2. Question: I was thinking about the overall Republican strategy to bankrupt the state--ie run huge deficits now and cut taxes for the rich so as to force cuts later. This worked with the Reagan-Clinton tandem but only because the cuts that were made (and I'm not convinced that the welfare state is totally over, even if it doesn't look like it used to) were targeted at constituencies without much political organization--the working poor, single minority mothers, persons with disabilities, etc. But this strategy seems doomed at present, since the ultimate targets are seniors, perhaps the most well-organized political group aside from the NRA. Are the Republicans betting on being able to blame this all on Democrats and _not_ having to actually pay the price politically or fiscally themselves? Have they even considered it? Or do they really just not care?
Christian