Jeb Bush has a new campaign slogan — “Jeb Can Fix It” — that some critics believe should apply to his campaign performance.
The former Republican front-runner told NBC’s Meet the Press that his presidential bid is having trouble, and he will have to step it up in order to pass Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, and other Republican opponents.
“I have enough self-awareness to know that this is the bumpy time of a campaign,” Bush told NBC.
As the former Florida governor prepares to kick off a “Jeb Can Fix It” tour with a speech Monday in Tampa, his campaign has signaled a more aggressive posture toward opponents — particularly Rubio, a fellow Floridian whom many analysts see as Bush’s top competition among establishment Republicans.
Last week came the leak of a Bush campaign memo with pointed criticism of Rubio, citing his youth and missed Senate votes, and likening his lack of experience to that of Democrat Barack Obama in 2008.
Bush told Meet The Press he did not know about the memo until he read about it in the media and said he wants his campaign focused on winning Republican primaries and caucuses next year.
“You know that comparing and contrasting is part of this,” Bush said. “But the basis of my campaign is that we can fix these problems and people can be lifted out of poverty and the great middle can get rising income again. ”
Rubio — as he did during last week’s debate — said the Bush campaign is targeting him because it is sliding in the polls.
“Obviously someone has convinced Jeb that attacking me is going to help his campaign,” Rubio said on CBS’ Face The Nation. “It won’t change the way we run our campaign.”
As for his own qualifications, the first term senator from Florida said no one else in the presidential race “has shown better judgment on the issues before America today than I have, and better understanding of them, especially on the foreign policy realm which is at the end of the day the most important obligation of a president.”
As Bush and Rubio did their television hits, Trump — who remains at the top of Republican polls along with Carson — attacked both candidates via Twitter.
Trump questioned Bush’s use of the word “fix,” saying it has bad connotations: “I never thought of Jeb as a crook! Stupid message, the word “fix” is not a good one to use in politics!”
Jeb's new slogan – "Jeb can fix it". I never thought of Jeb as a crook! Stupid message, the word "fix" is not a good one to use in politics!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 1, 2015
As for Rubio, Trump said he wouldn’t win election because he is “weak on illegal immigration, strong on amnesty and has the appearance to killers of the world as a ‘lightweight.'”
Marco Rubio will not win. Weak on illegal immigration, strong on amnesty and has the appearance to killers of the world as a "lightweight".
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 1, 2015
Analysts gave Rubio high marks after last week’s debate in Colorado, and attacked Bush’s performance — criticism Bush did not dispute during the NBC interview.
“Look, I know that I got to get better at doing the debate,” Bush said. “I’m a grinder. I mean, when I see that I’m not doing something well then I reset and I get better.”
Looking toward his speech in Tampa and a “Jeb Can Fix It” tour, Bush said he plans to tout his experience as Florida governor. He told NBC he plans to argue that Republicans “need to he hopeful and optimistic” in the 2016 election, with an “aspirational message” for anxious voters.
“I don’t think conservatives are going to win the presidency unless we campaign with our arms wide open,” Bush said. “Inclusive.”
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