Obama met with Republicans yesterday to discuss the economic stimulus plan. That didn't get very far .. he is refusing to compromise on his phony "tax cuts" for lower income Americans. Not surprising. Obama doesn't need any Republicans in order to pass this stimulus. Which leads to my next question .. if he doesn't need any Republican support to pass this economic stimulus bill, why meet with Republicans at all? Why include any tax cuts in the stimulus bill? The Democrats don't really want them. So why do it?

Here's a theory. Anyone who has a basic understanding of economic principals can understand why tax cuts are a surer way to stimulate an economy compared to government spending. (More on that in a minute.) Somewhere along the way, I genuinely believe that the Democrats know that to be true. Despite what many may think, most Democrats in Congress aren't dumb people. But they do have one goal: to keep their jobs and increase the power of government. Therefore, they have to pander to their constituents and campaign donors. This is why they are willing to include these spending plans and pork projects .. it brings home the bacon and it panders to the mindless who believe that government can always do it best.

But they don't want to put all their eggs in one basket. You see, now that the Democrats are in charge, they will get the full credit or full blame for whatever the outcome of the economic stimulus may be. By including tax cuts into this plan, it alleviates some of their responsibility. If the stimulus fails, they can blame it on the fact that they were willing to compromise with Republicans and include those silly Republican tax cuts. If the stimulus is a success, there is no need to credit Republicans with the tax cuts because the Democrats were the ones in charge .. they were the ones who decided to include the tax cuts.

Don't make me say "I told ya so."