Roll Over the Republicans

By Eugene Robinson
WashPost
Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Bipartisanship is safe and effective when used as directed. In the present circumstance, however -- dire economic crisis, hardheaded Republicans, time running out -- bipartisanship is doing more harm than good. President Obama and the Democratic majorities in Congress can no longer afford to let comity defeat common sense.

Six hundred thousand more Americans lost their jobs last month. If the loyal opposition chooses to obstruct economic recovery, those who hold power are obliged to use it.

Begin with the most fundamental question: Does the U.S. economy desperately need a massive stimulus, or not? There are economists who doubt that it's possible for the government to effectively stimulate an economy of such size and complexity. Those economists, however, are in the minority.

The most respected economic wise men and women of both parties believe a huge stimulus is needed quickly to keep a dire economic situation from sinking into catastrophe. Even most of the Republican senators who've been working so hard to sabotage the Democrats' stimulus package acknowledge that the nation needs one, just not this stimulus. Their position is either ignorant or disingenuous, and in either case it has been given far more consideration than it merits.

(More here.)