During his press conference this morning—one that focused on the economy and the American Jobs Act, the so-called Jobs Bill—president Obama showed some frustration with an obstructionist, just-say-no, do-noting Congress.
In what became a recurring theme, he posed a number of rhetorical questions, preceded by the admonition:
So as we look towards next week, any senator out there who’s thinking about voting against this jobs bill when it comes up for a vote needs to explain exactly why they would oppose something that we know would improve our economic situation at such an urgent time for our families and for our businesses.
Some of the questions:
Pointing to our broken infrastructure and the opportunity to give millions of laid-off construction workers a job, he asked, “Why wouldn’t we want that to happen? Why would you vote against that?”
Referring to “commonsense ideas that historically have been supported by Democrats and Republicans in the past,” he asked, “[W]hy would you be opposed to tax cuts for small businesses and tax cuts for American workers?”
Mentioning traditional Republican efforts to lower taxes “for folks”: “Well, why wouldn’t we want to do that through this jobs bill?”
Pointing again to the need to rebuild our crumbling schools and bridges, “… historically Republicans haven’t been opposed to rebuilding roads and bridges. Why would you be opposed now?”
On creating more public sector jobs, such as teachers, “Why wouldn’t we want to make sure that those teachers are in the classroom teaching our kids?”
Now, I don’t have the savvy to know for a certainty whether the President’s Jobs Bill will actually do everything the President says it will do.
I can only go by what independent economists say. According to Obama:
Here are the best ideas I’ve heard, not just from partisans, but from independent economists; these are the ideas most likely to create jobs now and strengthen the economy right now, and that’s what the American people are looking for. And the response from Republicans has been: No. Although they haven’t given a good reason why they’re opposed to putting construction workers back on the job, or teachers back in the classroom.
And, “a little [presidential] homework assignment”:
Go ask the Republicans what their jobs plan is — if they’re opposed to the American Jobs Act — and have it scored, have it assessed by the same independent economists that assessed our jobs plan.
These independent economists say that we could grow the economy as much as 2 percent, and as many as 1.9 million workers would be back on the job. I think it’d be interesting to have them do a similar assessment — same people. Some of these folks, by the way, traditionally have worked for Republicans, not just Democrats. Have those economists evaluate what, over the next two years, the Republican jobs plan would do…
But back to the questions. I have no idea how, today, Republicans would answer the President’s questions.
All I can go by are answers already given by prominent Republicans and Conservatives.
Such as Mitch McConnell’s “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.”
Such as Rush Limbaugh’s infamous hope that the president will fail.
There have been other, perhaps not as blatant, versions and answers.
Now, in fairness, some have “clarified” or walked back their positions, others have doubled down.
I doubt it that prominent Republicans, today, will as candidly answer the President’s questions.
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.