After Thursday's shootings at an Oregon community college, that left at least nine victims dead former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush found himself under fire for two words: "Stuff happens."
In a discussion about gun violence, the Republican presidential candidate, called the shooting in Oregon "very sad," and said that he had faced similar challenges during his tenure as governor of Florida.
"We’re at a difficult time in our country and I don’t think more government is necessarily the answer to this. I think we need to reconnect ourselves with everybody else. It’s very sad to see, but I resist the notion and I had this challenge as governor. Look, stuff happens. There’s always a crisis and the impulse is always to do something and it’s not necessarily the right thing to do.
Bush's comments were quickly reported on Twitter, by The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza.
In Greenville, South Carolina, Jeb Bush, arguing against calls for gun control after major tragedy, says, "stuff happens."— Ryan Lizza (@RyanLizza) October 2, 2015
Tweets from the event left little room for context, and many were quick to jump to the conclusion that this was a major gaffe for Bush. His campaign for the Republican nomination has been marked with stumbles, including suggesting that women’s health was overfunded and his suggestion that Democrats appeal to black voters with "free stuff."
While Bush’s statement Friday may have been inartful, some argued that it was unfair to say he had dismissed the Oregon shooting or its victims.
Two-word out-of-context quote flies through Twitter, ends up basis for question to Obama just as fuller context emerges. Not a proud moment.— Byron York (@ByronYork) October 2, 2015
The context makes pretty clear that Jeb wasn't shrugging about the Oregon shooting. He was making a point that crises arise in the country.— Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) October 2, 2015
Bush spokesperson Allie Brandenburger argued that the former Florida governor's comments had been taken out of context.
"It is sad and beyond craven that liberal Democrats, aided and abetted by some in the national media, would dishonestly take Governor Bush’s comments out of context in a cheap attempt to advance their political agenda in the wake of a tragedy. Taking shameless advantage of a horrific tragedy is wrong and only serves to prey on people's emotions," Brandenburger said.
Bush himself was asked after the event whether saying that "stuff happens" was a mistake.
"No, it wasn’t a mistake. I said exactly what I said," Bush responded. "Why would you explain to me what I said wrong? Things happen all the time—things—is that better?"
Bush's comments quickly reached the White House where President Obama was taking questions from the press as he announced the resignation of Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
"I don’t even think I have to react to that one," Obama said, drawing laughs from reporters. "I think the American people should make their own judgements based on the fact that every couple of months we have a mass shooting. And they can decide whether they consider that stuff happening."
Obama then used Bush's comments to shift into another rousing call for new gun laws, saying he was unafraid to "politicize" the moment.
"I will politicize it because our inaction is a political decision that we are making," Obama said.
Democrats including former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who has emphasized his tough record on guns, and Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz also slammed Bush's comments.
.@JebBush “stuff happens”? That “stuff” is innocent lives lost. These are preventable tragedies. We must act on gun safety now. -O’M— Martin O'Malley (@MartinOMalley) October 2, 2015
A message for Jeb Bush: 380 Americans have been killed in 294 mass shootings in 2015 alone. "Stuff" doesn't just "happen." Inaction happens.— D Wasserman Schultz (@DWStweets) October 2, 2015