Fact Sheet
Jeb Bush has been actively pursuing a bid for President, yet it’s unclear where Jeb stands on nearly a dozen recent prominent issues, all of which Hillary Clinton spoke out on publicly. Right-wing pundits have taken to the media this year, lobbing attacks that Hillary Clinton has not actively taken positions on enough public issues. Will Jeb face tougher criticisms? Will he be compelled to take a stance on current issues?
Punting on the Issues: Jeb
In a recent examination, Jeb Bush was short on positions on recently proposed cuts to Pell Grants, the GOP budget proposals, Loretta Lynch’s nomination, the human trafficking debate, the GOP Iran letter, the Hobby Lobby case, paid family leave, equal pay, the Voting Rights Act, and the situation in Ferguson, Missouri.
What are Jeb’s positions on the issues facing Americans? Is he going to hide his positions from the same Americans he is asking for support?
Double Standard: Jeb
So, even as the right-wing attack machine and the conservative pundit class have lobbed false attacks on Clinton for not taking positions, what will they do faced with the fact that Clinton has indeed taken strong positions on current issues facing the country? So it begs the question, where does Jeb Bush stand? Will Bush face criticisms from the media and the pundits or will he be held to a very different standard than Clinton?
The RNC published a research document devoted entirely to attacking Clinton for not taking a position on issues. According to the RNC, “Despite criticizing others for ducking hard questions, Clinton has not shared her views on many matters-including recent controversies involving her email and family foundation. In October 2014, Clinton said that refusing to answer tough questions should be ‘disqualifying’ but Clinton has been widely criticized for her pattern of dodging.” [RNC, 3/12/15]
The RNC attacked Clinton for the 28 times over 9 months they claim she didn’t take a position. According to the RNC, “with Clinton’s record of running from the press – or having them followed to the bathroom –there’s nowhere else to go but up. Here’s a quick look at the 28 times Clinton clashed with the press or wouldn’t comment in the last nine months.” [RNC, 2/5/15]
Where Does Jeb Bush Stand on These Issues?
| Hillary Clinton | Jeb Bush | |
| Pell Grants | “Making college more affordable is an investment in our kids and economic growth. Cuts to Pell Grants hold our kids back.” [3/17/15, 7:05 p.m. EDT] |
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| GOP budget | “Our nation’s future – jobs & economic growth – depends on investments made today. The GOP budget fails Americans on these principles.” [3/17/15, 7:04 p.m. EDT]“Budgets reflect our priorities. They should help families get ahead, educate our kids, and spark small business growth.” [3/17/15, 7:04 p.m. EDT] |
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| Loretta Lynch | “Congressional trifecta against women today: 1) Blocking great nominee, 1st African American woman AG, for longer than any AG in 30 years…” [3/16/15, 2:59 p.m. EDT] |
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| Human trafficking | “Congressional trifecta against women today: 1) Blocking great nominee, 1st African American woman AG, for longer than any AG in 30 years…” “…2) Playing politics with trafficking victims… 3) Threatening women’s health & rights.” [3/16/15, 2:59 p.m. EDT; 3/16/15, 3:01 p.m. EDT] |
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| GOP Iran letter | “GOP letter to Iranian clerics undermines American leadership. No one considering running for commander-in-chief should be signing on.” [3/11/15, 2:11 p.m. EDT]“‘Reasonable people can disagree’ about Obama’s ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran, the former secretary of state said. ‘But the recent letter from Republican senators was out of step from the best traditions of American leadership.’ […] ‘Either these senators were trying to be helpful to the Iranians — or harmful to the commander-in-chief,’ she added. ‘Either answer does discredit to the letter’s signatories.’” [Politico, 3/10/15] |
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| Hobby Lobby | “Hard-working women will pay the price for today’s two troubling #SCOTUS decisions — in wages, health care & dignity.” [6/30/14, 6:34 p.m. EDT]“It is very troubling that a sales clerk at Hobby Lobby who needs contraception, which is pretty expensive, is not going to get that service through her employer’s health-care plan because her employer doesn’t think she should be using contraception.” [Wall Street Journal, 6/30/14] |
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| Paid leave | “National paid family leave benefits families & our economy. Get the facts: http://go.wh.gov/suNHLY . And visit http://WorkingFamiliesSummit.org” [7/23/14, 7:35 a.m. EDT] |
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| Equal pay | “20 years ago, women made 72 cents on the dollar to men. Today it’s still just 77 cents. More work to do. #EqualPay #NoCeilings” [4/8/14, 7:20 p.m. EDT] “We all cheered at Patricia Arquette’s speech at the Oscars because she’s right. It’s time to have wage equality once and for all.” [Washington Post, 2/24/15] |
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| Voting Rights Act | “I am disappointed in today’s decision striking at the heart of the Voting Rights Act. http://wjcf.co/134uLaI” [6/25/13, 6:52 p.m. EDT] |
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| Ferguson | “We can stand up together and say yes, black lives matter.” [Politico, 12/17/14] “I applaud President Obama for sending the attorney general to Ferguson and demanding a thorough and speedy investigation. That’s both appropriate and necessary to find out what happened, to see that justice is done, to help this community begin healing itself.” [National Journal, 8/28/14] |
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