A few months ago I mused a bit about the accusation that Republicans are opposing every effort to create jobs because they know their election prospects are better if the economy is in the tank:
No serious person in a position of real influence really wants to accuse an entire party of cynically trying to tank the economy, after all. But it would sure make headlines if Obama decided to take up this ball and run with it. He’ll never do it, because it wouldn’t be postpartisan or pragmatic.
Obama himself still hasn’t quite gone there. But today his campaign manager did, in a fundraising letter that took note of Republican efforts to block Obama’s jobs bill:
Their strategy is to suffocate the economy for the sake of what they think will be a political victory. They think that the more folks see Washington taking no action to create jobs, the better their chances in the next election. So they’re doing everything in their power to make sure nothing gets done.
I’d still like to see Obama say this directly. After all, he really doesn’t need to worry about bipartisan comity anymore since Republicans have made it crystal clear that they aren’t voting for any of his proposals no matter how nice he plays. So why not just tell the truth?
