Keep as New Reply Reply All Forward Delete Spam More The Pelosi Recession

Democrat obstruction will cause untold economic damage

As another five million people flood the unemployment system, the country faces a classic whodunit: Who killed the U.S. economy?

The novel coronavirus must bear some of the blame. Social distancing has pushed millions of consumers and producers into their homes. A temporary societal shutdown means a temporary economic contraction.

But the length of the recession—whether the economy bounces back post-shutdown, or whether we lose another decade of growth—is as much about government as the conditions on the ground. Unlike the 2008 crisis, the current contraction is not a correction for mal-investment but the product of a nationwide decision to combat a deadly disease. That effort is led, and in many cases imposed, by government; it makes sense for the feds to pick up the tab.

With a few exceptions, congressional Republicans have agreed with this analysis, working swiftly and aggressively to staunch the bleeding. Not an economic conservative to begin with, President Donald Trump has been particularly gung-ho, calling for another $2 trillion in stimulus spending before the ink on the first $2 trillion bill had dried.

If you want to know how congressional Democrats are thinking about the crisis, though, just ask House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (S.C.). Brainstorming with over 200 members of the Democrat caucus, Clyburn admonished his colleagues with a line we suspect will become infamous:

"This is a tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision."

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