Last week, on March 27, Mr. Jeb Bush, the former Republican governor of Florida, spoke at Yale University, as part of the school’s William F. Buckley, Jr. Program. Over about an hour, Mr. Bush shared a range of topics covering the restoration of conservatism in America.
According to Imran Hyder ’18, who attended the event, Mr. Bush’s primary goal seemed to be to explain to his audience the so-called five pillars of conservatism:
Pillar 1: The belief in the inalienable right of every human to succeed or fail, based on their own talents without undue interference by the state.
Pillar 2: The belief that the standard of merit is the only viable standard when considering people for any position, public or private.
Pillar 3: The belief that the best way to defend the rights of the masses, is by defending the rights of the individuals who make up the population.
Pillar 4: The belief that mankind is the most valuable resource the planet has.
Pillar 5: The belief that the first four pillars are interconnected and dependent one upon the other.
Mr. Bush opened his address with a brief reference to his time spent running for President in 2016. A member of one of the country’s most prominent political families, Mr. Bush, as a presidential candidate, quickly raised more than $100 million, but he finished poorly in the early primaries and eventually was forced to succumb to the insurgency of Donald Trump. He and his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and his older brother, former President George W. Bush, have all been critical of Mr. Trump’s campaign and presidency.
Mr. Bush spent much of his time discussing the impact of technology on the U.S. economy, recognizing the duality of innovation in its ability to improve lives in many areas, but also in its impact on job availability.
“To me, Jeb Bush was an extremely prominent figure in politics, and I was very interested in hearing what he had to say,” said Baji Tumendemberel ’18. “I think the real intention of his speech was to give a perspective from the different side of the isle, and not just from sensationalist news or a politician who is unaware of what the other side is saying.”
During the presentation, Mr. Bush argued that America is in a very bipartisan time in politics that needs to change. In considering the opposing viewpoint, Mr. Bush acknowledged hypocrisy in the Republican Party and emphasized the importance of this hypocrisy being called to the party’s attention. Overall, Mr. Bush noted both a sense of humor and respect as critical elements of political involvement and discussion.
The presentation lasted about an hour and was followed by a brief question and answer session. Students and other attendees took in what Mr. Bush had to say and reflected on areas of agreement and disagreement.
“Though there were some parts that I did not agree with, I will admit that I respectfully disagreed, knowing that Bush had a well-rounded perspective,” said Tumendemberel. “I understood that he had logic behind his solutions, but I would think that a different solution may be better.”
Hyder, who also attended the event, said, “One of the things Bush touched on that I found interesting was his view on keeping unemployment rates low in a modernized economy, as technology could be taking over in our society. In the meantime, he also mentioned aspects of educational improvement and keeping America educated on top of this. I didn’t personally find anything he was saying too controversial.”
Hyder added, “Overall, I thought he had a very good speech that was interesting to listen to for me and for other members of the Choate community.”
