Schumer Brands GOP Agenda ‘Tea Party Economics’

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http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/10/schumer-brands-gop-agenda-tea-party-economics.php?ref=fpa

Democrats' efforts to pass jobs legislation before the end of the year don't just rest on President Obama's bully pulpit and the hope that Republicans will demonstrate good will. They're actively trying to dismantle what's left of public support for the Republican economic agenda.

In a memo to party members and the media, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) -- the Dems' top strategist in the Senate -- argues that the GOP is intentionally blocking all measures that could improve the economy for political gain.

"The economic recovery is happening too slowly and too haltingly, and the Tea Party is to blame," he writes. "With the economy at a crossroads, the GOP's current political strategy--block anything that could improve the economy, lest it boost the President's standing--has the potential to backfire. If Republicans continue opposing job-creating measures, they risk being blamed for whatever economic reality the country confronts in 2012. But Democrats must make this case. In the coming weeks, we will."

(snip)
"By linking the GOP to its extreme Tea Party fringe, Democrats can bolster the
prospects for the President's jobs ideas, or at least make clear who is responsible for the
stalling of the recovery," Schumer writes. "Democrats can make this link by branding the school of thought that resists against any job-creation measures as 'Tea Party economics.' The opponents of the President's jobs proposals should be invoked as 'Tea Party Republicans.' If their obstruction continues, it will risk a 'Tea Party recession.'"

memo at link