Now that Jeb! Bush has slashed his staff and his operation is leaner and meaner, his campaign thinks he's perfectly positioned to reintroduce himself to Republican voters at Wednesday night's GOP debate. Who knows, he might even start flying Southwest and carrying his own bags to pinch pennies like John McCain did before he made his New Hampshire comeback in 2008. But Jeb! has a little more to contend with than a few slips in management,
reports CNN.
High on the list of Bush's challenges is a deficit of charisma on the campaign trail and the fact that he simply has not been able to connect with grass-roots voters, who are not buying his vision of a conservative who can fix Washington and make it work.
Tim Miller, communications director for Bush, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday that Bush would begin to make the argument that he's the only candidate on the GOP stage with the experience and skills to actually be president.
"What Jeb is going to do is frame this race, as ... he is the guy that can fix the problems that face D.C. D.C. is broken, it is incompetent, it is corrupt. We need someone with a proven conservative record that voters can trust," Miller said.
New and improved? Good heavens—he's been making that argument over and over again. GOP voters either don't care or they can't stand the messenger, but they ain't buying what Jeb!'s selling.
And here's a glimpse at how much Jeb!'s lost that argument as the GOP's "deep bench" dumbed down the political conversation on the right:
In March, 57% of voters who leaned Republican told the Pew Research Center that experience and a proven record were the most important characteristic in a presidential candidate. By September, that number had shrunk to 29%.
But hey, don't go changing, Jeb! We'll see you tonight!