Democrats Need to Explain Themselves on Jobs, Stimulus, and Unemployment (without Blame Shifting)

by SusanAnne Hiller | July 6, 2010 12:42 am

Original post at 73wire.com[1]

The Hill[2]: reports: that President Obama, Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and other Democrats have gone back into economic crisis mode:

Obama urged congressional leaders in mid-June to pass an extension of tax breaks and unemployment benefits, and up to $50 billion in aid for states and local governments. Without Congress acting, Obama said the economy could “slide backwards.”

Two weeks later, in an interview with the Huffington Post, Pelosi said that absent new federal help, “we could slip back and have another recession, and if we do it’s harder to come back.”

But how is this possible: knowing that: the original stimulus was to: create 4.1 million jobs[3], the healthcare bill was to create 400,000 jobs almost immediately[4], and the second jobs bill[5]: : was [is] projected to create 250,000 jobs by the end of 2010.:  With all of this “stimulus,” Americans should be back to work, not begging the government to extend unemployment benefits beyond the 99 weeks already provided.

Pelosi is misrepresenting unemployment benefits as a jobs bill–saying that unemployment benefits are the best way to create jobs[6].

Over at Big Government, I asked Pelosi to show us the jobs[7] and Big Government blogging pal: Warner Todd Huston reminds us[8] of the waste in the stimulus–the main reason: for its failure.:  Democrats: only solutions to problems are tax increases and handouts (wealth redistribution).

Exit question:: : Why didn’t the Democrats, who supposedly want to be bipartisan,: take a vote on the: Republican alternative to the: Democrat’s: jobs/unemployment benefits bill introduced on June 30, 2010 by Senator Scott Brown[9] (R-MA).:  Brown’s bill is deficit neutral and could have easily solved the current problems in passing the: unemployment benefits package:

My compromise bill uses unspent stimulus funds and cuts wasteful and unnecessary spending in other areas to pay for these important programs. Believe it or not, there is about $37 billion in stimulus money just sitting in a Washington slush fund when it should be put to good use immediately.

While my bill pays for additional FMAP assistance for one more year, this phase-down provides states an opportunity to get their fiscal houses in order – but also makes it clear that they can no longer pass the buck to the federal government, which has budgetary problems of its own.:  emphasis mine

Obama, Pelosi, and Reid should be called out on why they didn’t look at Brown’s bill and also answer why they couldn’t fast track this one like they did with the:  passage:  of the original stimulus and Obamacare.:  Of course, the answer is obvious::  Brown is a Republican.

Democrats own this economy; they had the supermajority.:  It’s their agenda, their stimulus, their failed policies.:  There is no more blame shifting.: : And we deserve and should be demanding answers from: Obama and the Democrat leadership: regarding their policies–Bush has been out of office for 18 months–again, there is no more childish: blame shifting.

It is time for the Republicans to go on the offensive and force the Democrats to explain themselves to the American people on where are the jobs and why they squandered $800 billion of taxpayer money.:  Frankly, with all of the stimulus spent, according to Pelosi, it would have been better to give each of the 14.5 million unemployed Americans about $45,000 to $55,000 for the entire year instead, because they would have used the money to best stimulate the economy and create jobs.

Endnotes:
  1. 73wire.com: http://73wire.com/2010/07/democrats-need-to-explain-themselves-on-jobs-stimulus-and-unemployment-without-blame-shifting/
  2. The Hill: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/107081-dems-sounding-economic-warnings-after-downplaying-recession-threat
  3. create 4.1 million jobs: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28590554/
  4. create 400,000 jobs almost immediately: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2010/02/25/pelosi_health_reform_will_create_400000_jobs_almost_immediately.html
  5. jobs bill: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20000700-503544.html
  6. unemployment benefits are the best way to create jobs: http://www.breitbart.tv/pelosi-unemployment-checks-fastest-way-to-create-jobs/
  7. show us the jobs: http://biggovernment.com/sahiller/2010/06/23/no-pelosi-you-show-us-the-jobs/
  8. reminds us: http://biggovernment.com/wthuston/2010/07/05/obama-says-stimulus-worked-created-jobs-heres-a-reminder-of-the-waste/
  9. introduced on June 30, 2010 by Senator Scott Brown: http://washingtonindependent.com/90637/brown-offers-deficit-neutral-unemployment-benefits-extension-bill

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