Former Florida governor hit the Sunday morning talk-show circuit this morning. Here are the highlights.
On Face the Nation, Bush continued to push his plan for immigration reform. After getting some heat this week for the unclear positions in his book, Bush clarified and reassured host Bob Schieffer that his stance is in line with the views of his party’s leaders, specifically those of senators Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) and Marco Rubio (R., Fla.).
He added that getting a bipartisan approach to immigration reform could have a ripple-effect on other issues as well: “This is a very encouraging time because if we can get immigration right, imagine, there’s possibilities of cats and dogs living with one another in other policy areas as well.”
Fox News Sunday’s Chris Wallace also challenged Jeb Bush on his immigration plan, asking the governor what separated his plan from Mitt Romney’s comments about “self-deportation,” which Bush himself claimed hurt Romney with hispanics. Significantly, in his response, Bush said he would be open to a pathway to citizenship — complicating the idea that he reversed field on the topic. Bush said such a pathway would only work if it were a less attractive option for immigrants than coming here legally.
Later Wallace asked whether Bush thought his last name would be a liability in a potential 2016 run. Bush said he was “proud” of his family, and that there would be “no Bush baggage at all.” He also laughed off a suggestion that he would represent an “establishment” as opposed to “conservative” candidate for president.
Finally, on Meet the Press, Bush offered a colorful metaphor for the punditocracy’s obsession with the Jeb Bush vs. Marco Rubio 2016 speculation.
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