In what could be a potentially troubling barrier in Jeb Bush's presidential ambitions, an influential conservative group with a network of more than 7 million conservative activists has declared the former Florida governor “unelectable.”
ForAmerica, which describes itself as “an online army” of conservatives led by longtime activist Brent Bozell, released a one minute video to its network Thursday morning that shows Bush praising former Secretary of State and potential presidential challenger Hillary Clinton.
The archived footage in the video dated September 10, 2013 is of Bush presenting Clinton an award for a lifetime of public service. At the awards ceremony, Bush thanked Clinton for her service, saying "we are united by a love of country and public service." The video then cuts to a black screen with red and white text saying the award was given to Clinton on the eve of the first anniversary of the Benghazi attacks. Conservatives blame Clinton for lack of security at the American compound where four Americans were killed.
While Bush is a top contender among the Republican donor class, grassroots activists within the Republican Party have expressed concern about a Bush presidency. Activists point to his support for immigration reform and for education standards called Common Core.
"As it stands, Jeb has absolutely no credibility to criticize (Clinton) because he has already anointed her as a great public servant; and he inexplicably did so almost a year to the day of the Benghazi massacre," Bozell said in a statement. "He will lose, and the public will have to suffer at least another four years of Obama’s policies – and anything worse she has in store for America.”
The National Constitution Center, a museum "dedicated to non-partisan constitutional education and debate" gave Clinton the award.