THE NIGHT BEFORE: HOBNOBBING WITH JEB: “It’s clear — he said as much — that he is itching to run against Hillary Clinton,” Roger Simon writes of his first meeting with the former Florida governor.
If only Jeb didn’t seem even more eager to run against the GOP base first, he might be better positioned for his wish to be granted.
That would be “we have to start campaigning in a way that is beyond the base“. Is it not hubris to ignore your built in base of voters – and then with a “wave of hand” dismissal of them entirely? Hubris – at this point of time, conventional wisdom was that Jeb was to be winning going away without a single ruffled hair on his head. Yet, thus far, it is not turning out that way. The “outsiders” both bracket him and out poll him despite all of his money by his family’s donors – a PR and expectations disaster. His performance in the first debate, to be kind, earned him “low energy” – tepid at best.
Last nite, it did look like he had quaffed half a can of Red Bull or Monster – but only half a can. Sure, he was perky when he and Trump went after each other in their catfight but any scratches he left on Trump’s hide were only flesh wound and not enough to shove him, by themselves, off his perch. I also don’t think they helped Jeb at all either – it kinda played havoc with the smoke and mirrors contrived persona of gravitas, calm, and evenhandedness which he thinks was his highway to the Oval.
Time will tell but that highway is awfully narrow – any kind of a skid either side and he’s looking for a tow truck. Driven by the base. How might that work out?
(H/T: Instapundit)
