Recently, republicans in the Senate blocked an Obama Administration proposal to provide incentives for companies to move jobs into the United States and eliminate tax credits for activities that move jobs to foreign countries. This seemingly reasonable effort to spur job growth at home is one of several job-creation efforts that republicans have blocked.
We can deduce in general that republicans are protecting the interests of wealthy and powerful donors who prefer to keep having the American taxpayer subsidize the off-shoring of their jobs. Republicans have blocked other measures that big business doesn't like, including legislation establishing equal pay for women, as well as measures that would result in the wealthy paying a fairer share of taxes:
Perhaps because it's benefits would accrue to middle class people as opposed to the wealthy, republicans also blocked the extension of payroll tax cuts designed to put more spendable cash in taxpayers' pockets and help spur the consumption that could compel hiring.
To be sure, the republican party has been doggedly consistent in its efforts to protect and maximize those benefits that accrue to their wealthy donors and political sponsors. Of course, we don't know which particular wealthy and powerful donors republicans are protecting because they have also blocked measures that call for disclosure of political contributions. That said, I don't understand why rich and powerful republican donors would demand that their republican caucus puppets obstruct tax credits to encourage small business hiring and capital spending, but yes, of course, republicans have blocked that too. Actually, that was at least the SECOND time that republicans put up a unified front in favor of protecting the tax benefits associated with killing jobs in the United States and creating jobs overseas. Last November, republicans blocked the President's effort to both create jobs and begin to address a national infrastructure that everyone knows to be in desperate need of repair. Contrary to the federal response to every economic slowdown regardless of the President's political party, republicans blocked funding for the hiring and retention of teachers, first responders and other public employees. Contrary to their mantra of "jobs, jobs, jobs", the republican caucus has done nothing, nothing, nothing in the area of jobs other than to obstruct, obstruct, obstruct the many efforts put forth by the President to create jobs.
Not at all content with blocking every job-producing effort offered by the Obama Administration, the republican caucus also thought it worthwhile to engage in an unprecedented and dangerous level of brinkmanship over the debt ceiling, once again nearly bringing global capital markets to financial armaggeddon. Mitch McConnell referred to the American economy as a "hostage worth taking" and republican congresspeople eagerly sought out microphones to extol the virtues of sending our nation's treasury securities into default for the first time in American history.
We know for a fact that from the very beginning of the Obama Administration, republicans have elevated blind and reflexive obstruction to the political tool of choice in their effort to thwart President Obama's work on behalf of the American people. Mitch McConnell said that the number one priority of republicans was to keep President Obama from being re-elected. To that end, republicans have been blocking every effort the President has made to grow the economy and jobs. If not for the democratic filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and control of the House, republicans would have killed the Stimulus package that resulted in 27 consecutive months of private sector job growth. They would have allowed the American auto industry to implode at a cost of 1.2 million lost jobs. As demonstrated by their actions over the last three years, republicans are more than comfortable with destroying America's economy and future in order to achieve their number one goal and they have done everything in their power to keep the American economy from fully recovering.
The record of deliberate and near treasonous damage to the American economy committed by the republican party is clear to anyone not willfully ignorant or galactically stupid. Even after all of their efforts to sabotage our future in their naked hatred and Machiavellian quest for control of the government, the true tragedy is the reality that a full 35% of the American electorate is willing to reward republican sabotage with their votes.
