Stimulus: The Republicans are being set up, AGAIN.

[Manedwolf]

And they're going to fall for it again, and be the fall guy, again. Stupid party.

How? Watch how things are progressing. It's going to fail, of course, but it's going to be "the Republicans' fault", and they won't do a thing to refute it.

The Dem party movers are being very careful to make note of the fact that Republicans MADE them push 1/3 of the bill to tax cuts instead of money-flinging spending to social projects. Watch all the interviews. They're showing the graphs. Oh, they wanted to do so much more!, Schumer says, but the Republicans won't accept it unless they take out all this spending and put in "ineffective" tax cuts that didn't work last year...!

And now, Soros, from Davos, just chimed in that it doesn't go far enough, and that the Republican-required tax cuts might make it not work, because it doesn't have all the spending it needs. THERE is the plan! Right there! Rob the bank and the guards get the blame! Plain as day, and the Republicans...won't see it. As usual.

So. When it fails, because it will, a bunch of Dem lobbyists will be rolling in billions of taxpayer money, a bunch of welfare entitlement sorts will be overflowing with cash for their agendas. New people, perhaps Soros or one of his ilk will be brought in to "help get it right", maybe even with full cooperation with the EU and others who want the US brought down to the level of everyone else. The economy will be worse, and...

Democrats: "See! It's the Republicans' fault! They forced the spending to be cut in favor of those stupid tax cuts, so it failed! We need to vote them all out so we can do it right!"

The Masses: YEAH! It's the Republicans' fault I can't afford my stuff now! Greedy Republicans!

Republicans: "Buh...wha?" (Hey, is Palin going off message again?)

They should have honestly just let the Democrats author and push the whole thing to blow up on themselves, perhaps. This way? It's going to be blamed on the Republicans. Just watch.

[RoadKingLarry]

I'd love to see it a strict party line split on the vote, it will still pass eve if the republicans all vote no. Won't happen but a fellow has to have his dreams.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

I'd love to see it a strict party line split on the vote, it will still pass eve if the republicans all vote no. Won't happen but a fellow has to have his dreams.

No kidding.  A strict partisan party line vote would bethe best thing to happen to the Repubs in years.  But they're probably too stupid to do it.

[Manedwolf]

Oh, it'll pass.

And even if all the Republicans vote NO, and all the Democrats vote YES, it'll pass. And being what it is, it will fail, because it's still top-heavy with spending.

And it'll be the Republicans' fault. Not because it was the spending that was useless and failed to stimulate anything, but gave lots of money to pet and pork, but because they "cut the spending for their tax cuts that don't work".

Just watch. Wait for it.

[buzz_knox]

If the package contained purely Dem provisions with no input from Republicans, and was passed on a strict party line vote, it's failure would be attributed solely to the Republicans.  That's pretty much guaranteed by how the media has reported the current economic troubles.   

[longeyes]

Folks, this stopped being about the Democrats versus the Republicans a long while ago. 

[Marvin Dao]

They should have honestly just let the Democrats author and push the whole thing to blow up on themselves, perhaps. This way? It's going to be blamed on the Republicans. Just watch.

The Dems are politically smarter than that, think back to TARP. They want their political cover and have a danged good way to get it.

Oh, it'll pass.

And even if all the Republicans vote NO, and all the Democrats vote YES, it'll pass. And being what it is, it will fail, because it's still top-heavy with spending.

Republicans still have the votes (41) to kill it in the Senate if they can rein in the usual suspects (McCain, Snowe, Specter). The last bit is rather unlikely though.

[Nick1911]

longeyes nailed it.

Republicans.  Democrats.  What's the difference?  They both represent liberal, socialist values.  Neither one is 'the conservative party'.  Not by a long shot.

[Waitone]

This just in:  the House passed the legislation without the vote of a single republican.  Are the republicans growing a pair?

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/toby_harnden/blog/2009/01/29/hollow_victory_republicans_deliver_slap_in_the_face_to_barack_obama

[Manedwolf]

This just in:  the House passed the legislation without the vote of a single republican.  Are the republicans growing a pair?

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/toby_harnden/blog/2009/01/29/hollow_victory_republicans_deliver_slap_in_the_face_to_barack_obama

It was passed. It will be passed in the Senate. What matters is how the Republicans respond when it invariably fails. Whether they actually fight, or just due the clueless act again and let the Dems successfully pin blame on them.

As for right now, I just flipped past c-span, and it's a succession of all the House's black culture (not the race, the culture, there's a vast difference) entitlement-philosophy Dems giving speeches that I didn't think I would hear in America.

[RoadKingLarry]

I am surprised, not a single "R" voted for it. Of course my congresscritter, the "lone democrat" from Oklahoma voted for it.  .
I guess my next fantasy would be for the republicans to make the dems own it outright when it inevitably fails.

[MechAg94]

The Republicans knew they couldn't stop it from passing.  No point in breaking ranks now. 

What they should do is make the point that Obama promised to cut back on earmarks and stuff. 

[Standing Wolf]

longeyes nailed it.

Yeah, I wish he'd stop doing that.

[MicroBalrog]

The weakness of the Republican Party is that a lot of them have accepted, on an emotional and ideological level, that the FDR-ite Big State is here to stay. Forever. Once you accept this notion, there's no sane reason to make a moral stand against Big Government - so all that remains is trimming around the edges.

Then they act surprised why people don't turn out to vote for them.

[charby]

The Republicans knew they couldn't stop it from passing.  No point in breaking ranks now. 

What they should do is make the point that Obama promised to cut back on earmarks and stuff. 

House Minority Leader John Boehner needs to have a press conference ASAP on why they didn't vote for it. Make sure to point out all the pork spending and why that isn't germane to the intent of the stimulus package.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell needs to do the same thing before the Senate votes on the stimulus package.

Its not that hard to figure it out Republicans.

[buzz_knox]

Folks, this stopped being about the Democrats versus the Republicans a long while ago. 

Tell the Dems and the media that.  The problem with the Republicans is that they really tried to get along, even as the Dems and media nailed them. 

[Manedwolf]

House Minority Leader John Boehner needs to have a press conference ASAP on why they didn't vote for it. Make sure to point out all the pork spending and why that isn't germane to the intent of the stimulus package.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell needs to do the same thing before the Senate votes on the stimulus package.

Its not that hard to figure it out Republicans.

Boehner is the Republicans' own pointy-haired boss. He won't. He won't get it at all.

[roo_ster]

The weakness of the Republican Party is that a lot of them have accepted, on an emotional and ideological level, that the FDR-ite Big State is here to stay. Forever. Once you accept this notion, there's no sane reason to make a moral stand against Big Government - so all that remains is trimming around the edges.

Then they act surprised why people don't turn out to vote for them.

Not just FDR, but Marx as well.

[MicroBalrog]

Not just FDR, but Marx as well.

Marx. Lester Ward. Hofstadter. The list is long.

[Harold Tuttle]

CATO fires back:
http://www.cato.org/special/stimulus09/cato_stimulus.pdf