June 8:

“Instead, he [Pres. Obama] wants to add more to government. He wants another stimulus. He wants to hire more government workers. He says we need more firemen, more policeman, more teachers.”

June 12:

“That’s a very strange accusation. Of course, teachers and firemen and policemen are hired at the local level and also by states. The federal government doesn’t pay for teachers, firefighters or policemen. So obviously that’s completely absurd. He’s got a new idea, though, and that is to have another stimulus and to have the federal government send money to try and bail out cities and states. It didn’t work the first time. It certainly wouldn’t work the second time.”

Well, not quite, as Ezra Klein so eloquently explained here. And Think Progress drives it home:

Replacing the lost public sector jobs would reduce unemployment by a full percentage point and make the economic recovery stronger.

What’s “absurd” is Willard’s latest Etch A Sketch Moment. But wait! Not only did he flip flop again, he’s dead wrong about the federal government’s role in funding teachers, firefighters, and police officers.

They are hired at the local level, but the federal government provides much of the funding, recruiting, and training.

Think Progress lists several examples to prove the point, but here are one each:

Teachers

• Improving Teacher Quality State Grants: about $2.5 billion given in 2012 to increasing the number of highly qualified teachers and administrators in schools.

Firefighters

• Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program: grants for fire departments to enhance their abilities with respect to fire and fire-related hazards

Police

• Community Policing Development: funds to advance the practice of community policing in law enforcement agencies through training and technical assistance

So he’s a hypocritical flip-flopper as well as completely uninformed. No wonder he’s the candidate of choice for Republicans.