GOP Tips it Hand, Shows Anti-Job Agenda
Want an idea of how screwed up things are right now? Want an example of how things are not going to get better any time soon? Want to see just how much harm you progressives who sat on your grumpy little asses instead of voting because you were mad at Obama have done?
The Republican Party has just said "No" to a tax cut offered by the Democrats. Why? Because it's a "short term solution." They want "long term solutions."
Let me translate that for you.
They voted down a payroll tax holiday, a concept they previously supported, because Democrats proposed it.
They voted down a payroll tax holiday, the same payroll tax holiday they thought was a good idea, because it might cause some relief in the job market.
They voted down a payroll tax holiday, which they used to think was a great idea, because the GOP leadership DOES NOT WANT ANY IMPROVEMENT IN THE ECONOMY BEFORE THE 2012 ELECTION!!!
Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo nails it for you.
In resisting the move for a payroll tax holiday Boehner didn't dispute that it would help the economy. How could he? Boehner said "The uncertainty that's out there is not going to be overcome by, you know, another little short-term gimmick."
Sen. Lamar Alexander expanded on the point: "We don't need short-term gestures, we need long-term strategies that build into our system simpler taxes, lower taxes, fewer mandates, lower costs, more certainty, any changes in the debt structure of tax reform ought to come out of the Vice President's talks or part of a major tax reform. If short-term government programs work, we wouldn't have 9% unemployment today because the government has tried it. So we've proved that doesn't work, unfortunately."
Josh's analysis of this makes it crystal clear.
Boil these statements down and they amount to: we're interested in long term structural changes to the economy not short term measures to boost jobs or growth. Nothing wrong with wanting long-term structural changes. Democrats want those too, just different ones. But I don't think anyone could get elected today in anything close to a competitive state or district writing off any kind of immediate effort to create jobs and economic growth. But that's what they're saying.
Continued on the next page
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