Live Coverage Of The First Republican Debate

John Kasich just hit on a very important point when it comes to economic growth. He wanted to help people “in the shadows.” As we might remember, Mitt Romney had a big empathy problem in 2012. Yet, this is actually more of a Republican problem than a Romney problem. In every election since 1984, more voters have said the Democratic candidate cared more about them than the Republican candidate.

Jeb Bush says his economic success in Florida shows how he can achieve 4 percent annual economic growth as president. How credible is his 4 percent pledge? In two words: Not very. (See folks, not that hard.) Back in the 1960s and 1970s, 4 percent growth was pretty common in the U.S. But that was during a period when women were still joining the workforce and baby boomers were entering their prime working years, among other major demographic and social changes. Today, those trends are working against the economy rather than for it. The last time the U.S. experienced 4 percent growth was during the Clinton administration, in what we now recognize as the dot-com bubble. Still, even if 4 percent growth is unlikely, Bush is right about this much: Economic growth has been consistently disappointing under Obama. That’s especially true given the deep recession, which historically should have led to a strong rebound.