On August 30, Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida and brother to former President George W. Bush, addressed a crowd of more than 20,000 cheering delegates and press at the Republican National Convention.
Almost 3 weeks later, on Sept. 19, Bush spoke to a significantly smaller but no less enthusiastic crowd at the General Electric corporate headquarters in Fairfield.
In front of an intimate group of roughly 100, including 18 Fairfield University students, Bush spoke about a topic which has generally been drowned out in today’s tense political climate: education reform.
Bush began the event by addressing the fact that education reform has been largely ignored in places like Connecticut, and wrongfully so, “There is a direct link, and increasingly so, between education and the ability to dream big dreams and lead prosperous lives,” said Bush.
For this reason, Bush argued that education reform should be given much more attention on the national political stage. “Education,” he stated, “is the only government program that can significantly reduce poverty.”
Indeed, the issue seems to be taking a back seat to issues of the economy and foreign policy in the current campaigns.
At the presidential nominating conventions, Republican National Convention speakers mentioned the word “education” only 10 times per 25,000 words and “science” only once, according to a New York Times analysis.
Similarly, Democrats used the word “education” 33 times and “science” twice, per 25,000 words.
The words were used mostly in passing, as a vague solution to economic problems with no further explanation. At the same time, the words “Jobs”, “Tax”, “Economy”, and “Business” were used significantly more by both parties.
In state elections, Linda McMahon’s job plans mention education only once, while Chris Murphy’s website offers several paragraphs on the subject.
These trends seem to raise questions in the minds of some voters regarding what is politically important. Is the economy, especially in times of recession, the only salient issue?
Was James Carville right when he told Bill Clinton campaigners in 1992 that the focus should be on “the economy, stupid?”
Jordan Freeman ’13 sided with Jeb Bush, saying: “Education reform has not been given enough focus and I think that is based on the focus on the economy, but the economy and education are inextricably intertwined. Without an educated and skilled workforce we cannot sustain our economic standing.”
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