GOP 2016: Scott Walker Has the Lead, Jeb Bush Has the Money

The Fiscal Times ^ | March 5, 2015 | Eric Pianin

[Cincinatus' Wife]

"......Bush, the son and brother of two former GOP presidents and a strong favorite of businesspeople and other establishment Republicans, was both cheered and booed during his speech at CPAC. He used that platform to defend his more controversial stands on immigration reform and on the Common Core educational standards.

While Walker finished well ahead of Bush in CPAC’s presidential straw poll, 21 percent to 8 percent, Bush is scoring big where it counts a lot more – raising campaign funds in the early going.

Although he has yet to formally announce a candidacy, Bush is on target to raise tens of millions of dollars by the end of March for two political action committees, both called Right to Rise, established in January.

The former governor’s fundraisers have been instructed not to ask donors to give more than $1 million per person this quarter, according to The Washington Post. Bush strategists apparently are concerned that – with so much big money flowing in – the former governor may look beholden to an elite group of donors when he is trying to reach out to grassroots conservatives.

Bush’s spokesperson, Kristy M. Campbell, declined to comment on that issue, The Post reported, while Howard Leach, a veteran GOP fundraiser who recently co-hosted a Bush event in Palm Beach, Florida, confirmed the limit and said, “This campaign is about much more than money. They need substantial funds, but they don’t want the focus to be on money.”

Scott Walker is also doing well on the fundraising front, although he is not in Bush’s league just yet. The governor formed a new political committee last month, Our American Revival, and has assembled an impressive network of contributors in all 50 states.

[babygene]

“How am I honoring their sacrifice for me, by not voting, ya know?”

Well, I’m a disabled Nam vet, and I’ll give you a pass on that one...

[Catsrus]

I won’t vote for Jeb either. I held my nose to vote for Romney, but, not this time around. I will stay home, as I’m sure millions of others will.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I was reading a bit about that over here:

http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/03/chris_christie_creamed_in_two_more_polls_bush_and.html

There are some links to other sites that he offers up to make the point that blue states will win this election.

But I think that we’re just seeing the tip of the discontent iceberg - that a hunger for a conservative candidate by a majority of the country is going to turn conventional wisdom on its ear.

[Rusty0604]

He also went to places with just a few votes and racked them up that way. Didn’t he go to Puerto Rico and some other territory that can vote for primaries only?

[Puppage]

Well, I’m a disabled Nam vet, and I’ll give you a pass on that one...

Thank you for your service.

[Slambat]

“If the 2016 race ends up being Jeb Bush and Hillary”

The primaries is where the action is going to be. If Jeb wins
then it will be a remorseful and uneventful election with
folks like us sitting it out. Walker is no Santorum and
Jeb’s no better than Romney, or Hillary for that matter.
If Jeb wins, it will be through shear cut throat and back
stabbing shenanigans. And he will have the RNC and the
medias help in it.

[Vigilanteman]

We'd like to think so, but the sad reality is that millions of idiots vote and tend to revert to their longtime habits in November, regardless of what they tell pollsters.

I can see a light blue state like, say, Pennsylvania voting GOP in an occasional presidential election. But, short of a major shift in national morals, I don't think we will ever see a redux of the 1980 style 44 state blowout against Jimmy Carter. There are just too many takers and my tribe over all types, be they ethnic, gender, religious or the sexually transfixed.

[bayliving]

And Boehner and McConnell have caused me to not give a damn any more. I’m tired of being lied to. As a matter of fact, I think I’m sitting this presidential election out. It doesn’t seem to matter what I think anyway.

[MinuteGal]

Jeb Bush is 62. He was born in Midland, Texas.

His Coral Gables, Florida mansion is worth est. 2.2 million.

He was raised Episcopalian, is a convert to Catholicism. He and his Mexican-born wife have three children.

Their net worth is est. 12 million.

Leni

[Lurkinanloomin]

There are some links to other sites that he offers up to make the point that blue states will win this election.

---

Primary or general?

I agree that the Democrats start out with over 200 electoral votes in the general and have an easier road than the GOP.

If you meant the primary, I agree as well, the GOP has worked out how to nominate the person least liked by most of their voters down to a science. Look at the last two. McCain was dead broke flying coach by himself in June 2007. He was as popular aspoison ivy after pushing amnesty TWICE. By March 2008 he is the nominee, before many get a chance to vote.
Same scenario plays out with Mitt Romney, author of Romneycare, precursor to Obamacare. Anyone who has seen the tapes of Romney running to Drunk Teddy’s left for Senate knows that Mitt will say anything very severely convincingly to get votes. He’s a chameleon, but I held my nose.

They’re going to use the same game only they tweaked the rules at the last convention to make Jebster’s run easier than Romney’s.

We will not be allowed to elect a President that will stop the invasion within the R and D paradigm.

[MeganC]

I guess for me the lesser of two evils is still evil.

Given the choice between Hitler or Stalin I’d not vote with a ballot, I’d vote with a bullet.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

“.....They’re going to use the same game only they tweaked the rules at the last convention to make Jebster’s run easier than Romney’s....”

I sense this is why voters are lining up behind Walker so quickly.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I also think that Walker’s quick rise is part of the reason Hillary is getting the boot.

She could have held her own in a Clinton-Bush match-up but she’d be a sure loser against Walker.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

[Walker hired Michael J. Gallagher, 31, an former Marine captain and Senate Foreign Relations Committee staffer, as his foreign-policy aide. Gallagher has moved to Madison and began work this week.]

Captain Michael Gallagher, USMC

"Fellow, Marine Corps' Junior Officer Strategic Intelligence Program Mike Gallagher is currently a fellow in the Marine Corps’ Junior Officer Strategic Intelligence Program and a student in the joint M.A. in Security Studies/Ph.D. in International Relations program at Georgetown University. Prior to this assignment, he served on General Petraeus’ CENTCOM Assessment Team and deployed twice to Al Anbar Province between 2007 and 2008 as a commander of intelligence teams.

Mike holds a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence from National Defense Intelligence College. He received his undergraduate degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, earning a certificate in Near Eastern Studies. At Georgetown, he intends to explore the role of intelligence in grand strategy design and presidential decision-making. Mike speaks Arabic and grew up in both Green Bay, WI and Costa Mesa, CA."

[MinuteGal]

Thanks for the comprehensive info on Gov. Walker's new aide. The Guv is making all the right moves.

What a sterling resume this former Marine captain has....and eye candy to boot, lol !

Leni

[Jim Noble]

Bush is scoring big where it counts a lot more

Counts a lot more to the Fiscal Times.

Just ask Majority Leader Cantor how much the big money counts on Election Day.