As supporters and media milled about the Tampa Garden Club on Bayshore Boulevard, waiting to see former Florida Governor Jeb Bush on the presidential stump, an assortment of songs, mostly classic rock, played.
Fifteen or so minutes before the show started, the Who's "Pinball Wizard" came streaming out of the speakers, which seemed like an odd choice, given that the song is from Tommy, the countercultural rock opera that's loaded with adult themes and psychedelic imagery, not the most Republican-friendly elements.
Bush, in town as part of a three-stop tour of the state, may be a Who fan. We don't know. But if we were him, we would've gone with "Won't Get Fooled Again." It's more accessible, and it could also work as a subtle dig at nearly any of his Republican primary opponents, or even Hillary Clinton ("meet the new boss, same as the old boss," anybody?).
Once considered an obvious frontrunner in his presidential bid, polls haven't delivered very good news to Bush in months. A recent poll of Florida voters — as in, his home state, where he was popular among Republicans — puts him in fifth place.
But he sure had a lot of supporters at his Monday morning stop in Tampa, where he pledged to change the political culture in Washington, D.C. just as, he claimed, he had in Tallahassee when he was governor.
For much of his speech, he went on the offensive, mostly against President Obama, whom he called "divider in chief" and "cynic in chief" and vowed his presidency would be one of reform.
“The 2016 election arrives at the juncture of all our failures abroad and recklessness at home," he said. "And soon, Americans once again will once again enter a time for choosing, a chance to set a new course for their country.”
Bush wasn't shy about acknowledging what some are calling a lackluster performance in the three GOP debates in which he's partaken so far, but he said debate performance shouldn't really be all that important anyhow.
"As you may have heard, last week I was in Colorado for the Republican debate," he said. "If you watched the debate, you probably came away thinking the election's about soundbites, or Fantasy Football. Or which candidate can interrupt the loudest. I'm here to tell you it's not. This election is not about a set of personalities. It's about a set of principles.”
So he went after some of the personalities, er, principles of his primary opponents. Though he didn't call anyone out by name, it seemed obvious he was targeting U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and possibly Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina, neither of whom have held public office.
"The answer isn't sending someone from one side of the Capitol city to the other," Bush said. "The solution won't be found in someone who has never demonstrated the capacity to implement conservative ideas."
Naturally, he then went after Donald Trump.
"And you can't just tell Congress 'you're fired' and go to commercial break.”
The audience roared in laughter, then applauded. He continued.
“The challenges we face as a nation are too great to roll the dice on another presidential experiment, to trust the rhetoric of reform over a record of reform," he said. “After seven years of incompetence, corruption and gridlock in Washington, we need a president who can fix it.”
Among the hundreds of Jeb supporters were numerous GOP elected officials and public figures, including Hillsborough County Commissioner Al Higginbotham and former St. Petersburg mayor Rick Baker.
A handful of prominent Republicans warmed up the crowd, including Eric Brown, Bush's Hillsborough County campaign chair, Congressman and Senate candidate David Jolly (R—Indian Shores), incoming Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Instead of going after Bush's primary opponents (probably not a good idea; endorsements can come in handy), Jolly instead went after some easier targets, calling Democratic frontrunners Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, respectively, “a socialist and a candidate who thinks managing two email accounts is too difficult” and calling Bush a champion of small government.
“You're going to hear a lot this primary season about the greatness of America," he said. "Let me tell you something about Jeb Bush. Jeb Bush knows the greatness of America is not in government. The greatness of America is in every man, woman and child and family right here and across the United States of America.”
Corcoran, meanwhile, sought to illustrate his support for the candidate using cultural references, comparing Bush to Captain America, Steve Jobs and Abraham Lincoln.
“We need someone with a real philosophy, real courage and a vision that inspires all of us.” he said.
Bondi, who was the one to introduce him, also said words.
“He knows that when it comes to the character of leadership there is no compromise," she said. "He has shown that time and time again with his proven leadership. He always has, and Jeb Bush is the candidate who has the experience to back it up...He's done things. And he's done things for our state, and he will continue to do them for our entire country and the world. This is the most important election of our lifetime and he is the hands-on man that we need to run our country.”
During his just over 20-minute speech, Bush touted his book, Reply All, which consists of email exchanges he had with Floridians when he was governor. He also compared himself to Abraham Lincoln, positing that the 16th president wouldn't have been a fan of modern presidential politics, given how heavily focus-grouped and image conscious they are. He vowed to be similarly against the grain throughout his run, even as pundits try to declare his candidacy dead in the wake of that bad debate performance.
“I will do everything in my power to win this race, but there are some things I'm not willing do," Bush said. "I will not compromise on my principles. I will not trade in an optimistic outlook to put on the cloak of an angry agitator. And I will not make anyone feel small so I can feel big.”
