Taking Their Cues From The New York Times, GOPers Go All Financial Crisis, All the Time
In his Times opinion column this morning, David Brooks urged Republicans to adopt a singular focus on the financial crisis as a way of countering President Obama's agenda. As Brooks wrote:
Republicans could admit that they don't know what the future holds, and they're not going to try to make long-range plans based on assumptions that will be obsolete by summer. Unlike the Democrats, they're not for making trillions of dollars in long-term spending commitments until they know where things stand....
Do I expect them to shift course in this manner? Not really.
But Brooks appears to have underestimated his own influence. Senior Republicans came out in force today to contend that the financial crisis was getting short shrift from the White House, expanding on the "Obama is distracted" meme that Matt has blogged about this week to accuse the president of not tackling the economy as intensely as he should.
House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) relayed the new message loud and clear, as The Hill reports:
Following the GOP's weekly conference meeting, the second-ranking House Republican told reporters that President Obama should be focusing on the "economic crisis," as opposed to holding four-hour meetings on healthcare, as the president did last week. The efforts may be laudable, Cantor said, but the White House should be devoting all resources to fixing the economy and not to "impose these cap-and-trade schemes."
And Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) echoed the assertion that Obama's team needs to do more intense work on the economy. "I wish Secretary Geithner and the president would actually begin to solve the problem that's Number One, the credit crisis," he told me today, urging the president to "attend to the problems of the most importance to our country first."
The GOP also seems to be moving forward on Brooks' other recommendation this morning: the introduction of a coherent conservative alternative to the Obama administration's financial policies. Ideas under consideration include a tax credit to homebuyers who make a 5% down payment, tax benefits for those who sell investment properties ... and likely more breaks in the tax code.
Josh
Matt
Eric
I still don't get how "concentrate more on the economy!" and "stand in the way of the President's plans on the economy!" are compatible strategies
March 10, 2009 5:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Apparently the republicans can't multitask. Didn't McCain try the same tactic? If I remember correctly, that did not work out so well for him.
Republicans: He who ignores the past is destined to recite our talking points.
March 10, 2009 5:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe I'm out of my gourd, but I don't understand why you would offer a tax credit to someone who wants to put more inventory into the housing market?
That could very well be the dumbest thing I've ever heard.
March 10, 2009 5:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wait a day or two. The Rethugs always find ways to out-dumb themselves.
March 11, 2009 8:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Are they suggesting that the president sit around and twiddle his thumbs until the DOW tops 14K again? Isn't that what Bush did for the last 4 months of his administration?
March 10, 2009 6:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
No, that's what Bush did for eight years.
When he wasn't busy screwing things up, that is.
March 10, 2009 6:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Brooks had some very good arguments for Republicans. Too bad we don't have many Democrats making arguments like Herbert:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/opinion/10herbert.html?_r=1
"As hard as it may be to believe, the peak income year for the bottom 90 percent of Americans was way back in 1973, when the average income per taxpayer, adjusted for inflation, was $33,000. That was nearly $4,000 higher, Mr. Johnston pointed out, than in 2005.
Men have done particularly poorly. Men who are now in their 30s — the prime age for raising families — earn less money than members of their fathers’ generation did at the same age.
It may seem like ancient history, but in the first few decades following World War II, the United States, despite many serious flaws, established the model of a highly productive society that shared its prosperity widely and made investments that were geared toward a more prosperous, more fulfilling future.
The American dream was alive and well and seemingly unassailable. But somehow, following the oil shocks, the hyperinflation and other traumas of the 1970s, Americans allowed the right-wingers to get a toehold — and they began the serious work of smothering the dream."
March 10, 2009 6:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's a very good article. And every word of it is true. The problem with the way our political structure is currently set up is we have one hard-right political party who has moderates like Specter and Collins who can be counted on make noise about bipartisanship, but to bow to pressure from their right, and one "centrist" party with "moderates" like Ben Nelson and Bayh who can be counted on to buy into whatever rightwing talkingpoints happen to be floating around, regardless of how inane, and pull the party further to the right. We need healthy, legitimate debate, and the Republican party isn't capable of that, and hasn't been for a very long time.
Unfortunately, in the strictest realpolitik sense, this has been a strength for them. And it has gradually weakened this country.
March 10, 2009 7:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree. For the most part, Democrats have been so intimidated they've forgotten how to debate. At most they try to reframe a Republican talking point. Lead, damn it, Dems. You won. Liberate yourself from reactive mode. You can do more than respond to David Brooks. Lead.
March 10, 2009 9:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Amen.
March 10, 2009 11:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
So, do you think the republicans will ask D. Brooks to become their new chairman after they figure out a way to dump Steele? Na, he thinks about too many things at once and he rode in a taxi with M. Dowd recently AND he probably wouldn't apoligize to Limbaugh in a timely fashion.
March 11, 2009 6:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
Republicans have no business saying anything about how Obama is cleaning up the mess they made. Its like the kids sitting around the table and whining about the way mom mops up the spilled milk. Someone ought to spank them.
March 11, 2009 11:05 PM | Reply | Permalink