Comment From Barry

Here’s Barry Weintraub’s response to my criticism of the trimmed down stimulus package:

“$780 billion today with 3 Republicans assuring it’s filibuster proof, followed by another $300 billion in a few months without them will add up to what you want and helps propagate the myth that there is a new kind of politics. In a few months from now, Franken will be in the Senate and they won’t need Spector’s vote.

It’s also dumber from a PR view, to filibuster a $300B package than an $800B bill.
Take what we can get right now and come back ASAP with a separate bill for education and relief to the States.

This is the real world. Any other deal right now gets filibustered, delayed and dismantled. It’s Chess. Hopefully the Obama team is thinking three moves ahead”

My Response:

OK so far. If we allow the political process to intrude into our view [which we have to] then Barry is correct. The obstinate opposition from the GOP to the package rendered any attempt at ‘bipartisanship’ dead. My comment is on the economics. A small package is not good. The fact that the Republicans have managed to delay reviving the economy is an indictment of them. Plus the delay may ramp up the cost of the second round to more than $300 billion.

A larger question emerges though: even with Franken seated in the Senate, further stimulus and any other major legislation will still require GOP support to avoid filibuster. It looks as if those ladies from Maine will be get frequent photo-ops as the year progresses.