After-Action Yes, Capitulation No

Submitted by Conn Carroll on Sun, 02/15/2009 - 09:50

Speaker Hastert's long term spokesman John Feehery has a piece in the Politico suggesting "an after action review should be done by congressional Republicans to see what they could have done better" during the stimulus debate. Feehery prefaces:

I don’t think the GOP should cheer too long or too hard about the end results. After all, really bad policy is about to be signed into law by the president. The government will expand dramatically because of this stimulus package. And at some point, the government will have to raise taxes to pay for this spending spree.

I agree with all of this so far. It is always valuable to look back and take an objective look as possible at what worked and didn't work after any legislative battle. So I was eager to see what Feehery's punch line would be:

Some sort of stimulus was going to pass this Congress. It was only a matter of time. But had the Republicans maximized their leverage, coordinated their message better and unfitted their party, they might have forced even more changes to the ultimate package, changes that might have spared the country the pain of stupid spending and the inevitable tax increases that come along with it.

Feehery is dead wrong here. The Democrats control the House, Senate, and White House. They wanted revenge for the Iraq war and they had a decades worth of spending plans that they were dying to see enacted into law. As soon as it was clear that Obama was going to let Obey take the lead writing the bill, it was written in stone that this stimulus bill was going to be a leftist, wet-dream, deficit spending clusterf**k. There was no way Pelosi and co were going to let House GOPers change the essential nature of the bill.

Pretending that there were some minor changes to the bill that House GOPers could have unified and made a stand on, that would have made the bill better, is just pure fantasy. Obama communicated this fact to the GOP when he met with both caucuses. Does Feehery remember Obama's "I won" rhetoric? Obama said there would be no changes to his temporary, class war tax cuts which any true conservative would never sign on to.

The GOP brand is in the toilet now. After eight years of runaway domestic spending under Bush, the GOP has no credibility in sounding the fiscal responsibility alarm. The way to fix this is not more capitulation to massive increases in federal spending.

The GOP needs to learn the lesson of the Medicare Part D expansion. Feehery's bosses thought they could enact the largest expansion of Medicare in the program's history, but make it better by including some free-market elements around the edges like Medicare Advantage and competitive bidding for medical equipment. Well, you know what happened? The competitive bidding was scrapped by Congress before it could ever take effect and Medicare Advantage was gutted this past summer too.

The lesson: Big government is never market friendly. When you expand the size of government, the socialists will always prevail in the end.

The solution here is to take the long view. The GOP should be taking principled policy stands that offer maximum contrast with the Democrats. This stimulus bill is just the beginning of the left's overreach. After this bill Obama will tackle: housing, omnibus appropriations, alternative energy, and health care. All of these will be insanely expensive. And don't think this is the last stimulus bill either. The economy is going to suck for at least another year, and the left can use this as an excuse to pass another stimulus free for all at anytime.

At some point the American public will grow tired of an economy that only stagnates and falls while the deficit spending explosion in Washington continues with no end in sight. I still think 2010 is too early for the GOP to capitalize on the imminent failure of theBush/Obama bailout parade, but if the GOP marks a clear break with Bush's profligate spending, and the Democrats continue to demonstrate that their economic plan is just Bushonomics on steroids, then we have a real shot of making Obama a one-term president.

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Skip the reactionary responses!

Submitted by cr on Sun, 02/15/2009 - 11:35.

I agree reps couldn't have done much to change the bill. And in the short term, there isn't much Reps are going to do except pray that something good happens during next election cycle.

However, I don't think the we-are-not-them and do-nothing approach is going to work. That's basically what's been going on the last many years. And even if the Rep party decided to become financially conservative rather than talking about it, budgets are so low that there will be nothing palitable to cut back on the local level. And they won't have a chance to do it on the federal.

Why not 1) verbally disagree but vote with Dems in principle 2) inch up with small legislation like fixing the tax code, or even start talking entitlements. Maybe nothing will be done with it, but at least start having a plan for the elephant in the room.

Start being proactive, not reactive. Personally, I never sign on to a wait-till-they-fail approach to winning. Maybe that happens as a conseqence of normal election cycles, but thing about it. If you were coaching a kids football team. Would you tell them, "don't do anything big and wait for them to mess up." I would yank my kid off that team if ever I heard something like that. You'll get occasional wins, but you'll never be really good either.

Maybe Carroll is right, but it's just not my style.

Proactivity will, at some point, require Tax Reform

Submitted by section9 on Sun, 02/15/2009 - 22:56.

....And, I should add, severe Entitlement Reform, something Democrats aren't ready to do. It will come because American women are having fewer children. The three-card monte scam known as the Welfare State is going to go bankrupt and with it, the Democratic Party.

However, we need to find a way to prevent this because, my Rethuglican friends, we also need to run the government and provide for the Common Defense.

One Party Regimes always overreach. But we can't wait around for the other guy to screw up. We need to wait until the summer and start offering policies.

Rebuilding the Republican brand

Submitted by lgm on Sun, 02/15/2009 - 14:04.

If Republicans change their behavior, people will change their preceptions. The bailout debate was a great example of the old Republican losing strategy.

They want to be the party of fiacal conservativism. But though Republicans bellyached about deficit spending, they proposed an alternative that had even bigger deficits.

They want to be the party more responsive to concerns of ordinary citizens. But the last election cycle showed that a majority of Americans disagree with the large Bush tax cuts in the upper brackets, so Republicans proposed exactly that.

The want to be the more trusted party. But Republicans repeatedly misrepresented the supposed CBO scoring of the bailout bill. A week after the actual CBO report was issued , Republicans still were representing the partial draft as the real report. This helped Republicans and Fox News lose credibility (if that still is possible).

They want to be seen as less hypocritical, yet they write things like: "And at some point, the government will have to raise taxes to pay for this spending spree." Do they think Americans don't know Republicans just presided over the largest deferred taxation program in history.

Dig faster boys!

Submitted by artigiano on Sun, 02/15/2009 - 16:50.

Apparently, the GOP has not yet learned the lessons of the last two elections. They are still trying to satisfy the insatiable hunger of that all important 25% of the country that represents their "base".

Ron Brownstein called the stimulus bill "a presidency in a box". His point was Obama passed in his first bill, a list of campaign promises and accomplishments that Clinton would have been proud to pass in 4 years.

Think there's not another 5% vote margin buried in there?

Republicans keep digging while in a hole

Submitted by superdestroyer on Sun, 02/15/2009 - 17:01.

The Republicans are trying to make economic proposals after eight years of the Bush Administration's inability to do anything about the economy. If the Repubicans really cared about being fiscal conservatives, they should have cared back in 2001 instead of waiting for the collapse of the Bush Administation and the collapse of the economy.

Until everyone ever associated with the Bush ADministration is gone, there is no hope for the Republicans. Having the idiot Republicans in Congress make no proposals other than tax cuts was horrible. The Republicans have given up talking about immigration, talking about business creation, talking about a good environment for business creations, or talking about improving the private sector.

It seems that the Republicans in Congress are too beholden to a few donors who want lower wages, more immigration, and cheap money instead of caring about the middle class.

We Did Care

Submitted by brienldownie on Mon, 02/16/2009 - 03:23.

after eight years of the Bush Administration's inability to do anything about the economy

This just sounds strange... correct me if I'm wrong but you seem to be implying that things were bad the entire time Bush was in office, and yet, the economic expansion from '03 to '08 was clearly epic.

If the Repubicans really cared about being fiscal conservatives, they should have cared back in 2001 instead of waiting for the collapse of the Bush Administation and the collapse of the economy.

We did care. We didn't like it then, and we sure as hell don't like it now.

<<economic expansion from 03

Submitted by In between on Mon, 02/16/2009 - 07:37.

<<economic expansion from 03 to 08>>

That expansion was from borrowed money for tax cuts and the war. The definition of this is "guns and butter." LBJ did this with Vietnam and the Great Society programs and had the money printed. Hence, inflation for 20 years. I figure it will take 20 years to clean up the Bush mess.

<<We did care>>

Really? There was a guy that replaced Limbaugh for one day and he said deficits were good. Cheney said "deficits don't matter." Republicans in congress said not one word.

So going back to the economic expansion, we saw the deficits and debt piling up 5 years ago. We have seen about 1 trillion dollars leave this country for Iraq, depriving our country of funds. The tax cuts were more for the rich and we watched the middle class jobs go overseas. While Bush paid more attention (incompetent attention) to Iraq, we saw the neglect of our infrastructural, we saw the abandonment of Afghanistan, Iran is the big winner, Pakistan has Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden, and North Korea acquired more nuclear material.

In 2007 Bush said the budget would be balanced in 2012. Just another delusional talking point by Bush.

As far as I care, the Obama stimulus bill makes up for the 1 trillion dollars that went to Iraq.

But I will leave you with these words at the olympics by Bush.

"America, has no problems."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keN12U2coK8

net negative

Submitted by lgm on Mon, 02/16/2009 - 08:59.

you seem to be implying that things were bad the entire time Bush was in office, and yet, the economic expansion from '03 to '08 was clearly epic.

Bush had some good years and some bad years. The net -- the total of all of them -- was negative. The bad overwhelmed the good. Even the best Bush years barely kept up with Clinton's average. The rich did get richer, but median income fell almost every Bush quarter.

wasn't no economic expansion

Submitted by RisingTide on Mon, 02/16/2009 - 12:06.

just an expansion in debt.

learn a littlea bout the real economy, that was busy shutting down.

on the bright side, we did rescue Edison's notebooks. (hell of a tax writeoff that)

Republicans live in a fantasy land

Submitted by gabriel on Sun, 02/15/2009 - 17:05.

I guess you need to lose in 2010 and 2012 before you wake up.

Or beyond

Submitted by Progressive Tra... on Mon, 02/16/2009 - 12:09.

n/t

Keep attacking the stimulus

Submitted by ebohnet on Sun, 02/15/2009 - 22:22.

The GOP ought to seek opportunities to cut some of the waste that was just passed. For example, Obama is supposedly now going to attack the deficit. I expect he will do so principally by cutting defense spending since he likes most domestic spending and wouldn't be able to get serious reductions past Pelosi anyway. The test for his proposed defense cuts should not be whether it is needed to get the deficit under control, but whether it is more important than the most wasteful elements of the stimulus. Similarly, when the Bush tax cuts are set to expire, we should propose "paying" for an extension by eliminating the remaining unspent portion of the stimulus bill. If the Dems suggest some sort of tax increase to pay for their new socialized medicene proposal, we should suggest that the stimulus be cut instead.

Also, it is vital that we keep reminding people how huge the deficits are becoming. Obama will probably try to keep playing his game of "no time to worry about deficits in such a crisis", but we should not let him. The stimulus-enhanced deficit should be another powerful argument against any big new government programs.

We also need to Highlight Chinese and Russian armament programs.

Submitted by section9 on Sun, 02/15/2009 - 23:02.

This kills liberals. They are going to whine like babies when we start hitting them on defense.

They've spent millions of dollars trying to convince Americans that they are tougher on America's potential enemies. Now Obama comes in and wants to start shutting down the major programs designed to recapitalize America's defense so he can pay for the Welfare State.

Naturally, this gives the Russians the the People's Liberation Army Navy and Air Force a hole big enough to drive a truck through.

"This stimulus bill is just

Submitted by Principled Cons... on Mon, 02/16/2009 - 07:10.

"This stimulus bill is just the beginning of the left's overreach." - this is the most significant point to keep in mind. The Democrats can't help but overreach in the coming months. They read the election of Obama as the public embracing a sharp turn to the Left and this their strategic error. The GOP needs to rebuild its infrastructure, message and return to fiscal responsiblilty. The Democrats will implode of their own doing. We just need to be ready to present the solutions that will work: drastic reductions in government services, size and taxes.

The Repubicans have no credbile message.

Submitted by superdestroyer on Mon, 02/16/2009 - 08:51.

In the next two years, what should the Republicans use to rebuild their message? The Republicans cannot even mention fiscal sanity after the eight years of the Bush Adminisration. After the social conservative failures, the Repubicans cannot talk about smaller government and increased freedom. After increasing entitlements, the Repubicans cannot talk about cutting entitlements. After supporting open borders andunlimited immigration and wanting to sell citizenship for $5K, the Republicans have zero credibility with a message aimed at the middle class. After the Republican's in Congress refusal to perform oversight of the government, the Repubicans cannot talk about good government and after the incompetence of the Bush Administration, the Republicans can no longer talk about being the adults in DC.

Instead of trying to rebuild a political party where every demographic trends is against conservatives and the Democrats are buying friends at a massive level, what conseravtives need to do is decide how to limit the future problems but that solution will not be inside the now irrelevant Republican Party.

new leaders and voices need to emerge

Submitted by Dan D on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 10:28.

The Republicans in Congress were able to vote together to oppose the bad legislation that was the "stimulus" bill, but did themselves no credit in how they went about it, and the impressions left behind to the electorate.

The general public took away several messages from the stimulus fight:

Gee, this economy is scary bad, somebody is at least doing something about it, that's good.

I don't know if they are doing the right thing with the contents of this bill, but what is the alternative?

Republicans all voted NO, press and the administration says they were just being partisan.

The only things I heard Republicans say were Pork is in this bill, it's too expensive (gee, didn't the Republican congress spend a lot a few years ago?), some portion of the money is going to protect a mouse. Gosh, it's good to protect the environment, isn't it?

What the general public did NOT hear was:

Stimulus and economic reform is urgently needed, here are specific actions that would help the middle class and start fixing the broken parts of the economy, but the Democrats will not let us enact these good plans. The Democratic plan has these specific flaws that would in fact make the economy worse rather than better, while we have a better plan. We the GOP in Congress don't like how this bill is being rushed, but what is important is getting the policy right, and Congress needs to take another week or two to debate this, or we will take mistaken action that will hurt rather than help the middle class.

Instead the quotes were about a few silly spending measures in the bill and sneering about socialism and ridiculing "environmental protection" clauses. With such lousy control of the GOP message there were few if any ordinary, worried Americans convinced that the bill needed to be challenged and the GOP was ready to lead.

Fresh leaders and new voices must emerge before the basis of opposition can be cemented in people's minds as principled commitment to competent and prudent governance. Until then, the House and Senate Republicans are irrelevant, speaking to a dwindling portion of the electorate as the economy worsens and government grows without restriction.

Amen!

Submitted by Progressive Tra... on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 11:26.

Fresh leaders and new voices must emerge before the basis of opposition can be cemented in people's minds as principled commitment to competent and prudent governance.

The GOP leadership in the House & Senate have to go before the public even begins to consider the Republican Party as having a shred of credibility.

Kick them to the curb

Submitted by artigiano on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 13:07.

Keeping McConnell and Boehner in position was pretty much throwing the 2010 elections. The guys who created the problems of 2006 and 2008, are not going to find the solutions for 2010 and 2012.

But Hannity and the good

Submitted by acinphx on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 13:22.

But Hannity and the good folks at Red State were excited about Rep. Minnick's "bare bones" stimulus plan. Rep. Minnick is a Blue Dog Dem from Idaho who proposed a much smaller bill that they hailed as targeted, temporary and timely. I can't personally evaluate the merits of his proposal but I think I can evaluate the take-away from their promotion of it: the best they could get behind was in fact a Dem proposal, albeit of the Blue Dog variety.

Message: Even we don't look to the GOP for real solutions. But hey, if you're in the market for one, check out a Blue Dog Dem.

And what part of this strategy is supposed to send voters flocking to the arms of the GOP when/if the economy falters further? It's a mystery to me.

Krugman and Roubini and all the economists

Submitted by RisingTide on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 13:35.

say that this stimulus is too little. it's ironic that minnick wants a yet smaller one, and yet so apt for someone in such a republican district.