Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said he’ll make up his mind about a presidential run in 2016 “in short order” and that whether it’s him or someone else, a successful Republican has to make a pitch to a general election audience without violating his or her principles.
“I know — I kind of know how a Republican can win, whether it’s me or somebody else, and it has to be much more uplifting, much more positive, much more willing to, you know, to be practical now in Washington-world,” he said at the annual Wall Street Journal CEO Council. “Lose the primary to win the general without violating your principles — it’s not an easy task, to be honest.”
Mr. Bush’s positions on issues like education and immigration are out of step with much of the GOP’s base, but he did criticize President Obama’s recent executive actions to grant legal status to nearly 5 million illegal immigrants in the country, The Associated Press said.
Mr. Bush also touched on the federal government’s Common Core education standards, which many conservatives oppose, saying “high standards” are more important than the label, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
“If you don’t measure, you really don’t care,” he said. “Non-measurement is the great way to make sure that it doesn’t matter, that kids can be cast aside.”
Mr. Bush, the son of former President George H.W. Bush and brother of former President George W. Bush, acknowledged he’s thinking about running for president and said he’ll make up his mind “in short order.”
“It’s the same decision-making process that I’ve always had: Do I have the skills to do it in a way that tries to lift people’s spirits and not get sucked into the vortex,” he said. “It’s easy to say. It’s harder to do.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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