Job Losses Unsettle Republicans-Don't Want Voters' Blame for Economy

[cthrumatrix]

Job Losses Unsettle Republicans
GOP Lawmakers Don't Want Voters' Blame for Economy

By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 16, 2003; Page A03


Congressional Republicans are watching warily as President Bush's approval ratings slide on two major issues -- the economy and Iraq -- and wondering if voter anxiety might cost them seats in next year's election.

Of the two, the question of the economy is particularly worrying GOP lawmakers, who fear they could be blamed for the hundreds of thousands of jobs that have been lost under the Bush White House and the Republican-controlled Congress. The ongoing conflict in Iraq, and voters' reluctance to keep pouring billions of dollars into that country, also are causing discomfort in GOP circles. But Republicans said they remain confident that the public, which tends to trust the GOP on questions of national security, would back the president and his party on Iraq in the end.

Some Republican analysts, in fact, say they would welcome a debate that focuses more on Iraq -- even with ongoing U.S. deaths and other problems -- rather than jobs.

"I'd love to have Democrats throw us into the briar patch of Iraq and terrorism," said GOP pollster Glen Bolger.

snip

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15726-2003Sep15.html

So repugs would rather talk about Iraq than how people put food on the table....?

[Booberdawg]

1. They fear they could be blamed for the the loss of jobs??

under the Bush White House and the Republican-controlled Congress?? Could that be because they ARE responsible for the loss of millions of jobs under their watch? OF COURSE they want to change the debate!!

[loudnclear]

12. "could be blamed" WTF?

They are to blame. This has been Bush's economy ever since he announced that the US was on the road to recovery and ever since he gave away those huge tax cuts to his buddies.

[pocoloco]

2. Bolger may get the chance if

Clark pitches his hat in!

[dfong63]

10. bingo - the Clark strategy is wrong

"I'd love to have Democrats throw us into the briar patch of Iraq and terrorism," said GOP pollster Glen Bolger.

focusing on national security, or even conceding that it should be the battleground on which the election is fought (by nominating a candidate whose primary strength is in that area), is playing to the repubs strong suit. national security is the area where bush can blow the most smoke, can play the most games.

[DoYouEverWonder]

14. Not anymore

The repugs and W have proven that they are miserable failures when it comes to Iraq and our national security.

The dems need to attack on all fronts, focusing on terrorism and economics. But every issue is fair game.

When someone tries to convince me that it's not a good idea to attack W & Co on a major issue, that just tells me we should step up the attack.

Thanks for the hint.

[FauxNewsBlues]

19. Foreign Policy Attacks can be tough

Cheney lied his ass off on Meet the Press Sunday. Yes, he is starting to be called on it a little, but the admin does have "home court" advantage. Now that we know they are willing to lie, lie, and lie again, what is to prevent them from doing the same come October 2004? The democratic candidate, will not have access to data. The admin could get rogue people to plant WMD's, they could claim they have bin laden under a pile of rubbish.

Remember, the admin said that they believed they got Saddam, and his two kids the first night of bombing. Then months later, they finally got the two kids. They "killed" chemical Ali, and even "proved" it with DNA analysis matching his body to a hair brush. Except Chemical Ali turned up a few months later, and they killed him for real then.

I wouldn't put it past this White House to go to a pile of rubble in Afghanistan the month before the election. Pull some DNA from a blood stain on a rock, and "show" that they got Bin Laden. So what if he turns up alive after the election? Too late.

[ozone_man]

23. Economy is the safe bet. It got Bush senior, now it's junior's turn.

Iraq war and terrorism can be manipulated too easily. Look what they've done so far. Hold their ffet to the fire of 3M jobs lost, since Bush took office.

[Vitruvius]

20. Not necessarily -- a Dean-Clark or Clark-Dean ticket would

nail the Rethugs on EVERYTHING.

And there's no reason Clark can't hit the Rethugs HARD on the economy.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. Hundreds of thousands of jobs?

Try the word "Millions", Juliet, you stupid cow.

[cthrumatrix]

4. Repugs are confused......

"Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr. (R-N.C.) recounted recently meeting a man from his district who had just lost his job at TRW Inc. "What am I going to tell people about jobs?" Jones said in an interview. "People are hurting, and people don't see any leadership or direction." He said he cannot simply "say 'jobs, jobs, jobs' and sound like a parrot."

"A recent Washington Post poll found that 42 percent of Americans approve of Bush's handling of the economy, down from 45 percent a month ago. The president has suffered a similar slip in public approval of his handling of the Iraq situation: 52 percent, compared with 56 percent a month ago.

Recent interviews with Republican lawmakers found considerably less angst about Iraq than about the economy, which has shed 2.6 million jobs since Bush took office. Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) said voters see the steady exodus of manufacturing jobs, particularly in the South, as "happening on our watch. . . . Obviously that bothers me in terms of the political outcome in '04."

[cally]

27. Typical Repuke values..it's all about the power

Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) said voters see the steady exodus of manufacturing jobs, particularly in the South, as "happening on our watch. . . . Obviously that bothers me in terms of the political outcome in '04."

He's not worried about the impact on families with the loss of jobs but that the Repukes may lose power. :puke:

[Mountainman]

5. When they took over the government they took the responsibility too

Beware of what you ask for.


The typical responce of a repuk is to blame a Dem but now that dog won't hunt. We have no power. The repuks have to take the blame! And they deserve it too!

[Brucey]

6. About jobs, repugs say two things:

First, the economy is just in a business cycle and chimpy is just unlucky to be prez during this downturn (Clinton was lucky). Second, tax cuts will create jobs. Chimp said this year after year that he looted the national treasury for his friends. Even if his numbers were right, each job would cost about $500,000.

[sendero]

8. Bush* has had....

... several opportunities to *do* something about the economy, he chose each time to give handouts to the rich instead.

Had he targeted his tax cuts on the lower and middle classes, people who would actually *spend* the money and stimulate the economy, things would be better now.

Bush* made our bed, in the economy as well as Iraq, going with his own biases instead of trying to find the truth has led to the predicitable sorry outcome. Too bad for all of us :(, but good luck trying to blame anyone else, nobody with half a brain is going to buy it.

[FubarFly]

16. The economy has recovered and has created jobs

in China, Indonesia, Mexico...


Multinational corporations will hire where they most increase their profit margin. The US will not be competetive under the shrub regime unless we adopt third world working standards. We are becoming a nation of highly skilled, debt addled, temp workers. Union strength is as bad as it's been in decades. Job values have drastically decreased in both quantity and quality.

America is in for some serious hardships ahead, and these short-sighted, traitorous bastards could care less.


:grr:

[rman]

18. isn't just about every Dem prez lucky, every Rep prez unlucky?

wrt this 'natural' cycle of economy?


1787 - President Thomas Jefferson
"All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America rise, not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, not from want of honor or virtue, so much as from downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation."

1920 - writer Maynard Keynes
"By a continuous process of inflation, governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens. By this method, they not only confiscate, but they confiscate arbitrarily; and while the process impoverishes many, it actually enriches some. The process engages all of the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction, and does it in a manner that not one man in a million can diagnose." (Economic Consequences of the Peace)

1960 - Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank
"Deficit spending is simply a scheme for confiscation of wealth."

[Chico Man]

7. Repub strategy: "Everything Changed" on 911

This is going to backfire in the most glorious of ways. What a transparent strategy! Repubs are toast in 2004.

[dbt]

9. Let them reap the whirlwind

And if they want to be thrown into the briar patch of Iraq and terrorism (both miserable failures for the Regime), let he who is without a job make the first toss!

Bring it on.

:evilgrin:
dbt

[DemNoir]

11. Hammer away at both!

Just Link them together into a grand unified theory of incompetence

[kentuck]

21. Right on!

Why should we let them sit back and take all kinds of credit for the great "victory" in Iraq? Which is what they will do unless they are called on it.. They should be attacked on both fronts...Because, if not, they will balance out their bad economy with their glorious war.

[dusty64]

13. They OUGHT to be scared.

This is their economy 100%, they've made their mess now they will have to be held accountable. Now their is no one to point fingers at and try to blame, what will they do.

[rock]

15. Blame the decision makers?

Who would be silly enough to do that? (/end sarcasm)

[NNN0LHI]

17. If the Dems had control of either the House or the Senate right now...

...Rove would have Junior giving daily speeches about how the Dems are blocking all of his new big job creation programs. And many people would fall for it too. There is no one to blame job losses on now except Junior and his minions this way.

Don

[salin]

28. Now all he can say is that the dems blocked - ending overtime pay

for many workers... oh, that doesn't sound as convincing, now does it.

[Sagan]

22. "hundreds of thousands" of lost jobs??

Try millions!

As to the Repug fears, I present a potential Democratic talking point:

The only jobs this Administration is creating is for cannon fodder in the military, as they get our troops killed in the Iraq quagmire!

[PurityOfEssence]

24. Yep, somewhere around thirty-two hundred thousand

n/t

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

25. It seems the Repugs care more abt lost money than lost lives...

Hell, we now have a one-two punch. I have hope.

[rocktivity]

26. This has "Daily Show Headline" written all over it!!!!

GOP Lawmakers Don't Want Voters' Blame for Economy

...GOP lawmakers...fear they could be blamed for the hundreds of thousands of jobs that have been lost under the Bush White House and the Republican-controlled Congress.

When I think back on all the things I didn't want to blamed for (breaking my sister's favorite doll, breaking curfew, missing a deadline), I can't help but feel sympathy for the poor widdle GOP lawmakers. There IS nothing worse than being held responsible for something that you're responsbible for, is there?


rocknation