The Numbers Don’t Lie: Jeb Can’t Win

Yahoo News via Daily Beast ^ | 05/05/2014 | By Michael Tomasky

[SeekAndFind]

As we know, the search for an “establishment” candidate has been on in the GOP for a while now, a savior who can rescue the party from Rand Paul or Ted Cruz. That man, of course, is Jeb Bush. Last week on Hardball, Kathleen Parker said he is definitely running. She’s a conservative columnist but not a wacko, has establishment GOP credentials and Florida ties to boot. And she spoke with the air of someone who had had this nugget leaked to her specifically so that she would go out on national TV and blurt it out.

So take the idea of a Bush candidacy seriously. He’ll get many of the biggest donors and most plugged-in operatives, and he’ll immediately be spoken of by the media as a, if not the, GOP frontrunner.

So far, so normal. But here’s where things get interesting. Historically, “establishment” in this context also basically means “most formidable” and “most electable.” Look at the track record. Mitt Romney was the establishment candidate in 2012, John McCain in 2008, Jeb’s brother in 2000. Two of these three never became president, but there’s no doubt that all three were the best the GOP had to offer in their given years. Who would have run better than McCain in 2008? Maybe, possibly Romney himself. But not Mike Huckabee or Ron Paul. And 2012’s lineup besides Romney was comic relief. Any one of them couldn’t have topped 200 electoral votes. And Dubya, of course, won. (Well, “won,” but that’s a different column.)

It’s an iron law of presidential politics: The establishment candidate is, almost by definition, the most formidable candidate. Well, I guess iron ain’t what it used to be, because here’s the funny thing: Jeb Bush is not any stronger against Hillary Clinton

[staytrue]

“where Rubio just wants to come in second”

Coming in 2nd often means a VP nomination or at least sets you up very well for 2020.

[staytrue]

Her quote

“The only reason I am still registered Republican so so I can vote against any GOPe candidates in the Primaries.

Come November, I will vote, but will not vote for any race with a GOPe candidate.”

To me, she should find another party.

[Colonel_Flagg]

How does inviting someone to leave your ‘big tent’ advance your goal?

What I’m seeing is that the establishment expects conservatives to stay on the GOP reservation, but won’t bend in the same direction for conservative candidates.

As you surely know, from having been here as long as you have, this isn’t a Republican website. It’s a conservative website. When the two merge, great, but when they don’t, how does your side propose to bridge the gulf? Since you run the party, and all?

[Tennessee Nana]

HEY !!! RomneyBot !!!

Gowdy and Lee are on those committees you don’t bother to watch because Willard’s dear friends are being dissed...

They are both bona fided Conservatives...

They are both standing the night watch for America...

Guns a’blazing...

But youre too busy slobbering over TWO Time draft dodging Willard...

The three time loser..

yes three time..and four..

The first time was against Teddy Kennedy..1994

the second was the second term as MASS gov that he dared not run as losing was in his future..2006

The third against McCain..2008

and the fourth against Obama..2012

Heck Willard couldn’t even win at the Olympics which is all downhill..

He lied and got the guys running it kicked out for going over budget and then spent half more again than they were planning too..

Even McCain complained about that one from the Senate floor..listing all the items that had little to do with the games but a whole lot to do with lining the pockets of Willard’s good political friends in Utah..

[Tennessee Nana]

HEY !!! RomneyBot !!!

Give me 70% of the things I want ??

After Willard had wasted my taxes on

getting us into a war with Russia and the Ukraine
$50 abortions,
gay pride parades
marrying homosexuals
Grabbing my guns
overriding parent authority to abort the babies of underage girls
Made China our bestest trade partner
Made Al Gore the czar of the weather
abolished that pesky military..
Made Sandra Fluke the surgeon general..
Put all five of his loser boys in his cabinet..(No women allowed)
Made Harry Reid sec of state
Gave blanket AMNESTY to any and all of the illegal aliens
Thrown open our southern borders
given food stamps, EBT cards welfare and free medical and college to all his illegal alien buddies..
prohibited veterans from help and compensation for wounds gained protecting our country..
Abolished ICE
Not allowed the police to arrest illegal aliens..oh sorry Americans-from-afar
Put Elton John over the boy scouts..
Arrested the CEOs of Chick-fil-A, Hobby Lobby, and others for being enemies of the state..

and done everything else that would make the heart of a Conservative American ache..

There wont be 7% of the things left..

Are you sure you don’t come from Bizarro World ???

[Impy]

It’s hard to imagine Jeb and Rubio running against each other.

Since it appears that Jeb is running, God help us, I would assume Rubio will not. His Senate seat happens to be up in 2016 so it would be bad timing for him.

[GOPsterinMA]

Good points!

[Tennessee Nana]

She does not have an open mind.
______________________________________

IOW sbg is pro-life and a Conservative..

she wont be “reasonable” about progressive liberals like Willard and the other pro-abortion ijits you want to “persuade” us to vote for..

now is that a Mafia style “persuasion” or something out of the Middle East ???

[Colonel_Flagg]

Abortion has always been an outright deal-killer for me for a candidate.

[Tennessee Nana]

I weed out the candidates like this..

1 Abortion..They have to be pro-life..That lost Willard right there...pro-choice is pro-abortion...

2. The military...they have to be for our troops..Willard if he was still in would go then too..

3. America...they must be nationalist..pro-America..again Willard would be gone..

4. 2nd Amendment...They better not be after our guns..Willard is out there too..

5 etc..and Willard loses all of them..

Gee there never was a reason to actually vote for Willard...

[Colonel_Flagg]

For me, Romney was wrong on abortion, health care, guns and of course, is the father of gay ‘marriage’. It was an awfully big ask from the Republican Party to ask me to vote for that.

[Tennessee Nana]

oh yes well health care and gay marriage were in that #5..

but if I was to list all the evils of Willard Id miss 1 or 2 for sure...

there is so much wrong with him and little in the way of redeeming qualities to boast about..

though he does have that Botoxed face and that Rogained and dyed hair

[Tennessee Nana]

BTW did you see where MASS is tossing out RomneyCare ???

during 2012 Willard boasted in an interview that the way his healthcare set up was for the MASS taxpayers to pay half and the Federal govt to pay half (that’s the taxpayers in the rest of the country) and that “it’s working”

but now oh dear ...

[Colonel_Flagg]

I saw they are going federal because their website was built with Lincoln Logs.

Sic Semper Socialism.

[savedbygrace]

LOL. you’re a real hoot.

Supporters of the GOPe, like you, are part of the reason this nation is very nearly bankrupt and controlled by fascists.

(I am a he, LOL.)

[Dave W]

LOL! I appreciate a good sense of humor. But ultimately the joke is on you, because what you accuse Romney as doing, he has done no such thing - he can't he has no power. This is what Obama is doing to you, not Romney.

Militant absolutists are like this. You would be unhappy with Jesus Christ as president and it is people like you who gave us Obama.

[Dave W]

I'm not pouty, but a realist. 70% is better than zero - always. As I mentioned earlier, militant absolutists are as much of a problem as is Obama.

[1010RD]

It’s hard to convince people on this site that we’re winning. If the GOPe thought it could give a pass Gowdy wouldn’t have ever been picked.

[Tennessee Nana]

No kid..

it was the RomneyBots who allowed Obama to happen...

I voted for conservatives in 2008 and 2012...

not the liberal pro-abortion America hating, military hating father of same sex marriage Willard Mitt Romney with his ObamaCare and his AMNESTY...

Willard is all those evil liberal things..

and theres much too much record for you to pretend hes anything but a lying weak excuse for a man..

Hed ruin this country just like Obama..

Willard is salivating to get his hands on the EO pen that Obama uses..

[Tennessee Nana]

“Newt Gingrich did more for the conservative movement than Romney ever did.” -Mark Levin, 5/17/2012

“I think the old standby definitions of who votes for which party have been blown away in this campaign. I think people recognize that I’m not a partisan Republican—that I’m someone who is moderate, and that my views are progressive.” -Mitt Romney (2002)