The Republican Party At Work

Although we're much better off now that we were, say, this time four or five years ago, our country is still facing a number of very important issues both economic and domestic. But never fear - the Republican party has been hard at work trying to fix these problems in Congress!

...Or not.

I've said this before, and I will continue to harp on it: Three years ago, John Boehner couldn't stop talking about "jobs, jobs, jobs" while laying out his party's agenda for the upcoming legislative session:

“This speech is about jobs…because this coming election is about jobs,” Boehner told the welcoming campaign crowd in his home town. “It’s about the jobs that were promised to the American people by the current administration, and never delivered. It’s about the jobs our economy should be creating right now, but isn’t creating, because of the policies coming out of our Congress. It’s about the jobs our children deserve in the future, but may never have because Washington is burying them in a legacy of debt.”

Source: ABC News

Republicans handily won the midterm elections in what was almost universally seen as a "red tide" of opposition against Obama's agenda. Thus, everyone lived happily ever after because the Republicans worked their little butts off to create jobs for unemployed Americans, right?

Nope. Instead we got self-inflicted economic wounds:

Scariest Business Stories of 2011: Debt Ceiling Standoff
Sequestration Impact

Meaningless votes to repeal so-called "Obamacare":
Source: NBC News

Attempts to name bodies of water after Ronald Reagan:
Source: The Hill

Warring against women on several fronts:
Rape
Pay equity
Gender Roles
Abortion 


...as well as endless hearings on what have proven to be non-scandals:
MSNBC

Ladies and gentlemen, the GOP at work. With a record like this, it's a wonder to me why anyone would want to vote Republican.

"Our Number One Priority"

From George Stephanopoulos' recent interview with Speaker of the House Boehner:

STEPHANOPOULOS: You know, we asked-- our viewers for questions for you. And so many came in on the same exact theme. Where are the jobs? What is this Congress doing for jobs?

BOEHNER: Well, that's interesting, George. Because it really is our number one priority. If you look at-- the last four years, we've had anemic economic growth. There aren't enough jobs. People's wages aren't growing. And frankly, I believe the president's policies are getting in the way of creating more jobs.

Source: ABC News

Really, Boehner? You sure could have fooled us.

How many jobs are being jeopardized by sequestration, which Congressional Republicans refuse to remove despite numerous reports of the sequester hurting the American people?

How many jobs are being created by the anti-abortion legislation that Republicans keep proposing in front of Congress, despite the fact that such legislation will (thankfully) never see the light of day?

How many jobs have been created by the over thirty-five votes to repeal "Obamacare"? Or the innumerable hearings on Benghazi and the IRS "scandals" that have not revealed anything that we didn't already known? Or the union busting that has been happening in the states thanks to Republican majorities there? Or the numerous attempts by Republicans to ensure that less qualified voters are actually voting?

Obama has done more to create jobs for the American people in five years than Republicans in twice that much time. Yet we still hear the leader of the "do nothing" party complain that Obama isn't creating jobs fast enough to suit the same people that made it necessary to create an excess of jobs in the first place!

If this is what focus on a "number one priority" looks like, I'd sure hate to see what would happen if Republicans didn't care about a particular issue.