This chart shows the result of a recent Rasmussen Poll -- done on September 6th and 7th of a random national sample of 1,000 likely voters, with a 3 point margin of error.
If I was Jeb Bush, this poll would worry me. It shows that 36% believe Bush's beliefs and policies are closer to those of Hillary Clinton than the GOP base. Another 24% say they are unsure. That means only 40% say Bush has views closer to those of Republican voters.
Why is this trouble for Bush? Because nearly 8 out of 10 Republicans (78%) believe Hillary Clinton is a liberal (and they don't mean that in a positive way). A majority of the Republican base is made up of teabaggers, evangelicals, and racists -- and none of those groups are likely to vote for a liberal (or even a moderate).
This puts Bush between a rock and a hard place. If he is to win the GOP nomination, he's going to have to spend a lot of his huge war-chest to convince Republican voters that he is as bat-crap crazy as they are. But if he is successful, you can bet the Democrats won't let the voters forget it in the general election. Bush is now the victim of the same right-wing virus that infected Mitt Romney in 2012.
