The summary of the economic stimulus bill introduced by Democrats yesterday is chock full or details. Whether it can actually stimulate economic growth is up to the beholder.
"Much of the government spending that I see in the outline was not going to make any real difference in terms of creating jobs and preserving jobs, and that's the part that is so disconcerting to me," said House GOP Leader John Boehner.
In other words, it's chock full of pork.
We'll hear something different from Barack Obama as he speaks on the issue during a visit to Ohio today.
"This plan is a significant downpayment on our most urgent challenges," Obama said in a written statement released on Thursday.
In other words, he doesn't think it's chock full of pork.
I will say again that this emerging debate is already reminding me of 1993, when Bill Clinton came into office.
He proposed $16 billion in economic stimulus (a bit smaller than the $825 billion proposed by Democrats on Thursday.)
But the Clinton plan was derailed by a GOP filibuster in the Senate, amid an outcry over pork barrel spending.
You can find the lengthy summary on my blog from yesterday - give it a read - and see whether you think it delivers an economic stimulus, or a shot in the arm with pork.
Hearings begin next week in the House.
Democratic leaders want an economic recovery bill on Obama's desk by mid-February at the latest.
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