Economy

Chart of the Day

via Brian Beutler of TPM

Yup, $0.00.

The GOP plan contained about $2.2 trillion in cuts — well over the $1.2 trillion minimum required of the Super Committee by the debt limit law. That left the Republicans ample room to include many kinds of near-term growth measures, but they picked none.

You don't create jobs without growth, and the plan being pushed by the Republicans on the so-called "Super Committee" contains no measures to spur growth.

Apparently they are content with relying on the Growth Fairy to come along and leave jobs under our pillows after harsh austerity is implemented.

It seems likely that the Super Committee will never reach an agreement, and then one of two things will happen. Either the automatic triggers, which will begin to take effect in 2013, will become the law, or the Republicans will push for removing the automatic triggers to protect the Pentagon and we can all pretend the debt-ceiling deal never happened.

I'm betting on the latter scenario.