Carter Wrenn posted on the blog, Talkin’ About Politics:

Areporter at The Hill newspaper up in Washington let Jeb Bush have it right between the eyes, reporting there’s “no love lost” between Bush and the Republican base and that in Iowa the Tea Party activists are torching Bush’s conservative credentials.

“Jeb Bush,” he quoted a radio talk show host as saying, “is on the wrong side of every issue that matters most to conservatives.”

It’s a simple picture painted in blacks and whites — with no bothersome grays. It also sounds a lot like the beginning of a classic political rant.

Now, granted, Jeb Bush isn’t Ted Cruz on immigration but, on the other hand, he was a tax cutting, austere, pro-school choice, pro-gun rights governor. And it’s not every day a politician comes down the pike with the backbone to take a stand he knows is unpopular.

Jeb Bush’s record isn’t black and white but, who knows, a touch of nuance (with grays and subtle shadows) may lead to a more enlightened political debate than ‘he’s wrong on every issue.’

Reid is no wimp

Gary Pearce posted on Talkin’ About Politics:

You’ve got to love Harry Reid, especially since Republicans hate him so bad.

The Harry-haters were hee-hawing and high-fiving last week after Reid hurt himself exercising. One wrote, “It Couldn’t Happen to a Nastier Guy.” Another speculated that Reid is into kinky sex.

Here’s hoping that Harry will get well and keep giving ‘em hell. He missed the Senate’s first day back, but his history suggests he won’t stop fighting.

Reid, who is 75, keeps in shape by doing pushups, situps and yoga. He was once an amateur boxer.

As chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, he took on crooked gamblers. One planted a bomb on his family car, but Reid’s wife found the device.

He’s an old-style FDR Democrat. He pushed through Obamacare, which helps more people buy health insurance. And he fiercely protects Social Security, which he calls “the most successful antipoverty program since the fishes and the loaves.”

What will he say about the move by newly elected Republican Senators, including Thom Tillis, to eliminate the food-stamp program and replace it with “more affordable free market solutions”?

Reid is no golden-tongued orator. And he’s conservative on issues like guns and abortion. But he’s a tough battler who torments Republicans. Now, more than ever, with the handmaidens of the rich and powerful in the majority, the Senate needs him.

Get well, Harry.