Top story: The Jeb Bush wink-and-a-nod 2016 tour is off to a tremendous flop. So much for being the “smart” Bush.
- The most important policy position Jeb Bush needs in order to win isn’t an immigration or education plan: It’s a “how do I talk about George W.?” plan. And what he has so far isn’t working: “I don’t think there’s any Bush baggage at all. I love my brother. I’m proud of his accomplishments.” That’s positively Romney-esque in terms of willful blindness. Also, it took him four years go come up with that. (The Daily Beast)
- Bush also seemed a bit thin-skinned on Sunday, when he called journalists peppering him with 2016 questions “crack addicts.” It’s also a bit ironic to go on all five Sunday talk shows and tell everyone around you that they’re the ones with the addiction. In fact, that’s generally how interventions begin. (msnbc)
- “Bush’s book, Immigration Wars: Forging an American Solution, is a pre-presidential campaign book, not a policy book. The most obvious sign of that is the nonsensical subtitle.” (The Atlantic Wire)
- Then there’s the flip-flop on a “path to citizenship.” Immigration is supposed to be one of his two big, can’t-touch-this issues (the other being education), and already he’s getting busted by the Politifact people. (Politifact)
- It’s important, to remember, however, that Jeb Bush can afford to make mistakes, particularly with his non-profit Foundation for Excellence in Education in his back pocket: “The well-funded education foundation he runs out of his office in a Miami hotel is stacked with former political operatives, a large communications team, and a rapidly growing staff whose work stretches into 40 states.” (Buzzfeed)
- And judging by these numbers, Jeb Bush’s non-profit is quite the cash machine: “If Bush was to seek the presidency, he could not transfer money raised through his nonprofit to any political committee he formed. But big-dollar donors cultivated through his nonprofit could separately be tapped as contributors or fundraisers.” (The Center for Public Integrity)
- “Jeb Bush will be on all five Sunday shows. Usually when a Bush is on all the networks like that we’re invading the wrong country.” (Pour Me Coffee)
John Flowers