In the wake of criticism against Jeb Bush for saying that struggling Americans should “work longer hours,” the Republican candidate said that his words were “taken out of context.” Bush has backpedaled on so many of his dumb comments that it’s hard to keep track anymore.
After facing the criticism, Bush said that “You can take it out of context all you want, but high-sustained growth means that people work 40 hours rather than 30 hours and that by our success, they have money.”
Once Bush’s initial comments caught wind, liberals unleashed a firestorm of criticism against the former Florida governor. “It is easily one of the most out-of-touch comments we’ve heard so far this cycle,” said Democratic National Committee press secretary Holly Shulman. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) hit Bush with some facts about the lower class.
“Bush does not seem to understand what is happening in our economy today,” said Sanders. “The sad truth is that because the middle class has declined over the last 40 years, while almost all new income and wealth have gone to the people on top, Americans already work the longest hours of any people in the western industrialized world.”
Whether Bush’s remarks were taken out of context or not, he’s still wrong. At the current minimum wage, working 40 hours simply isn’t enough to support a family. Some people work 50, 60, or even 70 hours a week to make ends meet. Some take multiple jobs. But this is a concept that Bush can’t seem to grasp. As a legacy candidate, he does not understand the American struggle.
