The Candidate is already chosen. Romney or Jeb Bush.
The GOP establishment wants Jeb Bush. He is the presumptive favorite.
Agreed.
The bargaining is likely between Jeb and Mitt.
If Jeb runs, Mitt won’t, if Jeb has to promise Ryan shares the ticket.
The ticket is now or will be negotiated.
What if Romney, or Bush, ran with Cruz? Hmmmm.
Establishment happy, conservative base happy?
I read where Cruz may be positioning for sharing the ticket as VP. (If only conservatives were capable of raising enough hell to pressure the GOP.)
NOOOOoooo! Jeb Bush would be ok out of the starting gate because he’d have to prove himself. He was a good conservative governor of Florida, but his wife is Hispanic and I think a lot of the GOP-e would have problems with that. He probably wouldn’t get the nomination because I think he’d be considered too risky, even though he’s a Bush (he’s the most aggressive of too-gentlemanly bunch).
But the fact that the GOP-e is anointing Romney right now means that he’ll be the candidate and he’s not going to have to prove anything. I honestly don’t believe I could force myself to vote for him again.