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 As a gathering of grassroots conservatives got under way on
Thursday, Republican activists were enthusiastic about potential
contenders like Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Kentucky Senator
Rand Paul and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
What about Bush?
"Nope. Too squishy," said Mike Potaski, 66, of Uxbridge,
Massachusetts, said at the meeting of the Conservative Political
Action Conference, the annual speechathon and political rite taking
place in Maryland near Washington, D.C.
"Way, way too squishy on immigration," said Paul Schmutzler, 56, of
Arlington, Va.
Bush, 62, has won early support among donors and party insiders
looking for a candidate who can attract centrist voters who decide
U.S. presidential elections. He may be a tougher sell for the
conservative foot soldiers who provide much of the party's
grassroots energy.
CPAC attendees said they were reluctant to back a prospective
candidate they alternately described as too moderate, too bland and
too vulnerable to Democratic attacks.
 "There's nothing really special about him but his name," said
University of Alabama student Daniel Ashford, 20.
CPAC serves as an important networking event for conservatives and a
testing ground for rising Republicans.
It's also a "boot camp to take on the liberals," in the words of
Tennessee Republican Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn.
This year, it takes on added significance as the campaign for the
November 2016 election takes off. At least 14 possible candidates
are due to address the crowd, and an informal presidential straw
poll on Saturday will provide bragging rights to the winner. AN
EARLY FRONTRUNNER
For Bush, CPAC could be an important stop for the man who is widely
viewed by party insiders as the early frontrunner in the Republican
nomination contest. Like other prospective candidates, Bush has yet
to formally throw his hat in the ring, but he has been raising money
from wealthy donors and delivering formal speeches on the economy
and foreign policy.
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Bush's question-and-answer session at CPAC with Fox News anchor Sean
Hannity on Friday will offer conservatives a closer look. He has his
work cut out for him.
Bush's father and brother have served as president, ensuring a
ready-made network of donors and policy experts who could help him
among voters worried the Obama administration has not confronted
foreign foes aggressively enough.
"What we need is a real tiger," said Cat Ping, 57, who is running
for Congress in Indiana's 7th District. "Jeb Bush might be a good
candidate because he comes from that family background of kicking
butt and taking names," she said.
Still, the last name cuts both ways - especially among those who
recall President George H.W. Bush's abandoning of his "no new taxes"
pledge and increases in domestic spending under President George W.
Bush.
Jeb Bush is viewed as more conservative than his father and brother,
and he can point to a record of cutting taxes and expanding charter
schools during his tenure as Florida governor from 1999 to 2007.
For many conservatives, that is less significant than his support
for comprehensive immigration reform and the Common Core educational
standards, positions that are widely unpopular on the right.
(Editing by Howard Goller)
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