Obama Can Best Weaken the GOP by Courting Its Traditional Business Backers

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/07/31/obama-can-best-weaken-the-gop-by-courting-its-traditional-business-backers.html

So the president came out yesterday with another economic proposal that isn’t going anywhere. I don’t mean to sound snarky. Some people are snarking about it, orlamenting it anyway. 

But I see it differently. At this point it goes without saying that anything Obama proposes is DOA. So he can’t get that done. But he can get something else done: Pry the nutso GOP away from its traditional constituencies one by one, so that all they’re left with is the Tea Party lunatic fringe.

It’s the only play Obama really has at this point, and while it might not pay dividends for him, it will help the Democrats running in the midterm elections, the next president, and the country over the long term.

Yesterday’s proposal was as follows: Obama offered to lower the corporate tax rate to 28 percent (from the current 35 percent) in exchange for some infrastructure investments. Republicans have been clamoring for a lower corporate rate since forever. 

Even many Democrats support this—the U.S. corporate rate is among the developed world’s highest, and the idea that the rate should be lowered in exchange for closing some capacious corporate loopholes has long been an idea that a lot of Democrats are fine with. But fundamentally, it should be something that gets Republicans’ juices flowing. They’re the party of corporate America, right?

And not only is this GOP-friendly. Even on the investment side, the proposal is geared toward projects that the Republican Party hasn’t shown utter contempt for in the past. 

that didn't seem to make a difference before they like fine, he like oh hell no, refusal to advance the America you swore to protect and serve in my book is treason, they only get away with it because others vote for them, seems like the solution would be don't vote for them.

As Jared Bernstein noted yesterday, the investment is directed almost wholly away from the public sector—no money for teachers, who to Republicans are just another group of bought-off Democratic voters. As Bernstein summarizes the package: “We’ve got a big drop in the corporate rate that doesn’t add to the deficit, for which the Republicans have only to swallow a paid-for jobs program in areas they’ve historically supported.”

Sounds pretty damn reasonable. But none of this is likely to matter. It’s the same old story: If Obama’s for it, they’re agin’ it. Especially if it’s tied to the kinds of socialistic demands for infrastructure investment that have long been backed by the United States Chamber of Commerce, among other socialist organizations. So the chances of a deal are slim to none. Or none to negative.

whenever the other side gets tired of not having any more to show for their vote and things go back to worse maybe the country will go back to all of us instead of them.  that too is unlikely some would rather die on a stick than let everyone live the dream.