Precisely. There is no downside for the African communist. If there is indeed "havoc", or if the economy continues to slide into the abyss, it's the Republicans' fault; if the economy recovers, hooray for the great Ubama, who saved the economy, "in spite of intense Republican opposition to his policies".
Except it would show that cutting government spending isn’t impossible and would embolden people making that argument and discredit people who argue against cuts.