Thank you. I had a feeling that the numbers floated were false.

Boehner and the GOP are lying?

What a surprise!

I don't know how anyone could question their math. After all, look at all the jobs created by the previous rounds of tax cuts. But for those we wouldn't be enjoying the prosperity we have today.

By now I'm no longer surprised they continue to say this stuff. I'm mildly surprised that they can say it with a straight face. What's really surprising is that these statements aren't greeted with uproarious laughter from everyone present.

I think the Obama v. Limbaugh dynamic is terrific for us. The more Limbaugh is used as the leader of Republican thought, the better.

Remember, the entire Republican economic plan is literally based on a napkin drawing, the one that Laffer drew his curve on over cocktails back during the Reagan Catastrophe.
Never has an economic foundation been more appropriately named than the Laffer Curve.

And as for the success of 'trickle-down,' I think it was George Kennedy who said it best, in one of those mid-60's prison flicks:
"Don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining."

Thanks for running this down Elana. When I heard the bonehead's claims last night I assumed that it would turn out to be yet another Republican slight of hand trick. Thanks again for doing the heavy lifting.

Correction: That quote was from "The Outlaw Josey Wales", and the actor was John Vernon, also remembered as Dean Wormer in "Animal House".

But it still accurately captures the warm, yellow sickliness of trickle-down economics.

Yeah, I believe this used to be called "dynamic scoring" by them. Flim-flam artistry at it's worst.

Never listen to a Republican when it comes to economics. I heard Broehner talking about tax cuts as an alternative to goverment spending in terms of stimulating the economy and in the same sentence indicate he was a supply side economist. If he had any understanding of supply side economics, he would know that one of the main propositions is that increasing spending, through either tax cuts or government spending, does not stimulate the economy, the assumption being that markets are so efficent and workers and employees so well informed that aggregate demand and aggregate supply will equalize almost immediately, creating the same level of employment that existed before the spending. I can only assume that Broehner is operating in some kind of Keynesian or Neo-Keynesian framework, in which case it would make sense to have the government spend the stimulus money directly given that consumer confidence is so low and that monetary policy is futile due to rock bottom interest rates. Even if interest rates could be lowered no one would lend because we're in an f***'n liquidity crisis.

Delong has a good post on this:

http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2009/01/dueling-multipliers.html

"Hmmm... I get 4 million {not 6.2] in the short run using the Romer & Romer multiplier estimate, falling over time and becoming substantially negative after five years as the national debt climbs rapidly. I wonder what hack they have cooking their numbers.

And on the basis of the Romer and Romer multipliers, the Obama fiscal boost plan would create 8.7 million jobs..."

Good post/points, someone's got to voice this on cable news - it running all Republicans, all the time!

It certainly comes as no surprise that the Republican leadership would resort to fabrication and distortion in an attempt to make their case.

On one point they may be correct and that involves the impact of tax cuts on GDP. In the spring of 2008 Americans were given a rebate check and GDP went from slightly negative to positive 2.5%. The other half of the claim falls flat on its face. Every single month in 2008 saw a loss of jobs. Perhaps the job losses would have been more severe without the rebate checks but one thing is abundantly clear; any impact was marginal at best -- certainly not 6.2 million jobs created at they claim. Apparently they think that everybody has really, really short memories.

I'm sure that American's have had it with trickle down economics and will tune out this hucksterism coming for the GOP.

Obama has given the Republicans all the rope they need. They have knotted it about their own necks.

Now it's time to spring the trap door, with a combination of politics and prosecutions.
There is no reason why the Republicans shouldn't be eliminated from Americans politics, and replaced with a party which can function as something more than a criminal conspiracy. Of course, for a party representing the same interests as the present Republicans, that will be almost impossible

But these go to 11????

Wonder why Romer hasn't made a statement abou this?

Lemme guess. It was all tax cuts and nothing else, right?
Didn't Einstein define insanity as doing the same thing over and over expecting different results?

I am so sick of these stupid senate rules where a minority can block the will of the majority. Counting on both hands you would have fingers left over for every republican in congress who even had a working understanding of economics.

Ignorant authoritarian loudmouths. The country votes overwhelmingly for Obama and a progressive liberal agenda and it is being blocked at every turn by idiots who brought us our current disaster.

Mental trash like Backmann out there claiming she represents "the people" when she is in the minority is outrageous. Seems we will not get anything accomplished till we start eliminating greedy wall street bankers who have stolen our national healthcare and energy alternatives or combating global warming. We have a media constantly parading speakers who need to just STFU because they only care about money, power and party...not the people or our democracy.

Where in a democracy was there ever any rationalization for 41 senators being capable to stop the will of the majority. WHY? Why not make it 10 senators or just say if 1 disagrees then throw out the legislation. I'm beginning to support the idea that the senate should be abolished. When Utah has the same number of senators as California it becomes clear they do not fairly represent "We the People".

Where Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) can run as a liberal democrat and within 6mos remove her contact web site and start turning into a republican...(From Hullabaloo)
"
Claire McCaskillsays it's absolutely essential that old and sick people don't ruin everything:

Just came from bipartisan meeting on fiscal discipline. We must deal with entitlement reform. Very hard, but absolutely essential.
20 minutes ago from web

Entitlemnt reform is making sure Medicare & Soc Sec don't devour every penny of our budget leaving nothing for education or other services.
12 minutes ago from web

Apparently, they didn't receive the memo that Peter Orszag has transformed the argument from "entitlement reform" to health care reform. Somebody ought to get Claire a copy."

She never said a word against all the Bush war money or bank deregulation or defense spending but my god old people or disabled sick should just die before we increase funding to them. She forgets who got her elected but she won't forget who gets her un-elected unless she remembers why we voted for her.

The senate is allowing a conservative minority to obstruct the restoration of our democracy and our economy turning us into the Hypocrisy of the USA