Given the mood of the electorate, anyone named Bush would have a tough time winning votes in the 2016 GOP primary. A good share of primary voters share my view that W was a decent and honest guy, but horribly wrong about most everything. His presidency caused so much damage to the nation we may never live to see it repaired.
That does not mean he cannot win. The elites love the Bush family. They are reliable on the important issues. The reason the Cult went bonkers over W was they saw him as a class traitor. His overt Christianity was horrifying just as it would be to fanatical Muslims. W represented the triumph of the wrong sort of white people, even if was merely symbolic.
Anyway, in order for Jeb to become president, he needs some things to happen. One is he needs the GOP field to be splintered. If conservatives of different stripes find a single guy they like enough to back, Bush is doomed. He needs every faction to be married to their guy until the money runs dry. Bush will have all the money he needs to run in the early contests so he can outlast everyone.
Seeing Huckabee jump in and now maybe Santorum has to make the Bush Klan smile.
Rick Santorum has invited former aides to Washington next week for a “private briefing” on his plans for a possible 2016 presidential bid.
The “Personal Invitation from Senator Santorum,” provided to CNN by a Republican who received it, was sent by a Santorum aide to more than two dozen “friends and former colleagues” from past campaigns and his time in the U.S. House and Senate.
“As you probably know, RJS is seriously considering a run for the White House in 2016,” Santorum adviser Matt Beynon wrote in the email, using Santorum’s initials.
“With the midterms and the new year behind us, he is beginning the final stages of preparation and consideration of another campaign,” Beynon wrote.
Santorum, he wrote, “would like to give you a personal update on his plans” at a “private briefing” on Jan. 13 at the offices of the American Continental Group, a lobbying and public affairs office in Washington.
Among the Santorum alumni invited to the session are a number of top lobbyists and political strategists who once worked for the former congressman and senator from Pennsylvania, including former George W. Bush spokesman Tony Fratto and former Republican National Committee finance director Rob Bickhart.
It’s important to understand that this is not a strategy session. Santorum is feeling these guys out to learn what the other guys are doing. He’s also signalling to Jeb his interests. Everyone assumes it is the GOP’s turn in 2016 so there will be a lot of jobs to be had in the next administration for Republicans. Santorum may be willing to run as a straw to sink Huckabee in Iowa, as long as the Bush people will help him out down the road.
This is looking a lot like 2000 to me. Everyone knew the Democrats would run Al Gore as the sober, more liberal Bill Clinton. When W started raising money in 1998 it became clear he was the establishment’s guy. George Schultz had recruited him and all the party big shots fell in line. By the time the campaign season started, everyone knew the game was rigged. Only McCain decided to challenge W, but he had no chance.
This time it is the open borders wing of the establishment recruiting a Bush to lead them in the GOP primary. They are deeply worried about what’s happening with the voters. The defeat of Eric Cantor was the shot heard around the Beltway. It’s why they have been pushing the House GOP to sign off on the ObamAmnesty. If they can make that stick, Jeb Bush can go around the voters to implement their agenda.
Never again will I vote for any of those gum boils.
I’m with james wilson. And I will not under any circumstances vote for Jeb Bush.
^ Yeah, that ought to save us: http://0.tqn.com/d/politicalhumor/1/7/f/4/4/obama-unicorn-riding.jpg
I keep hoping that some Golden Boy, and I can’t even think of anyone, will come riding out of the prairie on a mighty steed, and will steal our hearts, and we’ll be saved. A man can dream, can’t he?
Which is the more rewarding….
Speculation on
Politics
Fantasy football
Cooking/talent “reality” shows?
Logical. Probably accurate. But. There is a lot of…hatred?…within the conservative to right-wing electorate toward ruling Republicans. People are increasingly aware that they have been trapped in a fixed political show, and although there is no one on your list to actually shake things up that doesn’t mean the opportunity is not out there and ripe for the taking.
And, anybody named Bush or Clinton is an insult to the illusion of a republic. Do we not like our illusions? This may be a rare case where name recognition is a problem. BTW, a good negative add for the primaries would be, who was Jeb’s lieutenant governor and successor? With a pic.
I was DC last week. It is another world from the one I live in. Bright eyed young government apparatchiks shopping at stores with insane prices. These folks are determined to hold on to their power and prestige. Hillary, Bush, the fake Indian,Fatty from Jersey, whoever. It’s all about keeping their lifestyles of opulence on our nickel.
Ominous signs though in the other DC, streets full of ghetto denizens. How long will they be happy with the crumbs from the master’s table?
As Donald Fagan sang:
Will you still have a song to sing
When the razor boy comes
And take your fancy things away
Will you still be singing it
On that cold and windy day
“He’s out soft peddling his gay marriage position. That’s not going to win him any friends amongst primary voters.”
Curiously, Cruz did the same thing, for which he was praised by Barney Frank. You are going to see Federalism as the new Righty candidate default position on gay marriage; it gives them a pass with the big donors, who mostly support it. It will be interesting to see where Huck and Santorum land on the issue.
Your last paragraph is spot on. When Cantor went down I predicted the passage of a Border Security bill to mollify the base. Ted Cruz will co-sponsor the bill in the Senate to give it some credibility with the base. Sure enough, here’s the new head of the NRSC on CNN yesterday:
“I think the first thing we’ll do is a strong border security bill. And frankly, that’s why I think Speaker Boehner didn’t take it up in the House last term is because he didn’t have confidence that the administration would actually enforce the border security part of it. But I think once we do that, we will have a debate in this term of Congress about what to do with those children who came through no decision of their own and what’s the best way to handle that issue. I think we’ll have that debate.”
He’s not the only one. Border security is the new mantra from the usual suspects, including the dread Marco Rubio. Of course, no one trusts GOP Inc., or the administration to actually follow through, which is why they need The Manchurian Conservative to give the nod. The price will probably be some access to GOP establishment funding for his inevitable Presidential run.
We can narrow it down to 5 or so candidates; Romney, Huck,Jeb,Ryan, Christie .who knows who it will be
Great analysis. How about Santo rings the bell for lotsa people and wants to run right-wing cover for the Bush Mob as VP?
The Bush Klan has good relations with the the Evangelical grass roots organizations. I’m not sure Jeb is bright enough to leverage it. W was called a blockhead, but he was just a poor public speaker. Jeb has the gift of gab, but I suspect he may be a bit of a dimwit. He’s out soft peddling his gay marriage position. That’s not going to win him any friends amongst primary voters.
I think the GOP is going for the knock-out punch with the Right in 2016. Not only will they nominate a wet like Jeb, he will add another wet as his second. I’m thinking Bush – Fiorino. Having a vagina on the ticket will be important. The governor of New Mexico is another option. An Hispanic vagina would be a home run in the eye of GOP Inc.
It is sad but true that Bush will garner a huge share of the $ and that will spell the demise of any conservative candidate. Unless a “hope and change” type personality emerges from the pack we will have at least four more years of Bush to look forward to. God I hate dynasties.