[Cross-posted at The Left Coaster.]
Dr. Atrios at Eschaton has recently taken up the admirable cause of raising Social Security benefits, and to riff on his point about politicians delivering nice things I’m positive 30 Republican votes could be had in the House for a 2013 economy stimulus.
Dianne Feinstein is attempting a good thing in banning assault rifles, but one of the problems she’ll have is that she has no goodies to hand out to politicians, surely one of the most gullible and groveling-to-money groups of citizens we have. All or nothing, win or lose, is she going to compromise on the number rounds in a multiple clip from 10 to 7?
It may seem to be truly in the realm of fantasy to propose stimulus now when the current rage is to cut more (Jesus help us in what that horrible sequester may slash) but despite the bubble idiocy of DC and the Very Serious People in fact the economy desperately needs stimulus to alleviate the employment crisis. Borrowing costs are absurdly cheap and instead of being stupid scolds doing precisely the wrong thing politicians could be happy, benevolent social angels ensuring their popularity for generations. Why don’t they do it?
Suppose $100 billion in cash (a very modest number) is on the table for a 2013 stimulus, why isn’t it possible to precisely target the 30 weakest House Republican seats with bazillions of dollars for their districts? Vote for the stimulus and your district gar-ahn-teed get 3 billion for roads, how could that not work? There’s nothing illegal or unethical in the least about it, those districts need stimulus just like everyone else.
If the votes balk then play hardball, let that Representative know that oh yes you will be back in 2014 for the Democratic challenger with a very exact, very loud list of the billions of dollars and thousands of jobs you denied your very own people just the year before.
I really hardly see that as being necessary, surely just a few billion in stimulus will sway any politician. What are they going to accomplish in blocking Obama this time, another term?
Of course, who listens to me? No one. Still, good ideas, common sense and advocacy for the right thing to do have their value.
Costs? Spare me. We’re due to stay in Afghanistan another 23 months (that’s right) at $120 billion a year, just switch the spending by getting the hell out of there now if you’re so petrified of cheap borrowing. Or chop $200 billion off that disastrous Defense budget, polling consistently says the little people overwhelming want the Defense budget cut and for DC to finally produce a job.
Can we have a 2013 stimulus, please? It’s easy and popular to do if you think of the little people first. I suppose in DC with all those Very Serious People war, sequester, tax cuts and the defense budget are more important than jobs, keeping their citizens miserable in a crumbling country surely is what they were meant to do. Right?