Well. That's Interesting...

Fun with math.

A poster over at Balloon Juice noted something very interesting.


It has been 82 year since the GOP has elected a president where a Bush or Nixon was NOT on the ballot.


Eisenhower had Nixon as his VP.  Reagan had Bush Pere as his VP.


This came in response to David Gergen thinking that Jeb Bush would be the figure to unite the GOP and prevent the Palinalia in 2012.  As Matt Taibbi appropriately responded:   "Whew. I was already depressed this morning, but thinking about another Bush as the better-case scenario in an either/or political future makes me want to douse myself with kerosene and jump into a blast furnace."


The broader point that this shows the utter cluelessness of people like Gergen is an obvious one.  If there is anything to get the Democratic base to shift fire from Obama to the GOP it would be Palin or Bush on the opposing ticket.  Secondly, Jeb's wife is Mexican.  Now, the redneck contingent of the GOP can twist themselves into pretzels to justify any vote they want, but if there's a legit cracker running, too (Huckabee, Barbour, Palin) I wonder.  Plus, Jeb is much more like George 41.  Given that George 43 was being denounced as "not conservative enough" in the last days of his presidency (because as Digby points out: Conservatism never fails) I can't see Jeb being anymore than the punditocracy's little wet dream.


And that's not even addressing the Tea Party.


But it would be interesting to see how the Tea Party "anti-elitists" would swallow the son and brother of presidents being the nominee.  As usual, their principles would desert them, because in the end, anything to win.


But the hypocrisy would be fun (read: nauseating) to watch.