Posted on 09/26/2014 10:28:44 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
After a week of watching you guys dry-heave at the thought of another Romney run, I thought it’d be fun to wind down on Friday by having you dry-heave at the thought of Bush’s candidacy instead.
Dude, this is happening. Or is it?
But people who have met in recent weeks with Jeb Bush in New York, Washington and Florida say they are far less certain that a campaign will ultimately materialize. Some described Bush as deeply engaged on issues beyond his usual focus on immigration and education, suggesting he was very much preparing for a national race. Others said it seemed like concerns over how a run would impact his family ultimately might keep Bush on the sidelines.
“He told me two things,” a person who spoke with Bush recently in Washington said: “that he knows he has to decide very soon, and that his wife is not at all happy with the possibility.”…
It would, however, be a restoration of the family legacy, something said to be very important to the 41st president. A person in attendance at the former president’s 90th birthday party in Kennebunkport this past June said the elder Bush spoke of a Jeb Bush candidacy as a near certainty. The elder Bush is also said to have leaned on his son to run.
His wife’s reluctance is allegedly what convinced Mitch Daniels to pass on running. What a gut-punch for center-righties if they lose another top recruit on that ground. Another bit that caught my eye:
“He is well aware of party dynamics, but his view is that leadership matters, a lot,” said Arthur Brooks, a friend of Bush’s and president of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. “What he says is, ‘I have strong views on Common Core and immigration and those are views that some people don’t share. But I’m going to provide leadership and ask people to go along with it, and if they can’t — they can’t,” Brooks added. “Isn’t it refreshing to have someone who values truth over victory?”
So Jeb’s going to run as a loud and proud RINO, huh? I confess, that may be the only way to make me semi-enthusiastic about his candidacy — not because I agree with his RINOier positions (especially on immigration) but because it’d be interesting to cover a GOP primary where there’s one unabashed squish in the race who’s not trying to pretend he’s something else. We thought we were getting that with Romney but then he started pushing “self-deportation” and insisting that he’s “severely conservative” and no one believed any of it. If we as a party are going to go for the RINO again, let’s not lie to ourselves about what we’re doing.
On the other hand, Rubio took a similar approach last year after he joined the Gang of Eight and it … didn’t work out so well for him. He didn’t run and hide from conservative media at the time. On the contrary, he went on Rush Limbaugh’s show and made his case for comprehensive immigration reform in other right-wing outlets. He was the Gang’s de facto director of outreach to tea partiers; the thought was that a young Latino star with enough of a knack on the stump to get elected to the Senate as a 39-year-old might just be able to convince conservatives to soften up on legalization. Eighteen months later, Rubio’s in full retreat from the bill ahead of the 2016 primaries. A key difference between him and Jeb, obviously, is that Rubio would aim for some conservative votes next year as a candidate whereas Bush would target center-righties and “somewhat conservative” voters. In other words, Rubio had more of an incentive to walk back his heresies than Jeb does given that they’re playing to slightly different audiences. But what happens if Jeb runs unapologetically as a pro-amnesty, pro-Common Core RINO and wins the nomination? He’s counting on the fact, I assume, that grassroots conservatives will hold their noses and turn out for him anyway in the general election in the name of beating Hillary. Will they?
Exit question: Does the “near certainty” of Jeb running per Papa Bush explain why Team Romney has been talking more lately about Mitt eventually getting in? It could be that Mitt’s inner circle wants their donors to know that they shouldn’t commit to Jeb just yet since the big guy might have one last run in him. But in that case, I don’t understand why every story about Mitt 2016 mentions that Romney himself is waiting to see what Bush will do; if Bush runs, the thinking goes, Mitt will pass, secure in the knowledge that the rich hawkish donor class has a formidable standard bearer in the battle with Paul and Cruz. (Ann Romney herself suggested this week that they were waiting on Jeb.) If Jeb has the right of first refusal then why are Romneyites talking about Mitt running now? Is it really Christie that they’re worried about and want to discourage instead?
I am convinced it doesn't matter what we want or don't want, and like it or not, we will "eat our peas."
Whatever, if the Republicans want to commit suicide that’s their business.
Republicans are a waste. Better to form a new party. We have to fight them anyway.
they really want us to have no viable choice to vote for.
the elite of both parties, the gop-e, and libtards, are in it together. the gop-e is not giving us candidates TO vote for, so that the left just votes for whatever (D)umbass is running on their side.
A Jeb Bush candidacy is a push on the fail button. The American electorate will not stomach DYNASTY POLITICS.
They started with the least stupid Bush they had.
Each new iteration gets more idiotic.
Oh great, if another Bush gets the nod we can look forward to 8 years of Her Thighness.
Enough already, these political family’s are to much. People will just vote for the other guy unless it’s a Clinton, we need choices besides those two.
Jeb Santoromneebee can get stuffed.
Senile ol goat probably thinks he is talking about the 5k run this weekend.
Nothing to worry about here....aghhhhhhhhhhhhhh
The best outcome for us is if Jeb, Romney, Paul and Christie all run.
Then, we can push Cruz.
Last time, we had too many conservatives and too few RINO’s and the conservative vote was spread too thin to sway the outcome.
I’ve been thinking this over. Initially I thought Jeb Bush wouldn’t really run. Now I’m not so sure. He very well might. Jeb will do it for his father. He knows George the Elder doesn’t have much time left on this mortal coil, and his Dad wants him to run. Therefore I think he will, for his father in order to do it before his father ups and dies which could be at any time.
Those Bush boys it seems all compete for their Dad’s affection in one way or the other. Or want to live up to his high standards. One of the reasons Bush 43 attacked Saddam Hussein and Iraq was to avenge his Dad whom Saddam tried to bump off. Yes, I believe that was one of the motivating factors of George the Younger in going into Iraq.
So, it won’t surprise me in the least if Jeb goes ahead with a run, even if his heart isn’t totally in it. He will do it for his Dad.
“Republicans are a waste. Better to form a new party. We have to fight them anyway.”
There are 34 other parties out there right now, and you want to form yet another party? Pick from one of the 34 current “third” parties. What, none of the 34 suit you? So you will start up a 35th party which, within short order, won’t suit your perfectionist standards either. Geez. Get a life.
“Republicans are a waste. Better to form a new party. We have to fight them anyway.”
There are 34 other parties out there right now, and you want to form yet another party? Pick from one of the 34 current “third” parties. What, none of the 34 suit you? So you will start up a 35th party which, within short order, won’t suit your perfectionist standards either. Geez. Get a life.
Even is I liked this character, I would be smart enough to realize that the Bush name is anathema with a very large portion of the American public. Good or bad, like it or not it’s the truth.
The Bushes are encouraged by the lack of opposition to George P. for land commissioner too. People in TX have yet to get enough of the Bushes.
There is a persistent rumor that I been reading is that the ticket will be Jeb Bush and Senator Johanns against a Biden ticket.
Great cartoon; shows how TX has been duped for so long.
People in TX have yet to get enough of the Bushes.
...
There must be a lot of satisfied cronies who have benefited from Bushes being in high office. The land commissioner office is infamous for doling out favors and treats to the well connected.
If he is a member of the Bohemian Grove I’m sure he’ll run and most likely win.
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