Republicans get a jump on trying to take credit for the economic recovery

[ProSense]

REPUBLICANS SCRAMBLE FOR CREDIT ON THE ECONOMY....

Time will tell whether 2011 is a good year for the U.S. economy. There are some optimistic projections available, and we can all hope they're correct, but the recovery is, at best, fragile at this point.

But Republicans have begun to see some economic improvements -- gains the GOP insisted were impossible in light of the Obama White House's policies -- and want to figure out a way to get credit for them.

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), for example, argued last week that the recent good news -- private-sector job growth, big corporate profits, major gains in the major Wall Street indexes -- that occurred throughout 2010 were the result of Republican tax policies. As Kyl sees it, business leaders in early 2010 predicted the tax policy agreement crafted in late 2010, and started growing the economy based on their future-predicting abilities.

On Fox News today, House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier (R-Calif.) offered a related argument.

"(Congressional Republicans) are determined to ensure that with a market-oriented approach we can have the kind of chance for people to have access to insurance and we can get our economy growing.

"And we've gotten some positive numbers. I think it's in large part because we won our majority and we're pursuing pro-growth policies."

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So to review, Republicans in the Bush era brought the global economy to the brink of catastrophic collapse; Obama and congressional Dems helped turn things around; and now those same Republicans whose policies failed want credit for Democratic successes.

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[Enrique]

1. earth to Steve Benen and other pundits

there is no economic recovery.

[ProSense]

2. Here

the first line of Benen's post:

Time will tell whether 2011 is a good year for the U.S. economy. There are some optimistic projections available, and we can all hope they're correct, but the recovery is, at best, fragile at this point.

[FrenchieCat]

5. If you hold your breath, perhaps that will be so!

Keep on hoping....cause that's what the GOP certainly is doing! :thumbsup:

[jenmito]

3. So if the unemployment rate goes up again, will they get "credit" for that, too?

They can't have it both ways.

[tabatha]

4. That is EXACTLY what I said.

And why I did not like KO asking even before the Republicans pass a single thing.

[bluestateguy]

6. They have literally done nothing

As in, they have passed no bills in their COngress yet.

[BrklynLiberal]

7. This was soooooooooooooo predictable. They set it up for a no lose situation

If things went down the tubes, it was the Dems. If things got better, they would take the credit.

These guys are CHESS players...always planning several moves ahead.

I would not be shocked to find that the repukes never intended to win in 2008, since whoever would become President would take the fall for all the crap that pres shit-for-brains did during his 8 years in the White House. They set it up to guarantee themselves Congressional victory in 2010. Their plans were not perfect, since they did not win the Senate. Perhaps the teabaggers screwed that up.

[truedelphi]

8. Well, I believe that the jump in employment last month had to do with

Christmas, and since we all know which party supports Christmas, and which party is killing it off, I guess w4e HAVE to give the credit to them!

<sarcasm meant>