Megan McArdle thinks the US might head into a double-dip recession. Just in time for the elections. Unlike Ms McArdle, I am ready to lay blame.
If the economy does double-dip, the Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats can be firmly blamed. They forced a lackluster response to be even more lackluster, just about ensuring that it would fail. The neocons caused the original financial collapse; well, they laid the road and foundations for it. And then they gave it a nice push by advocating for the wealthy.
If President Obama is forced to deal with a larger Republican delegation, he's not likely to tack to the right. I think he'll head go for broke - after all, the GOP has no credible challenger for 2012 (Mitch Daniels isn't a credible candidate, no matter what pundits say), and they have a Tea Party Problem. His biggest weapon? He's likable. And he won't make the same mistakes he made last time. Where, if anyone cares to notice, he won quite handily!
The biggest problem the Democrats face isn't the Republicans - it's themselves. Robert Gibbs' "professional left" are a bunch of whiney blowhards who do more to damage the Democrats chances than anything any Tea Party neanderthal ever could. The Tea Party and the Republicans like to tell us the country is moving rightward; if that were true, at this point - it's being moving rightward for over a decade, now - America would be looking at the "presidency" of Augusto Pinochet for ideas. The country isn't moving to the right. It's not moving laterally at all!
Right now, America is stumbling along. The voters are trying to figure out whether they want to punish the incumbents, or reward the would-be usurpers. Of course, an electorate that holds their noses as they vote is meaningless to party that wins. It's even less meaningful to the loser. (Think this bad? I can't help but think that with proportional representation, the whole thing would be even worse!)
America does face some monumental, long-term challenges. These are not going to be solved by sound bites and implausible suggestions; but politicians get elected because they can provide the sound bite, look good and sound plausible, even respectable, as they suggest the most idiotic thing you've ever heard. Being beholden to their constituents isn't something I've noticed many politicians paying attention to, these days. This applies especially to those on the far right.
In the short term, I'm really hoping this is just a slow down, and not a double-dip. Goodness knows, the conservative elements in Congress have certainly helped create the right environment for a double-dip recession. All in all, it's a sorry mess we're in.
Carolyn Ann
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