No individual knows whether the stimulus plan will work or not, but we can look to history for guidance: Federal spending for World War II dwarfed the New Deal, so as Paul Krugman notes, “What saved the economy, and the New Deal, was the enormous public works project known as World War II, which finally provided a fiscal stimulus adequate to the economy’s needs.” As a result, our economy recovered, but at this moment, we need our government to take action, since the federal government is the motivating force for change, and stalling this engine for political reasons perpetuates ineffective governance.  However, Obama doesn’t seem to be getting any bipartisanship support for his stimulus plan.  Do the Republicans want the Obama Administration to fail?  Personally, I believe the Republicans risk looking like obstructionists. From the Los Angeles Times:

President Obama had not even arrived on Capitol Hill yet for his personal attempt to lobby reluctant Republicans on his $825-billion stimulus plan when House leaders started telling GOP colleagues to vote against it.

Freed from the burden of defending President Bush, House Republicans are complaining loudly that taxes work better to stimulate the economy than spending increases. And mindful that the last stimulus plan seemed only to engender more job losses — and that many of their conservative constituencies opposed it — they are trying to score political points at home by opposing a popular president in Washington.

Before it’s over with, the Republicans will probably water down the stimulus package into ineffectiveness. Politico.com reports:

But as the week wears on, it’s clear that the GOP is finding its voice as a stout opposition party instead of the party of compromise.

.       .       .

The nitpicking took its toll, and Obama on Monday privately urged House Democrats to remove a notable flash point: funds for contraception that had been defended by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on national television just a day before. The Democrats agreed.

Then this morning, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) went for the jugular, urging his members to oppose the economic centerpiece of Obama’s first term just hours before the president paid the Republicans the compliment of coming to the Capitol for a private meeting — even before he did the same for House Democrats

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