A pricy, pricy, flop.

Jeb Bush SuperPAC has squandered $50 Million to remind you that 'he's here'

Back before Jeb Bush officially announced his candidacy, I argued that - fairly or unfairly - his candidacy was doomed by his last name. He could be the greatest, most conservative, candidate in history, or he could be a RINO squish, and it wouldn’t change a thing. The country simply isn’t interested in putting another Bush in the White House. The flip side of that argument was this: The name that doomed him also guaranteed that he and his supporters would have a mountain of cash on hand. The Bush family is, for obvious reasons, incredibly well-connected. Favors are owed and friends have deep pockets. Jeb started the election season with a huge personal haul and a massive, well-heeled, Super PAC.

..None of that cash has mattered. Depending on the poll, Jeb is hovering around 2-5%. Most people seem to know that he’s running - which, I suppose, means he’s doing better than George Pataki - but there seems to be no momentum whatsoever with his campaign. As the idiom goes, it’s probably “all over but the shoutin’.” So how much have his people spent to prop up their failing candidate? As the WaPo reports, they’ve torn through around $50 Million - roughly half of their total take. The super PAC supporting Jeb Bush is racing through its massive war chest much faster than money is coming in, spending close to $50 ­million in a record blitz that has so far failed to lift the former Florida governor’s sputtering presidential candidacy. The group, Right to Rise, has already gone through nearly half of the $103 million it brought in during the first half of the year, records show. It raised only about $13 million in the five months that followed, according to a person familiar with the figure.

That leaves the super PAC with about $67 million heading into the first 2016 GOP nominating contests. The sum still surpasses the resources of rival groups, but it is not clear whether Right to Rise’s financial might — viewed earlier this year as Bush’s distinct advantage — will be enough to help separate him from the pack. Here’s a hint: It won’t. Let’s set aside the difficult-to-refute notion that “brand Bush” is tainted beyond repair. Even if that wasn’t the case, you’re still left with the undeniable truth that Jeb has never once offered a compelling reason for his Presidency. Disagree with them all you like, but other candidates have offered their visions. Jeb has been running a “me too” campaign that seems more interested in attacking GOP rivals than taking down Hillary. ....Perhaps that’s not surprising, considering that he gave Hillary a medal honoring her abiding love of the Constitution. For whatever reason, Jeb seems hell-bent on dragging his campaign out - at least as far as New Hampshire. After several campaign reboots his PAC still has north of $50 Million, and yes, that’s still a lot of cash. But, with each passing day, it becomes harder and harder to make a realistic case that he has a genuine path to victory. If you’re a passionate candidate on the edge of success, you can make a compelling argument that cash will put you over the top. Unfortunately for Jeb, it’s never felt like his heart was really in this, and he’s a long, long, way from the “edge of success.”

Robert Laurie -- Bio and Archives Robert Laurie’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain.com Be sure to “like” Robert Laurie over on Facebook and follow him on Twitter. You’ll be glad you did.

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