Wednesday, January 28, 2009

A very popular president goes out of his way to earn Republican support, doesn't get it, and nonetheless passes his bill.

From Free Exchange:

"Stimulus strategery
Posted by:
Economist.com | WASHINGTON
Categories:
Political economy

OBVIOUSLY, there are good reasons to be sceptical of the stimulus plan. I happen to think that the balance of the arguments out there weigh in favour of the plan—strongly so, in my opinion—but reasonable people can disagree. It's no wonder that economists on the right and the left can be found on both sides of the issue, though there is a clear partisan lean—conservatives are more likely to voice scepticism, and progressive leaning economists are more likely to support a larger plan.

But that's the economists. They needn't ever fear coming face to face with voters looking to decide their fate (thank goodness!). Republican legislators, on the other hand, are coming off an historic political rout. In a nation that's suddenly, and overwhelmingly, Democratic, in which an extremely popular Democratic president faced with a major economic calamity has sought, seemingly in good faith, to build bipartisan support for his stimulus package, even dropping Democratic priorities from the bill (to the chagrin of progressive groups) to try and recruit GOP members to his side.

And every last Republican member of the House of Representatives voted against the bill, which passed all the same.

Now, I understand that the Republicans that survived the November election are the ones that come, for the most part, from very conservative, very safe districts. They can afford to spurn the president, for the most part. But just from a simple strategic standpoint, how does this make sense? A very popular president goes out of his way to earn Republican support, doesn't get it, and nonetheless passes his bill. To me this suggests one thing and one thing only—Barack Obama shouldn't give two figs about what the GOP caucus has to say on any issue, large or small, for the remainder of this Congress' duration.

The GOP may already have determined that their best hope is to aim for a good year in 2010, but there are two long years, during which a lot of critical policy decisions will be made, before that time. Republicans may have just rendered themselves irrelevant in those debates. That doesn't strike me as the kind of thing that's likely to please one's constituents."

My turn:

"A very popular president goes out of his way to earn Republican support, doesn't get it, and nonetheless passes his bill."

You are correct. The bill is a compromise of spending and tax cuts. The GOP is saying that only a plan totally based on their ideas is acceptable, which is a farce.

Burke said the following:

"All government, indeed every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue, and every prudent act, is founded on compromise and barter. "

This GOP is a farce.
1/29/2009 5:56 AM GST

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