Republicans Take Huge Political Risk Opposing Obama Jobs Bill

You'd think that the results of November's election -- coupled with the collapse of the economy -- would begin to make Republican lawmakers question the consequences of their blind commitment to right wing economic orthodoxy.

Apparently most Republicans in Congress haven't gotten the memo -- although many formerly Republican-leaning independent voters got it some time ago.

Monday's Gallup poll found that 80% of voters felt that passing an economic stimulus proposal was important or very important (51% very important, 29% important).

Yet every single Republican voted no when the Obama economic recovery package passed the House -- and all but three voted against in the Senate. Eric Cantor, the new House Republican Whip, put it clearly: "just say no" to the economic recovery package he told his colleagues. Cantor is basically herding those colleagues over a political cliff.

And be clear: support for the Obama economic recovery program is not limited to "blue" states. Pollster Stan Greenberg presented a poll at last week's House Democratic Caucus retreat that had sampled opinion in 40 swing congressional districts. It showed that 64% of voters in those districts supported the Obama economic recovery plan and only 27% opposed.

What makes matters worse for the Republicans is that they have chosen to place a political bet against an economic recovery. President Obama and Democrats in Congress understand clearly that their political fortunes in the Congressional mid-terms and the next Presidential are tied completely to their success in turning the economy around.

Democrats understand that as much as their November success was boosted by their charismatic presidential candidate, it also had to do with the catastrophic failure of Republican economic and foreign policies. Bush learned too late that all of Karl Rove's spin couldn't put their political coalition back together again once the economy broke into a thousand pieces. It's not just the sizzle -- it's the steak.

That's why Obama's team isn't just focused on messaging about the economy -- they are determined to deliver the goods.

For those of us who believe in the effectiveness of bottom-up economics, it's a safe bet that by November 2010 -- and certainly by 2012 -- Obama's progressive economic policies will result in a much improved economy. That will leave the Republican nay-sayers with a lot of explaining to do.

Normally, the party out of power gains seats in the first mid-term election after the inauguration of a new president. But the combination of economic improvement, a popular, engaging president, and Republicans who "just say no" to economic recovery could lead to an historic catastrophe for the GOP in 2010.

By obstinately opposing Obama's plan to create or save 4 million jobs, Eric Cantor and the rest of the Republican leadership could be leading his followers from their current political wilderness into "never-never" land.

Robert Creamer is a long-time political organizer and strategist and author of the recent book: "Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win," available on amazon.com.

Comments

[vidian6]

I believe that "never land" is exactly where they are going. Nobody believes their garbarge anymore. They can no longer hide the fact that racism has been the motivating force behind their party for a long time.

[jeff60607]

I agree with most of the comments here. I also found a very good, basic site on recession tips. It was pretty helpful, I think,

http://www.recessioninfocenter.com

[nancytheragingliberal]

I hope they take themselves to never-never land and stay there until the end of the world. Republicans have no regard for the American people, and are not Patriotic to hope that Obama fails. If he fails, the entire country fails. Repubs. just don't care about anything except war, more war, draining the treasury and enriching the top 1% of the country. Americans are suffering for the incompetence of the last eight years, right where it hurts, in their pocketbooks.

[jackbutler5555]

The GOP House members who oppose the stimulus package are men of honor -- all. So, I assume they'll arrange to decline any of those monies that the feds try to force on their districts.

[Gandalfage]

I just think that the meltdown in the financial sector proves once again that we simply cannot trust our capitalist economy solely to the capitalists. Let's re-regulate Wall St and let the insolvent banks go under. Then we could videotape the crooked execs jumping out of their high rise offices, and show the video on pay-per-view, and give the proceeds to the people who have been hurt by their malfeasance.

[Charity1]

Okay, taking money from one pile and putting it back into the same pile will not get us anywhere. Where do you all think the money is going to come from? And what is the money going to? You've got shelters for polar bears, condoms and abortions for Europe, we're spending federal tax dollars on having Playboy and Penthouse made into braille for the Library of Congress, millions to Acorn, for what? Oh there's much more. But, think about this, last year, Bush gave out the stimulus checks and everyone was criticizing him for the $600 saying it wasn't enough and on and on. Obama wants to give everyone a tax relief of $13 dollars a week, but when you calculate it out what amount is that times 52 weeks? $676 for the year. Wow, we get a whopping 76 dollar extra relief for the year. Can you pay off a bill with that?

[RebelWithoutAPause]

You forgot Bank of America's GOP-branded $3,500 toilets and million dollar bathrooms with Dubya's portrait in a 24K gold frame hanging over the commode...

[Badfickle]

Tax relieve has proven to be an ineffective economic stimulus. Economist have shown you get much more "bang for your buck" in terms of GDP growth from spending.

But don't take my word for it. Here:
http://endtheecho.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/mz_012208_1t.gif

Notice that the traditional GOP favorites like corporate tax cuts, capital gains cuts and Bush's tax cuts are particularily ineffective. Which should be no surprise since they helped us get here. And notice that spending is very effective, especially on things like infrastructure (which I would like to see much more of) unemployemtn benifits and Aid to State Governments. Which the GOP wanted stripped out of the spending bill. (I think they may have been succcessful on that.)

[Ipanemagirl]

I hope you are right..Robert Creamer, and I hope Republicans will be held to blame if this recovery stimulus fails. They took everything out of it that was good for the recovery and still voted against helping the american people with new jobs, education, aid,so the country in general can recover....how can they live with themselves???and be so OUT of the LOOP, and so SELFISH and SELF SERVING, only thinking of themselves and their politics??? I hope this time, it will blow up in their faces! I hope 2010 brings a total democratic majority to power so we can avoid dealing with these people. They call themselves christians??? What a joke!

[nirek]

Everything you said in your post is what I have been thinking. GREAT POST ! I'm a fan of yours.

[TomBrentwood]

The GOP, party of subverting corp regulation, can only give away tax cuts to business as an excuse for an economic plan of recovery. It is so weak and lame and dead on arrival only the talking heads waste much time listening to them. The Obama plan is broad based and has many facets that the GOP would never consider as they still cling to the Bush-Cheney era that ended in economic ruin.They oppose energy conservation, solar power, and moving away from an oil/coal/nuclear energy based economy that is sinking fast.
Obama is way too smart to waste his time with the GOP party line. A few GOP thinkers will jump off their sinking boat.
The GOP attack on the Treasury Sec this week is absurd. In his second week on the job he is going to solve the trillion dollar mess in detail? And the political leaders on the hill who stood around as the regulators did nothing are acting as if they had no role in the financial crash? Its called oversight and it didn't happen. Even the Maddoff scam could have been shut down in 2001 if the SEC did more then bury evidence. The Bush era began with Enron and ended with Maddoff as true book ends.

[gypsysailor]

It's long past time for the Republicans and THEIR nattering nabobs of negitivism to go sit in a corner and take a time out and just shut up and let the adults run the country.

[liberalOrgonian]

It is time for American's to "just say NO" to repugs.
They had their hay day spending America into a hole when Bush was president.
NOW, they don't seem to care about America, and are actively trying to destroy this country.
States that vote repug should take a serious look at their politicians and how they are behaving.
Rush and gang don't give a hoot about the homeless, jobless out here.
The repugs are SUCH sore losers they are willing to destroy America along with their party.
We are ALL watching!!!!
Leaves me wondering what McCain would have done as President to help Americans?
More tax cuts for the rich? Da

[ljgen]

Perhaps Johnson and Johnson will donate baby bottles and cry blankets to the Congressional Republicans. I have never witnessed such whining in my life. They fail to see the mess they made of this country!!

[exhale09]

Leading them into never never land.

We can only hope!

[ceindependence]

Anbody seen Hillary? Why is she not out front pushing the new stimulas act? She's no dummy!

[idest]

She's probably busy, you know...running the State Department.

[Qayyumkhan]

It is in the air - all over this "Global Village" - and crystal clear now that couple of Catastrophic ECONOMIC and FOREIGN POLICY Failures caused the Republicans their merited relegation to a Minority party and their consequent vacation in disgrace of the White House. Hillary is thus, awfully busy picking and piecing together the priceless global prestige of USA (terribly tarnished and trampled by the Republicans), to honor, to protect, to project and thereby enjoy the American nation's rare mandate to reign and run all their planetary affairs.

[islandsox]

I heard she's in Asia to try to convince nations to stop N. Korea from nuclear weapons. Like N. Korea is really going to listen to us. As much as she will try, there are nations you can't sit around the fireplace and convince them to see us eye-to-eye. By the way, has anyone heard about the 12th Iman? This is Iran's reason for its nuclear program. They are paving the way for the return of this prophet and it begins with the destruction of Little Evil (Israel) and then Big Evil (USA). Once we are annihiliated, all Iranians will be granted the afterlife. Signs are that the Gulf will run red as blood and this has happened according to Iranian newspapers, but it is the red seaweed in the gulf; they took it to mean the prophet is coming and they must rush their nuclear program.

Please read everything you can; the leadership in Iran are nutcases and no fireside chats are going to change that.

[antirepublocrat]

Do you have a site reference for this drivel about Iran? Iran has not perpetrated an aggressive act in hundreds of years, and they have no intention of attacking Israel. Our own NIE says they currently have no nuclear weapons program, and any evidence that they ever had one before 2003 is very thin.

[ceindependence]

What most here are forgetting, either by accident or intentional, is that 66 million DID vote for Barack and 58 MILLION did NOT vote for Barack but the other guy! Only eight million difference!

As of the moment this bill passes, the democrats OWN the economy good or bad. Spending thirteen times the cost of both the wars or enough to pay off 90% of ALL mortgages,if this does not fix the economy, do you truly believe those 58 million and others will hold the republicans responsible. I think not. After tax cheats and lobbyists are appointed and the high speed rail goes to Harry Reid's district with the salt marsh mouse being saved in Pelosi's distrtict in this "no earmark bill" people will be screaming for change we can believe in!

[islandsox]

You are completely correct; it's the White House's stimulus plan. From the details I read online, I am worried big time about the unnecessary spending; I love mice, but not 30 million $$ for them. And most of the job creation is on the back end, not the front end. At some point, one can't blame Bush anymore; it's all the White House from here on out. It's not just scary for the current Americans, but what if China won't lend us the money anymore? That's called tax hikes out of sight coming up to pay for it, plus I think about the generation after us. France, Italy and Spain have already called this stimulus bill the most ludicrous bill in the history of the world. Guess they aren't aboard with what our govt is doing.

[Badfickle]

The whole it's "Obama's fault now" thing is rediculous, beyond belief. Obama's in office what 3 weeks? please. What got us here? What is the cause of our crisis? 1) Deregulation idolatry. The Commodities Futures and Modernization Act of 2000. championed by Phil Gramm (now of ubs). It totally deregulated the mortgage backed securities market. At one point that market was worth $58 Trillion. This is what sparked the entire subprime market boom and led us here.
2) 30 years of supply side BS. Wages have been flat or down in this country since 1980. They were up every year from 1947 to 1979. household debt is up 12 times since then. Credit card debt up 7 times.

This whole crisis is fully and demostrably caused by this ideology. You can't burn down a building and then blaim the guy running up the street with a hose.

I don't believe there is anything anyone can do to turn things around in the next 2 to 3 years. Nothing. The only thing they can do is to try to stop the bleeding. Things are going to get worse and the GOP's media hounds already blaming obama is not just cowardly, it's dishonest and completely dishonorable.

[Badfickle]

Where do you get 13 times the cost of both wars? Conservative estimates of the war in iraq is around $1 Trillion. Longerterm estimates for paying vet's medical bills etc. run as high as $3 Trillion. get your fact straight.

And while you are thinking about the election... Remember the difference in 2000? Yes Elections have consequences.

[rf dude]

Only when Government

represents " America" more

and "Red" or "Blue" less

will the work be finished...
--

[JimR]

Polls can change day to day, we all know that.

The Democrats are also taking a political risk here. They are promising a LOT with this bill, and it damn well better deliver. If it does not noticeably improve the economy by the time the 2010 elections come around, they could pay a price.

[Badfickle]

The people need to look at more than winners and losers in political races. This isn't a sports event anymore. We need to look at the real philosophies that got us here. I don't know that there is anything that Obama could do to turn things around by 2010. I hope he does but there are no good choices now that we are at this point. Either we do nothing as the GOP wants and we have a second Great Depression. Or we spend our way out (and I don't think there is enough spending in this bill) and we will have to deal with the effects on the dollar down the road. But we need to understand the effect Supply side economics has had on wages for the last 30 years (bad), the effect it has had on the national and personal debt (bad, bad) and the cause of our current crisis the deregulation of the securities markets (very bad)

[islandsox]

What do you mean the GOP wants to do nothing? That's completely untrue. They had two alternative bills that Nancy Pelosi wouldn't even allow to be considered. Their bill, and I did not read it, was $350 billion and created jobs instantly through completely removing the payroll tax which puts money into people's pockets, as well as some other incentives. So don't say the GOP didn't want to do nothing; that's hogwash!