As President Obama orchestrates the signing of the stimulus package, is there a nagging doubt among Americans that the Republicans might be right about the debt being incurred for generations to come?
Except for three liberal Republicans, the Stimulus package was rejected by all GOP members in the House and Senate. While the Democrats negotiated with each other as to which one would bring home the best goodies, the Republicans saw an opportunity to present their own platform to the American public.
The GOP strategy emphasized what it called their basic principals--restrained spending, limited government and deep tax cuts. They pointed out how the money voted by the Democrats was loaded with pork, especially Reid's fantasy train to Disneyland. Republicans continued emphasizing that the Democrat's stimulus bill would not cut unemployment or jump-start the economy. And that the out-of-control spending would be a burden for generations of taxpayers now and in in the future.
Obama had to compete for with Republicans as he touted the Stimulus package, appearing at televised town meetings and speaking before organized groups. Challenging him were people like former Masschusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Senator John McCain (R-Ariz) and conservative talk show hosts (which combined reach over 100,000 million Americans) trying to convince Americans that the Stimulus plan spelled a fiscal disaster.
By January 16, 2009, even before the signing ceremony, Obama and his spokemen were warning Americans that miracles should not be expected from the almost $800 billion stimulus bill. Apparently the citizens don't have high expectations because the consumer confidence index fell to 55.7 and continues to drop almost daily.
If the Republicans are right, by November 2010, the country could find themselves with a weakened Democrat President and a GOP House and Senate. If they are wrong, they will be out of the loop for the next eight years.
Cartoon courtesy of BestofWeb.com
Comments
My bet is they are right. I think Obama is in way over his head and he's being led around by Pelosi. Ultimately he will pay a price for this. Unfortunately the country will pay a high price for his inexperience too.
I predict Republican gains in 2010 and Romney as #45 in 2012.
Obama made the mistake of letting Pelosi and Reid write the Stimulus Bill. Obama has a brilliant mind and could have developed the bill in a way that would have been more acceptable and kept the pork out of it. It was a test of his leadership ability and he failed.
The Stimulus Bill contains no reference to Nevada, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, California, or even mag lev. See the bill, H. R. 1, at section H. R. 1-95.
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