[Precturge]

This is what Rick Perry was talking about when he claimed it would be treasonous for the Fed to do anything with monetary policy that might bump up the economy. He, like many Republicans, don't want the economy to improve at all for the next 16 months. They want unemployment to stay high, stocks to plummet and factories idle until after the election.

Of course, along the way, millions of Americans would suffer terribly, but as we saw with the debt ceiling drama, they don't really care about the collateral damage. For them, a catastrophic downturn in the economy would be like a Christmas present.

LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...0,310451.story

As his bus stopped in rural hamlets and towns, a feisty Obama issued an ultimatum to the GOP: Join him and pass a jobs plan or risk being viewed by the public as the party that only blocks, never compromises.

Republicans strengthened by last year's midterm elections remain determined to resist spending programs that Obama insists are needed to boost job growth and move the economy.

"Conservatives don't want everything to get better right now," said Allan Lichtman, an expert on the presidency at American University in Washington. "They want to hold out, elect Republicans to Congress and the White House and then solve things their way.... I can't imagine why conservatives in Congress would do anything to help the president right now."

...

As Obama braces for the upcoming battle with the GOP over his jobs proposals, he appears ready for a more combative stance. Declaring that the government has to take action to improve the economy, the president has accused Republicans of putting their party before the country, and says he needs the public's help in demanding an end to partisan stalemates.

...

Among the possibilities: billions of dollars to refurbish dilapidated schools. "There's not one community in this country that doesn't need improvement right now," said John Ramsey, chief executive of the Council of Education Facility Planners, "and finding classrooms to showcase would be no problem for the president."

The White House also is considering a tax credit to encourage businesses to add employees. Obama's advisors previously opted against this approach, worrying that it would reward businesses for hiring moves they would have made anyway. The proposal under consideration would limit the credit to new employees.