Who Do You Think Are The "Winners" And "Losers" In This Stimulus Package?

[Dinger]

I'm an educator, and not feelin' the love. Yes, schools and building schools get $, but about 60 billios dollars less (than the House version) from what I hear. What do you think?

[Double T]

1. More debt is never love. There are no winners and future generations.........

of Americans are the GIANT losers. We can't keep spending tons of $$$$$$$ we do not have.

[HereSince1628]

2. Obama said he was looking to stimulate a sweet spot.

As a tax-payer without any KY-jelly I am worring about what losing is gonna feel like.

[MadBadger]

3. The BIg Winners were Obama and the Maine Senatorial Delegation/Specter

[gcomeau]

4. Well...

I'm an educator, and not feelin' the love. Yes, schools and building schools get $, but about 60 billios dollars less (than the House version) from what I hear. What do you think?

I think it's still about twice the total annual budget of the entire Department of Education last year. Let's not look gift horses in the mouth then complain we didn't get twice as many, shall we?

[sampsonblk]

5. Politically, our party loses and the GOP gains

As far as policy, that is another subject. I dunno.

[damonm]

7. HUH?!

Try the exact opposite - the GOP are the HUGE losers here. By opposing help for average Americans in the hope of political gain, they've shot off their own kneecaps.

The economy WILL improve as a result of this stimulus, and that will trend toward the repair of the deficit. The tax cuts done in the stim pack are the kind that actually WORK to improve the economy - they put money in the hands of the consuming class. That makes the American people the winners.
Once the economy has recovered, fiscal responsiblity can again have its day. Right now, Keynes is the working model.

[sampsonblk]

9. If their polling werent the exact opposite...

of what you say, then how could they possibly muster that much support?

I promise you that some of them were trying to think how the heck they could possibly keep their jobs in 2010. This is their answer.

[damonm]

11. What polling are YOU seeing?

Everything I've seen shows the GOP DOWN.
Approval of Congressional Republicans - DOWN.
Trusting Republicans on the economy - DOWN.
Approval of republican leadership - DOWN.
Approval of Obama - UP.
Approval of Congressional Democrats - UP.
Trusting Democrats on the economy - UP.
Approval of Democratic leadership - UP.
in fact, according to Andrew Sullivan, "a Gallup poll found that Obama’s handling of the
stimulus package had almost twice the public support of the Republicans’."

So unless you live in Opposite World (which would make you a freeper), there is ZERO basis to conclude the GOP has won.
The GOP may well be thinking they won - but the last 8 years have proven them wrong on just about everything. So if they're thinking they won, I take great comfort in that.

[sampsonblk]

12. Is there an election tomorrow?

What I have said is not at odds with the facts in your post. The national polling shows exactly what you are saying. But there isn't a national election tomorrow.

The issue is what the result will be. Of that I have no doubt. If you look at the small number of people who oppose the plan, take a closer look and see who they are. They are the former GOP base, which was demoralized until this vote. Now they are excited. Now they will donate. Now they will work to get out their vote next time.

Right now as we speak, they are out trying to find primary opponents for Specter, Snowe and Collins. And I would also suspect that this will allow the GOP to raise more money for the midterm elections.

If everything goes to hell, they can say I told you so. If everything is fine, they can say things would be even better if the Dems hadn't spent all that money.

Wait. Do you follow the GOP or do you just read national polling?

[damonm]

13. No, but the trends are favorable.

As reported by Daily Kos:

FAVORABLE UNFAVORABLE NET CHANGE
PELOSI: 42 (39) 39 (37) +5
REID: 32 (33) 42 (41) -2
McCONNELL: 22 (29) 50 (46) -11
BOEHNER: 18 (21) 55 (47) -11

CONGRESSIONAL DEMS: 39 (36) 53 (53) +3
CONGRESSIONAL GOPS: 19 (24) 69 (64) -10

DEMOCRATIC PARTY: 56 (53) 37 (39) +5
REPUBLICAN PARTY: 31 (32) 61 (60) -2

The GOP base you fear is SHRINKING. The larger electorate is catching on to their act, and they are oblivious to this. So what if they look for Primary opponrents for Snowe, Specter, and Collins - LET THEM! Snowe has a 79% approval rating in ME - Good effing luck! Moreover, the Rabid Right TRIED to beat Specter in '06, and had their ass handed to them.
You may note ME and PA were strongly blue in 2008. ME has shown ZERO sign of trending red (Hasn't done so since 1988, in fact), and PA has been trending blue in the last 4 election cycles.
All a "GOP-Base" candidate will do in those states is lose, and lose big. Collins and Snowe survive by being moderates - Specter as well. If the Rabid Right beats them in the primaries, it's 3 more seats in the Senate for us, and a filibuster-proof majority.
But you seem to count this as a loss for Democrats. Why, I can't see.

[sampsonblk]

15. I don't fear anyone. I am using common sense

If we play this right, the GOP will be wiped out in 2010. Right now, they have a party about nothing. Their safe seats are no longer safe.

I am saying they are desperate for a way to hang on to as much as they can. This helps.

[damonm]

16. No you're not - you are in fact going the other way.

You are saying down=up, in the face of all pertinent fact. That they're desperate is the ONLY thing you've said that is correct.
And this does NOT help them - they wrongly think it does, as do you, seemingly.
It HURTS them. They are being driven into "batshit crazy base"-land, and it is alienating them FURTHER from any voting bloc save their own shrinking base. Their continued obstructionism and perceived unreasonablity will DESTROY them in 2010.

[vaberella]

6. With so many tax cuts...in the long run we are....but it's better than nothing.

I'd rather avoid soup lines. I would have liked the spending to be at 38% or 40% and tax cuts at 25% or less. But again, beggers can't be choosers.

I do think the economy will improve but at our pain because I'm still pissed about the first bail out and then with thsi many tax cuts in the second round...I'm not pleased.

[earth mom]

8. The middle class are the losers. The upper middle class & the banks are the winners.

I'm not impressed with the "stimulus" package at all. There are too many things that got kicked to the curb, or cut plus there are too many tax "cuts".

What ever happened to raising taxes on the rich fuckers like Obama promised when he was campaigning? Hmm?

[damonm]

10. Econ 101, that's what...

"What ever happened to raising taxes on the rich fuckers like Obama promised when he was campaigning? Hmm?"

Econ 101 - you DO NOT raise taxes in the midst of a recession. Obama's planning to let the Bush cuts expire in 2011. we need the stimulus NOW.

Read the bill - the Middle Class wins. America wins. republicans paint themselves as the enemy of the American people; they LOSE.

[Juche]

14. Healthcare wins

Helping people pay for COBRA, updating healthcare IT, aid to states for healthcare, investing a billion to research cost effectiveness in treatment.