Even More Stimulus And Response

I've said time and time again that the House GOP never had any intention of voting for Obama's plan to fix the economy whatsoever. They were always going to oppose it, they were always going to obstruct it, they were always going to do everything they can to sink it with the intention that they fully expected the economy to come apart at the seams.

The GOP is counting on the American economy to fail in order to make political gains in 2010 and 2012. This is the game plan, and it has been the game plan since Obama was elected into office in November. If enough Americans lose their jobs, they will vote in Republicans in response.

Today's evidence of this? Senate GOP #2 man Jon Kyl of Arizona says the country needs "to start from scratch" on the stimulus bill.

Now that the House of Representatives has passed President Obama's $800 billion stimulus plan without a single Republican voting in favor, all eyes are on the Senate, where the Democrats need to peel off at least a couple of Republican votes to avoid a filibuster.

Senate minority whip John Kyl (R-AZ) took a hard line against the legislation during an appearance on Fox News Sunday. He told host Chris Wallace, "It's very wasteful, it spends way too much money ... and it's ineffective. ... I see support in the Senate actually eroding. ... The basic approach of this bill, we believe is wrong."

"What is the minimum that you would need to see in changes in this package to get significant Republican support?" Wallace asked.

"We're not talking about little things at the margins," Kyl replied. "There would be major structural changes that would have to occur."

No intention whatsoever to vote for it. Every intention of holding the bill hostage and blaming Democrats for failure to pass a "bill we can vote for." The only way the GOP can regain power is if all Bush's failures are transferred to Obama. The GOP plan is to do exactly that. The Village media is giving them the cover they need already.

Bipartisanship was stillborn among the GOP. They want to destroy him and make sure he is to blame for all the failures of the last eight years. Obama has been wasting his time on the GOP and the Village. It's time for him to take his case to the people.

[UPDATE] Nor can he count on GOP moderates and Red State Democrats in the Senate.

In the Senate, Republicans will have more of an opportunity for compromise, by offering amendments to the Democrats' bill. But it's not just Republicans who are unhappy. Some Democrats said the bill includes too many proposals that do not relate to stimulating the economy.

Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Nebraska, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, oppose the proposal in its current form and want to slash what they call wasteful spending from the bill, so moderate Republicans and conservative Democrats will be more likely to vote for it.

The two senators, known as consensus builders, have spent the weekend scrubbing the bill of spending that does not narrowly target job and economic growth.

This bill is coming apart. The GOP and Red State Dems will assure that anything that does reach Obama's desk will be so useless that it will fail miserably.

But then again, that's what the GOP wants.