The NY Times writes Monday that the central campaign theme for the GOP next year will be jobs, jobs, jobs. But what Republicans won't be reminding voters during the midterm election cycle is how their party and president handed President Barack Obama the worst economy since the Great Depression. They also won't be presenting any charts showing the precipitous drop in job losses since the peak, nor will they discuss the steady downward trajectory of those losses from the 700,000 level to 500,000, then 400,000, and to the mid-200's, where we are today. Signs of progress, or economic recovery, won't be on the GOP menu.
To be sure, voters won't hear any mea culpas from Republicans. Nothing about how sorry they are for decimating the U.S. economy with massive tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% of Americans, or for squandering a trillion dollars on the Iraq War. Or how the war in Afghanistan will likely require significantly more funding and continue sapping America's economy while racking up massive debt. You can be sure they won't talk about deregulation on Wall Street, the energy sector and the insurance industry, or how Bush pushed through trillions in government bailouts before he left office. And voters certainly won't be reminded that Republicans have largely controlled both houses of Congress since 1994 and the presidency since 2000.
Instead, the GOP is going to position the U.S. economy as if it began on January 20, 2009. As if up until that point it was nothing but surpluses and prosperity and good times in America. They will try to dumb-down reality and criticize the Obama administration as if all the pain and suffering voters are experiencing has been manufactured by the president and Democrats, while portraying themselves as white horse heroes ready to ride into Washington and rescue the nation.
Conservatives like to argue that 9/11 can't be blamed on Bush because he was only in office less than nine months when those attacks occurred. Yet after just nine months, Obama is being vilified for not being able to wave a magic wand and fix the colossal shitstorm that Bush & Company left for him on the White House steps.
So, what's the real 2010 Republican campaign message gonna be?: "Watch out Democrats, we're gonna be nastier, dirtier, more unethical and deceptive than ever. We're a bunch of frustrated, angry, frothing, tea-baggin' Town Hall bullies who will stop at nothing to regain power. You ain't seen nothing yet."