Laura Meckler :Hillary Clinton Attacks Jeb Bush on ‘Right to Rise’ Says Slogan is Contrary to his Policy Positions
http://www.wsj.com/articles/hillary-clinton-attacks-jeb-bush-on-right-to-rise-1438354395
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton sharply attacked one of the top Republicans in the presidential race, saying Jeb Bush’s “Right to Rise” slogan is empty given his policy positions.
“I don’t think you can credibly say that everybody has a ‘right to rise’ and then say you’re for phasing out Medicare or for repealing Obamacare,” she said Friday morning. “People can’t rise if they can’t afford health care. They can’t rise if the minimum wage is too low to live on.”
“I’m working for every vote,” Mr. Bush told the group. He didn’t reply to Mrs. Clinton’s critique, but a spokeswoman called her comments “more false, cheap political shots” meant to distract from Mrs. Clinton’s lack of accomplishments.
Mrs. Clinton and two other Democrats who addressed the group focused heavily on a string of deaths of black people at the hands of police or in police custody and on economic inequality. Mr. Bush didn’t mention the deaths or the “black lives matter” movement that activists have embraced, instead focusing on his record in Florida on expanding the economy and improving public schools.
Mr. Bush’s campaign slogan, “Right to Rise,” is based on the idea that anyone, regardless of race, ethnicity or income, has the right to a good education and prosperous life.
Mrs. Clinton nodded to Mr. Bush’s coming remarks before the largely African-American audience, but said the “real test of a candidate’s commitment” isn’t whether he or she speaks at a particular convention. “It’s whether we’re still around after the cameras are gone and the votes are counted,” she said.
She said Mr. Bush’s record makes hollow his effort to reach out to African-American voters. She pointed to controversial actions he took as governor of Florida, including support for a scrubbing of Florida’s voter rolls and ending affirmative action in state universities.
“You cannot seriously talk about the right to rise and support laws that deny the right to vote,” she said.
Mr. Bush, considered one of the front-runners for the GOP nomination, has said Medicare should be phased out for people not yet in the program and replaced with something else. He also wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act and opposes increases in the minimum wage.
In his own remarks, Mr. Bush pointed to his record as governor of Florida. He highlighted his decision to keep the Confederate flag off the statehouse grounds, his appointment of black judges and other officials and his championing of charter schools, private school vouchers and a state overhaul of public education.
“I believe in the right to rise in this country,” he said. “And a child is not rising if he’s not reading.” On economic growth, he said, “opportunity is a hollow word unless you’ve got the dignity of a job and a paycheck.”
The stakes of the debate are significant. At a time when the nation is becoming more racially diverse each year, many see a Republican imperative to expand their appeal to African-Americans and, more critically, to Hispanic voters.
Out of the broad GOP field, just two Republicans accepted the Urban League’s invitation to address the gathering: Mr. Bush and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, the only African-American candidate in the race. Democratic candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley also spoke.
Polls show Mrs. Clinton towers over candidates of both parties in support among African-Americans, and interviews with members of the audience afterward reflected that. Both Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Sanders got standing ovations, while the Republicans got polite applause. Mr. O’Malley’s reception was in between the two.
“Definitely Hillary,” said Angelina Bill, 42 years old, of St. Louis, when asked who made the best impression. “She seemed to be the strongest and most knowledgeable candidate. She nailed it.”
“I am completely with Hillary all the way,” said Toiya Sosa of Virginia Beach, Va.
But several said they appreciated that Mr. Bush had attended and some said they liked what he had to say.
“It really gave me a viewpoint into a candidate I wouldn’t have considered if he hadn’t come here,” said Marcus Alexander, 32, of Orlando, Fla. “I want to know more about his candidacy and his record.”
Some said they were surprisingly impressed with Mr. O’Malley, who lingers at the bottom of polls but has made positive impressions at other big speeches. He used the event to unveil a criminal-justice overhaul plan. “He had specific plans to make a positive difference in cities across the country,” said Vincent Clark, 40, of Buffalo, N.Y.
Samantha Abrams, 35, of Washington, D.C., said she found herself drawn to Mr. Sanders’s call for an upending of the political system. “He understands our situation and if we don’t make some paradigm shifts, we will implode. He captivated me today,” she said. “Now I’m really undecided.”
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