Posted on 05/14/2015 6:54:07 PM PDT by iowamark
The mission statement of Jeb Bush’s Right to Rise Super PAC states that that the central moral of America is “merit, hard work, and earned success.” A campaign based on the widely shared principles of the American Dream makes plenty of sense, but oddly enough, the rationale for Bush’s 2016 presidential campaign has nothing to do with hard work or earned opportunity. Instead, it’s built entirely on his last name and the money he supposedly has raised.
Ever since Bush announced his presidential ambitions at the end of 2014, he has been viewed as the frontrunner in the race for the Republican presidential nomination mainly because he comes from a family of privilege where his father and brother are both former presidents, and thus, he has the ability to raise vast amounts of money for his campaign.
It’s hard to imagine what and where Jeb Bush would be if his last name was not Bush. I think it’s safe to say that he wouldn’t be viewed as the Republican frontrunner, and he wouldn’t be raising tens of millions of dollars for his Presidential Super PAC. If Jeb wasn’t a Bush, I think he might resemble another politician who toyed around running for president in 2016 – Michigan Governor Rick Snyder.
Like Bush, Snyder was unsuccessful in his first bid for governor. While Snyder got some national media coverage by flirting with a presidential run, his chances of winning the nomination or even being a factor in the 2016 Republican presidential contests were always slim. The same would be true of Jeb if his last name wasn’t Bush and if he hadn’t amassed a fortune for his Super PAC.
Even with the advantages of who his family is and all the money he has raised, recent polling suggests that Bush isn’t the GOP’s front-runner. The national media was shocked when the latest Quinnipiac poll showed Bush in seventh place in Iowa. A recent Bloomberg poll in New Hampshire has Bush tied with Sen. Marco Rubio for third place. A national PPP Poll that just came out on Wednesday had Bush in fifth place behind Scott Walker, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, and Mike Huckabee.
Think about that for a second. Jeb Bush, with all the advantages he has, is in fifth place in a national poll. If there is one place where Bush should have strong poll numbers, it’s nationally due to high name ID and all the attention he receives. Furthermore, national polls should confirm the media’s perception that Bush is the frontrunner for the GOP nomination, and yet, there he is in fifth place.
There are a number of reasons why Bush isn’t catching on.
Back in December, Bush famously said that he is, “willing to lose the primary to win the general.” Six months later, it appears that he’s on track to lose the GOP primary, and he may never get the opportunity to “win” the general. What Bush was trying to articulate in saying that is that the GOP needs some straight talk. What might be popular with Republican activists might not be the basis of a winning presidential campaign. Look, I get it. But show me any instance in the past five to six months where Bush has advanced any sort of issue?
It’s also somewhat ironic that Bush’s political team has suggested it plans to let the Super PAC do all the heavy lifting instead of the actual campaign. Super PACs can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, so it’s easy to understand why Bush’s team would explore the option, but it comes with risks. First, it opens Bush up to criticism that he is circumventing campaign finance laws. Second, the Bush Super PAC with his direct involvement is already a mess. Will it really get any better when he’s not involved?
Bush’s candidacy was built on the premise that he would be the candidate who could build and fund a campaign that was capable of winning the White House. While he has succeeded at raising millions of dollars for his Super PAC, he’s no longer the GOP frontrunner, which means most of that money is going to be used to tear down and destroy his opponents. That’s problematic because that’s not what all of his donors were sold on.
Bush was supposed to be the frontrunner. The primary rules were changed to help the frontrunner lock up the nomination quickly. Now it’s a mess, and all because the candidate the Republican powerbrokers put their money on is a mess of a candidate. Bush either needs to quickly right the ship, or there will be a mutiny by the donors who will suddenly want a refund on the investment they made.
The premise of the Right to Rise PAC is a good one. It should also apply to presidential candidates. Each candidate should be judged on his or her merit, hard work, and earned record of success. When we apply those things to Jeb Bush’s candidacy, it confirms that he’s a middle of the pack candidate with limited prospects at winning the Republican nomination. Or he’s a fifth or seventh place candidate like the polls currently indicate.
He was only the frontrunner in the media
Good.
I may even vote then.
At what point does he become a VP possibility for Ted Cruz or Scott Walker?
/SO
Yea, he is an idiot.
Jeb doesn’t seem that bright and he has a real knack for making arrogant, condescending and insulting remarks to the Republican party base. But, as he’s told us often, he is the adult in the conversation, so who are we to question or comment?
Jebster wants to be President of North Mexico.
Nobody wants Bushes anymore. The Bush name is damaged goods.
From one election to the next, the experts never stop assuring everyone that money is the be-all and end-all of winning elections.
Jeb Bush must have taken this to heart and decided that since he was the candidate with the most money he wouldn’t have to worry about such things as appealing to prospective voters. In fact, every time he opens his mouth, he further alienates the all-important Republican Conservative base.
The only question now is how much he will embarrass his family before he can be persuaded to drop out of the race.
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