http://www.rawstory.com/2016/02/watch-rnc-chair-squirms-when-asked-if-hes-really-prepared-to-have-trump-be-the-face-of-the-party/

“I think people are sick of politics in general. Sick and tired of Washington D.C.,” the party head replied. “I think, actually just sick and tired of all parties.”

However when pressed on whether he would like to see an outsider like Donald Trump head up the 2016 ticket, considering his history and ties to the Democratic lawmakers, he shifted in his seat and laughed before carefully answering.

“Are you really prepared to have him as spokesman of the Republican party?” the host asked.

“If the delegates, you know, accumulated in such a way that any one of these candidates becomes the nominee, it’s our job to support that nominee and we will,” Priebus replied, before going on at length about the duties of the RNC as he admitted, painfully it appeared, that they would support Trump as a candidate.

Ding, dong, the dynasty is dead: so long to Jeb Bush and the family legacy
Jeb Lund

Don’t blame Trump or pity him: Bush bungled his own campaign from the start and may have ended a dynasty of genteel political malfeasance and mass death



http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/20/jeb-bush-family-legacy-dynasty-election-2016

But, perhaps despite the sadness on his face as he took his leave of the race, and despite his wife’s tears, and despite the fact that, by comparison, he is probably a less odious person than many of the men left in the race, there’s no need to feel pity. The Bush dynasty lost this once; given what it’s done for America in the past, that might ultimately be a good thing.

The Bush clan is a pack of jackals that has skittered among the tall grass of politics now for four generations. Granddad Prescott was a senator who made his cash at Brown Brothers Harriman, in part by investing in Germany’s financial rebuilding on the road to WWII. George HW Bush worked at Brown Brothers Harriman, too, before becoming an oil wildcatter, then a congressman, the head of the CIA (where he overlooked domestic anti-communist terrorism) and finally president, where he pardoned away the dregs of Iran-Contra and solidified the post-Watergate blueprint for America’s refusal to prosecute its greatest political criminals.

You know all about Jeb’s brother, George W “Endless War” Bush. Jeb’s son, George P Bush, once reportedly crashed a car into his ex-girlfriend’s yard after failing to gain entrance via a window (her family opted not to press charges) and is now Texas Land Commissioner – after raising over $3m dollars for the race before he even had a challenger and on the basis of his extensive experience as Bush family member. Maybe Jeb’s failure means his son won’t strive for even higher office. Or maybe not.

After four generations of participating in Republican politics and appealing to Republican voters, the conservative base prefers someone who wants to build impossible walls, expel 11 million people, start trade wars with countries we distrust and bomb anything that moves. There is some consolation in seeing a dynasty of genteel political malfeasance and mass death undone by a TV showman who recognizes that the audience now wants the same product, just bigger, louder and cruder.

Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Rubio would not say he is considering Haley as a potential running mate — "that would be presumptuous," he said — but he acknowledged that her endorsement of him last week was very important in the primary there and he hopes to have her campaigning for him around the country.

"She is incredibly talented," Rubio said. "I think she is going to be on the top of everyone's list (for vice president). Whether she's interested or not, you will have to ask her."

Rubio noted that Haley is still busy being governor of the state and has young children, but "whoever the nominee is — and I think it is going to be me — she is someone that people are going to be paying attention to."

Rubio noted that as a Cuban American, he stood on stage with Haley, who is Indian American, and Sen. Tim Scott, who is African American. "It's pretty amazing that the Republican party is the party of diversity," he said.

http://www.wcnc.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/02/21/rubio-says-sc-gov-nikki-haley-would-good-vp-candidate/80699188/

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-rubio-idUSKCN0VU05O?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=twitter

Within minutes of Jeb Bush dropping out of the presidential race Saturday night, some of his donors were preparing to throw their financial support behind Marco Rubio, who has emerged as the strongest candidate among the establishment wing of the party.

"Jeb's network is already naturally migrating to Marco," said Gaylord Hughey, a top Bush fundraiser from Texas, echoing what four other top donors told Reuters. "It's the clear path."

"It's a stampede," added another donor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he wanted to give Bush some time after dropping out before he went public with his support of Rubio, the U.S. senator from Florida.

Three other Bush donors, who declined to be named, also said they now planned to support Rubio.

Thanks for the Memories, South Carolina



The arrival of George W to campaign there on Jeb!'s behalf surely smacks of deep desperation. And it makes us wonder just how long we will all be trapped inside the Bush Dysfunctional Family Follies. But it also takes us back to W's own campaign there in 2000.

Sixteen years ago, South Carolina was the place W's campaign for the White House took off. John McCain had won the New Hampshire primary with an unexpectedly strong showing and the Bush people needed to win in South Carolina to stop McCain's momentum. They did so by circulating some of the vilest smears and innuendos since, well come to think of it, Bush Pѐre's Willie Horton ads in 1988.

Bush supporters handed out leaflets suggesting that McCain's wife was a drug addict. Voters also got robocalls insinuating that McCain had fathered an illegitimate child with a black woman. This daughter was not actually a product of the dreaded miscegenation, but had been adopted by the McCains from Bangladesh. Nonetheless, the rumors fired up the substantial bigot bloc in South Carolina. Bush cruised to victory and the campaign never looked back.

Bush denied authorizing the sleaze-fest, but most political insiders remain convinced that the whole thing was orchestrated by his consiglieri Karl Rove. Bush distanced himself from it all but he never denounced or disavowed the lies. The South Carolina GOP primary in 2000 taught you everything you needed to know about the content of George W's character.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-conn/thanks-for-the-memories-s_b_9271844.html