The GOP Jobs Program
by digby
A headline this morning at Roll Call reads:
Cantor: Replace Health Care Law to Help Economy
Before everyone goes ballistic bringing out CBO scores and rending their garments about how dishonest and ridiculous this is, let's remember that all issues are going to be framed by the GOP as "jobs" issues going forward. Tax cuts are about jobs. De-regulation is about jobs. Cutting spending is about jobs. Destroying social security is about jobs. Most importantly, they are going to insist that "the deficit" is about jobs --- indeed, they've already succeeded in convincing a fair number of Americans that the deficits caused the recession.
Their usual agenda will now be framed as a jobs program and everything the Democrats do will be framed as "job-killing." The Dems need to recognize this and figure out how to beat the frame rather than screaming hysterically each time they come up with one of their ridiculous claims. The one who is sputtering is the one who is losing.
I would have though that they could use "the party of No" line, insisting that the economy would have been fixed if the Republicans had co-operated, but I'm guessing that the recent victory laps about the most consequential congress since the nation was formed will render that ineffective. But they'd better come up with something, because framing everything is terms of jobs is a very smart move, even if the substance is absurd. Sadly, I think a lot of people are prepared to believe anything at this point.
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