I hope the fact that, apparently, no one else has seen fit to comment on the Big Fat Idiot's economic recovery proposal means that he's becoming more of a clown and less of a relevant commentator. But no matter -- I can't resist, since it seems to me that Limbaugh's proposal represents an unwitting illustration of the power of the Overton Window...
First, the plan:
Fifty-three percent of American voters voted for Barack Obama; 46% voted for John McCain, and 1% voted for wackos. Give that 1% to President Obama. Let's say the vote was 54% to 46%. As a way to bring the country together and at the same time determine the most effective way to deal with recessions, under the Obama-Limbaugh Stimulus Plan of 2009: 54% of the $900 billion -- $486 billion -- will be spent on infrastructure and pork as defined by Mr. Obama and the Democrats; 46% -- $414 billion -- will be directed toward tax cuts, as determined by me.
Okay. Leaving aside the sheer idiocy of proposing that once a plan like this was implemented the relative efficacy of its constituent spending and tax cuts could somehow be determined -- when you figure that out, dude, line up next to Krugman for your Nobel Prize -- a couple genuinely amusing, and frankly heartening, other points do come to mind.
I mean, just weeks ago -- just days ago, if I recall the timing of my last 9:05am west coast, on-the-way-to-work dip into Planet Limbaugh correctly -- this doofus' main talking point was that the Democrats' stimulus plan won't work. In fact, he's been beating that meme like a drum: he supports Obama, but doesn't support his policies, because his policies won't work. In fact, his policies are most awful looming socialist catastrophe since FDR, or maybe ever.
So now suddenly Limbaugh himself, who is irrevocably on the record as stating that a 67% stimulus, 33% tax cut plan is a looming fiscal disaster, is himself publicly and enthusiastically advocating a package comprising 54% stimulus and 46% tax cuts? That shift of roughly $100 billion changes the package from a looming disaster that he must rail against to his personal preferred plan to save America?
Or, put another way, Rush Limbaugh is personally, publicly advocating roughly $500 billion in new public spending?
Or, put another way, Rush Limbaugh is personally proposing the largest new government spending program in American history?
Remember this the next time someone asks you to explain the Overton Window.
And thanks for the entertainment, Rush. Please keep advocating your plan, and all the future plans to come! Please keep driving the GOP off a cliff for the next few electoral cycles! It's great entertainment, it keeps you in Viagra, it keeps the Republicans electorally irrelevant and therefore it keeps America (finally) moving in the right direction. Everybody wins!