“Jeb bush is floundering. He bussed in hundreds to Cpac and bought a lousy 8%.”
Bush got 8.3% of 3007 votes - about 250 in total.
I was at CPAC for all four days, and Bush’s named was frequently booed by the crowd - pretty consistently, and much more than anyone else.
The big exception was when he spoke. A few hours before he spoke a different contingent came and started filling seats. Just next to me, five overweight men in their thirties and dressed in expensive suits, and a couple of attractive women also dressed in expensive business clothes came and sat down. They clearly knew each other, and were passing around a roll of circular red “Jeb” stickers, only to each other. They clapped and cheered very loudly for Bush during his speech, and left right after. I didn’t see any of them in the days prior or after.
At least the Paulistas who pack the house to vote for the Paul’s (Rand now, and Ron before) stay for the whole event, and seem genuinely moved by principle. The Bush supporters did seem to be “astroturf” (fake grassroots), but they seemed to to me to be like K Street lobbyists riding fat expense accounts, rather than the kind of t-shirted union types that often get bussed to events.
250 for Jebbie is like a national sweep with proper media promotion. But it would under normal factors seem he has no chance. But it is normal for GOP voters to vote for a Bush.
Thanks for your personal account.
great first hand report. I see Bush as the establishment rino. That doesn’t win primaries. He is fleeing Iowa which is the first test and trying to hood wink the folks in New Hampshire , which is next. I am so sixck of this Democratic talking poinf that “nobody else can win” All I can say is the republicans or what is left of it after Boehner folds this friday and ratifies the illegal degree of the dictator by voting to fund it, is that millions of us will not vote again if they throw another Rino at us using “wimnner tak all primaries which have screwed conservative for 30 years. It is time for the Rinos to hold their nose for a change and vote for someone who stands for the Constitution.