Stupid Liberals

It's only been a few years since my prediction that we would find ourselves in recession if Bush's economic blundering continued, but the difference in how Americans see things has changed a bit. I get called an anti-American commiepinkoliberaltraitor far less today although the "stupid Liberal" trope still turns up now and then. Only a while back, people on Fox and elsewhere were insisting that we were on the verge of another boom based on the voodoo of lower taxes and that all negativity about unlimited deficit spending and massive waste was the work of satanic Liberals seeking to undermine the economy. The media is promoting nothing but negative economic news was the headline. It's a conspiracy and we have a study to prove it, said the Fox. The real indicators are all up - way up. One of the most angry exchanges on this blog was about the liklihood of a downturn. I haven't heard from that guy for a long time.

It's not too surprising that such optimism is as difficult to maintain today as was the optimism the Republicans were being so militant about in the first year after the Iraq invasion. Even though opponents have been vindicated, the vindictiveness remains. They're still burning straw liberals.

Those who remain optimistic that we can borrow and taxcut our way to the promised land have dwindled to a few percent, but they still think they are a majority and they're still looking to fix the blame on others. Gone, or at least quiet now are the people who viciously condemned the "liberal media" for telling us only the bad parts 7 years ago; the people who said the schools were back open, the streets were safer than in Washington and the elections proved the mission was accomplished and peace was just around the corner. Waiting for a retraction or an apology won't be productive, I'm sure.

Meanwhile, back in the present, Inflation, that infected camp follower of deficit spending campaigns is beginning to hound us, but the Fed is afraid to raise interest rates because of the stagnating economy. They must be Stupid Liberals too.

John McCain has the answer of course -- it's called more tax cuts and more borrowing and more railing and screaming about Liberals. Anything less would involve being a surrender monkey. Is McCain following in the footsteps of his Bush administration optimist forbears with his continued optimism?

"Iraq will not require sustained aid"

-Mitchell Daniels, director White House Office of Management and Budget. April 2003

"We are talking about a country that can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon."

-Paul Wolfowitz, testifying before the House Appropriations Committee 2003

". . . before we turn to the American Taxpayer, we will turn first to the resources of the Iraqi government and the international community"

-Donald Rumsfeld, 2003

"The costs of any intervention would be very small."

-Glenn Hubbard, White House Economic adviser, 2002

"They can finance, largely finance the reconstruction of their own country. And I have no doubt that they will."

-Richard Perle (who stands to make a personal fortune from selling Iraqi oil to foreign interests)
2002

"It is unimaginable that the United States would have to contribute hundreds of billions of dollars and highly unlikely that we would have to contribute even tens of billions of dollars."

-Kenneth Pollack, former director for Persian Gulf Affairs, National Security Council. 2002
(The cost has surpassed half a trillion so far, not including the half trillion annual interest on the debt and it's likely to run to three trillion in total.)

" Under every plausible scenario, the negative effect will be quite small relative to the economic benefits."

- Lawrence Lindsey, White House economic adviser. 2002 **

So how many used ideas would you like to buy from this party of geniuses, you stupid Liberal?

**Quotes, thanks to the Institute of Expertology