Today, in response to Jeb Bush’s announcement he is running for president, Florida Democratic Party Chair Allison Tant made the following statement:
“Florida Democrats stand ready to introduce the Jeb Bush we’ve known for years to voters across the country. Nearly a decade after he left office, Floridians are still suffering the fallout from his disastrous education policies. We haven’t forgotten the shame and embarrassment he brought Florida when he unconstitutionally abused state government to bully and harass Terri Schiavo’s husband.
“Florida’s communities of color remember his dismissive comments and his racially motivated voter purge in 2000. Florida women know that if you’re a single mother, Jeb Bush has judged you to be inherently immoral and in need of a husband. Floridians know the real Jeb Bush.
“Twenty-one years ago, Florida Democrats handed Jeb Bush a stunning defeat. We are ready to do it again and send Jeb Bush back to the Biltmore with his legacy as a disaster for our state firmly cemented in the national spotlight.”
Meet the Jeb Bush Floridians know:
We know the Jeb Bush who was willing to flaunt the Florida Constitution and use the full force of government to attack Michael Schiavo, who was simply trying to honor his wife’s health care decisions.
We know the Jeb Bush who launched an all-out assault on public education and school teachers — policies so disastrous Republican legislatures are still working to undo the damage.
We know the Jeb Bush who said he would do “probably nothing” for African-Americans, and then proceeded to implement a racist voter purge in 2000 to suppress minority voters.
We know the Jeb Bush who signed an executive order to end affirmative action in Florida schools, leading to a sharp decline in minority enrollment.
We know the Jeb Bush that sought to publicly shame single mothers, who he insisted should “find a husband” if they happened to be on public assistance.
We know the Jeb Bush that still refuses to accept the reality of climate change — even though Miami is ground zero for the disastrous effects of rising sea levels.
And we know Jeb Bush who after more than a decade still cannot admit that the war in Iraq was an unmitigated disaster of his brother’s making.