The Kroog Versus Blood And Lots Of It

Paul Krugman weighs in on Centrist Dalek Master Alan Simpson and the Republican scorched earth tactics.

The fact is that one of our two great political parties has made it clear that it has no interest in making America governable, unless it’s doing the governing. And that party now controls one house of Congress, which means that the country will not, in fact, be governable without that party’s cooperation — cooperation that won’t be forthcoming.

Elite opinion has been slow to recognize this reality. Thus on the same day that Mr. Simpson rejoiced in the prospect of chaos, Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, appealed for help in confronting mass unemployment. He asked for “a fiscal program that combines near-term measures to enhance growth with strong, confidence-inducing steps to reduce longer-term structural deficits.”

My immediate thought was, why not ask for a pony, too? After all, the G.O.P. isn’t interested in helping the economy as long as a Democrat is in the White House. Indeed, far from being willing to help Mr. Bernanke’s efforts, Republicans are trying to bully the Fed itself into giving up completely on trying to reduce unemployment.

And on matters fiscal, the G.O.P. program is to do almost exactly the opposite of what Mr. Bernanke called for. On one side, Republicans oppose just about everything that might reduce structural deficits: they demand that the Bush tax cuts be made permanent while demagoguing efforts to limit the rise in Medicare costs, which are essential to any attempts to get the budget under control. On the other, the G.O.P. opposes anything that might help sustain demand in a depressed economy — even aid to small businesses, which the party claims to love.

Right now, in particular, Republicans are blocking an extension of unemployment benefits — an action that will both cause immense hardship and drain purchasing power from an already sputtering economy. But there’s no point appealing to the better angels of their nature; America just doesn’t work that way anymore. 

Krugman has definitely gotten the GOP Plan for some time now.  There's no reason for the Republicans to want to improve the economy now when they will be rewarded by doing nothing and blaming Obama for it.  Literally hundreds of House bills that Nancy Pelosi got through the House died to Republican filibusters in the Senate, threatened, real, or otherwise.  Hundreds of bills that could have improved all kinds of things died thanks to the Senate.

Now these bills won't even make it through the House.  Instead we'll see legislation challenging Obama's birth certificate and weekly attempts to nullify parts of health care reform.  That'll help the average American with their finances, right?

So yes, there will be blood, as Krugman says.  And it's not going to be from anyone on Capitol Hill.