Dateline, Week Two -- Obama and the Democrats want to pass an $825 billion stimulus package designed to support the struggling economy. The package is no mere handout; some Republicans have suggested it amounts to paying $825 billion merely to hire 4 million new workers, for an average salary of $206,000 per person. The plan, though, is not a one-time payout. It is an investment in infrastructure of all kinds: transportation, energy, education, health. Sure, the government could pay people to move dirt from one place to another, with no one getting any utility out of anything. That's what the Republicans claim this does. But that would be stupid. Instead, we'll employ people to do meaningful things. We wouldn't we?

And, furthermore, is this necessary? Turns out yes. Aggregate demand is falling: people, anticipating a recession, spend less. Companies spend less. And, especially in this economy, companies spend less on capital projects that require credit. Banks are still loathe to extend credit, since they can't trust anybody. When aggregate demand falls, the government must step in and take up the slack until people buy things again.

Republicans don't like this idea. They don't like spending money. Unless that money goes to contracts that would result in kickbacks from lobbyists. Or unless that money gets spend on the Department of Defense. And that money spend at DoD results in contracts that would result in kickbacks from lobbyists.

Sorry, sorry. Cheap shot, I know. Let's be post-partisan. Okay, Republicans don't like the idea. Rep. John Boehner, the House Minority Leader (from The Great State of Ohio!) has said his party intends to vote against the bill unless the 2001 Bush tax cuts are made permanent, among other things.

You know what, John Boehner? You go ahead and do that. But first, you might like to catch up on the news you've apparently missed for the last three months. As it turns out, your party lost. And it lost big. Remember that presidency you lost? And the eight Senate seats (not counting Minnesota, where Republican incumbent Norm Coleman will likely lose)? And the twenty-two House seats? Adding up all these numbers, it appears -- and I'm not entirely sure on this -- that you aren't in a position to be making demands. The House can pass whatever it wants even if every Republican votes against it. So can the Senate. And then, the Democratic president will sign it into law. (You may wish to call up your Originalist judges to overturn the law, just in case. They have a firepole, so they can move quick!)

The stimulus package will move ahead, whether you like it or not. It will move ahead with an end to the Bush tax cuts. Senate Republicans can filibuster the bill, and I would love to see Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid let them. At that point, the Republican spin machine would choke and the gears would come to a halt. How could they put their P.R. to work on refusing to stimulate the economy? It bodes nothing but badly for them. Reid would do well to let them dig their own grave and show Americans once and for all that Republicans aren't interested in helping the middle class.

Then again, a filibuster might happen. Not every Republican senator can be so easily duped. I'm looking at Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. He's shown his willingness to disagree with Republicans before. Democrats would need only two more votes to invoke cloture and end any filibusters.

Thankfully, Democrats do not appear to be backing down. In 2007, they used their newly-minted majority status to ... do everything the Bush administration wanted. Hmm. Well, never let it be said that Democrats know when they're ahead. I guess that prior sentence should be modified: Democrats do not appear to be backing down (but they might!). But once -- just once -- it would be nice for Democrats not to screw things up by acting like a beaten puppy and capitulating at the first sign of conflict. They won; Republicans lost. Now, they have an agenda that they want to advance. Republicans want to stop that agenda, but they no longer have the ability to do so. And what Republicans want is not what Americans want. Not anymore. So they can play their P.R. game and send John Boehner on Meet the Press to explain why it's just too much money, but they'll be left to explain themselves.

And a Republican trying to explain himself is a sure way to clear the room.