Media Matters' Politcal Correction: "Where Are The Jobs?" The GOP Blocked Them

[ProSense]

"Where Are The Jobs?" The GOP Blocked Them

Chris Harris

Today's job numbers are yet another reminder that while Washington's efforts have brought us a long way from the darkest days of the recession, there are still millions of Americans out of work in an economy that is too slow to recover.

As Republicans break out in their familiar "where are the jobs?" refrain, it's important to remember that ever since President Obama was sworn into office, the GOP has made blocking Democratic jobs programs their number one priority. PoliticalCorrection.org compiled a video to show just that.

Watch:

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Conservatives will predictably spin these newest numbers into attacks on Democrats, but in reality, the GOP's policies would be a disaster for the American people.

On September 15th, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) unveiled a two-point plan to maintain George W. Bush's tax rates for two years and return spending to 2008 levels. Despite his claim that returning to Bush's economic policies would "create jobs," analysis finds that it would actually kill over a million of them.

The GOP's "Jobs Plan" Would Kill Over 1 Million Jobs. According to the Economic Policy Institute, "The adverse impact of the spending cuts, meanwhile, would overwhelm the limited growth impact associated with the tax cuts, substantially decreasing output on net. Using a rule of thumb for the impact of government spending on employment, we estimate that this loss of GDP will correspond to a loss of roughly 1.1 million jobs, relative to a fiscal path that maintains spending at the president's proposed 2011 levels and a tax policy that did not extend tax cuts for upper-income taxpayers." (Economic Policy Institute, 9/23/10; emphasis added)

As Boehner's plan touches on and the Pledge to America reiterates, the party's main proposal to boost the economy is to make President George W. Bush's income tax rates permanent. While this is apparently the best the GOP can do, the Congressional Budget Office says it is the worst way to grow the economy.

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And worst of all, Republicans have fallen down on the job when Americans needed them most. During the worst of the recession, as progressives fought to create jobs and help those who were hurting, Republicans failed to act.

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Republicans Blocked Program That Supports 250,000 Jobs. Republicans have repeatedly blocked the extension of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, supports "jobs for some 250,000 parents and youth who are otherwise unemployed, many of whom have been without work for some time." (Huffington Post, 9/29/10; CBPP, 9/2/10)

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[jpgray]

1. There is no question that the GOP are the main villains in this farce

Even those programs to which Republicans were heretofore ideologically unopposed were blocked. One can argue weakness on the Democratic side, but the majority of blame and shame overwhelmingly falls to the GOP.

[ProSense]

2. Obviously some people who want to give the GOP a pass on this. n/t