What’s the GOP’s Real Top Priority?
You don’t have to take our word for it, here’s how Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) described his priorities:
The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.
Survey Says: Americans Think the GOP is Trying to Sabotage the Economy to Hurt President Obama
Three polls out in the past week indicate that half of Americans believe the GOP is stalling the economy in order to hurt President Obama politically and prevent him from being re-elected:
- Public Policy Polling national poll: 50 percent believe that “Republicans are intentionally stalling efforts to jumpstart the economy to insure that Barack Obama is not reelected,” compared to 41 percent who said they didn’t believe so and the rest unsure.
- Washington Post national poll: 50 percent believe that “President Obama is making a good faith effort to deal with the country’s economic problems, but the Republicans in Congress are playing politics by blocking his proposals and programs,” including 54 percent of independents and 57 percent of moderates.
- Suffolk University Florida poll: 49 percent believe “the Republicans are intentionally stalling efforts to jumpstart the economy to insure that Barack Obama is not re-elected,” compared to 39 percent who did not believe so.
Just Take a Look at Their Record
Today, on the eve of Veterans Day, Senate Republicans did not filibuster the Hiring Heroes Act of 2011, the part of the president’s jobs plan to help put our veterans back to work. We’d note that it is the sole part of the jobs plan voted on so far not financed by making millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share, something Republicans have strenuously objected to. While today’s willingness to do anything at all to help the economy was certainly welcome, Republicans have repeatedly and unanimously voted against millions of jobs for other Americans, including teachers, firefighters, cops, and construction workers:
- Oct. 11: 100 percent of Senate Republicans voted against millions of American jobs in order to protect the very wealthiest Americans — the top 0.5 percent — from having to pay their fair share.
- Oct. 20: 100 percent of Senate Republicans voted against nearly 400,000 jobs for teachers, firefighters, and cops in order to protect the very wealthiest Americans — the top 0.5 percent — from having to pay their fair share.
- Nov. 3: 100 percent of Senate Republicans voted against 450,000 Americans jobs rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges, airports, and other critical infrastructure in order to protect the very wealthiest Americans — the top 0.5 percent — from having to pay their fair share.
IN ONE SENTENCE: If Republicans don’t want the American people to believe they’re trying to sabotage the economy just to stop President Obama from being reelected, they can easily dispel this notion by starting to cooperate with President Obama and Democrats to pass bills that will put millions of Americans back to work.
Evening Brief: Important Stories You May Have Missed
A disturbing video shows police beating back unarmed Berkeley students rallying against state cuts to education.
“Joe Paterno’s right to his dignity is not more valuable than the right of children not to be assaulted by adults.”
A poll finds that millennials are largely suspicious of Mormonism , though they’re more slightly more accepting of a Muslim president.
In defense of more polling.
Walmart’s clarification on health care leaves room for big moves.
Is our energy system locked in to climate change?
Al Franken fact checks Chuck Grassley and explains that, yes, marriage has evolved over time.
Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) apologizes for screaming at post office worker, then tells her that her job isn’t necessary.
While TransCanada is stockpiling foreign-made Keystone XL pipe in the U.S., the State Department has put the breaks on the pipeline project.