WASHINGTON (McClatchy) — Former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida went to one of America’s most troubled cities Wednesday to lay out the economic principles for a likely presidential campaign, signaling he’d compete for usually Democratic votes with a conservative pitch to help the poor and middle class.
“Some in the media think conservatives don’t care about the cities. But they are wrong,” he said at the Detroit Economic Club. “We believe that every American, and in every community, has a right to pursue happiness.”
Bush used his speech to frame an economic argument that would contrast the problems of the poor under President Barack Obama and his pro-government approach with the promise of a market-driven agenda.
“How do we recapture the prosperity and opportunity that once defined cities like Detroit?” he said. “This is an urgent issue: Far too many Americans live on the edge of economic ruin.”