.
Jeb Bush’s nascent coronation within the Republican “establishment” is beginning to sound more like Oscar Wilde’s quip about “an excellent man; he has no enemies, and none of his friends like him.”
As soon as Romney acknowledged — for now — that he didn’t have the mojo to survive another primary season, Politico had a cover article reminding everyone of Jeb Bush’s indefensible cruelty during the Teri Schiavo fiasco (“Jeb Put Me Through Hell“), and the front page of the Sunday Globe reported that Jeb was a lazy, pot-smoking prep school legacy who bullied smaller students because “he understood that he was from the world that really counted and the rest of us weren’t.”
The NYTimes, on Friday:
… A key question, given the early strength demonstrated by Mr. Bush and his network, is whether there is room for a candidate of similar policy views, such as Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey or Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, to emerge. So far, Mr. Bush has fared well among the party’s moneyed donor class, but its grass-roots activists, crucial to the early nominating states, have yet to coalesce around any candidate in a still evolving field…
The campaign to deny Mr. Romney another chance began almost immediately after he mused to donors at a Friday get-together in New York City on Jan. 9 that he was open to the possibility of another run. By that Sunday afternoon, William Oberndorf, a prominent California investor who supported Mr. Romney in both of his previous presidential campaigns, had emailed a group of 52 powerful Republicans, including former Secretary of State George Shultz, the investor Charles Schwab, Gov. Bruce Rauner of Illinois and the Michigan billionaire Betsy DeVos with a blunt message: we need to support someone else.
Mr. Oberndorf wrote: “We are fortunate in Jeb Bush to have an extremely talented and able candidate who, I believe, has a far better prospect of winning a general election than Mitt. Moreover, Mitt has now run twice and has had his chance to be president. It is now time to cede the field to others.”…
Another NYTimes story over the weekend, on the same theme:
… Many donors may look for alternatives to Mr. Bush and Mr. Christie simply to ensure that they have a seat in the candidate’s inner circle. Mr. Bush’s fund-raising operation, in particular, is already dominated by two generations of Bush family retainers and supporters…
“It sure changes the ballgame, doesn’t it?” said Frank L. VanderSloot, whose Idaho-based health-products company contributed $1 million to the [2012 Romney] super PAC. “The top ones that have my interest would be Marco Rubio, Scott Walker and Jeb Bush. In my book, Chris Christie is out of it.”…
Lo and behold, by Monday morning, Chris Christie is not only “Blind to the Future,” a party hack who defaulted on desperately needed public infrastructure out of spite, he’s got a career-long “Fondness for Luxe Benefits When Others Pay the Bills“. Never let it be said that the Bush Clan isn’t efficient, at least when it comes to disposing of the competition…
Is this efficiency enough to force the GOP base to accept another banquet of Velveeta on Wonder Bread toast points, chicken ala king over mashed potatoes, and fruit salad in lime jello? Well, the Koch brothers have their own big money network, and they’ve said they like Marco Rubio. But the Kochs already own Scott Walker, and as Washington Post horse-race tout Chris Cillizza is happy to point out:
… So far in this cycle, Drudge has been hard on Bush (highlighting lots of stories that suggest the former Florida governor isn’t all that conservative) and quite kind to Walker… If Drudge continues to push Walker, it will matter in terms of how the Wisconsin governor is regarded by Republican politicos. Ditto Bush — although to a lesser extent because Bush is such a known commodity in Republican circles. (Ask any nascent campaign for the GOP nomination whether having Drudge “like” them matters. If they say anything but “yes,” they are lying.)…
It’s still seventeen months and counting until the GOP convention in Cincinnati, and another dozen or more contenders to vanquish. (I’m not giving up on Rick Sanctorum just yet.) But as a lifelong Democrat, I devoutly hope Jeb and Scott bang each other up every single day between now and then, before imploding in a massive black hole of anti-charisma.
jl
I hate to stick up for the likes of Christie, but that second hit piece on him is unfair. I have a “Fondness for Luxe Benefits When Others Pay the Bills“. too. Who doesn’t? Sadly, from glancing at the article, Christie has better luck than I do.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Good lord. I’d all but forgotten the oddball existed, and the mucketiest mucks of the GOP campaigns are courting him? I thought the pathetic parade of second tier GOPers paying court to “Mr Trump”–as at least Michelle Bachmann referred to him– was as low as they could sink. I had a certain grudging respect for Willard when he refused to take part, and then felt sort of perversely vindicated in my contempt when they decided they needed him to race bait and robocall the bridge-and-tunnel-and-bungalow guys and let him throw the Lady Ann a birthday party.
fuckwit
I will not be able to take 17 more months of this.
Please make it stop.
Hal
Whaaaa??? Marco Rubio is a terrible candidate. I cannot fathom why his name keeps getting floated around and around. I think the Koch brothers are playing a game. Trying to keep people off the trail of who they really want to be the candidate.
I’m starting to wonder if Citizens United will turn out to be a massive monkey’s paw for the GOP. Sure you get your wish for unlimited cash, but it will be a handful of billionaires who will have any real say on who ends up as the candidate, screw the rank and file Republican supporters. Their expectation will simply be that people will fall in line and support who ever they prop up. Now it’s just a question of how good the Koch brothers are at picking candidates. If Rubio really is their favorite, I would say not very good at all.
Elizabelle
good cartoon
formernap
I like the monkey paw thing. And no, big money guys picking the candidate does not work so well in a national election. So far, anyway.
jl
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: l laughed when I clicked and saw the Cillizza article. I thought, wow, ‘horse race tout’ is way too complimentary.
Mike in NC
Rubio is young and malleable. The big money boys can keep running him for a couple of decades and hope to finally get lucky.
Meanwhile, starting to look like the Outlaw Jersey Whale will be sleeping with the fishes, as far as presidential aspirations go.
Pogonip
Anne, did Cole happen to mention to you whether Ginger’s cancer is treatable?
Pogonip
@Hal: Especially if they think Rubio will bring in the Latino vote. Other Spanish speakers, as a group, are not fond of Cuban-Americans, as a group.
jl
sorry to go off topic on an open thread, but, what are we going to do about the Irish threat? Obvious national security implications, I mean, this is the NFL Superbowl, not some missile base or the White House or BS like that.
Two Irish guys sneaked into Super Bowl, sat in $25,000 seats
Eric Edholm, Shutdown Corner
“Our game plan was to be super confident,” Whelan told RTE Radio One Morning Ireland, via The Independent. “We just thought if we pretend we belong there, nobody will question us…”
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/two-irish-guys-sneaked-into-super-bowl–sat-in–25-000-seats-021626227.html
Wonder what Steve King will say. Or Peter, for that matter.
mai naem
I still can’t get over the GOP thinking people will vote for Jeb! after Dubbya. Maybe if Dubbya had been his grandpa but,shit,it’s not even been ten years since the beginning of Dubbya’s term. I know one cannot underestimate the stupidity of Americans, but, jeezus christ no way! Even Mark Penn would do good ads for Hillary against Jeb!
Anyway my money is on Kasich. If not Kasich,then Walker. Also too, that portrait of Jindal downstairs can be used for Walker.
danielx
I believe that in some circles, a soliloquy like the one above is called ‘wanking’ and the emitter of said drivel is referred to as a ‘wanker’.
The really, truly nauseating thing about almost every article I read about the horse (‘s ass) race, to me anyway, is the way that the ownership of these various equally nauseating specimens by various bribers/factions – er, donors, donors! – for example, Scott Walker as a wholly owned Koch subsidiary…is taken for granted. Not mentioned as criminal subversion of the democratic process, such as it as, but just the way things are.
Way to go, Mr. Justice Kennedy. You legalized bribery on the wholesale level.
rikyrah
@Hal:
Their candidate is Scott Walker.
jl
@mai naem:
” that portrait of Jindal downstairs ”
It’s a portrait of a generic white guy obliviously walking right through a pillar. Could use it for half of the GOP white guys running. Not Newt or Trump, though. That portrait IS better looking than some things.
Howard Beale IV
I still say there has got to be a way to ratfvck this whole process.
jl
@Howard Beale IV:
” I still say there has got to be a way to ratfvck this whole process. ”
What, you don’t like the way the GOP is doing it so far?
Gvg
too much money is electoral poison. I don’t mean total money, I mean a few extremely rich donors. starting with Ross Perot that I know of, the candidates that are just super rich, or have such as donors have tended to do badly in big elections. I think the money disguises the fact that election results come from millions of single voter people. if you can’t get a million people to give you $5, you can’t get 50,000,000 or so votes. Poorer candidates drop out sooner or don’t run if they can’t get interest, but rich ones can lie to themselves longer. If they actually have some issue they are atractive on, more money can make a difference I suppose but we have seen some spectacular flameouts.
problem republicans have is their masses are so contrary they aren’t even in agreement with themselves. sure they are against the liberals, but they are also against most other Republicans too. I don’t think they have noticed yet, but that is what all the no true whatever is.
the too much money can happen to Democrats too. it’s just not doing it as much right now.
danielx
@formernap:
Agreed. However, the operating theory seems to be to keep spending money until it does work, which at some point it probably will. The Koch bros alone are worth around eighty billion, give or take, and they’re putting roughly a billion dollars into the 2016 campaign if I recall correctly. If their investment doesn’t pay off this time, next time they’ll spend two billion. And so on, until it does pay off.
It’s not like they’re going to miss it. Things seem to be going pretty well for guys who are supposedly being held in chains by regulatory Nazis.
Howard Beale IV
@danielx: What makes you think the Koch’s are spending their own shekels into their folly? The Koch’s ain’t no fools; they got other marks more than willing to spend their own cash in the process while minimizing their own expenditures.
Jeffro
@rikyrah: Yeeeup.
jl
@efgoldman:
That’s regulatory socialist communist race-equalizing Nazis, please.
Redshift
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Yeah, my reaction was “Drudge still exists?”
Remember when people outside the wingnut bubble used to think he was important? Some things have improved.
Howard Beale IV
@Redshift: Seems that The Dumbest Man on the Internet and the Ginger Avenger are neck and neck in for being the new targets for rightwing stupidity, whereas Drudge, Daily Caller, Breitbart, Twitchy and the Blaze are nothing more than just lame rightwing linkbait farms.
Howard Beale IV
BREAKING: TransAsia Airways plane carrying more than 50 people crash-lands in Taipei river.
danielx
@Howard Beale IV:
True, they did announce it was their network of donors. But in that world it’s put up or shut up, and the Kochs have to put enough of their own swag into the deal to be credible king-makers.
@efgoldman:
@jl:
Hey, it’s implicit – the original was National Socialist German Workers Party. As I recall, a little while back this coincidence led to the publication of an enormously important book by Villager scion Jabba the Hack, based on the premise that liberals are the real Nazis.
Violet
I thought someone here said Scott Walker did an interview recently and showed he’s completely ignorant on foreign affairs issues. Anyone remember?
rikyrah
@Violet:
Was it not this past Sunday?
Yatsuno
@rikyrah: With Martha Raddatz IIRC. Was totally clueless & all he could say was BOOTSONNAGROUND!!!
? Martin
@Howard Beale IV: Amazing photo of it.
danielx
@Howard Beale IV:
The Ginger Avenger? Would that be Charles C. Johnson, douchebag at large? I declare, that man is becoming as famous as George Tierney of Greenville, South Carolina, and for not dissimilar reasons.
rikyrah
@? Martin:
Ok, that was frightening.
Tree With Water
They are ALL bums, and unelectable for it. The democratic rank and file has every reason to feel confident that the Executive Branch will be retained. Indeed, the scenario presents them with a golden opportunity (very much as in 2008) to recruit a candidate other than Hillary, and set the party on a much needed course correction knowing their nominee will be the next POTUS.
? Martin
@Howard Beale IV: BTW, that photo indicates that crash-land is a very generous description. Suggests that land was part of the plan, and I don’t think it was given it’s completely sideways tearing the wing off against a highway.
Violet
@rikyrah: @Yatsuno: Yes, that was it. Thanks. I didn’t see it but someone posted about it here.
I don’t think Walker is ready for the big stage. I know he’s go the Koch money but he’s supremely unlikeable. This last performance shows he’s kind of dumb too. I don’t see how he’ll make it work outside of Wisconsin.
Yatsuno
@? Martin: It’s hard to tell what is going way wrong there. I almost want to show that to a pilot friend except I think he’s seen it by now.
Anne Laurie
@Pogonip: Cole doesn’t usually communicate any more with me than he does with you guys, but the last I remember (his first post about the message from his sister), Ginger had “a tumor” that might be breast cancer. So, hopefully, it’s been determined since then that it was a benign mass — those happen quite often, especially in older female dogs who’ve been used for breeding — and can be removed when she’s spayed, after the puppies have been weaned.
(Everybody keep your fingers crossed!)
Yatsuno
@Violet: I’m trying to figure out how he’s making it work inside Wisconsin…
Tenar Darell
You know it’s cold when the snow in your driveway at night squeaks. Moon was very bright too when I got home about an hour ago. Clear clear air. (It’s pretty with snow on top, but the driving is dangerous).
Howard Beale IV
@danielx: Yes, it be the Humam Furby, the nemesis of the other (sane) Charles Johnson
Viva BrisVegas
Since you guys get to bore me with US politics, I’ll bore you some with Australian politics (just kidding, I find US politics interesting in a Twilight Zone kind of way).
Prime Minister Tony Abbott (Liberal Party = Republican) has just seen the loss of two state governments (there are only six) to Labor ( = Democrats, but slightly more functional). His polls are in terminal decline (43-57) and he faces a hostile Senate (no 40 seat majority here).
This after a resounding win less than 18 months ago.
He gave a speech on Monday (Tuesday) which was supposed to rally the troops but ended up being the usual boring diatribe against the sins of the Labor Party.
The expected peans of support were not forthcoming. Rivals are circling and numbers were counted behind closed doors and open dissent broken out. Party elders have started to call for Abbott to resign for the good of the party.
Now it’s on for young and old. Malcolm Turnbull a moderate Liberal (almost extinct) is challenging for the top job and is rounding up the numbers as we speak.
He may not make it this time, but any attempt that is not overwhelmingly defeated will only see another attempt in the near future.
The piquant thing about all this is that Abbott (with Rupert Murdoch’s help) used Labor leadership instability to destroy the Prime Ministership of Julia Gillard.
The doubly sweet thing is that Abbott is a lying, smarmy, ignorant, hypocritical, smug, right wing prick of a grub, and I’m being generous.
He’s has the ethics of a Ted Cruz and the Catholic morality of a Santorum.
So given all that, I thought I’d share.
Eric U.
@Yatsuno: looks like the result of a stall. It obviously had very little forward speed, otherwise it would have at least cleared the bridge. “Falling leaf” mode of flight.
Tenar Darell
@Violet: It was with Martha Raddatz, link to Kevin Drum.
Violet
@Anne Laurie: I don’t think we ever heard anything more about Ginger’s possible breast cancer. No update on a vet visit. No update on the tumor one way or the other–or even if it is a tumor. We haven’t had any pictures of Ginger in awhile now, as well. I hope it turned out to be benign or nothing to worry about at all. And equally hope Cole will let us know at some point.
srv
I just want to say that Shep Smith’s coverage of the Jordanian POW execution video would have made Walter Cronkite proud.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Violet: Pierce included it in his gobshite roundup yesterday
@Yatsuno: he’s never won an election with presidential level turn out, the one that elected Tammy Baldwin. I think the funniest thing he’s said in the last week is Reagan’s attack on the air traffic controller’s union was the first step in bringing down down the Soviet Union (so, you know, him going after teachers has ISIS terrified!)
danielx
For those of us who don’t recall the magic that was George Tierney of Greenville, South Carolina….
I wonder whatever became of him after the name change and plastic surgery. Maybe he’s back on eHarmony.
Violet
@Yatsuno: He obviously knows how to pull the right levers in the state and speak the language of the locals. That doesn’t always translate well to a larger audience.
srv
Sharia Law comes to… Texas
I just knew they would be the first to surrender. Who would have thought we’d have to nuke a few of our own cities to save America?
BillinGlendaleCA
@Yatsuno: He couldn’t even say BENGHAZI?
BillinGlendaleCA
@danielx: Yes, but The Ginger Avenger has a IQ of 158(though I’ve seen scant evidence) and a “Hot Asian Wife”.
Mike in NC
@srv: Guys at the Alamo were a bunch of pussies who quaked in their boots at the sight of Mexicans. Then as now.
Mike in NC
How is a guy named VanderSloot not a James Bond villain?
jl
Our idiot media at work. The NYT times was talking about the problem GOP politicians are having, not whether it is mostly liberal or conservative conspiracy nuts who are not vaccinating their kids (from what I read it is both about equally). But Lauer and Todd have to distort that, because bothsidesdoit.
I’ve never like this Lauer. He’s always come off as a quietly rageaholic control freak to me. Also none too bright and not very informed, which I do not like in a newsman, but maybe that is just my liberal bigotry. If Today still has the window thing, and you see the police dragging away a middle age white man with an anti-Lauer sign flipping off Lauer, that is probably me, if I end up in NYC for some reason and can’t resist.
Matt Lauer Slams ‘Liberal’ NYT For Reporting That Vaccines Are A GOP Issue
TPM
‘ Describing the newspaper as “liberal,” Lauer said, “Let’s make it clear: this does not break down neatly between the right and the left. There are pockets of liberal affluent American where parents don’t want their kids vaccinated.”
Todd agreed.
“What this goes down to is, we’ve been politicizing science now in the last decade in a lot of ways,” Todd said.
Referring to a tweet from Hillary Clinton that read “The science is clear: The earth is round, the sky is blue, and #vaccineswork,” Todd said: “I think that came across as a little bit condescending.” ‘
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/matt-lauer-liberal-nytimes-vaccines
BillinGlendaleCA
@Mike in NC: Didn’t you know the next Bond movie is called “Unlimited Corporate Cash”?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Jesus he is dumber than a bowl of cold oatmeal.
Citizen_X
@srv:
Ahem. From Free Press Houston’s Worst of Houston 2014:
Villago Delenda Est
@danielx: Yes, but the “socialist” in the NSDAP was about as authentic as the “People’s” in the formal name of North Korea, or the “Democratic” in the formal name of the late East Germany.
Tree With Water
@jl: What in the name of Sam Hill are Lauer and Todd talking about? They both sound like Glenn Beck. If they hadn’t landed jobs with a corporate network, they’d be biting the heads off chickens in a sideshow somewhere.
Chris
@Villago Delenda Est:
“National Socialism” = sure, socialism, but only for members of the Nation. Not inferiors and race traitors.
Which coincidentally is pretty much exactly the GOP voter’s position. Don’t help These People, but don’t you dare touch my Medicare, my Social Security, my farm subsidies, or anything else I decide I deserve.
burnspbesq
It astonishes me that Drudge is apparently still relevant.
burnspbesq
@Tree With Water:
Dude, if you’re the only one in the room with good drugs, you’re supposed to share.
burnspbesq
@jl:
If Secretary Clinton weren’t being condescending toward these idiots, I would want to know why not.
Morzer
@burnspbesq:
There’s no way to tell an idiot that they are an idiot and make it sound like a good thing.
Villago Delenda Est
@Morzer: Which is the primary problem with twits like Lauer and Chuckles the Toddler.
SiubhanDuinne
@Anne Laurie:
Cleveland.
bjacques
In that comic, Jeb looks a little like Reggie van Dough from “Richie Rich.” I don’t think that’s a coincidence.
Before the primary season really gets going, I expect a Red Wedding or a settling of family business in the vein of Don Michael Corleone.
Alex S.
The Koch brothers push Rubio because his (unlikely) rise would hurt Jeb Bush the most. It’s all about denying Bush the easy nomination so that they can force him to accept Walker as vice president, or even to put Walker on top. The Koch brothers want to take over the GOP, but the Bush family is in the way. For the party, it would be best if these two camps unite their forces. But there’s also a chance of war between them, it’s probably the scenario Mitt Romney would like to see.
Barry
@jl: I hate to stick up for the likes of Christie, but that second hit piece on him is unfair. I have a “Fondness for Luxe Benefits When Others Pay the Bills“. too. Who doesn’t? Sadly, from glancing at the article, Christie has better luck than I do.”
When you’re playing ‘small government savior’, and not building essential infrastructure because it’d cost money, and stealing public employees’ pensions, etc. …
Jeffro
@Alex S.: Wow, open warfare between Koch pawns vs the Bush clan, with Mitt waiting in the wings. Speaking on behalf of the Democratic Unified Campaign to Ramp Up (D) Voter Turnout, I believe our work here is done.
Josie
@Alex S.: This.
Elie
@Viva BrisVegas:
I have to agree that Abbott sucks. I remember his actions during the height of the Ebola outbreak and how he “sealed” Australia’s borders from not only Africans from the 3 affected countries, but prevented Australians from going to help — they wouldn’t be let back into Australia. What an asshole!