Puterbac News Network and Political Discussion Thread

[hedge]

Don't be coy. It's not just unemployment numbers, anything good that happens under Obama (or any dem) is unbelievable to you...

[Toemeesleather]

If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor, period.

[hedge]

I can only hope that your doctor is Dr. Kevorkian...

[10ac]

Even the right wing rag, the NYT, is smelling a rat...

[Jungle Rat]

Sorry

[10ac]

Heh

[Johnette's Daddy]

Chris Christie Remains Afloat

Chris Christie isn't dead yet.

Sure, he's been written off by an assortment of pundits and analysts in the haze of the bridge scandal which remains under investigation.

But given the months of atrocious media attention he's received, it's remarkable that he remains a top player in 2016 GOP polling at the moment.

Yet a new national Fox News poll places him atop the pack – a status virtually unchanged since before the controversy in December, when Fox was last in the field.

[READ: Sheldon Adelson Ally: "We Can't Trust Christie on Israel"]

Christie scores 15 percent in the survey, with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., each netting 14 percent.

What's more is that Christie is the only contender to see his number stay consistent. Bush, Paul, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, all lost support in the Fox data over the last four months.

Hillary Clinton defeats every GOP comer in hypothetical matches, but Christie gets closest – falling to the former secretary of state by 8 points.

[ALSO: Rick Perry's Own Texas "Bridgegate"?]

Christie also boasts the best favorability rating among general election voters, which isn't saying much.

He clocks in at measly 36 percent, four points better than Bush and Paul and 13 points better than Cruz.

It's just one poll, taken between Sunday and Tuesday, but it's evidence that Christie has at least temporarily stopped the bleeding.

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/run-20 ... ins-afloat



Heaven must be a blue state.

[Professor Tiger]

Looks like JD's reports of Christie's political death were premature.

The only thing that's missing (so far) is proof.

[10ac]

At this point, what does it matter?

[Johnette's Daddy]

Looks like JD's reports of Christie's political death were premature.

The only thing that's missing (so far) is proof.

Trust me . . . the best possible outcome for the Dems is for Christie to get the GOP nomination . . . and THEN get indicted on RICO charges.

"Campaign by indictment" was a favorite (and effective) tactic by former Ohio Gov. Jim Rhodes. Nothing like pictures of your opponent in a prison jumpsuit to boost your campaign.

[Johnette's Daddy]

Jeb Bush Was Only a Millionaire When He Left Office, But He Wanted to Be Rich

A possible Jeb Bush presidential bid in 2016 may be partly undermined by his rush, in the years after he left the Florida statehouse, to make a lot of money, quickly. See, he was only worth $1.3 million, and he wanted to actually be rich.

"People thought of him as wealthy," Florida State professor Lance deHaven Smith tells The New York Times' Michael Barbaro. But that "was a misperception." Instead, Bush left his position as governor of Florida with "a net worth of $1.3 million and an unapologetic determination to expand his wealth, telling friends that his finances had suffered during his time in government," according to Barbaro. That suffering is calculable; when he entered office, he was worth $2 million.

So Bush employed a three-part strategy. He joined corporate boards, he advised corporate clients, and he gave speeches to corporate groups. Barbaro reports that the latter was probably the most lucrative, earning him as much as $5 million. But the first two tactics will raise questions if he decides to run in 2016.

Bush sat on the board of one company called InnoVida, a Florida firm that manufactured building materials. Until, that is, the company's president was indicted and it went bankrupt. Bush sat on the board of a soap company that collapsed, prompting lawsuits. He advised Lehman Brothers, the financial firm whose collapse helped trigger the 2008 economic meltdown, by unsuccessfully reaching out to Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim for a bailout. (That plan was called "Project Verde," which is a little on the nose.)

It's unlikely that, barring a Bob McDonnell-style revelation surrounding InnoVida or another company, that these failures will do a whole lot to create obstacles for Bush in 2016. What might is his tenure on the board of Tenet Healthcare, which earned him $2 million. Tenet stands to make millions from Obamacare, and broadly supports the policy — which Republican voters are much more likely to treat with skepticism.

But it's a weird world in which we live where a guy worth $1.3 million is desperate to bolster his savings account. Last year, Congress for the first time became a majority millionaire; we are unsurprised, however cynical it may be, for our elected officials to both be rich and to be able to leverage their tenures in politics for even greater wealth. That's the impetus that drove Bush, it seems, sitting on the boards of six different companies at once to reel in cash as fast as possible.

It worked. And, luckily for Bush, he's more likely to have a tough time in 2016 because he supports Common Core or advocates empathy on immigration than because InnoVida collapsed. Again, we expect politicians to be rich and seeking to be richer. We don't, however, expect them to walk outside of party orthodoxy.

http://news.yahoo.com/jeb-bush-only-mil ... VJQzFfMQ--

The surprise to me is that a guy who graduated Phi Beta Kappa (albeit from Texas) and is the son of a former POTUS, brother of a former POTUS and grandson of an international banker/powerful US Senator can live 55 years (when he left office), partner in a South Florida RE firm and only be worth 1.3 million. Depending on how they calculate net worth, that's basically a modest house, a 401K and life insurance if he's been paying in for 25 years. Of course, looking at the companies he's repped, he probably got killed in the economic collapse caused by his brother.

Maybe W is the "smart" one.

[sardis]

"economic collapse caused by his brother..."

Are you really that naive.

[aTm]

The surprise to me is that a guy who graduated Phi Beta Kappa (albeit from Texas)

I hear that the Latin American Studies program is no joke there, too...

[Professor Tiger]

"economic collapse caused by his brother..."

Are you really that naive.

"As Governor of Florida was responsible for the death of Trayvon Martin and freeing his murderer"

"Got a golden parachute from an environmentally insensitive building material scheme where he peddled his fanily's influence"

"Cynically married a Latina (who is a traitor to her race) to pander for the Hispanic vote which they'll see right through."

"Belonged to an obscure mysterious semi-religious cult (Phi Beta Kappa)"

"Grandson of a Big Oil tycoon that is still destroying the planet"

"Responsible for the decline in Longhorn and Cowboys football""

[Professor Tiger]

We'll know if the Dem's are getting afraid of Jeb when he starts getting Christie'd.

[Toemeesleather]

Spending the week in SW Texas, dodging oil rigging trucks. Wow, such a good feeling to actually feel like I'm back in America......tomorrow will be the best Earth Day I've ever had.

[Toemeesleather]

Jeb Bush Was Only a Millionaire When He Left Office, But He Wanted to Be Rich


The surprise to me is that a guy who graduated Phi Beta Kappa (albeit from Texas) and is the son of a former POTUS, brother of a former POTUS and grandson of an international banker/powerful US Senator can live 55 years (when he left office), partner in a South Florida RE firm and only be worth 1.3 million. Depending on how they calculate net worth, that's basically a modest house, a 401K and life insurance if he's been paying in for 25 years. Of course, looking at the companies he's repped, he probably got killed in the economic collapse caused by his brother.

Maybe W is the "smart" one.

[youtube]WANNqr-vcx0[/youtube]

[Professor Tiger]

Spending the week in SW Texas, dodging oil rigging trucks. Wow, such a good feeling to actually feel like I'm back in America......tomorrow will be the best Earth Day I've ever had.

Glad to see oil being pumped despite the White House's faith-based opposition.

Now I'd like to see the price of gas go down as the supply of oil goes up. I'm not holding my breath.

[Johnette's Daddy]

"economic collapse caused by his brother..."

Are you really that naive.

Sorry, it was cut off. I meant to write "caused by his brother's Oligarch overlords."

[youtube]l9NOduwT8eI[/youtube]

[sardis]

Ken Lay caused the financial crisis? The Enron debacle predates the collapse 5-6 years.