One day before the third GOP presidential debate, Jeb Bush has decided to shift the focus of his campaign back to his policy proposals. The former Florida governor unveiled his plan to deal with entitlement reform on Tuesday morning.
Bush’s campaign has struggled to gain momentum and made significant financial cutbacks public late last week. After making odd remarks about how he finds a CBS actress attractive, Bush complained about the unserious nature of the presidential campaign and complained about the “cool things” he could do instead of running for president.
On Tuesday, he looked to remedy the silly season of the 2016 campaign by getting serious on entitlement reform.
Bush’s plan involves gradually increasing the retirement age necessary to receive Social Security benefits — raising the age by one month every year starting in 2022 — and disbursing smaller payments to beneficiaries who choose to retire early. He believes this will help eliminate any disincentive to work.
Under Bush’s Medicare proposal, the level of government subsidies for wealthier seniors would drop as a result of increased means-testing. Seniors who are not as well off could take advantage of paying into tax-free health savings accounts that would help cover out-of-pocket costs.
As the Washington Examiner‘s Philip Klein noted, Bush’s proposal resembles House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan’s ideas more than the actions of his brother, former President George W. Bush. While Bush may seek to align his ideas with Ryan to signal that he could work with a Congress led by the Wisconsin Republican, he has also called on his famous family for the support necessary to keep his campaign competitive.
After the GOP debate in Colorado on Wednesday, the governor will head to New Hampshire where his campaign plans to place extra emphasis in the run up to the early nominating contests. His brother, meanwhile, will return to Washington, D.C., for a fundraising powwow with old colleagues to raise money as part of an effort to help lift his brother’s campaign. Bush ranks fifth in the Washington Examiner‘s most recent presidential power rankings.
