[quote=pri_dk]There really aren’t many options for jobs programs, and and any plan that can create jobs in the short-term will involve spending government money.

So the Republican candidate’s whole argument is going to come down to this: “Obama’s plan isn’t going to work, but you can trust my plan (which I won’t describe in any detail) that somehow creates jobs without spending any money.”

The only way they can differentiate themselves from Obama’s (already in progress) plan without violating teabagger principles is to claim that they can create jobs by cutting government regulations. So they’ll have to explain how flooding the job market with laid-off FDA and EPA employees will suddenly improve the hiring prospects for the currently unemployed.

America is fed up with Congress, and Obama’s approval ratings aren’t great. But America is even more angry with the “job creators” because they haven’t created any jobs – and they’ve had their tax cuts for years now. Any plan that is based upon faith in big business will not be popular.

Don’t waste my time with abstract polls showing a close race between Obama and potential Republican candidates – that’s just the media manufacturing a story. Remember how close the polls were before the ’08 election?

The Republicans could have had a real shot at defeating Obama if they had not gone full-on drama queen with their teabagger extremism. If they ever had a chance at ’12, they’ve squandered it completely already. Nothing short of a disaster like another terrorist attack (something the Republicans would call a “miracle,” BTW) can change the outcome at this point.[/quote]

Well said! I agree with your views. In fact, I think Obama has done a pretty decent job so far given the circumstances and voting for a Republican next year will not increase the likelihood for a turnaround of the economy. I also agree that the tea party has done a lot of damage as many independent voters are being deterred to support the Republican candidate now.