The Republicans are setting themselves up for failure.

[Drunken Irishman]

And they don't even realize it.

Obama's stimulus package is going to pass. It may be narrow in the senate, but it will pass. If Republicans aren't on board, when this thing turns around, and it will, they won't be able to take any credit for its success.

When that happens, they'll take an even bigger hit than they did the past four years, because Americans will see who really helped the economy and who played partisan politics while the country burned.

[MADem]

1. They're so weak at this juncture it doesn't matter. The shoe is on the other foot.

That faint squeaking you hear in the distance is them whining about their lack of clout.

It doesn't matter what they do--no one will notice, either way.

[WCGreen]

13. They are surely but it sure looks a if the Media think they are

till relevant. Johnny never got this much coverage when he was the majority leader when Bush was president. The media looks like they are propping up the GOP when they trot out all republicans who can breathe...

[MADem]

16. The media is back to their old role--FOLLOWING the news, not inventing it.

They just haven't quite "gotten" that yet.

In time, as more and more people fart in their general direction when they make stupid pronouncements, they'll get the spirit.

Here, let me get that ball rolling, and freeze 'em out!!

Take this, media: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfABnAS5i9Q

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Humans are the only animals that don't learn from history

the same happened in the 1930s with the New Deal, and they have been fighting against the New Deal ever since

Now they will fight against the New Deal and New Deal II

[Unsane]

12. um, dogs?

Dogs generally haven't learned about the mistakes they made during the Dog Wars of 1743.

[high density]

3. I think we're going to be in the shitter for a couple of years

The stimulus will hopefully just shorten the plunge. The Repukes are running for 2010, hoping for a repeat of 1994.

[Drunken Irishman]

6. Oh we'll be in the shitter for a while, but I think you'll start to see things turn around.

And the Republicans only won in 1994 because of missteps by the Clinton administration, frankly, I think Obama's seems more disciplined.

We'll see, though.

Fortunately, I think in two years, Republicans will still be on the outside looking in.

[Andy823]

10. I agree.

Their game plan seems to be to stop Obama from making anything work, and that will "NOT" go over with millions of republicans who have lost their jobs, and want to see some change after 8 years of Bush failures! Rush and the other idiots may be promoting that Obama "must" fail, but only the real die hard brain dead are going to go along with the idea that Obama's plans must fail for the good of the "party", and the hell with people and the country! I think by the time 2010 rolls around they will have figured it out by looking at the polls, but by then it will be to late for most of the republicans running for office!

Obama knows what he is doing, and it will work!

[Shiver]

8. I'm hoping this stimulus will be a first step

Followed by another one late this year or early next. Regardless, things are gonna be tough for a while, but if we can stop the bleeding in a year or so it'll be a great start.

[RichGirl]

4. They are going for broke.

They will take the risk of being wrong, apparently hoping that the stimulus package is a huge failure and then being right.

If they were smart, they would express their concerns but be supportive and hopeful. That way, they would come out clean regardless of what happens. But, they aren't smart....

[Cronus Protagonist]

5. They'll take credit any way, either way

Haven't you been watching the last couple of decades?

[ZombieHorde]

7. All Republicans have to do is lie, saying they supported it, while the Dems were against it,

and many many people will believe them.

[Still Sensible]

9. To some extent, but I would caution

that it really looks as if their strategy is not to simply hope it doesn't work (Limbaugh's bullshit notwithstanding)... but rather to exploit each and every small component that ultimately doesn't work. It's typically the way the GOP has faught these kind of battles.

[MarjorieG]

11. How do we know if it works? The media? Competing economists?

How long will it take, and what is the gauge?

The GOP need to be seen on board or they will proclaim failure, push for it, out of hand. Certainly would slow their efforts to frame a failure.

Given their gross, supply-side ineptitude over these years, having a war in Iraq off the budget (with tax cuts to the wealthy), no investment, we need to remind on every TV show how we got here. That's on top of deregulation mania.

[ObamaKerryDem]

14. GOP as it stands now=EPIC FAIL.

:evilgrin:

[yellowcanine]

15. Never underestimate the Republicans' ability of denial and rationalization.

Case in point - the Republicans trying to pressure Holder about possible Bush crimes. As if that is a proper line of questioning for an AG candidate.