Subject: Re: Million-dollar donors lift Jeb Bush's presidential ambitions - Yahoo News
From: "Hunter Biden" <[email-masked]>
To: "Eric Schwerin" <[email-masked]>
Cc: "Alexander S. Mackler" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 7 Aug 2015 00:20:25 -0400

I didn't read this before replying and as usual E and I are on the same page.

RHB
202.333.1880

> On Aug 6, 2015, at 11:01 PM, Eric Schwerin <[email-masked]> wrote:
> 
> I don't disagree with you in principle.  However, I think you have to compete in Iowa and New Hampshire. 
> 
> I also think you consider saying you'll only run for one-term. Not for the age thing but it is the only way to clean up Washington.
> 
> I do agree with the VP thing but if you only run for one term then your VP pick almost has to be someone who also will only run for one term or else it is hard to say that VP won't be campaigning for "re-election". 
> 
> Here's an intriguing idea.  Pick Obama to be your VP.  I think it is allowed.   
> 
> Or abandon the one term idea and pick Bloomberg as your VP and have him self fund the campaign, which in and of itself takes money out of the equation. 
> 
> If we want outside the box those are some ideas.  
> 
> If HRC isn't going to implode and this is going to happen I agree with Alex.  Let's be bold. 
> 
> Eric D. Schwerin
> [email-masked]
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Aug 6, 2015, at 10:09 PM, Alexander S. Mackler <[email-masked]> wrote:
>> 
>> By the way, I left one part out of my totally crazy, go-for-broke-and-tell-it-like-it-is campaign message (below):
>> 
>> "Look, I'm doing this my way (cough, the right way). I'm not starting a SuperPAC and going to beg at the feet of a handful of billionaires because that makes a mockery of the very word 'democracy.' One of my earliest acts as a senator was a constitutional amendment on campaign finance. And I'm not going to go to Iowa and NH, two great states who are entirely unrepresentative of our nation and,  particularly, my party. (softer: it's too late for me to organize there, so I'm passing). I'm starting in South Carolina, a state that more broadly reflects our country. And by the way, the most important decision a presidential candidate makes is choosing a VP; it's ridiculous that that decision is held until after we select a nominee. So I'm going to tell you now who mine will be...
>> I won't be bankrolled by a handful of billionaires; I won't speak down to the American people or appeal to the lowest common denominator. I'm gonna do this like you and I know it should be done: honest, straightforward, and clear. In short, I'm gonna be Joe Biden." 
>> 
>> But who is it? No great choices. Almost has to be a woman. Maggie Hassan? Young, popular, female governor. But from the northeast and maybe not ready for the bright lights. The one no one wants -- Warren -- is older, from the northeast, but is also sharp as hell and would drive both HRC and the right crazy (and win arguments). Patty Murray? Klobuchar? Can't be Kamala (she has a campaign and she's doesn't pass the "ready" test). The gov men are all imperfect (Hickenlooper, Deval Patrick). Might have to choose a DC-er, which isn't ideal. One of the Castro brothers? Booker? 
>> No great choices.
>> 
>>> On Wed, Jul 29, 2015 at 9:20 PM, Alexander S. Mackler <[email-masked]> wrote:
>>> Hunter, if you really want to know what I think? Going off of nothing but my own reflections/ravings and conversations with the voices in my head:
>>> 
>>> We're not raising enough money even with a SuperPAC, whatever the $$ amount is that's needed. And if the broader message of the campaign is--
>>> "Look, I'm doing this my way (cough, the right way). I'm not starting a SuperPAC and going to beg at the feet of a handful of billionaires because that makes a mockery of the very word 'democracy.' One of my earliest acts as a senator was a constitutional amendment on campaign finance. And I'm not going to go to Iowa and NH, two great states who are entirely unrepresentative of our nation and, particularly, my party. (softer: it's too late for me to organize there, so I'm passing). I'm starting in South Carolina, a state that more broadly reflects our country. I won't be bankrolled by a handful of billionaires; I won't speak down to the American people or appeal to the lowest common denominator. I'm gonna do this like you and I know it should be done: honest, straightforward, and clear. In short, I'm gonna be Joe Biden." 
>>> 
>>> Maybe that's not the message, but it's the one I like the most and is, selfishly, the most fun and refreshing. But if that is the message, and even with a SuperPAC we can't close the gap, then let's do it the right way and go for glory.  If Bernie can raise $15m on $2,700 and small-dollar, we can't raise enough to get from October to SC? 
>>> 
>>> The downsides are obvious: what good is the moral high ground if you can't raise the money to reach the starting line, let alone last? And the fact that you could get ignored in the weeks leading up to Iowa/NH, like Guiliani did. (That's buffered a bit by the bully pulpit that comes with being VP.)
>>> 
>>> But the upside, to me at least, outweighs it: first of all, I don't think even playing by the new sleazy rules can we raise near as much as her or Jeb. What happens if we do a SuperPAC and raise something paltry, like Rand? There is a virtue to lowering fundraising expectations--and if it happens to jibe with our "honest" message, then, well, conscience and convenience.
>>> And if we can't get it done, then in the end he did it his way, stays consistent with his 40+ year history, and instead of being a 3-time loser he's the guy who finished his public career on a high: telling folks how it really is, playing it straight, and being the leader everyone can be proud of. If we lose, the amount of time spent campaigning is relatively brief and he still gets back to the WH with enough time to complete his run as the most successful VP in modern history. And most importantly, he did it his way.
>>> 
>>> But what the hell do I know, I'm not the one who has to raise the money.
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> On Wed, Jul 29, 2015 at 8:26 PM, Eric Schwerin <[email-masked]> wrote:
>>>> Has anyone figured out the number needed for 10/1-South Carolina?  What's the budget? 
>>>> 
>>>> Eric D. Schwerin
>>>> [email-masked]
>>>> 
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>> 
>>>>> On Jul 29, 2015, at 8:16 PM, Hunter Biden <[email-masked]> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> So what do we do? If we compress our time frame from 10/1 through SC how do we get from here to there? Not through "online" contributions or $2,400  checks. It is disgusting but what's our play?
>>>>> 
>>>>> RHB
>>>>> 202.333.1880
>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Jul 29, 2015, at 8:11 PM, Alexander S. Mackler <[email-masked]> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> No bullshit, this disgusts me. 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On Jul 29, 2015, at 2:20 PM, Eric Schwerin <[email-masked]> wrote:
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> http://news.yahoo.com/million-dollar-donors-lift-jeb-bushs-presidential-ambitions-180425534--election.html
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Million-dollar donors lift Jeb Bush's presidential ambitions
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> WASHINGTON (AP) — A dozen million-dollar contributors account for at least 10 percent of Jeb Bush's record-setting presidential fundraising haul.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> The big-money boosters propelled Right to Rise, a super PAC dedicated to helping Bush win the Republican nomination, to its $103 million total in the first six month of the year. Separately, Bush's official campaign, limited to contributions of $2,700 or less per donor, raised $11.4 million. The super PAC faces no fundraising restrictions but cannot directly coordinate with Bush even as it spends money on his behalf.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> The leading Bush donor, who gave $3 million, is Miguel "Mike" Fernandez, a billionaire health care investor in Miami. He's one of about 12 people who gave $1 million or more each to the super PAC.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Fernandez and other donor identities were confirmed with a source familiar with Right to Rise's fundraising efforts; the person asked for anonymity because the donor names won't be disclosed until reports are filed Friday with federal regulators.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Until Bush declared his candidacy on June 15, he traveled the country meeting with Right to Rise donors and speaking at its fundraising events. As an official candidate, he's now focused on raising money that his campaign will directly control. He left the super PAC in the hands of Mike Murphy, one of his most trusted advisers, who is based in Los Angeles.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Super PAC officials have said 9,400 of their roughly 9,900 donors gave $25,000 or less. Throughout much of the year, Right to Rise limited donors to gifts of $1 million so that the super PAC wouldn't be overwhelmed by one huge donor; that self-imposed cap lifted the day Bush entered the race.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> View gallery
>>>>>>>> In this photo taken Nov. 16, 2006, Richard D. Kinder, left, and his wife Nancy attend a Houston Rock …
>>>>>>>> A core group of 12 men and two women makes up the super PAC's executive committee — and shows Bush's appeal to some of the Republican Party's most influential and longest-serving presidential fundraisers. Each has either personally given $1 million, or helped raise at least that amount, for Right to Right.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Many are longtime associates of the Bush family, which already includes two presidents.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Nancy Kinder, president of the Kinder Foundation, a philanthropy in Houston, and her husband, billionaire energy executive Richard Kinder, helped raise money for the presidential campaigns of Bush's father and brother. Jeanne Phillips, senior vice president of Hunt Consolidated Inc., led President George W. Bush's inaugural committees.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Other core Jeb Bush fundraisers were instrumental in 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney's campaign. Chicago investors Craig Duchossois and Muneer Satter raised and contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to Romney's bid.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Romney's campaign finance director, Mason Fink, is the leading fundraiser for Right to Rise.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> __
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Eric D. Schwerin
>>>>>>> RSP Investments, LLC
>>>>>>> 1010 Wisconsin Ave., NW Suite 715
>>>>>>> Washington, DC 20007
>>>>>>> (202) 446-0493
>>>>>>> [email-masked]
>>>>>>> P Consider the environment before printing this email. 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
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>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -- 
>>> 
>>> Alexander Snyder Mackler
>>> (302) 598-8678
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -- 
>> 
>> Alexander Snyder Mackler
>> (302) 598-867