If Jeb Bush was hoping to rescue his increasingly flagging presidential chances, he flubbed badly at a campaign event in Greenville, South Carolina. Less than 24 hours after the massacre of nine students at an Oregon community college, Jeb said he didn’t think legislation is an appropriate response to tragedies like this. Why? As he put it, “stuff happens.”
Jeb was speaking at a candidate forum sponsored by the Conservative Leadership Project. The forum was moderated by state Attorney General Alan Wilson, the son of Congressman Joe Wilson. Jeb was asked if he thought that school prayer could prevent more tragedies like the massacre at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. Jeb’s response?
“Yeah it’s a — we’re in a difficult time in our country, and I don’t think more government is necessarily the answer to this. I think we need to reconnect ourselves with everybody else. It’s just, it’s very sad to see. But I resist the notion, I had this challenge as governor, because, look, stuff happens, there’s always a crisis. And the impulse is always to do something, and it’s not necessarily the right thing to do.”
It didn’t take long for Democrats to pounce. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee scalded Jeb on Twitter, saying that 380 deaths from mass shootings this year alone can’t be dismissed as “stuff happens.” President Obama weighed in as well, saying in his usual understated manner:
“I don’t even think I have to react to that one.”
He added that the American people should consider Jeb’s comments in light of the fact that a massacre like this seems to take place “every couple of months.” In light of that, the president said:
“…they can decide whether they consider that ‘stuff happening.'”
Predictably, Jeb’s team cried foul at the pushback. Campaign spokeswoman Allie Brandenburger called it “sad and beyond craven” that Democrats were taking Jeb “out of context.” Apparently Brandenburger doesn’t know that Jeb himself tacitly acknowledged he’d stepped in it. When a reporter asked Jeb if he’d made a mistake in his earlier comments, Jeb replied:
“No, it wasn’t a mistake, I said exactly what I said.”
He then challenged the reporter to:
“explain to me what I said wrong.”
When the reporter mentioned the “stuff happens” comment, Jeb replied:
“Things happen all the time. Things–is that better?”
Gee, Jeb, I thought you hadn’t made a mistake. I also thought you were supposed to be smarter than your brother.
