Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
In Which Mark Krikorian Asks an Intentionally Provocative, But Darned Good, Question
Are you assuming that campaigning against Rubio would weaken him?
Might have the opposite effect.
Assuming Mark is right and Ted Cruz would benefit from ¡Jeb! staying in the race a bit longer, I still think he needs to go now. One more amnesty advocate out of the race is a good thing.
Shhhhhh…Not so loud…Don’t let Jeb! know he’s helping Cruz.
As I half-joked to Peter during the debate chat, Bush isn’t the one who will decide. Mike Murphy will decide when he’s done spending Bush’s money and will advise him accordingly.
A tenacious campaign manager nipping at one’s heels 24-7 is probably enough to keep a candidate running an extra month or two.
He needs to bow out. Cruz and Rubio are two of the strongest candidates. Why weaken one of them? So far however I think the attacks by Bush are giving Rubio some “street cred” with the base.
Why the sudden bullets for Rubio? I thought the Bush bad blood was with Trump.
The strategery demonstrated by the Mike Murphy’s is confused, at best.
I find it hard to imagine a member of the Bush dynasty quitting before the first caucus or vote is cast.
If he does poorly in Iowa and New Hampshire he can give a graceful exit speech, maybe endorse someone, and leave saying the people had spoken.
I don’t see Jeb hanging it up over bad opinion polls and conservative columnist tweets. When your brother and father were both President you don’t quit before the first vote is cast.
The question is does he go down swinging to be a gentleman from here on and prep for the graceful exit and return to Wall Street?
Yeah you are right Brent….he ain’t going nowhere for a while.
I agree with anonymous. Step out now and keep his (and his’ superpacs) powder dry for the general election. This does not at all mean that they need to wait for the general, they can tee off on HRC anytime.
To date Jeb’s attacks on Rubio have proven even less effective than his efforts to deal with Trump. He is rapidly becoming a nonfactor whatever he chooses to do.
This is what Jeb is doing. Many tRump and Carson supporters are anti-Jeb and so Jeb’s biggest enemy being Rubio only garners him sympathy and support. Jeb would be wasting his money on Rubio.
Jeb needs to leave the race before he ruins his reputation and back-stabs more friends.
Kirkorian is right. I made the same point to Mrs Frozen last night. Jeb needs to get out so his money guys can spend their money on Marco.(Although any rich guy still giving his money to Jeb should have a trustee placed in charge of his assets)
Why would Jeb! take out Rubio to help Cruz?
It seems like the general consensus is that the six remaining viable candidates are Trump, Carson, Fiorina, Christie, Rubio, and Cruz.
If you’re Jeb!, which of the six would be acceptable to you? Christie maybe, but Rubio seems like the likely choice. Trump, Carson, Fiorina, and Cruz embody what I would have to imagine is unacceptable to himself and the rest of the donor class.
I’m not saying that Jeb! is in trouble… but this just popped up in Variety:
Gold, EJ, Gold!
He needs to fire Mike Murphy first and then he should drop out.
As long as ¡Jeb! keeps attacking Rubio, he can stay in the race until the convention, as far as I’m concerned. Every dollar ¡Jeb! spends attacking Rubio is one GOP establishment donor’s dollar that won’t be spent trying to destroy one of the decent people in the race. As Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “Never interrupt an enemy when he is making a mistake.”
Four years ago, the conservative candidates destroyed each other, clearing the way for Romney to lose. This year, perhaps we’ll see the establishment candidates destroy each other, clearing the way for a conservative to win.
Jeb can’t keep going after Rubio; like last night, he’ll miss the target & get hit with the ricochet (pun intended). He needs to get out now before he ruins his reputation permanently and gives fodder for Herself in the general against whoever survives our primaries.
Cruz has zero electability. I like him, but he would be destroyed by Hillary, Bernie, or even O’Mally. So perhaps Jeb weakens Rubio for the purpose of getting his pal Hillary elected?
Jeb should get out now.
He never should have entered in the first place. By entering the race earlier than expected with a $100M war chest, he caused Trump to enter the race because of his immigration stance. These two events completely disrupted the primary process.
Jeb will not win and he has already done enough damage to this primary season.
No he should stay. It was fun watching a young, comparative novice slap ol’ Jeb around like transpired on Wednesday. I was a real joy.
Now that is a profound statement. And I would direct you to the comment by Concretevol just above yours. Could Bush be taking after Rubio in the hopes of giving him cover with the Base? I wonder how that could be measured, the effects of one amnesty pol attacking another amnesty pol with abandon?
You really say this when Donald Trump is leading the polls? A year ago, how much chance do you think anyone would have given Trump?
Let the electorate decide who is electable… with elections.
I thought Rubio handled himself perfectly then, and also when asked about that moment later on Stephanopoulos, but the whole episode made me sad. Jeb never should have run, and his candidacy is incomprehensible to me. But he seems like a gentle-natured, decent man, and he looked miserable throughout the debate. He doesn’t want to be doing this, but for some reason, he’s not dropping out yet. I hope he will in time to save his dignity.
Petty, unrelated criticism of Rubio: I wish he would ditch the comb-over.
Lots of consultants can eat at that trough who won’t be picked up by the others. They’ll do their best to keep him in. Anyone know what kind of money these guys make for all their excellent advice?
I agree, Peter you need to get a hold of your buddy Murphy and tell him to bow out gracefully. Don’t try to Rove it, Rubio is not McCain. He is a great counter puncher
Peter and Mark, have you taken leave of your senses? That’s a recipe for GOP presidential suicide!
As much we love Ted Cruz here in our tiny corner of the electorate called Ricochet, let’s be honest and admit this: Cruz can’t possibly sway enough moderates and independents to put the electoral college votes Mitt Romney whiffed on back into the R column. Nominate Cruz and we’ll see a Hillary Clinton landslide the likes of which America hasn’t seen since LBJ vs. Goldwater.
With general-election potentials Kasich and Christie apparently as nonstarters for the nomination, we’re left with a single figure capable of defeating Clinton in the general election. That’s Marco Rubio.
What reason could Jeb Bush possibly have, as he collapses on the track in a dusty pile, to tear down with him the party’s only hope for the White House?
Sure, Jeb is a miserable candidate. But I have to believe he’s a better man that.
Ted Cruz is a fine fellow who would lose the general election by more than McCain did. For starters, the theme would be “Republicans and Wall Street”, the opposite of truth (especially for the Clintons, Goldman Sachs, Robert Rubin, etc.), but salable based in Ted’s wife.
I fear Cruz can’t win, anyway, because too many people won’t like his oily-TV-evangelist demeanor. So, tearing down Rubio would not be a good idea.