Bush was one of five Republican candidates to address the forum in New Hampshire, and not the only one to speak in personal terms about how addiction has affected their families or loved ones.
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United States Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush on Wednesday (Jan 6) ruled out a third-party candidacy should rival Donald Trump win the party’s 2016 nomination but held tight to his belief that Mr Trump is a “jerk” and not qualified to be president.
One potential strategy could be bringing out Bush’s brother, former President George W. Bush, as a surrogate. “I don’t think he could give you… a record of accomplishment that compares to that”, Bush said.
“Well, um, I think I’m much better looking”, he said to big laughs from the audience at L3 Warrior Systems. In the front of that race is Donald Trump, and Bush has ramped up his strategy to become the anti-Trump candidate in hopes that voters who feel disenfranchised by the front-runner will coalesce around Bush instead.
“Do you want a President that disparages women, Muslims of all kinds, people with disabilities, Hispanics?”
“I could be at a chamber of commerce event, and someone would look at me”, Bush said. “I like him. He’s got a great style about him, a great personality”. “I like the fact – to a limit – that’s he’s politically incorrect”.
Beth Myers, 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s campaign manager, said it’s a sign that Bush has “found his footing”.
The former Florida governor’s policy proposal calls to combat drug addiction with better parenting, better treatment programs, more access to drug courts and tighter drug trafficking prevention along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to The New York Times.
“I have a proven record, a conservative record that brought people towards our cause rather than push them away, and Hillary Clinton needs to be taken on because of her failed record”, Bush added.
When pressed, he said “you tell me what the expectations are, and I’ll beat it”. “She went through hell, so did her mom, and so did I”.
Bush tells New Hampshire voters that Trump is rightly proud of his financial success, and that he’s “loosened things up a little bit”.
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“When somebody disparages a person with disabilities, that sets me off”, he said.
