Lansing´s Bush bash

In the crowded field of Republicans he´s a strong contender with name recognition (for good and bad), lots of money and experience. But he´s competing in a field that favors extremes, and at least from his appearance here, this isn´t him. He may simply operate too far outside the right-wing bubble to succeed in the bruising Republican primaries.

The former Florida governor´s positions on issues are generally conservative. No surprise there. It´s how he presents them that was interesting. His remarks during an appearance before about 150 workers at Emergent BioSolutions´ north Lansing lab lacked the hyperbolic rhetoric of so many presidential candidates. He seemed genuine, reasonable and unscripted.

I had heard that this was how he came across from my son Brian, who as a television news photographer in Florida has covered Bush many times. He calls him personable and smart, well liked as governor with some moderate positions, notably on immigration. I can see that.

Bush wants an immigration policy that keeps talent in America, particularly the graduates from universities like Michigan State. “We are training people from overseas, and the preponderance of people are being force to leave because we have a broken immigration system. We are training competitors. They go back to their native countries, and the next generation of innovation could take place in that country.”

He favors immigrant programs that don´t take jobs from Americans. That´s a pretty wide door. There aren´t a lot of Americans looking to pick apples and peaches.

Bush talked about an education system that is badly broken and failing students, noting that the economic interest of adults drives most school policies. He supports the Common Core standards, vouchers and charter schools. He wants an education system that is childcentered and accountable.

On the face of it, pretty reasonable, especially when compared to the positions and issues promoted by Republican candidates pandering to the Tea Party partisans.

Here´s how USA TODAY characterized the views of leading Republican presidential candidates: “To the conservative wing of the GOP, Common Core is anathema. Paul, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio all oppose the standards. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker called for repeal of the standards during his re-election campaign this year. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed legislation opting out of the standards in in March. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, also considering a presidential campaign, has sued the Obama administration for allegedly coercing states into adopting the standards.”

These are sound bites now. Wait for the debates to see the bloodletting. But it illustrates the problem of finding a home in the Republican Party anywhere but on the margins. It´s a party where paranoia reigns, fed by politicians, right-wing radio and Fox-TV. The online magazine Salon summarized Republican attitudes in a 2014 article that highlighted surveys by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic- leaning pollster. There are questions about the accuracy of the PPP´s approach to its samples, which can affect percentages and the margin or error. But the overall findings are nonetheless illustrative.

Salon reported that:

• 34 percent of Republicans and 35 percent of Independents believe a global power elite is conspiring to create a New World Order—compared to just 15 percent of Democrats.

• 58 percent of Republicans believe global warming is a hoax; 77 percent of Democrats do not.

• 62 percent of Republicans and 38 percent of Independents believe the Obama administration is “secretly trying to take everyone’s guns away.” Only 14 percent of Democrats agree.

• 42 percent of Republicans believe sharia law is making its way into U.S. courts, compared to just 12 percent of Democrats.

• More than twice as many Republican voters (21 percent) as Democrats (9 percent) believe the government is using “false flag incidents” to consolidate its power.

• 44 percent of Republicans and 21 percent of Independents believe that Obama is making plans to stay in office after his second term expires. Only 11 percent of Democrats agree.

Other surveys report that Republicans increasingly reject the concept of evolution, believe President Obama doesn´t love America — and it goes on, a world awash in conspiracies.

This is the arena where Bush will be fighting for the nomination, which makes it difficult for a serious candidate. The sober approach to issues he brought to Lansing last week may be impossible to sustain.

It was difficult to gauge the reaction of the Emergent workers to Bush. They were engaged and receptive, the questions were appropriate and polite, and Bush´s responses thoughtful. But as campaign appearances go, this was a pre-season non-league scrimmage. The real games are about to begin, and the Bush we saw in Lansing may have trouble.

S. V. Date, a Florida journalist who has written extensively about Bush for Politico, suggests that his serious nature and wonkish approach to the politics of politics may be his biggest weakness. Bush acknowledges that he´s an introvert, not an especially social person, Date reports. A run for president is the biggest stage there is.

With a field of presidential candidates scrambling for attention, the run-up to the election undoubtedly will be more show than substance. For Bush, the presentation that works well with a small, neutral audience in Emergent´s cafeteria will need to scale up significantly on the campaign trail.