Well, first of all Obama’s pay cap gambit sees some returns. The Republican leadership is doing the best thing for their party; simply refusing to talk about it. The rank and file is less cooperative. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell just walked away when questioned about it. However, individual Congresspeople are more or less forced by their constituencies/backers to come out in opposition. Just in terms of appearances (“optics”), this was an unambiguously good move for Obama and the Democratic Party, as long as the issue continues to get play in the media. Both parties are complicit in handing off enormous sums of money to the richest people in the country, but at least one is insisting on a few meager quid pro quos.
Secondly, I just wanted to note that the Republican strategy on the stimulus so far has followed, to a T, the strategy I laid out for them. I don’t know if it’ll succeed either, but I think they’re unduly worried. No one gets credit for preventing a disaster, and even if this succeeds the economy will still be in bad shape one year hence. To quote the eminently quotable Barney Frank (re: the bank bailout), “[Successfully preventing catastrophe] is like pissing yourself in black pants; you get a warm feeling, but nobody knows you did anything.” But yes, if there are noticeable results, the Republican Party is in a lot of trouble. The incompetence of the last eight years have left their party tottering on the brink of irrelevance, and they might tip over if the Democrats prove to be competent. Though I don’t know I would