The beauty of GOP messaging and the dangers of the third way

[jpgray]

Having admitted thoroughly that deficit reduction is the proper step, we will now be faced with increased pressure to reform entitlements. This will become the banner statement from the S&P downgrade (and was included in their release). The beauty of the GOP position is that all bad news can be laid at the feet of those who are not true deficit reducers. The standard for this is as mobile as the one for Scotsmen. There is no downgrade or downturn that cannot be blamed on insufficient austerity and over-taxation, since the mythical level that will fix everything will never be reached.

The danger of our third way response is that we have already ceded the direction of policy, and ourselves argue for deficit reduction--in a milder form. That we are for less of what the other side wants leaves us open for attack in ways we would not be had we proposed and maintained a fundamentally different approach. "Better than they might have been" spending cuts, in our view, will still harm the economy. The GOP can claim they were "less than they should have been" spending cuts, and argue they were insufficient to aid the economy.

Our party needs to get its act together or we will see significant changes to the New Deal very shortly.

[chill_wind]

1. K & R

[jpgray]

2. I hope this seems pessimistic in two years.

[woo me with science]

3. What a great post.

I think you are exactly right.

[mmonk]

4. That's been the plan.

When I first saw that S&P was threatening to do this, my first response is this is ideological. Economically speaking, cutting social spending in the middle of a severe recession is bad.

[jpgray]

6. There's really no question to it

The question in my mind is how this benefits Democrats politically that they so willingly cede the terms of debate. Donor opinion?

[WillyT]

5. K & R !!!

:kick: