Jeb lays out his 2016 framework

Jeb Bush on Wednesday began to lay the groundwork for a likely White House bid, focusing on economic opportunity in his first major political speech this year. 

“I will offer a new vision,” the former Florida governor said. “A plan of action that is different than what we have been hearing in Washington, D.C. It is a vision rooted in conservative principles and tethered to our shared belief in opportunity and the unknown possibilities of a nation given the freedom to act, to create, to dream and to rise.”

{mosads}The speech to the Detroit Economic Club in deep-blue Michigan was the first in a series he’ll be giving across the country focused on the “right to rise” — also the name of his leadership political action committee — and the notion that the working class can be boosted by conservative principles.

Bush said that strengthening the family unit, promoting growth through limited government and taking power out of Washington and giving it to state and local governments will be among the pillars of his message.

He also gave an early preview of how he intends to combat some of the attacks his nascent candidacy has already faced. In his speech, and in the question-and-answer session that followed, Bush touched on his family background and more centrist positions expected that are expected to dog him throughout the primaries and into the general election, if he makes it that far.

He deviated from his prepared remarks to give an impassioned defense of his education reform record. Republicans believe Bush’s support for Common Core is perhaps his greatest liability in the GOP primaries.

The former governor did not implement the standards while he was in office, but he has promoted them through his education foundation. The set of nationalized standards has become toxic in conservative circles.

In the most fiery portion of his speech, Bush thundered about how under his watch, the Florida education system went from last in the country to a national model.

“We decided that the right to rise was also a civil right,” the Republican said. “So we went to work to change education in Florida, and boy did we.” 

Bush has also taken fire from his own party for what some believe is a too-soft approach to immigration. Bush has said that many immigrants are seeking a life in the U.S. to be reunited with their families, which he has called an “act of love.”

On Wednesday he said he was frustrated by the politicization of the immigration debate, framing the argument for reform in terms of economic opportunity.

“This should be the lowest hanging fruit because it’s a huge opportunity,” he said. “Immigration is not a problem. The immigration experience makes us unique and special and different and it is part of our extraordinary success over time. While the political fights go on, we’re missing this opportunity [for economic growth].”

Finally, Bush addressed his family legacy and the tricky business of running for president as the scion of a political dynasty.

“I’ve had a front-row seat to watch history unfold, a unique seat,” Bush said. “It’s given me some perspectives that are helpful. On another level, it’s an interesting challenge for me.”

Here, Bush repeatedly expressed his love and admiration for his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and brother, former President George W. Bush. But he also indicated that he’d need to break free from their orbits and forge his own path.

“If I were to go beyond the consideration of running, I would have to deal with this and turn this fact into an opportunity to share who I am,” Bush said. “To connect on a human level with people.”

Bush said he’s done this before. He was governor while his brother was president, and he ran unsuccessfully for governor for the first time just after his father left the White House.

“I was my own person [in Florida] … and that experience on a national scale has got to be part of my strategy,” Bush said.

Bush’s selection of Detroit to make his first campaign speech also appeared strategic.

The city has been in a decades-long economic decline, and many of its middle- and upper-class workers have fled the city for the outlying suburbs. The once great manufacturing hub is, for many, a symbol of the sluggish economic recovery and the golden age of the American automotive industry.

“The troubles Detroit faces are an echo of the troubles facing Washington, D.C.,” Bush said. “Decades of big government policies, petty politics, impossible-to-meet pension promises, chronic mismanagement and broken services, combined with a massive loss of jobs and competitiveness in the auto industry, drove tens of thousands of people from this city and this region.”

Detroit was a flashpoint of the 2012 election. In an ironic twist, one of GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s most embarrassing moments on the campaign trail came in front of the Detroit Economic Club, when he gave a speech to the group at a cavernous and nearly empty Ford Field.

Democrats also hammered Romney for an op-ed he wrote in The New York Times arguing the automotive industry should go through a structured bankruptcy. The headline given by the paper was “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt,” which provided a succinct bumper-sticker-ready attack for Democrats against Romney that dovetailed with their portrayal of the former Massachusetts governor as a ruthless corporate raider.

The Democratic National Committee fired back at Bush’s speech, calling it “hollow rhetoric” that’s at odds with his record as governor.

“Bush’s message today is completely divorced from the reality of his governorship — when time and again he lined the pockets of the wealthy and big businesses with tax cuts, at the expense of working families and their children,” the DNC said. “So Bush may claim a monopoly on the ‘right to rise’ now, but his history is full of elevating only the select few while leaving everyone else behind.”

Updated at 8:30 p.m.