In a Nutsell~Obstructionists

What’s the game plan for the GOP to help stimulate the economy? You guessed it, to become Obstructionists.

The People For the American Way Foundation found that "after being crushed at the polls for the last two elections by voters fed up with their inability to govern, those on the right side of the aisle have apparently decided that the best course of action is to simply obstruct President Obama and the Democratic Congress as they attempt to repair the damage the Republicans have done to the country over the last eight years."

What are the GOP surrogates suggesting to do?

The Family Research Council through Tony Perkins applauds the Republican legislators for “showing real backbone against unprecedented government expansion” since “swimming against the liberal tide isn't easy.”

And Tony Perkins says that the stimulus bill is "more about pork and political payoffs than economic recovery" and calls on Congress to enact more tax cuts instead of "abortion promotion".

So what ideas do the Republicans have in creating a stimulus package for economic recovery?

According to Think Progress, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that President Obama’s recovery package, priced at roughly $819 billion, is too expensive. GOP “members” believe that they can pass a “very robust” stimulus at a cheaper price, he said:

Most of my members believe that we could pass a very robust stimulus for less than the amount currently before us. We have been throwing figures around like it was paper money. We are already looking at, before we even do this, at over a trillion dollar deficit for this year. We all agree that we need to do something, but I don’t think we should not just completely act like the amount is irrelevant.

Watch it:


But McConnell’s cheaper plan doesn’t exist. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) is pushing the Senate GOP’s only alternative, “American Option: A Jobs Plan That Works.” A new Wonk Room analysis finds that DeMint’s plan will cost $3.1 trillion over ten years, more than 3.5 times the cost of Obama’s:

Not surprisingly, DeMint’s plan consists of permanent tax breaks for corporations and lowering income tax for the wealthy. For the Senate GOP, it seems that deficit spending is permissible as long as it is done via tax cuts for the rich.