Jeb Bush: 'I will run to win'

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[h=4]Jeb Bush: 'I will run to win'[/h]Jeb Bush formally kicks off his presidential campaign Monday. Bush will speak at a campus of Miami-Dade College.

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Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush released this video ahead of formally announcing his 2016 presidential run. It features four Floridians who were personally impacted by his work as governor. VPC


Jeb Bush announces presidential run on June 15, 2015, in Miami.(Photo: Joe Raedle, Getty Images)


MIAMI — Jeb Bush made it official Monday, launching a 2016 presidential campaign that plays up his experience as Florida governor, plays down his family name, and plays off his frequent criticism of politicians in Washington, D.C.
Describing Washington as "the static capital of this dynamic country," Bush told a supportive crowd at Miami-Dade College he will get D.C. "out of the business of causing problems" for everyday Americans.
"I know we can fix this, because I've done it," said the former Florida governor.
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Bush, who struggled at times during the run-up to Monday's announcement, also figures to spend part of the campaign arguing that he is a different kind of leader than his presidential father or brother.
From his new campaign logo — "Jeb!" — to the issues he is stressing, Bush's announcement was designed to demonstrate that he is his own person and to answer attacks that have come from conservative Republicans as well as Democrats.
While proud of his family, Bush said no one deserves the nomination by dint of résumé, party, seniority, family, or family narrative: "I will take nothing and no one for granted -- I will run with heart, and I will run to win."
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Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush did not attend the campaign kick-off event, though Jeb Bush didn't turn his back on his family. Former first lady Barbara Bush, the candidate's mother, appeared to loud applause.
Jeb Bush did tweet out a picture of himself speaking on the phone with his father, one of several "backstage" photos he posted on social media.
Unveiling an ambitious goal for the economy, Bush pledged de-regulation policies he said will generate 4% growth and 19 million new jobs.
Bush also promised to simplify the tax code, reduce federal debt, and enact a school voucher program. He pledged a sturdier military and improved relations with international allies.

Jeb Bush's mother, Barbara Bush, right, sits with his wife, Columba Bush, second from right, before the former Florida governor announced his bid for the Republican presidential nomination on June 15, 2015, at Miami Dade College.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Lynne Sladky, AP)

The crowd at Miami-Dade College loudly cheered the new candidate, waving "Jeb!" signs and at times chanting "Jeb! Jeb! Jeb!" and "Go, Jeb, Go!" They became particularly loud to drown out a group of hecklers who infiltrated the gym and yelled at Bush over the immigration issue.
In the wake of the formal announcement in Miami, Bush spends the rest of the week touring the key early caucus and primary states of New Hampshire Iowa, and South Carolina,
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While Bush is expected to have more money than his Republican opponents, a series of early polls show an unformed race with no clear front-runner.
The exploratory part of Bush's campaign included a number of stumbles. His poll numbers dropped, he shook up his campaign staff, and he struggled to answer questions about the Iraq war launched by President George W. Bush.
Democrats say Bush policies — from tax cuts for the wealthy to opposition to anti-discrimination legislation — show he favors only the well-off.
"Throughout his career, Jeb Bush has consistently put what is best for himself and those at the top above the priorities of working Americans," said Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who chairs the Democratic National Committee.
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Taking aim at the Democrats himself, Bush criticized Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and mocked the party over a "no-suspense primary for a no-change election." Referencing President Obama, Bush said "the presidency should not be passed on from one liberal to the next."
Democrats have "offered a progressive agenda that includes everything but progress," he said.
In touting his executive experience, Bush described himself as "a reforming governor" and "not just another member of the club."
Referencing the Republican nomination race, Bush joked that "there are a lot of good people running for president -- quite a few, in fact."
The large Republican field includes another Floridian and former Bush protege, Sen. Marco Rubio, who welcomed Bush to the race with a statement of friendship.
"When I call Jeb Bush my friend, I mean he is someone I like, care for and respect," Rubio said. "He and I have worked closely together for many years, on issues big and small. He is a passionate advocate for what he believes."

Judy Wieringa, left, and Anna Jacobson sell T-shirts outside Miami Dade College's Theodore Gibson Health Center in Miami on June 15, 2015, before Jeb Bush's 2016 announcement speech.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Wilfredo Lee, AP)

At one point, Bush spoke Spanish before a crowd that featured a number of Hispanics, a key constituency in a national election. Bush's wife, Columba, was born in Mexico.
Maria Toledo, 66, an electrical designer from Miami, said Bush can win many Hispanic voters. "I think he can carry the state," she said. "I think he can carry the whole nation."
The nature of the crowd underscored just how important the Hispanic vote is for Republicans as they try re-claim the White House, and for Bush personally, said Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida.
"You can't underestimate his fluency in Spanish and his ability to connect with Spanish media," MacManus said.
As for his speech overall, Bush confronted issues he is likely to face on the campaign trail, MacManus said, from conservative criticism to questions about a "third Bush" seeking the presidency.
"He was very much on the offensive," she said. "Going for broke and being unapologetic for his policy preferences."
Bush, a Florida businessman before launching a losing a bid for governor in 1994, came back to win the office in 1998 and 2002.
More than a dozen years after his last political race, Bush faces questions from conservatives about his commitment to their cause. The list of complaints include his support for Common Core education standards and for new immigration rules.
Ari Fleischer, who served as press secretary for President George W. Bush, said Jeb Bush enters the race in the "top tier" of Republican candidates and will likely stay there. Bush has some "vulnerabilities" with Republican grass roots, he said, but will have a chance to address those on the campaign trail.
The Bush family name is both an attribute and a liability for Jeb, Fleischer said, pointing out that George W. Bush remains popular with Republican primary voters.
"All candidates have to stand on their own two feet and prove their own worth," Fleischer said. "Jeb has a chance to do that."
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Jump into the political way-back machine to see three decades of presidential hopefuls announce their big plans. VPC

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