Hey Blue Dogs, We Need a Second Stimulus

The ever-worsening employment situation demands a second stimulus, writes former Labor Secretary Robert Reich. Yes, the first stimulus is only half-spent, but the remaining programs won’t affect mounting job losses. Blue Dog Democrats, worried about the deficit and 2010 elections, will be hard-pressed to support a second round, but Obama can corral them with a simple truth: if the employment picture doesn’t improve, their chances for re-election are shot anyway.

Obama should tell the Blue Dogs that “the economy needs a bigger stimulus in order to show improved job numbers by the mid-term elections,” Reich writes for Salon. “He should make sure they understand that they're more politically endangered next November if the the job numbers aren't moving in the right direction by then than if they vote for a larger stimulus now.”
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