Stimulate me already

I'm seeing a lot of calls for action in Leftopia but I have to agree with Atrios who notes the problem with that is "it isn't clear what should be supported." The debate is all about the fight and not about the substance of the bill. I'm not an economist. I don't know what specifically should be done. I'm where Echidne is right now.

I haven't written about the most recent quarrels over what constitutes job-creation and what the stimulus package should contain, because what I think matters most right now is for the government to step in to increase aggregate demand in the economy. Consumers are not going to spend much money at this time, but the less we spend the more jobs we will lose, due to the lack of customers or clients. Hence the need for government spending.

That's the single overriding notion I can wrap my head around. They need to start pumping some cash directly into the economy. Immediately. As in, should have done it yesterday. I see Obama added his two cents at the WaPo today with some lofty prose.

So we have a choice to make. We can once again let Washington's bad habits stand in the way of progress. Or we can pull together and say that in America, our destiny isn't written for us but by us. We can place good ideas ahead of old ideological battles, and a sense of purpose above the same narrow partisanship. We can act boldly to turn crisis into opportunity and, together, write the next great chapter in our history and meet the test of our time.

Well and good. I agree, but that's not the reality we're dealing with here. Digby has some useful thoughts that our President might want to ponder.

I think the administration thought they could be mediators between the two parties rather than leaders of the Democratic party. That just won't work, particularly when the Democrats aren't very good at battling the Republicans in close combat and the Republicans can make those who stay above the fray seem lightweight and insubstantial, which is what they've managed to do. They've showed they don't respect Obama and are unimpressed with his mandate --- the administration needs to accept that and strategize with that in mind.

He said today that bipartisanship for bipartisanship's sake is not desirable. He should just drop that whole schtick. ...But [the GOP] are going to represent their narrow interests because that's what they believe their constituents want. That's the way the system works. They aren't partners, they're political adversaries and they remain adversaries even when there is an emergency at hand. Accept that and fight it out on the merits.

Bi-partisanship is a wonderful thought. It's not going to happen. That should have been made painfully clear by the GOPers' strategy meeting with Joe the Dumber on how to raise the rage of the base. Just pass a bill dammit and start spending the money already. That's much more important than political comity.

[More posts daily at The Detroit News.]