CONNECT
Campaign for America's Future / Op-Ed
Published: Friday 21 September 2012
“The worse the state of the economy, the higher the unemployment rate, the worse President Obama’s chances for reelection become.”
Romney’s Perfect Example of the Republican Strategy of Economic Sabotage
For a long time — basically ever since Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell infamously stated that the Republican Party's #1 goal was to defeat President Obama — it has been plainly obvious that the Republican Party was committed to a strategy of economic sabotage to further their political ambitions.
The rationale is simple: The worse the state of the economy, the higher the unemployment rate, the worse President Obama's chances for reelection become. Thus their sabotage strategy: Make sure the economy doesn't recover. Make sure the unemployment rate stays high. Oppose all attempts to create jobs. Kill jobs that have already been created. Turn the public against Obama. Win back the White House and Congress.
Like I said, this has been their transparent plan from the very beginning. Anyone who doesn't think this is the game plan is either disingenuous or blind. And in case you had any doubts, the Romney campaign just laid this strategy out in the most blatant way possible.
First, a little background. You've hopefully heard about something called the "wind production tax credit" (PTC) that is going to expire at the end of the year, unless Congress acts. The tax credit is important because it helps level the energy playing field relative to fossil fuels (a game that is stacked greatly against renewable energy, as I noted here). It also helps create market certainty, which stimulates investment, which stimulates the economy, which creates JOBS (to say nothing of the innumerable other other reasons renewable energy is important, including environmental, public health, national security, etc). But let's focus on the jobs, because that's what the Republican Party is against (refer back to the Grand Strategy to Defeat Obama).
So the PTC is set to expire, and the wind industry has warned that this will destroy 37,000 American jobs. Even Republicans in pro-wind states like Iowa have come out in favor of the PTC, because it doesn't help them politically to sabotage their own local economies. At the national level, however, renewable energy is being demonized by the Republican Party, and Mitt Romney has called for the elimination of the PTC (and all renewable energy incentives that might help clean energy compete with fossil fuels--the GOP's big money corporate donors).
Now, the PTC is about to expire. If the PTC expires, 37,000 jobs will be lost. Thus Romney/Republicans oppose the PTC because they believe a bad economy is good politics for them. Now, as predicted, the possible expiration of the PTC is causing market uncertainty and leading to layoffs in the wind industry. Siemens, a wind turbine manufacturer, just announced that they were being forced to cut 38% of their U.S. workforce due to this political stunt over the PTC (and thesearen't the first layoffs caused by these political games). Cue Romney's press release (emphasis mine):
Today’s layoffs at Siemens are yet another unfortunate reminder of the Obama Economy where American families have suffered from chronic unemployment, increased poverty and falling incomes.There is a fundamental disconnect between President Obama’s philosophy of the need for redistribution of wealth and the free market economy which our country was founded on. President Obama has focused on attacking the success of others rather than applauding their accomplishments and urging others to strive for similar success. Mitt Romney’s plan for a stronger middle class will foster the dignity of work, champion innovation, generate new wealth, and create 12 million new jobs in his first term alone in a variety of sectors, including wind.
It doesn't get any more simple than that. Romney knows he is advocating a policy that is killing wind jobs (even Republicans have told him this). Then, when these layoffs start happening, he immediately tries to politicize it by attacking President Obama's policies, even though President Obama wants to extend the PTC and create more clean energy jobs.
And there you have it, yet another blatant example of the Republican strategy of economic sabotage in action. Hurt the economy, blame Obama, hope the voters don't notice the sabotage. And why would they? It isn't like the media is going to point out the hypocrisy or the shocking underhandedness of this whole strategy, even though it deserves to be front page news.
Top Stories
By Aviva Shen
15 comments on "Romney’s Perfect Example of the Republican Strategy of Economic Sabotage"
September 22, 2012 12:17pm
Both candidates are committed to improving the quality of public education. We cannot expect to achieve an equal opportunity society if we send our children to mediocre public schools and expect them to to perform with excellence. Currently, inequality persists in the quality of schools in the country. Schools in poor neighborhoods tend to be mediocre and they do not help prepare students for jobs as they pass through from childhood to adulthood. Mediocre schools in those areas sets children up for failure in stead of preparing them for life. As Condoliza Rice observed during her address to the Democratic National Convention recently, this remains the civil rights issue of our time.
September 23, 2012 1:12pm
Rice made a speech to the Democratic National Convention?
Which TV channel were you watching?
Why would a Republican hack like Condoleeza Rice address the DNC?
September 22, 2012 12:00pm
We need a president who is determined to make America energy independent by 2020 using all options available. If this is not achieved, America will continue to be at the mercy of developments in the Middle East impacting oil supply. We cannot become energy independent by relying mostly on renewable energy sources.
September 22, 2012 12:20am
The farmers are supposed to be a big part of the Republican base. How far will global warming have to progress before they recognize the party has placed them squarely under the bus?
September 21, 2012 11:41pm
Brian's article is right-on. I've believed, for some time, that somewhere, at some time, some right-wing plutocrats got together with their favorite servants in the Congress (House and Senate) and plotted a strategy for taking over all branches of the government.
"Just say No" has been the guiding principle of the Repubs for the past few years. Whatever the President wants, just ignore it or vote it down, because if he does anything good for the economy, that's bad for the party not in total power, and their objective IS total power. I think that when Obama was sworn in, the Republicans had agreed that in 2012 they would go around the country asking, "Are you better off now than 4 years ago?" And since our voters have astoundingly short memories, they might start imagining that somehow our country, and especially the economy, was in great shape when Bush turned the helm over to Obama.
At any rate, the Republicans have done their share, and then some, to see that Obama hasn't cleaned up the mess he inherited, so now they can fault him because of unemployment. And the unemployed are hurting, so it's not surprising that some will fall for the blind faith that changing the guy in the White House might be a good thing.
It can't just be their good luck. From Reagan's deregulations (especially of the broadcast industry) down to the outrageous Supreme Court rulings to the pretentious political theater of the Tea Party Congress, it's all been leading to a massive takeover of all of the national government, and clinching a lock on it.
Climate change? Well, there's debate about that. (Not really.) Renewable energy? Too expensive and long-term. (Again, not really...) And so on and so on!
But the sky is falling because of the deficit! Guess we'll have to make BIG CUTS in social spending to cure that! But don't do away with the lower taxes on the rich. They're the entrepreneurs, the risk-takers, the job creators. (You know the drill, not really...)
But every 4 years the money-worshipers in the GOP want to cut taxes on the rich, and they never tire of saying it will create jobs, yet somehow it never did.
But what the hell, their campaign is not going to be dictated by fact-checkers!
Come on, SuperPacs! Serve up the smear ads as you swamp TV with RIGHT-thinking messages. I mean, corporations are people, aren't they, so they have a right to express themselves,or so says your RIGHT-thinking justices. Whoopee! This is gonna be our year, and everything's in place. If anyone objects, we'll just holler "socialist" and "leftist," maybe throw in a "Marxist" or "Leninist" for good measure.
RIGHT? (Big Brother's got your URL, you leftist pinko swine! You're probably one of those MOOCHERS!)
September 21, 2012 4:43pm
Let's keep the discussion accurate. Contrary to the article, the PTC - or indeed any other tax credit - does NOT create 'market certainty' - precisely for the reason that threats to the credit's continuation may occur - just as in the case here of the GOP threat to the PTC's continuation. A tax credit creates helps to create PROFITABILITY - which is NOT the same thing as CERTAINTY.
Of course, when the object is economic sabotage, hitting profitability is as good (or better) as hitting certainty.
September 21, 2012 3:45pm
This is like automobile corporations fighting to keep seat belts out of automobiles in the 50s.
September 21, 2012 1:11pm
I just read an article which I believe was very well written and enjoyed the humorous treatment by the writer. One part describes a situation that keeps me up at night wondering where our wonderful United States is going. It addresses the insidious and seriously damaging gridlock in our Congress. This part is repeated here:
“But beneath their facade of morality and discipline Republicans are not to be trusted. Then again, neither are Democrats. A recent study found that Republican CEOs cheat less on taxes. Another recent study found that Republican CEOs cheat more on taxes. In either case, for the Republicans lately, penalty flags have been dropping all over the place:
-- Interference: On the jobs bill, the middle-class tax cut, mortgage debt relief, and the Pay Equity Bill.
-- Encroachment: On the popular and well-run social security program and on the just as popular and cost-effective Medicare program.
-- Taunting: "Hey, we're the Job Creators! Cut our taxes and we'll stimulate the economy! Privatization will save the schools!
It's hard to reconcile all the self-proclaimed Republican morality with their long history of infractions.”
The interference, encroachment and taunting has seriously delayed, and too often gridlocked, the actions necessary to combat global warming.
I believe that the cause of the gridlock in our Congress is identified as follows:
My life has changed because what happened after 9/11 forced me to come out of denial. Denial that I didn’t even know I had. It forced me to recognize the fact that during the Bush-Cheney administration our great United States of America willingly sacrificed American blood for Mid East countries’ oil. It forced me to recognize that we do not in practice have two governing parties in our U.S. Congress. Instead of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party in actual practice we only have one party. That one party is the U.S. Corporations Party. And that one party, especially since 9/11, has been in absolute control of our U.S. Congress. Government of the people by the Lobbyists for the rich and powerful U.S. Corporations made it easy for our great nation to sacrifice blood for oil. In addition to the controlling influence our U.S. Big Oil corporations have, we also have experienced the controlling influence of our Big U.S. banks and Investment firms. Specifically evidenced by the way many billions of dollars worth of fraudulent Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS’) were created by Wall Street and sold to “unsuspecting” and naïve pension fund managers and investors. The result of all of the above actions caused our financial crash in 2008. When adding the unpaid cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to the fraudulent Wall Street MBS investment packages the sum equals the Multi Trillion Dollar Debt which we are now experiencing. We cannot permit our gridlocked Congress to continue in its present condition. There is only one way to heal our Congress and that is by taking the money out of politics. And the only way to do that is with a simple Amendment to our Constitution. To see how and why that is done click on, or copy and paste into your browser this link: http://signon.org/sign/take-money-out-of-politics
September 21, 2012 12:57pm
It's sort of amazing that right-wing politicians have actually convinced some American voters that Obama is somehow threatening their "freedoms", while across the country the GOP is brutally assaulting workers rights, women's rights, gay rights, Latino rights, voting rights and trampling on our religious freedoms by trying to force everybody to live according to the narrow, oppressive and morally retarded values of a handful of religious fanatics. Did you know that putting religious wackos in charge of YOUR LIFE and YOUR DECISIONS is religious LIBERTY? Welcome to the backwards and deranged world of America's conservatives.
There are no individuals in Conservatism. They believe what they are told to believe, think what they are told to think, say what they are told to say, and vote as they are told to vote. Despite that, American Conservatives are not a monolithic group. They are an alliance of five social groups with separate, often contradictory agendas. The five groups are:
1. The wealthy, who want more wealth and power for themselves and less for everyone else. Their goal is a plutocratic government and to marginalize the middle-class.
2. The economic Conservatives and Libertarians, who have made a bizarre religion out of their "free market" fairy tales. They want to destroy the social safety net and begin the Corporate State, though few of them can foresee the grim Orwellian society that they would bring into existence.
3. Fundamentalist and Evangelical Christians, who want to be the censors of fashion, literature, and morals. They feel marginalized and ridiculed - and they have been marginalized and ridiculed. What they don’t realize is that the other groups in the Conservative coalition hold them in complete contempt on every day but election day.
4. Racists, who want to re-segregate the South. They don't admit it, but that would be the outcome if they had their way. They can’t say that they hate Obama because he is Black, but they can publicly oppose him by calling him a socialist, a Muslim, etc.
5. Lunatics, paranoids, gun-nuts, militia members, and others whose mental problems are expressed in their political attitudes. They are fanatical about their particular political fetish: guns, militias, conspiracy theories, the birthplace of the President, Death Panels, Deather conspiracy theories, the federal reserve, the gold standard,... whatever.
Obama’s Bedford Falls may have problems, but the GOP’s Pottersville—no General Motors, no Chrysler, no health care for 32 million, no public investment at all, no regulation of banks, and all the rest—is an ugly place where we don’t want to live.
"Their final objective toward which all their deceit is directed is to capture political power so that, using the power of the state and the power of the market simultaneously, they may keep the common man in eternal subjection."
Henry A. Wallace (vice president)
The conservative mantra. "We avoid what we do not wish to see; we are deaf to what we do not wish to hear; we ignore what we do not wish to know. We are masters of self-deception, of manipulating our perceptions." (The Winds of Dune)
"Nor is it mere naivete...Our denial is willful, our studied indifference conveniently self-serving to our basest desires." (House of Chains)They choose "...intransigence as a weapon with which they hold wisdom at bay". (Midnight Tides)
September 21, 2012 10:28am
Add to that the more insidious defunding against public education that's been going on for quite a few years. It's in the interest of the privileged class to have a partially or uneducated working class to perform the "bull-work" for them. A truly educated middle class sees through the smoke-and-mirrors and the flim-flam of the Carl Roves and the Coked-up Brothers and calls them out.
We successfully dodged the Ebonics movement that would have "dumbed down" our schools, but we must be on our guard to other threats to our social order. I'm proud to live in a land that gives a hand to the fallen, and heals the indigent. I have yet to meet anyone who has earned a "golden parachute". No man is worth a bonus in the millions of dollars. Many of those "worthies" aren't with "worth the powder...." (you know the line).
We have apathetically allowed the privileged class to run things for us under the dismayingly naive belief that somehow they know better. Well, they don't. They'll
swim nude in the Sea of Galilee, they'll adhere to artificial belief systems because they're told to rather than represent their nation, and why? Because we allow it.
We deplore these misuses of office with a shrug and a "boys-will-be-boys" attitude. When will we return to an ethically sound representational body of men who stand for more than their own bottom line. "What's good for Bullmoose is good for the world" was funny in the Forties but should not be a phantom plank in any Party's platform.....Where's Al Capp when you really need him?
September 21, 2012 9:44am
In a two party kleptocracy it doesn't matter which empty headed puppet you vote for... you end up with an empty headed puppet in the whitehouse.
September 21, 2012 10:55pm
REALITYBITES:
If you seriously think there's no difference between the ideals and the accomplishments of the two major parties, then you're ignoring a lot of history. Maybe it would be a good idea to look into it.
I know the Democratic Party is not the party I knew as a kid, but it's still a helluva lot better as a champion of working Americans than the Republican Party has ever been. And now, with the GOP taken over by plutocrats, religious cranks, and the piously selfish "individualists", it's even more important to support a candidate who is CLOSER in his ideals to your own. That doesn't mean a perfect fit, but it's SO EASY to just say,
"they're both no good, and I'm above all that," but you never make any change in the corrupt politics you like to deride. That, to my mind, is just a cute cop-out, and nothing more.
I'm a retired senior and I've voted in every national election since I was 21, and no one's going to rob me of my vote, even though I've been on the losing side more often than not.
September 21, 2012 9:26am
American's are buried in cancervative bullshit up to the tippy-tops of their heads. that's why they can't see the obvious.
September 21, 2012 9:19am
No American wants a president that changes his mind on a decision every 2 hours
September 21, 2012 9:19am
No American wants a president that changes his mind on a decision every 2 hours