Stimulus Bill
I wrote this as kind of a writing exercise. But probably worth sharing:
It is important for us to see just how and why the Republicans can grandstand and play politics in the face of a daunting recession. The reckoning against the Republican party in 2008 swept away most moderate Republicans and replaced them with moderate Democrats (for the most part). What was left was a lot of Republicans in relatively safe districts and states, where they don't have a lot to fear of a Democratic challenger.
Right now these House and Senate Republicans can safely (or so they think) position themselves against the Stimulus Bill hoping that it will fail to bring about economic recovery by mid-term elections. They are banking on a continued economic disaster to prove a political point; that the Democratic majority is not a success and that government is broken. This is after all the false Republican ideology, that markets solve all problems and government gets in the way. This ideology is the very same one that deregulated the banks and lead to this disaster.
The result is a political game where a weakened Stimulus Bill is a win-win situation for them. They can grandstand that it is a wholly Democratic bill and make sure all the weight falls entirely on the shoulders of the Democratic Party. If it fails, they can trumpet to the world the wisdom of their decision. If it succeeds then they can fall back on message control, spearheaded by Rush Limbaugh, in districts that primarily get their news from Rush and Fox. And let me make it very clear, if the stimulus package fails, it will be because these very same Republicans weakened the bill.
It is critical to put pressure on these Republicans. In safe, republican majority congressional districts, incumbents have no fear. But they need to be worried that a Republican rival will be able to take advantage of a successful Stimulus Bill - that the incumbent opposed - to run against them in their next primary. The way to instill this fear, and ultimately change the politician's behavior, is to use the power of the voice of the constituency.
This is how we can make Obama's bi-partisan rhetoric pressure even the wing-nuts in deeply red areas to rein in their destructive ways. If both Republican and Democratic citizens exercise their duty and call their representatives, we can put pressure on politicians who feel secure enough in their incumbency to play politics during a national crisis. National polling shows that the Stimulus Bill has popular support, but without the phone lines ringing off the hook in support of the bill, politicians in red districts will feel that they are still safe.
Everyone is affected by this economic down turn, Republicans and Democrats. Americans need to hear the message that political games are costing jobs. We can all unite against those who are trying to weaken our government and our economy.
Call your Senators and Congress-people, and remember to tell your friends and families to do so as well, it's as easy as picking up the phone. You don't need to say a whole lot, just that you support a robust Stimulus Package.
It is important for us to see just how and why the Republicans can grandstand and play politics in the face of a daunting recession. The reckoning against the Republican party in 2008 swept away most moderate Republicans and replaced them with moderate Democrats (for the most part). What was left was a lot of Republicans in relatively safe districts and states, where they don't have a lot to fear of a Democratic challenger.
Right now these House and Senate Republicans can safely (or so they think) position themselves against the Stimulus Bill hoping that it will fail to bring about economic recovery by mid-term elections. They are banking on a continued economic disaster to prove a political point; that the Democratic majority is not a success and that government is broken. This is after all the false Republican ideology, that markets solve all problems and government gets in the way. This ideology is the very same one that deregulated the banks and lead to this disaster.
The result is a political game where a weakened Stimulus Bill is a win-win situation for them. They can grandstand that it is a wholly Democratic bill and make sure all the weight falls entirely on the shoulders of the Democratic Party. If it fails, they can trumpet to the world the wisdom of their decision. If it succeeds then they can fall back on message control, spearheaded by Rush Limbaugh, in districts that primarily get their news from Rush and Fox. And let me make it very clear, if the stimulus package fails, it will be because these very same Republicans weakened the bill.
It is critical to put pressure on these Republicans. In safe, republican majority congressional districts, incumbents have no fear. But they need to be worried that a Republican rival will be able to take advantage of a successful Stimulus Bill - that the incumbent opposed - to run against them in their next primary. The way to instill this fear, and ultimately change the politician's behavior, is to use the power of the voice of the constituency.
This is how we can make Obama's bi-partisan rhetoric pressure even the wing-nuts in deeply red areas to rein in their destructive ways. If both Republican and Democratic citizens exercise their duty and call their representatives, we can put pressure on politicians who feel secure enough in their incumbency to play politics during a national crisis. National polling shows that the Stimulus Bill has popular support, but without the phone lines ringing off the hook in support of the bill, politicians in red districts will feel that they are still safe.
Everyone is affected by this economic down turn, Republicans and Democrats. Americans need to hear the message that political games are costing jobs. We can all unite against those who are trying to weaken our government and our economy.
Call your Senators and Congress-people, and remember to tell your friends and families to do so as well, it's as easy as picking up the phone. You don't need to say a whole lot, just that you support a robust Stimulus Package.