Speaking to the gathered crowd at the Iowa State Fair, Former Florida governor and GOP candidate Jeb Bush spoke against Common Core standards, calling them “poisonous,” even though he has previously stated that he supports it.
“The term ‘Common Core’ is so darn poisonous, I don’t even know what it means,” said Jeb. “[But] I’m for higher standards – state-created, locally implemented – where the federal government has no role in the creation of standards, content or curriculum.”
This is very different than the position that Jeb expressed back in May, when he offered support for the program.
“Because people have a different view of what Common Core is, am I supposed to back away from something that I know works?” Bush told attendees at an event in Tennessee.
So which is it? Is Common Core poisonous or does it work? Bush seems to be walking a tight line on the issue. On the one hand, he doesn’t want to alienate conservatives that hate Common Core. On the other, he has expressed support for the program in the past.
