The rules of the political discourse apparently dictate that the story that matters today is President Obama saying the private sector is "fine" relative to the public sector is The Scandal That Matters. It's a dumb story, and reporters obsessing over seem to realize it's a dumb story, but the train has apparently left the station.
If anyone's looking for more meaningful quotes from presidential candidates, Mitt Romney's line today on public-sector jobs is arguably one of the more important things the Republican has said in a very long time.
For those who can't watch clips online, Romney said of Obama:
"[Obama] wants to hire more government workers. He says we need more fireman, more policeman, more teachers. Did he not get the message of Wisconsin? The American people did. It's time for us to cut back on government and help the American people."
Let's be clear about this: Romney is rejecting the idea of saving the jobs of cops, firefighters, and teachers. He sees this as an applause line. The Republican nominee for president believes we can "help the American people" by laying off, not just public-sector workers in general, but specifically cops, firefighters, and teachers.
As Greg Sargent explained, Romney "has singlehandedly reframed the debate from one over despised government bureaucrats to one over whether we should hire more cops, firefighters and teachers to get the economy going."
Here's a radical idea I'll just throw out there: maybe during the race for the White House, candidates and media professionals can spend a little time on this. I mean, honestly, isn't this one of the more important positions Romney has taken all year?
I'll make this really easy: Dear Mr. Romney, please explain why America will be better off when more teachers, cops, and firefighters are unemployed.
It reminded me of a story from a month ago. Romney stopped by a Manhattan fire station with Rudy Giuliani -- by pure coincidence, it coincided with the anniversary of the mission that killed Osama bin Laden -- and reflected on one of the conversations he had with a firefighter.
Speaking at a Ritz Carlton fundraiser in a wealthy D.C. suburb the next day, the Republican said, "I spoke with a fireman yesterday, and he has a one-bedroom apartment, and his wife is pregnant, and he can't afford a second bedroom. I asked the firefighters I was meeting with, about 15 of them, how many had had to take another job to make ends meet, and almost every one of them had."
As of this afternoon, Romney believe he can "help the American people" by making sure that some of those firefighters are laid off.
I can't stress the importance of this enough, because it underscores so much of what the 2012 presidential campaign is all about. President Obama's American Jobs Act intended to protect or create 400,000 jobs for school teachers, police officers, and firefighters. A CNN poll taken at the time found that 75% of the public -- and 63% of self-identified Republicans -- endorsed this jobs proposal.
Romney isn't just against these jobs; he's bragging about his opposition, assuming this line is popular.
Elections have been fought over less.
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So, Romney claims that "Americans need jobs" and goes on to say that Obama wants to have more teachers, firefighters and police officers, in short, more government workers. So, that raises the question, "What nationality are those people who Obama wants to put to work? Apparently, according to Romney, they are not Americans.
"Apparently, according to Romney, they are not Americans."
And also according to the trolls (look above you) who are grievously misrepresenting the issue (and I'm being charitable).
Wasn't that the same event where Romney made a show of arriving with pizzas for the firefighters, but also left with them?
Travel across the Midwest, South, and Southwest where they have recently had severe storms, tornadoes, and wildfires and explain to the people in these communities that what they need is fewer firefighters.
Travel along Appalachia down to Florida where the increase in crime related to the growing number of pill-mills is taxing state and local resources, and tell voters there that laying off more police officers is a good idea.
Travel across the country and tell parents that the answer to our education challenges is to layoff teachers and increase the student-teacher ratio.
Good luck with that.
Don't you take him at his word? Romney said earlier this year that he enjoys firing people who provide services for him. He meant it and apparently a lot of other stupid things.
The man has a marshmallow for a brain.
He wants the whole country to go up in smoke, crime, and ignorance. I guess that pretty well sums up the GOP platform for this election...picking up right where Bush/Cheney left off.
Remember how well that worked out for the country? What a candidate. What a political party. All Dems need to do is showcase this conservative attitude as the Republican plan for the next four years and Independents will flee in terror...if they hadn't already been of that persuasion.
Mitt- the people want to know:
How does cutting jobs "help the people"?
It helps the middle-class tax paying people.
Hank
The jobs cut are middle class tax paying people.
Hank- I was (sort of still am-retired, but still paying taxes) middle class tax payer. When Bush cut taxes, it was 300 bucks. I would not miss 300 bucks if tax rate went up. Also, Obama is talking about reducing corporate tax rate, but closing loopholes. Is it possible that those loopholes are the issue, not corporate tax rate?
Besides, your inferring that you can speak for what I want because so many voters got hypnotized into caring more about budget deficits than jobs. Jobs first was the claim, too! What happened there?
More middle class jobs would close the deficit faster. But the folks voting for cutting more jobs need to know- that reduces revenue and slows economic recovery.
We can't sustain the non-ending cycle of raising taxes when tax revenues are down to pay ever increasing wages, benefits and pensions which pay 80% of the final pay of public workers at age 50. Private business have no choice but to tighten their belts when revenues decline by cutting waste, expenses and jobs or else the business fails. Why are state and city workers exempt from this?
Believe me I would love to spend above my means so that I can employ a gardener, housekeeper, personal chef, nanny (even though I don't have kids) and carry the deficit on my credit card, approve increases in my credit limits as the balances continue to grow and leave the balance to my future kids to pay. CA, NY, Spain, Greece, Italy, Portugal are all poster children of this Undisciplined endless cycle of increases in taxes and spending.
Hank, don't you think prioritizing humans here right now is first, then the debt for future kids? If we do not take care of the present, the future would be even more bleak because people need jobs, need education, need to know when someone calls police or fir they will come to the scene. We need roads for businesses to use, just as well as private citizens. We are seeing the call for cutting jobs (spending) now is wrong headed. We have to stop saying stupid remarks like Obama is anti business. He and we know business is integral part of hiring and circulating money People with money do not worry much and just say I will ride this out and hope for tax cut schemes and hostage taking won't hurt me. Well, those with limited or nearly no money are hurting badly and there is no rich uncle to get them by. Jobs is what is needed for budget revenue and economic recovery. Don't cut more now. That's what we are talking about. People have kids now, need jobs, need education to have the current kids learning how to make their own future? Cutting education and jobs now is ridiculous!
They can't borrow from Daddy, Daddy also hurting.
Taxes are not non ending cycle. The problem is they cut taxes too deep and went about invading foreign countries.
How about if the people that took all those risks and made so much money kick in just 3% more? Those 2001 tax cuts did not create jobs, but jobs left. Fact.
http://forums.ivillage.com/t5/Political-Discussions/Jobs-Bush-Tax-Cuts-vs-Obama-Stimulus/td-p/118541547
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/susan-milligan/2011/06/20/corporate-tax-cuts-dont-stimulate-job-growth
http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/us-businesses-push-job-creation-tax-c
Sandy - Its Private Jobs First, not public sector jobs. There are too many structural issues with a public jobs vs. private jobs to continue throwing money at a flawed manner in which we pay civic workers vs. private workers. Until we fix the structural flaws in the foundation, we can not solve our deficit spending cancer. Because of the vise grip that public workers unions have over the electorate and their own union members, they will not agree to renegotiate their contracts unless their members get cut and hurt. Until the rank and file say to their union bosses, blow up the whole way that we get paid and restructure our pay to be in line with the rest of the private workforce so that more of us can be employed, then nothing will change.
Unfortunately only painful job cuts will get the attention of public union bosses and the rank and file to get them back to the table.
In the last election cycle, BO raised the most Wall Street money in history, however since BO came out swinging against banks, wall street and business as soon as he got elected, he has lost favor with Wall Street and their money. Of course BO is anti-business. Examples:
- a new healthcare tax
- proposing to raise taxes on just the rich
- new EPA regulations
- new Dodd-Frank banking regulations which are still being drafted.
Look, I like BO as a person. I would much prefer to shoot hoops, have some beers, play cards with BO than Mittt or any other politician. However the junior Senator from Illinois, the Illinois state senator and community organizer doesn't have any business experience and he does not comprehend how business works. He has never had to meet a payroll or budget or meet a sales and profit goal. He has had 3.5 years to learn this job while doing it. Unfortunately he has not done a good enough job to deserve reelection. Lets give someone else a shot at getting our business economy going.
Among them:
- Collective Bargaining and the ability to strike if workers are unhappy with their wage and benefits. As a private worker, I can't bring my company to its knees by striking. I negotiate my own rages and benefits and if I am unhappy, I vote with my feet. The hostage takers are the public employee unions who can shut down the government until the politicians (who they elected and paid for) grants them every demand they ask for with a wink and nod.
- Automatic Public employee paycheck union dues deductions whether or not the public worker wants to even be in the union or wants to pay her dues.
- All of this collective union dues goes to fund / bribe democrat politicians who then "negotiates" the next contract.
- Pensions which allow workers to retire as early as 50 and collect 80% of their last years' salary. Many go on into the private sector while still collecting their "retirement" income while private sector employees do not have pensions and must fund their retirements through 401K contributions.
union bosses schmunion bosses, We will not agree. Jobs are jobs, debt is debt. That's all I can tell you. Spouting off about strikes when there have been give backs, concessions furloughs now you are saying cut them altogether,
That does NOT HELP. Bye Hank.
Buh Bye.
If conservatives had their way, these services (education, police, fire) would all be privatized ... and, of course, be provided at a profit-generating cost to the public.
Republicans seem intent on shredding all aspects of our social safety nets including public service employees (the aforementioned police, firefighters and teachers). In addition, pesky regulations relating to things like clean air and water, the banks, anything to do with finance and, of course, anything that interferes with anyone doing whatever they want to make lots of money. Along the way they propose making us a Christian conservative nation, restricting voting rights to Republicans only and rolling back women's rights. The media seems not to understand or care about the consequences. Half the public seems to support this dangerous nonsense. I am frustrated and angry at the current state of affairs and fearful for my children and grandchildren. My dear fellow Americans: Please wake up before this nightmare becomes reality.
If you want to do something that could help save thousands of veterans lives, and prevent injury to thousands more, then watch this 1/2 hour online interview of one of the primary U.S. interrogators of Al Qaida:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/the-interrogator/ One of the most important half hours ever on tv; we owe it to our veterans to watch it.
In it you will learn the specific details:
1. 9/11 could have been easily prevented. 3,000 Americans did not have to die on 9/11.
2. The main justification for putting hundreds of thousands of our veterans lives in jeopardy in Iraq was a lie told by a captured member of Al Quaida. Colin Powell gave this testimony at his famous speech to the U.N. What he did not mention in the speech was that the claim came from someone who was being tortured by the U.S. When the Al Quaida captive was asked why he lied: It's what you wanted to hear, and it stopped them from torturing me. There are multiple experts who warned that this could happen if torture was used; our government ignored their warnings. And we were told more Iraq lies by the Bush administration.
So 4,500 American soldiers died in Iraq and 200,000 were injured; cost = $2 Trilllion. These loyal Americans would not have died or been injured if the Bush administration had followed standard intelligence operating procedure: verify the claim with 2 other RELIABLE sources. That breaks my heart.
Romney said he supported the Iraq invasion for WMDs. Obama voted against it because there was not enough evidence to support putting our troops in harms way.
If Obama wins the election, he will hire many prior democratic advisors. If Romney wins, he will hire many prior republican advisors. If you want to rehire some advisors who are responsible for the un-needed death of 4,500 veterans and 200,000 injured, vote for Romney. If you don't want those advisors rehired, vote Obama.
Neither party is angelic; however, given that the republican lies sacrificed 4,500 and brought about 200,000 more injured American soldiers, I hope they never win another election. I don't want more vets to die for lies.
Patriotism: Supporting your Country ALL THE TIME; and your government when it deserves it - MARK TWAIN.
NBC should interview the interrogator: Rachael or Ed?
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Scott Walker's apparent success is the sucess of Citizens United or billions of money used now to pay for a Democracy that has been very seriously compromised and can no longer be called a democracy! What Romney & GOP are advocating for are more minimum wage jobs and less middle-class jobs, less educated people, an increase in poverty and illeteracy and a growing but small wealthy group controlling the masses!
Angel. 90% of the WI voters made up their minds more than 30 days away from the election before most the out of state money ads aired. 68% of those who voted felt that the recall was unjust and should only be a recall if there was incompetence, not for an elected politician who was carrying out his campaign promises.
Hank
The problem was Walker didn't carry out his campaign promises. He set an entirely new agenda once in office. Also if 90% of voters in WI had already made up there mind 30 days before the election why the media ad blitz worth millions of dollars by out of state pro-Walker money interests? If there was an indication that Walker had the election in the bag those ads would have been unnecessary and a waste of money. Your whole premise is full of holes.
Considering the growing interest in Walker's pre-gubernatorial career I don't think Gov. Walker is out of the woods yet.
I truly believe there was a factor of dissent for recall process altogether in WI. I would not say the support for Walker was totally the case.
We had a recall in CA and I thought it was a giant mistake then and still do. It was the way ENRON screwed the people and the Gov. tried to work out a deal, but the people were steamed here. But I did not think recall was the right process.
http://www.moderateindependent.com/v1i9enron.htm
Darrell Issa was a chief backer of Gray Davis's recall. He wanted to run for governor in Davis's place. But when Schwarzenegger entered the race Issa knew there was no way he could beat him. I still remember how Issa cried on camera when he bowed out of the recall race. So Davis was recalled and we in California got 8 years of The Arnuld. Good luck Wisconsin especially my cousins in Milwaukee and Racine.
I remember it as well. Issa is the quintessential rich guy wanting more power and more money. He cries when he doesn't get his way. Now he wants to investigate to dig up dirt and call for Holder to be held in contempt of Congress or some nonsense. I suppose he's bucking for something in Romney cabinet… shudder shudder…
Maria - the 90% of the voters making up their minds 30 days out was not my premise. I am just repeating the what Rachel and her guests said on MSNBC the night of the election based on exit polling that day. Did you not watch the election coverage???
The money raised by the both sides is just like the taxes the government collects out of each of our paychecks - Use it or lose it. Even if they could save the money, why would they not spend it? Its not like its Their Money.
Hank
PAC money is not like regular campaign funds. It can be held on to and used elsewhere. I did watch some of the election coverage and may have missed the 90% part. That being said if people on the Scott Walker side thought they had the recall election sowed up why the media blitz? Why not use those PAC funds for other closer elections? PAC funds are their money. I am having a logic issue here. Not trying to be contentious for consteniousness sake.
Romney and the GOP are simply mouthing the talking points of international finance and multi-national corporations: local self-governance has got to go if we are to be ruled strictly by accountants (who cheat, by the way) and by not other considerations but the 'bottom line.'
Does Romney have a clue about what it means to be a human being? One has to doubt it.
And what is the ultimate agenda here? getting rid of paid labor at all levels. The Kochs certainly believe in the total overthrow of the working class in their upside down Marxism.
Does Obama have a clue as to how business and the economy works?
Every day the Romney and Superpac machines deliver blow after blow, an unending succession of smears, deceits and lies, about the Democrats. Not just on the Presidential level, but in every race. The headlines are all about Romney's j'accuse de jour, usually with the word "failure" embedded somewhere. (Republicans are particularly enamored of this word.) It feels like the Democratic opposition is biding its time, conserving its strength, for one massive blow. At some point the president and all the national and local candidates are going to find their Voice, and it will coincide with combating all the social ills that Republicans represent. Because Democrats are livid about banksters, women's issues, voting rights, pollution, climate change, wars, the economy, Red State austerity, undertaxation by the 1%, union-busting. We all know the Democrats are going to go there, sooner or later, and it's going to be righteous and devastating.
But then we have the example of Wisconsin, where Democrats nationally were looking for a bright, shining face, some Swarzenegger to trounce McCarthy's heir. Instead the local Democratic machine nominated the same party hack who was trounced two years ago.
What if there's no there there?