The man known only as “Jeb!” might as well whip out his brother’s “Mission Accomplished” banner and declare his campaign over. Jeb Bush, an established politician who’s both well-funded and belongs to a dynasty, has found himself losing (and badly) to the hot dumpster fire that is Donald Trump. Despite the fact that Jeb Bush belongs to a dynasty with vast connections among the monied elite, he’s barely managed to raise roughly half of what his campaign needs at this point – and most of that has been pissed away.
While certain classy candidates shuttle around in a private jet, just to send mean girl tweets, Jeb’s complete inability to raise money, has forced him to cut back on staff and expenses — including flying commercial. For example, his campaign staff has seen their paychecks drop significantly (top campaign chiefs saw their pay shaved by $75,000). One might say that Jeb Bush’s entire campaign thus far has been about this:
Of all the major GOP candidates (excluding Trump), Jeb has the least amount of cash on hand. In fact, he’s so strapped for cash that he’s actually coming in fourth behind his former protégé, Marco Rubio. Since announcing his candidacy last summer, he’s managed to raise $13.4 million-or Donald Trump couch cushion change. Worse yet, the majority of the money was raised in the first sixteen days of candidacy, with $11.5 million already being spent. As a result, Jeb Bush’s campaign is facing a $1.7 million payroll for this quarter and $2 million for consulting, fundraising and legal counsel.
The fact that Trump, a guy who wears a dead tropical bird for hair and whose entire campaign thus far has been about mean tweets, is dominating Jeb Bush should tell you how chaotic the Republican Party really is. Establishmentarians and mostly moderate (indoor Republicans) candidates with deep political ties are finding themselves on the outside looking in. Jeb Bush, the Republican’s former prodigal son, thought he could use his last name to secure funds and the nomination. Now he might be forced to drop out before the Iowa Caucus.
Featured image via elementarypolitics
