Jeb Bush criticizes Katherine Harris' Senate campaign

The Gainesville Sun ^ | April 7, 2006 | Joe Follick

[Clintonfatigued]

Gov. Jeb Bush ratcheted up his criticism about the foundering U.S. Senate candidacy of fellow Republican Katherine Harris Thursday, saying he was concerned her woes made it difficult for his party to defeat incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson.

He said he has not been asked to intervene in the race in any way, and Bush has emphatically said he won't enter the race in his last year as governor.

Last month, Bush issued Harris advice via the media, saying the congresswoman from Longboat Key needed to make the race less about her turmoil and more about Nelson and the future of the state and country.

"I gave her that exact advice and it's gotten worse since," Bush said Thursday. "I am the party leader and I've got concerns."

[MikefromOhio]

But it's clear where you guys stand.

If it's clear where I alledgedly stand, then it SHOULD be easy to find a quote. Go ahead and try. If you aren't, take the comment back.

[AmishDude]

I think it's a little obnoxious of him to opine on this considering that he's refused to get into the race himself.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Her campaign is destroying any chance of unseating a weak incumbent.

Her campaign is mostly being destroyed by the lying liberal FL media and GOP party bosses. I'll concede she made some missteps but they weren't the HARRIS CAMPAIGN CRASH AND BURNS! HARRIS AIN'T GONNA WIN FOLKS! mistakes that the media makes it out to be.

[MikefromOhio]

I didn't say you specifically. But it's clear where you guys stand.

That's not a BIT contradictory is it?

You respect her and like her but she's gonna lose anyway.

So? That only recently changed. Ask Clintonfatigued. I was saying she had a legit shot to win just 2 months ago or so. Still doesn't mean I think or am begging her to drop out. In FACT I said it's too late to so do HERE.

Why you don't want her to run is incomprehensible. You think her supporters are automatically going to vote for whatever flunky replacement candidate the RNC scrounges up?

Given that you can't even quote me, I won't be to hard on you for this final part.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

On the right side list all the things she has done to help her campaign attract swing voters this cycle.

It's early. Folks aren't paying attention to this, except the grassroots who support her and the FL MSM/GOP that's trying to destroy her.

On the left, list all the things she has done to hurt herself and the Party statewide.

See previous response.

[AmishDude]

Fine. Then whom?

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Umm hello ever hear of being motivated to vote AGAINST someone?

Harris is not going to motivate the Left anymore than they already are. They already hate her guts. What are they going to do, hate her more?

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Find a quote for what? I didn't make an accusation, it was a figure of speech.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

I think it's a little obnoxious of him to opine on this considering that he's refused to get into the race himself.

It's the height of hypocrisy and arrogance. But what do you expect from someone whose only accomplishment as Governor is coordinating hurricane relief efforts.

[MikefromOhio]

Find a quote for what? I didn't make an accusation, it was a figure of speech.

I didn't say you specifically. But it's clear where you guys stand.

You guys are practically begging for Harris to step down.

What was that about accusing again? LOL

[MikefromOhio]

What are they going to do, hate her more?

Or get the squishy moderates who MIGHT vote for someone else to vote for Nelson? It shouldn't be hard to beat Nelson, he's a crappy incumbent in a GOP state, yet Harris is finding a way it seems.

[AmishDude]

What I find most interesting is that those who are most eager to see Harris drop out because it's a "winnable" seat don't address an even more winnable seat -- the other Nelson. Who's telling that guy to drop out? It's freakin' Nebraska!

At bottom, Nelson is an astronaut with good hair. You can't dislodge that kind of incumbent -- let alone any incumbent -- that easily.

There are only two outcomes -- Jeb can win or Nelson can lose -- these silly polls showing that "unnamed Republican" or a Republican, whose name nobody had ever heard of, can win are meaningless.

[MikefromOhio]

I'm NOT asking or begging her to drop out.

Quite the contrary, I think it's WAY too late to even be debating that.

I just don't think she can win given the current negatives against her.

[Godebert]

Jeb Bush is more suited to be the president of La Raza than governor of Florida.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Why do we owe her the support, to the exclusion of anyone else?

Because she's the only GOP candidate running against Nelson. Do you want Nelson to run unopposed?

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

What was that about accusing again?

Now you're just being petty. You know what I meant. This topic doesn't pertain to an issue that requires a bunch of links and sources.

Get real...

[MikefromOhio]

Now you're just being petty. You know what I meant. This topic doesn't pertain to an issue that requires a bunch of links and sources.

So tell me, when you backpedal that fast do you have a beeper like forklifts and trucks do?

[Torie]

I think there is some concern Harris could hurt other GOP candidates in Florida, which is why Jeb spoke out, for better or worse. I am not sure what it accomplishes, unless it is a precursor to some white knight dropping into the race, which I doubt. In any event, the Florida senate seat itself isn't in play.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Or get the squishy moderates who MIGHT vote for someone else to vote for Nelson? It shouldn't be hard to beat Nelson, he's a crappy incumbent in a GOP state, yet Harris is finding a way it seems.

Well, maybe if the state GOP and the liberal FL media would remove their knives from Harris' back, she'd have a better chance at defeating Nelson.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

So tell me, when you backpedal that fast do you have a beeper like forklifts and trucks do?

Oh please. Backpedalling what? Because you decided to play fact-checker?