A few names gets you this? "hard evidence the Republican establishment is rallying to his presidential candidacy" http://t.co/LficrEbQB1 — Nick Confessore (@nickconfessore) July 29, 2015 From the WSJ article: … Mike Fernandez, a Cuban-American billionaire who gave $3 million, is the biggest donor to the Right to Rise super PAC, which set a record fundraising …
JEB! and the Power of “Establishment” MoneyPost + Comments (34)
“This whole thing,” said Thomas Ice, a former corporate lawyer and real estate speculator who now represents hundreds of South Florida homeowners fighting foreclosure, “has been one of the great land grabs — transfers of property to the oligarchs — in the history of the United States.”…
That’s the Bush Clan’s Golden Rule — Them that has the gold, makes the rules. As the Post reported earlier this month, “Raising money is a Jeb Bush family business, even for the next generation“:
… Asked about the paltry sum of donations from small-dollar donors, Bush says that there will be plenty of time to cultivate grass-roots supporters… For now, Bush is focused on bigger dollars, and his appearance on Friday night was a tacit acknowledgment of the work his sons are doing to help.
He appeared at a conference hosted by Maverick PAC, a group of wealthy Republicans under the age of 40 who support GOP political candidates of a similar age. The PAC was launched in Texas by about a dozen of George W. Bush’s “Mavericks,” or young professionals who helped raise at least $50,000 in 2004. In 2006, George P. Bush — Jeb’s older son — joined the group and became chairman in 2010. He expanded the PAC beyond Texas to include more than 20 chapters, with several in Florida and one in London.
As Texas land commissioner, George P. Bush can no longer actively participate, but his friend, Jay Zeidman, kicked off the event Friday night… Spotted in the crowd was Charlie Spies, a Republican campaign finance lawyer, who represents Maverick PAC and Right to Rise USA, the super PAC allied with Jeb Bush that raised a record $103 million last quarter…
Father and son later headed upstairs to Bouchon, the French restaurant by chef Thomas Keller, where they hosted a kickoff reception for “Mission: NEXT” — essentially the 2016 version of George W. Bush’s “Mavericks” group. In a nod to his home state of Florida, Jeb Bush’s donor program is called “Mission 2016 JEB” — a NASA-inspired title for a program that will have three distinct tiers for top bundlers.
The first tier, called Apollo, will be for bundlers who can help Bush raise at least $75,000. The second tier, called Endeavour, is for donors who reach at least $150,000. Top-flight bundlers will reach the Voyager level as they help rake in at least $250,000.
Mission: NEXT will be for donors under 40 who can help raise at least $50,000. George P. and Jeb Bush Jr. will co-chair the group and said in a joint statement that it “will be the central program for youth involvement in the campaign.”…
Andres Asion, a Miami real estate broker who is backing Jeb Bush and is friends with Jeb Bush Jr., said the brothers “have been raised in the business, per se, and they know their market and they know what they’re doing very well.”…
Well enough to impress the Hamptons crowd, per Bloomberg Politics:
Behind a garden modeled on Monet’s, Jeb Bush addressed a lawn-full of chief executives and hedge-fund managers at an East Hampton, New York, estate Saturday morning. While the candidate is no stranger to courting wealthy donors, this time was different: about half the attendees were Democrats.
“This guy sells well,” said Kenneth Lipper, the money manager and registered Democrat who hosted the event, after Bush left. Virtually the only one who left without writing a check, Lipper said, was a buck deer that wandered past the group assembled on the wooded grounds…
“People with money like him,” said Andrew Sabin, 69, a top local Republican fundraiser and a co-host of one of the Bush events. “I’m sure there’s a lot of poor people that like him too. It so happens there’s not a lot of poor people in the Hamptons.”…
Over a salad on the deck at the South Fork Country Club prior to attending two of the fundraisers, Sabin said donors appreciate the way Bush’s staff keeps in touch.
“We get a rundown every week—they’re very transparent,” said Sabin, who runs a precious-metals refining business with offices from China to Dubai. “Some guys take your money, you don’t know what they’re talking about until you read it in the newspaper.”…
Prompt and efficient service to the Robber Barons — a hallmark of the Bush brand since the first Gilded Age, when Sam P. Bush made his fortune helping to implement the Rockefellers’ “industrial” interests (cameo appearance by Herbert Hoover).