Re: [Pen-l] CBO on HR 1

[Marvin Gandall <marvgandall@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

SA wrote:

> ...It is not
> a bad bet, then, that unemployment will reach double digits despite
> the stimulus. If it does, how the hell will Obama &co. prevent the
> whole idea of stimulus from being discredited politically?
======================================
Why would those losing their jobs and homes and income stop asking
government to come to their aid? They'd leave the debates about the
efficacy - ie. the "idea" - of stimulus to the economists and politicians.

It's not government programs which would be discredited in a deep downturn,
but the government entrusted with delivering that relief for having failing
to do so. The masses would be wanting more stimulus as the crisis deepened,
not less, and the Obama administration would come under fire for not having
done enough.

History having unfortunately shown that the masses are not always or even
mostly able to link their economic interests to their political ones, it's
also likely that in their disappointment with the administration, they would
return to the Republicans, who would be seconding their complaints against
the Democrats while keeping their own plans to reduce or eliminate
government spending programs under wraps until after the election.

This is particularly so given the absence of any mass party to the left or
sizeable and coherent left opposition within the DP articulating the need of
the population for higher levels of public spending.




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