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

[justoverit333]

We're cleaning up their president's mess as
usual. We have to give this thing a shot. At
least this time we'll have more oversight over
where the money is going. Unlike Bushie
and Paulson, who didn't care that their rich
buddies got huge bonuses.

[Rapid Ray]

The Republicans are so well entrenched into the fantasy that they have done nothing in the last eight years to wreck the economy that they continue to believe that we are all too stupid to see through their BS.

Is this the kind of leadership we want? Posers who think the American people are blind to the truth, are more than willing to see us all fail to make themselves look like they are competent and see us as sheep?

Can't wait for the next election..­.

[teasley]

What is the problem here? The Democrats have all the power. They have the "mandate". They make the rules. If their plan is so great, pass it. That way they can claim all the credit.Per­haps they don't believe this will do anything more than create some more dependents. Maybe they are just too gutless to put this in effect without the cover of some Republican votes, so that they can claim Bipartisanship if it fails.

[Shashi0224]

It's amazing to listen to republicants. They would complain if Democrats put through what they wanted, saying they weren't consulted. But, when consulted, talked to, listened to, they made their minds up prior to vote against ANYTHING President Obama did. The mess is theirs. The clean-up is ours, and we will do so....whil­e the republicants try to keep us in the hole they dug.
Republican­ts....Part­y First.....­Country be damned.
That should be their slogan!
Americans will not fall for that any more. The last two elections are proof of that. The problem is, republicants only listen to Fox news and Rush Limp Balls, so they have no idea what the PEOPLE are thinking. They are truly out of touch!

[cornagainstsorcery]

Or maybe we're tired of governance being a constant election campaign instead of working on behalf of the public that elects the people to government. I have no doubts the plan will work. I've read my history. And, like most Americans, I'm sensible enough to know that an economic crisis years in the making is not cured in two economic quarters.

[bygollymissmolly]

You and your ilk still don't get it. YOU LOST! So, it's now time for you to SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP. This is what you said to the Democrats for 8 long years, so it's your turn now.

[bellabeach]

You are part of the problem and you are too old and ignorant to realize W, your man, helped to destroy a trillion + surplus in eight years, so if it take Pres. O a little longer to replenish you should keep your collective mouths shut and pray you are not collecting unemployment in 2012!

[fredamae]

Hey! PUBS! It Is the Economy that Your boy bush set in place With Your Help! No, WE don't forget, Not anymore.
So, My best advice to you is to Help create Solutions to the problems. So far you have wished an economic Disaster to befall Americans. You have voted against Solutions that You cannot possibly know whether or not it will work Because this type of collapse is Unprecedented! Yet you refuse to Work with the First Admin that is Willing to at least TRY to work towards the good for All.

All 7 of you little dissenters need to go to the corner and rest your brown little repub noses until you can come out and "play nice" with the rest of the kids.

[chocolatecity]

Even if the economy does continue to go down. I doubt folks will say "darn it, they should have done the tax cuts"

[Shashi0224]

It's been proven that tax cuts DON'T work to stimulate the economy. Been proven over and over again. RepublicanTs dig us in a hole with them, and then we have to dig us out. Yet THEY never learn.
Luckily, we, the American people, are now wide awake and we are watching what the republicants are doing....w­e've caught on to their game plan. They didn't even change their strategy at half-time.­......they are losers.
But, we need to do what we need to do, so their stupidity doesn't bring our whole country to its knees.

[scjk67]

man the rethuglicans are just plain clueless (stoopid), all they care is about their party and the rich fat cats that voted for them. not once i ever hear from rethugs saying how they'll fix this country! all they say is CUT CUT CUT CUT. thats not fixing anything for the rest of the Americans, and these rethugs are still clueless why they've been ousted since 2006! 21 more months from now the rethugs loses another 30 seats to house and senate and scratch their heads what went wrong? jeeezus, stupid is as stupid done!!

[Tommygun264]

Who among us is buying into the pub line? "Just say no" is not a viable alternative. I keep hearing the pubs claiming the mantle of the party of ideas, but their only idea has been to obstruct and destroy.

[scjk67]

EXACTLY!!

[Shashi0224]

That's all it's been since Reagan. They are a sad, mean, hateful, disgusting bunch of wealthy, privileged white men.

[LeaderofMen]

Given that the vast majority of Republicans left in DC are the hard-core Jesus thumpers, don't expect any concessions, or help or any reason out of them.

Jesus-thumpers are NOT reasonable people. Jesus-thumpers operate strictly in accordance to authority structures they make up as they go along. This is because their entire mental framework is based on Medieval philosophical modes and patterns. Or worse, they're based on Bronze Age mythologies.

Jesus-thumpers don't deal in reality. They deal in beliefs. Their beliefs are far more important than reality. The Jesus-thumping Republicans still in DC are LEFT OVER FROM THE BUSH DAYS.

They have no interest in stepping into the 21st century. If they did, the economy would be turning around already.

The Dems better get that Rooseveltesque strategy in place right now because Jesus-thumping Republicans can be quite shrill once they get started talking smack.

[oo7curtis]

Amen!

[stardot]

Again in the eyes of the Republican, there are "people who do not matter". As soon as you go from being a "have" to a "have not", you no longer matter.

Politicians care only about money and votes. This strategy of betting that the economy will get worse and they will be able to blame the Democrats is risky, but they will always "have each other to lean on."

The alternative, to actually help out with fixing the problems, to work and solve things? Not until the money and/or votes are at risk.

It never fails to amaze me when people will actually vote against their own interests or the best interests of our country, just to keep someone else from having a chance at a better life, or a chance to improve jobs for someone else.

[instarx]

2010 and the next round of Congressional elections are only 21 months away folks. Let's get rid of the rest of these miserable failures then.

[instarx]

Republicans are such hypocrites. Their talking points when financial matters are bad during a republican president is always 1)presidents don't control the economy, and 2) its a lag effect from the last Democratic president.

But NOW they give Obama six months to "fix" the economy or they will blame him for it!?

These people should be tarred, feathered and shoved across the Mexican or Canadian borders.

[LeaderofMen]

Or into the Atlantic, Pacific or Gulf. That way they won't poison our neighbors too.

[Paisano]

A couple of months...n­o no no... Repopposites are on the wrong side....ag­ain!

[truthyguy]

The crisis is not now when people are being laid off and businesses closing. The crisis will be in a few months when those unemployed people will have run through their savings and be unable to pay their rent, mortgages, food bills, etc.

Of what possible benefit to those people would be a republican strategy of lowing taxes on the wealthy and hoping the wealthy will use the money to employ people? Ignoring the fact that any tax cut would not even come into play for a year, the wealthy won't employ anyone additional or expand their businesses because there is no reason to since no one has money to buy their products or services. Instead, the wealthy will want to keep their tax savings in case they have financial problems.

[greatlardini]

The GOP told us this was going to happen years ago when their Congressional majority passed and Dubya signed such flawed economic and foreign policies. Two wars and tax cuts? Puh-leeze. Don't tell us we told you so--we know so--everytime we go to the grocery store, buy school clothes, or fill the tank with gasoline.