tennyson wrote:

Goose wrote:

I'm hoping that Kasich beats expectations and can go on till Ohio.

Why would any self-respecting Republican ever vote for a candidate with a reluctance to criticize opponents, a broad message of neighborliness, as well as compassionate government and problem solving ? 

They would have to be crazy ! 
 

Crazy?  I've come to the right place then!



 

TheLagerLad wrote:

Jeb dropped out.

Good news is - money cannot by a victory. I believe Jeb outspent all the candidates in all the races and came up on the losing end on all of them. It would be good if this is a turning point for money in politics -- but that is really a pipe dream ! 

Bad news is - he was the one with the most substantive answers to questions, and perhaps a true Conservative, but that said he came up short in his persona for a competitive, tough race. He was the wrong man at the wrong time. (Also his namesake was a turnoff for many as is the Clinton name). He probably would have been a good President. I am doubting he will ever be able to garner backing for any further Presidential runs. 

I think it would be the ultimate act of defiance (and pretty cool) if Jeb! threw his supporters, staff, money, and organization, behind his endorsement of Hillary or Bernie. Although, based on his results, it wouldn't be substantial except for the $$$$$, his act would stick it to the remaining passengers in the republican clown car. Bernie probably would say 'thanks, but no thanks' because of all the billionaire financial support Jeb! had. It would be interesting to see what Hillary would do if Jeb! endorsed her. The two most recent political family dynasties joining together. Who would 'buy' into that campaign?

OOOPS . . . Looks like my theory won't happen. Jeb!'s big money support is rushing to Rubio.


Wealthy donors drawn to Rubio White House bid after Bush drops out

By Michelle Conlin and Grant Smith

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Within minutes of Jeb Bush dropping out of the presidential race Saturday night, some of his donors were preparing to throw their financial support behind Marco Rubio, who has emerged as the strongest candidate among the establishment wing of the party.

"Jeb's network is already naturally migrating to Marco," said Gaylord Hughey, a top Bush fundraiser from Texas, echoing what four other top donors told Reuters. "It's the clear path."

"It's a stampede," added another donor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he wanted to give Bush some time after dropping out before he went public with his support of Rubio, the U.S. senator from Florida.

Three other Bush donors, who declined to be named, also said they now planned to support Rubio.

Although he has failed to win any of the first three nominating contests, Rubio is considered by many political strategists as the best positioned to challenge frontrunner Donald Trump, a billionaire political outsider, and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who has campaigned on an anti-Washington message.

The likelihood that some of Bush's deep-pocketed donors will back Rubio comes at an opportune time for his candidacy, as he heads into a series of contests in March that will be crucial for building momentum.

Brian Ballard, who raised money for Bush last year but switched allegiances last summer to Rubio, said: "It's flooding tonight. Ninety-five percent of Jeb's money is going to end up with Marco."

Rubio had only $5 million in cash on hand at the end of January, federal campaign finance reports released Saturday night show, a slim buffer by modern campaign standards.

Conservative Solutions, a political spending group that supports his campaign, had $5.6 million on hand at the end of January, but spent an additional $9.3 million on advertising in the first 19 days of February.

By contrast, Right to Rise, Bush's political spending group, had $24.5 million on hand at the end of January but spent $6.6 million of that in February on ads. And his network of donors have proven their financial might, helping Bush at one point to amass a war chest of $150 million.

Even before Bush dropped out, some donors privately complained about the missteps of the campaign, expressing concern about the strength of Trump's candidacy and Bush's lackluster debate performances.

In January, a dozen top Bush donors interviewed by Reuters said they were angry that Bush was using their money to lob attack ads at Rubio, damaging the candidate they thought had the best chance to win.

They also said they had privately signaled to the Rubio campaign that they would support him once Bush dropped out. But they wouldn't go public at the time because they feared displeasing the Bush dynasty.

In addition to the Bush money, Rubio is expected to reap the support of the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers and their donor network, which is expected to spend $400 million in the presidential race, according to several network donors and Koch political organization officials.

The Koch brothers are also in the midst of planning efforts to undercut Trump's candidacy, network officials and members said at a recent private retreat in California.

Their focus group research has shown that when voters learn more about how Trump's past business behavior has hurt ordinary people, they sour on him, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.