There was a time when former Florida Governor Bush was considered to be a dead-win among Republicans, especially after the major letdown in 2012. But while the politician may come from a presidential bloodline, he has yet to shine in the 2016 primary race. In every major moment thus far, Gov. Bush has been reduced to a punchline and has been alienated by many of his former supporters. Now, as he struggles to regain traction in the polls – which show him coming in nationally between 5-6% of Republican primary voters – we take a look at his views on a broader scale.
Tuition Cost & Student Debt
Lower tuition cost is the dream of every college student – current or former – and this subject has really started heating up in recent months. As Democrats say they can work to subsidize tuition cost, and reduce student debt through caps and limits on interest rates, Republicans have cited other evidence, which in their estimation reveals how capable they are at delivering for young people as a whole.
At the recent debate in Boulder, Colorado Jeb Bush said in part: “In Florida, we have the lowest in-state tuition of any state, because there’s accountability, just as John [Kasich] said. You’ll create a much better graduation rate at a lower cost, and you won’t in debt the next generation with recourse debt on their backs.” While his sentiment is nice, the statement about Florida having some of the cheapest in-state tuition costs in the U.S. has been found to be entirely false.
Jobs
Voters don’t have to look far to find that the population, by and large is dissatisfied with the track of our economy. This situation has been shown to be even worse among millennials and college students.
Gov. Bush has said that, “Restoring the right to rise in America requires accelerating growth, and that can’t be done without a complete overhaul of the U.S. tax code.” His tax code overhaul will be called the “Reform and Growth Act of 2017,” should he be elected and keep his promise. Although, many believe that the problems with our economy are much broader and require more than just a simple tax system overhaul.
Health Care
Obamacare has been one of the most-impressive pieces of legislation in recent decades – at least in terms of how many people it has allowed to be signed up in one shot. 16 million people now have health coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act, but ironically enough, neither party has truly embraced it in its current state.
Gov. Bush points out that, “Washington over-regulation in health care creates high barriers to entry, adds excessive costs, fosters excessive complexity and impedes innovation.” His three-step health care bill would promote innovation, lower costs, and return power to states, which he says is crucial to the future of health care in this country.
Women’s Rights
Whether we’re talking about a wage gap, the right to choose, or simply working to be more inclusive, the women’s rights debate is one that has heated up to a boil this election cycle. While Republicans are widely considered “bad for women,” this is where a moderate or establishment candidate, like Jeb, could make a lot of ground up.
In 2012, OnTheIssues.org pointed out that Gov. Bush had largely avoided much of the extremism perpetuated by the conservative movement. However, as far as women’s issues go, he defunded Planned Parenthood in his state of Florida. He – like every other Republican candidate – has also been caught on the abortion issue, revealing that he isn’t quite as moderate as one might be led to believe.
Gun Control
Gun control is another issue where Republican candidates differ sharply from Democrats, and oddly enough, many of the truly defining differences between the two parties are social issues. This is a policy issue that in addition to being polarizing, is a serious one moving forward for both parties.
In September, Gov. Bush said that 99.999% of people should be able to keep their guns. While many believe that the portion of the population, which is violent and should not be armed is small, many took this comment as a slight overstatement of how little needs to be done on this issue. He has also cited mental health reform as a major player in reducing gun-related deaths.
Marijuana Legalization
While many see marijuana as a relative non-issue in terms of “what bad can be done,” some Republicans have very strict stances on the matter. States are moving toward making it legal, but others are staying neutral on the issue until the federal government acts. That being said, if Gov. Bush is elected President of the U.S. in 2016 — marijuana legalization will likely meet its end.
Gov. Bush calls legalizing medical marijuana a guise to legalizing recreational marijuana. He essentially embraces the “slippery slope” mentality, which many old-school conservatives still employ to this day on the subject of marijuana. Whether it’s justified or not.
LGBTQ Equality
Many Republicans called for Supreme Court Decision’s to be overturned because they didn’t fit their political or personal agenda over the summer. While the initial push from more conservative Republicans has subsided, we’re still facing relative uncertainty on these issues if a Republican is elected.
When Gov. Mike Pence signed the “Religious Freedom Law,” which wasn’t only hotly contested, but quickly overturned, too, Gov. Jeb Bush supported the law. He said in part, “This is simply allowing people of faith space to be able to express their beliefs, to be able to be people of conscience. I just think, once the facts are established, people aren’t going to see this as discriminatory at all.”
