Major cities not getting a fair share of Obama stimulus transportation money. Some states not fully organized on how to spend it, or where. Other states and cities overwhelmed with stimulus money for particular programs. Hack-job reporting of alleged politicization of state-by-state federal stimulus payouts, even though any idiot knows that “blue states” have been most hurt by the recession.
President Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats will have to address both the reality and the political “reality” behind these issues before floating a second stimulus bill, if they do.
On the cities article, the political angle is that Obama can bypass governors, or lean on them with the bully pulpit, and get political capital not just from reliable Democrats but suburban swing voters. On the other stuff, short of the “hack-job reporting,” streamlining and clarifying federal stimulus rules would make him look like the good neolib he is. Giving states a sop of flexibility on a few issues, especially if they send more transportation dinero to cities, would butter up governors.
And, if it’s true that independents are starting to back off their Obama support, it means that he has to consider some of these political issues.
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