Lindsey Graham endorses Jeb Bush for president

[mystery-ak]

http://www.newsmax.com/PrintTemplate.aspx/?nodeid=709611


Newsmax
Lindsey Graham to Endorse Jeb Bush in 2016 White House Race
Friday, January 15, 2016 09:41 AM

By: Newsmax Wires

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina plans to endorse Jeb Bush on Friday, throwing his support behind the former Florida governor for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential race in which the southern state holds a key early vote.

Speaking on FOX News, Bush said he welcomed his former rival's support in the race to represent the party in the November presidential election, noting that support from the senator - whose state holds its primary next month - comes with "a lot of friends and supporters."

The pair are scheduled to hold a press conference in the key swing state at 9:45 a.m. EST (1445 GMT), the Bush campaign said in a statement.

Graham spokesman Kevin Bishop confirmed the planned endorsement.

For Bush’s floundering presidential campaign, the endorsement is a huge shot in the arm. The endorsement comes after Graham, a South Carolina Republican who withdrew from the presidential race on Dec. 21, said he was unsure he’d be backing any candidate for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

“No. 1, will my endorsement matter? I’ve got to see what, if any, damage I have done to myself here at home,” Graham said last week, according to The State newspaper.

"Lindsey Graham is probably the most knowledgeable person on the Hill as it relates to national security, military affairs and foreign policy," Bush told FOX in an interview on Friday.

A conservative on defense and foreign policy, Graham tousled with the Republican front-runner Donald Trump, who holds a wide lead in national public opinion polls but has drawn the ire of the Republican establishment.

Still, it is not immediately clear how much influence Graham's endorsement could hold in the Republican race, which has seen a sharp divide between political outsiders such as Trump and other so-called establishment candidates, including Bush.

Graham’s support of Bush is not too much of a surprise since he previously said he would steer clear of Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas because of their campaigns are divisive and repelling potential voters. Trump and Graham have traded numerous insults over the months.

Bush and his supporters have been aggressively trying to reverse his declining poll numbers — he is in fifth place in national polls — with a number of acidic attack ads. This past week, campaign commercials ripping Trump as insensitive to people with disabilities and against Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as a “flip-flopper” on issues, are making the rounds.

Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott are two key South Carolinians who have yet endorsed a candidate. But The State reports that Haley has said she hopes to make an endorsement before the Feb. 20th presidential primary in South Carolina.

Scott is reportedly set to throw his weight behind Rubio.

[Bigun]

But does ANYONE care? THAT is the question!

[rangerrebew]

Lindsey Graham endorses Jeb Bush for president

The South Carolina senator's support is a major get for Bush's flailing campaign.

By Alex Isenstadt

01/15/16 07:55 AM EST
 

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Sen. Lindsey Graham on Friday endorsed Jeb Bush for president, a major get for the former Florida governor who has struggled to gain traction in the contest.

"Honored to have @GrahamBlog on our team. A proven leader with a clear understanding of the national security threats we face," Bush tweeted on Friday morning.

The GOP field had been scrambling to secure the support of Graham and his backers since the hawkish South Carolina senator, an influential foreign policy voice, dropped out of the race last month. The former governor is looking to make South Carolina, along with New Hampshire, a key state in his push for the Republican nomination.

But there are questions about how much of an impact the endorsement will have on Bush's political fortunes at this point. With his long family history in politics and a deep reservoir of campaign cash, Bush began the primary race as the frontrunner but has fallen into the middle of the GOP pack, far behind poll leaders Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. With just over two weeks until the Iowa caucuses, though, Bush's advisers hope that Graham's endorsement will give him a shot of momentum.

After Graham's withdrawal in late December, Bush moved quickly to snap up his supporters, including David H. Wilkins, who chaired Graham's finance team, and some of the co-chairs of Graham's state finance operation — Eddie Floyd, Anita Zucker and Bob Royall. Graham at the time said he wasn't ready to endorse and was instead focused on the coming holidays.

Graham waged a longshot bid for the nomination, presenting himself as a strong foreign policy leader. But he barely registered at the polls, despite delivering memorable zingers during the undercard debates. When he exited the race, he touted his influence on pushing his hawkish stance. “I got into this race to put forward a plan to win a war that we cannot afford to lose and to turn back the tide of isolationism that was rising in our party. I believe we made enormous progress in this effort," Graham said at the time.

The endorsement will come on the heels of the sixth GOP debate in South Carolina that was dominated by the feuding between Trump and Cruz. Bush attempted to put the fight to Trump, following his chiding of the real estate mogul as a “chaos candidate” during the last primetime showdown, but he struggled to breakthrough as the two poll leaders brawled with each other.

Bruce Haynes, president of Purple Strategies, on Friday expressed doubt that Graham's endorsement would reverberate, noting the breakdown in hierarchical politics in South Carolina. "The latest trends in South Carolina suggest it won't mean much," Haynes tweeted.

He said that in the current climate, the more valuable endorsement would be from political figures who have risen from the grassroots, including Sen. Tim Scott, Rep. Trey Gowdy and Gov. Nikki Haley. While Gowdy has thrown his support behind Rubio, Scott and Haley remain uncommitted, through Scott is expected to announce an endorsement in the coming weeks.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/01/lindsey-graham-to-endorse-jeb-bush-for-president-217838

[Scottftlc]

So Jeb's going to get his five voters?

[HAPPY2BME]

Jeb is saved.

He'll win now.

[rangerrebew]

If anyone was experiencing doubts about Jef, Jeb, or whatever his name is, being a viable candidate for POTUS, that doubt should be erased with the endorsement by Graham.  Jeb Bush should be sent to candidate junk pile.

[katzenjammer]

 

[katzenjammer]

Yes, there is certainly a lot of fun and jokes to be had here over the Graham endorsement.  But...  it is foolish to count out Jeb Bush at this point in time.  I've been cautioning against counting him out too eagerly.  I will believe that he is out when he formally suspends his campaign, and endorses another.  Until then, no.

[mountaineer]

This couldn't have been much of a surprise to anyone with functioning brain cells.

[HAPPY2BME]

This couldn't have been much of a surprise to anyone with functioning brain cells.

===================================

Jeb Bush does not approve of that message.

[Free Vulcan]

So Jeb's going to get his five voters?

I heard rumor of a sixth guy, he was very closely split between Graham and Kasich. Down to the wire close. Could all be just a dirty rumor though.

[libertybele]

So Jeb's going to get his five voters?

Gee, I didn't realize he had that many.   

[andy58-in-nh]

This couldn't have been much of a surprise to anyone with functioning brain cells.

Thank Providence for this newest development, because truth be told: the 2016 race was just getting boring as all get-out. And as truth is rarely told in politics, and "getting out" is what these guys never seem to do in a timely fashion, I think it's terrific that Jeb now has an endorsement from a political heavyweight like Lindsay Graham, who is the GOP's answer to the question: "If Liberace had had a son, what would he look like today?" 

[aligncare]

Thank Providence for this newest development, because truth be told: the 2016 race was just getting boring as all get-out. And as truth is rarely told in politics, and "getting out" is what these guys never seem to do in a timely fashion, I think it's terrific that Jeb now has an endorsement from a political heavyweight like Lindsay Graham, who is the GOP's answer to the question: "If Liberace had had a son, what would he look like today?"

Man on first. The pitch. It's a grounder to shortstop, toss to second, throw to first, double play!

  

[Free Vulcan]

Thank Providence for this newest development, because truth be told: the 2016 race was just getting boring as all get-out. And as truth is rarely told in politics, and "getting out" is what these guys never seem to do in a timely fashion, I think it's terrific that Jeb now has an endorsement from a political heavyweight like Lindsay Graham, who is the GOP's answer to the question: "If Liberace had had a son, what would he look like today?"

Ouch, ouch, and OUCH! That biting sarcam's gonna leave a mark!

[Paladin]

This is almost laughable.

"Lindsey Graham Verified account 
‏
@LindseyGrahamSC  I’m endorsing @JebBush for President this morning. He’s prepared to be Commander in Chief on Day 1. WATCH: http://abcnews4.com/live/event"

“I have concluded without any hesitation, without any doubt that Jeb Bush is ready on day one to be a commander-in-chief,” Graham said during his endorsement."

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/01/15/after-ending-his-own-campaign-lindsey-graham-offers-his-endorsement-to-this-gop-presidential-candidate/

[HAPPY2BME]

This is almost laughable.

"Lindsey Graham Verified account 
‏
@LindseyGrahamSC  I’m endorsing @JebBush for President this morning. He’s prepared to be Commander in Chief on Day 1. WATCH: http://abcnews4.com/live/event"

“I have concluded without any hesitation, without any doubt that Jeb Bush is ready on day one to be a commander-in-chief,” Graham said during his endorsement."

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/01/15/after-ending-his-own-campaign-lindsey-graham-offers-his-endorsement-to-this-gop-presidential-candidate/

======================================================

War Is A Racket.