The least worst are the Democrats, with ACA subsidies and Medicaid expansion (sorry, in Washington speak, avoiding cuts) so more people can pay for health insurance. At least they are trying to help the poor instead of lowering taxes on the super-rich and driving us into a debt crisis. I have not forgotten the GFC when the Republican Bush Jr bailed out rich bankers while doing nothing for those losing their retirement savings and house equity.
Why don't the Republicans cave and add these two provisions? It's not going to bankrupt America any more than it already is.

Wow. So much to unpack here.

First off, only the Republicans will admit that there is anything resembling a fiscal issue. The democrats do not, yet no one on this board ever holds them accountable for it. When Republicans propose solutions that cause a little pain now so as to avoid the incredible pain known as austerity later, people freak out. So much for 'fiscal sanity'.

Second. The global financial crisis was blamed on Republicans even though you can trace all the bad incentives in the form of flawed rulemaking and/or poor legislation all the way back to 1975. At any rate, the US recession ended in early summer of 2009 thus rendering any 'stimuus' spending superfluous. But that didn't stop democrats from pumping a lot more money in the form of government spending to no where into the economy.

Third. Speaking of no accountability - and of putting band aids on gaping wounds - why do we have an "Affordable Care Act" that's so affordable it needs...subsidies from the government...to be "affordable"? Why are COVID-era policies still in effect today (which is what the subsidies were for, they were never intended to be a structural portion of the law). One would hope that the precipitous drop off in electric car sales would teach the lesson that subsidies aren't workable long term as a central economic policy: subsidies work when you want to provide a small incentive to nudge a market; they rarely work when they're the driving reason behind a purchase decision.

For you libs who refuse to believe that, let's revisit this conversation next year and look at solar panel pricing.

The democrats always escape accountability for their failed policies and increasingly erratic (and in some cases, sociopathic) behavior. No, the GOP shouldn't cave.