Here’s what the GOP hopefuls have been saying on the campaign trail:
• On Unemployment
Front-runner Mitt Romney, who won the New Hampshire primary Tuesday and the Iowa caucuses at the beginning of the month, committed what could become a lingering political gaffe when he said: “I want individuals to have their own insurance. That means the insurance company will have an incentive to keep you healthy. It also means if you don’t like what they do, you can fire them. I like being able to fire people who provide services to me.”
Jon Huntsman, former governor of Utah who finished third in the New Hampshire primary, referring to Romney’s tenure as head of investment firm Bain Capital, said: “It’s clear he likes firing people. I like creating jobs.”
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Gov. Rick Perry called firms such as Bain “vultures” who “leave the skeleton” behind.
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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Bain “apparently looted the companies, left people totally unemployed and walked off with millions of dollars.”
• On Trade
Huntsman: “It’s nonsense to think you can slap a tariff on China the first day that you’re in office, as Gov. Romney would do.”
Romney: “China is stealing our intellectual property, our patents, our designs, our know-how, our brand names. They’re hacking into our computers, stealing information from not only corporate computers but from government computers, and they’re manipulating their currency. And if I’m president of the United States, I’m not going to continue to talk about how important China is and how we have to get along. And I believe those things. They’re very important. And we do have to get along. But I’m also going to tell the Chinese it’s time to stop. You have to play by the rules. I will not let you kill American jobs any longer.”
• On Taxes and Jobs
Huntsman: “I would have ripped open the tax code and I would have done what Simpson-Bowles recommended. I would have cleaned out all of the loopholes and the deductions that weigh down this country to the tune of [$1.1 trillion]. We’ve got a corrupt tax code.”
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum: “I come from southwestern Pennsylvania, the heart of the steel country, the heart of manufacturing, and it’s been devastated because we are uncompetitive. No one…wants to zero [the corporate tax code] out for manufacturers, which is what I do because we are at 20 percent cost differential with our nine top trading partners on average. And that 20 percent cost differential, that is excluding labor costs. So it is government taxation. Eliminating the corporate tax gets rid of a big chunk of that. It’s regulation.”
Texas Gov. Rick Perry: “Listen, I’m not anti-union, I’m pro-job,” adding that he supports “right to work” states.
Texas Rep. Ron Paul: “The way to get back to growth is you have to liquidate the debt. But instead of liquidating the debt, what we’ve done is the people who built up the debt on Wall Street and the banks, we’ve had the American taxpayer bail them out.…The middle class is now shrinking and we don’t have jobs.”
And here are some suggestions on their style:
Romney: The frontrunner nailed a much more laid-back attitude in New Hampshire with his choice of a checked shirt that provides casual appeal but is still dressy enough with its button-down collar. The well-studied rolled-up sleeves say he doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty and help him look more like the everyday man. The shirt fits him perfectly, slim but not tight, making him look elegant yet approachable. The five-pocket, form-fitting dark khakis and tonal belt complete the sophisticated casual look. He’d be right at home at Pitti Uomo.
Santorum: He’s not letting go of his signature sweater vest but layering it under a blue blazer is a smart idea. He doesn’t want to be remembered as the sweater-vest candidate. So pairing it with a crisp white shirt enhances his physique and helps elevate the look of the outfit. Overall, the ensemble is very traditional, perfectly fulfilling his conservative stereotype.
Gingrich: He looks like he’s at a piano bar getting ready to break into a karaoke routine. First, he needs to trim his hair. Then, to minimize his gut, he might want to pick up one of Santorum’s dark color sweater vests for $100. His attempt to dress down would have worked better if he’d opted for a darker shirt. And he should button his blazer whenever possible and/or switch to a zip-up sportswear jacket.
Paul: He’s channeling Mr. Rogers with the “everybody’s grandfather” look. Wearing a navy tonal sweater diminishes him physically, making him look small, fragile and shaped like a pear. He needs to wear a blazer for structure and power. He should switch outfits with Gingrich. And why is his nose so red? Was it cold in New Hampshire?
Huntsman: The youthful “Top Gun”-fearless cowboy-preppy movie star look is designed to exude masculinity and power, but actually comes across as insincere. He’s trying too hard to be one of the good guys. And he’s too old to wear the leather bomber jacket with emblems, Western belt and khakis. He should opt for a more sophisticated elegant look and get over the midlife crisis.