Trying to get the GOP base on your side? Master stroke from Jeb! here.

Cantor was courted intensely by other candidates. Cantor retains a strong political network in Virginia, a key primary and swing state. And he has enviable connections among Jewish business leaders who can be key supporters and donors.

“This is a big deal for Eric, and a big deal for Jeb,” said a top Republican involved in the negotiations.

A Cantor source said: “They have known each other for a long time, speak regularly and have great mutual respect for one another. Eric believes he is the only candidate with a real long-term vision for the country who can also actually implement it – not just talk about it.”

Cantor is to introduce Bush on Thursday evening at a fundraiser in Richmond and then will appear with him Friday morning at a VFW post in Norfolk, for a town hall focused on veterans issues.

This makes a ton of sense in Bizarro!America, where Eric Cantor is a champion of conservative values and lost his Congressional seat to a man funded by the Establishment to get rid of his brand of conservatism.

Jeb Bush is only making his fight to appear outside of Washington enough to be electable and truly represent the base. With each passing day, however, his steps away from the conservative base add up. His is a name that is dynastic in nature, and he is doing nothing to avoid that. Instead, he’s actually embracing that dynastic, in-with-the-right-people campaign that has led the Republicans down a similar and offensive path before.

I have consistently argued that we could do a lot worse than Jeb Bush in 2016, but I’m starting to wonder how. If he cannot even take the necessary steps to even appear to include the base in his agenda, then there is no way anyone will trust his campaign when he says he is fighting for them. The same ones who are mad as hell already and diving behind Trump will only go for Trump harder, and anyone who was giving Bush the benefit of the doubt could soon be driven away as well.

Cantor does have a vast network at his disposal. Good for him for trying to make use of it. But, does Jeb really want to do battle with the angry base voters so soon?