GOP Telegraphs Econ Strategy: We Told You So

Senate Republicans telegraphed their political strategy surrounding the stimulus Thursday, saying that if the economy continues to tank over the next several months, they'll be in position to say, in effect, 'We told you so.'

Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and nine other Republicans spoke with reporters Thursday afternoon following their House colleagues' unanimous rejection of President Obama's stimulus package Wednesday evening.

"They can cram down a stimulus package without Republican support," said Kyl, "but if that happens, then when, as we believe, in six months or so, when the American people say, 'Wait a minute, we're not better off. In fact, we're worse off than we were six months ago. Who is responsible for this and what can be done to fix it?' Republicans then are going to be in a position to say, 'We didn't have the input in this and that's why it didn't work.'"

The political telegraph sent by Kyl is the most explicit statement yet of the GOP strategy at play. Even with swift passage of the stimulus package, the rosiest economic forecasts show the economy continuing to deteriorate six months from now.

Democrats, however, intend to continue to blame Republicans for the economic crisis. Even ten years after the stock market crash of 1929, President Roosevelt was still able to pin the Depression on President Hoover and the GOP. Democrats will return to that strategy.

"Here's what I can say to my friend Jon Kyl," said Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) when told of Kyl's remark by the Huffington Post. "The mess we are in we inherited from his president. We are going to do our very best to turn this economy around. We're going to work with Republicans in a constructive way and I hope we can reach a bipartisan accord. But we have been given an unholy mess to deal with and it came from a Republican administration, which he supported."

Majority Leader Harry Reid's spokesman, Jim Manley, predicted that the GOP strategy would backfire. "The House Republicans have made a mistake of epic proportions that they will regret for years to come," he said. "The only question now is whether Senate Republicans are prepared to follow them off a political cliff. There are millions jobs maybe at stake, and all can think of is the failed status quo policies of the past?"

Comments

[JScott]

Kinda telling where the GOP is at 'telegraph' sheez that's so 1800's.

And 'wait 6 months are we better off', let's remember the POTUS himself has stated the fix will not be quick, the GOP still has this short term attitude of Wall St. and look where that got us.

[LeeCalif]

Orders were ............ Let's walk out of this g.d. stuffy room and smile, smile, Smile .

[PlaceboStudman]

Ugh! I wish people would read their history. Admittedly, I didn't know this until recently, but, folks, it was Clinton, a Democrat, and the Democrats in Congress During the Clinton years who are responsibly for this economic collapse. Look up The Glass-Steagall Act of 1933, and some of you may be shocked just how similar the situation was then as to what it is now. The Republicans may not have answers you're looking for, but that's because you're asking the wrong questions. Right now everyone is looking to blame someone else, and like 'coopersmon' who works in bankruptcy here, people are blaming everyone else , when in fact it is our own self righteous belief in entitlement that has gotten us to where WE, yes, we all, Democrats and Republicans, and even independents like me alike are.

[Obamawon]

Ok. Let's say Clinton started it. Bush was in office for 8 years and didn't fix it. He made it worse.

[LDnearthesea]

Placebostuntman: YOU ARE WRONG! Let's start with Reagan and trickle down economics, the Hooverite idea that giving huge tax breaks to the rich creates jobs for working slobs, which it doesn't, becasue the rich take that money and stick in offshore accounts so as to pay even NO taxes. then there was Repugnatncan Sentator from Texas Phil Gramm, in Dec. 2000, when the Repugnantcans controlled the House and Senate, havintg Glass-Stiegal rescinded. You can't make up your own facts!

[shanefish]

They are all to blame, but you forgot to mention the congress was republican run in the 90's. A ton of money was made in the 90's, only to have it evaporate before our very eyes. Americans have been living in LA-LA land for over 20 years! Wake up and demand your government work for you people!

Glass-Steagall repeal = Phil Grahmm, Texas Republican (they hate America if you haven't noticed)

[LeeCalif]

Clinton contributed as did Carter, some, Reagan, a whoooole lot, Bush 1, a whole lot more
and Bush 2, way more than any.

[ebanks84]

Clinton left us in the green, not in the red, so whatever point you're trying to make is pointless because of that fact alone!

[lady49]

Phil Graham
market deregulation
12 Billion per month Iraq war

is what got us here over the last 8 years....

Nothing more, nothing less
All under the former President's approval and direction

[shanefish]

Nevermind the fact that I saw this "downturn" creeping on us over a decade ago, maybe even 2 decades! Am I clairvoyant? No! I just pay attention to my surroundings.

So, I told YOU so!

[kcmookie]

Thanks Pauxatawny Phil, now back into your hole.....

[AnnfromCA]

The Republicans sent a huge message with their vote. Today's editorials are all calling for this bill to be rewritten substantially, separating out true stimulus parts from the spending wish-list parts.

The message is: Slow Down. This is not a good bill.

[TheNuff]

I smell Puma. *sniff*

[Grunty1]

Wrong again.

The true message is: This is a good bill. We cannot let the Democrats undo our damage!

[Progress08]

Wrong! Message is we're a buncha petulant little crybabies who can't get our way so we're going have a tantrum and try to make President Obama look like a meanie. Republicans are pathetic.

[jnah]

no thats not the moral because if they stone wall this through feb it will be month before any money is released, there is no time to delay if a strong signal is to be sent for 2009

[militarymomforobama]

No the message is--we made a huge mess and we have to find some way to get the heat off of us and onto him (Obama). So let's act like we are "conservative" and then pray that he fails so that we can once again run through the streets like drunken sailors.

[Nofuzzydreams]

The Democrats took over Congress in 2006. If things were so bad, why didn't they do something about them? They produce the budget and spending in this country, not the President. Also why didn't Barney and Dodd do anything about Freddie and Fannie in 2006? Because they wanted to give houses to irresponsible people that cannot afford it - in many cases while buying expensive clothes and cars and borrowing like there is no tomorrow. Now they want to bail them out just like they want to bail out California which has the highest taxes and entitlements to unions.

[AnnfromCA]

I don't agree that the purpose was to get poor people into houses. Frankly, I am convinced that Barney Frank didn't even understand the risk Freddie and Fannie were involved in. He didn't grasp what derivatives really were.

Lots of these people do NOT understand much that's not very simple. And the finance guys just danced around, blew smoke, and stupidity ran the show.

Do you know a single person who didn't wonder how this nonsense would end? I didn't. Everyone knew the banks were pushing absolutely isane loans on people. Loans with no documentation required at all? For a house?

Any basic idiot could have voted NO to this. Politics clearly clouded the few good minds left in WA.

And it's doing so again, btw. This stimulus bill is NOT a stimulus bill.

This is yet another Washington bamboozle. It's not going to work. Economists are reversing their support of it right and left. And I'm betting politics will cloud the brains. They'll vote it in anyway, regardless of commonsense.

[gorgol]

you can do a google and find out Bush also supported "homes for the poor"...and in 2006, the DEMS did NOT have a clear majority...and LIEBERMAN voted REPUBLICAN..REMEMBER??

[LeeCalif]

and your point is ...........?

[Nofuzzydreams]

True and it is always a bad idea to hand something out to someone who cannot afford it - except for the truly unfortunate like disabled people. Too many people on food stamps spend money on lipstick or shoes they can do without.

[shanefish]

How can you hold the dems responsible when they've only had 2 years, with 2 wars going on? The republican congress had been in control when ALL of these problems were conceived. The problem is that Americans spend too much money on B.S. and the CEOs line their pockets while the rest of us starve. It is not the poor's fault alone! Yes, 3,500 sq ft homes on $50,000/yr is definatley a major cause, but where were these people supposed to live? Keep renting? I bought my first home at 35 years old (never even lived in one growing up) and did so at 50% less than what I was qualified for. I agree, why should I subsidize the poor decisions of all the people, mostly in the cities, who bought out of their league? But, simply blaming them is not the answer.

[Nofuzzydreams]

Republicans and Bush are to be blamed for uncontrolled spending too but they are not the only one's - thet's my point. And I hate to be defending the CEO's and erxecutives - some of them ar crooks or products of nepotism etc. But a vast majority started out modest, did their homework in school, studied after midnight for the SAT, went to college, worked their buts off then went to work and worked their buts off again to be where they are. One could argue their compensation is disproportionately large but again leaving aside some truly unfortunate people, many people are "poor" because of their own doing - because if you started at WalMart at minumum wage but worked diligently, ssoner or later you will become the supervisor, manager etc. and will no longer be minimum wage.

[Grunty1]

50/50 Split in Congress and a frat boy who finally discovered his veto pen ring a bell??
Awfully hard to pass anything meaningful with the Rush Party being a bunch of children.

[MDinOK]

Becaus the Repubs have filibustered 80x since 2006- making it difficult for Democrats to pass important legislation. Remember, it was your former pres who (in 2002) pushed for these "irresponsible people to purchase a home. Now we see the trouble extending beyond subprime mortgages.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/business/21admin.html?ref=opinion

[LDnearthesea]

And also because of Reid and Pelosi, who have been pathetic leaders. Things would have been different with Kucinich and Feingold in charge. They, for one wouldn't have let Bush scare them with "I'm going to tell everyone you hate the troops and are weak on terror if you don't give me everything I want" regarding the continuing wast eof our tax dollars that was the so-called surge and continuing occupation of Iraq! And then again, and this is where the presidency is almost like a dictatorship, there wasn't enough Democrat votes in either the House or Senate to override Bush's veto power, which he used extensively during 2007 and 2008 on bills passed.

[ConcernedAmerican]

Somehow I doubt six months from now people are going to have forgotten that it was W and the GOP that got us into this mess.

[Grunty1]

That's not why the GOP picked the 6 month timeline for their gloat. They picked it because the best plan imaginable couldn't fix this mess that quickly.

[garymc8]

DOUBT THAT. The internet changed the face of elections by providing an alternative to the corporate owned media. As republicans lose their jobs they will learn to hate the gop like the rest of thinking America. Those banker bonuses with bailout money is ALL GOP ALL THE WAY. Folks thats how they think of you and me: What can we steal from them today? My parents did not forget their depression so why do you think we won't remember our DEPRESSION and the spoiled rich kid president who caused it and did nothing to stop it.

[LDnearthesea]

My parents are in their late 80's and don't forget the Depression. My dad also doesn't forget the help government gave the common and average American, and the poorest American through the New Deal: the jobs building the US highway system from two-lane asphalt roads to four-lane concrete divided highways, the civic auditoriums and post offices built, the Tennesse Valley Authority, the CCC camps for teens to work in forests, the GI Bill after World War Two, and low-cost FHA loans to returning vets,

[bygollymissmolly]

The GOP (Grand Obstructionist Party) is quickly becoming a joke.

[chaz]

The Republicans realize that they have no worries. They have been playing this game for years. They know the national media will never hold them accountable for any thing as a matter of fact the national media will praise them and blame the Democrats. This is the end result of illegal redistricting (which the media never covered and or made fun of the Democrats) and the nearly total take over of the national media by the Republican Party (part of that take over started when Reagan got rid of the FAIRNESS DOCTRINE). At the very least we have to insist on bringing back the FAIRNESS DOCTRINE.

[Nofuzzydreams]

No one stopped the liberal talk show hosts. They have little or no audience because they are no good or are goofy.

[AnnfromCA]

I think Jon Stewart is actually very good.

[Grunty1]

Your reason is completely backwards. Liberals don't listen to talk shows because we don't need someone else to tell us how to think. That's why those programs are so popular with the sheep-like followers on the right.

[lesterbud]

Thanks for being part of the solution and working so hard to get us out of this mess.

You will be remembered for these acts of collective cowardice.

[coopersmom]

I'm currently do bankruptcy work. Yesterday, I got this free spending couple who are the brink of losing everything. Politics came up and the fact that I'm pro Obama (Primarily because he's changing the Bankruptcy laws in a way that will help save homeowners big time.) made them question my thinking. I told them to file BK, sell their homes and then rent, until the economy returns. They thought I was out of my mind because they were going to take what little money they had left and go buy another house back east. Why hang onto what little money you have left when you can blow it all on a house because "We've ALWAYS OWNED. It's what we've ALWAYS DONE." Point being, right wingers seem to have a problem with changing their behaviors even when they've been failed by them. That the Republicans in Washington are this stubborn seems par for the course.

[cornagainstsorcery]

Yup, and on every level. "America has ALWAYS BEEN _______"

[AnnfromCA]

You talked politics with a client?

[Grunty1]

(Primarily because he's changing the Bankruptcy laws in a way that will help save homeowners big time.)

You should read more closely.

[motherforpeace]

Wow, the age old second grader's argument "TOLD YA SO!"

Didn't see that one coming?

Just more of the do nothing strategy....you just can't seem to drill through the wood.

[Tinkeraw]

The picture shows the Republicans as old, stodgy, unbending white men. The picture sums it up.

[nancer]

old,stodgy and unbending is right, they all need to retire now and get a younger generation that understands things. Give Obama a chance...

[garymc8]

STUCK IN 2ND GRADE. I TOLD YOU SO

[springsm]

All they can tell us is that Bush with their help came close to totally ruining this country and all it stands or stood for. They can tell us that they have not had an original thought for years and then can tell us that their main purpose in WA DC other than to suck money out of lobbyists...is to obstruct. So that is what they can tell us that I can print.

[nancer]

He bankrupted every business he ever had, why should he have stoped at the USA.

[Shashi0224]

RepublicanTs.....a disgrace to our country.

[lesterbud]

I like that a lot - RepublicanTs!

You get the credit?

Should get a copyright and start a website.

[Shashi0224]

It came to mind yesterday. After all, they keep calling us the Democrat Party. I hate that.

I wouldn't know how to get it copyrighted......or start a website....but I'd love to!! I'm glad you like it!

Yesterday, when the republicanT, CANTor was in the news, it really hit me......