Sen. Chuck Schumer Calls Out Republican Sabotage

by Stuart Shapiro

Paul Krugman said it.  Steve Benen said it.  Heck, even I said it.  Finally the Democratic Party is saying it.  Senator Charles Schumer made explicit the connection between Republican stated goals of denying President Obama a reelection, and their policies on the economy.

“[W]e need to start asking ourselves an uncomfortable questions — are Republicans slowing down the recovery on purpose for political gain in 2012?” Schumer said. “Senator McConnell made it clear last October that his number one priority, above everything else, is to defeat President Obama. And now it is becoming clear that insisting on a slash-and-burn approach may be part of this plan — it has a double-benefit for Republicans: it is ideologically tidy and it undermines the economic recovery, which they think only helps them in 2012.”

Exactly.  Republican policies are so clearly designed to prevent decreases in the unemployment rate that the conclusion that they do not want such decreases is inescapable.  Now someone needs to ask Senator McConnell or Speaker Boehner, “Why do you hate America?”

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.