In 1995, Jeb Bush's answer to out-of-wedlock births was
shame, ridicule, and stigma:
One of the reasons more young women are giving birth out of wedlock and more young men are walking away from their paternal obligations is that there is no longer a stigma attached to this behavior, no reason to feel shame. Many of these young women and young men look around and see their friends engaged in the same irresponsible conduct. Their parents and neighbors have become ineffective at attaching some sense of ridicule to this behavior.
Twenty years later, Bush's not-quite-a-campaign
says it's a "cheap shot" to mention that.
"Anyone can take cheap shots, but Governor Bush has dedicated himself to helping low-income kids in broken homes, single moms, and victims of domestic abuse so that they can achieve their dreams. That's what he is all about," [Bush spokesperson Allie Brandenburger] explained.
So now it's a cheap shot to bring up something an adult wrote in a book intended to boost his political career. You can't say Jeb isn't participating in the proud Bush family tradition of dodging responsibility for his actions and words—this one belongs on the list with all those "youthful indiscretions" of George W.'s that happened when he was well into adulthood. And notice that that Brandenburger isn't disavowing what Bush wrote. She's just trying to distract from it.
Jeb Bush 1995 wanted shotgun weddings and the scarlet letter. Where does Jeb Bush 2015 stand on those policies? And can we expect any more honesty from him about it than Florida voters got when he stood behind an ad his own campaign admitted was dishonest?