Last week the Right was calling for the defeat of any stimulus plan that had education funding attached to it. Money for schools would only be wasted on smaller class sizes and increasing teacher salaries.
Failing that, they now flail around, trying to figure out what to do. The American Enterprise Institute’s Big Thinker, Frederick Hess says, oops, we can’t just say “no.”
This is what political impotence looks like.
In view of the splits on the left, there are substantial opportunities for creative conservatives to help shape the debate and wield influence. While conservatives will do nothing more than make a political statement if they simply say “no,” they have the votes to ensure that the legislation is smarter, more fiscally responsible, and more attentive to incentives and unintended consequences than it would be if they sit this one out.
Fred Klonsky 