Jeb Bush, sinking in the polls, goes on the attack against Trump
Source: Fortune
The former frontrunner is abandoning his hands-off approach toward Trump a perilous if necessary change in tactics.... Thats the unmistakable takeaway from a one-two punch the faltering former Republican frontrunner launched Tuesday against the contender whos displaced him.
First, the Bush campaign released an 80-second online video that used old footage of Trump to call attention to his history of conservative apostasies. A succession of clips shows Trump describing himself as very pro-choice, a fan of single-payer healthcare, higher taxes on the rich and President Obamas stimulus package, and a Hillary Clinton supporter. Ive lived in New York City in Manhattan all my life, so, you know, my views are a little bit different than if I lived in Iowa, Trump says in a snippet from a 1999 Meet the Press interview that the Bush campaign uses both to open and close the ad..... He attacks me every day. He attacks me every day with barbarities, Bush said, according to a Washington Post report that translated his comments. Theyre not true. What we did today was to put out in his words to show that hes not conservative. He supports people like Nancy Pelosi. Hes given money to Hillary Clinton. He was a Democrat longer than Republican. Hes said that hes more comfortable being a Democrat. He doesnt have a record, because he hasnt been a person who has served like me, who served for eight years as governor. Hes not a conservative. Thats my point....
Bushs newly aggressive tack comes as polls show him lagging considerably behind the billionaire developer both nationally and in the early proving grounds of Iowa and New Hampshire. And it marks a sharp strategic reversal. Less than two months ago, Bush swore off even discussing Trump, dismissing him as an unserious candidate and a distraction from the real contest. Several weeks later, as Trump has consolidated his lead and proved it more durable than the competition could have imagined, Bush no longer appears to have the luxury of a pay-no-mind attitude.
Read more: http://fortune.com/2015/09/01/sinking-jeb-attacks-trump/
We have seen how well this tactic has worked for other candidates:
Roy Rolling
(6,853 posts)napi21
(45,806 posts)Jebster tried to make Trump look like a Dem but in Trumps rebuttal video he showed Jeb praising Hillary & Bill and how friendly the Bushies are with the Clintons. He even threw in a clip of a reporter asking Shrub what that makes Hillary, and his response.. "My sister-in-law!" I don't think Jebster won this one.
RandySF
(57,636 posts)It will be Bush or Walker.
Ford_Prefect
(7,827 posts)Even if Trump drops out (for reasons unknown at this time) both are still well behind in national polls.
We've already had the insufferably lame McCain/Palin duet, so we know it is possible for the GOP to punt and do so badly. They are so divided ATM it is difficult to see them as running a serious national campaign. I don't doubt they will try to but the odds are rather long at present. I have no doubt their congressional programs will be more focused and effective, sadly.
beac
(9,992 posts)Response to Attorney in Texas (Original post)
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thebighobgoblin
(179 posts)The other idiots in his party won't get out of the way, and he's just getting lost in the crowd. I think Bush will benefit from going on the offensive, if for no other reason than that people will actually know he's in the campaign. Bush's main problem is a lack of visibility. Never underestimate the capacity of the Bush clan to play dirty.
Response to thebighobgoblin (Reply #8)
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vinny9698
(1,016 posts)If you follow political history, you know that playing dirty has always been around.
wolfie001
(2,131 posts)Now that's an honest campaign slogan!
vinny9698
(1,016 posts)The GOP had a tradition of having people wait in line to run. Now with the establishment GOP losing it political might, it is everyone for themselves. The pecking order has been dissolved. One rich donor can fund a candidate regardless of polls or establishment politics.
Makes for a more interesting campaign.