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Jeb Bush a formidable foe for emerging GOP field
« on: March 21, 2014, 01:36:03 pm »
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/20/jeb-bush-a-formidable-foe-for-emerging-gop-field/print/

Jeb Bush a formidable foe for emerging GOP field
Former Florida governor may eye White House

 By Seth McLaughlin

-

The Washington Times

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Jeb Bush is casting a shadow over the entire field of potential Republican presidential candidates, as the former Florida governor continues to ponder a run in 2016 and keep his political options open.

On one hand, the Bush name, a network of donors and his relatively conservative record as governor make Mr. Bush a force to be reckoned with.

But the Bush name also could work against him. Even his mother waffled on whether the country is ready for another member of her family to run for the White House.

"Asking whether Jeb Bush reshapes the presidential field is like asking whether LeBron James reshapes a basketball team," said Brett Doster, a Florida-based Republican Party strategist who worked on Mr. Bush's first gubernatorial campaign in 1993.

"If you look at the Republican field minus Jeb Bush, you have some potential stars out there, but nobody knows whether they can put together the grand effort needed to win the nomination and go on to win the White House," he said. "With Jeb, people are immediately struck by his intellectual heft. He is a serious policymaker and you get the sense that he could go all the way."

Mr. Bush has kept his cards close to vest, leaving it to Republican Party insiders and political pundits to try to decipher whether the scion to the Bush family dynasty has his sights set on the White House.

"I think Jeb is seriously looking at it," said Mel Sembler, a former U.S. ambassador and major Republican Party fundraiser from Florida.

Sally Bradshaw, a Republican Party consultant who served as Mr. Bush's chief of staff in the governor's office, said her former boss has not ruled out a run and will not make a decision before the end of the year.

"Those who thought six months to a year ago he was not considering a race were wrong," Mrs. Bradshaw said. "Those who think he's made up his mind and is definitely running are wrong."

"There is no active organization in place. He is simply going through a thoughtful and methodical process," she said. "Currently, he is campaigning for some candidates with races in 2014, just like he has done for candidates in previous years. Nothing any different there despite what people try to read into it."

On Thursday, Kyle Kondik and Larry Sabato, of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, updated their rankings of potential Republican presidential candidates and placed Mr. Bush atop the leader board.

They said Mr. Bush is well-positioned to replace Chris Christie as the preferred candidate of the Republican Party establishment now that the New Jersey governor's image has been banged up by the George Washington Bridge scandal.

"Christie's problems have only elevated Bush by comparison, and the two men would occupy similar space in a hypothetical primary contest: The same voters and states that backed the successful nominations of John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012 — i.e., the ones with smaller concentrations of 'very conservative' and white evangelical voters like New Hampshire, Florida and many Midwestern states — would probably be inclined to back one of these two or someone like them," the political analysts said.

Whoever wins the backing of the Republican Party establishment will be hard to beat, they said.

"For all the Sturm und Drang regarding the tea party in the Republican nominating process, it's going to be hard for someone who lacks widespread establishment support to win the nomination," said Mr. Kondik and Mr. Sabato, referring to Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.

Recent polls have found that Mr. Bush is running in the middle of the pack, behind the likes of Mr. Paul and Mr. Christie, as well as Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the party's 2012 vice presidential nominee, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

With that as a backdrop, Mr. Bush traveled to Tennessee this week to take part in an education roundtable with Sen. Lamar Alexander and Gov. Bill Haslam.

Next week, he is scheduled to appear at events with New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, both of whom, like Mr. Haslam, are running for re-election this year.

While in Las Vegas, he also will address the opening dinner of the Republican Jewish Coalition's leadership meeting at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, which is owned by Sheldon G. Adelson, a Republican Party megadonor and coalition board member.

Grass-roots activists, meanwhile, say Mr. Bush should take a pass.

"The general 'meh' to this idea from the grass roots is simply because we need bold, new, fresh leadership that draws a distinction between Republicans and Democrats, not a retread of failed big-government policies that the current iteration of the GOP puts window dressing on and attempts to sell as bold and new," said Drew Ryun, political director of the Madison Project, which is backing insurgent candidates in Republican primary races across the country.

"While Jeb Bush is a smart man and comes from a great family, I think the only dynasty that the grass roots supports is 'Duck Dynasty,'" said Tea Party Express Chair Amy Kremer, alluding to the dust-up over comments that reality television star Phil Robertson made about gay people.

"While the GOP establishment is so focused on picking the next GOP nominee, we are focusing on taking back the U.S. Senate with conservative reinforcements for Sens. Cruz and [Mike] Lee" of Utah, she said.
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Re: Jeb Bush a formidable foe for emerging GOP field
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2014, 02:21:37 pm »
If another Bush were to get the GOP nomination.......hell, that's so preposterous to even qualify as fantasy.
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

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Offline Howie66

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Re: Jeb Bush a formidable foe for emerging GOP field
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2014, 02:23:55 pm »
The GOP Establishment is determined to see the White House become the Kremlin-West, evidently.
I come in peace, I didn't bring artillery.  But I am pleading with you with tears in my eyes:  If you bleep with me, I'll kill you all.

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I didn't enlist in the Corps just to watch my country become a Third World Communist Shit-hole. Don't know anyone who did.

Offline MBB1984

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Re: Jeb Bush a formidable foe for emerging GOP field
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2014, 05:33:19 pm »
The GOP Establishment is determined to see the White House become the Kremlin-West, evidently.

Indeed.

Offline Gazoo

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Re: Jeb Bush a formidable foe for emerging GOP field
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2014, 05:44:52 pm »
His mom said no more Bush's end.of.story
"The Tea Party has a right to feel cheated.

When does the Republican Party, put in the majority by the Tea Party, plan to honor its commitment to halt the growth of the Federal monolith and bring the budget back into balance"?

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Re: Jeb Bush a formidable foe for emerging GOP field
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2014, 06:11:57 pm »
please don't.

Offline Relic

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Re: Jeb Bush a formidable foe for emerging GOP field
« Reply #6 on: March 21, 2014, 06:18:39 pm »
It appears that the GOP is doing their darnedest to be sure they don't win in 2016.

I saw where a Gallup poll found the public sees being a woman as Hillary's #1 qualification for POTUS. Skin color was enough for Obama, I think gender will work for Hillary. There are conservative women who would vote Hillary for "the sisterhood".

These are the times we live in.

Online rustynail

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Re: Jeb Bush a formidable foe for emerging GOP field
« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2014, 06:33:13 pm »
BushvClinton. Oh boy.

Offline truth_seeker

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Re: Jeb Bush a formidable foe for emerging GOP field
« Reply #8 on: March 21, 2014, 07:01:56 pm »
It appears that the GOP is doing their darnedest to be sure they don't win in 2016.

I saw where a Gallup poll found the public sees being a woman as Hillary's #1 qualification for POTUS. Skin color was enough for Obama, I think gender will work for Hillary. There are conservative women who would vote Hillary for "the sisterhood".

These are the times we live in.
"Conservative" is a very difficult word to pin down in American politics.

Some swear by it as the definitive definition of what is good, righteous, perfect and the only answer acceptable to them.

Far, far more Americans self-identify as "conservative" than do vote that way. For example plenty of blacks probably self-identify "conservative" and then knee-jerk vote democrat almost all the time.

Most right-of-center voters now insist on the entire religious social aspects be included, so Barry Goldwater, "father of modern conservatism" would no longer qualify by their definitions.

The opportunity is as Rand Paul says, to agree to disagree, and get some political victories and the power which follows. Have the internal debate, only then.

"God must love the common man, he made so many of them.�  Abe Lincoln

Offline Relic

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Re: Jeb Bush a formidable foe for emerging GOP field
« Reply #9 on: March 21, 2014, 07:08:10 pm »
"Conservative" is a very difficult word to pin down in American politics.

Some swear by it as the definitive definition of what is good, righteous, perfect and the only answer acceptable to them.

Far, far more Americans self-identify as "conservative" than do vote that way. For example plenty of blacks probably self-identify "conservative" and then knee-jerk vote democrat almost all the time.

Most right-of-center voters now insist on the entire religious social aspects be included, so Barry Goldwater, "father of modern conservatism" would no longer qualify by their definitions.

The opportunity is as Rand Paul says, to agree to disagree, and get some political victories and the power which follows. Have the internal debate, only then.

You seem to be so fixated on the GOPe vs. conservative wars that you read something into my comment that wasn't there.

Jeb Bush is totally unacceptable. Jeb Bush has little to do with why Jeb Bush is unacceptable. The sins of his brother are firmly placed on his head. I will bet you $1000 right now, today, that Jeb Bush won't win POTUS, that's how sure I am that he's unacceptable, and unelectable.

As for the conservative vs. GOPe ... you'll have to find another post to provoke.

Offline LambChop

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Re: Jeb Bush a formidable foe for emerging GOP field
« Reply #10 on: March 21, 2014, 07:12:39 pm »
You seem to be so fixated on the GOPe vs. conservative wars that you read something into my comment that wasn't there.

Jeb Bush is totally unacceptable. Jeb Bush has little to do with why Jeb Bush is unacceptable. The sins of his brother are firmly placed on his head. I will bet you $1000 right now, today, that Jeb Bush won't win POTUS, that's how sure I am that he's unacceptable, and unelectable.

As for the conservative vs. GOPe ... you'll have to find another post to provoke.

Sad to say, but I believe you are correct.  Not how it should be, but guilt by association is common.  He may not be perfect, but he'd be one of my top choices.

Offline jmyrlefuller

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Re: Jeb Bush a formidable foe for emerging GOP field
« Reply #11 on: March 21, 2014, 08:05:58 pm »
You seem to be so fixated on the GOPe vs. conservative wars that you read something into my comment that wasn't there.

Jeb Bush is totally unacceptable. Jeb Bush has little to do with why Jeb Bush is unacceptable. The sins of his brother are firmly placed on his head. I will bet you $1000 right now, today, that Jeb Bush won't win POTUS, that's how sure I am that he's unacceptable, and unelectable.
I beg to differ on the point of Jeb Bush not having any role in his unelectability. His meddling in the  Terri Schiavo case, Common Core, questionable positions on amnesty, and the like all add as much to his baggage as his last name (although the fact that his brother had very similar positions on most issues, and that Presidency wasn't exactly a rousing success, may link the two). In fact, about the only thing keeping him in the 2016 conversation is his last name, because the establishment types love people with connections to money— seemingly the leading criterion for the nomination these days.

And people wonder why people have so little faith in government...
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Offline Formerly Once-Ler

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Re: Jeb Bush a formidable foe for emerging GOP field
« Reply #12 on: March 22, 2014, 07:29:48 am »
I'd love to vote for Jeb Bush.  He was a great Governor.  I think he's well qualified.  I think he would have a wealth of proven talent to draw on.  With Christie out someone has to fill the moderate slot.  In this climate, you would have to be crazy to not run if you wanted the job.  Bush Dynasty Burnout doesn't bother me, but I recognize it's a problem with many voter.  I think it could be managed.

Offline R4 TrumPence

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Re: Jeb Bush a formidable foe for emerging GOP field
« Reply #13 on: March 22, 2014, 10:02:02 am »
I'd love to vote for Jeb Bush.  He was a great Governor.  I think he's well qualified.  I think he would have a wealth of proven talent to draw on.  With Christie out someone has to fill the moderate slot.  In this climate, you would have to be crazy to not run if you wanted the job.  Bush Dynasty Burnout doesn't bother me, but I recognize it's a problem with many voter.  I think it could be managed.

He can't win!! If Rand Paul continues what he is doing, he will get the youth vote and most of our votes too! He is a cunning politician.  I can live with him!!!


I am Repub4Bush on FR '02

Offline Gazoo

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Re: Jeb Bush a formidable foe for emerging GOP field
« Reply #14 on: March 23, 2014, 07:17:11 pm »
"The Tea Party has a right to feel cheated.

When does the Republican Party, put in the majority by the Tea Party, plan to honor its commitment to halt the growth of the Federal monolith and bring the budget back into balance"?

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Re: Jeb Bush a formidable foe for emerging GOP field
« Reply #15 on: March 23, 2014, 07:29:01 pm »
The Democrats would/are salivating at the notion of Jeb Bush running on the GOP ticket.

The MSM worked hard turing George W. Bush into "Hitler", a dummy and a war monger.

There's still a generation or two that will have to pass before George W. Bush will be properly respected and appreciated....but right now, the 'Bush' name is too toxic.

End of story.
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living" F. Scott Fitzgerald