Just Another Manic Wednesday

Encouraging signs from the Democratic leadership that sanity will prevail in the government's response to Wall Street's, er, meltdown, whatever . . . .

I hate that word, "meltdown." Like "dimension" or "catalyst" (good God, "catalyze"), I would like to see uses beyond its technical meaning banned. A meltdown involves the compromise of the core at a nuclear plant. Not a shit fit. Why isn't "shit fit" good enough?

Anyway, I like that Schumer's talking some money now, maybe more later. That is manifestly the only sane response to this, not committing such a gargantuan sum ($700b, for you cave dwellers) with less than a week's deliberation. The politics are interesting. Republicans making sounds like they don't want anything to do with what eventually passes, Democrats trying to hedge their bets.

Well, it's tricky. Whatever gets passed, if it's even marginally effective, will have arguably saved us from a recession. But, like "no attacks since 9/11," it would be a rhetorical strategem of probably limited effectiveness. A catastrophe averted isn't tangible in the way that $700b worth of new debt is. Is this thing really necessary? It seems like it probably is (based on the wide array of experts who are soberly warning that it is), but who knows? Anyway, Democrats should just get to a bill that's broadly acceptable to their caucus, and ram it through. See if Bush feels like saving the economy this week.

BTW--why is it that there's so much frigging doubt about the bill that will come through? It's a spending bill, therefore, it must originate in the House. The Democratic-controlled House. Because of House rules, the Democratic leadership can absolutely kill any bill they don't like. One bill will come up for a vote, and that bill should be the one that has the chance of holding the caucus together. Bush won't like it, but it will be the only bill he will see. People talk about this like the administration can just submit their own idea, and then Democrats have to react to it. No.