Republicans on jobs report: Grand bargain?
Washington (CNN) – A few days after President Barack Obama announced his proposed "grand bargain" to spur economic growth, Republicans remain unimpressed with the United States economy, reacting harshly to the new jobs report for July.
According to the Labor Department, the economy added 162,000 jobs last month, lowering the unemployment rate from 7.6% in June to 7.4% in July. The numbers are less than the 180,000 jobs that economists had originally anticipated for the month.
Republicans were quick to point out the juxtaposition of the lax jobs numbers and Obama's renewed economic focus.
"President Obama spent July giving speeches on the economy, recycling the same old rhetoric, and attacking Republicans," Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said in a statement reacting to the jobs results.
In particular, Priebus blamed the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, for preventing growth.
"Obamacare is making it more difficult for people to find full-time work. It's creating a part-time economy," Priebus said.
"The news is filled with stories of small businesses and colleges cutting back workers' hours or putting a freeze on hiring."
Congressional Republicans have vowed to spend the next two months dismantling Obamacare, pushing a plan that would fund the rest of the government while withholding all funding for the implementation of the Affordable Care Act when passing a federal spending bill.
Obama administration officials have pushed back against Republican claims of Obamacare's 'job-killing' impacts. The president has kicked off a series of speaking events promoting economic growth, vowing to spend the rest of his presidency working on the economy.
Obama proposes jobs deal with GOP
The Obama administration reacted to the jobs report far more optimistically, while still acknowledging there is more to be done.
"It's clear the economy is gradually getting better. But we'd like to speed up the pace of the improvement," Alan B. Krueger, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, told CNN's Carol Costello.
Krueger has called on a continuing focus on the economy and job creation. Which is why the president will keep giving speeches. "He's going to continue to lay out his plans for investing more in infrastructure and for supporting American manufacturing," Krueger said.
"You'll see him continue to lay out his agenda for expanding the middle class."
House Speaker John Boehner took the jobs report as a chance to tout Republicans' own plan for economic growth, lambasting what Obama and the Democrats have failed to accomplish. "Three years after the Obama administration proclaimed 'welcome to the recovery,' we're still seeing the same thing month after month: not enough new jobs and an unemployment rate far higher than promised," Boehner said in a statement.
"Nearly five years of aggressive intervention by Washington – the 'stimulus' era of excessive spending, excessive red tape, and abuse by agencies like the IRS – has left our economy treading water with slow growth, high unemployment, and stagnant wages."
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The idea that Obamacare is keeping people from hiring is not as true as other things like having Congress fund the Transportation Department enough to repave roads, repair and construct bridges, and other infrastruction projects. If there was support for the contruction of the next generation nuclear fission power plants, that would help as well.
As usual, no solutions nothing but criticism and blame, when they are the ones concentrating on a 40 year old law, Roe vs.Wade and repealing the ACA, so those of us who can't afford health insurance can finally see a doctor and not die. And keep pretending people didn't start losing jobs until January, 2009.
Rewrite the headline; it doesn't make sense with the context of the piece.
Anyway: welcome to the 21st century economy, built on free trade agreements and automation. We'll never below 6% unemployment again. Parents, better tell your kids to get A's in school, because the new paradigm is: use your brains, or nothing at all. Basically, by 10 years of age, today's kid needs to know how to make formulas on Excel.
To be honest, we could have an unemployment rate of 4%, and 300,000 new jobs every month, and the Republlicans wouldn't be happy. That is because of two points:
First, they are addicted to the "bring the President down to size" meme, and seemingly cannot find a way to break themselves of that. It started in 2008, and has been unrelenting. It is how they define themselves, and it comes periliously close to anti-American.
Second, to EVER say ANYTHING good about the economy points out their utter failure. They wrecked the economy, have steadfastly refused to do anything to help the American people. Any acknowledgement that things are even the tinyest bit better simply points out the futility of the GOP.
Finally, the GOP can only do what it does because they have no plan, no solution, no fix. The only jobs-maker they seem to have is the Keystone pipeline- a Canadian project, 500 jobs in total, and a way to ship more oil away from North America. As I said: "no plan".
I think he attacks the republican congress because they still refuse to do anything concerning the economy or to help the middle class...now The republican congress will go on vacation again and tell their districts what a great job they have done to restrict women's rights- block appointments- restrict voter rights – Hold more votes to repeal Obamacare ,and hold fewer sessions than any congress in the past including last years do nothing congress
In particular, Priebus blamed the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, for preventing growth.
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How is that possible? It hasn't even been fully enacted, yet. I think the recurring recessions in the EU has had a very negative impact on our economy, but nobody wants to consider it.
Nothing but criticism. These Republicans don't have a clue and all the while they are playing their childish games, more Americans are suffering. The only answer I see is to vote everyone of these useless Republicans out of office next year, get a Democratic majority and pass President Obama's jobs act and get Americans back to work. Boehner and his ilk are disgusting and their actions beyond reprehensible.
"Congressional Republicans have vowed to spend the next two months dismantling Obamacare, pushing a plan that would fund the rest of the government while withholding all funding for the implementation of the Affordable Care Act when passing a federal spending bill"
This one sentence says it all. They would rather shut down our government than to work with the president. I for one believe in what our president is doing, and the ACA WILL help our people. I give him a thumbs up, and will go out of my way to vocally denounce the GOP/Tea Nuts. 2014 midterm elections can not come soon enough, we have to get rid of the party of NO Compromise!
When we have to vote 2014 for congress this is the time the.prez does not the power like people thinks congress does and this blame game is getting out of hand and PLEASE tell TED CRUZ STFU if u get rid of the ACA do u have a bkup its funny the insurance from the repubs by the name ofBob Dole remember him
"To be honest, we could have an unemployment rate of 4%, and 300,000 new jobs every month, and the Republlicans wouldn't be happy ..."
In truth, they would be furious. All their grand plans for an Ayn Rand utopia would have been for naught.
RS: I would add a third. 3) Any elected official that took an oath with a special interest group and held it iviolate to his oath of office IS A TRAITOR TO OUR NATION.
PEOPLE: Anyone that signed the NORQUIST Pledge and refused to cooperate, and refuses to compromise is a TRAITOR.
If there is demand, companies will hire. They will pay what is necessary, whether it is salary or medical benefits, if they can make more profits.
Once again the TEA/GOP have proven themselves more interested in PARTY than country. It is high time to start calling these anti-Americans out for the power drunk treason party they are.
""Congressional Republicans have vowed to spend the next two months dismantling Obamacare, pushing a plan that would fund the rest of the government while withholding all funding for the implementation of the Affordable Care Act when passing a federal spending bill""
And the best part...that doesn't even work the way they are claiming it works because, as CRS already pointed out, the ACA would still get funded. It's not even remotely debatable at this point...and this is confirmed by several GOPers breaking ranks and saying this very same thing: the people like Lee, Cruz and Rubio who are promising to force the ACA to be defunded in this manner are lying and making a false promise that they can do something they simply cannot do.
If Public Sector employment was at the same level as when Reagen, Bush 1 & 2 were Prez , the Economy would be humming. But alas, Repubs HATE Obama. 70% of US Economy is Consumer Spending. Tax Cuts for the Wealthy & Spending Cuts affecting Middle Class is dumb Economic Policy; even if it is the Theology of Repubs. BTW, that is what Obama meant & said last yr.,"The Private Sector Economy is doing fine".
Let's talk about Bengazi.......Yep, that REPUBLICAN SCANDLE, that just wouldnt go away. NOW we find out our embassy WASN'T attacked, because it WASN'T an embassy! WAIT, THERE'S MORE, now we find out, it was a CIA operation. It WASN'T Mr.Obama covering things up, it WASN'T Mrs Clinton covering things up, BUT NOW.....we find out CONGRESS which is responsible for the oversight of the CIA, WAS responsible.
WOW.....
The "grand bargain" is more more waste, in double down mode, by increased spending, and decreased revenue.
Any fool should be able to see that.......if they are HONEST with themselves.
"It's not even remotely debatable at this point...and this is confirmed by several GOPers breaking ranks and saying this very same thing: the people like Lee, Cruz and Rubio who are promising to force the ACA to be defunded in this manner are lying and making a false promise that they can do something they simply cannot do."
It does make for great fundraising though. At some point even the lowest information voters ought to finally understand just how low their candidates will go in an effort to pull that extra buck out of the pockets of those they have hoodwinked into thinking these candidates support.
It has been nothing but a money making talking point throughout the Grand Old Party for years now, and as you stated, the results will be the same, regardless.
Were I these supporters, I would be furious for being so played by a handful of nitwits living off the government dole with no other concern but where they can scrape up the next dollar from.
aCriticalEye
Let's talk about Bengazi.......Yep, that REPUBLICAN SCANDLE, that just wouldnt go away. NOW we find out our embassy WASN'T attacked, because it WASN'T an embassy! WAIT, THERE'S MORE, now we find out, it was a CIA operation. It WASN'T Mr.Obama covering things up, it WASN'T Mrs Clinton covering things up, BUT NOW.....we find out CONGRESS which is responsible for the oversight of the CIA, WAS responsible.
WOW.....
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Don't start point out the obvious....What would be the Faux and fools talking points be if the truth was injected? How would CNN aka Faux lite....make ad dollars from the conservative groups if we started stating the truth. Just stop that right now! We don't need no stinkin' truth around here.
Republican Mantra: Jobs, Jobs, Jobs - We're still waiting!!
"Were I these supporters, I would be furious for being so played by a handful of nitwits living off the government dole with no other concern but where they can scrape up the next dollar from."
Yeah, I certainly wish that were the case, but you have to remember that these people are starting from the premise of "I don't want to like him or anything he does and I want him to be destroyed" for, let's call it "other reasons." They are desperate to be fed rationalizations that help them confirm that predisposition, no matter how kooky, wrong, anti-factual or delusional those rationalizations are. Sooo, when they are told things they want to hear that are complete fabrications and total lies, such as "we can destroy the ACA by forcing it to be defunded, and we'll do that by threatening to shut down the gov't and/or default the nation on its debts if we don't get our way," they cling to it like a drowning man to intellectually dishonest flotsam.
Hmmmmm... if I was a business owner, would I hire past the Obamacare magic number? Nah... I'd just pay time and a half to my existing staff during the busy season. But hey... I'm not a business owner, nor do I blame those who are and are doing just that.