Robert Reich has an excellent commentary explaining why the White House believes that it has to go with deficit reduction for the 2012 election. It's pretty insane and will probably lead to one of the most crushing political defeats in Democratic party history.
The White House has an excellent record of miscalculating the political and the policy decisions for 2 1/2 years now. They seem intent on continuing with this abysmal record.
I’m told White House political operatives are against a bold jobs plan. They believe the only jobs plan that could get through Congress would be so watered down as to have almost no impact by Election Day. They also worry the public wouldn’t understand how more government spending in the near term can be consistent with long-term deficit reduction. And they fear Republicans would use any such initiative to further bash Obama as a big spender.
So rather than fight for a bold jobs plan, the White House has apparently decided it’s politically wiser to continue fighting about the deficit. The idea is to keep the public focused on the deficit drama – to convince them their current economic woes have something to do with it, decry Washington’s paralysis over fixing it, and then claim victory over whatever outcome emerges from the process recently negotiated to fix it. They hope all this will distract the public’s attention from the President’s failure to do anything about continuing high unemployment and economic anemia.
These morons in the White House still don't understand the politics!
Sure, you're not going to be able to pass a big jobs program through this congress, but let the Republicans fight, like the crazies they are, to kill a jobs program. The 2012 election can't be about Obama's and the Democratic party's record, it's abysmal and we'll lose for sure. The 2012 election can't be about, those Republicans are far worse than us Democrats, the Independents know things are bad and they'll give the other guys a chance to make it better.
The 2012 election MUST be about an Obama/Democratic big jobs program, VS a Republican austerity plan that cuts Social Security and Medicare and actually costs the nation more jobs! ALL the polls show that an election like this would end in another wave election that sweeps Republicans from power. With the Republicans gone, we might then be able to actually pass a big jobs program and save this economy from going down the toilet and into history's sewer of stupid mistakes that didn't have to happen.
Again, Robert Reich:
There’s still time for political operatives in the White House – and the person they work for – to change their minds. If economic stresses increase, Americans may insist on government doing more. A CNN poll released Monday found 60% believe the nation remains in an economic downturn and conditions are worsening. Only 36% believed that in April.
But for now the President is being badly advised. The magnitude of the current jobs and growth crisis demands a boldness and urgency that’s utterly lacking. As the President continues to wallow in the quagmire of long-term debt reduction, Congress is on summer recess and the rest of Washington is asleep.
The President should present a bold plan, summon lawmakers back to Washington to pass it, and, if they don’t, vow to fight for it right up through Election Day.
If Obama insists upon backing down from a jobs program and going forward with a fight over who can push the dumbest, most nation crushing, Republican policies, then the Democrats in the Senate and House need to push him aside and introduce their own BIG jobs program. The White House can either join in or step aside, but we can't let them drag down the Democratic party and the country.
The Democrats CAN and SHOULD own the jobs issue, and the 2012 election MUST be about jobs, jobs, jobs!