Are Republican lawmakers deliberately stalling the economic recovery to hurt President Barack Obama's re-election chances? Some top Democrats say yes, pointing to GOP stances on the debt limit and other issues that they claim are causing unnecessary economic anxiety and retarding growth.
I've seen comments from several progressive bloggers on the question. Almost all seem to think the answer is obvious -- of course they are. After giving the matter some thought, I'm not so sure.
Now there is no question that the Republicans have used every legislative trick in the book to obstruct literally everything President Obama has tried to do. Immediately after his election, the congressional Republicans met and devised that strategy of obstructionism, with their sole purpose being to make the president look like an incompetent "do-nothing" president. They hoped that this tactic (combined with their lies about his birth, character, and policies) would result in their return to the White House.
This has not been confined to economic matters. They oppose everything the president proposes, even if it is one of their own policies (like Obamacare). They have opposed equal pay for women, "don't ask, don't tell", foreign policy, easy access to contraceptions, EPA guidelines, health care reform, Wall Street reform, and his conduct of the Afghan War (even though he has just continued the Bush policies there). And that's just a short list -- there are many more instances of GOP obstructionism.
But the question wasn't "Are the Republicans trying to obstruct everything the president proposes?" -- the answer to that question is obviously a resounding YES. And it's not "Are the Republicans trying to make Obama look bad?" -- which again would require an answer of YES.
The question, as I understand it, is whether the Republicans are trying to sabotage the economy just to make President Obama look bad. To answer that question we must ask another question -- "Have the Republicans changed any of their economic policies since President Obama took office?". And the answer to that question is no. They have simply continued the failed economic policies they have supported for more than 30 years (since Reagan assumed the presidency).
There is no doubt that their policies have done serious damage to our nation's economy by creating a vast gap of wealth and income between the richest 1% and the remaining 99%. It has also resulted in the export of millions of American jobs, and the destruction of many millions of other jobs -- not to mention throwing the nation into a serious recession (the worst since the Great Depression, also caused by similar Republican policies). And there is no doubt either that if they continue those policies, the nation's economy will be harmed even more -- pushing a recovery back many years, perhaps decades.
The Republicans are trying to obstruct and embarrass the president in every way they can, but they have not changed their economic policies to do so. Therefore, I would have to say they are NOT trying to sabotage the economy to hurt President Obama. They are sabotaging the economy, but it is with the same failed policies they have been preaching for years -- many years before Obama became the president.
The Republicans would be very happy if their economic sabotage were to embarrass the president, but they have not changed their policies to accomplish that purpose.
You're right Ted. The GOP hasn't changed their ways but they have blocked more and greater amounts of stimulus money that many economists say would have had a greater impact on the recovery than it did initially. Of course Obama's reluctance to fight them and the conservatives in the Democratic Party siding with GOP hasn't helped either.
ReplyDeleteThey have also fought to fund renewable energy significantly that would create millions of jobs, backing instead the oil and coal industries who are not adding any real numbers to new job category.