Striving for Pain

Atrios really nails it here. Things sound so harmless and fuzzy when we talk about reducing the deficit over lowering unemployment. The truth is, for whatever reason, the administration has made the decision to actively inflict pain on those who are already hurting the most:

We know how to improve the state of the economy. We also know that improving the economy would magically reduce the deficit. But the powers that be want to make "tough choices" that cause mass human suffering, kind of like the "tough choices" involved in sending other people to die in pointless stupid wars.

How intense is their desire to ruin the economy and inflict pain? Even great bastion of liberalism known as the Senate Democratic caucus is worried enough that they've with a jobs bill. It is enough? Not even close.

Will it pass? Probably not, and even if it did I'm sure declare war on Iran and eliminate the capital gains tax to get it Republicans to sign on.

So what did the White House say about this effort:

The Obama administration on Tuesday night might have thrown a wrench into Senate Democratic plans to pass what they see as a jobs bill — by implying the bill spends too much money.

In a Statement of Administration Policy, the White House said it supports the broad goals of the bill.

"However, the bill would authorize spending levels higher than those requested by the president’s Budget, and the administration believes that the need for smart investments that help America win the future must be balanced with the need to control spending and reduce the deficit," the administration said.

Yep. They say it does too much.

Also: The administration still says "win the future"? Are you fucking kidding me?

I can't articulate how awful the 2012 election is going to be. Bullshit and stupidity everywhere.