On Monday's Morning Joe, Mark Halperin and Joe Scarborough were discussing the Sheldon Adelson Primary event that was held out in Las Vegas last weekend, and Morning Joe says he's in the know on what the big GOP donors want for the 2016 presidential race. At this point the only person they trust to lead the party is Jeb Bush. The money people know America will never support any of the Tea Party candidates like Ted Cruz or Rand Paul for the Oval Office. I bet you're asking how Governor Chris Christie fared in the big GOP kahunas eyes? Because of the Bridgegate scandal, he's toast.
Scarborough: Let's go out to Vegas, there's a big story out there and that is the emergence of Jeb Bush as the presumptive frontrunner, whether he likes it or not. The whispers are out there. You hear it among top RNC donors. There is not an excitement. I'll be really honest with you, nobody's going, 'Oh, we got to get Jeb."
I love Jeb. I'd be thrilled if Jeb were running. But I'm telling you, there's not the excitement out there. They're just kind of just saying, 'We got to get Jeb.' And that really emerged out in Vegas, didn't it?
Halperin: There's no grassroots fervor for Jeb Bush. He's not trying very hard, he did got to this event, although his speech was closed. but you framed it exactly right, the big donors want somebody who can beat Hillary Clinton who's an establishment figure who they feel comfortable writing big checks for, and who they think help remake the image of the party.
Scarborough: Among the big donors, he's the only one.
Halperin: Everyone else is a backup.
Scarborough: Among the big donors...none of these big donors think Rand Paul is going to win. None of these big donors think Ted Cruz is going to win. None of these big donors think, fill in the blank, you name it. None of these big donors think any of these people can win. They think Jeb can win the nomination and Jeb can beat Hillary Clinton.
And right now I haven't talked to anyone that thinks Chris Christie can. You know what? In the eyes of the big Republican donors, that ship has sailed.
Christie was sitting in the driver's seat for the GOP nomination until the Fort Lee lane closures occurred and they aren't going to risk their megabucks on a candidate that's already tainted with a scandal, no matter how many whitewashed reports he commissions.
