Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush touched on many topics Friday night, including small business, education, wealth and robots, but he entirely avoided what is perhaps the most timely — and controversial — topic in his wheelhouse: immigration.
Bush, a rumored contender for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, was the featured speaker at the Ronald Reagan dinner at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference. Less than a week before CPAC, Bush made the rounds on the Sunday morning TV shows, where he was grilled about his apparently flip-flop on immigration reform.
But ‘mum’ was the word during Bush’s CPAC talk.
Bush opened his talk by thanking the audience for their prayers for his dad, President George H. W. Bush, who was hospitalized in November. The brother of former President George W. Bush then brought up a picture of himself from his younger days, when he sported a mullet. Bush joked about his “catcher’s mitt” hairstyle, saying he had both the party in the front and in the back.
“We used to be the party in the front,” Bush said, tying his comments into an illustration about the GOP. “After the last election, sadly, we’re the party in the back.”
Bush stressed the need for continued American success and progress, in areas such as energy, food production, technology — including robots — and education.
“Success desperately needs to be cool again,” he said later.
Yet the core principles held by most Americans must also be upheld, principles such as family and church. These social structures are infringed upon by government overreach, Bush said. He added that the Republican party must convey their care for individuals and the things that matter to them, becoming the party for everyone.
“I’m here to tell you there is no ‘us’ or ‘them,'” Bush said. “The face of the Republican party should be the face of every American.”
Bush did say during his talk that the GOP must stop being “anti-everything,” including “anti-immigrant.” Other than a few vague references, however, Bush avoided speaking about his immigration views, perhaps distancing himself from a sensitive topic for the former Governor. But should he decide to run for president in 2016, immigration is bound to come up again. He can’t avoid it forever.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDvhBZc2rA4&w=560&h=315]
