GOP Leadership out of touch on the economy

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

I have previously covered the GOP leadership insane clown posse's alternative GOP budget fiasco that first had no numbers and then called for more of the same Bush policies of the past eight years – only to be rejected by over 20% of House Republicans.

Last week, we had Eric Cantor (R-VA) saying that President Obama and Democrats were "overreacting" to the economic crisis. And now we have this:

I am in agreement with Nicole Belle at Crooks and Liars Michael Steele Laughs Off Economic Crisis: "The Malls Are Just As Packed":

I'm seriously starting to believe that we need to have a mandatory basic aptitude training and testing for public office: classes in history (both US and world), basic economics (macro- and micro-), ethics, etc. The amount of outright stupidity amongst those who actually influence the direction of this country is completely freaking me out.

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That's why I will only shake my head in amusement at the tenuous grasp on economics exhibited by the RNC Chair:

This morning, GOP chairman Michael Steele guest-hosted Bill Bennett’s talk radio show. During the program, one caller said he could “debate” whether or not the U.S. is currently in the midst of an economic crisis. Steele laughed in agreement and claimed that “[t]he malls are just as packed on Saturday.”

[L]et's not look at those ridiculous economic studies that show consumer spending 27% lower than this time last year. That's right, people are walking around the mall, they're just not buying anything. You see, Steele, walking doesn't cost anything. And maybe people are buying less because they don't have jobs:

Just yesterday, the Labor Department reported that 654,000 Americans applied for first-time unemployment benefits, while the “number of people staying on benefit rolls rose to a record 5.84 million in the prior week.”

The DNC released a statement today, to express dismay at Steele's glibness over the state of the economy.

"This callous statement just proves how out of touch the Republican party is. Michael Steele may be worried about his ability to get a reservation at the latest DC restaurant, but there are too many Americans worried about just putting food on their kitchen tables. While the Republican party may think the pain being experienced by families – pain caused by the economic policies they championed – is a laughing matter, what isn't a joke is that they still continue to offer nothing other than those same failed policies," said DNC National Press Secretary Hari Sevugan.