John Boehner (above in the guise of another contrarian, Nikita Khrushchev) and rest of the Republican leadership faces a difficult problem. Their philosophy of government, which held sway during the 8 years of the Bush 43, sent the greatest economy in the world into a deep recession. It obliterated the Clinton budget surplus creating a staggering deficit. It cost America jobs as it granted tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. Bush fought two expensive wars off the books, leaving the costs to the current administration. Their hands-off approach to regulation lead to the 2008 financial meltdown.
As we struggle to recover from the toxic effects of the Bush administration, how have the Republicans responded? They have focused on a 2010 election strategy of opposing any and all attempts by Obama and the Democratic Congress to reset the troubled US economy. Through threatened filibuster, secret holds and insincere committee negotiations, they weakened stimulus and social safety net measures like healthcare and unemployment compensation. Their hope is to defeat the recovery, making Obama look ineffective. Their opposition is not helpful or loyal. It is entirely selfish, especially in light of their earlier failures.
Additional reading:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-l-borosage/who-gets-us-out-of-the-ho_b_646476.html
http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Blogs/2010/07/14/Bartletts-Notations-Do-Tax-Cuts-Starve-the-Beast.aspx
http://www.salon.com/news/economics/?story=/opinion/feature/2010/07/14/reich_foreign_consumers
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