As I remember it, the Norse god, Thor (above), was challenged to drain a cup that was secretly connected to the ocean. Of course he couldn’t do it. But Americans apparently expect their president to do something exasperatingly similar.

On the 24-hour news channels, the pundits keep saying that the  November election will be a referendum on the economy.

How unfair is that?

Surely American voters are smart enough to realize the mess they’re in today is partly their own fault?

They must know by now that the 2010 midterm elections were a big “oops.” 

By giving the Republicans, and specifically the Tea Party Republicans, the power to gum up the works, the voters got themselves into this jam, and they’re the only ones who can get themselves out of it.

Barack Obama is extremely smart but, as president, he has limited power. Faced by Republicans in Congress dedicated to ruining the country (so they can get him kicked out of the White House), he has been unable to implement his economy saving policies. And, worse, with so many state legislatures in Republican hands, he faces the same kind of problem Thor faced: as fast as his policies create private-sector jobs, the Republican legislatures lay off state workers.

Republican dominated state governments are laying off hundreds of thousands of teachers, firefighters, law enforcement officers and other public employees in their crusade to torpedo the jobs market and make the president look bad.

They claim it’s because of “budget constraints” but you and I know better.  Their pals in Congress could address that concern by passing the president’s jobs bill, which provides federal funds to boost state payrolls.  But the Republicans aren’t about to do that; they want the unemployment numbers to soar because they believe voters will blame Obama for it.

It’s shameful for those TV talking heads to predict that voters will  blame the pesident for the weak economy. By making the prediction without putting the economic problems in context, they’re suggesting that’s what voters should do.

Even with a reasonable Congress, Obama would face a challenging task. With Europe in freefall and even China struggling, America is bound to feel the ripple effects. And let’s not forget that this country is still recovering from two devastating wars.

With Republicans in Congress deliberately getting in the way, and with Republican legislators slashing state payrolls, the president is like Thor trying to drain the ocean.

Click here for a report on the jobless situation.