Some GOP Politicians See Uncertain Job Prospects (LAT)

[Nambe]

Los Angeles Times

Despite an intensified White House defense of its economic policies and a welcome jump in the national growth rate this week, many Republicans up for reelection next year remain edgy as they await clearer signs of a sustained recovery.

"We are not where we need to be on the economy," said Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.). "And this is not where I'd like to be a year from now."

Republicans generally believe that the tax cuts they have passed will do what President Bush promises: kick-start the stock market, spur growth and restore public confidence in the U.S. economy.

But the economic indicator that traditionally has the most political significance is also the slowest to rebound: job creation. And GOP hopes for good news on that front were dashed Friday. ---

[aquart]

1. So when are they going to realize they're idiots?

That for a few million in contributions, corporations and wealthy individuals were allowed to steal everything in sight and give NOTHING back but grief and pain?

And they're the fools who will have to explain why they're holding that empty bag.

[gristy]

3. hey aquart - can you draw?

explain why they're holding that empty bag

In my mind I picture a political cartoon:

Fat cat on the left; a generic GOP congresscritter on the right

I think I need 2 panels, though:

1st panel: they're exchanging bags. One is labeled $$$, the other is labeled "jobs"

2nd panel: fat cat has pulled wads of $$$ out of his bag and has a big grin. GOP congresscritter peeks inside his bag and sees that it is empty.


Maybe replace GOP congresscritter with John Q Public?

Damn, I wish I could draw...

[ewagner]

4. Great concept

There is a budding cartoonist in my family. I'll pass your concept along.

[quilp]

2. Let us hope Camp is not where he'd like to be a year from now.

n/t

[Upfront]

5. Amen!

Amen on Camp! He has never, and I mean never voted against the republican dogma.

[teryang]

6. Restore confidence?

Who believes this garbage? How can you have confidence in a regime that is so obviously corrupt, dishonest, secretive, belligerent, and unaccountable? It's laughable. The commander in thief is obviously dishonest and incompetent. The people behind him are completely corrupt. Anyone taken a look at the national debt? They don't even know what the national budget total is. They have no economic plan. They are too busy STEALING the national treasure. How could the most conservative economic interests formulate a plan which would of necessity cost them market share, force them to innovate, and give up old technologies? These people are dinosaurs like the French aristocracy in the 18th Century.

There is no betterment of fundamentals in the stock market. The increase in the indexes is due to laying off employees not increases in revenue. There is also thoughtless speculation that the situation in the economy will have to improve somehow for the election campaign season which has no basis in economic reality. Perhaps the regime will open the commercial debt floodgates further in a futile effort to spur growth. There is nothing else to spur the economy. There is no economic plan only several war plans. National government and state government revenues are going down not up.

People have lost their life savings in the stock market. Those who haven't can't figure out a way to make money with investments. How does that instill confidence? It is a caste oriented feudal economy of corporate monopolists, rentiers and swindlers. The demographics of an aging population with no security is against them.

[robbedvoter]

7. It was Clinton, obviously and his formidable clenis stealing those jobs!

And I am not that far from facts - bush repeated the "March 2000 recession" lie again in his "press conferrence " skit. (although when talking to a black audience he wisely kept it "March 2001"

[ewagner]

8. Lol

Didn't catch that difference....thanks for pointing it out.

[snippy]

9. Republican presidents are always bad for job creation.

Since Harding was president, the annual rate of job creation under republican presidents has always been lower than under democratic presidents. No republican president has had a higher annual rate of job creation during his term than occurred during any democratic president's term. Since the depression, the best rate of job growth under a republican was 2.2% per year during Nixon's time in office. The worst rate of job growth under a democrat was 2.3% per year during Kennedy's time in office. Bush has a -0.7% annual rate which is the first negative number since the depression.



I think this is probably because of the ownership of republican presidents by business interests always lobbying to the detriment of working class Americans. I also think that the better job creation numbers for democrats may explain in part why the stock market performs better under democratic presidents than under republican presidents.

[Clyde39]

10. Bush is another Hoover!

It's obvious he doesn't give a **** about the working poor.....how can people support this person???????

[snippy]

11. I don't know about Hoover, but Bush is just a stupid political whore.

The new overtime regulations illustrate this perfectly. Politically, Bush should be concerned about unemployment and should prefer that employers hire new employees rather than work current employees overtime. But he makes it cheaper for his contributors to work current employees more than 40 hours a week rather than hire additional employees. Stupid. Particularly since Bush could have waited to change the overtime regulations until after the election.

[whoYaCallinAlib]

12. Snippy, you are so right.

He's stupid. His policies are stupid. And, anybody who votes for him after this is stupid.

[snippy]

13. "anybody who votes for him . . . is stupid." True.

Except for the tax cut monkeys. They like being shit on as long as the shitter tells them they are getting a tax cut.