I'm starting to smell Karl Rove all over this. If I'm right, the Dems, and Obama, just walked into a huge trap, and the election is OVER. McCain has won.
Here's the scenario:
- Propose a plan that is so preposterous that over 70% of Americans will be against it; i.e., Paulson's "Bailout Plan."
- Scare the bejesus out of the Dems by telling them that financial armageddon will come down if some form of this plan isn't passed, and that they will be blamed for it.
- Allow the Dems and the neocon cadre of the Repubs to spend days hammering out a slightly less smelly version of this horrible plan, which Americans will still oppose. Meanwhile, old-style Republicans have been saying all along, "No way, no how," which incidentally makes them the ONLY folks showing any balls in this.
- At the last moment, McCain rides in on his white horse, aligns himself with the ballsy Repubs, and they hammer out a totally different plan that is much more acceptable to the American people (almost any plan would be).
- This all takes just enough time so that both the Pres and VP debates are cancelled. But once the people get a whiff of the new plan, which they will like much better than the original plan, they'll be more than willing to see the debates cancelled. If Obama dares to complain, HE will look like he's putting politics first.
- The Pres, Paulson, and the neocon cadre joyfully flip to McCain's wonderful new plan, praising him for his leadership.
- At this point, the Dems and Obama will have two choices: Follow McCain's wonderful leadership in supporting the new plan (which the American people want); or oppose it. Either way, they lose.
To know if this is true, we'll need to see the "McCain Plan," but honestly, it doesn't need to be great; it only needs to be better than the original Bailout Plan, and that won't be difficult. The only thing I've heard is that it involves some kind of "insurance" and that sounds a helluva lot better than a "bailout."
Look, this plan stunk to high heaven from the get-go; I knew it, you knew it, and most Americans knew it. It was obscene. So why, oh why, didn't the Dems do the right thing from the start and completely and totally oppose it in any form? And come up with their own plan? Not just some watered down version of the bailout.
Dam it, you need to stand for some kind of principles. Not just play politics. Because you'll never beat the Repubs on playing politics. They are the masters.
UPDATE: So apparently the McCain plain involves more deregulation and tax cuts. Still a bad plan; won't work. But that's not the point.
"Deregulation and tax cuts" will sound better to most Americans than "bailout for Wall Street crooks."
Again, it all depends on McCain's plan. If more Americans approve of the McCain plan than the Paulson plan, McCain wins. Big. And given that over 70% of Americans oppose the Paulson plan, that won't be hard.