Jeb Bush returned to his political backyard Monday to make the case that the record of conservative success that he compiled as governor of Florida shows that he is prepared to “fix” the nation’s problems as president — as he looked to reboot his candidacy after a recent campaign shakeup and widely panned debate performances.
The address in Tampa marked the launch of a “Jeb Can Fix It” tour that will also take him to South Carolina and New Hampshire, where Mr. Bush is casting himself as “an agent of change” and predicting that he will win the GOP presidential nomination by “appealing to our better angels, and not our greatest fears.”
“I turned the political culture of Tallahassee upside down,” Mr. Bush said, alluding to his time as governor from 1999 to 2007. “I’m putting The Beltway on notice. I’ll turn Washington upside down too. ”
Mr. Bush pledged to deliver “fundamental conservative reform” and “bring people together to solve problems” as president, while slipping in jabs at Donald J. Trump and his less experienced rivals.
“The challenges we face as a nation are too great to roll the dice on another presidential experiment. To trust the rhetoric of reform over a record of reform,” Mr. Bush said.
“After seven years of incompetence, corruption and gridlock in Washington, we need a president who can fix it. I can fix it,” he said.
Mr. Bush said he will strengthen the nation’s standing on the global stage, and get its fiscal house in order.
“I know I can fix it…because I’ve done it,” Mr. Bush said. “In Florida, we showed how strong, hands-on leadership could make a difference in the lives of people.”
Mr. Bush’s gubernatorial has won praise from conservatives
Mr. Bush, though, has found himself at odds with parts of the GOP base since he left office because of the stances he has taken on immigration and K-12 education standards, known as Common Core, which has haunted him since he entered the presidential race in mid-June.
Mr. Bush also has faced blowback for being the scion of the most recognizable family dynasty in Republican circles, following the presidencies of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, his father and brother.
Last week, the Bush campaign announced it was scaling back it operation at its Miami headquarters, and bolstering its efforts in the early primary states - in particular New Hampshire, home of the first-in-the-nation primary.
The downsizing announcement was sandwiched between dipping poll numbers and the GOP debate in Colorado last week where Mr. Bush was overshadowed by his rivals and came out on the losing end of a memorable exchange with Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.
Taken together, it marked the roughest week of the campaign season for Mr. Bush - stoking speculation that Mr. Bush, who has not run for office since 2002, is not ready for prime time.
The address in Tampa marked the launch of a “Jeb Can Fix It” tour that will also take him to South Carolina and New Hampshire, where Mr. Bush is casting himself as “an agent of change” and predicting that he will win the GOP presidential nomination by “appealing to our better angels, and not our greatest fears.”
“I turned the political culture of Tallahassee upside down,” Mr. Bush said, alluding to his time as governor from 1999 to 2007. “I’m putting The Beltway on notice. I’ll turn Washington upside down too. ”
Mr. Bush pledged to deliver “fundamental conservative reform” and “bring people together to solve problems” as president, while slipping in jabs at Donald J. Trump and his less experienced rivals.
“The challenges we face as a nation are too great to roll the dice on another presidential experiment. To trust the rhetoric of reform over a record of reform,” Mr. Bush said.
“After seven years of incompetence, corruption and gridlock in Washington, we need a president who can fix it. I can fix it,” he said.
Mr. Bush said he will strengthen the nation’s standing on the global stage, and get its fiscal house in order.
“I know I can fix it…because I’ve done it,” Mr. Bush said. “In Florida, we showed how strong, hands-on leadership could make a difference in the lives of people.”
Mr. Bush’s gubernatorial has won praise from conservatives
Mr. Bush, though, has found himself at odds with parts of the GOP base since he left office because of the stances he has taken on immigration and K-12 education standards, known as Common Core, which has haunted him since he entered the presidential race in mid-June.
Mr. Bush also has faced blowback for being the scion of the most recognizable family dynasty in Republican circles, following the presidencies of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, his father and brother.
Last week, the Bush campaign announced it was scaling back it operation at its Miami headquarters, and bolstering its efforts in the early primary states - in particular New Hampshire, home of the first-in-the-nation primary.
The downsizing announcement was sandwiched between dipping poll numbers and the GOP debate in Colorado last week where Mr. Bush was overshadowed by his rivals and came out on the losing end of a memorable exchange with Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.
Taken together, it marked the roughest week of the campaign season for Mr. Bush - stoking speculation that Mr. Bush, who has not run for office since 2002, is not ready for prime time.
On Monday, Mr. Bush downplayed the debate fallout and said that “when the dust clears, and the delegates are counted, we will win this campaign.”
“This election is not about a set of personalities. It’s about a set of principles,” he said. “It is about leadership.
“It is about the right vision to lead America through turbulent waters, after two terms of a divider-in-chief who has sliced and diced the electorate by class, income, grievance and creed. So the choice we face is whether to summon the courage to give rise to an era of new possibility or to indulge this new age of cynicism,” he said.
Mr. Bush criticized the Obama administration, as well as Hillary Rodham Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee, and warned that some of his GOP rivals have bought into the false notion that “say our best days are behind us.”
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