The Obama jobs package

Brian Hughes:

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The White House has not released any details of the proposals Obama might recommend to Congress. But the president has suggested publicly that he may revive earlier proposals for higher taxes on the wealthiest Americans, an extension of the payroll tax cut, an infrastructure bank to fund construction projects, patent reform and the approval of free-trade deals.

However, as Baker pointed out, those proposals would produce few jobs in the near term and Obama will likely need to make more tangible progress if voters now largely critical of his handling of the economy are to change their minds by Election Day.

Adding to the challenges Obama faces with the public is a new chorus of critics, the Republican presidential contenders, some of whom plan to unveil their own jobs programs around the same time as Obama.

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I do not think he is acting in good faith on this jobs package. He is hoping to shift the blame for the lack of jobs to Republicans who will likely oppose his package. But, if these things would really crate jobs, why did he wait until now to propose them? Why didn't he do so two years ago when he had majorities in congress?

The Republicans could really cross him up by saying we don't think these things will matter, but we will approve them anyway. They probably won't because they will involve wasteful spending projects like his initial failed stimulus. It is probably a safe bet that Obama has lost so much credibility that voters will not care what he proposes.