Wednesday Open Thread [3.6.13]

54 Comments
Marc Ambinder agrees with Jason that Jeb Bush will never be President (even though his moves this week clearly show that he is running):
"Bush is an ideal Republican presidential candidate. He has a national stature, an enviable record as governor, a solid temperament, and nothing significantly scandalous in his past. He is one of his party's best voices on immigration. But he is a Bush. That's going to be a problem. It's not going to be an insurmountable problem, but the Republican base is definitely wary of the Bush brand and will not embrace him, no matter how hard he tacks to the right."
It's not the base that is weary of the Bush name. In fact, the GOP teabagging base loves them some George W. Bush. I am sure you have seen the billboards and the Facebook post with the Chimperor smiling and waving saying "Miss Me Yet?" The base loves Bush. What the base does not love is anyone that disagrees with them. And with Jeb Bush being a successful moderate Governor, that necessarily meant that he disagreed with the base over issues. Exhibit A was Immigration Reform, where until Monday, Bush was for a Path to Citizenship. Now he is not, all to appease the base, whose votes he needs in 2015 and 2016. It is the GOP Conundrum. Any candidate they have that is potentially a viable and attractive general election candidate cannot win the GOP nomination without abandoning that which made them a viable and attractive general election candidate.

Shockingly – Chávez passing mourned

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Maybe it isn't terribly surprising that a guy who fought against having his country's natural resources depleted in order to enrich some bloated American plutocrats isn't so popular in the good ole' U S of A. Elsewhere his passing is being mourned.

School Boards and the big picture

13 Comments
What the Appo referendum brings home for me is the fact that the Republican Party never sleeps. They are very good at playing the long game. There are no small elections for them. Whenever a voting booth is set up, it is an opportunity to build up competencies, mailing lists, donor channels and candidates. If you doubt it, just look at how "Appo Truth" goes from being "all about the kids" and "we respect the teachers" to "Markell, Denn, Ennis, Hall-Long, and Walker must be defeated" in under 300 words. Beating Democrats is the north star, and a measly little referendum is acceptable collateral damage. When you have no policies that can connect with most voters, all you have left is hustle and they have it in spades. Between hustle and their willingness (eagerness?) to not be bound by the truth, the GOP is still a force to contend with here in Delaware and nationally. As Democrats, we only rally ourselves to match their hustle every four years. That doesn't cut it.