Likely presidential hopeful Jeb Bush charged President Obama with leaving too many Americans “on the edge of economic ruin,” in a campaign-style speech in downtrodden Detroit Wednesday.
The Republican former Florida governor focused his remarks on restoring the American dream for hardworking citizens — laying the groundwork for an expected 2016 White House bid.
“Let’s go where our ideas can matter most, where the failures of liberal government are most obvious. Let’s deliver real conservative success,” he told a crowd of 600 at the Detroit Economic Club luncheon, the Washington Examiner reported.
Under Obama, “the recovery has been everywhere but in the family paychecks,” he said.
Bush blamed Washington politics and the “liberal mindset” on the nation’s economic woes, saying that incomes are still low and many have given up looking for work — even though the recession ended six years ago.
“Instead of a safety net to cushion our occasional falls, they have built a spider web that traps people in perpetual dependence,” he insisted.
While Obama in a recent CNN interview said he’s “proud of saving the American economy,” Bush called it “very little” and noted that “it’s come very late.”
“How do we restore America’s faith in the moral promise of our great nation that any child born today can reach further than their parents?” he asked.
“This is an urgent issue: Far too many Americans live on the edge of economic ruin.”
Bush left office in 2007 — and has yet to win over some Republicans who disagree with his education and immigration stances.
But he has seen forward momentum in recent weeks thanks to support from big-business donors.
And like other potential candidates, he has started appealing to a wider swath of economically struggling voters with a reform-minded campaign platform he calls the “Right to Rise.”
“The American dream has become a mirage for far too many,” he said.
“So the central question we face here in Detroit and across America is this: can we restore that dream, that moral promise, that each generation can do better?”
While some Republicans aren’t necessarily eager to nominate another Bush for the White House, Jeb stuck by his kin Wednesday, calling his dad, 41st President George H.W. Bush, “the greatest man alive,” and his brother, 43rd Commander-in-Chief George W. Bush, “a great president,” according to the Detroit Free Press.
Jeb said he wouldn’t be able to ride their coattails into office.
“I know for a fact that if I’m going to be successful going beyond the consideration [of running for president], then I’m going to have to do it on my own,” he said.