Trump’s Jabs at Jeb Scoring Points
Also…are donors bailing? To Kasich?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the Republican primary candidate causing the most excitement—at least when it comes to media coverage and outspoken grassroots support—is Donald Trump. Love him or hate him, Trump has found his niche in the voter base, and he’s playing out his position by going consistently on the offensive against candidates who would prefer to turn focus on their budding policy initiatives for health care or education.
While campaigning in New Hampshire this week, Trump took full aim at fellow contender Jeb Bush, who constitutes the prime example of a candidate we’d expect to pivot away from rhetorical attacks. Trump played off of this significant difference in tactics and personality, and the results were devastating.
“Know what’s happening to Jeb’s crowd, right down the street? They’re sleeping!”
This is a terrible optic for Team Bush, and they know it. At a rival town hall meeting just 20 miles away from Trump’s rally, Bush (finally?) went to the mat over Trump’s credentials.
Via WaPo:
Although Trump frequently criticizes Bush’s style and energy on the stump, Bush has for the most part avoided directly engaging with the billionaire. But on Wednesday, Bush responded to a question by a voter who asked about the “candidate that’s leading in all the polls.”
“You’re talking about Trump, aren’t you?” Bush deadpanned. “You can mention his name, he’s the current front-runner. He’s done a pretty amazing job to get to that point.”
The former governor said that Trump “has clearly got talent” and “has won a lot of people over.” But he stressed that he believes Trump’s record is less than conservative.
“Mr. Trump doesn’t have a proven conservative record,” he said. “He was a Democrat longer in the last decade than he was a Republican. He has given more money to Democrats than he’s given to Republicans.”
“Even on immigration where…the language is pretty vitriolic for sure,” Bush added. “But hundreds of billions of dollars of costs to implement his plans is not a conservative plan. This is going to be my pitch: Let’s support someone who you don’t have to guess where he stands because he’s consistent, because he’s been governor he’s consistently had the views that he has.”
This wasn’t a planned pivot, but it was a necessary one. Bush’s campaign has put up a largely lackluster show compared to Trump’s bombast, or Marco Rubio’s energetic appeals. Reports have surfaced suggesting that Bush’s donors have been less than impressed by their chosen candidate’s docile approach to what has become a primary slugfest. They’re looking elsewhere—and possibly toward Ohio, where John Kasich’s New Day for America PAC is set to benefit from this lack of enthusiasm. Representatives from the PAC have said that several Bush donors have approached the organization, but wouldn’t elaborate on whether or not these donors have actually jumped ship.
More via Fox News:
Kasich’s greatest success has come in the early primary state of New Hampshire. Earlier Wednesday, he secured the endorsement of former New Hampshire Republican state legislators Doug and Stella Scamman, whose farm hosted Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign launch. Other prominent Granite State GOP leaders to come out for Kasich include former RNC member Nancy Merrill, who co-chaired Sen. John McCain’s New Hampshire campaigns in 2000 and 2008, and state Rep. Jack Flanagan, majority leader in the New Hampshire House of Representatives.
Voters appear to have taken notice of Kasich as well, despite his late entry into the race. A Boston Herald/Franklin Pierce University poll released earlier this month found Kasich in third place with 12 percent of the vote, just one percentage point behind Bush and six points behind leader Donald Trump.
A strong performance in the first Republican debate in his home state of Ohio appears to have helped Kasich as well.
Keep in mind that this is Bush we’re talking about. Bush, who is a Bush, is losing steam against an apolitical corporate insurgent and a midwestern governor. His tactical shift could help him—I’m not ready to count Bush out yet—but the fact that it was a forced shift says much about Trump’s ability to run an effective offense against one of America’s most successful political dynasties.
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Comments
Is there anyone out there who actually takes seriously Jeb! claiming to be the real conservative in the race?
This is like Boehner claiming that he, himself, is the Tea Party, and the fountain of all conservatism in Washington.
Bush is not claiming that, as between him, and maybe, Ted Cruz, or Scott Walker.
As between him and Trump, yes, because he (and George Will) is saying that Donald Trump is not a conservative at all! Not historically, anyway.
Jeb Bush’s problem is that he is not a deep thinker, or not an overly analytical thinker, and he can’t hack his way through the logic traps and thickets that have been thrown up.
He doesn’t come up with original, or extremely good, responses to anything.
Not the common core, either, or Iraq, and he really should have fleshed out thoughts on Iraq.
Oh, you know what his position is on Iraq, and it is as good as anybody else’s that’s around, but he doesn’t know how to counter what he instinctively recognizes as bad arguments. He just doesn’t know how to deal with them as arguments.
He doesn’t know, or can’t figure out, the refutation to unconvincing arguments, and he doesn’t know that he needs to find someone who can help him, and that’s causing a real problem for him.
And often, he doesn’t understand, or doesn’t seem to understand, the other person’s arguments or beliefs. He doesn’t pick up, sometimes, what is being argued.
And Kasich actually isn’t any better, and has less moral courage. Nobody knows how to deal with the arguments Trump has taken up.
It doesn’t mean that he (Trump) is right – for a long time conservatives didn’t know how to argue against socialism, either.
s between him and Trump, yes, because he (and George Will) is saying that Donald Trump is not a conservative at all! Not historically, anyway.
Uh, Sammy you do know George Will’s wife is working on Walker’s campaign? And that Trump is leading in the republican polls.
There may be an agenda there.
He’s using indirection to make the claim, Sammy. He’s not saying explicitly that he is, but the listener is supposed to comprehend that he is based on his record and his consistency. Remember, Jeb has said he doesn’t need Conservatives to win; therefore, he is not going to explicitly claim himself Conservative. He will use weasel-like code words instead.
This Conservative is going to sit out the election if Jeb is the nominee. To the GOPE, if Jeb is the nominee, let him win the election and prove to me that he doesn’t need me. When he does, I will not come back to the GOPE, instead, I will look third party.
Jeb “Make America Mexico Again” Bush talks about being consistently conservative? He is among the *worst* candidates at parsing sentences and trying to please both sides, all while pretending to be a conservative. Time for Jeb to go home and have some crustless cucumber-and-lite-mayo finger sammiches.
Jeb Bush cooked his own goose when he made the statement that he could win without the support of the conservative wing of the Republican party. The proof that he screwed the pooch is now showing in the polls. Yes, it is still early and there is a long way to go, but I see a major change in the current lineup.
“Trump’s ability to run an effective offense against one of America’s most successful political dynasties.”
Just a random thought about “dynasties”. Were the Harlem Globetrotters really that good, really as good as their record suggests, or, was their record what it was because they played the Washington Generals?
i’d no more vote for Jeb! than i would Obola… if he’s the GOP nominee, he loses.
same same for Kasich. i’ll go to the polls, as always, but i held my nose for the last time when i voted for Mittens.
i’m done with voting for RINOs.
Jeb has the charisma of a potato. He has told conservatives he doesn’t need them. When has a genuine conservative running for office ever told conservative voters he doesn’t need or want them? That’s obvious bullshit on its face.
Bush identifies himself as did his brother GW – Jeb’s a ‘compassionate’ conservative. What does that mean? Why does Bush think regular conservatives are not compassionate? I despise this holier-than-thou elitism and tricksterism with language. A ‘compassionate’ conservative believes in amnesty, higher taxes, and big government, that is, a compassionate conservative is no conservative at all.
Well, we Conservatives don’t need the modifier, is all.
We are the sole of compassion. We love people, we want them to do very, very well in life and be happy, and we expect their best while we strive for our best.
We care about our neighbors and fellows, and we take of our own substance and time to help them. We do that without the least condescension you’ll see in a welfare office where paid bureaucrats are deigning to give out other people’s money while sneering down at the “beneficiaries”.
We think so much of people in general that we believe they are capable of governing themselves, and we expect them to.
We will effectively defend others, too, and equip ourselves to if it becomes necessary.
“We are the sole of compassion.”
So we get walked on a lot? But are tough enough to endure. 🙂
So, you’re married, right…???
no … I assumed you meant “soul”. But the “sole” version has some merit. “How beautiful are the feet of those that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things”
Wait… did he mean ‘sole’ like the bottom of a shoe or ‘sole’ like the fish?
Compassion walks on us? Or are we its lunch?
The Party elite would rather lose than have Trump as president. They would rather lose than have any true outsider or conservative as president. They sure as hell don’t want a guy who’s likely to simply run roughshod over their carefully manicured playing field.
The elites of both parties are closer to each other than they are to the average American and they hold nothing but contempt for America.
“The elites of both parties are closer to each other than they are to the average American and they hold nothing but contempt for America.”
This.
FOX has used the word “wonky” to describe Bush, several times recently that I heard. I wonder at times if they get talking points from above, and buzz words or phrases.
The problem is when he supposedly gets in the weeds, it is to tell us about the acts of love of La Raza people, who I guess don’t have enough love for Mexico to fight for change there, instead of invading here.
He’s also frequently described as “the grown-up in the room” or “the only grown-up in the GOP room.” Someone apparently workshopped and focus-grouped that one and decided it was a winner. It doesn’t do anything for me, though.
“Mr. Trump doesn’t have a proven conservative record,”
I knew/know something fishy was going on with all the limp rinos running in the Republican Primary. These folks documented it.
http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2015/08/20/how-all-the-candidates-fit-in-the-overall-gope-road-map-the-big-picture/
I’m suspicious of Berie”I surrender to haters” Sanders coming out of the woodwork also. So the coronation would have some token opposition. But the constituencies of the dims are taking no prisoners. God Bless’em and
God Bless America
I LOVE The Conservative Tree House concerning some issues like BLM (blacklivesmatter) but they’ve gone over the wall on their conspiracy theory.
People, PLEASE follow that link and see for yourself. When you read it, you’ll understand why some are conjecturing that Trump is this election’s Ron Paul. Bring on the crazy.
Trump’s credentials are as good as yours, Jebbie.
Jeb! still has that unfortunate affectation of “speaking in crayon,” addressing citizens as though they’re in the special class at the local primary school. After I mentioned it to someone, I found out that I’m not the only woman to have met him in person who’s noticed this. To be fair, he may be aiming at the sometimes-“folksy” tone of his brother George, but he’s just not pulling it off.
I’m sure the inevitable “doctor’s wives” -type cotillion will still support him, but a lot of other women will probably be put off by that condescending tone. Men, too, I would guess. Of the “middle of the road” (read: kinda squishy) Republicans I know here in Florida, they’re leaning more towards Rubio than Jeb!. Most of the twenty-somethings I know, who are a mixed bag of lefties, righties and formerly-not-interested types, it seems like they’re all either mad for Bernie or for Trump. One or the other, really not considering anyone else.
Of course, those are just my observations — YMMV.
…and of course, I meant “coalition”, not “cotillion”, but whether it was an autocorrect flub or a Freudian slip, “cotillion” actually works just as well as a collective noun for the types I’m thinking of 🙂
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotillion_ball
It works so well that I thought that was what you meant to write. It’s actually a much better word than “coalition”. More evocative of the type.
This captures why I’m supporting Trump. IMHO the left has been controlling the narrative for far too long and Trump is our best hope to shove that story right down their throats.
Trump appeals to the America I knew growing up. Americans are optimists. They take initiative, they have a can-do attitude, they can solve and create anything, and they admire achievement. Americans are independent, proud, and generally happy. America is the home of the self-made man, where money is made, not looted or obtained through political favor and plunder. Americans are not blindly obedient, and they are defiant and will not be pushed around. That is the attitude that Donald Trump has captured.
What America needs is not conservatives, as there is nothing left to conserve. America needs radicals for capitalism who have a conviction that not only does capitalism work, but it is moral. We also need to return to a constitutional republic as originally intended by our Founders.
I want to vote for a presidential candidate who can make with conviction this statement from Ayn Rand: “[T]he United States of America is the greatest, the noblest and, in its original founding principles, the only moral country in the history of the world.” Donald Trump is showing the way and stimulating the real debate for the survival of America. If others follow his lead, it could be a new beginning for America. If not, it could be our last gasp before we sink to a full totalitarian state with only an illusion of freedom.
Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/08/trumps_appeal_a_new_beginning_or_the_last_gasp_of_america.html#ixzz3jSt9UJ8D
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