Paul Rubin warns Americans to get ready for a new New Deal:
Rubin is right, and he may not know just how right he is. Everywhere you turn, Democrats are talking about recreating the New Deal. USAction is pushing for ‘the Next New Deal,’ and has lined up a range of influential Representatives and Senators behind their plan. Congressman Chris VanHollen — whose chairmanship of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee earns him dozens of loyal followers — says of the plan “after the election, we’ll put it into effect.” What does it call for? An immediate end to the war in Iraq, and trillions in tax increases — so the government can take the lead in designing, regulating, and funding health care, education, and energy. It’s not just a few Members who’ve signed onto the ‘Next New Deal” either. Chairman Paul Kanjorski said months ago “All we’re doing is going into the basket and saying, ‘Damn, what did they do in ’32, what did they do in ’34, what did they do in ’36,’ and we’re pulling them out, dusting them off, giving them a paint job, correcting the fenders a bit, and we’re using them.” Barney Frank echoed his thoughts. Democratic Chairman Rush Holt (NJ) calls the recent $700 billion bailout “a band-aid,” and says we need to look to — you guessed it — the New Deal for lessons on what to do next. The San Francisco Chronicle is cheering for a New New Deal. So is Helen Thomas. Perhaps most tellingly, Democratic powerhouse Rahm Emanuel has been pushing a New New Deal for months. Emanuel is perhaps the most important powerbroker on Capitol Hill, widely seen as the architect of the Democratic majority, and he’s close to Barack Obama. It’s clear that congressional Democrats are clearing the decks for an orgy of spending like we’ve never seen. As president, would Barack Obama — the most liberal member of the Senate and a friend to progressives everywhere — be likely to press for fiscal responsibility? Just like in foreign policy, he will be tested right away by leaders who are up to no good.
