Rumblings (Ere the Rant)

Dear Readers, this is not the rant.  These are merely the rumblings that precede it.  Whether the actual rant will take place remains in the air.  We will know tomorrow by kick-off time of the Saints-Packers game.   I'm in the mood to let loose now, but it's not the right time.  I am a patient person.  I see far.  So I wait.....and wait.....and wait......

What, you the dear reader may ask, for what am I waiting?  I am waiting to hear the words come from the man himself.  I've seen the leaked plan, but I want to see if he would really dare to speak such words himself.  I will serve no wine before its time, and I will accuse no one before the deed is done.

As I gather my wits and calm down, I must share what bothers me.  It has been given to the press that President Obama, summoning all his wisdom and the advice of the wisest of his advisors over the past several weeks in preparation for tomorrow's speech, will seek to combat our current economic crisis by - are you ready for this? - proposing that we do the same thing we've already been doing. (Go ahead and release a very loud "WHAT???" or similar type exclamation silently in your mind)  All indications are that Obama is prepared to double down on a losing hand.  It's sort of an economic equivalent to W's Stay the course.

Obviously we know that such a plan would only be insanity.  The cliched definition of the word is to do the same thing repeatedly while expecting a different result.  Surely, the president and his inner circle have something else prepared to offer the nation.  There is absolutely no way that they can be so blind to reality.

(Calm down, Sam)  I am patient.  I see far.  I will wait.  This is not the rant.  That will wait until I hear the particulars of such a stimulus package (Stimulus II: Economic Boogaloo?*) come from his own lips.  I dare not rant today, because I'm so sure of the futility of such a plan that I feel it can only be a trap.  ("A trap?" you ask)  Yes, a trap.

By leaking a proposal that totals in the neighborhood of $350-500 billion and allowing everyone to criticize that plan, if he in fact, were to only propose spending a quarter trillion dollars in new stimulus spending, it will have the pretense of seeming bi-partisan and hailed as a compromise.  Naturally, offering to spend $250 billion just a few short months after haggling over cutting less than a tenth of that amount is far from bi-partisan, unless he can give it the appearance that he is moving toward the center.

Danger lurks in raising hell about what may be in the plan today.  Better to wait for him to own it first.  Then, and only then, the dogs of Hades shall be called forth to do my bidding.  But for now, my rant is on hold.  I am patient.  I see far.  I wait....and wait....and wait..........

* h/t to Ed Morrissey at HOTAIR for this one (He wrote Porkulus II: Economic Boogaloo, but I prefer Stimulus II instead.)

Budget Nonsense & Hyperbole

As of 9:35 AM CST today, we still have no budget deal and are heading toward a government shutdown tomorrow night.  In an effort to head off a shutdown, the Republican house has proposed another Continuing Resolution similar to what has been done to keep the government funded up to this point.  This stop-gap bill also includes a measure that will fully fund the military for the rest of the year.  This would prevent any potential shutdown from affecting our soldier's pay or harming our military actions around the world.

For Senate majority leader, Harry Reid  (D-NV), every moment not spent sleeping or in negotiations is being used to make the most strangely ironic claims.  In a speech on the Senate floor yesterday, Reid said,

Now we learn that House Republicans are going to make another excuse, create another diversion, and avoid another tough choice. Instead of solving the crisis the way we should, instead of saying yes, they say in fact what they are going to do is pass what they will call another short-term stop-gap measure. They will say it is short term, but what that really means is it’s a shortcut, a short cut around doing our jobs. Instead of solving problems, they are stalling; they are procrastinating. That’s not just bad policy, it’s a fantasy. We all heard the president of the United States say yesterday that he won’t accept anything short of a full solution, and why should he? We’re six months into the fiscal year now.

Perhaps it should be brought to Sen. Reid's attention that his party controlled the House, Senate & Presidency last year when they chose to avoid solving problems, they stalled and they procrastinated.