Democrats Deliver While Republicans Melt Down
We received more good economic news last week that will make the MAGA Republicans very sad. The economy added a robust 223,000 jobs in December 2022. President Biden has created a record 11.2 million jobs in two years. Unemployment is currently 3.5% — the lowest rate since 1969.
The Republicans made the laughable claim in 2022 that we were in a recession. (They sure were hoping for one.) In 2022, 4.5 million jobs were created - the second largest gain in recorded U.S. history. The best year was 2021 when 6.7 million jobs were created.
“A HISTORIC jobs report this morning:
— LOWEST unemployment rate in 50 years
— 2nd best job creation year ever (2021 was #1)
— Black, Hispanic unemployment below pre-pandemic levels
— Labor force participation UP
— Two best years of manufacturing job growth since 1984
— Disabled unemployment rate lowest EVER.”
Ronald Klain Tweet.
Thanks to the American Rescue Act, we’re also enjoying the lowest uninsured and poverty rates in U.S. history.
We have even received some good news on the inflation front. Inflation in the second half of 2022 is almost back down to the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. The “liberal” mainstream media has ignored this good news.
The Biden economic plan is working. It looks like we are heading for the much hoped for soft landing for the economy.
This good news was punctuated by an event that President Biden and Mitch McConnell held at a bridge in Kentucky that will be repaired with funds from the bi-partisan infrastructure bill. They appeared at the Brent Spence Bridge connecting Kentucky and Ohio to announce more than $2 billion in investments from the bipartisan infrastructure law to repair that bridge and other bridges across the country.
Back in 2011, President Barack Obama appeared at the same bridge and proposed that the GOP controlled U.S. House appropriate money to fund repairs. However, the D.C. Republicans blocked Obama’s infrastructure bill in an attempt to sabotage the economy before the 2012 elections.
Trump appeared at the same bridge in 2016 and promised to fix it. However, Trump never passed an infrastructure bill and “infrastructure week” became a running joke during his presidency.
While we were hearing good news about the economy and President Biden was working across the aisle with McConnell, the Republicans began their control of the U.S. House. Already, the House Republicans are mired in gridlock and infighting. “The American federal legislature is non functional literally the minute Republicans take over.” Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI).
The entire first week of GOP control was marked by a chaotic election for speaker. It took the House Republicans an embarrassing 15 votes to elect Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House. Things got so crazy that a fist fight nearly broke out between two GOP members. It was the longest balloting for speaker of the House since 1856. Nancy Pelosi always won on the first ballot. The Nebraska legislature chose its speaker on the first ballot last week.
McCarthy was congratulated on his victory by Donald Trump. Apparently, Trump had worked the phones hard to elect somebody he calls: “My Kevin.” Obviously, Trump will have a major influence on the GOP House majority.
In order to satisfy his blind ambition, McCarthy made a series of concessions to the radical right. He agreed to support the so-called Freedom Caucus’s threat to default on the national debt and throw the global economy into a deep recession. The likes of Marjorie Taylor Green and Lauren Boebert will now be in charge. McCarthy is the weakest speaker in U.S. history and is speaker in name only.
The Republicans promised to cut Social Security and Medicare during the 2022 campaign. They also promised to shutdown the government and threaten a catastrophic debt default to bully the Democrats into cutting retirement programs. President Biden has promised to hold the line.
Biden also congratulated Kevin McCarthy on his election as House Speaker and said in part: “It is imperative that we protect Social Security and Medicare, not slash them. It is imperative that we defend our national security, not defund it. These are some of the choices before us.”
During this week of chaos and confusion in the U.S. House, Representative Don Bacon claimed he was in serious talks with the Democrats to pick a compromise speaker. However, he has just posturing — he voted for McCarthy every time. McCarthy gave away the store to the radical right and empowered them. Bacon enabled this capitulation. We’re all going to pay the price.
Mike Flood was extreme as usual and didn’t bother to pretend to be bi-partisan. Flood supported McCarthy all the way and said he wouldn’t work with the Democrats. The First CD House member even said this embarrassing fight had “produced some good.” You can’t make this stuff up.
The House Republicans’ extremism was further exposed when House members gathered at the Capitol to mark the second anniversary of the bloody coup attempt of January 6. Only one Republican member was present: Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). Where were “moderate” Don Bacon and Mike Flood? Anybody who boycotted this gathering doesn’t back the blue.
McCarthy’s corrupt bargain with the radical right could very well prevent the Congress from doing the essential tasks of keeping the government open, paying the country’s bills and avoiding default on America’s financial obligations. “I have never before seen a political party come apart at the seams like this. To govern we are going to have to use discharge petitions and other maneuvers to circumvent these maniacs.” Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI).
The Republican dysfunction in the House is also a national security threat that will embolden our enemies. Cutting off aide to Ukraine was part of the GOP platform in 2022. This Republican appeasement of Russia will encourage the Chinese to threaten Taiwan.
Trump’s bizarre behavior made Biden’s case for him in 2020. Now, House Republicans are doing the same for the House Democrats. The contrast between the Democrats and the House Republicans couldn’t be more stark. The GOP can’t govern and their dysfunction threatens to wreck all of this progress. Vote Blue in 2024 if you want a functioning government!