Eric Cantor and his Republican cronies are the only obstacle to economic growth in Washington DC

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Eric Cantor wrote an amusing editorial in the Washington Post the other day titled: "Removing the obstacles to economic growth".    He accuses the president of starting class warfare and also says: "In fact, the Obama administration’s anti-business, hyper-regulatory, pro-tax agenda has fueled economic uncertainty and sent the message from the administration that “we want to make it harder to create jobs."" This collection of lies was so egregious that I'm posting Brad Woodhouse, DNC Communications Director full response to the biggest obstacle to America's Economic growth: Eric Cantor.

Here are the facts that refute Cantor’s work of fiction:

Claim: [The] Obama administration’s anti-business, hyper-regulatory, pro-tax agenda has fueled economic uncertainty and sent the message from the administration that “we want to make it harder to create jobs.

Reality: The idea thatPresident Obama opposes creating jobs is nonsense not worth the paper it’s printed on.

It is, however, fitting that on the same day Cantor lashes out at the President on taxes, Republicans have come out against extending the payroll tax cut, a position that would lead to higher taxes for millions of working families. This, despite their continued support of Bush tax cuts for the rich.

The truth is, President Obama’s so-called “anti-business” policies have led to record corporate profits, and today individual taxes remain at their lowest levels since 1950.

The “uncertainty” argument is even more foolish considering that Republicans have threatened to shut down the government and let the nation default on its obligations—all in the past nine months. The GOP has institutionalized brinkmanship, and their intransigence and reckless tactics have stroked economic uncertainty.

Claim: There is no other conclusion for policies such as the new Environmental Protection Agency regulations, including the “Transport Rule,” which could eliminate thousands of jobs.

Reality: Despite Republicans’ attempt to use the EPA as a political football, Americans like clean air and clean water. The “Transport Rule” will prevent as many as 34,000 premature deaths, 15,000 non-fatal heart attacks, 15,000 hospital and emergency department visits, 19,000 cases of acute bronchitis, 400,000 cases of aggravated asthma, and 1.8 million days when people would have missed work or school.

Claim: We had to drag [President Obama] to the table to make even the modest spending cuts that Standard & Poor’s says don’t go far enough.

Reality: S&P has made it clear that the agency downgraded U.S. credit rating because of Republicans’ "political brinkmanship" as well as “default skeptics” within the GOP. S&P Senior Director Joydeep Mukherji said the stability and effectiveness of American political institutions were undermined by the fact that ‘people in the political arena were even talking about a potential default.

It’s also worth pointing out that Republican Speaker Boehner walked out of debt ceiling negotiations, not President Obama.

Claim: Republicans passed a budget this spring, written by Rep. Paul Ryan, [which] would address our challenges head-on by putting in place common-sense reforms to manage our debt over the short and long term.

Reality: The Ryan Republican budget wouldn’t decrease the deficit in the short-term, growing public debt from $10 trillion in 2011 to $16 trillion in 2012. Worse, in the long-term, his plan would end Medicare as we know it.  

Claim: For the past few years, investors, families and businesses small and large have felt the threat of higher taxes, increased regulations and government expansion.

Reality: President Obama has cut taxes for small business at least 17 times, launched the National Export Initiative to expand markets, created Startup America to connect small businesses with resources and knowledge, and the SBA has issued loans to more than 113,000 small businesses.

Additionally, President Obama has decreased government spending as a share of GDP from 25 percent to 23.6 percent (2012 estimate). Under President Bush (with Eric Cantor’s support), spending increased from 18.2 percent of GDP to 25 percent. 

Earlier this month, we saw a set of arguments just like this from Speaker Boehner. If anything, his statement on August 6^th was even more nakedly partisan. It’s becoming clear that the GOP strategy is to repeat the same false claims until people accept them as fact. We can’t let that happen.

 Not only is Cantor an obstructionist, he's a liar. 

From the Other 98%:

Are you as angry as we are watching Congress and the new “Super Congress” threaten Social Security and Medicare, while they defend the Bush Tax Cuts for billionaires? Warren Buffet’s recent op-ed, asking for Congress to stop coddling the Super Rich, spread like wildfire on Facebook and Twitter this week for a reason: because people have had enough. Join our call to Congress today: it’s time to tax the rich, no exceptions, no apologies.

Sign the Petition here