Thursday’s political round-up

December 21, 2006

Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:

* Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), asked about any possible political ambitions in the future, told Spanish-language reporters in Miami, “No tengo futuro,” which means “I have no future.” He did not elaborate.

* The race among Republican presidential candidates to snatch up key GOP staffers continues, with John McCain continuing to lure in the high-profile talent. Yesterday, McCain hired Steve Schmidt, a Karl Rove protege who worked for Dick Cheney before helping Arnold Schwarzenegger win a second term. McCain also hired Jill Hazelbaker, most recently Tom Kean Jr.’s communications director in New Jersey, who will be McCain’s communications director in New Hampshire (despite some apparent history of blog sock-puppetry).

* Former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating (R) acknowledged yesterday that he’s still considering the presidential race and would decide next month whether to run. “I’m very alarmed about what ails America and the challenge we face as a country,” Keating said. As CNN reported, “Part of the nation’s peril lies in the perception of the country abroad, said Keating, who contended the United States ‘is detested as a country right now’ and is seen more as Iraq’s occupier than liberator.”

* Christine Jennings (D), who clearly would have won her House race in Florida’s 13th last month were it not for election irregularities, officially contested the election results with Congress yesterday. Also, Jennings’ legal fight in Florida is ongoing.

* Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), an unsung hero in my book, was expected to draw a challenge in 2008 from Rep. Mike Ferguson (R-N.J.), but Ferguson announced this week that he will not run for the Senate, which is a setback to the NRSC’s recruiting efforts.

* And Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) continues to push forward with his presidential campaign, which, reasons that defy comprehension, has started running TV commercials in South Dakota. As Copley News reports, “Hunter’s decision to air the ads in South Dakota’s Rapid City media market puzzled political experts, including GOP officials in that state.” Hunter is now also on the air in South Carolina and North Carolina, but not Iowa or New Hampshire.

JUST FYI for everyone

Temporary site for ATRIOS while Blogger is down is here

http://eschaton08.blogspot.com/

  • I wish more Republicans would admit “no tengo futuro” (hey, I can dream). On a more sinister note, I also wish I knew what a member of the Bush Crime Family really meant by that statement.

  • Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), asked about any possible political ambitions in the future, told Spanish-language reporters in Miami, “No tengo futuro,” which means “I have no future.” He did not elaborate.

    Yep. His brother has done a pretty good job of poisoning the well for people named “Bush.” I bet he wishes he had pushed big bro off that bridge 50 years ago when he had the chance.

  • If Jeb Bush has no future (politically speaking), he can thank Karl Rove, the Texas oil mafia, and the other Texas millionaires that pushed his brother George into the presidency. You know, all of those “pioneers” and “rangers.” Wasn’t it Bob Dylan who wrote ‘money doesn’t talk, it swears’?

  • Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), asked about any possible political ambitions in the future, told Spanish-language reporters in Miami, “No tengo futuro,” which means “I have no future.” He did not elaborate.

    Wheee! Ponies for everybody!

    I’ve never read too much dynasty fiction myself, but it would be impossible not to know that the genre existed, and the Bush family seems ripe for it. And the decline and fall is just beginning. God willing, given some appropriately zealous Congressional investigations or maybe a sex scandal (a crisis bad enough to demand a scapegoat would do it, but let’s not hope for that), things will get much worse for them by the time Jenna and not-Jenna are the heads of the household. And you know, I might have just a little bit of sympathy for the human tragedy of the maybe-not-innocent-but-certainly-less-bad members of the family like Jeb, if the House of Bush hadn’t done so much to take America down with them.

  • Lautenberg will run again? He turns 83 in January. Of course, Sen. Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia turns 90 in 2007. Well, Ted Stevens is an octogenarian as well.

  • FL-13 is the most important topic of this post.

    Paperless elections can NOT be audited and should never, ever happen.

    Res Ipsa Loquitor.

    If you think otherwise, you’re an idiot.

  • Re FL-13, what are the chances that an actual re-vote might actually take place? I’d sure like to see that happen.

  • “Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) continues to push forward with his presidential campaign, which, reasons that defy comprehension, has started running TV commercials in South Dakota.”

    Dick Cheney goes hunting in South Dakota. Maybe Duncan is fishing for an invite. We should be so lucky. 😉

  • I’m not willing to believe yet that he meant “I have no future”. My Spanish isn’t good enough to say for sure, but it seems perfectly likely that he meant something more like “I don’t hold the future”.

    (Moreover, I have no idea how correct Jeb’s Spanish idiom is, nor whether he’s cursed with the same silver-foot-in-mouth gene that the Georges are. Anyway I just wouldn’t read much into this single statement.)

  • I’m not willing to believe yet that he meant “I have no future”.

    If I were a betting man, I lay odds that this was in reference to “plans”. As in “I have no [plans] for the future”. That would be consistent with his other remarks/responses regarding his political aspirations.

  • I’ve got to go with Edo and Allen on this. Jeb is just screwing up his Spanish. At least in his case Spanish is his second language. I don’t know BG2’s excuse for constantly screwing up his English (other then brain damage from alcohol and cocaine).

  • “No tengo hermano” would be more accurate, as an explanation for why he’s got no fucking future.

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