One huge flaw in the gridlock theory ... tax cuts expire automatically; gridlock will prevent their extension. No new taxes will result but the old ones will be back, just as the economy starts its downturn.
I think the idea is that what they aren't able to pass would have cost more than whatever they would have saved us. I mean, c'mon, it's not as if they're looking out for us in DC. They spend spend spend. I'd like to see an analysis of what taxpayers saved on taxes vs what new liabilities got passed thru the last six years. Does the tax cut offset the burden of the medicare bill, the transportation bill, etc? Maybe, but I don't know for a fact. It's conceivable that a do nothing congress is better than the alternative.