If they can do that, and combine it with failure of the administration approach, then they may make a big come-back. Otherwise, about all they can hope for is the usual small snap back seen in mid-term elections. And, if they don’t at least look like they are trying to come up with some sensible ideas for actually governing, they won’t even see that. Which, as someone who prefers to see two viable parties contending, would be a pity.

The GOP no more has the votes in Congress to stop this than the Democrats had in 2005 to stop the passage of social security reform, so, faced with the imperative to stop what they sincerely regard as a catastrophic and irreparable mistake and the lack of any formal tools to stop it, the GOP of 2009 will do what the Democrats of 2005 did…

Especially given the analogy to the 2005 democrats, I was sort of expecting the next sentence to be “They will wallow in childish over-the-top hyperbole.” And indeed, that seems to be the path the GOP is choosing. Since they lack the votes to change the outcomes, I think they ought to choose between acting like serious leaders and drowning us in spittle.

The GOP loses no points for saying that Obama’s heart is in the right place or suggesting that most Americans share a wish for the same sorts of outcomes and differ only on how best to get there. A little grace would go a long way, if you ask me. Instead, the drumbeat is that Obama-style socialism is going to subjugate our children’s future.

I can’t think of a better way to elicit “whatever dude” from Americans outside the GOP base. In other words, people will tend to shut down and tune out the GOP message. The republicans are in a lousy position to win via demonization.

The good ideas are out there, but the party is so emotionally beaten and fragmented that it’s difficult for the best thinking to rise to the top; too much churn. The Republicans need a true leader to emerge in the next 60-90 days or they’re going to be relying on negative pub/op and negative economic results from the Bubble Reinflation Movement (BRM) in order to pick up seats in 2010. Seems like leaving an awful lot to chance with that non-strategy.

The GOP has a serious credibility issue on economic policy that is currently far too serious to be bridged solely by complaints that Obama’s policies are misguided. That’s too bad to some extent, as I think fizcons make valid points about overspending, inflation, and so on. As time passes, that bridge can be more solidly built using only negativity if and only if the economy does not rebound.

But not right now. And I’m not sure how much that really bothers me . Because I think the GOP really does have to do better than wrapping themselves in “our children will suffer.” Folks are suffering now, and want mitigation, and that’s a pill the GOP has to swallow.

Basically, I have 5 words for the GOP:

Credible Alternate Positive Economic Vision

That pretty much covers it…

How to do that? The easiest door to open is one that is already ajar. The public is already skeptical of the stimulus package, was outright hostile towards the bailouts, and may already be turning back toward the GOP on economic issues. It makes good sense, therefore, to emphasize issues on which the public is already dubious of the Obama administration’s judgment a posteriori in order to build a case that they should be dubious a priori of that administration’s judgment and competence in executing another huge program. These idiots have already made such a mess over this project, the argument will go (in its raw form; the spin doctors will come up with kinder wording, but that will be the gist), that it’s crazy to trust their judgment when they ask to undertake another project.