Democrats Should NOT Vote For An Infrastructure Spending Project (Unless...)

[TrollBuster9090]

Democrats have made a show of saying they'll support the Trump agenda on things they agree with him on, like infrastructure spending. That's fine. SAY THAT in front of the TV cameras. It makes you look like the adult Party, as opposed to the obstructionist Party.

But from a political standpoint, the Republican strategy to VOTE AGAINST EVERYTHING the Democrats tried to do in 2009-10 was a sound strategy. IT WORKED. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. They gained seats in every election after that, until they now control all three branches of government. (Yes, SAYING they were going to vote against everything, before it was even proposed was STUPID. But the tactic was sound.) Why? Because that way, if anything....ANYTHING goes wrong with ANY of these policies, Republicans will say "well, don't blame us. DEMOCRATS wanted it too."

If you vote against everything they propose, yes, they'll take EXCLUSIVE credit for everything that goes right (which they'd do either way), but they WON'T be able to DISTRIBUTE/SHARE the blame for what goes WRONG.

I can tell you EXACTLY what's going to happen if Democrats vote FOR an infrastructure spending plan:

1. Republicans will put in BOTH an infrastructure spending plan AND a massive taxcut for the wealthy.
The TAX CUT will eliminate $500 billion from REVENUES, and the INFRASTRUCTURE spending will add $100 billion to EXPENSES.

2. The deficits will EXPLODE by $600 billion (DUH!) And the economy will grow a little, due to the infrastructure spending...NOT the tax cut.

3. Republicans will say "well don't look at US, it was the Democrats' stupid SPENDING that caused the deficit to explode! It had NOTHING to do with our tax cut. In fact, it was our TAX CUT that cause the economy to grow. Re-elect us, and we'll cut MORE taxes...and also cut some money from FOOD STAMPS to make up for it! Yeeha!"

4. Democrats will wimpishly try to EXPLAIN that the TAX CUT is responsible for 5/6th of the deficit increase, while the infrastructure program was only 1/6th....but as we all know....EXPLAINING IS LOSING.

FUCK THAT!

Democrats should FIND A LEGITIMATE REASON to vote against an infrastructure bill that works well with their base. ie-"We're voting against this because it doesn't guarantee ALL WORKERS a minimum of $15/hour wage." Or, "This infrastructure bill doesn't GUARANTEE that all materials used will be manufactured in the USA. American STEEL, American electronics, American train cars etc. We won't vote for this until you can guarantee that all materials will be manufactured in the United States."

And THEN vote against it. Everybody who gains a job from the infrastructure bill will then wonder if they might have done EVEN BETTER under the Democrats.

[uponit7771]

1. What difference does it make if they don't vote?

[TrollBuster9090]

2. I explained that in the text. They wouldn't be voting no for the sake of voting no.

They shouldn't 'not vote' just for the sake of voting no. They should make increasingly high demands for things in exchange for their bi-partisan support, and eventually the Republicans will say 'no.' That was basically what certain moderate Republicans did with Obamacare. They kept demanding more and more things be cut out of it in exchange for their vote. The Democrats capitulated for awhile, but eventually said no. Then, after having GUTTED Obamacare before it was even voted on, they had to vote for it without any Republican support (ironic, given that it was a Republican plan in the first place), and from then on, they owned anything that went wrong with Obamacare. And most of what went wrong with Obamacare was a result of it being weakened by the initial faux negotiations with Republicans.

The same was true for the STIMULUS package that rescued the Economy in 2009. Democrats kept taking infrastructure spending measures out, and putting tax cuts in to appease Republicans. And in the end, not one Republican voted for it anyway. Since tax cuts have a very weak MULTIPLIER EFFECT, it's no surprise that the economic recovery was slow and weak, and Democrats ended up owning every bit of that.

[Thinkingabout]

3. How about voting for the infrastructure spending and point out President Obama tried to get

a infrastructure bill passed. The needs for infrastructure has not gone away but delayed for years by republicans.

[TrollBuster9090]

4. They should do that either way. But I think they'd be better off if they didn't vote for a GOP

infrastructure bill, for the reasons I've outlined above. It's a poison-pill trap, that allows Republicans to shunt the blame for anything that goes wrong with it onto Democrats.

It's better to 'negotiate' with the Republicans, asking for greater and greater 'pie-in-the-sky' demands on behalf of the people who'll be working on it. If the Republicans unexpectedly say YES to all those demands...GREAT! THEN they can vote for it. But the Democrats should at least wring as many concessions out of them as they can in exchange for bipartisan support.

Bipartisan support should only come at a VERY HIGH PRICE. Republican's proved that this tactic works, and turnabout is fair play.

[forgotmylogin]

7. The point made above is right. "Explaining is losing".

None of them care what Obama did, or they wouldn't have blatantly obstructed what he wanted to do. As long as they get their way, they're cool with it.

I was so angry to hear Paul Ryan's clip on NPR about how they were planing to work at "great speed" now. Let's give em four flat tires.

[4Tone]

5. Just out of curiosity, what is the major economy, right now, that is successful because it

forces its own businesses to exclusively buy its own products and materials?

I'm genuinely asking, because if there's already a successful model, surely we should try to copy it, yes? And if there is no successful model, surely we should stop pretending we'll be the first?

[blm]

6. BEWARE - Trump's infrastructure plan is to PRIVATIZE highways and bridges.for PROFIT.

Socialize costs and privatize profits. There is hefty price-gouging planned, too. This is HURTING cities and working class, not helping them.

[Hoyt]

8. There will be a lot to oppose, but don't think trying to out-petty GOPers on good proposals, if any,

is a wise strategy. If Trump's plan is privatized infrastructure, opposition makes since.