Newly declared presidential candidate Jeb Bush succeeded in bringing together protesters from both sides of the political aisle against him when he arrived outside of a town meeting in Derry, New Hampshire.
Grassroots conservative Republicans and Independents, such as the New Hampshire Tea Party coalition, as well as members of the “no labels” group, joined with climate change activists to protest Bush’s stance on a variety of issues, reports Londonderry Patch.
Protesters stood outside the Adams Memorial Opera House with signs that blasted Bush for his support for the Common Core standards and NSA spying, as well as his apparent failure to articulate an environmental plan.
The website of the New Hampshire Tea Party Coalition observed, “Some polls claim Jeb Bush is in the top tier, but you wouldn’t know it in NH. Protesters held signs at yesterday’s town hall meeting at which Bush announced his candidacy.”
Similarly, chairman of the New Hampshire Democrat Party Ray Buckley asserted, “Over the past month we’ve seen him try to figure out what his position is on Iraq, changing his mind seemingly every day.”
“We’ve seen him defend his book that supports shaming single mothers,” he continued. “We’ve seen him try out the same failed policies of the past, and it’s clear that’s where Jeb Bush is stuck … Jeb Bush isn’t interested in leveling the playing field for Granite Staters. He’s out to do what he’s done his whole career: put himself and people like him over every day Granite Staters.”
“I’m here to ask for your vote,” Bush told town hall attendees, reports the Union Leader. The former Florida governor said both his home state and New Hampshire are “purple,” and that he plans to reach out to voters of many political stripes.
Bush said he will be advancing his tax and entitlement reform policy later in the year. He criticized President Obama for failing to develop a strategy to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
New Hampshire state Sen. Russell Prescott (R) introduced Bush, saying he has the “character, resolve and strength” to win the nomination and become the next president.
“You’ll see him over and over again,” Prescott said.
In April, Politico observed that Common Core would be Bush’s “No. 1 Problem.”
The Politico Caucus – the media outlet’s bipartisan survey of key people involved in the primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire – asked participants to rank “how politically problematic it is for a GOP presidential candidate to back Common Core in their state.”
“This is the number-one issue Bush faces in Iowa with caucusgoers,” said one top Iowa Republican.
A Republican from New Hampshire echoed, “Right now, it’s a big issue among suburban GOP women, which is a demographic that is central to him winning in New Hampshire.”
In a statement sent to Breitbart News on Monday, Mark Meckler, an original co-founder of the Tea Party movement and president of Citizens for Self-Governance, said, “Jeb Bush may be making his campaign official today, but voters around the country have been underwhelmed by him for months as his poll numbers hover between 5-10 percent.”
Meckler continued:
Roughly 90 percent of voters want a candidate other than Bush, whose education platform contains the words Common Core – a practice hated by parents and teachers across the country.
Conservatives are reluctant to support a candidate who shares a last name with two big-government Presidents that have contributed to the increase in size, spending and involvement of government in America, and his position on so-called ‘comprehensive immigration reform’ is a nonstarter with many conservatives.
Meckler, however, added his warning, “There are two political dynasties eyeing 2016, and before conservatives try to beat Hillary, they first need to beat Bush.”
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