Stimulus now

Michael Grunwald makes the mistake of considering David Brooks serious, but then goes ahead and dismantles the silly and serious arguements against the Democrats' stimulus package.

In fact, this crisis is an ideal opportunity for Obama to start keeping his campaign promises: providing tax relief and health security for ordinary Americans, restoring our economic competitiveness, and reducing our dependence on environmentally disastrous fossil fuels that increase the power of our enemies. It's hard to imagine when he'll have a better opportunity. Nothing in the historical record suggests that when Congress has more time to deliberate-and more time to confer with the special-interest lobbyists and local-interest political advisers that dominate the decision-making of its members-it will enact fair tax policies, sustainable energy policies, wise infrastructure policies, responsible fiscal policies or any other policies tainted by long-term thinking or national-interest considerations. If Obama wants to push 21st-century change through Capitol Hill, he needs to use this emergency.

Read, as they say, the whole thing. This is the real test of the young Obama presidency. It seems fairly obvious that Republicans and Democrats have two completely opposing ideas of how the economy works. True, he'll need some Republicans in order to counter likely Blue Dog dissent and to avoid a filibuster (though there is always another option), but in the end he's not going to get any real Republican support. Will he decide, fuck it, and do what he and his very smart advisors think? Or will he settle for a significantly less effective package only to whittle off a handful of Republicans in the process?