GOP Underpants Gnomes

Ever since President Obama was inaugurated back in January, the Republican Party has done nothing but say "no" to anything he has suggested. No plans, no alternatives, no nothing. It got so ludicrous that in his press conference this week, Obama chided the Republicans for their incessant carping yet never proposing anything else.

Eventually, the GOP realized they really don't want to be known as the Party of No and so loudly went before the cameras yesterday to unveil their budget. Except they didn't.

Rather, what they presented was a 17-page (19 if you count the front and back covers) pamphlet called "The Republican Road to Recovery" which contained precisely zero budget numbers. Instead, it spends all its time complaining about the president's proposed budget with a few cheap shots thrown in for effect:

According to Senator Kennedy's campaign website, the [wind farm] project [off the coast of Massachusetts] would undermine "the ecology of the Sound and will jeopardize the public interest." The Senator once remarked, "Don't you realize - that's where I sail!"

In fact, the only thing even approaching a budget number is yet another big tax cut for anyone making over $100,000 a year. Yes, another one.

In a nutshell, the pamphlet is, shall we say, light on details. For example, this is how the GOP proposes to fix the nation's housing crisis:


That's it. No details, just a feel-good graphic.

The rollout was a disaster, with media, pundits and bloggers all complaining that the supposed "big announcement" was little more than a bait-and-switch scam. Even the conservative National Review blasted the party, saying that the stunt was "a bottle full of air."

In their defense, the GOP claimed they would introduce their actual budget - with real numbers, no less! - in Congress next Wednesday.

Has anyone else noticed that next Wednesday is April Fool's Day?

This whole fiasco reminds me of the Underpants Gnomes from South Park, who also claimed to have a terrific plan:

Phase 1: Collect Underpants
Phase 2: ?
Phase 3: Profit!

That's the standard GOP operation right now: offer meaningless platitudes, skip whatever actual work needs to be done, and just say that everything will be fine.

And they wonder why no one trusts them.