For the past 8 months, Congressional Republicans have claimed their spending cuts and deficit reduction agenda was necessary to create much-needed jobs and help grow the economy. In spite of their perpetual claims that reducing the nation’s deficit and slashing spending were necessary to get Americans back to work, the jobless numbers have remained unchanged. Now they have changed their message and claim deregulation is the key to creating private-sector jobs, but like their 8-month-long lies about out-of-control spending, it is obvious they have no intention of creating jobs or helping the economy.
Republican leaders have begun making an effort to demonstrate their willingness to work with President Obama to create jobs, but it is all for show. The fallacious agenda of “cut-and-grow” is better labeled “cut-and-cut” because by their own admission, they spent 8 months cutting spending and the fall schedule is all about cutting regulations. Just about any person with half-a-brain knows that cutting spending or eliminating regulations is not going to create jobs regardless the Republicans’ claims to the contrary. However, according to Representative Rick Crawford (R-Ark), “We have to multi-task and do both; and that is obviously address our spending problem and at the same time empower the private sector to create and to grow jobs.” Republicans plan to eliminate regulations as a farce to create job growth but the problem is not regulations, taxes, or the national debt; it is a lack of consumer spending.
The real issue is not the Republicans’ willingness to work with the president to create jobs, because they have no intentions of compromising or working with the president. Representative Steve King (R-Iowa) revealed the true Republican agenda when he said, “If we find a window, we can maybe do some things together. Beyond that, I will tell you that it’s going to be important just to hang on and get a new president and a new configuration in Congress.” King’s comment reveals there is nothing Republicans will do to help create jobs. It is not shocking that Republicans are going to wait and hope for a Republican president and majority in both houses of Congress because they have done nothing since President Obama was inaugurated except obstruct meaningful legislation to improve the economy or jobs. Indeed, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has said since 2009 that the Republican’s goal was making sure President Obama only served one term. Now King says they are just going to hang on until 2013 before making any moves to create jobs.
Even if Republicans control both houses of Congress and the White House in 2013, they will not work for anyone except the wealthy and corporations. Mitt Romney’s big economic plan is over $7 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthy and their corporations that have not created jobs or a healthy economy for the past ten years. Rick Perry has proposed eliminating corporate tax altogether as well as giving more tax cuts to the wealthy and he compared billionaire’s tax cuts to civil rights. Romney and Perry are proposing continuing the Bush economic policies that devastated jobs and the economy as if this time it will benefit the American people. Both Republicans also propose more spending cuts that destroy jobs instead of create them. The perpetual tax cuts and deregulation are not what business owners say are hampering job growth; it is the lack of consumer spending according to a McClatchy survey of business owners.
The only period of job growth was in 2010 because of the American Recovery Act (the stimulus) that did create nearly 3 million jobs. Still, Republicans are holding fast to the meme that spending cuts and deregulation creates jobs. Representative Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind) said, “Talking about cuts and addressing spending in Washington for the first eight months of this Congress has been a positive overall.” Stutzman did not elaborate on the positive impact spending cuts has on the economy or jobs because there are no positives. Back in February, House Speaker John Boehner’s spending cuts killed at least 1 million jobs and he said, “So be it.” If Republicans truly believe killing one million jobs is a positive, Americans should shudder at a Republican-controlled Congress and White House. Boehner said that America was broke and it was fine to eliminate a million jobs; but if the country was so broke, why would they push more tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations? Simply put, Republicans do not want to create jobs or help the economy. They certainly plan to spend trillions-of dollars to give rich people more tax cuts, but are doing nothing for Americans who are out of work.
It should surprise no-one that Republicans are not interested in working with President Obama to create jobs. Mitch McConnell said they would obstruct any White House effort to create jobs and Steve King said Republicans were going to “hang on and get a new president and a new configuration in Congress” instead of creating jobs or helping improve the economy. Republicans are lying when they say they will look for ways to work with President Obama because they are feeling heat from their constituents. Although they lie as a matter-of-course, King let it slip that the real Republican agenda is to wait until 2013 to finally finish off America’s economy with more tax cuts and deregulation. Americans should hang on because regardless of the outcome of the next election, Republicans will not help create jobs now regardless of their rhetoric. It does not matter how often Republicans lie about their plans to create jobs because as liars, they have slipped and revealed their plan is to do nothing; like they’ve done for 2 years and 8 months.
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