As Election day draws nearer, the desperate GOP goes for the goal

[Guns Guns Guns]

We’re just under eight months away now, which means the GOP is running out of time to think up new ways to ruin the economy so that Obama doesn’t get reelected.


The Republicans can’t be open about it, lest it become too obvious thttp://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...ge-american-democracy-by-michael-tomasky.htmlhat tanking the economy is their goal.


There are three fronts—gas prices, jobs, and the budget—on which Republicans are trying to achieve Mitch McConnell's no. 1 goal.http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/10/25/bonus_quote_of_the_day.html


Let’s take them in order. The Republicans received joyous news Monday in the form of polls that showed Obama’s numbers sinking in inverse proportion to rising gas prices.


The gas situation is perfect for the GOP for two reasons.


First, there’s very little a president can actually do about gas prices.


Second, even though those prices don’t really tell us much about the more general economy, most people have the impression that they do, so for the out-party, it’s just a free whack.


No one can blame Republicans for using Obama as a piñata on the issue.


But here’s what they can be blamed for.


What is causing these high prices?


Not low supply and high demand, which is what they teach you in school.


In fact, supply is high—domestic oil production is at its highest point in years, higher under this allegedly business-hating president than under oilmen Bush and Cheney. And demand has been low because of the economy, although it’s now picking up.


No, experts blame a lot of the increase on fervid speculation in the oil markets, and a chief reason for a lot of that speculation is anxiety in those markets about a possible war with Iran. Said anxiety, in turn, is heightened every time a politician blusters about how we have no choice now but to go start that war.


So this kind of rhetoric is a nice little two-fer for Republicans, who get to sound like tough guys and can also take comfort in knowing that the more they talk up attacking Iran, the more they’re doing their small part to keep prices high.



http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...tomasky-on-gop-plans-to-sink-the-economy.html

 

[Guns Guns Guns]

Now let’s look to jobs. As you may know, while we’ve been getting these hopeful job reports these last few months, there is one sector that’s been lagging notably: the public sector.


In fact, during 2011 the public sector across the country—state and local governments, in addition to the feds—laid off massive numbers of people. Public-sector job losses averaged 22,000 a month in 2011.


State and municipal governments are laying people off mainly for two reasons: the economy, which means they’re bringing in less revenue, and the drastic cuts in federal aid, which have forced the layoffs and firings of nearly half a million public-sector workers in the last two years.



True, Republicans want smaller budgets on ideological grounds. But they also know very well that the more domestic discretionary spending cuts they can force, and the more public employees they can make states and cities shave off their payrolls, the greater the negative effect on the overall employment picture.


If those nearly half-million people were still working, what would the unemployment rate be? Maybe down to a flat 8 percent.


Lately, though, things are starting to look worrisome on that front for Republicans. In February, the public sector cut just 6,000 workers, well down from last year’s average. This indicates that the party might not be able to count for long on the public-sector numbers dragging down the private-sector ones.


Hmmm. What to do about that?


Interestingly and conveniently, exactly what the Republicans on Capitol Hill are doing right now! They have been signaling lately that the budget numbers they agreed to with Democrats last year in the debt deal need to be revisited, and the cuts must be even deeper.



http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...tomasky-on-gop-plans-to-sink-the-economy.html

 

[Guns Guns Guns]

Every out-party does a little discreet cheering for the economy to be weak.


But the GOP has put itself in a unique position. By opposing everything Obama wanted with such ferocity; by saying all those thousands of times that he had no clue about the economy; by sending out a parade of presidential candidates, from the semi-serious to the clown posse, all of whose central criticism of Obama is that he killed the economy—in all of these ways the party has more invested in economic failure than any out-party I can remember in my lifetime.


Its best hope for now is gas prices, but even they eventually get lower, usually by late summer...






http://www.thedailybeast.com/articl...tomasky-on-gop-plans-to-sink-the-economy.html

 

[Guns Guns Guns]

The GOP's hopes for a wrecked economy they can blame on Obama took some hits today...


Federal Reserve officials offered a guarded though moderately upbeat assessment of the economy Tuesday, and held off on taking any new actions designed to bolster the recovery.



The Fed's post-meeting statement said unemployment had declined "notably" in recent months and household and business spending "continued to advance." It projected "moderate" economic growth with slow declines in unemployment.
The central bank also acknowledged an increase in gasoline prices but said it expected the related inflation spurt to be temporary.


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304450004577279582875460956.html


The stock market posted its best day this year, with Tuesday's late spark coming from JPMorgan Chase & Co after the bank announced it will raise its dividend.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/13/us-usa-campaign-obama-idUSBRE82C1AN20120313

Note to Righties: it's not working. Post some more BS about high gas prices and call Obama a Muslim, quick!

For the first time since early July, more Americans approve of the job President Barack Obama is doing than disapprove, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll that shows his approval rating now at 50 percent.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/13/us-usa-campaign-obama-idUSBRE82C1AN20120313