Jeb Bush proposes the same college affordability plan he bashed when Obama proposed it

In January's State of the Union address, President Obama proposed two years of free community college for everyone, a plan Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush eagerly decried. "The idea of giving something free — it’s political. It’s poll driven," Bush said at the time. "Someone did a focus group. Free stuff. Free community colleges, it’s a great sound bite, [but it] is the wrong approach."

Now, however, Bush is sounding a different note. "There are great programs around the country," to make college more affordable, he said this week, adding that the one he most admires is "a project called Tennessee Promise, where every student that participates gets their community college education, at least for the first two years, debt free, free of tuition." When Obama was pitching his ideas, the president cited the exact same Tennessee program as an inspirational model.

In practice, however, the plan may not work, no matter who suggests it: In July, a study from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that federal student aid programs correlate with spikes in tuition, not enrollment.

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