Economist states that GOP distorted her findings in counter to Stim plan

[Tripped1]

Originally Posted by flylooper

What's going on here is a spin war. So far, the GOP has tried to turn this around from a "stimulus" bill to a "spending" bill.

Get this: It's ALL they know. They've been harping on the Democrats as "tax and spenders" here for decades. It's what they do. Even in the face of the biggest run up of the national debt in the country's history, they still chant the same fucking mantra.

The problem is the public's had enough of their bullshit. They need jobs, they need money, then need medical care, they need healthy food, they need schools that work, they need roads without potholes, bridges that don't collapse, and a way to get their kids through college.

So let's call this thing what it is. A spin war. Thing is, no one's listening. These jerk-offs are preaching to their ever smaller choir. All that's left of the GOP is a bunch of rich white folks and poor rural folks.

Specter's up for reelection in 2010. When he loses that will be the end of the GOP in the Northeast sector of the country. And the West is moving to the Dem column. And the upper Midwest.

That leaves the GOP the South (absent Florida) - and Texas (It's a whole 'nother country!)

I agree with a lot of this. Repeatedly chanting tax cut while they are busy passing trillions in bailout and stimulous merely highlights the distinct lack of thought going on in the Republican party as a whole.

Democrats adding crap to both TARP and the Stimulous packages makes them appear to have nearly the same lack of grounding in reality. They can blame the GOP all they want the GOP didn't have a super majority in either house when that bullshit passed and NOW they are villifying Paulson? DUH Big red Truck!

BOTH parties are steepled in their traditional ideolology and approach to running government and neither seem particularly willing to come out of thier respective corners and smell the fucking roses. This is pretty much what I feared, action for the sake of action. Thought, debate, logic and reason, nah, they don't have time for it.

We'd be better off in the long run if they would quite pontificating and actually attempt to come up with a solution that doesn't destroy the economy. Spending at this level can not be sustained.

[SXSMITH]

Originally Posted by BigBadBoom

Republicans: Never miss a chance to be wrong.

You say that as if the number Pelosi pulls out of her ass is the exact solution.

[PhilB]

Originally Posted by Tripped1

... We'd be better off in the long run if they would quite pontificating and actually attempt to come up with a solution that doesn't destroy the economy. Spending at this level can not be sustained.

We'd be a lot better off in the long run if the bunch of them all got into a big fistfight on the floor of Congress, bludgeoned each other into complete unconsciousness, and failed to come up with any "solutions" at all. The bastards are just working to sieze ever more power.

PhilB

[jim schmidt]

Empty criticisms are like assholes.

[baldheadeddork]

Originally Posted by SXSMITH

You say that as if the number Pelosi pulls out of her ass is the exact solution.

It's not a number out of her ass. We're going to lose over a trillion dollars in GDP this year, on top of the losses last year. How much of that do you want to try to prevent? They've decided on $850 billion over two years.

[baldheadeddork]

Originally Posted by Tripped1

I agree with a lot of this. Repeatedly chanting tax cut while they are busy passing trillions in bailout and stimulous merely highlights the distinct lack of thought going on in the Republican party as a whole.

Democrats adding crap to both TARP and the Stimulous packages makes them appear to have nearly the same lack of grounding in reality. They can blame the GOP all they want the GOP didn't have a super majority in either house when that bullshit passed and NOW they are villifying Paulson? DUH Big red Truck!

BOTH parties are steepled in their traditional ideolology and approach to running government and neither seem particularly willing to come out of thier respective corners and smell the fucking roses. This is pretty much what I feared, action for the sake of action. Thought, debate, logic and reason, nah, they don't have time for it.

We'd be better off in the long run if they would quite pontificating and actually attempt to come up with a solution that doesn't destroy the economy. Spending at this level can not be sustained.

A couple of differences, Tripped. The "crap" added to the stimulus package that the Republicans are pissing about are pennies in this program. If they don't want to put in $100 million for contraception and STD prevention, fine. But to use that as a reason to dismiss the rest of the $849,900,000,000 proposal, as they have done, is total bullshit.

On the other side, last night 36 of the 41 Republicans in the Senate voted in favor of an alternate "stimulus" proposal that was 100% tax cuts. That's not a trivial proposal and it doesn't represent just a small segment of the Republican caucus.

About spending at this level being unsustainable - you're wrong. Relatively speaking, Obama's $850 billion stimulus over two years is nothing. During WWII the government spent at a rate that would be $7 trillion a year in today's economy.

[Tripped1]

Originally Posted by baldheadeddork

A couple of differences, Tripped. The "crap" added to the stimulus package that the Republicans are pissing about are pennies in this program. If they don't want to put in $100 million for contraception and STD prevention, fine. But to use that as a reason to dismiss the rest of the $849,900,000,000 proposal, as they have done, is total bullshit.

I didn't get into the rest of it. Thirty-three percent of it IS tax cuts that DEFINITELY don't need be there when we are blowing money at the rate of 6-7 trillion a year. Right now we are, giving them grace AND the benefit of the doubt.

Originally Posted by baldheadeddork

On the other side, last night 36 of the 41 Republicans in the Senate voted in favor of an alternate "stimulus" proposal that was 100% tax cuts. That's not a trivial proposal and it doesn't represent just a small segment of the Republican caucus.

WHY do you strictly blame one side....BOTH are fucked. Yes, 850,000,000,000 in in tax cuts is beyond folly. Who's paying the taxes with when the job loss rates are acculturating?

Originally Posted by baldheadeddork

About spending at this level being unsustainable - you're wrong. Relatively speaking, Obama's $850 billion stimulus over two years is nothing. During WWII the government spent at a rate that would be $7 trillion a year in today's economy.

Come on, with all the back stopping from the Fed and Treasury we are easily going at that rate already. Except we don't have quickly available good paying jobs to throw people into (either military or manufacturing) and they didn't START 9,000,000,000,000 in the hole. Nor are were they staring straight down the barrel of a financial system in the process of melting down, with entitlement spending in the process of sky rocketing.

Something has to give.

Not to mention they aren't trying to blow 800 billion building highways, bridges, power ect. Tax cuts and other crap.....that's been my issue the entire time.

[SXSMITH]

Originally Posted by baldheadeddork

It's not a number out of her ass. We're going to lose over a trillion dollars in GDP this year, on top of the losses last year. How much of that do you want to try to prevent? They've decided on $850 billion over two years.

We can lost that, or lose the amount of the new bill PLUS interest.

One is smaller.

The government cannot fix any of this.

BTW, Obama himself has now said it's not a 'stimulus' bill.

It's a SPENDING bill.

No fucking thank you.