Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Republicans as Democrats (Thomas Sowell)
Jewish World Review ^ | February 3, 2009 | Thomas Sowell

Posted on 02/02/2009 8:28:56 PM PST by jazusamo

A brief glimmer of sanity among Congressional Republicans has been followed, almost immediately, by a return to the more traditional Washington insanity.

Last week, every single Republican in the House of Representatives voted against the Obama administration's "stimulus" package — which had stimulated an orgy of runaway spending by Congressional Democrats on everything from sports arenas to sexually transmitted diseases.

This was a rare smart move by the Republicans. If the Republicans had gone along, pursuing the will o' the wisp of "bipartisanship," then if the stimulus had by some miracle succeeded, it would have been a bill for which Democrats would claim credit at the next election.

On the other hand, if the stimulus failed — which seems far more likely — then it would be called a "bipartisan" bill, meaning that the Democrats would pay no price at the next election for a colossal failure.

Since President Bush started the "stimulus package" game, this was also an opportunity for Congressional Republicans to cut themselves loose from the political baggage of the Bush administration's unpopularity.

Within 24 hours, however, Republicans in the Senate came out with a plan to have the government fix mortgage interest rates at four percent — and use taxpayers' money to cover the losses that lenders would otherwise sustain.

It is painfully obvious that government intervention in the housing markets over the past several years has been at the heart of the boom and bust that has led to a huge economic downturn.

(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Editorial; Front Page News; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 111th; bho44; congress; gop; obama; porkulus; republicans; rino; rinos; senaterinos; sowell; stimulus; thomassowell
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-34 last
To: jazusamo
[Principles are] the only advantage the Republicans have. The Democrats have the media, the unions, the environmental extremists and the tort lawyers on their side. Why should Republicans throw away their one advantage by becoming imitation Democrats?

. . . What principle separates the Republicans from the Democrats? If they are just Tweedledee and Tweedledum, then elections come down to personality and rhetoric. If that happens, you can bet the rent money on the Democrats winning.


21 posted on 02/03/2009 1:40:51 AM PST by conservatism_IS_compassion (Change is what journalism is all about. NATURALLY journalists favor "change.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ROTB

Part D, war, $250,000,000 bridges for 50 people. They liked the power.


22 posted on 02/03/2009 2:06:32 AM PST by personalaccts (Is George W going to protect the border?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Still Thinking

Rush Limbaugh has been saying this for YEARS ,now the rest are just repeating his lines


23 posted on 02/03/2009 3:25:34 AM PST by ballplayer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: jazusamo

McConnell sold his soul for money and power in Washington.


24 posted on 02/03/2009 4:36:26 AM PST by dynachrome (Barack Hussein Obama yunikku khinaaziir)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: jazusamo

I wonder what he thinks of Michael Steele?


25 posted on 02/03/2009 6:23:25 AM PST by JZelle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jazusamo
It was not the market, but the government, that pushed for abandoning traditional standards for making mortgage loans. That was what got both borrowers and lenders way out on a limb — and set off economic shock waves when the limb broke.
True.

But the government did not force those lenders to lend, so that still does not justify a bailout.
26 posted on 02/03/2009 7:30:43 AM PST by dbz77
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JZelle
I wonder what he thinks of Michael Steele?

A very good question that he is about to answer. :)

27 posted on 02/03/2009 8:55:15 AM PST by jazusamo (But there really is no free lunch, except in the world of political rhetoric,.: Thomas Sowell)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: ROTB

Three words: War on Terror


28 posted on 02/03/2009 11:58:03 AM PST by gtsamson (The GOP has no place for extremism.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: gtsamson

re: your tagline...

“I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!” -— Barry M. Goldwater

So... wanna try that again?


29 posted on 02/03/2009 12:57:29 PM PST by dcwusmc (We need to make government so small that it can be drowned in a bathtub.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: gtsamson

The War on Terror, no matter HOW you define it, did not require so-called Medicare part D nor 99% of ANY OTHER non-defense government spending. Try THAT again, also.


30 posted on 02/03/2009 1:00:57 PM PST by dcwusmc (We need to make government so small that it can be drowned in a bathtub.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: dcwusmc

The same Barry Goldwater who went down to a resounding defeat in the presidential election? The same Goldwater who afterwards did in fact moderate his positions? Thanks for proving my point.


31 posted on 02/03/2009 1:05:39 PM PST by gtsamson (The GOP has no place for extremism.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: dcwusmc

Would you rather have left our troops unfunded and unprotected while Democrats in Congress held up all those spending bills?


32 posted on 02/03/2009 1:07:25 PM PST by gtsamson (The GOP has no place for extremism.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: gtsamson

So you’re unwilling to hold Pubbies to ANY standards as long as they fund what YOU want, is that it????


33 posted on 02/03/2009 2:52:46 PM PST by dcwusmc (We need to make government so small that it can be drowned in a bathtub.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: gtsamson

The same Barry Goldwater who was defeated by the elitists in HIS OWN PARTY because they didn’t want any shrinkage in government or in its spending on THEIR pet projects. What he did in his dotage does not diminish what he was in his heyday.


34 posted on 02/03/2009 2:55:07 PM PST by dcwusmc (We need to make government so small that it can be drowned in a bathtub.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-34 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson