Robert Reich pretty much stated the Republican position and plan

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

He said that the economy probably won't recover fully within 2 years and that more bad stuff is to come. The Republicans are planning now for a repeat of 94 where they can say "It wasn't our plan, we didn't vote for it and everyone should listen to us."

He said this on Staphy's show.

I can see that happening. We pass the plan anyway, because we must, get no credit and all the blame.

The bill is still being crafted. It is up to Democrats to sincerely try to create the best bill they possible can that will yield the best results and be willing to explain and educate the public in the next 2 years to prevent this outcome.

[Skink]

1. I hope Obama was listening.

[AndyA]

2. Which is exactly why every Democrat needs to FORCE the GOP to OWN this mess.

They created it.

Make them OWN IT. Shove it down their f*cking throats. Make every last Republican gag on it for the next 4 years. Americans will be sick of hearing about it, but it will prevent the GOP from placing the blame for the mess on the Democrats.

It took 8 long, miserable, abusive years to create this mess. It isn't going to get fixed overnight.

DEMOCRATS: MAKE THE REPUBLICANS OWN THIS MESS THEY'VE DESIGNED, CREATED, AND IMPLEMENTED!

Also: investigating Bush and filing charges against his administration for criminal acts will also go a long way to negate anything the GOP might think they're going to pull off. They've been very bad, now let's let the American people see them with their hand in the cookie jar.

[KoKo]

6. Remember it's "Morning in America for Bi-Partisanship" that's how we have to keep winning!

:eyes:

[AndyA]

10. Yeah, it's worked so well for us in the past, hasn't it?

We win one, lose another. The GOP continues to frame the issues to their benefit.

Democrats need to learn. We voted for CHANGE. That means doing it differently going forward. The Republicans don't understand bipartisanship, and they don't want it. It's their way or they're going to obstruct, lie, and steal to get what they want.

It's been that way long enough that any reasonably intelligent person should have figured it out by now.

[watrwefitinfor]

11. AndyA, you have made the most important post I have read today.

MAKE THE GOP OWN IT.

They are following the exact same rule book they did with Clinton, and I sense the newt's fine hand behind their disgusting strategy. Especially after he showed his face this morning. He is up to his same old tricks. We knew someone was writing their script, and I never believed for a minute it was Rush Limbaugh. They are looking for congressional and senate gains in 2010. They are pulling out all the stops. And they are doing it in lockstep once more.

This morning they were actually carrying on everywhere about how Bush inherited an economic crisis, but pulled us out of it and created 6 million jobs (!!) over the next 8 years. And that it was then Obama, working with Bush, who got the country into this new economic mess. I think it was Steele, but I swear they all sound just alike so I'm not certain who said it.

They are all spouting the same crap, nonstop. We have to make them eat it. And Obama needs to get busy at it, as do we.

And this needs to be in it's own thread.

Wat

[Richardo]

3. Not only that, but the GOP is already building expectations for a *six-month* turn-around

"When the public see things aren't better in six months blah blah blah...."

So yeah, in two years they'll be calling this a massive failure.

Reich is one of the best analysts out there.

[DCBob]

4. Did you notice Gingrich's evil grin when he said that?

Reich is absolutely on the mark.

[KoKo]

7. I wouldn't be surprised to see Gingrich run in 2012. He's rebuilding his "brand" as they say...n/t

[DCBob]

8. The hard core conservatives love him. He is the closest thing to the new "Ronnie" out there now.

I wonder though if he can pull it off with all the negative baggage he has.

[uponit7771]

12. Yeap, but he'll have to tear away from George Bush policies and he wont be able to.

[high density]

17. Gingrich can grin all he wants

The problem for the Repubes is that they've offered no serious alternatives.

[tekisui]

5. They are working towards and wishing for American Failure.

I hope to capitalize on our misery. God, I hate those fucking repukes.

[TeamJordan23]

9. Its no secret they want America to fail for their own benefit. nm

[uponit7771]

13. Limbaugh was the only reThug being honest

[sandnsea]

14. We have to start being noisier than they are

The only reason they have any power on this is because the right organized and we didn't.

[seasat]

15. And that is the reason, they've done their best to water it down.

By taking the most effective measures out of the stimulus plan to get a few Repub votes, they've made it less effective. The Repubs still are not going to vote for it. The Obama team ought to scrap those compromises and push for restoration of those cuts in the bill during the negotiations between the house and the Senate. They ought to push to make such effective stimulus like aid to the states, food stamps, and infrastructure even higher than originally in both bills. When the bill gets back to the Senate, Reid should declare it a Budget bill and use reconciliation} to negate the ability of Repubs to invoke cloture.

The Repubs used the "budget" to pass their tax cuts that helped create this mess. Since they're going to claim its a Democratic bill and not vote for it, we might as get an effective bill instead of a half-ass compromise.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

16. I agree with every single thing you said

I also agree with Krugman, who says it wasn't as large as it needed to be from the getgo and then the most effective parts were negotiated out leaving us with something that is pretty much doomed to fail.