Every election cycle can be considered, first and foremost, a monument to hype. With every passing week, the political world is a blizzard of brash predictions, bold pronouncements, and bad advice. This year, your Speculatroners shall attempt to decode and defang this world with a regular dispatch that we’re calling “This Week In Coulda Shoulda Maybe.” We hope this helps, but as always, we make no guarantees!
Mitt’s Out And Everyone’s A Winner!
Last week, the former Massachusetts governor and two-time presidential aspirant decided to quit the race he’d only just begun. Hmmm, does that mean he was actually a three-time presidential aspirant? Was he in long enough to qualify? We’ll wait for someone else to make a ruling on that. The important thing, at least as far as the media was concerned, was clearly identifying who stood to gain the most from Mitt’s departure, otherwise known as “the big winner.” On this matter, the elite consensus was, as always, a model of consistency.
The Big Winner Is Jeb Bush: According to Fox News, Romney’s departure meant that Jeb Bush would be “positioned” as “the establishment favorite,” which would help the former Florida governor to “assemble a campaign team in key early-voting states.” What’s more, “veteran operatives who were torn between Bush and Romney will be free to put their energies into the Bush camp,” and “former Romney donors were moving toward Bush.”
Yep, Totally Jeb Bush: CNN concurs: “Mitt Romney’s decision to pass on 2016 anoints Jeb Bush as the clear establishment favorite.” South Carolina’s GOP state party chair Matt Moore shows up in the piece, remarking, “I think it is hard to argue that today’s news did not help Gov. Bush.”
Unless, Of Course, Jeb Bush Ends Up Being The Big Loser: The Federalist’s Ben Domenech: “So who benefits from this, and who is harmed? Somewhat ironically, it may be Jeb himself who takes a small hit over this. Bear with me here: with Romney in the race, Jeb would’ve had an opportunity to contrast himself as a fresh face, a break with the past of the GOP in a healthy way … Romney would not have been able to win the nomination this time around, and he actually could’ve proven to be a useful foil for Jeb.”
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All The Advice That’s Fit To Aggregate
Jeb Bush should “rethink his approach to marijuana policy.” He should also “leave the race with dignity.” Scott Walker should not let Democrats define him. Marco Rubio should either run for president, or run for the Senate again, or run for governor. Chris Christie needs to watch out for the things that will hurt him, unless they help him — specifically his vaccine comments (which “may hurt as much as help in the Iowa 2016 race”), and his “brash style” (which may “be a boon or a bust in 2016”).
We’ll Leave You With This, Whatever This Is
Sources tell @FoxBusiness that @MittRomney is keeping the door open for possible 2016 run more @MelissaAFrancis now
— Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) February 6, 2015
