sour grape politics
Just in case you think nobody is happy there’s a recession, I give you the American Republican Party.
What they are doing is in some ways a political master-stroke…they’re turning to their grass roots and going “Look, everyone – Obama can’t even get his so-called stimulus package passed; guess he’s not the Messiah after all!!!” whilst rubbing their hands with collective glee.
And you know what? There are actually people out there stupid enough to believe that, even though hmmm – I wonder who it is that’s actually stalling the bill (never mind who was in power when the whole mess was created in the first place)?
They're not the only ironies in this situation. The GOP love using the term “pork-barrel” when referring to their nemesis, meaning Democratic congressfolk looking for the government to fund projects back on their home turf, and it is true that the package does include many of these.
But they are neglecting to mention two things…first, carrying out the projects in question will actually CREATE jobs, and second, the great Republican alternative to Obama’s plan, ie cutting taxes for the wealthy, is probably the greatest pork-barrel project a legislature can come up with.
And as much as I'd hate to make excuses for our own Taoiseach Without Mandate Brian Cowen, his ability to get us out of this financial stew is largely dependent on how they handle things across the pond.
It just makes me wonder if the biggest reason why the minority party in America’s government keeps pulling every partisan stunt in the book to stall this plan being passed is that they’re afraid it will actually work and keep them in the minority for a long time to come.
© JL Pagano 2009
3 comment/s so far:
I. "I wonder who it is that’s actually stalling the bill (never mind who was in power when the whole mess was created in the first place)?"
A. Republicans are in the minority and in no position to stall legislation; they don't have the power to stall anything, as evidenced by the fact that this monstrosity passed both houses with almost no Republican support.
B. The Democrat-controlled Congress has its fingerprints all over the mortgage bank mess, which is the proximate cause of the economic problem.
II. " ... carrying out the projects in question will actually CREATE jobs, and second, the great Republican alternative to Obama’s plan, ie cutting taxes for the wealthy..."
A. Throwing money at the problem may create some jobs temporarily. Many of them are government jobs, which produce no tax revenue and instead eat up tax revenue.
B. The Republicans want to cut payroll and income taxes, which means that everyone with a job will benefit, not just the wealthy, and every business will save money, making them more stable and providing funds for job creation, which is the answer to the economic problem.
III. "It just makes me wonder if the biggest reason why the minority party in America’s government keeps pulling every partisan stunt in the book to stall this plan being passed is that they’re afraid it will actually work ..."
A. See I.A. above.
Re: I.A ...
fil⋅i⋅bus⋅ter [fil-uh-buhs-ter]
1. U.S. Politics.
a. the use of irregular or obstructive tactics by a member of a legislative assembly to prevent the adoption of a measure generally favored or to force a decision against the will of the majority.
b. an exceptionally long speech, as one lasting for a day or days, or a series of such speeches to accomplish this purpose.
c. a member of a legislature who makes such a speech.
It requires 60 senators to block a filibuster - even including independents the Democrats have but 58. If you are honestly telling me this bill couldn't possibly have passed any quicker without interference from the Republicans then I guess we have fundamentally different understanding of how US congressional politics works.
Think about how fast this monstrosity did pass. It wasn't read -- either to the bodies or by the legislators -- and it wasn't debated. Normally, there is a 48-hour period between distribution of legislation and the vote, so that members can read the legislation. Not this time.
Filibusters are an effective method, and as you noted it requires 60 votes to block.
The fallacy of your argument is that not all "Republicans" are true Republicans, as evidenced by the fact that three of them voted for the pork-disguised-as-stimulus bill, despite its being contrary to what Republicans believe will work, and the way the bill was brought to a vote, which was clearly a drastic departure from accepted procedure.
Effectively, there are 61 Democrats in the Senate, and if Al Franken prevails, there will be 62.
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