Crowley Political Report

Now that former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is running for president, much is being written about him. But so far little has been written about the worst day in Bush's political career. Crowley Political Report was with him, until 3:30 a.m when he ended the morning telling his campaign manager a sad, "not now."

November 10, 1994

The Des Moines Register is reporting that Jeb Bush called Iowa Republican Party chairman Jeff Kaufmann this morning to chat about the presidential campaign. Said Kaufmann, "there was a resolved in his voice."

From the Register:

When Jeb Bush telephoned Iowa's Republican party chairman today, he repeatedly said he's not a candidate, he's just exploring a bid for president in 2016.

"But there was a resolve in his voice," Chairman Jeff Kaufmann told The Des Moines Register this afternoon. "What I heard is a man that's ready to come out and tackle the Hawkeye state."

Kaufmann said he thinks Bush lined up the telephone conversation because Kaufmann had commented recently in the media that only two major candidates from the GOP potential 2016 lineup had yet to contact him: Bush, a former governor of Florida, and Mitt Romney, the party's 2012 nominee.

The phone call lasted 20 minutes.

Read the story here.

In case you missed it, here are Jeb Bush's PAC announcement video in both English and Spanish.

Apparently former Florida Governor and 2016 presidential candidate Jeb Bush is fond of using Facebook to make major announcements. Today, he posted videos, in Spanish and English, announcing the formation of Right to Rise PAC.

Bush's new website explains the PAC this way:

We believe passionately that the Right to Rise — to move up the income ladder based on merit, hard work and earned success — is the central moral promise of American economic life. We are optimists who believe that America’s opportunities have never been greater than they are right now. But we know America is falling short of its promise.

Millions of our fellow citizens across the broad middle class feel as if the American Dream is now out of their reach; that our politics are petty and broken; that opportunities are elusive; and that the playing field is no longer fair or level. Too many of the poor have lost hope that a path to a better life is within their grasp. While the last eight years have been pretty good ones for top earners, they’ve been a lost decade for the rest of America. We are not leading – at home or abroad.

At the Right to Rise PAC, we will support candidates who want to restore the promise of America with a positive, conservative vision of reform and renewal. We believe the income gap is real, but that only conservative principles can solve it by removing the barriers to upward mobility. We will celebrate success and risk-taking, protect liberty, cherish free enterprise, strengthen our national defense, embrace the energy revolution, fix our broken and obsolete immigration system, and give all children a better future by transforming our education system through choice, high standards and accountability. We will strive to put our fiscal house back in order, re-limit government and ensure that America is a welcoming society.

We will not cede an inch of territory — no issues, no demographic groups, no voters — as we unite our citizens to strengthen America through greater economic growth and widespread prosperity.

We believe in the transformative power of conservative ideas to renew America. Our nation can be dynamic and prosperous again, if we join together and fight for every American’s Right to Rise!

Join us.

Right to Rise offers this biography of Bush (the word conservative is used only three times):

Jeb Bush ended the year resigning from "all of his corporate and nonprofit board memberships" according to the Washington Post.

While Bush continues to suggest that he is still thinking about running for president, it is clear that he is well beyond thinking. Simply put - with his recent actions, including the start of a leaderhip PAC, Bush is a candidate.

There is no point in accepting the notion that someone is not a candidate until they make it "official." If it looks like a candidate, travels like a candidate, and gives speeches like a candidate - he's a candidate.

Really the only decision remaining is to continue as a candidate or drop out of the race. 

According the Post: Bush’s New Year’s Eve disclosure, coming in an e-mail from an aide to The Washingotn Post, culminated a string of moves he has made in recent days to shed business interests that have enriched him since leaving office in 2007. The aide said the resignations had been made “effective today.”

Read the Post story here.

Meanwhile, Bush has declined an invitiation to go to Iowa and be part of Congressman Steve King's Iowa Freedom Summit. Among those accepting the invitation are: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Sarah Palin, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina and others. Learn more here.

Organizers describe the summit this way: Citizens United and Congressman Steve King are teaming up to bring grassroots activists from across Iowa to hear directly from conservative leaders on how we can get America back on track by focusing on our core principles of pro-growth economics, social conservatism, and a strong national defense.

Bush's "scheduling conflict" could be hint that he may decide to skip the Iowa caucuses. The summit is January 24.