states."
If Virginia wants to allow drilling for gas and oil off it's coast, it should have the freedom to do so, he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bill Bartel, 757-446-2398, bill.bartel@pilotonline.com
I don't trust Bush. Probably has a hit man hired to take out Trump.
He is pathetic and immature.
Just watch his tippy toes video, how he sizes up where he should stand, bites his lip like an autistic child, steps back and then heaves himself upward on his toes with his arms out like a penguin for balance.
“See mommy!!! I am the tallest one here!!! Can I have a lollipop now? “
Presidential? Ummm...no.
That tippi toes BS lost him the presidency, if he ever had a chance at it.
He needs the money to produce glitzy ads, because in person, there’s nothing there ...
He’s saving up to buy a big ole can of turd polish.
“We have to fix those things by pushing power back to the states.”
Blind Squirrel Finds Nut!
ROFLMAO! (I’ve never seen that one)
Trump has nothing to do with it. Bush is loathed by the base because he cares more about illegal alien criminals than he does about hard-working Americans getting screwed over by Washington.
The Joyful Tippy-toes Disrupter Tortoise didn’t plan for Trump. The plan had been to flood the field with also-rans to split the vote so ¡Yeb! could be nominated with a small number of blue state primaries.
Not working out that way.
It is not beyond the Cheap Labor Express to kill Trump to stop him.
He is a real threat to their plans.
“I have not met a person that thought Donald Trump would be the front-running candidate at this point. God bless him for his success in that regard......
And I hope he selects me as his vice presidents like Reagan selected my daddy.”
Within that sentence is the reason he is done. Trump is speaking to 15,000 to 20,000 people later today in Jacksonville - after speaking to thousands more last night in Miami. Jebbie pulls in 700. Pathetic.
Jeb who?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.