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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Friday Morning Open Thread: Old Lies, New Wrappers

Friday Morning Open Thread: Old Lies, New Wrappers

by Anne Laurie|  January 2, 20156:17 am| 99 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Republican Venality, Assholes, Republican Crime Syndicate - aka the Bush Admin.

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Also, WashPost: The Jeb emails we want to see concern the Nov-Dec 2000 presidential "long count." Do any exist? Are they available?

— Timothy Noah (@TimothyNoah1) December 24, 2014

Just before Xmas, the Washington Post obtained early copies of the emails Jeb Bush planned to release from his 1999-2007 gubernatorial tenure:

… Bush has cast his decision to publicly release his electronic correspondence next month as part of his commitment to being “totally transparent” as he mulls whether to run for president…

… [A]ll the e-mails Bush will release have long been available through a records request to the Florida Department of State. What’s more, the former governor is expected to release only documents already required to be made available under state law, which allows exemptions for legal communications and personnel matters, among others… And the e-mails that he will release show a somewhat filtered version of operations within his administration, in part because Bush was keenly aware that his correspondence could one day become public…

Even the heavily groomed emails have already provided some useful oppo-research leads, per Annie Linskey at Bloomberg Politics:

Republican donor Ric Cooper had a straight line to Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and days after Hurricane Katrina used the access to help secure a $236 million deal that Democrats later called a “boondoggle contract,” according to a trove of e-mails released last week by the Democratic opposition research group American Bridge…

(First?) Sign @JebBush understands modern media environment: trickling announcements that he’s quitting corp boards for max press coverage

— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) January 1, 2015

Yesterday, Jeb — or his handlers — took the next step. Per Charles Ellison, the new blogger at the Washington Monthly:

In a blow-the-spot-up signal that he’s definitely got his eye on the Republican presidential nomination for 2016, the son and brother of Bush Presidents I and II respectively quit every private and non-profit board he currently sits on.

No major politician gives up that kind of prestige and cheddar unless he or she is about to press on with a full-time career in campaigning. The move gives him the elbow space he’ll need to build a presidential exploratory machine. And with a packed GOP nomination field already taking shape, kicking it off at the top of 2015 should offer some head start in the race to lock donors, advisers, staff, etc…

The resignations became effective December 31st, thereby giving him some clean slate in 2015 and enough time between now & the official start of the Republican primaries for voters to forget about it….

If Daniel Larison, at the American Conservative, is any indicator, the not-stupid not-dishonest portion of the GOP base may not be entirely Ready for Jeb:

…[M]ost conservatives aren’t interested in reviving a “compassionate” conservative agenda… they regard most of that agenda with suspicion and even loathing… In fairness, Jeb Bush was a fairly conventional Republican for the mid-2000s. His political problem is that the GOP and the country have changed enough in the last ten years that his pro-corporate “centrism” and pro-immigration views separate him from most of his party to a much greater degree now than they would have when his brother was still president. Being the preferred candidate of corporate America might have been considered a very large advantage before 2008, but now it is a much greater liability than it used to be… It is also a reminder that Bush’s long time away from retail politics has left him mostly oblivious to the changes that have taken place since he left office, and that is why he seems even more out of step with the rest of the GOP than one would assume just by listing the differences he has on policy…

Perhaps Jeb’s best bet would be to follow Andy Borowitz’s (satirical) advice: “Jeb Bush Resigns as George W. Bush’s Brother“.
***********
Apart from the recurrent herpes-like eruption of the Bush Crime Clan, what’s on the agenda for the first Friday of 2015?

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Reader Interactions

99Comments

  1. 1.

    Schlemazel

    January 2, 2015 at 6:28 am

    Just another day at the salt mine. The 2016 clown car is too depressing to contemplate this early in the morning this far from the actual circus. There is a decent chance one of those bozos will follow the current President, way better chance than any sane person would expect & that just makes me hate my fellow countrymen.

  2. 2.

    OzarkHillbilly

    January 2, 2015 at 6:34 am

    Being the preferred candidate of corporate America might have been considered a very large advantage before 2008, but now it is a much greater liability than it used to be…

    I do wonder at what point will the average GOP voter realize he/she is being played for a sucker?

  3. 3.

    raven

    January 2, 2015 at 6:52 am

    What a great game an a totally suck ass 1am finish.

  4. 4.

    MattF

    January 2, 2015 at 6:55 am

    I think Jeb!’s campaign will have vast sums of money– and it’s hard to beat that, particularly considering the Bush family ‘Do whatever it takes’ history. A problem for Bush is that a lot of people will be unhappy at the prospect of a Clinton vs. Bush election. Unfortunately, there’s not much Hillary can do about that. Que sera, sera.

  5. 5.

    Patricia Kayden

    January 2, 2015 at 6:55 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: I’m not sure Larison is right. Being the preferred candidate of corporate America is what got Romney the nominee in 2012.

  6. 6.

    Phylllis

    January 2, 2015 at 6:55 am

    A few errands out and about, then doing the the homebody thing for the last few days of winter break. The only interest I can muster re: 2016 is that I’ll be less than two years from retirement at that point.

  7. 7.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    January 2, 2015 at 6:57 am

    @raven: Sounds like a problem with your time zone.

  8. 8.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    January 2, 2015 at 7:00 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: The answer is never. Mostly due to force of habit.

  9. 9.

    Elizabelle

    January 2, 2015 at 7:07 am

    Not interested in thinking about or commenting on Jeb Bush. Give it a rest. 2016 is too far out.

    ETA: F*ck the Villagers for using this for screenclicks. Who cares? Just horse race types not covering actual news.

  10. 10.

    Botsplainer

    January 2, 2015 at 7:19 am

    FFS, the only thing that Larison has in his paleoconservative quiver that has any pull for naive progressives is a vague opposition to war and lip service anticorporatism.

    His preferred government would hand everything over to corporations in the name of freedom, and his vague antiwar convictions would give way to his white supremacist bloodlust.

  11. 11.

    OzarkHillbilly

    January 2, 2015 at 7:21 am

    @Patricia Kayden: Yes. My point exactly.

  12. 12.

    Keith G

    January 2, 2015 at 7:27 am

    @raven: The fact that it’s the ESPN National Championship Tournament is a problem. Not only are there time zone issues. but there is also the problem of if one wants to see the game which in this case is played between two schools that get considerable support from public monies, one has to sign up to for a cable package that is for many budget busting.

    That said, go Buckeyes!

    No cable at home, so I learned about the outcome of the game when friends and family began instant messaging congratulations to me after I was well asleep.

  13. 13.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    January 2, 2015 at 7:30 am

    @Keith G: QUACK.

  14. 14.

    geg6

    January 2, 2015 at 7:30 am

    Fuck Jeb! and fuck the entire Bush clan. May they and their progeny be ever cursed.

    Myself, I’m going to see Into the Woods with the sister and niece today.

  15. 15.

    Keith G

    January 2, 2015 at 7:34 am

    @Elizabelle: I think you are exactly right.

    Not only is election far off, but as a liberal I feel we need to spend time developing a team that is willing to promote and fight for important and life-saving progressive values. Energy spent focusing on them is energy and time not spent getting our own house in order.

  16. 16.

    Baud

    January 2, 2015 at 7:35 am

    @Elizabelle:
    @Keith G:

    Thirded.

  17. 17.

    Baud

    January 2, 2015 at 7:36 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    I sometimes wonder about the extent to which they are being played, as opposed to being a willing partner in the conspiracy.

  18. 18.

    RSA

    January 2, 2015 at 7:37 am

    Bush has cast his decision to publicly release his electronic correspondence next month…

    This sounds totally screwed up to me. Bush has been out of office since 2007. And he’s still part of the decision-making apparatus of the Florida state government? A “real” state would say that the emails belong to the government and maybe the people of Florida, not to whoever sent them and may be long gone.

  19. 19.

    danielx

    January 2, 2015 at 7:37 am

    Jeb! is relatively sane by the standards of today’s Republican party, although anyone who is dubious about the lengths he’s prepared to go to in order to win support from teh crazy might want to brush up on his role in the Terry Schiavo affair. Sanity in and of itself is not necessarily a vital virtue for potential Republican candidates for 2016, but hewing to wingnut dictates most assuredly is.

  20. 20.

    JPL

    January 2, 2015 at 7:38 am

    @geg6: Look at it this way, if Jeb runs and loses, he dampens any national ambitions his son might have.

    Into the Woods is on my must see list. A review later would be helpful. Enjoy!

  21. 21.

    raven

    January 2, 2015 at 7:38 am

    @Keith G: Being on ESPN, like 98% of bowl games, had zip to do with the fact that college games are nearing four hours again.

  22. 22.

    raven

    January 2, 2015 at 7:43 am

    @Keith G: I had a house full of people who don’t have cable including a very nice, smart high school kid that I could have strangled by the time the game was over. He wouldn’t shut the fuck up and constantly stated the obvious. And to think I sometimes worry that I watch too many games alone. BJ is the perfect game companion.

  23. 23.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    January 2, 2015 at 7:44 am

    @Baud: It’s a bit of both.

  24. 24.

    Baud

    January 2, 2015 at 7:46 am

    @raven:

    He wouldn’t shut the fuck up and constantly stated the obvious.

    He has a bright future in sports broadcasting.

  25. 25.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    January 2, 2015 at 7:46 am

    @JPL: Sure, that worked with GHW Bush and his son.

  26. 26.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    January 2, 2015 at 7:47 am

    @Baud: Or as a political pundit.

  27. 27.

    raven

    January 2, 2015 at 7:48 am

    @Baud: Funny, that’s one of the ZILLION things he said!

  28. 28.

    debbie

    January 2, 2015 at 7:50 am

    @Keith G:

    I don’t have cable either, and I didn’t hear the results until this morning. I must say I was surprised OSU won, but listening to Saban talk about how Alabama didn’t play their best (wah, wah, big baby) makes me kinda glad the South has been shut out.

  29. 29.

    raven

    January 2, 2015 at 7:52 am

    Mario Cuomo dead.

  30. 30.

    Baud

    January 2, 2015 at 7:54 am

    @raven:

    Ha. So he’s just practicing. You should encourage the kid. Maybe ask him over to watch March Madness with you.

  31. 31.

    Baud

    January 2, 2015 at 7:57 am

    @BillinGlendaleCA:

    I don’t know. Apparently, political pundits these days need to know that they should shut up when the GOP is speaking.

  32. 32.

    danielx

    January 2, 2015 at 8:01 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    True dat, although ‘some might say’, to use W’s phrase:

    I do wonder at what point will the average GOP Democratic voter realize he/she is being played for a sucker?

    I’ll never vote for anyone resembling that egotistical sonofabitch Ralph Nader. But I confess that I’m starting to get a wee bit tired of being taken for granted by the corporate wing of the Democratic Party…which includes, let it be noted, a good many members of that unspeakable group known as ‘Villagers”.

  33. 33.

    PurpleGirl

    January 2, 2015 at 8:03 am

    I need to do some housecleaning today and this weekend. My friend in L.A. is traveling east to spend some time in NoVa with a gamer friend and will then come up to NYC for a few days with me. I also have some errands to run this morning in Manhattan.

    ETA: Really exciting (not).

  34. 34.

    raven

    January 2, 2015 at 8:04 am

    @Baud: Ugh, we host a superbowl party (which we may not do because of the construction this year) and he first showed signs of this behavior last year. He’s a good kid and his parents adore him but I guess I’m not so tolerant.

  35. 35.

    Baud

    January 2, 2015 at 8:06 am

    @danielx:

    FWIW, I don’t feel like I’m being played for a sucker. I’m sure I’m in the minority in that view, but I recognize the difference between being part of a coalition party like the Democratic Party and being part of a monolithic party where the party leaders are manufacturing threats to keep me in line.

  36. 36.

    OzarkHillbilly

    January 2, 2015 at 8:08 am

    @Baud: The tea partiers* hated the Wall Street bail out but were united behind the Koch brothers Tea Party banner by GUNS! TAXES! SOCIALISM! WELFARE! BLACKS! (but I repeat myself). They all want to “Take back our country!” but don’t seem to realize the .1% aren’t interested in selling. I know way too many of these people and mention any of the above and all thought processes stop and they just start frothing at the mouth.

    *note the lower case. I differentiate between the suckers and the Grifters.

  37. 37.

    AxelFoley

    January 2, 2015 at 8:09 am

    @raven:

    BJ is the perfect game companion.

    Well, yeah.

  38. 38.

    JPL

    January 2, 2015 at 8:11 am

    @BillinGlendaleCA: Wishful thinking.

  39. 39.

    Baud

    January 2, 2015 at 8:14 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Tea partiers want the Jim Crow Democratic Party back. But when faced with the choice of the actual two parties we have today, they choose the Republican Party. I don’t know if that makes them victims or co-conspirator, but as Bill said above, probably a little of both.

  40. 40.

    OzarkHillbilly

    January 2, 2015 at 8:20 am

    @Baud: Agreed. I would never vote for Claire McCaskill except for all the Todd Akins the GOP runs against her who are so much worse. Should an Elizabeth Warren liberal run against CM in a primary I will vote for that individual then, and when they lose the primary I will vote for Claire again in the general because she is as good as I can hope for in MO.

  41. 41.

    NotMax

    January 2, 2015 at 8:22 am

    @raven

    Still among the best fire in the belly speeches at a political convention was Mario in 1984:

    “…we believe that while survival of the fittest may be a good working definition of the process of evolution, a government of humans should elevate itself to a higher order.”

    Audio of the whole thing in four parts here. Well worth a full listen.

    Would that such straightforward conviction and undiluted inspiration had become more common, not less, in the time since then.

  42. 42.

    ET

    January 2, 2015 at 8:23 am

    If Jeb doesn’t understand that the GOP has changed since he has been out of office then he is stupid or blind. I am not a politician and vote Dem and I know. I think he knows but thinks he can helicopter in and save the day which is more than a bit delusional and arrogant.

  43. 43.

    OzarkHillbilly

    January 2, 2015 at 8:23 am

    @Baud:

    I don’t know if that makes them victims or co-conspirator,

    How’s about a “willing mark”?

  44. 44.

    PsiFighter37

    January 2, 2015 at 8:25 am

    If the people of this country are dumb enough to elect a third Bush to the presidency, they deserve what comes after they get bent over the barrel. Plain and simple.

  45. 45.

    satby

    January 2, 2015 at 8:27 am

    @Schlemazel: I got nothing to add to that, you said exactly what I thought as soon as I read “Jeb”.

  46. 46.

    SiubhanDuinne

    January 2, 2015 at 8:27 am

    the not-stupid not-dishonest portion of the GOP base

    Qu’est-çe que c’est?

  47. 47.

    gvg

    January 2, 2015 at 8:32 am

    @RSA: Read the article more closely. the state of Florida does have the e-mails and has released the same info whenever someone files a freedom of info request. Jeb is just releasing them all at once without a request and specifically the ones that are about him, not everybody else in government at the time.
    My state has many problems, but we actually have pretty good laws on freedom of info about our government. They are called the sunshine laws and date back to a backlash against alot of corruption scandels. I think it was before I was born, but someday I need to look that up. Anyway most public related records are not confidential with caveats and it definately helps. The student records I see are confidential to anyone EXCEPT the student involved who can request their own records at anytime and we have to print them for him/her with proof of identity. The laws predate easy cheap printing and instant images online so we are actually allowed 10 days to produce them but we don’t bother to enforce that. Most of the time they can get it instantly. If its the begining of the semester with lines out the door and such we will ask them to come back the next day or if we want to be sure we haven’t missed finding some record also maybe the next day. I have training every year on the rules and have some now for the new years.
    Politicians get in trouble for secret meetings here. they have to hold all meetings in public. The new ones complain but it turns out not to really be a problem. The one issue I know of where too much public openness has impacted us is the public search process for University Presidents…potential candidates from other states have pulled out when they realized they couldn’t keep secret that they were considering leaving current employers. I wouldn’t give up the public records in that case though because it prevents most secret hires of friends and family over more qualified applicants in the thousands of other hires the University has to make each year. I understand that used to be a real problem but it mostly isn’t now.
    So Jeb is trying to appear transparent, but really had no way to prevent this info from being availible. He is also trying to control the timing of any bad publicity. I wonder if he thinks Romney who didn’t release tax returns is going to be a big rival? I am still mad Romney managed to get the nom without releasing his tax returns. Jeb would have had to release his each year he was govenor.

  48. 48.

    Elizabelle

    January 2, 2015 at 8:34 am

    OFA sent out an email asking what Obama supporters top priorities now are.

    I think mine would be Citizens United and income inequality. And protecting healthcare access. I don’t trust the GOP one bit.

    A lot of the ills in our very sick political system result from the first two issues.

    What would your priorities be? What would you tell OFA?

    And fuck Jeb Bush and anyone who wants to salivate over his possible candidacy right now. We have a lot of work to do in 2015.

  49. 49.

    satby

    January 2, 2015 at 8:35 am

    @NotMax: listened to the 1984 keynote Cuomo delivered again last night. Another best part: “the Republicans… would divide this country down the middle”.
    I remember watching it and how electrifying it was.

  50. 50.

    RSA

    January 2, 2015 at 8:37 am

    @gvg: Thanks for the correction. I was thinking about the rules governing my own email, for state business, and you’re right, I hadn’t read carefully enough.

  51. 51.

    SiubhanDuinne

    January 2, 2015 at 8:46 am

    @MattF:

    A problem for Bush is that a lot of people will be unhappy at the prospect of a Clinton vs. Bush election. Unfortunately, there’s not much Hillary can do about that.

    For several years, Hillary was using all three of her names — Hillary Rodham Clinton. These days, except for her authorial name on books, she seems to have pretty much dropped that practice. I’ve often wondered why she never just quietly transitioned back to “Hillary Rodham” as a professional name, reserving “Hillary Clinton” for family, marital and social contexts. It’s not like that’s such a radical idea any more, and it would help in removing her from the legacy or dynasty perception. IMO she should have done it years ago, but it’s too late now. If she made the change today it would just look (and be) opportunistic.

  52. 52.

    jonas

    January 2, 2015 at 8:51 am

    After watching Rmoney steamroll the rest of the GOP field in 2012, I’m convinced that all you need to win the GOP primary is chutzpah and money — in equally staggering amounts. Watch 1. Jeb pivot to the populist right (I bet he takes a gaggle of reporters hunting, where he can talk candidly in the duck blind about his personal relationship with Jesus and cutting taxes) even though he’s clearly a corporatist tool — there’s your chutzpah — and 2. raise gobsmacking amounts of money that clears the field for him in pretty short order. Oh sure, Santorum, Carson, Cruz and a few other True Believers will try to take a shot at it and, like Gingrich, may even win a primary or two, but it will be over once the big money donors decide who they want to back. In the end, it might not be Bush, but, you know, CREAM, as we say around here.

  53. 53.

    JPL

    January 2, 2015 at 8:51 am

    @Elizabelle: I mentioned increasing the minimum wage and I wish I had mentioned making higher education more affordable. There’s a long list but Congress will make sure none of it is enacted.

  54. 54.

    SiubhanDuinne

    January 2, 2015 at 8:51 am

    @raven:

    There’s a whole thread on that two or three floors down.

  55. 55.

    Keith G

    January 2, 2015 at 8:58 am

    @Elizabelle: I think housing is re-emerging as a very important issue, as if it actually ever went away.

    As was the case for medical care pre ACA, the free market incentives for housing development are not helpful for a sound society. In urban areas, affordable units for the middle and lower middle class are being bulldozed to make luxury units for the upper third. The working poor are being removed from near center-city low-density mixed neighborhoods and being concentrated in declining suburban neighborhoods redeveloped for high-density rundown apartments. These communities are not designed to serve the working poor as there is poor public transportation and poor access to needed services which are spread out suburban style.

    To me, this is turning into one of the important, central issues of this decade. If we do not address this, there will be many resulting problems plaguing us for years to come.

  56. 56.

    Amir Khalid

    January 2, 2015 at 9:08 am

    @SiubhanDuinne:
    Would it have helped in Hillary’s case, given that she was publicly known as the First Lady of Arkansas and then of the US? She would have been so much more prominent in her FL roles, and that might eclipse her formidable professional rep as a lawyer.

  57. 57.

    raven

    January 2, 2015 at 9:08 am

    @SiubhanDuinne: sorry, I wasn’t here

  58. 58.

    Elizabelle

    January 2, 2015 at 9:11 am

    @JPL:
    @Keith G:

    That’s just it.

    Plenty of issues out there to discuss and get smart about now. Affordability of housing and college and minimum wage increases to get more money out into consumer spending. (And away from NEW CONSTRUCTION! of luxury housing and investment trusts profiting from that.)

    And our media betters are serving up Jeb Bush and the Today show just this minute finished a segment near the top of the hour that Bono might not ever play guitar again. (My sister has it on for background noise.)

  59. 59.

    Keith G

    January 2, 2015 at 9:16 am

    @jonas: The words you type have wisdom.

  60. 60.

    Patricia Kayden

    January 2, 2015 at 9:21 am

    @PsiFighter37: If Bush is elected, it will be because of voter suppression, as in the suppression of the Black/Brown vote. I don’t foresee minority voters supporting Republicans in 2016.

  61. 61.

    Cckids

    January 2, 2015 at 9:30 am

    @geg6: Saw Into the Woods Tuesday, really liked it. One of my favorite musicals. Have fun!!

  62. 62.

    Amir Khalid

    January 2, 2015 at 9:32 am

    @Elizabelle:
    That’s bad news abut Bono,. But then again, all the band really needs to do is hire a guitar player for the tour. The Edge will still be doing all the heavy lifting in that department.

  63. 63.

    danielx

    January 2, 2015 at 9:34 am

    A box of stale Girl Scout mint cookies to the first person to identify the author of the following prose….

    Sarah Palin — former half-term governor, babbling-word-fountain, almost-one-heartbeat-away-from-the-presidency mother of Slam, Brisket, Pillow, Oreo-Double-Stuffed, and maybe or maybe not Lil Trigger depending on whether you are Andrew Sullivan, and America’s unhealing cold sore … in short: the Courtney Love of the GOP — had what some might call a banner year this year.

  64. 64.

    GregB

    January 2, 2015 at 9:37 am

    We’ll know Jebs is running when he heads down to Louisiana to kiss David Duke’s ring.

  65. 65.

    Davis X. Machina

    January 2, 2015 at 9:38 am

    @Keith G: A core inhabited by the rich, and a ring of favelas full of poor people who rely on private, informal transportation, much of it expensive, and inefficient, cash-starved public transport.

    Why shouldn’t American cities work like everyone else’s?

    I’m waiting for the chopping-up of exurban MacMansions into flats…

  66. 66.

    delk

    January 2, 2015 at 9:38 am

    Speaking of Sarah Palin

  67. 67.

    Davis X. Machina

    January 2, 2015 at 9:41 am

    @ET: How has it changed? Ends? Or means?

    It’s still the party of money. And white people. And southerners.

    It’s just allied itself more closely with people who think differently about money, who think that it’s an outward sign of the Lord’s election. Most of whom are white. And southerners.

  68. 68.

    jonas

    January 2, 2015 at 9:43 am

    @Patricia Kayden: If Bush (or another Republican) wins in 2016, it will be because the economy still sucks for enough working/middle-class people that they decide to switch teams in the White House. Of course, Republican policies will only immiserate them further, but hey! who’s Taylor Swift dating?

  69. 69.

    schrodinger's cat

    January 2, 2015 at 9:48 am

    @danielx: Pierce?

  70. 70.

    Davis X. Machina

    January 2, 2015 at 9:55 am

    @schrodinger’s cat: Or TBogg. The naming of the children, IIRC, began with America’s Worst Mother™…

  71. 71.

    Frankensteinbeck

    January 2, 2015 at 9:56 am

    This article tells me that Jeb has a huge chance of winning the nomination. He has the same thing going for him that Romney did – and it’s not ‘the support of the corporate wing’ like people seem to think. What Romney had was basic competence, in a field of clowns. His competitors didn’t just flub their lines on-stage, they didn’t have campaign teams and messed up getting on the ballots in some states. He was the only guy who could tie his shoes, and he kept walking until the others all fell on their faces.

    What I’m seeing here is that Jeb is more than minimally competent, which is all Romney had going for him. He’s organized and plans ahead. He does understand the rules of the digital age: ‘Thou Shalt Not Leave Incriminating Emails On Thy Government Computer I Am Looking At Thee Christie.’

    @Baud:
    Co-conspirators, or at least devoted allies. They are united by their desire to scream ‘Fuck you, you’re not the boss of me!’ Both groups resent any restriction on their right to hurt others.

  72. 72.

    ms_canadada

    January 2, 2015 at 9:58 am

    No!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not another Bush! How can my American friends and family even consider this guy? Watch his mannerisms and facial contortions…he’s just as goofy and idiotic (and dangerous) as the rest of the fam. Please, Americans…do not inflict another Bush on the world.

  73. 73.

    Davis X. Machina

    January 2, 2015 at 9:59 am

    @jonas: Absolutely. Working-class Thatcherism isn’t just a British phenomenon…

  74. 74.

    Davis X. Machina

    January 2, 2015 at 10:01 am

    @ms_canadada:
    He’s stinking rich, and knows where to get more.
    He’s white. He’s male. He’s some indefinable sort of Southerner.
    And he has an R after his name.
    So there’s 45% of the vote right there.,,,

    Welcome to America.

  75. 75.

    JPL

    January 2, 2015 at 10:02 am

    @delk: Not only does she allow her son to abuse an animal, she posts about it.

  76. 76.

    Matt McIrvin

    January 2, 2015 at 10:15 am

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    I’ve often wondered why she never just quietly transitioned back to “Hillary Rodham” as a professional name, reserving “Hillary Clinton” for family, marital and social contexts. It’s not like that’s such a radical idea any more, and it would help in removing her from the legacy or dynasty perception.

    I think “the legacy or dynasty perception” is only a concern to a tiny minority of voters. If you’re running for President, at this point in history, having the name Clinton is mostly a huge advantage.

  77. 77.

    Davis X. Machina

    January 2, 2015 at 10:18 am

    @Matt McIrvin:

    I think “the legacy or dynasty perception” is only a concern to a tiny minority of voters.

    All of whom, however, seem to be active posters on progressive blogs’ comment sections.

  78. 78.

    ARoomWithAMoose

    January 2, 2015 at 10:50 am

    Release all the documents the Sunshine Laws would allow to come to light anyways. In 3 months it’s “old news” and not worth the pundit class talking about it anymore.

    All problems solved for Jeb. We aren’t revisiting JEB big footing the Schiavo case or pillaging the state worker’s pension fund to support Edison schools stock price (gotta let the family friends un-leverage themselves without taking a bath) because it’s “old news”.

  79. 79.

    danielx

    January 2, 2015 at 11:18 am

    @Davis X. Machina:

    With a little work, that could be turned into a passable limerick.

  80. 80.

    J R in WV

    January 2, 2015 at 11:19 am

    Speaking of housing, we went to a New Year’s Eve party, and drove out of the neighborhood taking a right turn from the usual central path, which is shorter going to town.

    There was a newly spotted single wide trailer over in the next hollow, and it had 4 front doors with steps, so I surmise it is 4 tiny apartments/rooms to let. Sad that it appears that many people can’t afford even a little RV camper trailer any more.

    I wonder if they get a bathroom with that trailer? or kitchen appliances? Probably just a room with a bed, a table, and a hot plate. Actually worse than sad!

  81. 81.

    Matt McIrvin

    January 2, 2015 at 11:20 am

    @Davis X. Machina: More generally, getting a sense of the political zeitgeist from blog comments is usually a mistake. If the electorate were anything like the Internet, Libertarians, Greens and the most leftist Democrats would be far more powerful than they are.

  82. 82.

    Southern Beale

    January 2, 2015 at 11:24 am

    The base will fall in line, they always do. The political operatives will cast enough fear and loathing about Hillary (Benghazi/Vince Foster/blah blah) that if nothing else they’ll make the Teanuts feel like they have to vote for Jeb just to save the nation from the Demoncrats who are coming for their guns and Bibles.

    It’s not like we haven’t seen this movie before, people.

  83. 83.

    askew

    January 2, 2015 at 11:26 am

    @Elizabelle:

    Immigration Reform
    Infrastructure spending
    Economy

    None of which will be addressed by GOP Congress

    As for why Hillary didn’t change her name, Clinton is the biggest positive she has in her arsenal. It allows her to trade on her much more accomplished and popular husband’s legacy.

    And everyone I know is bugged by a Clinton vs. Bush rematch. I expect voter turnout to be at an all-time low for presidential elections which will only hurt Hillary.

  84. 84.

    catclub

    January 2, 2015 at 11:31 am

    …, the not-stupid not-dishonest portion of the GOP base may not be entirely Ready for Jeb

    Of course, as Adlai Stevenson said, when told that every thinking person was for him, ” but I need a majority.” Similarly, the not-stupid Not-dishonest portion of the GOP could meet in a phone booth.

  85. 85.

    Ruckus

    January 2, 2015 at 11:32 am

    @ET:
    more than a bit delusional and arrogant.

    And your point in describing any bush family member?

  86. 86.

    catclub

    January 2, 2015 at 11:33 am

    @Southern Beale:

    make the Teanuts feel like they have to vote for Jeb just to save the nation from the Demoncrats who are coming for their guns and Bibles.

    Didn’t work in 2008 and 2012, why should it work in 2016?

  87. 87.

    catclub

    January 2, 2015 at 11:41 am

    @Keith G: Try a google search on something like “Livestream College Football” Or “livestream world cup” and you can watch on your computer. I don’t have cable, but I watched the games.

  88. 88.

    Davis X. Machina

    January 2, 2015 at 11:43 am

    @Matt McIrvin: But the good people at DemocraticUndeground.com assure me they’ve got their fingers on the real pulse of the real nation, where there are scores of millions of non-voters who non-vote because no candidate sufficiently left enough has ever been presented to them…..

  89. 89.

    SWMBO

    January 2, 2015 at 1:02 pm

    OT I hope he’s ok:

    http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/01/02/harry-reid-broke-a-number-of-ribs-and-bones-in-his-face-in-exercise-accident/

  90. 90.

    Bob In Portland

    January 2, 2015 at 1:12 pm

    Jeb is just another grifter in the cult of thieves that is the Bush family. Not that it makes a difference, but does anyone think that Clinton’s foreign policy would be any better than his?

  91. 91.

    Bob In Portland

    January 2, 2015 at 1:13 pm

    @Davis X. Machina: People stop voting when it doesn’t matter anymore. Tell me, Clinton or Bush?

  92. 92.

    Matt McIrvin

    January 2, 2015 at 2:15 pm

    Concerning the “dynasty” question, it’s also important to keep some perspective: this isn’t a recent trend; powerful political families have been around since the beginning of the republic. Consider the Adamses, Lees, Harrisons, Roosevelts and Kennedys. Their effects were not always benign, but I’m not sure it’s a sign of decadence or incipient monarchy.

  93. 93.

    GHayduke (formerly lojasmo)

    January 2, 2015 at 3:10 pm

    @raven:

    high school kid that I could have strangled by the time the game was over. He wouldn’t shut the fuck up

    You know CS personally?

  94. 94.

    TriassicSands

    January 2, 2015 at 3:39 pm

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    “I do wonder at what point will the average GOP voter realize he/she is being played for a sucker? ”

    I’m pretty sure that will be either never or when hell freezes over, whichever comes later.

  95. 95.

    SWMBO

    January 2, 2015 at 4:11 pm

    This should win him the White House:

    http://www.freewoodpost.com/2013/03/05/jeb-bush-changing-his-last-name-to-reagan-to-better-his-chances-in-2016/

  96. 96.

    colby

    January 2, 2015 at 4:24 pm

    ” I expect voter turnout to be at an all-time low for presidential elections which will only hurt Hillary.”

    I think you’re underestimating the power the “First Female Presidential Nominee” tag would hold. Self-selecting sample and all, but all of my apolitical or low-information voter friends are psyched to vote for Hillary.

  97. 97.

    Turgidson

    January 2, 2015 at 4:51 pm

    @Bob In Portland: Yes.

  98. 98.

    Jesse

    January 2, 2015 at 6:04 pm

    @Botsplainer: Also, too, there’s another way to look at this this bit from Larison compared to what AL seems to have had in mind: he’s writing as a conservative, not as a bemused stealth-liberal commenter writing about conservatives. Anyone familiar with Larison’s oeuvre will know that when he says, for instance, that “compassionate conservativism isn’t what today’s conservatives want”, you can understand this as something like “I, Daniel Larison, am tired of ‘compassionate conservatives’ poisoning my conservative brand. We’re not ‘compassionate’ at all.” What’s interesting is that he’s using facts about the state of conservativism in 2015 that we agree with to make a very different point from the usual Balloon Juice point-n-laugh-at-teabaggers schtick.

  99. 99.

    Matt

    January 3, 2015 at 10:10 am

    [M]ost conservatives aren’t interested in reviving a “compassionate” conservative agenda

    I mean look, they all still carry around mementos of the execution of the the last guy who told them all to give away everything they had and help the poor, and that was damn near two millennia ago… ;)

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