  The Galactic center lobe (GCL) is a $\sim 1^\circ$ object located north of
the Galactic center. In the mid-infrared (MIR), the GCL appears as two
8.0-micron filaments that roughly define an ellipse. There is strong 24-micron
and radio continuum emission in the interior of the ellipse. Due to its
morphology and location in the sky, previous authors have argued that the GCL
is created by outflows from star formation in the central molecular zone or by
activity of the central black hole Sgr~A$^*$. We present images of the GCL from
the GaLactic and Extragalactic All-sky Murchison Widefield Array survey in
radio continuum that show thermal absorption against the Galactic center,
incompatible with an interpretation of synchrotron self-absorption. Estimates
of the cosmic ray emissivity in this direction allow us to place a distance
constraint on the GCL. To be consistent with standard emissivity assumptions,
the GCL would be located 2kpc away. At a distance of 8kpc, the synchrotron
background emissivity is enhanced by $\sim75$% in the direction of the GCL. We
also present radio recombination line data from the Green Bank Telescope that
constrains the electron temperature and line widths in this region, which are
also more explicable if the GCL lies relatively close.
