Appearing as a guest on MSNBC's The Ed Show, MSNBC political analyst Richard Wolffe - formerly of Newsweek - complained that the economic policies of GOP presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum "are a repeat of the Bush years," and asserted that President Bush had the "worst jobs record of any President in modern times."
After host Ed Schultz asked "how does Romney and Santorum win over" middle class voters in Ohio, an amused Wolffe recommended that the GOP candidates "change their policies." Wolffe:
Well, they got to, they got to change their policies, for a start. Look, no question, Santorum can tell a good personal story about his family. Where it breaks down for him is that he shares the policies of the Republican party has.
They think jobs - and, by they way, they parrot the language that comes out of focus groups and polls. Everyone says they care about the jobs, so they'll talk - "I'm going to create jobs - jobs, jobs, jobs" - but their policies are a repeat of the Bush years.
The former Newsweek correspondent soon suggested that Jimmy Carter was a better President than George W. Bush. Wolffe:
Less regulation on big business, lower taxes - we just saw Romney promise 20 percent tax cuts across the board last week. What did they give us in the Bush years? Less jobs over eight years than Jimmy Carter created in four. It was the worst jobs record of any President in modern times, and that's the policy they want to repeat.
So you can say that you care about jobs - and heaven knows this economy needs more jobs - but their policies don't relate to people. And as for Romney, he doesn't even have the personal stories to talk about jobs.
