The Real Question
As has been noted by Josh and others here at TPM in recent days, for one reason or another the media--especially cable TV--has had an unrelieved parade of ANTI-stimulus PRO-Republican spinsters. By one chart, the count was 7 to 1--and FOX News was found to be the most even-handed of the cable news outlets, believe it or not.
The media doesn't want the stimulus to be enacted--even though it's a fait accompli. As per our recent history, the media is also well-known to be conservative shills, almost entirely. They likes their tax cuts, doncha know.
But this fight seems rather pointless. The stimulus package has something for everyone--including generous tax cuts that seemed outrageous in 2001 when Bush first proposed them in these amounts. Even the old dinosaur Senator George Voinovitch (R-OH) was level-headed enough to be one of the first Republicans to put the brakes on those $300B tax cuts, knowing only too well that SOMEONE had to pay for them sooner or later. How much is enough?
Or...is this just some sort of reflexive posturing on the conservative corporate media's part? Negotiation? Ask for the moon, you just might get it?
This stimulus package has the endorsement of most economists, the Keynesians, and most moderates in Congress. The media is against it. The real question is: Why?
The media doesn't want the stimulus to be enacted--even though it's a fait accompli. As per our recent history, the media is also well-known to be conservative shills, almost entirely. They likes their tax cuts, doncha know.
But this fight seems rather pointless. The stimulus package has something for everyone--including generous tax cuts that seemed outrageous in 2001 when Bush first proposed them in these amounts. Even the old dinosaur Senator George Voinovitch (R-OH) was level-headed enough to be one of the first Republicans to put the brakes on those $300B tax cuts, knowing only too well that SOMEONE had to pay for them sooner or later. How much is enough?
Or...is this just some sort of reflexive posturing on the conservative corporate media's part? Negotiation? Ask for the moon, you just might get it?
This stimulus package has the endorsement of most economists, the Keynesians, and most moderates in Congress. The media is against it. The real question is: Why?
