Hard Lesson From Obama's Economic Stimulus Package

That is a fair assessment.  Healthy political discourse and legitimate gripes are an effective part of making sure everyone’s voice is heard in the process.  I support the stimulus for its emphasis on American working families and the belief that “new spending” can help stimulate industries in a more productive way.  Honestly, I believe if the government is accruing debt that is being poured directly into the economy, then it is “good debt” as opposed to money being given to the to the financial sector, per se, hoping the effects trickle down.

Either way, this House Bill teaches a tough lesson:

1) Not everyone is mystified by the spirit and energy of cooperation.  I know that everyone in government would not have jumped on the bipartisan bandwagon immediately, but it would have been great to see a vote that broke down on something other than party lines.  The vote saw all dems say yes, and all republicans say no, with 11 Dems voting no.  Having some Republicans vote yes would have been a positive sign that on major measures, Republicans could vote their conscience and not their party.

This is an indication that the Dems and Obama will have some tough decisions to make – whether they should be more open to compromise, or whether they should use the political party advantage they have to forge ahead with what they “know to be right” in other legislative situations which will arise.

In spite of the disappointing vote that generally broke along party lines, it is my hope that the Obama administration will continue to be diligent in brokering compromise and ushering in a new way of conducting the legislative process.