They really don’t like Jeb!
by digby
If Republicans nominate a third Bush to face a second Clinton, they will suffer their third consecutive loss in the battle for the White House. Each of those losses will have been rooted in one undeniable fact: a milquetoast, Washington establishment-backed nominee is unelectable.
Grassroots conservatives, rank-and-file Republicans and Tea Party supporters have figured this out. Since the Washington establishment blessed Jeb Bush with the title of front-runner last December, he has steadily lost support.I know this base. I have worked with them for over three decades. I have raised tens of millions of dollars for Republican candidates only to see one after another betray the very constituents who put him (or her) in office.
I have watched grassroots conservatives go from trust in their elected officials, to surprise at their change of positions, to frustration at their lack of backbone and now to open disgust with candidates and their high-priced political consultants pretending to support positions they oppose and who make pledges they have no intention of honoring. The grassroots conservative base of the Republican Party has no use, none whatsoever, for any more moderates. (That’s one of the reasons that I have personally endorsed Ted Cruz for president.)
The bases of both parties always feel this way. And it’s natural. In Bozell’s case it’s just part of his business plan. He makes a very nice profit stoking anti-establishment fervor.
But it’s possible that they will actually nominate someone like Cruz (or … Trump) this time. After all, they nominated Sarah Palin in 08 so it’s not as if it would be entirely unprecedented. The establishment just can’t control them anymore. And they might just think they can beat a woman (a Clinton no less) or a socialist from Vermont no matter who they nominate.
They could do it this time. The stuff of nightmares.
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