Republican Election Strategy: Keep Jobless Out Of Work

It took about 30 seconds for Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to say "no" Monday afternoon to President Barack Obama's roads, rail and runways reconstruction plan announced at the Milwaukee Lakefront to a Labor Day crowd.

McConnell snickered that people were still waiting for the "shovel-ready" jobs promised last year when the stimulus bill began underwriting public works.

He could come to Wisconsin and look at the I-94 N/S project: $97 million from the stimulus went into a project including Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee Counties, where there is substantial unemployment - - and which would have been worse without the many projects in the private sector, and all levels of government that have received stimulus dollars.

And Kentucky has to be like the rest of the country - - I've been cross-country twice this year - - and it seems like every road and stretch of Interstate is dug up, with a stimulus funding billboard telling motorists where the money came from.

I wonder how many teachers are teaching McConnell's constituents' children with federal support this fall?

Or cops on the beat?

Potholes filled?

Rural homes getting broadband?

The Republicans, having driven the economy into the ditch with two unfunded wars and a treasury depleted by tax cuts for the wealthy are now almost openly rejoicing at high unemployment.

As Pres. Obama has said, do we want to give these people the keys to the economy again?

To be driven into the ditch another time?

Republicans think the economy that they deeply wounded will translate into votes this November, and it well might, but while they are in the Congress blocking jobs bills and tax incentives for small businesses, the rest of us should call them out for a cynical and craven strategy to crawl back into power.

Where, if they succeed in November they will do what they did from 2000-2008: bloat the Defense budget and cut taxes for their rich constituencies - - basically screwing the unemployed and disaffected people who might, out of anger, have voted Republican.