First, Do No Harm

[acolyte]

Congressional Republicans were right to vote against the stimulus.

by Fred Barnes
02/16/2009


John McCain is on to something. No stimulus bill--that is, no "economic recovery" package at all--"is better" than President Obama's bill, McCain says. Sure, he'd prefer his own alternative. At $445 billion, it would cost roughly half Obama's bill. And Republican senators unanimously voted for it. But Democrats shot it down as if it were a trifle. What Obama wants is more spending. "That's the whole point!" the president blurted out last week in a moment of candor.

McCain's stand is significant in a way no other Republican senator's would be. He's not the run-of-the-mill Republican making a partisan point. He's hardly a Limbaugh dittohead. McCain is the Senate's most relentless seeker of bipartisan compromise. His colleagues feared he might seek the media's favor by going along with Obama.



Weekly Standard

[Texas74]

Hard to know where to stand on this one. The so-called stimulus is a disaster. The idea of standing 100% against it is what I believe is the right thing to do but the left will ram it through anyhow, viewing the 'no stimulus' PoV as sharply partisan. So, offer an alternative that is half the cost....it still goes against your values but if they can pick off enough moderate democrats and pass it, its better than the bloated, stinking thing that's sitting there now.

Of course, that isn't going to happen and any GOP alternative plan has a snowball's chance in hell of passing. So....I'm thinking the Maverick is just throwing stuff out there to save face, an object lesson in "look, see we tried to compromise" --playing legislative chicken, in other words. Pelosi/Reid/Obama aren't going to blink.

[JB31]

I think the only right thing to do is stand totally against it because it's really a high odds of failure plan and we as Republicans need to be able to say "told you so."

[Texas74]

Yep...McCain and the rest are playing CYA. they want to be able to say "hey look, we tried to compromise" while still being able to say they voted against it. Covering all the bases.

[JB31]

God, I hate Krugman. He's saying "the plan isn't big enough" http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/09/op...rugman.html?em

I just want to be able to say in a few years that anyone who listened to Krugman spouting his Keynesian nonsense was and is an idiot and that Krugman should never be listened to ever again.

[kimberly]

I think it is bad all the way around. it is oviously a pay off for all Dems....

[JB31]

I think it is bad all the way around. it is oviously a pay off for all Dems....

It's a political move that has no basis in basic economics. The government knows it cannot create sustained demand or afford to create permanent jobs. But it has to pretend like it can do so because so many people are suffering right now.

[Texas74]

That's what's so infuriating. How its being packaged and sold to people is one big, obnoxious lie.

[NewC]

That's what's so infuriating. How its being packaged and sold to people is one big, obnoxious lie.

Dude no one is really buying it lol

Only like a quarter of the nation supports it. Of course that won't change the Senate's mind but still. For anyone who reads the Weekly Standard, there is a funny blog post about the STIMULUS PARTIES being hosted by rank and file Liberals becoming massive flops w/ only a handful of people showing up.

[Texas74]

Budget/Taxes

I'm looking for more but whatever lack of support is partially offset by Obama's approval rating. I would like to agree with you but I am wearing my pessemist hat today.