In light of the cop killings in New York City, this photo will not helpful to Rand Paul:
At The Hill, Cameron Joseph writes that Jeb Bush may have some problems in the Iowa caucuses:
And just after he announced this week he’s “actively exploring” a president bid, some Iowa activists are already torching Bush’s credentials.
“He's on the wrong side of every issue that matters most to conservatives right now,” said Steve Deace, an influential Des Moines-based conservative radio host.
Deace ripped Bush for his support for immigration reform and Common Core education standards as apostates to the conservative cause before saying he’d “bet my mortgage” against Bush performing well in Iowa.
“He's not just for amnesty, he's an apostle for it. He's a pitchman for Common Core, and there's more organized conservative opposition to Common Core on the ground than anything besides ObamaCare,” he said. “He offers nothing, truly nothing. I don't know why any who's even a modicum of a conservative would vote for him.”
...At The San Jose Mercury News, Josh Richman writes that Carly Fiorina is considering a presidential run, despite losing her only campaign, the 2010 California Senate race.
Many in the state are skeptical whether Bush is ready for a crowded Republican field of candidates — including others competing for the “establishment” mantle, like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and others who may be able to appeal to center-right voters.
Her business record is a matter of contention, too. As she reshaped HP to cope with the dot-com bubble's collapse, the company's stock value declined considerably and the board forced her resignation in 2005.
"She actually had a pretty decent vision" of reinventing HP with a richer set of consumer electronics supported by the company's own services, said tech analyst Rob Enderle. "The problem was, she didn't understand the underlying components, so executing that vision became problematic."
HP's board also didn't appreciate how much time Fiorina spent focused on President George W. Bush's 2004 re-election campaign instead of on the struggling tech giant, Enderle said. "Her history and job experience are going to kill her, but in terms of performance in front of an audience, she's in (Sarah) Palin's class and probably has a lot more depth. She's very fast on her feet."
"From an entertainment standpoint, I hope she runs," he said. "I don't think she stands a chance of winning, though."
