Posted on 08/27/2015 6:14:19 PM PDT by markomalley
I feel like we’re going to find out six months from now that Trump bribed Cantor to do this.
Eric Cantor, former House majority leader, will endorse Jeb Bush on Thursday evening and will be named a Virginia state co-chair of his presidential campaign, Republican sources tell POLITICO.
Cantor was courted intensely by other candidates. Cantor retains a strong political network in Virginia, a key primary and swing state. And he has enviable connections among Jewish business leaders who can be key supporters and donors…
A Cantor source said: “They have known each other for a long time, speak regularly and have great mutual respect for one another. Eric believes he is the only candidate with a real long-term vision for the country who can also actually implement it – not just talk about it.”
I … guess this makes sense? Right now, if you’re Jeb, there’s nothing you can do about Trump except hope that Republicans are having a summer fling and that old-fashioned establishmentarianism will reassert itself this fall. In the meantime, you focus on sidelining Walker and Rubio by winning the donor primary. Even in a worst-case scenario for Bush where Trump stays strong through New Year’s, he and his team are convinced they can win a head-to-head primary death match as undecided Republican voters say to themselves, “We’re not really going to give Donald Trump the nuclear codes, are we?” If we’re destined to have a “Trump vs. Not Trump” race, then obviously the thing to do now is make sure that you’re the strongest “Not Trump” available. Cantor’s connections will help with that, especially with Kasich bearing down on Jeb in New Hampshire. Who knows? It may even be that Jeb’s hoping to see Trump’s success continue through the fall. He may have a better shot at winning a “Trump vs. Not Trump” battle as the “Not Trump” than winning a “Bush vs. Not Bush” battle with, say, Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz as “Not Bush.” As Trump himself said today:
Indeed, which is why Jeb’s smart to lock up another big fundraiser. But yeah, all that aside, it’s high comedy that a guy who’s increasingly dismissed as an uncharismatic pro-amnesty cronyist underperformer would be touting the endorsement of someone who washed out of his House primary last year for being too soft on immigration and too cozy with cozy with D.C. lobbyists. It’d be like Kasich breathlessly announcing that he’s secured the Jon Huntsman endorsement. A little self-awareness, dude, please.
Speaking of which, wise words from Sean Trende on cause and effect in this year’s primary:
Trumpmania would have been a thing even without Jeb in the race, I think, especially if Rubio had emerged as the frontrunner and given Trump a juicy Gang-of-Eight target on immigration, but I don’t think there would have been the same populist frenzy. Bush is so baldly an “anointed” figure by party power brokers, reeking of aristocracy, dragging bags of money and favors owed behind him, and underwhelming everyone at every turn that backing a brawling vulgarian like Trump feels like the only logical democratic response. There wouldn’t be the same urgency to punish the donor class if Walker or Rubio or Cruz or someone else of modest beginnings from the new generation of Republican pols had climbed into the lead. Some parapsychologists will tell you that poltergeists aren’t “ghosts” as we commonly understand that term but rather a psychokinetic entity brought into being by a person with psychic powers when they’re forced to cope with extreme stress. The poltergeist, supposedly, is a sort of projection of their inner turmoil; once it’s manifested, it operates independently of the person who unwittingly created it and wreaks havoc. That’s Trump. He’s the poltergeist of the Republican primary. The donor class dropped $100 million on Jeb early as a sign that they were prepared to foist yet another bland centrist nominee with lots of connections on the party, and the anguish that generated in part of the base was so enormous that it hatched a banshee who’s now tossing people around the room and retweeting “bimbo” cracks about Megyn Kelly. Anyone know a good exorcist?
And on the same day that a Trump / Cruz coalition may indeed become a reality. Cue exploding heads.
I’m holding out to find out who Michael Medved endorses before I get behind someone.
LOL!
Nothing like winning the endorsement of an incumbent booted from office.
The GOP is not going to survive this one... and they don’t know it yet?
They didn’t get the message when Cantor lost.. and now they are going to rerun him? Is this all they have?
Trump enters .. Trump takes charge... Trump gains support... Trump leads...
The GOP could get a clue and join their base... instead of doing everything they can to anger their base... They are too proud to admit they have been woefully wrong... afraid.. joining the dems... they could... but they won’t.
“A Cantor source said: “They have known each other for a long time, speak regularly and have great mutual respect for one another. Eric believes he is the only candidate with a real LONG-TERM VISION for the country who can also actually implement it – not just talk about it.”
WHAAAT? This schmeckel couldn’t find a “vision” if it bit him where he sits!
Eric Cantor? Wasn’t he a Vaudeville performer? Oh wait, that was Eddie Cantor. Well, either way, they’re both clowns.
is the headline satire???????
That is a GREAT picture of Trump. Every time I see it I am reminded of Geo. Washington, not only in resemblance, but also just as George led the 1st Rev... Trump is leading the new Revolution of Freedom from the Elites.
Medved is a smarmy GOPe squish who talks like he’s the smartest guy on earth. He’s an effin film critic. What does he know?
Getting an endorsement from a loser — high praise indeed!
LMAO!!
They can sell gourmet nachos and quesadillas to go with their Chivas and Makers Mark.
-PJ
Heh heh.... too subtle.
Every time he says something stupid, he goes up a point or 2.
Ya can’t fix stupid!
booted from office by a guy who spent like $300,000. It was really an incredible fete.
Apparently that long term vision is the destruction of America
They don’t call Yeb! The Establishment Candidate for nothing ...
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/09/what-eric-cantor-will-really-do-on-wall-street.html
“But Wall Street always goes with the sure bet and the well-worn path. They’re paying him a guaranteed — you’ve got to love Wall Street, you guarantee money because you can’t fail on Wall Street — they’re guaranteeing him $3.8 million. You don’t guarantee someone $3.8 million because you’re training him to be an investment banker.
“Wall Street is after what it’s always buying in Washington: access, influence, and unfair advantage. And Cantor is a big catch for anybody who wants access. Look, if you’re in congressional leadership for X number of years, you know plenty that’s worth a lot of money. If you’re the majority leader, who’s in charge of the agenda and vote counting? One of your jobs is to make sure you’re doling out favors to people. There are dozens and dozens of House members indebted to Eric Cantor for the things he’s done for them. You’re worth a lot.
“In addition, Eric Cantor knows why some things got done and other things didn’t get done. He knows why someone voted for or against a bill or amendment. He knows how to strategically target everybody in the House on the issues that anybody cares about in a way that’s close to unique. He’s not going to crudely do it in a way that puts the scarlet-L lobbyist on his lapel. He and the rest of the influence peddlers at the highest level of government work the shadows and do indirectly what the law prohibits them from doing directly.”
LOL Joke of the day? LOL This is rich. Loser endorses loser. Jeb needs a loser like Cantor? Jeb needs a few more little grey cells. Who’s on top?
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