Stimulate THIS

As Obama pointed out recently, "...these days, everyone's an economist..." Thus, in the debate about the proposed $800 billion-with-a-b economic stimulus, everyone on all sides of the political spectrum has an opinion.

My political inclinations are no secret to anyone who knows me (modern Republicanism is a dangerous sham and toxic to working people), so I'm basically in favor of anything that will reverse the corrosive effects of ceaseless tax-cutting and infrastructure neglect that post-Reagan conservatism, in its hidebound and evidence-blind way, has visited on this nation. Like Krugman, though, I do feel that bill that the Capital Hill compromise is likely to yield will probably fail in its broader purpose, which is to remake America as a work-valuing, forward-looking society again - which may end up being Obama's biggest political exposure. The thing just isn't big enough, it's too focus on tax cuts, and getting three Republican votes to get it pass means that it both fails in content and fails as a model of bi-partisanship.

The fact is, the Republicans have trained themselves to reflexively offer tax cuts as a solution to pretty much everything, as well as decry every nickel of non-defense government spending as "wasteful" or "pork". They have disappeared up their own dark rhetorical recesses so far, they are (or at least appear to be, which, in politics, is basically the same anyway) completely blind to the plight of the 100's of thousands being tossed out of work. It may make for reliable campaign contributions from the wealthy, but it fails solidly and tragically as economic theory in even good times, and as an abyssmal, dissonant joke in times like this.

As John Cole pointed out during the fray about "bi-partisanship" in the stimulus debate"

I really don’t understand how bipartisanship is ever going to work when one of the parties is insane. Imagine trying to negotiate an agreement on dinner plans with your date, and you suggest Italian and she states her preference would be a meal of tire rims and anthrax. If you can figure out a way to split the difference there and find a meal you will both enjoy, you can probably figure out how bipartisanship is going to work the next few years.

Gotta agree.