Robert Reich: Obama and Democratic leaders aren't responding to Republican big lies about jobs

[Better Believe It]

The Republican’s Big Lies About Jobs (And Why Obama Must Repudiate Them)
by Robert Reich
March 23, 2011

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor was in town yesterday (specifically, at Stanford’s Hoover Institute where he could surround himself with sympathetic Republicans) to tell this whopper: “Cutting the federal deficit will create jobs.”

It’s not true. Cutting the deficit will creates fewer jobs. Less government spending reduces overall demand. This is particularly worrisome when, as now, consumers and businesses are still holding back. Fewer government workers have paychecks to buy stuff from other Americans, some of whom in turn will lose their jobs without enough customers.

What worries me almost as much as the Republican’s repeated big lies about jobs is the silence of President Obama and Democratic leaders in the face of them. Obama has the bully pulpit. Republicans don’t. But if he doesn’t use it the Republican’s big lies gain credibility.

Here are some other whoppers being repeated daily:

“Cutting taxes on the rich creates jobs.”
“Cutting corporate income taxes creates jobs.”
“Cuts in wages and benefits create jobs.”
“Regulations kill jobs.”

But nothing is more central to average Americans than jobs and wages. Unless the President forcefully rebuts Republican’s big lies, they’ll soon become conventional wisdom.

Read the full article at:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/03/23-11