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The Jeb Bush Hatchet Man Who Might Accidentally Elect Donald Trump (Mike Murphy)
BuzzFeed ^ | 1/30/16 | McKay Coppins Christopher Massie

Posted on 01/31/2016 7:20:13 AM PST by jimbo123

If Donald Trump ends up on stage this July formally accepting the GOP presidential nomination, don't be surprised if everyone from Washington Republicans to Twitter conservatives gathers outside the convention arena in Cleveland to burn Mike Murphy in effigy.

-snip-

Perhaps unsurprisingly, some disgruntled donors have struggled to keep their displeasure with Murphy to themselves. As one nameless Bush backer grumbled to Politico during the latest round of venting in the media, "You might as well light all this money on fire."

-snip-

Now, with the spectre of the Trumpocalypse looming over the GOP on the eve of the Iowa caucuses, rivals, critics, and even some admirers are questioning Murphy's motives.

"The real question of this campaign is whether Mike Murphy wants to spend down to the last dollar just to destroy Marco Rubio," said Rick Wilson, a Republican strategist based in Florida. Suggesting that Murphy's unwavering commitment to the failed ad blitz might be infusing Bush with false hope, Wilson added, "Maybe I'd be a lot richer if I just always told my clients the ads were working when they weren't."

"I have a lot of respect for Mike Murphy, but I have no idea what the hell he is doing right now," said another strategist.

-snip-

But according to a review of his Murphy's and interviews with more than a dozen people who have worked for, with, and against him over the years, at least one thing has followed him throughout his various reinventions: a reputation for aggressively hoovering every last nickel from his clients' campaigns - regardless of whether he delivers a win.

(Excerpt) Read more at buzzfeed.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Florida; US: Iowa; US: New Jersey; US: New York; US: Ohio; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: 2016election; chrischristie; deportjebbush; deportmikemurphy; designatedlosers; election2016; florida; gope; iowa; jebbush; johnkasich; marcorubio; mikemurphy; newjersey; newyork; ohio; tedcruz; texas; trump



1 posted on 01/31/2016 7:20:13 AM PST by jimbo123
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To: jimbo123

Now it begins! .... The big hurt!...


2 posted on 01/31/2016 7:23:19 AM PST by SubMareener (Save us from Quarterly Freepathons! Become a MONTHLY DONOR!)
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To: jimbo123

Trump’s biggest advantage is that he is not following the advice of traditional political consultants. Those guys are almost universally wrong on everything. But they make money for themselves.

I suspect that Cruz is a better candidate than he sometimes appears — but I think he has some traditional political consultants on staff, and I think they hurt him.


3 posted on 01/31/2016 7:27:34 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (I don't know what Claire Wolfe is thinking but I know what I am thinking.)
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To: jimbo123

If and when Trump becomes the nominee...it will NOT be two things:

1) An accident, or,
2) Be owed to Mike Murphy.

It will be owned by Donald Trump...plain and simple.


4 posted on 01/31/2016 7:30:26 AM PST by Jeff Head (Semper Fidelis - Molon Labe - Sic Semper Tyrannis)
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To: jimbo123

Donald is who he is and he must have the greatest “gut feelings” of anybody in recent political history. Instead of listening to the Karl Rovestans and Mike Murphystans...he has plowed to the top saying what Americans have longed to hear.”MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN”. You would have to be a complete mongotard to not realize that America is broken for the vast majority that makes up our middle class. The Rich get richer and the poor get our money but are perpetually poorer and we are made to feel like its our fault. Screw the establishment . Vote for Donald!


5 posted on 01/31/2016 7:38:42 AM PST by lexington minuteman 1775
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To: jimbo123
Murphy, Wilson, Rove-- no wonder the GOP establishment is on the ropes.
6 posted on 01/31/2016 7:40:48 AM PST by hinckley buzzard
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To: jimbo123

Murphy is the kind of consultant that somehow continues to get hired but he isn’t unique. Its amazing how “conservatives” hire progressive liberals to run their campaigns. John McCain did with Mark Mckinnon. These “cosmopolitan” Republican consultants are largely leeches. Many don’t know a damned thing about marketing and branding and pride themselves on it. That said in this case I have to ask what is Murphy to do?

Does he waste money attacking Donald Trump when they’ve already spent millions and never even dented Trump’s support? The only hope for Jeb outside of meteor hitting a campaign debate and Jeb Bush being a miraculous survivor is for him to force someone like Rubio out of the race. I’ve seen some of the ads against Rubio and they are effective though less so in selling Bush. Rubio is likely a solid 3rd place in Iowa. Jeb Bush is tied with Huckabee and Paul for 4th in the polls. The question is how far will Bush try to take it. Jeb has a chance for a 2nd place finish in New Hampshire and if I were his campaign manager that is where I would be focusing my attacks and those attacks would be on Kasich who I think has very soft support.

Jeb only has to pick up a few points to put him in a solid 2nd place in NH. One poll Emerson actually showed him in 2nd place with 18%. I’m not sure I believe that poll but enough polls show he could definitely win 2nd place in New Hampshire which would give him an argument to go further and get donors to give more money. Right now the Bush strategy in Iowa is to hold Rubio down as best they can. They should be attacking Kasich because the sooner they get him out of the race the sooner they can pick up some vote share. I’d have went after him first. You cull the herd by going after the weak.


7 posted on 01/31/2016 7:45:07 AM PST by Maelstorm (America wasn't founded with the battle cry "Give me Liberty or cut me a government check!".)
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To: lexington minuteman 1775
Donald is unapologetically authentic. He has had the luxury during his life, to be exactly who he is. (BTW, That's what makes America great. Anyone can become independent and be your own man or women beholden to no one. But most of us don't have $10Bill to back us up)
8 posted on 01/31/2016 7:54:17 AM PST by Awgie (truth is always stranger than fiction)
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To: jimbo123
As one nameless Bush backer grumbled to Politico during the latest round of venting in the media, "You might as well light all this money on fire."

Nah. The backer and his money would have parted soon anyway.

9 posted on 01/31/2016 7:57:35 AM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: jimbo123

Murphy’s a hairball with a smirk.

What is he now, a three-time loser? Four?

But Yeb is such a mincing, bitching, pissy-poor candidate that P.T. Barnum couldn’t have got the guy elected.


10 posted on 01/31/2016 8:06:54 AM PST by Fightin Whitey
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To: jimbo123
Donald Trump being nominated/elected would be no "accident" -- it would be on purpose.

As a result of their duplicitousness of far too many, the "professional politicians" and their equally smarmy "advisors" have done this all by themselves.

11 posted on 01/31/2016 8:10:56 AM PST by glennaro
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To: jimbo123

My opinion? My opinion is that ‘political consultants’ are in the business for themselves. Spending donor’s and the candidate’s money is how they make money themselves. And then sometimes the candidate gets elected and sometimes he doesn’t.

But the ‘political consultant’? If he’s smart he gets paid first, otherwise it might take years to get reimbursed from a failed campaign.


12 posted on 01/31/2016 8:15:56 AM PST by The Working Man
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To: jimbo123
Now, with the spectre of the Trumpocalypse looming over the GOP....

Trumpocalypse. I like it.

13 posted on 01/31/2016 8:18:16 AM PST by JustaCowgirl
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To: lexington minuteman 1775
You would have to be a complete mongotard to not realize that America is broken for the vast majority that makes up our middle class. The Rich get richer and the poor get our money but are perpetually poorer and we are made to feel like its our fault. Screw the establishment . Vote for Donald!

Very succinct summary of exactly where we are.

14 posted on 01/31/2016 8:19:54 AM PST by JustaCowgirl
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To: jimbo123
In New Hampshire, they mailed small video players to voters with a 15-minute Jeb! documentary pre-downloaded. In Iowa, they splashed messages across digital billboards so head-scratching that even Bush himself reportedly asked, “What the hell is that?” when he drove by one.

Let's say Mike Murphy gets a percentage of WHAT HE SPENDS... AND he's figured out Jeb's NOT going to win... The gravy train comes to an end the day Jeb drops out and stops buying ads... So Mike's job is to spend money as fast as he can so he can get his cut. No ads, no spending, NO CUT.

Or...

Mike's been working for Hillary all along and his job was to destroy Jeb's chances.

15 posted on 01/31/2016 9:47:33 AM PST by GOPJ (If the FBI was investigating Cruz for espionage could Rubio call off the press like Sanders did?)
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To: lexington minuteman 1775
Screw the establishment . Vote for Donald!

there's a slogan Trump would approve.

16 posted on 01/31/2016 9:50:48 AM PST by uncitizen (TRUMP THE SYSTEM)
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