Go read the job numbers from today.

Back? Ok good. Now re-read this part:

The Labor Department data showed private sector employment increased by 104,000, while government jobs continued a downward trend, reporting a loss of 24,000 jobs.

Private sector? Check. They’re hiring. Not at huge paces, but they are hiring. Public sector? Nope. Our government is actually reducing the amount of jobs they provide. And for the most part, I blame that guy up there, Mitch McConnell.

For a Congress that’s supposed to be all about jobs (even though it’s really all about denying President Obama a second term), they’re being awfully hypocritical. Take some of the GOP’s favorite talking points, for example—they’re completely at odds with each other. Even “Create more jobs!” directly contradicts “Reduce the size of government!”

Republicans in Congress are essentially saying that some jobs simply don’t count—specifically, government jobs. It’s fine, as long as it’s not public service, says the GOP.

Is that what we really want to promote? I’ve always thought public service was a good thing. That is was good and honorable to want to serve your country, whether in the military, through volunteerism, or through public service. Why do public sector jobs, apparently, not count anymore?

Of course the GOP would probably respond to this post saying that federal workers are lazy, and the the government is inefficient and can’t get anything done. But aren’t there better solutions to fixing that than cutting jobs? Republicans and their senseless, over-the-top “we need a surplus” agenda are causing the problem. We should be finding ways of training existing government workers to make the government work better. We should be trimming programs and unnecessary projects, yes, but we should do so in a way that salvages as many jobs as possible.

Anyway, my point is: I’m sick of hearing Republicans complain about slow job growth. Progressives and moderate conservatives are pushing to take three steps forward, while the far right is forcing us to take one step back.

America, please look at this carefully. Read, learn, watch, and observe closely. The problem here isn’t President Obama or his policies. It’s progress being held back by ancient ideals and outrageous politics and personal vendettas. That’s not the way a democracy should run.

Update: I’ve posted my full set of photos from the event now, they’re in the post just above this one.

So just wanted to toss out a quick update this morning as I’m sitting here waiting on NOI’s Roots Camp to begin. So far, so good! I biked down here about 20 minutes ago (it’s a beautiful day, by the way) and now I’m sitting in the atrium of the National Education Association waiting on the festivities to begin!

It looks to be a fun-filled day of learning, talking, networking and organizing. For those of you unfamiliar with Roots Camp, it is, in a lot of ways, just a look back at the progressive organizing of 2009, what we’ve learned and what we can do better. Expect lots of talking Twitter, online organizing, as well as the “old” methods of offline organizing!

Roots Camp is what they call an “unconference,” a really cool, somewhat new format of conference where, quite literally, the participants set the agenda. When you walk in, they give you a blank card with the words “Session title:” and “Your Name:”. The participants create sessions (as many as possible!) and then arrange them on a giant grid in the atrium to fit with the pre-set schedule. Then you just go to it! The schedule may change and fluctuate throughout the day, and yes, it’s a little chaotic, but it’s also fun and gets everyone participating.

Another quick thing: my friend Chris Golden pointed out that the infamous Glenn Beck is speaking at the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) here in DC. Interesting contrast, I’d say.

More to come later on, possibly today, maybe tomorrow, maybe this week… who knows. Regardless, you know you can always find me tweeting (and I’ll be tweeting about Roots Camp all day with the hashtag #RC10).