Why Hand Obama a Win?

[ProSense]

Why Hand Obama a Win?

by BooMan23

<...>

“Obama is on the ropes; why do we appear ready to hand him a win?” said one senior House Republican aide who requested anonymity to discuss the matter freely. “I just don’t want to co-own the economy by having to tout that we passed a jobs bill that won’t work or at least won’t do enough.”

You need to think carefully about this quote. Implied in its logic is the idea that House Republicans can avoid any ownership of a bad economy if they continue to refuse to take any meaningful action to improve it. They can stonewall the president and the public will simply blame the president. The Republicans actually believe this. To see why, let's go back to Mike Lofgren's piece from two weeks ago. Remember that Mr. Lofgren is a career Republican staffer who resigned in disgust after the debt ceiling debacle. He explains the Republicans' strategic thinking on obstruction:

<...>

It shouldn't need to be said, but this is obviously putting raw politics ahead of helping people find a job. In a just world, the House Republicans would be severely punished. Yet, they sincerely think the benefits of hurting the president outweigh the benefits of putting people to work. They think a weak economy and an ineffectual president are better for them politically, and that they'll win even though no institution in America is less popular than the Republicans. They think proving that the government doesn't work will benefit them in the long-run, too. Why trust government to do anything if they can't even pay their bills on time?

Yet, congressional leaders in the Republican Party are not quite as convinced that they can get away with blowing off the president's American Jobs Act. They can read the polls and they know the people are fed-up with their obstruction. They know a motivated president has a big megaphone. They want to pass something, even if only to avoid getting blasted for intransigence.

Here's where the death spiral comes in. Because two-thirds of Americans disapprove of the job House and Senate Republicans are doing, the GOP doesn't stand a chance in next year's elections if the president is popular or the economy is noticeably on the mend. Their only chance is to continue to chop away at the president, keep as many people jobless as possible, and hope that the "pox on both their houses" narrative is the dominant one with the electorate next year.

more

[msongs]

1. if dems can't use this to their advantage they are incompetent lol . oh, wait.... nt

[Lionessa]

2. I just hope they don't "use" it to get re-elected then show us

that like Obama, who they campaign as and who they legislate as are two different people.

[ProSense]

3. When

"who they campaign as and who they legislate as are two different people."

...other parties (members of Congress) are involved that often happens.

[Number23]

4. They're probably not too far off.

I've seen plenty of people right here blame the president for the jobs situation.

Even when you factor in how many jobs the country was losing monthly when he took office and the net gains that have occurred since. They are still blaming Obama, and JUST Obama, for the jobs situation.

I'm encouraged though because the American public doesn't seem to have bought into the same mind set. Obama is hurting in the opinion polls on the jobs situation but Congress is hurting much, much worse. Seems in this case, the "unwashed masses" as I've seen the public referred to here countless times actually understands what's going on.