I've tried to be fair to him. When liberals were killing him about his comment that Americans need to work more it seemed to me that he and his liberal critics were talking past each other. He was right that there is a severe underemployment problem in America, but then they were right that there is a severe lack of leisure in America.
Yes, I used the Neoclassical idea that leisure is an economic good. I think that's right as long as we differentiate between leisure on the one hand and unemployment and underemployment on the other.
http://lastmenandovermen.blogspot.com/2015/08/jeb-bush-hours-working-and.html
So I didn't necessarily see that as his Mitt Romney 47% moment as I thought a more charitable vein was he was honestly trying to grapple with the underemployment problem which is welcome. Some liberals in their zeal to call it his 47% moment made the rather odd claim that as 'only' 5 million Americans are underemployed, this isn't a real problem!
However, I agree that Jeb really has stepped in it this time on women's issues. He is forced to do a Todd Akin and say that he somehow 'misspoke.'
"Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) quickly walked back earlier comments that he was "not sure we need half a billion dollars for women's health issues."
"His presidential campaign posted online a statement Tuesday evening saying Bush "misspoke" with the remarks:
"With regards to women’s health funding broadly, I misspoke, as there are countless community health centers, rural clinics, and other women’s health organizations that need to be fully funded. They provide critical services to all, but particularly low-income women who don’t have the access they need.
"I was referring to the hard-to-fathom $500 million in federal funding that goes to Planned Parenthood – an organization that was callously participating in the unthinkable practice of selling fetal organs. Democrats and Republicans agree we absolutely must defund them and redirect those funds to other women’s health organizations."
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/jeb-bush-misspoke-womens-health
If you're going to dimisish the healthcare needs of over 50% of the electorate that's a pretty bad time to 'misspeak.'
Meanwhile, his GOP buddies at the state level are shutting down women's health clinics as fast as they can-over the abortion issue.
I guess a follow up for Jeb here is whether he agrees with the new GOP Congress plan to shutdown the government in September over Planned Parenthood. PP does a lot for women's health besides provide for safe abortions.Apparently he does as in his mea culpa he did go after PP:
The trouble with this is it doesn't solve the problem. PP is a big source of healthcare for women, particularly low income women. So saying that $500 million on women's health is a waste of money but then saying you didn't mean it just that it shouldn't go to PP ignores the fact that women are helped so much by PP.
Meanwhile this is not his first 47% like comment. Remember when he misspoke about ending Medicare?
This isn’t the first off-the-cuff statement that has landed Bush in trouble.
"In recent weeks, he has said Americans needs to work more hours and that he would “phase out” Medicare. In the first case, Bush said he was referring to the need for more full-time jobs; in the second, he said he was discussing the need to move to a more efficient, better-financed Medicare system."
"Bush and aides say their critics are working to take his statements out of context."
Maybe this is a tic of Jeb's then? Of saying things that in context are perfectly reasonable but out of context sound appalling?
Yes, I used the Neoclassical idea that leisure is an economic good. I think that's right as long as we differentiate between leisure on the one hand and unemployment and underemployment on the other.
http://lastmenandovermen.blogspot.com/2015/08/jeb-bush-hours-working-and.html
So I didn't necessarily see that as his Mitt Romney 47% moment as I thought a more charitable vein was he was honestly trying to grapple with the underemployment problem which is welcome. Some liberals in their zeal to call it his 47% moment made the rather odd claim that as 'only' 5 million Americans are underemployed, this isn't a real problem!
However, I agree that Jeb really has stepped in it this time on women's issues. He is forced to do a Todd Akin and say that he somehow 'misspoke.'
"Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) quickly walked back earlier comments that he was "not sure we need half a billion dollars for women's health issues."
"His presidential campaign posted online a statement Tuesday evening saying Bush "misspoke" with the remarks:
"With regards to women’s health funding broadly, I misspoke, as there are countless community health centers, rural clinics, and other women’s health organizations that need to be fully funded. They provide critical services to all, but particularly low-income women who don’t have the access they need.
"I was referring to the hard-to-fathom $500 million in federal funding that goes to Planned Parenthood – an organization that was callously participating in the unthinkable practice of selling fetal organs. Democrats and Republicans agree we absolutely must defund them and redirect those funds to other women’s health organizations."
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/jeb-bush-misspoke-womens-health
If you're going to dimisish the healthcare needs of over 50% of the electorate that's a pretty bad time to 'misspeak.'
Meanwhile, his GOP buddies at the state level are shutting down women's health clinics as fast as they can-over the abortion issue.
I guess a follow up for Jeb here is whether he agrees with the new GOP Congress plan to shutdown the government in September over Planned Parenthood. PP does a lot for women's health besides provide for safe abortions.Apparently he does as in his mea culpa he did go after PP:
The trouble with this is it doesn't solve the problem. PP is a big source of healthcare for women, particularly low income women. So saying that $500 million on women's health is a waste of money but then saying you didn't mean it just that it shouldn't go to PP ignores the fact that women are helped so much by PP.
Meanwhile this is not his first 47% like comment. Remember when he misspoke about ending Medicare?
This isn’t the first off-the-cuff statement that has landed Bush in trouble.
"In recent weeks, he has said Americans needs to work more hours and that he would “phase out” Medicare. In the first case, Bush said he was referring to the need for more full-time jobs; in the second, he said he was discussing the need to move to a more efficient, better-financed Medicare system."
"Bush and aides say their critics are working to take his statements out of context."
Maybe this is a tic of Jeb's then? Of saying things that in context are perfectly reasonable but out of context sound appalling?
I do agree that the more hours comment is uncharitable-though his claim that he will give us 4% GDP is silly and meaningless.
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