19 days in, GOP leadership takes credit for job growth

It took less than three weeks for the new Republican Congressional leadership to claim credit for an apparent economic upturn.

An aide to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Brian Patrick, emailed reporters this morning:

THERE ARE THE JOBS: Republicans Prevent Massive Tax Increase, Economy Begins to Improve: U.S. companies plan to hire more workers in the coming months amid growing optimism over the economy, a quarterly survey released Monday showed, providing further evidence that the jobs market is turning around. In the fourth-quarter poll of 84 companies by the National Association for Business Economics found 42% of companies interviewed, ranging from manufacturing to finance, expect to boost jobs in the six months ahead. That's up from 29% in the first three months of 2010. Only 7% in the latest survey predict they will shed jobs in the coming six months, down from 23% at the start of last year.

The Dow Jones wire story Patrick linked makes no mention of the GOP.

Patrick emails, though, that he doesn't think it's too early to take credit: "Republicans have consistently called for providing certainty for the business community and worked to ensure no American saw a tax increase."

UPDATE: Senator Jon Kyl and Rep. David Dreier have also suggested that the GOP should be credited with an economic upturn, on the argument that the election and the tax vote sent a positive signal to businesses.

UPDATE: A Cantor aide notes that Obama recently claimed the deal had also created specific jobs.