With a huge majority in both houses, notwithstanding the near “filibuster proof” majority… it appears that the “economic recovery” or “stimulus” package of $900,000,000,000 (yes, that’s $900 billion) in additional deficit spending lacks the votes to pass in the Senate, at least in its current form. It would appear that the problem, as we always knew it would, comes from wavering Democrats who aren’t backing the President, as its not a filibuster threat that’s the rub here, but good old “blue dog” Democrats.
Thing is, the “stimulus” is in fact, a big-time progressive initiative finally providing adequate funding to education and health care, as well as (finally) correcting some of the (insane) inequities in regressive withholding tax… and, it seems, Republicans know this, and Democrats don’t give a crap. To his credit, the President is playing the emergency aspect of economic collapse to try to push this… and as usual, the fat cat morons in his own party won’t stand for a progressive agenda.
Oh well. Coming off of the Tom Daschle fiasco (the former Senate leader suffering “the revenge of Geithner”)… a possibly serious failure on the stimullus package where the Democrats hold 56 seats plus Sanders and Lieberman to the Republicans’ 41 (with Franken/Coleman still undecided) could surely be a sign that “reality bites”… We’re not there yet, of course, but Washington lives in its own world and not the one the rest of us live in… “our friends” never have been… and in short… what else is new?
Here’s hoping that we somehow really do get “change”… but when it comes to Democrats (especially when “led” by Harry Reid) being ineffective at anything helping working people… I fear “bid’ness as usual” trumps almost anything else. Look for more tax cuts for the rich, reduced social spending, and a pleasant looking White House ceremony with Mitch McConnell and John McCain front and center in about two weeks or so. And if the economy doesn’t improve as a result of “business as usual”… well, that’s good old bipartisanship for you.
tdog
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