The Republicans have been so desperate to find new and clever ways to attack the president that they've managed to paint themselves into rhetorical corners with wafer thin sloganeering and laughable attempts at snark. It's no wonder, then, why they're dogged by an ongoing series of contradictions. These incongruities whiz past our faces so quickly these days, they're almost imperceptible.
For example, during the Florida CPAC event last weekend, Governor Rick Scott cracked a joke about the president's use of a Teleprompter. Not particularly shocking since it's a desperately ridiculous attack that's been popular since 2009 when the Republicans conveniently forgot that all modern presidents, including Saint Reagan, have used Teleprompters. Adding to the meta-irony, however, was the fact that Rick Scott read his Teleprompter joke... off of a Teleprompter.
Elsewhere, New Jersey governor Chris Christie announced that he doesn't plan to run for president. Within his prepared remarks, Christie noted that President Obama "has not found the courage to lead."
I'm not exactly sure what this means. Did Christie intend to suggest that the first African American president, who, by the way, has received more death threats than any other president in recent history, somehow lacks courage? Or did he intend to suggest that the president didn't exercise considerable leadership when he passed, with votes from both sides during the most divisive era in politics since the Civil War, a series of groundbreaking pieces of legislation, one of which (health care reform) evaded the records of all previous Democratic presidents? Sounds like it.
Another hearty sampling of Republican red meat delivered in convenient bumper sticker form.
The finer points of the president's record aside, I thought Christie's criticism was more than a little odd considering how Christie impugned the president's "courage to lead" during a speech in which he himself declared his intentions to, you know, not lead.
Adding to the syllabus of conservative contradictions this week, both Christie and Scott attacked government employees and proudly announced the firings of tens of thousands of workers even though they themselves are government employees. Given the Republican talent for selling nonsense by the gross, the Republicans have managed to successfully define government workers as nothing more than faceless automatons -- robotic parasites without families, mortgages and futures.
At the Reagan Library this week, Christie applauded President Reagan's firing of air traffic controllers. Mitt Romney doesn't believe that government workers are contributors to the "real economy." And while the Republicans attack the president for increasing the size of government, 500,000 government workers have lost their jobs since the president's inauguration.
During his remarks at the CPAC event, Rick Scott said, "In Florida, unemployment rate's gone from 12 percent down to 10.7. We're still above the national average, but we've generated 87,200 private sector jobs -- private sector! And we have 15,000 less government jobs in the state of Florida. [Applause] Government doesn't create jobs."
I don't even know where to begin with this.
The centerpiece of the statement is his proud assertion that "government doesn't create jobs." Who, then, is the "we've" inside the clause "we've generated 87,200 private sector jobs?" If he's referring to his administration ("we" as in "Governor Scott et al"), then he's referring to the government -- the executive branch of the Florida state government, to be exact -- and if the government "generated" 87,200 private sector jobs, then government does, in fact, create jobs.
Rick Scott continued by patting himself on the back for firing 15,000 Floridians. Despite his attempts to dehumanize the people who were fired, those government "jobs" were occupied by real-life human beings: Florida residents who, due to their lost jobs, might not be able to pay their rents and mortgages in an already crippled Florida housing market. Scott was talking about Florida residents who, because of Scott's policies, have become a drain on the state and national economies as they line up for unemployment checks and watch their credit card balances max out. Good job, governor. Tell me again how the Republicans will fix the economy.
If these were government jobs, then government had to have created them at some point, so, yes, government creates jobs. American citizens are paid to work in these jobs. Both of my parents worked for the government, and, as near as I can tell, neither of them are Big Government Decepticons posing as humans.
In this modern era when pensions, job security, benefits and health care are being eliminated in private sector jobs, government jobs continue to allow middle class workers to raise a family, send their kids to college and retire with some financial security. You know: the American Dream. The Republicans have demonized this ideal and used easy-to-repeat propaganda ("government doesn't create jobs") as a means of tricking middle class Americans into endorsing their malevolent efforts.
But I'm a man of compromise, so let's make a deal.
When the private sector stops outsourcing its jobs to India and China and brings back real jobs to America, complete with living wages, guaranteed pensions and affordable health coverage, then maybe we can talk about eliminating some redundant jobs in government. The private sector can certainly afford to do this now more than ever as they sit on nearly $2 trillion in cash assets, according to the Wall Street Journal, which they're refusing to spend on new jobs. Fact: corporate cash assets are at their highest level since 1959 while unemployment remains high and middle class wages remain stagnant. The Republicans continue to tell us with a straight face that tax cuts will encourage businesses to create jobs, even though historically high cash assets aren't being spent on anything much less jobs.
And when the unemployment rate is hovering at 9.2 percent nationwide, 10.7 percent in Florida and 9.4 percent in New Jersey, I'm not sure these guys ought to be ballyhooing how they've successfully added to the unemployment rolls. Rick Scott and the Republicans have fired thousands of Americans from secure jobs and forced them into lower-paying menial gigs for lower wages. How is this helping?
Government workers precisely encapsulate what the founders had in mind for this nation. A government of the people. We are the government. We're inseparable. The Republicans don't want you to think about government like this, even though it's the centerpiece of the American-style representative democracy. Our ability to personally conduct the business of government is our last and only check on political and corporate power. I wonder why the Republicans would want to break down that wall. Hmm.
By the way, I'd like to see the Republicans tell the 1.4 million government workers employed by the U.S. Armed Forces how they don't have real jobs. Let's see them run for office on a "soldiers should get real jobs" platform. They'd most certainly end up joining all of those former government workers in the ranks of the unemployed.
Listen to the Bubble Genius Bob & Chez Show on iTunes, with Bob Cesca and Chez Pazienza.
Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog! Go!
Follow Bob Cesca on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bobcesca_go
Robert Scheer: The Men We Trusted to Lead Us
http://janinewedel.info/shadowelite.html
Southern Conservatives are still trying to win The Civil War...and punish the Federal Government for taking away their slaves...and then 80 years later, taking away their maids.
The governments debt is affecting the outlook of this country. If there are "redundant" jobs in government, why should they continue? So you're suggesting we play a game of "chicken" with the private sector and force them to pay higher wages, massive HC costs, and Guaranteed Pensions? And who ends up paying for those added costs? The consumer - both poor and middle class. Or the companies can't compete and go bankrupt. This article is just a rant against the GOP and provides nothing inciteful on how to fix the problem.
Now, if you want to insure future job loss and economic decline, go ahead and push for a living wage (heck, even increasing the minimum wage) and a gauranteed pension plan.
its the gov. who still gets a paycheck who helps his brother or sister whose been foreclosed or layed off or whose business might have gone under due to an economy they didnt create- the rich republicans will stop at nothing to ensure their win/our loss in 2012
WTF?
Eclipsed, perhaps? Surpassed, maybe?
"You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
Take the DEA, ATF, Federal Marshals, put them under the FBI, give them a car and put them on real-time street-civilian domestic-crime and see how long they stay there.
States are hurting due to the lack of decision by Obama about the economy and when the government workers are asked to contribute to their own retirement they scream like raped apes. Lying teachers call in "sick," to present like a lynch mob.
Votes are bought from the unions in a clandestine attempt to secure allegiance.
$528,000,000 wasted, the first of many scandals to create jobs for robots.
We not only need to modernize government through automation, we need to bring our politicians out of Washington DC and back to their own states.
If no one bought imported goods, we would have higher prices but at least the money would be kept in this country. Demand creates supply...
The Heritage Foundation is conducting Introduction to the United States Constitution classes right now online. Their largest enrolment in 180-years of existence. Get involved an learn what our Founding Fathers gave to US.
Would you care to re-write "supply-side" economics for me?
Most people I know would like to be their own boss, to have their own business--- that to me is the American Dream and that is what was the middle class at one time.
A large government base, that receives high wages, the best of benefits and a tremendous pension is precisely why those benefits are dwindling in the private sector... It is also precisely why small businesses are not managing to stay in business--- and it is precisely why some states and municipalities are nealy bankrupt. To put it simply the private sector cannot shoulder the burden of this new privileged class of government worker and in these economic times States and municipalities cannot raise taxes on home owners or local businesses to maintain many of the government workers pay, benefits and pensions.
Small businesses that lease many of the store fronts in cities and malls, small companies that produce goods and services that we enjoy are more threatened by high taxes than a corporation that may outsource some of their jobs to foreign countries.
No that's not true. The reason private sector jobs are dwindling in both pay and benefits is corporations control over government in order to protect and promote large corporate monopolies. We don't need less government we need corporation free government.
I would agree we do need corporation free government and we also need union free government
The large government base protects it's benefits and pensions over the interests of the rest of the population.... In every way , the public sector is a new class of people deriving discounts in benefits, a short labor cycle and pensions that simply don't exist in most of the private sector. Thiese types of benefits that go to public sector workers and pensioners undermines the sense of fairness in our democracy as much as the manipulation of fair markets that are bought by "mega corporations"
those in the tea party and those protesting ion wall street are both justified in their anger.
So - I don't think you're fooling any of us - when you say - trust us -not to spend like drunken sailors if you give us the power. Bullhockey.
Both Wars were voted on and approved by CONGRESS, and were funded through appropriations, which were accounted for in the expedniture of the year immediately following their creation.
You obviously know nothing about either war or how the Government finances things.