Jeb Bush's Camp Calls Donald Trump a "Godsend" For Sucking Away the Oxygen From Any Potential Jeb Rival

Via Hot Air, Trump's popularity benefits Trump, but it's also great for Jeb!

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[The lack of media oxygen for other candidates] mainly helps Mr. Bush, who can quietly continue to build his daunting advantages in money and organization while his would-be challengers struggle to break through.

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In Iowa, a crucial state for Mr. Walker, Mr. Trump is now statistically tied with him, according to an NBC Marist poll of potential Republican caucusgoers.

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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.

Hit the first link (the Hot Air link) to read about Trump saying he doesn't expect to throw any punches in Thursday's debate -- though he will punch back if hit.

People have been hoping another candidate, a more respectable one, would grab hold of the populist lightning that Trump has ridden to the top of the polls.

But none really are.

I can't help but think this has something to do with it.

A new oligarchic era of American politics came into full view on Friday, as super PACs disclosed fundraising details showing billionaires bankrolling the 2016 presidential race to an unprecedented degree.

The unlimited-money super PACs account for one-third of all federal election funds raised in the first half of 2015 -- up from 4 percent at this time in the last presidential election. Three-quarters of all super PAC money came from more than 500 wealthy donors, corporations and unions in contributions above $100,000. More than half the money in the presidential race so far -- to super PACs and to campaigns -- came from donors who have given at least $100,000.

For the first time in more than a century, the majority of funding for a presidential election is coming in six-figure or larger checks from corporations and the wealthiest Americans. The presidential campaigns, limited to a maximum of $5,400 from a single donor, raised a combined $128 million. Super PACs supporting those candidates pulled in $260 million, with $208 million from those giving $100,000 or more.

Now, a political candidate needs votes, but even more importantly, I think, he needs money. I had hoped my friend Mike Flynn could make an impact in IL-18 with very little money (he raised $100,000, compared to LaHood's $850,000+), but he could not.

To even keep the lights on in your campaign offices requires a lot of money.

And voting comes later. Much later. For the next year, candidates need, more than anything else, money. You will not be around to try to grab up votes if you don't have the money to stay viable until balloting actually begins.

And I think we all know how the Donor Class feels about amnesty, and the prospect of replacing broke-down old American workers with younger, hungrier foreign ones.

So I'm thinking that all the candidates in the Money Primary have already made a series of commitments on amnesty precluding them from taking any kind of real position against it, beyond the standard litany of "border security first" (supposedly -- all those "Virtual Walls" they have tried selling us on for going on 10 years now).

It's hard to see how anything can possibly change here, absent the transformative power of calamity.

Scary and sad.

Trump Now Has Biggest Lead Ever, Per Monmouth Poll: 26% support, 14 points ahead of Jeb!

posted by Ace at 03:54 PM

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