Words.
"Where's Horatio Alger when you need him? When the caucuses and primaries arrive in 2012, Republican voters will be choosing among candidates who embody the promise of American life. Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann, both of whom came from humble beginnings, exemplify the continued possibility of social mobility. And Mitt Romney leads the life that many of us would like to have: wealth, a large family and multiple homes.
What none of these candidates has done so far, though, is champion a social mobility agenda. How are Perry, Bachmann and Romney going to help their struggling fellow citizens rise from the bottom of the heap to the top? They don't say.
That's a shame, because the candidates' own biographies suggest the template for such an agenda. Look at the current top prospects for the nomination. On one side are the self-made populists: Perry grew up poor in rural Texas, sold reference books door to door while studying at Texas A&M and flew C-130s in the Air Force before going into agriculture.
A child of divorce, Bachmann worked her way through college, graduate school and beyond, even as she found time to raise five kids and care for 23 foster children.
Say what you will about them, but neither candidate is a trust funder.
...These Republican candidates have great stories to tell about achieving success through education and hard work. Yet they are more interested in bashing President Obama's record, rolling back the healthcare overhaul and controlling federal spending.
And their policies — cutting the corporate, income, dividend, capital gains and estate tax rates, imposing a moratorium on regulations, reducing frivolous lawsuits — favor investment capital over human capital.
...The question facing the Republican candidates, then, is this: How do we align economic and social incentives in a way that fosters independence and drive?"
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Where do Republicans stand on social mobility?
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