Freedom's just another buzzword for nothin' left to lose

[Adam]

During yesterday's White House presser, after the CBO numbers came out — confirming what the rest of us have been saying all along: Obamafail kills jobs — Jay Carney tried desperately to spin the loss of a few million more jobs as somehow a good thing. Clearly this talking point had already been handed out to the usual suspects, because they were all immediately on message with the exact same claim: somehow, losing your job because of Obamafail is "freedom."

In the midst of this abject lunacy, Jay the Carney informed the American people of something else: freedom is a "buzzword."

I'll be sure to remember that next time I'm in DC and I see the inscription on the Korean War Memorial that reads "Buzzwords Are Not Free."


Human Events pretty much finishes off the kill on this one.



The only thing left, really, is the pointing and laughing....

[Billy Jingo]

The number of 90 year olds that left the job market because of Social Security is staggering.

[Billy Jingo]

During yesterday's White House presser, after the CBO numbers came out — confirming what the rest of us have been saying all along: Obamafail kills jobs —

That is not what the CBO said.

The estimated reduction stems almost entirely
from a net decline in the amount of labor that workers
choose to supply, rather than from a net drop in businesses’
demand for labor, so it will appear almost entirely
as a reduction in labor force participation and in hours
worked relative to what would have occurred otherwise
rather than as an increase in unemployment (that is, more
workers seeking but not finding jobs) or underemployment
(such as part-time workers who would prefer to
work more hours per week).

Page 123 at the bottom and the top of Page 124. PDF

[Adam]

That is not what the CBO said.

The estimated reduction stems almost entirely
from a net decline in the amount of labor that workers
choose to supply, rather than from a net drop in businesses’
demand for labor, so it will appear almost entirely
as a reduction in labor force participation and in hours
worked relative to what would have occurred otherwise
rather than as an increase in unemployment (that is, more
workers seeking but not finding jobs) or underemployment
(such as part-time workers who would prefer to
work more hours per week).

Page 123 at the bottom and the top of Page 124. PDF

A distinction without a difference. As even the CBO has re-confirmed that this will still mean fewer people working today at the Senate Budget Committee.

A big disincentive to work is still killing jobs, no matter how you slice it.

[Billy Jingo]

A distinction without a difference.

What? Supply is very different from demand.

[Norm dePlume]

So, if I hate my job, and I'm only keeping it because I need the insurance, then anything that allows me to get the insurance without the job is a "disincentive."

[Billy Jingo]

The Republicans are going to have to stick with their original "job killer" message when they should have gone with the "encourages sloth" message. Although that one is kinda dickish (not that that has ever stopped them).

They screwed the pooch. If they stick with "job-killer," they risk looking like lying assholes; if they pivot to facts, they look incoherent.

[Norm dePlume]

Another divergence from Republican dogma:

In CBO’s judgment, there is no compelling evidence
that part-time employment has increased as a result of
the ACA. On the one hand, there have been anecdotal
reports of firms responding to the employer penalty by
limiting workers’ hours, and the share of workers in parttime
jobs has declined relatively slowly since the end of
the recent recession. On the other hand, the share of
workers in part-time jobs generally declines slowly after
recessions, so whether that share would have declined
more quickly during the past few years in the absence of
the ACA is difficult to determine.21 In any event, because
the employer penalty will not take effect until 2015,
the current lack of direct evidence may not be very
informative about the ultimate effects of the ACA.

[Adam]

Another divergence from Republican dogma:

Who claimed that part-time work increased? No one that I've heard.



The desperate spinning of this is just a hoot. The CBO said, in no uncertain terms, that Obamafail is creating a disincentive for people to work. This is before the employer mandate kicks in. There is simply no possible way to slice it that it doesn't add up to Obamafail being a job-killer.

This, apparently, is Obama focusing "laser-like" on jobs.

What they didn't bother telling anyone was that the laser was to be that one that almost cut James Bond in half in Goldfinger.

"Do you expect me to talk?"
"No, Mr. Jobsmaker. I expect you to die!"

[Billy Jingo]

Yea. Stick with "job-killer." Slipping into "disincentive ... to work" muddles the message.

[Billy Jingo]

Another divergence from Republican dogma:

Another one:

CBO now projects that,
over the 2015–2024 period, risk corridor payments from
the federal government to health insurers will total $8 billion
and the corresponding collections from insurers will
amount to $16 billion, yielding net savings for the federal
government of $8 billion.

[phillygirl]

Well, it looks like the CBO has given Obamacare a ringing endorsement, then.

[Norm dePlume]

Who claimed that part-time work increased? No one that I've heard.

Michelle Bachman
Bachmann: Obamacare Creating a Part-Time Economy

Mitch McConnell:

We now have a record number of part-time employees largely because of Obamacare.

John Boehner:

Because of ObamaCare, millions of full-time workers can only find part-time work.

Ted Cruz:

Mr. CRUZ. Senator Sessions is absolutely right. One of the most devastating consequences of ObamaCare is that it is forcing so many Americans into part-time work. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce 2013 second quarter small business survey found that among small businesses that will be impacted by the employer mandate, 50 percent of small businesses say they will either cut out to reduce full-time employees or replace full-time employees with part-time employees to avoid the mandate, and 24 percent say they will reduce hiring to stay under 50 employees.

Paul Ryan:

We are seeing people lose their 40 hour work week going on temporary part time jobs.

You know -- Republicans.

[Adam]

Another one:

CBO now projects that,
over the 2015–2024 period, risk corridor payments from
the federal government to health insurers will total $8 billion
and the corresponding collections from insurers will
amount to $16 billion, yielding net savings for the federal
government of $8 billion.

There we go. Perfectly good reason to take out that government subsidy for insurers that is in Obamafail, then, isn't it?

[Adam]

The Republicans are going to have to stick with their original "job killer" message when they should have gone with the "encourages sloth" message. Although that one is kinda dickish (not that that has ever stopped them).

They screwed the pooch. If they stick with "job-killer," they risk looking like lying assholes; if they pivot to facts, they look incoherent.

The word is "liberating." You need to keep up with the lingo. Check with the New York Times if you need direction. Unemployment is "liberating."

Also, war is peace, ignorance is strength, and your chocolate ration has been increased from fifteen grams to ten grams.