CNN's Paul Begala pulls out the six-inch guns in his latest CNN column, slamming the Republicans' apparent determination to be as obstructionist as possible. As he puts it, "For now at least, GOP stands for 'Got 0 Plans.'"
The column came in part as a response to Alex Castellanos' suggestion earlier this week that Obama might be a one-term president.
Obama inherited an ungodly mess: a $1.2 trillion deficit, an economy that was careening from recession into depression, a collapse in effective demand, the disintegration of the real estate market and a financial meltdown that spanned the globe and brought multibillion-dollar institutions to their knees. That's not to mention Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea and the Mexican drug war.
If this were "Sesame Street," the announcer would be saying, "This program brought to you by the letters G, O and P." None of the crises the president is addressing were of his creation. All of them were created or worsened by the Republicans who ran the House of Representatives, Senate and White House for years.
Begala also points out the Repubs have no business jumping on Obama for doing as much as he's doing--after all, he's cleaning up after them. Especially since they haven't offered much of anything (and their so-called budget blueprint doesn't count).
The Republicans are like an arsonist who complains that the fire department is wasting water. Obama is trying to handle an immediate crisis while also laying the foundation for long-term growth. The Republicans are doing neither. They have no plan to stop the loss of jobs or to get capital markets functioning properly -- and they certainly have no plans for health care, education or energy, which are the keys to both long-term economic growth and long-term deficit reduction.
Instead, what are they doing? Just saying no.
Begala closes by saying that while the Republicans are doing nothing but "whining and complaining," the only criticism Obama is getting is from his left--from the likes of Paul Krugman.