GOP Resistance to Obama's Stimulus Plan; Obama: "I Won." Plus: House Republicans Adopt New Strategy

by Damozel | The GOP were complaining about the stimulus plan even before Obama was sworn in, so it isn't surprising they're still griping.

The Democratic response?  ""Yes, we wrote the bill. Yes, we won the election," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters yesterday, saying Republicans were not being realistic in their expectations."  (WaPo)  ""As he left the White House, House Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina was asked about Republican complaints that Democrats aren’t listening to what their GOP colleagues have to say. “We’re responding to the American people,” he said. “The American people didn’t listen to them too well during the election.”" (Politico)  To Republican leaders who met Obama at the White House today, Obama said "matter of factly," "“I won.” " (Politico; via memeorandum)

Ha ha ha ha!  Though one of Politico's sources says that Obama's statement didn't sound quite "so boldly partisan" as it sounds out of context, I'm all for this sort of brisk and straightforward refusal to roll over for the Republicans every time they whinge about being left out.   

Politico reports:

[Obama's] statement was prompted by Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl of Arizona , who challenged the president and the Democratic leaders over the balance between the package’s spending and tax cuts, bringing up the traditional Republican notion that a tax credit for people who do not earn enough to pay income taxes is not a tax cut but a government check.

Obama noted that such workers pay Social Security and Medicare taxes, property taxes and sales taxes. The issue was widely debated during the presidential campaign, when Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee, challenged Obama’s tax plan as “welfare.”

With those two words — “I won” — the Democratic president let the Republicans know that debate has been put to rest Nov. 4 .

The GOP, as we'd already heard, has its own brave and original plan:  tax cuts!

As expected, the GOP alternative focuses primarily on tax cuts over increased federal spending. After their meeting with the president, Republicans continued to express concern over the spending in the $825 billion package, even though Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Congress would likely meet Obama’s mid-February deadline.

Instead of a tax credit for individuals making $75,000 or less or families making less than $150,000, Republicans would like to reduce the tax rate by 5 percent on those Americans in the lowest tax brackets, from 15 percent to 10 percent and 10 percent to 5 percent....

Republicans would also like to allow small businesses to take a tax deduction equal to 20 percent of their earnings to "free up funds for small businesses to retain and hire new employees," according to talking points released after the meeting.

Republicans in the House would also like assurances in the bill that Congress will not raise taxes to pay down the $550 billion in federal spending laid out in the Democrats' bill.

In order to stabilize the housing market, Republicans would also like to grant a $7,500 tax credit to homebuyers who put down 5 percent on the purchase price of their home. (Politico)

Pelosi says that Republican voices have been heard and many tax cuts they wanted are already in the bill. (Politico)  The New York Times reports:

Rather than the Democratic leadership’s springing an economic stimulus bill on Republicans, House Democrats held a full Appropriations Committee “‘markup” session to consider the measure — a type of public meeting held infrequently of late. A handful of Republican amendments were accepted though Republicans seem inclined to oppose the House bill.

Steve Benen remarks:

What Republicans seem to be missing here is that they shouldn't be treated as equal partners -- they're a small congressional minority whose economic ideas helped create the mess Democrats are now trying to clean up.

We're left with the same dynamic that's existed from the beginning of the process: the Obama administration can pursue a better bill that passes with 60 votes, or a weaker bill that passes with 80. The priority should obviously be the quality of the package.

David Weigl comments here on the strategy of House Republicans now that the age of Bush is over.  And it's an interesting piece.

House Republicans are in unfamiliar and politically unpromising territory. Unlike their counterparts in the Senate, they have very few methods of slowing down or stopping legislation they don’t like. Their influence was reduced two weeks ago by a rule change that effectively prevents members of the minority party from forcing votes on controversial amendments, one of the few cudgels the party had in the House.

In response, Republicans are attempting to link themselves to the popular Obama administration while criticizing the work of the Democratic Congress. The goal is to oppose Democratic policy without being seen as opposing or obstructing the president, a posture that, they hope, will put them in better position.....

Republican sources did not label the strategy “triangulation,” as a report in Roll Call did yesterday. But they did not deny that the portrayal of Obama as a working partner and the congressional Democrats as obstinate partisans was a reflection of the popularity of the two branches. The new president boasts approval ratings north of 70 percent; the Congress is mired in the 30s. “His message is bipartisanship,” said one Republican, referring to the president. “Their message is ‘trust us to spend your money.’”....The current crop of Republicans hope to define their differences with Democrats, and to curry favor with the public, by letting themselves be courted by the popular president.

Meanwhile, here's everyone sitting down together to forge a new recovery plan and looking certainly looking confident... 

Meanwhile a former Bush speechwriter calls Obama "the most dangerous man ever to occupy the Oval Office" (Greg Sargent).  This is because many --- though by no means all --- Republicans are abject cowards who would rather flush the Constitution down the toilet than face the terrorist threats like the brave and free nation we are.. 

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Comments

[Ron Russell]

With the new stimulus plan are we head toward some form of socilism? Big government has all the answers!! Hope we don't end up having to eat cow dung like Mugabe's subjects in Zimbabwe are having to do. Will Obama install a brand of socialism, should I dare say--Kenyan Keynesianism. Yes, will the New transparent Obama administration produce the original of his (closely guarded) birth certificate. How about that openness Chief Obama.

[Daniel Foster]

Spending hard-earned political capital is one thing, telling the Republicans the conversation is over before it starts is another.

http://politic.ology.com/2009/01/23/obama-woe-be-to-the-vanquished-gop/