Did Jeb Bush really say Americans need to work more hours?
Did Jeb Bush really say Americans need to get up off the couch and work more hours? That鈥檚 what some Democrats 鈥� including putative 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton 鈥� are claiming Thursday due to comments Mr. Bush made to the New Hampshire Union Leader editorial board in an interview.
The context of Bush鈥檚 words is important here. He was talking about his overall economic goals for the nation. 鈥淢y aspiration for the country and I believe we can achieve it, is 4 percent growth as far as the eye can see,鈥� .
That鈥檚 pretty ambitious. It鈥檚 boom-era territory. How would he manage that?
鈥淲e have to be a lot more productive, workforce participation has to rise from its all-time modern lows. It means that people need to work longer hours,鈥� said Bush.
Democrats chose to take this at face value. They saw it as the first real gaffe of the campaign 鈥� the verbal equivalent of a spring crocus. Bush鈥檚 subtext, in their view, was this: That鈥檚 it slackers! Stop checking Facebook! You should be on the job. Take a second one if you have to.
鈥淎mericans are working pretty hard already & don鈥檛 need to work longer hours 鈥� they need to get paid more,鈥� tweeted John Podesta, chairman of Mrs. Clinton鈥檚 campaign, in the hours after Bush鈥檚 statement was released.
Clinton herself weighed in shortly thereafter. She tweeted out a chart showing the growing gap between rising productivity and flat worker wages.
鈥淎nyone who believes Americans aren鈥檛 working hard enough hasn鈥檛 met enough American workers,鈥� wrote Clinton.
In reply, Bush and his campaign say he didn鈥檛 mean that comment the way it came out. That makes sense, given that implicitly calling US workers 鈥渓azy鈥� is a good way for a politician to remain in the private sector. It鈥檚 as bad as saying that who won鈥檛 take responsibility for their lives.
Sorry, couldn鈥檛 resist.
Anyway, Bush said in response that what he meant was part-time workers should be able to go full time if they want, and hourly workers in general should have the opportunity to work more if that鈥檚 best for their family. This is a real problem. Anyone who鈥檚 unwillingly relegated to part time, or knows a worker in such a situation, has heard the discussion: What are my hours? Can I have my hours? My supervisor is cutting hours 鈥� ugh.
鈥淭he simple fact is people are really struggling. So giving people a chance to work longer hours has got to be part of the answer,鈥� said Bush at a town hall meeting Wednesday after his Union Leader remarks had been released.
OK, gaffe patrol called off, right? Pretty much 鈥� but there鈥檚 still an underlying difficulty for Bush revealed by this contretemps. How is he going to talk about the economy and middle class opportunity? Clinton is clearly making that a part of her campaign, with a populist twist. Bush needs talking points that appeal to middle- and lower-income workers.
Focusing on an ambitious goal for GDP isn鈥檛 bad in this sense. It鈥檚 optimistic, forward-looking. It鈥檚 morning in American factories. The problem is that 4 percent growth, as far as Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman can see, is a really ambitious target, especially for a highly developed industrial economy. It鈥檚 a 鈥渦nicorn," in the view of left-leaning writer Kevin Drum .
And increasing productivity and working more hours is simply a description of economic growth, not a real plan for how to create it, according to Mr. Drum.
Lower taxes alone won鈥檛 do that, claims Drum.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 the plan for making that happen? That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e interested in,鈥� he writes.
