I was worried there for a minute...
When Michael Steele was elected head of the RNC about a little over a week ago, I was actually concerned. "Here's a guy," I thought to myself, "who isn't prima facie insane, who did better than expected in a 2006 Senate race in true blue Maryland, and who's black. Maybe he'll actually change the look and the approach of the Republican party somewhat, and thus hasten their return to some semblance of form."
And then he goes on This Week with George Stephanopoulos and hits the ball out of the park---and into Crazytown:
STEELE: You’ve got to look at what’s going to create sustainable jobs. What this administration is talking about is making work. It is creating work.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But that’s a job.
STEELE: No, it’s not a job. A job is something that - that a business owner creates. It’s going to be long term. What he’s creating…
STEPHANOPOULOS: So a job doesn’t count if it’s a government job?
(CROSSTALK)
STEELE: Hold on. No, let me - let me - let me finish. That is a contract. It ends at a certain point, George. You know that. These road projects that we’re talking about have an end point.
As a small-business owner, I’m looking to grow my business, expand my business. I want to reach further. I want to be international. I want to be national. It’s a whole different perspective on how you create a job versus how you create work. And I’m - either way, the bottom line is…
STEPHANOPOULOS: I guess I don’t really understand that distinction.
STEELE: Well, the difference - the distinction is this. If a government - if you’ve got a government contract that is a fixed period of time, it goes away. The work may go away. That’s - there’s no guarantee that that - that there’s going to be more work when you’re done in that job.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Yes, but we’ve seen millions and millions of jobs going away in the private sector just in the last year.
STEELE: But they come - yes, they - and they come back, though, George. That’s the point. When they go - they’ve gone away before, and they come back
That's right, Michael. Because government jobs are a) associated with government and b) end at some point, they're not really jobs. Thanks for reassuring my troubled mind.
And then he goes on This Week with George Stephanopoulos and hits the ball out of the park---and into Crazytown:
STEELE: You’ve got to look at what’s going to create sustainable jobs. What this administration is talking about is making work. It is creating work.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But that’s a job.
STEELE: No, it’s not a job. A job is something that - that a business owner creates. It’s going to be long term. What he’s creating…
STEPHANOPOULOS: So a job doesn’t count if it’s a government job?
(CROSSTALK)
STEELE: Hold on. No, let me - let me - let me finish. That is a contract. It ends at a certain point, George. You know that. These road projects that we’re talking about have an end point.
As a small-business owner, I’m looking to grow my business, expand my business. I want to reach further. I want to be international. I want to be national. It’s a whole different perspective on how you create a job versus how you create work. And I’m - either way, the bottom line is…
STEPHANOPOULOS: I guess I don’t really understand that distinction.
STEELE: Well, the difference - the distinction is this. If a government - if you’ve got a government contract that is a fixed period of time, it goes away. The work may go away. That’s - there’s no guarantee that that - that there’s going to be more work when you’re done in that job.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Yes, but we’ve seen millions and millions of jobs going away in the private sector just in the last year.
STEELE: But they come - yes, they - and they come back, though, George. That’s the point. When they go - they’ve gone away before, and they come back
That's right, Michael. Because government jobs are a) associated with government and b) end at some point, they're not really jobs. Thanks for reassuring my troubled mind.