DONORS ABANDON SHIP: Despite the post-debate spin, ¡Jeb! campaign running on fumes

Apparently they were watching a different debate. Immediately following the recent Fox Business debate, vintage media positioned Jeb Bush’s performance as having breathed new life into the carcass of his dying campaign.

Headlines like “Steady debate performance banishes gloom for Jeb Bush” and “Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio Make Big Impressions During Debate” were typical over the last few days, but the reality is far different. You and I saw an unhappy candidate; someone who is obviously uncomfortable at the dais, less than eloquent, and unsuccessfully marketing unpopular positions on virtually every issue imaginable.

The donors weren’t convinced either:

Megan Murphy, the Washington Bureau Chief of Bloomberg Business, revealed that according to a private donor call between Jeb Bush’s campaign staff and Bush donors, the campaign conceded to problems raising money. But according to Murphy’s reporting, the campaign is banking that Bush’s debate performance will stop the bleeding and inspire more financial support.

Republican strategist and Congressional insider John Feehery told Chris Matthews to expect a very close partnership between House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “Paul Ryan might be new to the job as Speaker, but his new chief of staff, Dave Hoppe, is an old hand,” said Feehery. “He once served as chief of staff to former senate leader Trent Lott and his top deputy in Lott’s office was Sharon Soderstrom, who is now the chief of staff to Mitch McConnell.”

Feehery, once a top aide to former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, said we should “Expect a high level of communication and coordination between the new Speaker and the senate majority leader as a result.”

Even the Leftist hack Frank Rich threw in the towel, likening the campaign to SNL’s old Francisco Franco bit: “Jeb Bush’s campaign: Still dead”.

Bush has as much a chance of winning the nomination as William Shatner has of taking home an Oscar.

Anyone giving Bush money should instead consider a better investment strategy: liquor, gambling and women, for instance, and in that order.

Hat tip: BadBlue Real-Time News Feed.