A wondrous thing happened today (someone please point Aaron Goldstein to his fainting couch): George P. Bush, the son of Jeb Bush, endorsed Donald J. Trump.
“It’s time to put it aside,” says George P. Bush. “You know on Team Bush it’s a bitter pill to swallow, but you get back up and help the man who won.”
What to make of this?
Well, George P. Bush is a Texan. He knows the ways the political winds are blowing and he wants to have a future here. So, the Republican party in Texas does not want to be divided. Interestingly, with Ted Cruz’ seeming “dis” of the Donald, Bush’s Trump endorsement would be strengthening the Bush family in opposition to the grassroots who are even more conservative.
These are strange times, but the realignment you’re seeing makes sense, in a way. I’ve thought all along that Trump represented the extreme establishment. Guys like Mitch McConnell and John Boehner jumped on board. Why? Because they view Trump as one of their own.
Notice John Cornyn standing next to George P.? Well, this is not the Cruz coalition who is conservative-libertarian. This is the Chamber of Commerce Republican types. Even in Texas, there’s different breeds of conservative.
What I wonder is this: Will George P. and the other more open-borders GOP-ers in Texas start to change their mind? There are some big Texas donors who worry about losing cheap labor. Perhaps the GOP in Texas is starting to see that the open-borders stance is going to lose them elections and they’re shoring up their flank.
P.S. This is all buying the assumption that Trump would actually put up a wall–something I don’t actually believe he’ll do.