More on Romney's comment about Obama using government largess to buy votes

I am not sure how saying that Obama was using government money to buy votes is the same thing as saying that you aren't contesting for people's votes.  I can say that I understand the president is trying to buy votes, but if I offer policies to create growth, voters might be willing to forgo the government money.  Possibly there is a better way to express the point that Romney made, but that seems to me to be a different point.  Former Texas Senator Phil Gramm used to talk about people pulling the wagon versus those in the wagon.  Would Gramm have gotten reprimanded nowadays if he had said that it is hard to win an election with so many people "in the wagon"?  If Gramm's way of phrasing things is still acceptable, why aren't these Republican politicians below more constructive in their criticism?  Or is this just an issue of Republican politicians seeing a chance to get publicity?

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) criticized Republican candidates on Sunday for making comments he said alienated voters and cost the party the presidency and key Senate seats.
"We don't need to demonize, and we also don't need to be saying stupid things," Jindal, the new chairman of the Republican Governors Association, said on "Fox News Sunday."
He singled out Republican Senate candidates Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri and Richard Mourdock of Indiana, saying their controversial comments on rape and abortion cost Republicans Senate seats and dragged down the party nationally.
Jindal also denounced Mitt Romney's recent comment to donors that President Obama was able to win reelection by giving "gifts" to key voting groups."I absolutely reject what he said. Look, we as the Republican Party have to campaign for every single vote," Jindal said. . . . .

Senator Lindsey Graham made a similar point:

[Graham] on Sunday blasted Republican nominee Mitt Romney's assertion that Democratic "gifts" to minorities had helped them win the election.
"We’re in a big hole, we’re not getting out of it by comments like that," Graham said on NBC's “Meet the Press.” “When you’re in a hole, stop digging. He keeps digging.”
In a Wednesday call with donors, Romney cited Obama’s healthcare reform law and executive order stopping the deportation of some illegal immigrants as “gifts” which motivated voters to back the president. . . . .

The "self-deportation" comment by Romney could also have been a mistake with Hispanics, especially those here illegally, but is Romney's point about vote buying really wrong?