THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

Their purpose is simple, an improving economy works in favor of Democrats and a failing economy works in favor of Republicans. Joan McCarter, in her diary at the Daily Kos explains:

This morning Steve Benen speculated that Republicans were blocking the tax extenders/jobs/unemployment insurance bill in order to wreck the economy to try to boost their chances at the ballot box in November.

In a conference call with reporters today, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) accused them of doing just that. She explained that, after spending "days and days and days, and weeks and weeks and weeks" to get just one Republican to join with Dems in passing the legislation, "it's very clear that the Republicans in the Senate want this economy to fail. They see that things are things are beginning to turn around.... We're gaining jobs, not as much as we need, but thing are beginning to move in the right direction.... In cynical political terms it doesn’t serve them in terms of their elections if things are beginning to turn around."

She continued, "In addition to just taking a general position of 'no' to everything, they are protecting wealthy investors, corporations that are sending jobs overseas, and oil companies," because in addition to extending unemployment benefits and providing aid to states for Medicaid and other programs, it has provisions that tax investors, ends tax incentives for corporations that outsource jobs overseas, and raises the fee oil companies are charged for the oil spill liability fund from $.08/barrel to $0.49.

She also complained about the moving target that meeting Republican concerns has become. When asked what happens if the cloture vote fails, she said "We'll put it temporarily aside. We don't have any other choice. We've met every objection on the other side and every time we've done that they've changed the concerns." She said that, specifically Sen. Snow has had "numerous issues," that she insisted be addressed, and that "they keep changing" as Dems try to answer them. It's cruel, legislative whack-a-mole.

And most voters will probably never hear that the Republicans are responsible for their economic distress. Fux News and the other parts of the right wing noise machine will repeat the lie that it is the Democrats fault and the rest of MSM is too cowardly to point out the truth that the Republicans are the ones filibustering any effort to help Americans in need.

And let us not forget the happy assistance the GOP gets from Ben Nelson and Judas Joe Liebermann.