Jeb Bush Has A Talk Radio Problem

Media Reports: Bush Will Formally Launch His Presidential Bid On June 15. Bush began exploring a presidential bid in December. [The Wall Street Journal, 6/4/15; NYTimes.com, 6/4/15]

Wash. Post: Bush “Has An Enduring Problem Among Conservatives -- Especially Laura Ingraham And Other Influential Talk Radio Hosts.” The Washington Post reported that national radio hosts such as Laura Ingraham, Rush Limbaugh, and Mark Levin “have unleashed a torrent of criticism aimed squarely at Bush, whom they portray as an entitled, dynastic RINO ('Republican in name only') out of step with the GOP base. That deep-seated disdain is bad news for Bush, who is already slated to navigate a competitive and crowded primary full of candidates eager to run to his right.” The Post added that “the level of negative attention he's receiving on talk radio so early in the race has outweighed criticism of his potential competitors.” [The Washington Post, 2/2/15]

Politico: “Some Bush Allies Privately Refer To Some Of The [Radio] Leaders As 'Warlords.'” Politico reported on “Jeb's Talk Radio Problem”:

Bush, who's all but officially announced he's running for president, has said he would want to run a “joyful” campaign. He's said he would want to have “adult conversations.” It's phrasing that hints at his general distaste for conservative talk radio. Some Bush allies privately refer to some of the medium's leaders as “warlords”--a description meant to convey the unreasonable, unrealistic and pugilistic agenda of those who thrive off of conflict. Bush, on the other hand, believes a winning Republican campaign a decade and a half into the 21st century must promote inclusion and optimism, not discontent and fear. People think he's too moderate in part because Limbaugh and the Limbaugh-like are saying he is. So here, almost a year before the 2016 Iowa caucuses, the primaries have started already--the fundraising and positioning of the so-called invisible primary, but a visible one, too, or at least an audible one. Call it the Rush primary. [Politico, 3/22/15]

Glenn Beck On “Progressive” Bush: “There's No Need For Me To Even Vote” If He Gets The Nomination

Beck: “Jeb Bush Is Hillary Clinton Light.” Beck dismissed Bush during a Fox News interview:

BECK: Do you know who is going to win in a matchup between Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush? Hillary Clinton.

BILL O'REILLY: I'm not sure about that.

BECK: Yes, she would.

O'REILLY: Look, I'm not rooting for Jeb Bush.

BECK: Jeb Bush is Hillary Clinton light. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 3/24/15]

Beck: “We Need To Call Jeb Bush Not A Republican, A Progressive.” Beck said on his radio program:

BECK: Yeah, these aren't Republicans. These are progressives. Let's just stop calling them Republicans. They are progressives. I believe we need to call Jeb Bush not a Republican, a progressive. Because that's what he is. Republicans don't -- they will never admit that they have progressives in their midst. They do. [Premiere Radio Networks, The Glenn Beck Program, 4/24/15]

Beck: “Stop Listening To The Bushes ... Enough With The Royal Families.” Beck's website, TheBlaze, reported of his comments urging listeners not to support Jeb Bush:

“May I just point out: stop listening to the Bushes,” he said, before asking listeners what the following list has in common: “No new taxes, TSA, Department of Homeland Security, Patriot Act, open borders, [Ramos and Compean]. John Roberts, who in turn gave us Obamacare. Never-ending wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ethanol mandates. Eco-friendly fluorescent light bulbs. Common Core, No Child Left Behind ... TARP, save the free market by destroying the free market ... Colin Powell and the reduction of our nuclear weapons. Karl Rove. Norquist ... oh, I forgot one -- world order.”

Beck said that if the issues were presented in the way he just did, “you would never vote for these things.”

"Enough with the royal families," Beck concluded. “Why do you have royal families? You have royal families because everybody knows they can trust them ... because I know your dad, I know what you are going to do and you are not going off the beaten path because everybody in the family is in on this ... We're just going to have you as a lord and lady. Why don't we just start calling them Lord Jeb? And Lady Bush? The Duchess of Houston! Why don't we call them that? The Kennedys and the Bushes. Enough with them.” [TheBlaze.com, 10/21/13; emphasis in original]

Beck On Hillary Vs. Jeb: “There's No Need For Me To Even Vote ... Stop With The Clinton And Bushes.” Beck said during his radio program in October 2014, as summarized by his website: 

“Well, today is the day, because we heard the great news that Jeb Bush is thinking about running. And he's gonna go for it. He's gonna go for running for president of the United States, which means we might have a Clinton/Bush race...Now change is coming,” Glenn joked.

“So some might think we're being a little sarcastic here,” Glenn said (quite sarcastically. “Oh, my, what would lead you to think that? We are so down with the Bushes. We're so down with the Clintons that if that actually happens, there's no need for me to even vote. I'm just so happy with either choice, there's no reason for me to even vote. Unless there was a third party, and I would imagine that with a Clinton/Bush ticket, you could get a lot of people in America voting for a third party.”

“It's Clinton or Bush. What difference does it make? We all say we want an end to the madness. Are you kidding me? There's one way to do it. Stop with the Clinton and Bushes.” [GlennBeck.com, 10/27/14]

Mark Levin: Bush Is A Dumb, “Dishonest,” “Egomaniac” Who Must “Be Fought”

Levin On Jeb Bush's Candidacy: “This Has To Be Fought” Within The Republican Party. Levin stated:

LEVIN: You notice Jeb Bush and his machine, the Bush machine, that's been in existence since 1976 or even earlier, making demands on the presidency. “One's enough? No. Two's enough? No. Now we want three.” Incredible. This has to be fought. And it has to be fought within the family. And it has to be fought within the Republican Party. [Cumulus Media Networks, The Mark Levin Show, 4/9/15]  

Levin: Bush Has “No Connection With What's Going On In This Country.” Levin said of Bush: “The man has really no connection, no connection with what's going on in this country. He just appears because the Bush family's decided they want another president.” [Cumulus Media Networks, The Mark Levin Show, 1/22/15]

Levin: Bush Is “Obsessed With Endless And Dishonest Ethnic Pandering.” Levin reacted to a speech Bush gave to a convention of Hispanic evangelicals by writing on Facebook: “When the hell will Jeb Bush speak to American citizens and America's youth? Instead he is obsessed with endless and dishonest ethnic pandering.” [Facebook.com, 4/29/15]

Levin: The Bushes Are “Not Conservatives” -- They're “Corporatists” Who Are “Part Of The Establishment, They're Part Of The Ruling Class.” [Cumulus Media Networks, The Mark Levin Show, 4/30/15, via PJMedia.com]

Levin: “Egomaniac” Bush Is “A Very Good Moderate Democrat.” Levin attacked Bush as an “egomaniac” and who is actually “a good moderate Democrat.” Levin also referenced comments he made in the Washington Examiner stating of Bush: “Jeb is a very good moderate Democrat ... He's very boring. He doesn't elicit excitement and energy outside a very small circle of wealthy corporatists and GOP Beltway operatives. Time to move on”: 

LEVIN: Listen to how the guy talks. Does this guy excite you? “Eh, you know, I'm thinking about running for president. I don't know if I'll be a good candidate or a bad candidate” -- Is that the way people talk? Does this guy have a vision? ... Egomaniac.

[...]

Stop. We're all in favor of much more uplifting, what is this a play in high school? “Oh, look at this!” No. Be uplifting, be positive, talk about the American dream, talk about how you're going to unleash the economy. Talk about how you're going to promote American sovereignty, talk about how you're going to build the military back up after Obama has hallowed it out. Talk about your foreign policy. We haven't heard a damn thing. Talk about how you're going to address the debt. We haven't heard a damn thing. Be positive. What does that have to do with the substance of your positions. I was asked to comment about him by a good journalist, Paul Bedard, he only printed some of what I said in the Washington Times, I said Jeb Bush is a good moderate Democrat. That's what he is. [Cumulus Media Networks, The Mark Levin Show, 12/2/14, via Media Matters; Washington Examiner, 12/1/14]

Levin: “I'm Starting To Think He's The Dumbest Of The Bushes.” Levin stated: “People say Jeb Bush is the brightest Bush. I'm starting to think he's the dumbest of the Bushes. Oh no, not because he's honest. No, because his ideas when it comes to immigration are stupid.” [Cumulus Media Networks, The Mark Levin Show, 4/7/14, via Media Matters]

Rush Limbaugh: “You Can't Tell The Difference Between Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton”

Limbaugh: Bush Is The “Savior” Of “The Big Money Donor Class And The Consultant Class” Against Their “Number One Enemy,” The Tea Party. Limbaugh stated on his radio program:

LIMBAUGH: Do you want to know why Jeb Bush is thinking of running? I'll give you a poss -- including the fact that he may actually want to be president, he may actually want to do this -- but he's also being looked at as a savior by the big money donor class and the consultant class, the establishment of the party, to head-off the Tea Party. They're going to pull out all the stops to make sure that a Tea Party-type conservative doesn't get the nomination. And if that means -- somebody like Jeb -- it could be a sacrificial run just to make sure that a conservative doesn't get the nomination in 2016. There's a whole bunch of stuff under the surface here that's percolating and effervescing. And it's all about us being the number one enemy of these people. [Premiere Radio Networks, The Rush Limbaugh Show, 12/16/14]

Limbaugh: Bush “Doesn't Want To Have To Pretend To Be A Conservative” To Win The Primary. Limbaugh stated:

LIMBAUGH: Well, one of the things that happened was that Jeb Bush announced he was going to do an exploratory committee, and in his announcement, and many times previous to his announcement, Jeb Bush has made it clear that he wants to win the Republican nomination without needing the votes of the Republican base, i.e., the Tea Party.

He doesn't want to have to sell his soul for the Tea Party vote.  What that means is, he doesn't want to have to pretend to be a conservative at any time during the primary to get the Tea Party or conservative vote. He's going to win the nomination. He's not going to pander. [Premiere Radio Networks, The Rush Limbaugh Show, 12/17/14]

Limbaugh: Bush And Clinton “Are Two Peas In The Same Pod.” Limbaugh said:

LIMBAUGH: So Hillary Clinton, like Jeb Bush, must win the primary some way other than securing the Democrat base, because that is Elizabeth Warren's. What is the solution to all of this? It's very simple. The ideal, the perfect ticket for the 2016 election: Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush.  Now, they can figure out who's on top of the ticket on their own.  But when you compare their positions, Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush, on the key important issues, they are two peas in the same pod. And, by the way, Barbara Bush loves Bill Clinton. Says so publicly.

George W. Bush has referred to Hillary as a half-sister, long lost whatever, some such thing. The Clinton family and the Bush family are very tight. They are very close. There is never a negative or critical word uttered by a Bush of a Clinton or of a Bush by a Clinton. This is made to order the way both parties want amnesty. Jeb Bush wants it; Hillary wants it. Both parties want to win the nomination, Hillary by running away from the Democrat base, Jeb by running away from the Republican base.  This is an ideal combination. [Premiere Radio Networks, The Rush Limbaugh Show, 12/17/14]

Limbaugh: “You Can't Tell The Difference Between Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton.” Limbaugh said: “You can't tell the difference between Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton, and I suggested that may be the ideal ticket for the establishment types inside the Beltway. The ideal ticket, so that no matter who wins, they win, would be Hillary or Jeb. Hillary and Jeb, they could figure out who's on top.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Rush Limbaugh Show, 2/9/15]

Laura Ingraham: “Jeb Has A Problem With America” And “I Just Can't” Support Him

Ingraham: “I'm Not A Jeb Bush Fan ... I Just Can't” Support Him. When asked by Bill O'Reilly if she would support Jeb Bush, Ingraham said that while she likes him personally, she does not support his bid for the nomination:

O'REILLY: And Jeb Bush?

INGRAHAM: Jeb Bush is the dominant figure in American Republican politics today. Conservatives have to figure out what they're going to do when Jeb Bush raises $200 million.

O'REILLY: Will you support him?

INGRAHAM: I'm not a Jeb Bush fan, I like him personally but to me, Common Core and amnesty, I just can't do it.

O'REILLY: Of course you select him over Hillary Clinton.

INGRAHAM: Well, I'm not a Hillary Clinton fan as you know, but I would probably focus more on state and governors' races.

O'REILLY: So you would sit it out?

INGRAHAM: I'm not going to sit anything out but put my focus on state races and Senate races. [Fox News, The O'Reilly Factor, 1/8/15, via Nexis]

Ingraham: “There Has To Be Something Wrong With” Jeb Bush For Still Supporting Iraq Invasion. Ingraham stated of Bush answering that he would still invade Iraq knowing what we know today: “There has to be something wrong with you. You can't still think that going into Iraq now, as a sane human being, was the right thing to do. I don't, that's like you have no ability to learn from past mistakes at all.” [Courtside Entertainment Group, The Laura Ingraham Show, 5/11/15, via Media Matters]

Ingraham: “Why Don't We Just Call It Quits? And Jeb And Hillary Can Run On The Same Ticket.” Ingraham said during a speech at the 2015 Conservative Political Action Conference: “We could dispense with this whole nomination process altogether ... Why don't we just call it quits? And Jeb and Hillary can run on the same ticket. I mean, go through the list of things they agree on: Common Core, amnesty, giving Obama fast-track trade authority, a lot of new trade deals with China, the surveillance culture. So I'm designing the bumper sticker. It could be, Clush 2016: What difference does it make?” [Media Matters, 2/27/15]

Ingraham: “Jeb Has A Problem With America.” She added: “Jeb Bush doesn't have a talk radio problem, Jeb Bush has an America problem. Or a conservative problem. Talk radio just is one vehicle for expressing this.” [Courtside Entertainment Group, The Laura Ingraham Show, 3/23/15, via Media Matters]

Ingraham: “I Don't Think The Coronation Is A Good Idea.” Ingraham stated on Imus in the Morning of Bush: “I've been saying this for two years, and people thought I was crazy to say that he was going to run, but I think this has been planned for a long time. And, I mean I'm saying -- my own men, well, it might get you to -- it might get you through next year, but when the press really turns the screws on Jeb, I think a lot of other more difficult questions are going to be bombarding him. And I don't think the coronation is a good idea.” [Fox Business, Imus in the Morning, 2/20/15, via Nexis]

Ingraham: “Jeb Is The Easiest Candidate For Hillary To Beat By Far Because He Divides The GOP.” Ingraham told Politico: “Jeb is the easiest candidate for Hillary to beat by far because he divides the GOP at a time when we need a candidate who unifies the party. ... He's made it fairly clear that he believes he can win without conservatives.” [Politico, 3/22/15]

Ingraham On Bush: “It's Not Going To Work.” She stated of Bush's candidacy: “I just don't see how this is going to work. It's not going to work. I know all these people out there are like, 'Laura you've gotta be a team player.' You know what I'm a player for? The American people and our future.” [The Washington Post, 2/2/15]