Metals Magnate Wants To Turn Jeb Bush Green

An extremely wealthy Republican donor thinks he can get would-be 2016 presidential contender Jeb Bush to see the light on climate change, reports the Wall Street Journal

Andrew Sabin, owner of the precious metals company Sabin Metal Corporation, is a big supporter of Republican causes and candidates. He’s made big donations to Karl Rove’s conservative political action committee American Crossroads, the Republican National Committee and to individual candidates like Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), just to name a few

He’s also given $5 million to support the Center for Climate Change Law

Jeb Bush is billed as a moderate on some issues, but has said he’s “a skeptic” on climate change

“I want him to be the next Teddy Roosevelt,” Sabin told the Wall Street Journal. “We want to show that conservation is conservative and get Republicans back to their environmental roots without hurting jobs.”

Sabin also said he thinks there’s precedent. “Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon were supporters of the environment,” he said. “With a lot of Republicans, they just need to be educated.”

Sabin was also a big booster of Mitt Romney in 2012promoted action on climate changesaid insteadmade the subject a punch line

More recently, Romney has moved back toward the consensus view on climate change, saying at an event last month

Bush has been less committal. “I think global warming may be real,” he said in a 2011 interview