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WaPo: Every Romney donor we’ve spoken to recently wants Jeb Bush for 2016
Hot Air ^ | February 28, 2014 | Allahpundit

Posted on 02/28/2014 9:51:13 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

There’s no way around it. America’s political establishment wants Bush vs. Clinton II.

Is resistance futile?

Every single Romney donor we spoke with this week listed the former Florida governor as their top choice…

Also, with solid name recognition and the Bush political machine behind him, Romney donors believe Jeb is the most electable of the potential Republican candidates. For Romney donors, electability is the single most important trait.

“If Jeb Bush is in the race, he clears the field,” said one major Romney donor. “You would have someone who has the talent that is equal to Mitt. The natural inclination for Mitt supporters would be to gravitate toward Jeb Bush because he’s a candidate that can win a national race.”

Another huge factor that would help Bush — who has contacted some donors about their receptiveness to a presidential bid and is believed to be seriously considering throwing his hat in the ring — is that his current gig as a senior adviser to Barclays Capital has helped him meet many of the Northeastern private equity types who filled Romney’s campaign coffers.

Christie’s Bridgegate crumble is contributing to Bush fee-vah, but like WaPo says, Christie had already burned some bridges with Mittworld by babbling praise for Obama over Sandy relief the weekend before the 2012 election. Bush has been waiting around for Christiemania to cool among Republican centrists, and now it is, so here we are.

Help me understand this, though:

“If Jeb Bush is in the race, he clears the field,” said one major Romney donor.

Which field? Crowning George Bush’s brother the new king of the Beltway Republicans isn’t going to scare tea-party candidates out of the race. Rand Paul would rather face Christie than Bush for various reasons — Bridgegate, lower name recognition, smaller donor network, plus the fact that Christie has antagonized many more Republicans over the last few years than Bush has — but there are advantages to running against Jeb too. Now he gets to attack not just a RINO but a dynastic RINO, whose own mother thinks it’s poor form for the family to monopolize Republican nominations. Paul’s brand is that he’s a new kind of Republican; nothing would underscore that like running against a Bush, which means he might attract some voters who have issues with him but nonetheless want fresh faces in the party’s leadership. (I’m one of them. I like Paul but doubt I’d support him in the primaries — unless we’re given a stark “old guard versus new guard” choice.) And Paul may relish running against Bush even though it would make his task harder. If you want to shift the Republican Party’s foreign policy paradigm to noninterventionism, you can do worse than have George W. Bush’s brother as your opponent.

What the donor quoted by WaPo probably meant was that Bush would clear the centrist field. No more Christie: He’d conclude that he’s too badly damaged to beat a well-funded Jeb and decide to support him instead. No more Rubio: The Florida Republican establishment would swing behind Jeb, leaving Rubio with no operational base. Probably no more Paul Ryan either. Even if he was inclined to run, it’d be hard to make bank with Mitt’s old donors stampeding towards Bush and hard to turn to grassroots righties for support given that they’re peeved at him over amnesty and last year’s budget. But … what about Scott Walker or Bobby Jindal, who seems like he’s quietly building a proto-campaign? They’d make the same calculation that Paul will — that some segment of Republicans will blanch at the thought of nominating another Bush, whether out of objections to dynasticism or because they fear the “Bush” name is unelectable at this point, and jump in. They’d sell themselves as the Goldilocks option, more conservative than Crown Prince Jeb and more mainstream than Paul, and pull donations from both sides of the party. If/when the center and right reach a stalemate on Bush versus Paul, Walker or Jindal will be there as a compromise choice. The field won’t clear, unless your idea of “the field” runs no further to the right than Rubio.


TOPICS: Campaign News; Parties; State and Local
KEYWORDS: 2016; bush; gopdonors; gopestablishment; hillary; jebbush; liberalagenda; rino; romney; romney2decide4ever; romneyagenda; romneycare4ever
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To: Red White and Blue patriot

I do not believe you are correct. I will not vote for another Bush ever again.


81 posted on 03/01/2014 5:53:01 AM PST by dforest
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

There they go again! They are trying to pick the Republican candidate over us again. Let’s stop them this time.


82 posted on 03/01/2014 6:34:01 AM PST by maxwellsmart_agent
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

We’re seeing this coming from a mile away, and it is well past time to smother this RINO disaster in its crib.

It will really require the strength of the Tea Party to say “No! Never! Not!” to any more of the Bush family wanting to rule.

Remember that it was H.W. Bush who said “Read my lips! No new taxes!” Before signing off on a gigantic tax increase.

Even worse, the efforts of W. Bush, who while taking the War on Terror to the enemy was good, also created a War on the American People by creating a vast secret police state FOR NO DAMN GOOD REASON.

And H.W. and W. were both hardcore internationalists, wanting to cede American sovereignty to internationalist cabals and agreements, several of which have drained America of its manufacturing strength, and impoverished us as a people.

They were the ones who opened the door to Obama, and threw rose petals at his feet so that he could become the tyrannical dictator we now face.

SO ENOUGH! NO MORE RINOS- EVER! NO MORE BUSHES- EVER!

The RINOs wanted John McCain, and forced him on us. The RINOs wanted Mitt Romney, and forced him on us.

ENOUGH! They get NO more chances. They are losers. They support anti-American multinational industries, corrupt financiers, corrupt bankers, and they have run our country down into the ditch.

So finally this is it. Once taken from power, we should seriously consider expelling them from the Republican party for good. They are treacherous, backstabbing scoundrels who support Democrats before conservatives and even America.

So screw them. And when they are gone, hit the Democrats with both barrels.


83 posted on 03/01/2014 6:43:48 AM PST by yefragetuwrabrumuy (WoT News: Rantburg.com)
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To: Red White and Blue patriot; onyx
So you would vote Dem rather than for another Bush?

Oh good grief, here we go again!

Must we constantly remind the weak that conservative values win.... a la Reagan! Deja Vu all over again *sigh*

84 posted on 03/01/2014 6:55:52 AM PST by CAluvdubya (Molon Labe)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Jeb was pretty solid as governor of Florida. Unfortunately, he believes in the green energy fairy and is in the chamber of commerce camp on immigration.


85 posted on 03/01/2014 7:17:41 AM PST by Oldhunk
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To: CAluvdubya

LOLOLOL.


86 posted on 03/01/2014 7:27:32 AM PST by onyx (Please Support Free Republic - Donate Monthly! If you want on Sarah Palin's Ping List, Let Me know!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Stay out da MF’ing Shamnesty Bushies.


87 posted on 03/01/2014 7:36:38 AM PST by VRWC For Truth (Roberts has perverted the Constitution)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

This is a trap.

I suspect Ted Cruz, who has never said that he is running for President, is cruising as a stalking horse for Gov.Sarah Palin.

WAPO is using Jeb Bush to draw out Sarah. I hope she doesn’t say anything.


88 posted on 03/01/2014 3:07:42 PM PST by SatinDoll (A NATURAL BORN CITIZEN IS BORN IN THE USA OF USA CITIZEN PARENTS)
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To: SatinDoll

He sure acts like someone who is running for president, though.


89 posted on 03/01/2014 3:12:03 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet (I will raise $2M for Sarah Palin's next run, what will you do?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

He is taking all the visceral verbal garbage that would be heaved in Sarah’s direction. This gives her some protection as she gets things together for the fall of 2015.

I wonder if Mitt Romney would have a heart attack over it?


90 posted on 03/01/2014 3:15:49 PM PST by SatinDoll (A NATURAL BORN CITIZEN IS BORN IN THE USA OF USA CITIZEN PARENTS)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Both of them.


91 posted on 03/02/2014 11:57:26 AM PST by CPT Clay (Follow me on Twitter @Clay N TX)
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To: SatinDoll

“I wonder if Mitt Romney would have a heart attack over it?”

***************

No. He is too deficient for that to happen. The foam beads that make up his core might fuse together though.


92 posted on 03/05/2014 10:05:21 PM PST by Psalm 144 (1. Sow. 2. Reap. 3. Eat the result.)
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