The Capital Job, Part 2

Obama is considering redistributing leftover TARP money to small businesses to help with job creation.  Naturally, this is socialism and Republicans hate it.  My question is, do Republicans like John Boehner really, really want to go down this road where they're going to attack small business owners as un-American welfare queens?

Boehner and other Republicans in Congress have made a point of assertively countering the Obama administration's work toward a new jobs initiative, having hosted a rival "jobs summit" the same day the president hosted business and labor officials for a meeting at the White House.

In that vein, Republicans will hold their own meeting with Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.), Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.), and freshmen members of the conservative Republican Study Committee to tout GOP alternatives on job creation.

Boehner said tomorrow's speech by Obama provides an opportunity for the president to work with Republicans in Congress, though Boehner cautioned that using leftover funds from last year's $700 billion financial bailout program would be unacceptable to the GOP.

"Republicans have offered common-sense solutions all year long," he said. "President Obama should seize this opportunity to begin working with Republicans to implement fiscally responsible solutions that help small businesses create jobs and get our economy moving again."

Let's review:  TARP money for small business job creation, bad.  Instead, we should spend the TARP money on deficit reduction and then turn around and cut taxes, increasing the deficit.  Fiscal responsibility and all.  because deficit reduction will create jobs...how?

[UPDATE 1:08 PM] I know it's the Brookings Institute, but did Obama really just pledge to help create jobs by paying down the deficit and cutting corporate taxes? I mean he wants to expand the stimulus too by another $50 billion, but isn't this whole kitchen sink approach the reason we're in trouble now in the first place?  You know, not enough stimulus because ConservaDems and the Ladies From Maine demanded tax cuts in the package and deficit reduction, and as a result we needed more stimulus?

Is anyone in the White House economic team paying attention up there?