Jeb Bush touts conservative policies for America

Kathleen Gray | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Jeb Bush talks middle class, immigration Potential presidential candidate Jeb Bush discussed the shrinking middle class, immigration and education reform, and his feelings about his father and brother during a speech before members of the Detroit Economic Club. (Feb. 4)

DETROIT — Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, who is contemplating a run for president, came to Detroit on Wednesday to offer his vision of opportunity for the millions of Americans living on the edge of poverty.

"How do we recapture the prosperity and opportunity that once defined cities like Detroit," he asked a crowd of about 600 people at the Detroit Economic Club luncheon. "How do we restore America's faith in the moral promise of our great nation that any child born today can reach further than their parents? This is an urgent issue: Far too many Americans live on the edge of economic ruin."

In his State of the Union address last month, President Obama called it Middle Class Economics. In Detroit, the third Bush to contemplate running for president of the United States — behind his father, former president George H.W. Bush, and his brother former president George W. Bush — called his plan, the Right to Rise.

"Today, Americans across the country are frustrated. They see only a small portion of the population riding the economy's up escalator," he said. "It's true enough that we've seen some recent and welcome good news on the economy. But it's very little, and it's come very late."

And Detroit was an apt place for Bush to deliver those remarks.

While the nation and Michigan have been recovering from a severe recession, Detroit has lagged behind. The city emerged from bankruptcy in December and unemployment rates remain stubbornly high at 12.2%.

"Roughly two out of three American households live paycheck to paycheck. Any unexpected expense can push them into financial ruin. We have a record number of Americans on food stamps and living in poverty," Bush said.

"So the central question we face here in Detroit and across America is this: Can we restore that dream — that moral promise — that each generation can do better?"

It was a speech designed to boost his presidential aspirations in a spot that was Mitt Romney country for the last two election cycles. Romney, the son of former Michigan governor George Romney, won both votes and critical financial support from the state where he was born. Michigan residents contributed $9.1 million to Romney in 2012, far exceeding the $5.7 million given to Obama for his re-election efforts and the next closest Republican, Ron Paul, with $311,211, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

When Romney dropped out of the 2016 presidential contest last week, it left the wealthy Republican donors in the state looking for a new person to back.

"Detroit is a traditional launching pad for a presidential aspirant," said political consultant Paul Welday. "We have some pretty strong fundraisers here, and a lot of people who don't mind spending money to support their favorite candidate."

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said Bush is a "top-tier, top-shelf candidate," but he hasn't decided yet who to support, even though he was the statewide coordinator for the campaign of George H.W. Bush.

"I think Jeb gets it and that's a major reason why he's attractive to lots of people in Michigan. It's a big deal he's in Detroit," Schuette said, noting he counted New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker as other top-tier GOP candidates.

His visit was already drawing criticism from Democrats and the liberal American Bridge 21st Century, which said in a news release that his message in Detroit was both ironic and insulting, "considering Bush flatly opposed the auto bailout."

And Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., another possible 2016 presidential candidate, said it's good that Bush followed his lead and came to Detroit.

"Senator Paul visited Detroit twice over the last two years. While there, he introduced specific proposals and helped to open the first GOP office in Detroit," said Sergio Gor, spokesman for RANDPAC, Paul's political action committee. "We hope Gov. Bush continues to emulate Sen. Paul by detailing his proposals and reaching out to help the party. Sen. Paul will continue to lead the way in expanding the Republican party by bringing real solutions to American cities like Detroit."

In addition to his focus on prosperity versus poverty, Bush talked about immigration, running for president in the shadow of his presidential family and the continuing controversy over vaccinating children.

"I love my dad, he's the greatest man alive and anyone who disagrees, we can go outside. And I love my brother," Bush said. "But know for a fact, that if I'm gong to be successful, I'm going to have to do it on my own."

He also said the immigration debate has to pivot to an economic argument where guest worker programs should be expanded, investors and dreamers are welcome in the country and the border is enforced.

"Immigration should be the lowest hanging fruit," he said.

He's looking forward to a presidential primary season that's turned into kind of a "Wild West" system that could devolve into mud slinging and back biting.

"If I go beyond the consideration, I hope I have the discipline to not turn back and get into the food fights," he said.

Toward that end, Bush said he'll detail his Right to Rise platform in the coming months. But it will include: a commitment to family with a focus on encouraging children raised in two-parent families; economic growth of 4% a year; reforms of policies geared toward keeping people in poverty; closing the education gap; and reforming government to give less money to Washington, D.C., and more to state and local governments.

"Instead of a safety net, they've built a spider web that traps people in perpetual dependency," Bush said.

Bush also took some shots at both liberals and the media, as well as corrupt prior administrations in Detroit that thwarted businesses from thriving and even lost money on writing parking tickets.

"I know some in the media think conservatives don't care about the cities," he said. "But they are wrong. We believe that every American in every community has a right to pursue happiness. They have a right to rise.

"So I say: Let's go where our ideas can matter most. Where the failures of liberal government are most obvious. Let's deliver real conservative success."