If Barack Obama wants to sell this stimulus package to an unwilling consumer, how about he make his point on TV via debate? Prime time. On all major networks.
Sure, he’s going to go on TV anyway and have a one-sided talk with at the American people, trying to scare the hell out of them, convince them that the money currently in their wallets will literally go up in flames if Congress doesn’t act now and pass a trillion-dollar wealth shift that violates at least two of his so-called campaign promises — no earmarks, no bills being passed without Americans having five days to view the thing. (Let’s also overlook the tax cheats appointed to cabinet positions, the lobbyists now scurrying around the White House and the complete inability to vet people.)
What we should have is Obama debate either a rabid House Republican — one of those guys who tried to stop the excrement-filled TARP bill from passing — or Sentator Tom Coburn from Oklahoma. That guy’s about as anti-pork as you can get. (McCain’s had his chance to not prove any of his points for the last two years, so let him rest.) The Democrats are whining that they’ve allowed the Republicans to “define” the argument. Well, this would be a chance to make the case to the American people without sounding like you’re whining about evil Republican tactics or, worse, sounding like you ARE taking one great leap forward to half-assed Socialism. We’ll overlook how much whining you do — even when you have the majority. (And while we’re overlooking things, we’ll also overlook the fact that George W. Bush’s ridiculous spending habits and the passage of TARP and auto bailouts–helped along by some Congressional Republicans–set the whole ball rolling.)
At any rate, Obama needs to convince people that this recession isn’t going to be over by the time the money in this bill–which does indeed look like 40 years of back-logged liberal pet programs–starts rolling out into the economy. Is that too much to ask when insisting that we give you a trillion dollars of our money. Hell, I’d like you to convince me that you realize that the trillion dollars actually comes from us and not from some magical government piggy bank that is replenished by fairies.
And if it is too unseemly for a President to debate a Senator or Representative, I get that. There is protocol. There is tradition. In that case, put Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi on the podium. In prime time on the three major broadcast networks (then again, this would be a killer ratings coup for CNN, FoxNews or MSNBC). Of course, that wouldn’t even be close to a fair fight.
UpdateWelcome Instapundit readers. Look around. Follow on twitter at @kenwheaton. And if you remember my name come January 2010, by my first novel, “First Annual Grand Prairie Rabbit Festival” from Kensington Books.
KEN WHEATON 