Anonymous
Post 09/06/2012 15:45     Subject: Republicans Betting Against America
Anonymous wrote:Republicans have invested heavily in the meme that the economy is poor when, in fact, the economy is actually growing. The answer to the proverbial question "are you better off than you were 4 years ago" is "yes" for most people if they really stop to think about it. The problem is they can't fathom how things MIGHT have turned out had Obama not taken some of the steps he did; you cannot prove a negative. Put it in another light, things could very easily have been a hell of a lot WORSE.

But since Republicans have worked so hard to raise expectations for poor jobs reports, they cannot easily dismiss them when they come in. Look for a lot of misdirection (talk about underemployment, talk that these aren't private sector jobs, etc) if the facts don't align with their message (which is increasingly a problem for them).


+1

We were facing a total collapse of the financial system, which could have resulted in 20%+ unemployment. AND we were getting drained by a war in Iraq. AND you couldn't sell a house to save your life. AND the stock market was half of what it is now, so for anyone with a 401K or god forbid a retiree your net worth was down 50% on stocks and 25% on your home.

Anonymous
Post 09/06/2012 15:43     Subject: Republicans Betting Against America
Anonymous wrote:I am a strong dem - but you can't really think dems would be any different if the tables were turned?


Yes, I expect that we will be different. Our party demographics make it pretty tough to do. A lot of congressmen are in districts with very high unemployment, and their constituents are even moreso.

Also I don't know anyone who was gleeful when we were staring down into the abyss in 2008. If you can find the quotes, please correct my memory.
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2012 14:20     Subject: Republicans Betting Against America
Republicans have invested heavily in the meme that the economy is poor when, in fact, the economy is actually growing. The answer to the proverbial question "are you better off than you were 4 years ago" is "yes" for most people if they really stop to think about it. The problem is they can't fathom how things MIGHT have turned out had Obama not taken some of the steps he did; you cannot prove a negative. Put it in another light, things could very easily have been a hell of a lot WORSE.

But since Republicans have worked so hard to raise expectations for poor jobs reports, they cannot easily dismiss them when they come in. Look for a lot of misdirection (talk about underemployment, talk that these aren't private sector jobs, etc) if the facts don't align with their message (which is increasingly a problem for them).
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2012 14:15     Subject: Republicans Betting Against America
jsteele wrote:Over the next 24 hours, it will be interesting to watch attitudes toward the jobs report that comes out Friday morning. Republicans have been banking on a poor report dulling any bounce resulting from the Democratic convention. However, that report may turn out to be better than expected.

The expectation is that 125,000 jobs will be created. However, ADP today issued a report estimating that there were 201,000. Moreover, the Labor Department announced that new unemployment filings are close to the lowest number of the year. So, these are positive signs for the report.

Keep your eyes out for Republicans desperately hoping for a disappointing jobs report. And, if the report turns out to be better than expected, watch for their disappointment (and attempts to spin the good news as bad). In the event of a bad report, Republicans will likely be close to ecstatic. Right now, good news for American workers is bad news for the Republicans.






Romney will be in New Hampshire hoping to put the worst spin possible on the jobless numbers.

Obama will be somewhere in New England as well.

Fun.
jsteele
Post 09/06/2012 14:02     Subject: Republicans Betting Against America
Anonymous wrote:
Of course I could imagine Democrats attacking him for it....if the bailout was such that the unions were more-or-less disovled. In the current case, the unions were provided with too much ownership, in the opinion of the R's.


No way, the Democrats would be full of excuses such as non-union jobs are better than no jobs. The Democratic Party uses unions for cannon fodder but does nothing to earn their allegiance.
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2012 13:57     Subject: Republicans Betting Against America
jsteele wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am a strong dem - but you can't really think dems would be any different if the tables were turned?


Like the previous poster, I would expect Democrats to act differently. They might acknowledge that a bad jobs report would help them, some might wish for a bad report in their hearts, but none would make the public sort of display that we see from Republicans. I will grant you that is not because of some mythical set of higher values. Rather it is due to fear. Democrats lie awake at night in fear that someone will question their patriotism (and apparently now, their commitment to God and Israel as well). They know that a simple failure to cover their hearts during the national anthem will lead Fox News and be the subject of endless emails from cranky uncles. There is no way in hell they will be caught rooting for a bad jobs report.

Case in point. Obama's most significant contribution to jobs in the USA was the auto bailout. Yet, Republicans routinely bash him for it. Many go so far as to say they will never buy a GM or Chrysler car again. If Bush had save GM and Chrysler, could you imagine for a single minute that Democrats would attack him for it?

Of course I could imagine Democrats attacking him for it....if the bailout was such that the unions were more-or-less disovled. In the current case, the unions were provided with too much ownership, in the opinion of the R's.
jsteele
Post 09/06/2012 13:46     Subject: Republicans Betting Against America
Anonymous wrote:I am a strong dem - but you can't really think dems would be any different if the tables were turned?


Like the previous poster, I would expect Democrats to act differently. They might acknowledge that a bad jobs report would help them, some might wish for a bad report in their hearts, but none would make the public sort of display that we see from Republicans. I will grant you that is not because of some mythical set of higher values. Rather it is due to fear. Democrats lie awake at night in fear that someone will question their patriotism (and apparently now, their commitment to God and Israel as well). They know that a simple failure to cover their hearts during the national anthem will lead Fox News and be the subject of endless emails from cranky uncles. There is no way in hell they will be caught rooting for a bad jobs report.

Case in point. Obama's most significant contribution to jobs in the USA was the auto bailout. Yet, Republicans routinely bash him for it. Many go so far as to say they will never buy a GM or Chrysler car again. If Bush had save GM and Chrysler, could you imagine for a single minute that Democrats would attack him for it?
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2012 13:37     Subject: Republicans Betting Against America
Anonymous wrote:I am a strong dem - but you can't really think dems would be any different if the tables were turned?


Actually, I do for the most part. Just like Republicans frequently try to reduce voter turnout, while I don't think Dems do, I think there are some lines Dems are unwilling to cross-- such as harming the country for political benefit. The whole debt ceiling default fiasco was basically the R's holding the country hostage, and the D's gave in, so that tells you something. Barney Frank was interviewed at the DNC recently and he pointed out that when Bush asked for help dealing with the financial crisis Dems worked with him, but the R's have been much less willing to help this president do anything.
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2012 13:31     Subject: Republicans Betting Against America
I am a strong dem - but you can't really think dems would be any different if the tables were turned?
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2012 13:01     Subject: Republicans Betting Against America
Anonymous wrote:If you honestly believe that Republicans are hoping that people are unemployed, you have a pretty dim view of the human nature of close to half the country.


There are posters on this board who gleefully cheered when previous jobs reports were bad.

I don't believe that Republicans want our country to fail. But they would not mind one bit if the recovery was delayed until January. Remember this is the same party that cut a deal with the Iranians to get our hostages released after the election. So there is some factual basis for their willingness to defer progress for political purposes.
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2012 12:11     Subject: Republicans Betting Against America
Anonymous wrote:If you honestly believe that Republicans are hoping that people are unemployed, you have a pretty dim view of the human nature of close to half the country.


No one is talking about "half the country." Jeff is talking about the handful of truly twisted people who currently lead the GOP, or orbit around it (yes, Ann Coulter, I mean you). They definitely want the economy to stay in the crapper through the end of the year. And you know it.
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2012 12:09     Subject: Republicans Betting Against America
Not necessarily about rank and file R's, but most certainly the party leaders

Please, this is the party that won congress claiming they were going to do something about jobs...and hasn't voted on one damn jobs bill

please don't kid yourself that the R's aren't hoping for anything but bad news on the economy that they have done nothing to actually help
jsteele
Post 09/06/2012 12:07     Subject: Republicans Betting Against America
Anonymous wrote:If you honestly believe that Republicans are hoping that people are unemployed, you have a pretty dim view of the human nature of close to half the country.


Watch the Republican reactions yourself. I'm happy to be proven wrong, but I've already seen a lot of faith being put in a bad report.
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2012 12:06     Subject: Republicans Betting Against America
If you honestly believe that Republicans are hoping that people are unemployed, you have a pretty dim view of the human nature of close to half the country.
jsteele
Post 09/06/2012 11:56     Subject: Republicans Betting Against America
Over the next 24 hours, it will be interesting to watch attitudes toward the jobs report that comes out Friday morning. Republicans have been banking on a poor report dulling any bounce resulting from the Democratic convention. However, that report may turn out to be better than expected.

The expectation is that 125,000 jobs will be created. However, ADP today issued a report estimating that there were 201,000. Moreover, the Labor Department announced that new unemployment filings are close to the lowest number of the year. So, these are positive signs for the report.

Keep your eyes out for Republicans desperately hoping for a disappointing jobs report. And, if the report turns out to be better than expected, watch for their disappointment (and attempts to spin the good news as bad). In the event of a bad report, Republicans will likely be close to ecstatic. Right now, good news for American workers is bad news for the Republicans.