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Trump: Bush’s Stalking Horse?
PowerLine ^ | August 2, 2015 | Steven Hayward

Posted on 08/02/2015 11:21:23 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

In my interrogatories about Trump a week ago, I asked Trump enthusiasts the following question:

• Are you happy that Trump is essentially a stalking horse for Jeb Bush? If Trump wins some early primaries in a crowded field it will be with less than 20 percent of the vote, but it will likely cause the party establishment—such as still exists—to rally around Bush, just as Democrats rallied to Michael Dukakis in 1988 after Jesse Jackson swept a round of Super Tuesday primaries in the South and caused panic at DNC headquarters.

The New York Times reports today:

Donald J. Trump’s surge in the polls has been met with barely concealed delight by Jeb Bush and his supporters. Mr. Trump’s bombastic ways have simultaneously made it all but impossible for those vying to be the alternative to Mr. Bush to emerge, and easier for Mr. Bush, the former Florida governor, to position himself as the serious and thoughtful alternative to a candidate who has upended the early nominating process. . .

“The longer it goes, the greater the panic is going to build,” said Alex Castellanos, a longtime Republican strategist. “And that means you may not have the luxury to flirt with an undeveloped, budding candidate. Trump has set the Republican Party on fire, and if you’re going to put that fire out you don’t have time to waste. You’re going to have to grab the biggest blanket you got and throw it, and right now that’s Jeb.” . . .

Privately, Mr. Bush’s top strategists, who have become increasingly fixated on halting Mr. Walker, believe that Mr. Trump is nothing short of a godsend. That is because Mr. Trump is drawing support from voters — blue-collar, less-educated, more conservative — who are unlikely ever to support Mr. Bush but are essential to Mr. Walker’s candidacy.

Remember, Power Line was there first.


TOPICS: Campaign News; Parties
KEYWORDS: bush; gop; trump; walker
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To: 2ndDivisionVet; All
...Privately, Mr. Bush’s top strategists, who have become increasingly fixated on halting Mr. Walker, believe that Mr. Trump is nothing short of a godsend. That is because Mr. Trump is drawing support from voters — blue-collar, less-educated, more conservative — who are unlikely ever to support Mr. Bush but are essential to Mr. Walker’s candidacy.....

The full WSJ/NBC poll won't be released until today. In all the reporting (I've been able to locate), Walker's "My 2nd Choice" numbers are judiciously absent.

Donald Trump Surges in New NBC News/WSJ Poll

"...Jeb Bush is the second choice of 16 percent of respondents, with Carson, Trump, and Rubio all winning the second choice spot from 11 percent of voters....."

Donald Trump Leads Republican Presidential Pack, WSJ/NBC Poll Finds

"......The new poll, whose full results will be released Monday, was based on a survey conducted July 26-30, after Mr. Trump made widely publicized controversial statements, such as when he disparaged former GOP presidential nominee John McCain.

The differences among the top-tier candidates are small enough that they are within the poll’s margin of sampling error. Still, the double-digit jump among Republicans picking Mr. Trump as their first choice—up from 1% in the June poll—was significant.

What’s more, Republicans who don’t see Mr. Trump as their first choice seem to be warming to him. The share of GOP voters who pick him as second choice rose to 11% in the new survey from 3% in June...."

21 posted on 08/03/2015 12:05:12 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Catsrus

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/25/john-kasich-common-core_n_6542584.html


22 posted on 08/03/2015 12:05:38 AM PDT by Prole
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

You are full of sh**. I said I like Kasich better than Walker, and I do. So, I suspect you are a Walker guy - that’s your choice - not mine. I could throw this right back at you. Kasich has stated he hates Obamacare. This has nothing to do with the Tea Party. The only true TP candidate is Ted Cruz, who I also like. I don’t know how you went from point A to point B with your scathing remarks. I guess your logic is all screwed up.


23 posted on 08/03/2015 12:05:54 AM PDT by Catsrus (thet)
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To: Prole

Look, I live in Ohio and I know what Kasich has said about Common Core. He likes some aspects of it, not the entire thing. Get your facts straight before spewing your ignorance.


24 posted on 08/03/2015 12:07:18 AM PDT by Catsrus (thet)
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To: Catsrus

Kasich is Bush.


25 posted on 08/03/2015 12:08:04 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (TED CRUZ. You can help: https://donate.tedcruz.org/c/FBTX0095/)
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To: Prole

Did you read the entire article? If not, let me highlight what he said:

“Part of the problem is today politicians are running to try and to get votes ... We run out here trying to solve problems. And we have a problem with our education standards and our children’s ability to compete in the world,” Kasich said. “We’re not gonna turn this over to Washington, or even to Columbus, our state capital. It’s local schools with local school boards and high standards.”

I guess if Huff and Puff says something negative about your candidate, then it is to be dismissed because - consider the source???? I’m not saying Kasich is my candidate - i’m saying I like him better than Walker, and I do. So, if we want to get technical, I can post negatives about your candidate. By tearing down one’s candidate, does that mean you hope I vote for your choice? Is that the way it works? Once again - I haven’t made a decision about who I favor yet - I’m weighing them all. They all have their warts.


26 posted on 08/03/2015 12:13:09 AM PDT by Catsrus (thet)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

They are all Bush, with the exception of a couple. Even your candidate - unless it’s Ted Cruz, and he has made a couple of stumbles too. Do you think by tearing down another person’s candidate, that person will vote for your choice? That’s so high schoolish. For the record, Kasich isn’t my candidate - in fact, none of them is at this point. I’m listening to all of them with the exception of Bush, Perry, Pataki, and Christie. There may be a couple more I’ve ruled out, but, can’t think of them right now - there are so many. Oh yeah - Lindsay Graham.


27 posted on 08/03/2015 12:16:13 AM PDT by Catsrus (thet)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Why would they think if moderates panic they will go for Jebbie? If anything it’s helping Walker move up to second place. Walker started out as everybody’s second choice.


28 posted on 08/03/2015 1:51:16 AM PDT by Hugin ("Do yourself a favor--first thing, get a firearm!",)
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To: LibWhacker

If they like one RENO they will like another. Job has basically the same positions as Trump, except Trump is further to left on health care and guns.


29 posted on 08/03/2015 2:06:14 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
I thought he was the stalking horse fro Cruz?

Wish these dopes would make up their minds.

30 posted on 08/03/2015 2:39:50 AM PDT by uglybiker (nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-BATMAN!)
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To: Catsrus

So therein lies the rub, just what in the blazes is good about anything of Common Core? Not a darned thing!


31 posted on 08/03/2015 3:01:33 AM PDT by mazda77
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Riiiiight - another article said Jeb sees the upside of Trump’s presence - I noted he has to crane his neck to look up at Donald’s receding butt and the only upside visible is the upper regions of Trump’s colon. If the Jeb camp is using Trump as a sign of its future success, it is scared to death and knows it is losing by trying to get “conservatives” to dump Trump.


32 posted on 08/03/2015 3:28:16 AM PDT by trebb (Where in the the hell has my country gone?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Kasich is the real stalking horse. I betcha he goes after everyone but Bush on Thursday (if he is on stage).


33 posted on 08/03/2015 3:29:38 AM PDT by wolfman23601
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To: mazda77

Look - each candidate has his/her pros and cons. When you find the perfect one, please beat him, spit on him, and then nail him to a cross. I like Kasich over Walker for a number of reasons - not a fan of Common Core either, neither am I a fan of attending gay weddings or having a wife and sons who support it, or amnesty, or picking advisers who are Romney throw-a-ways. This country is in such a mess, that we can’t hang our hat on one issue. Having said that, I believe the border is top priority right now. We have to stop the bleeding and fast. We have to prioritize.


34 posted on 08/03/2015 3:32:07 AM PDT by Catsrus (a and)
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To: Catsrus

I agree on the prioritization and Kasich is long off that list. You are perfectly within your right to support him over Walker. Walker for my consideration was floating around the list but never on it because of his waffling on immigration and then he fell off when his PAC hired the strategist that engineered the NSRC jihad against anyone who challenged the establishment who was conservative.

Trump is an enigma and we will see but after making it a point to hear him yesterday on the Sunday Talks, he handles himself wonderfully and answered the questions directly and without any hemming or hawing searching for an answer. When asked about Supreme Court nominations, he said intellectual and above all conservative. He says. Somebody(s) have pissed him off by screwing him on a deal and he is hell bent to get even. It appears the populism thing is getting to him.

Bottom line, thee is only one candidate who thinks that “shutting down” the government is a good thing, has done it before by a floor filibusterer and just announced is also willing to do it again over planned parenthood funding.

I want the closest thing to a person who means what he says and follows that up with action. Kasich’s punt on going to bat against Common Core was a sellout to those who control it. Ask yourself why and then do the research yourself to find out if you really want this kind of person representing you.


35 posted on 08/03/2015 3:48:13 AM PDT by mazda77
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

This is Jeb Bush’s attempt to control the narrative, give themselves that veneer of inevitability by pretending that this is all part of his plan — that he’s playing rope-a-dope and secretly has the support of the voters to win the GOP nod.


36 posted on 08/03/2015 3:49:24 AM PDT by Fhios (I hope Trump can keep us entertained for the next 6 months.)
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To: Catsrus

I don’t think they care about the general election, they just want Jeb? to win the nomination... so that a dreaded conservative can’t become president.


37 posted on 08/03/2015 3:55:27 AM PDT by Bobalu (If we live to see 2017 we will be kissing the ground)
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To: cpdiii

I expect that if Trump is successful at least until Christmas, most of the other candidates will start adopting some of his style and raw rhetoric.

I hope he drives it all the way to convention floor fight.


38 posted on 08/03/2015 3:56:18 AM PDT by Fhios (I hope Trump can keep us entertained for the next 6 months.)
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To: cpdiii

I expect that if Trump is successful at least until Christmas, most of the other candidates will start adopting some of his style and raw rhetoric.

I hope he drives it all the way to convention floor fight.


39 posted on 08/03/2015 3:56:18 AM PDT by Fhios (I hope Trump can keep us entertained for the next 6 months.)
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To: mazda77

You wrote a very long post for nothing. I never said I was supporting Kasich - who, by the way - IS my governor. I said I liked him over Walker. People read into that statement what they wanted, and it further cemented my opinion that many have very poor reading comprehension. I like Kasich’s personality better - is all. I haven’t decided on my candidate yet - although I have a top 3 in mind. Walker was on that list, but, has since fallen off. I haven’t replaced him yet.


40 posted on 08/03/2015 3:58:12 AM PDT by Catsrus (a and)
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