Friday, January 15, 2016

Last Call For...Jeb?

The "smart Bush" is looking more and more like the burning Bush these days, and even Politico is writing Jeb's campaign epitaph with an eye towards who will benefit for his family's network of super-donors.

POLITICO talked to nearly two dozen major donors, and most say they are waiting for what one veteran Republican and former Bush 43 administration appointee described as the "family hall pass" to jump to another campaign after the New Hampshire primary.

“I’m resigned to it being over, frankly. It’s really disappointing,” said one top Bush Wall Street donor. “I’d urge him to get out after New Hampshire if he doesn’t do well, but he probably won’t."

The deterioration of the Bush campaign has been a humbling experience for his fundraisers. A year ago, even before he was a candidate, Bush's team was locking down donors across the country and getting commitments for six- and seven-figure checks with little trouble. Donors were pitted against each other to see who could raise more and be in the good graces of the man who, at the time, was described by many in Bush World as the inevitable nominee.

Now the fundraising pitch is decidedly different.

"Hey, I need you to throw away money on Jeb — out of loyalty," a Bush fundraiser has told donors recently.

Rival campaigns are watching Bush's finance operation closely and have been working behind the scenes to lay the groundwork to poach his donor network. So far, a top Florida Republican fundraiser, Brian Ballard, has been one of the only notable defections to Sen. Marco Rubio's camp after Bush's campaign attacked Rubio.

"Donors I've talked to are desperate not to abandon Jeb because of their long bonds and loyalty with the family, but they are also recognizing there is no ROI [return on investment] on this campaign," said Rick Wilson, a veteran Florida political operative who is backing Rubio. "The sense of these folks is it is so sad. They whisper to each other, 'When will Jeb go?'"

The mood is very much that in order for someone to be able to challenge Trump, the riff-raff and the chaff have to go, starting with the biggest drain holding back the most donor cash: Jebby.

I don't blame the Republicans.  They're just weeks away from putting a racist, bigoted white supremacist hatemonger out in front, and only a few months from assuring a nasty convention fight later in the year in order to try to strip him of the nomination.

The vultures are circling a lot of the remaining GOP field, frankly, but Jeb has the juiciest pickings.

Please Rise For The Trumpistan National Anthem

Republicans howled when major rap artists backed Barack Obama in their words and songs eight years ago, accusing him of being a part of a "cult of personality", Rush Limbaugh gave us the now infamous "Barack The Magic Negro" song that turned into a big GOP hit back around Christmas 2008.  Campaign songs have been with us for a while now, from "I Like Ike" to Bill Clinton's use of "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow".

And then Donald Trump shows up.




The lyrics?

Cowardice

Are you serious?

Apologies for freedom, I can’t handle this.

When freedom rings, answer the call!

On your feet, stand up tall!

Freedom's on our shoulders, USA!

Enemies of freedom face the music, c'mon boys, take them down

President Donald Trump knows how to make America great

Deal from strength or get crushed every time!

Yeah, there's nothing really horrible about this or anything HOLY CHRIST. 

And remember, this guy is currently leading the GOP pack with a third of Republicans backing him in what is definitely turning into a four-man race for the bottom among Trump, Cruz, Rubio and Carson.

America, right?

The Freedom To Discriminate

Conservatives keep saying that religious freedom legislation isn't being used as a license to discriminate against the LGBTQ community, but that's exactly what a new Republican bill in Georgia does.

Florists, bakers or any other private business owner could refuse service to gay couples getting married in Georgia, under legislation filed Wednesday that is likely to inflame the battle at the Capitol over religious freedom and gay rights
House Bill 756 would allow business owners to cite religious beliefs in refusing goods or services for a “matrimonial ceremony” — a blunt assessment of conservatives’ outrage after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June state prohibitions on same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional. 
The bill represents the worst fears of gay rights advocates and others who have fought the last two years against other so-called religious liberty legislation. One of the most prominent bills, Senate Bill 129, remains tabled in a House committee after moderate Republicans and Democrats attached anti-discrimination language that supporters say gutted the bill. 
SB 129, however, makes no provision allowing businesses to refuse services to gay weddings for religious reasons and its sponsor, state Sen. Josh McKoon, R-Columbus, has said repeatedly that he has no anti-gay agenda.

Not that I would expect Republicans to be anything other than gay-hating bigoted jackasses, but it's almost amusing to see them stop jerking people around and come out with such an obvious bill designed to allow people to get their hate on.

There's nothing Christian about treating people badly because they're different from you.

StupidiNews!