Comments on: Succinct http://www.sharpsand.net/2009/01/29/succinct/ Joseph Duemer's blog about reading, writing, politics, birds, food, & weather Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:31:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: jd http://www.sharpsand.net/2009/01/29/succinct/comment-page-1/#comment-8745 jd Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:37:55 +0000 http://www.sharpsand.net/?p=1113#comment-8745 Yeah, though I don't think the Repub. opposition is even that coherent -- it's just an amalgam of spite & (failed) ideology & (staggering) economic ignorance. Actually, I'm a little optimistic, for two reasons: 1) I think it's a pretty good bill, though not perfect; 2) the economy runs as much on psychology as markets & Obama seems to have people feeling like we've got a chance to get out of this collapse without a total meltdown. The Republicans have to work for a meltdown, for political reasons. But that is the path to taking the country down completely & how that helps them I can't really see. Yeah, though I don’t think the Repub. opposition is even that coherent — it’s just an amalgam of spite & (failed) ideology & (staggering) economic ignorance. Actually, I’m a little optimistic, for two reasons: 1) I think it’s a pretty good bill, though not perfect; 2) the economy runs as much on psychology as markets & Obama seems to have people feeling like we’ve got a chance to get out of this collapse without a total meltdown. The Republicans have to work for a meltdown, for political reasons. But that is the path to taking the country down completely & how that helps them I can’t really see.

]]> By: David http://www.sharpsand.net/2009/01/29/succinct/comment-page-1/#comment-8744 David Thu, 29 Jan 2009 23:56:21 +0000 http://www.sharpsand.net/?p=1113#comment-8744 Joe- The political cynicism of the Republicans in a time of national crisis is astounding. Their opposition to the bill is pure politics. They want the Dems to "own" the bill so that, if the country is not out of this severe recession in 2010 they can run a see-I-told-you-so campaign even though they have offered NO alternative. The "opposition" has also been utterly incoherent: it increases the deficit too much, but doesn't spend enough money on tax cuts (which somehow don't add to the deficit); Obama embraces failed-Keynsian economics, yet supply-side economics is code for screw the poor and middle class; there's not enough immediate stimulus, even though the Repubs have been blocking stimulus efforts since at least September. How many shovels could already be in the ground? Joe-

The political cynicism of the Republicans in a time of national crisis is astounding. Their opposition to the bill is pure politics.

They want the Dems to “own” the bill so that, if the country is not out of this severe recession in 2010 they can run a see-I-told-you-so campaign even though they have offered NO alternative.

The “opposition” has also been utterly incoherent: it increases the deficit too much, but doesn’t spend enough money on tax cuts (which somehow don’t add to the deficit); Obama embraces failed-Keynsian economics, yet supply-side economics is code for screw the poor and middle class; there’s not enough immediate stimulus, even though the Repubs have been blocking stimulus efforts since at least September.

How many shovels could already be in the ground?

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