By Jonathan Easley - 05-22-15 14:33 PM EDT
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Friday told a Republican audience that the party must expand its base of support if it is going to be competitive in national elections.
Speaking at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in Oklahoma City, Bush urged Republicans to get out of their “comfort zone” by taking the conservative message to young people and nonwhite voters — demographic groups that tend to back Democrats.
“I think we need to get beyond preaching to the choir, to be honest with you,” Bush told the summit, at which several GOP presidential contenders and other conservatives were scheduled to speak.
“I love the choir, don’t get me wrong, but we need to get outside of our comfort zone. Go campaign in the Latino barrios. Go to the college campuses that haven’t heard from a conservative in a long while. Go talk to the black churches about school choice. Go out and spread the message that is hopeful and optimistic about the future of this country.”
Bush also argued that, if the GOP is going to be successful in 2016, the party’s message can’t be narrowly focused on attacking Democrats or the perceived shortcomings of liberalism.
“We won’t win if we constantly talk about how bad things are,” he said. “We won’t win if we just focus exclusively on how bad things are because of our opponents.
“It’s fine and principled to stand against ObamaCare and Dodd-Frank and higher taxes and the corruption of the IRS,” Bush continued. “All of that is fair game and, I think, important to do. But we also have to offer a hopeful and optimistic message that’s grounded in the principles we love and believe in. We should be confident in those principles. We should embrace them and convince the people who haven’t heard them in a long while.”
Still, Bush himself took plenty of shots at President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The former Florida governor, who is expected to announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president this summer, made the case for a muscular foreign policy and criticized the Obama administration for what he described as a policy of disengagement.
“This is the first administration in the post-World War II era that does not believe America’s presence in the world, America’s leadership in the world. America’s power is a force for good, a force for security, a force for peace,” Bush said. “With all due respect Mr. President, you’re just wrong on this one. You’re totally wrong.”
Bush accused Obama of “leading from behind” on the terror threat from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, of damaging U.S. relations with allies like Israel and Canada, and of generally withdrawing from the world stage at a time when antagonists, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, are becoming more aggressive on the global stage.
As for Clinton, Bush argued, “One thing she can’t say is that she was secretary of State during a time when there was an effective foreign policy. She can’t say that because she was right there with Barack Obama.”
Bush also weighed in on the debate in Congress over whether to reauthorize the Patriot Act, calling the National Security Agency’s spy programs a critical component to keeping the nation safe.
Parts of the Patriot Act will expire at the end of the month, and Republicans in Congress are split on whether the law should be reauthorized.
Bush in recent weeks has become an increasingly vocal proponent of reauthorization.
“There is ample evidence that the Patriot Act has been a tool to keep us safe. Ample evidence. Case by case, where it has,” Bush said on Friday.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), another GOP presidential hopeful, filibustered the reauthorization of the programs earlier this week, calling it “a direct violation of the Fourth Amendment” and characterizing it as a tool of an intrusive government bureaucracy.
“There is no evidence of anyone’s civil liberties being violated because of it,” Bush said. “It’s important for us to protect our freedoms for sure, but it’s also important for us to protect the homeland, and reauthorizing the Patriot Act is part of a comprehensive strategy for foreign policy.”
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