In their own words and actions, ye shall know them......
THEY'RE BOUND TO GET TO JOBS EVENTUALLY, RIGHT?.... The midterm election cycle really wasn't that long ago. It was recent enough for congressional Republicans to remember that they did well by running around asking questions like, "Where are the jobs?"
Job creation and economic growth remain the dominant issue on the minds of voters, though the GOP seems to have lost sight of public priorities with surprising speed.
The very first issue tackled by the new House GOP majority was, of course, gutting the health care system, despite the fact that their legislation has no chance at passing, and despite the fact that their proposal would hurt job creation. For their second major initiative, Republicans chose abortion.
Last week, the Republican Study Committee announced one of its top new goals is using federal power to restrict marriage rights in the District of Columbia -- remember, they hate overbearing federal intervention in local affairs, except when they don't -- and this week the House GOP leadership announced yet another priority.
New House Speaker John A. Boehner formally endorsed a bill Wednesday to revive and expand the school voucher program for the District of Columbia, calling it "a model for similar programs throughout our country."
Yes, Boehner loathes spending taxpayer money, unless it's going to pay for private school tuition.
I'm curious -- when, exactly, might we see Republicans work on creating jobs? After tackling health care, abortion, gay marriage, and school vouchers, maybe then the GOP might care about unemployment?
Honestly, this is getting a little silly. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) wrote an op-ed last week on "economic policy," and literally didn't mention jobs at all. There were two Republican responses to the State of the Union address, and neither one presented specific ideas about job creation. The Republican Study Committee has an economic plan of sorts, and it's intended to deliberately but more Americans out of work.
Can anyone, anywhere, actually describe the Republican plan to reduce unemployment? The White House's plan is significantly easier to identify.
The GOP is offering nothing on the public's Issue One (jobs), while Obama is calling for spending on construction, education and energy.
In March, John Boehner asked, "When are we going to address the number one issue on the minds of our fellow citizens? When are we going to focus on the economy and getting people back to work?"
I don't know, John, when are we?
—Steve Benen 1:35 PM |
