Josh TPM Marshall and Steve Benen at the Washington Monthly both comment on the Republican Senators’ incomprehensible attitude towards the stimulus. Most of the Republicans, taking their marching orders from the Mouth of Limbaugh, wouldn't vote for water even if they were on fire, but the so-called moderates played the game differently.
[T]he 'centrist' group has leveraged that threat to add more tax cuts that won't accomplish anything and cut out a lot of spending that would.
What exactly was their point? It seems to be that they had to cut something, anything, to show they were involved in the process.
I was reminded of a possibly apocryphal story about the great Gypsy jazz musician Django Reinhardt.
After WW2, Django and his band went on a tour of the United States. Meeting with the agent beforehand, Django was presented with the contract for his approval. Not wanting to reveal that he was illiterate, he scanned the legalese and stuck his finger down on one paragraph, saying "This is unacceptable. This must be removed."
The agent shrugged and took out the clause "The band must fly first class at all times."