Block and Blame
Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 12:29 pm
This is the Republican tactic where they block economic legislation proposed by Obama, and then blame him because he hasn't been able to affect change in the economy.
I said it before and I'll say it again. Republicans don't care about America or the economy. They want the economy to do poorly because they know that if they do anything to help the economy improve, then it would increase Obama's chances for reelection. They are willing to let as many Americans suffer as needed, in order to see their primary agenda through. Their agenda was and always has been, to block Obama on everything possible so they can then blame him for not doing enough.
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New data released today shows that the U.S. economy grew by 1.5 percent last quarter, following a revised increase of 2 percent in the first quarter. Republicans, of course, leaped on the middling number, with Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) calling it “a troubling sign for the future of our economy.”
But GOP’ers neglect to mention that they repeatedly filibustered President Obama’s American Jobs Act in the Senate, after several independent economic analysts estimated that the bill would boost GDP by one to three percent.
– Goldman Sachs economists estimated that the AJA would increase GDP by 1.5 percent, before any multiplier effects.
– Thomas Lam, of the economic advisory firm OSK-DMG, estimated that the bill would boost GDP by 1.8 percent.
– Macroeconomic Advisers estimated that the boost would be 1.3 percent.
– Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Economy, put the boost at 2 percent of GDP.
– The Economic Policy Institute estimated that the new initiatives in the AJA would increase GDP by 1.9 percent, while policy extensions it included would increase GDP by another 1.4 percent.
The Congressional Budget Office also scored the bill as a net deficit reducer over a ten year budget window. As ThinkProgress has detailed, blocking the AJA is hardly the only thing that the GOP has done to sabotage economic growth and job creation.
I said it before and I'll say it again. Republicans don't care about America or the economy. They want the economy to do poorly because they know that if they do anything to help the economy improve, then it would increase Obama's chances for reelection. They are willing to let as many Americans suffer as needed, in order to see their primary agenda through. Their agenda was and always has been, to block Obama on everything possible so they can then blame him for not doing enough.
==============
New data released today shows that the U.S. economy grew by 1.5 percent last quarter, following a revised increase of 2 percent in the first quarter. Republicans, of course, leaped on the middling number, with Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) calling it “a troubling sign for the future of our economy.”
But GOP’ers neglect to mention that they repeatedly filibustered President Obama’s American Jobs Act in the Senate, after several independent economic analysts estimated that the bill would boost GDP by one to three percent.
– Goldman Sachs economists estimated that the AJA would increase GDP by 1.5 percent, before any multiplier effects.
– Thomas Lam, of the economic advisory firm OSK-DMG, estimated that the bill would boost GDP by 1.8 percent.
– Macroeconomic Advisers estimated that the boost would be 1.3 percent.
– Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Economy, put the boost at 2 percent of GDP.
– The Economic Policy Institute estimated that the new initiatives in the AJA would increase GDP by 1.9 percent, while policy extensions it included would increase GDP by another 1.4 percent.
The Congressional Budget Office also scored the bill as a net deficit reducer over a ten year budget window. As ThinkProgress has detailed, blocking the AJA is hardly the only thing that the GOP has done to sabotage economic growth and job creation.