1. Bush-onomics Forever!

Extending Bush's tax cuts would cost $2 trillion over 10 years.

The GOP is desperate to avoid the Bush label?both broadly and in
specific terms of reclaiming the mantle of fiscal responsibility?but
their main economic policy proposal seems to be to ignite a deficit bomb
by extending Bush?s tax cuts, which are due to expire this year. Here?s
a political definition of chutzpah: Argue against $30 billion in
unemployment extensions in the name of fiscal discipline while pushing
for a tax cut extension that would cost $2 trillion over 10 years

2. Diving Back Onto the Third Rail

Rep. Paul Ryan favors privatizing social security.

Tax cuts aren?t the only economic idea recycled from the Bush years.
Remember the stupendously failed attempt to privatize Social Security?
Not only do the likes of Angle, Paul, and former half-term Alaska Gov.
Sarah Palin embrace the idea, so does Rep. Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin
Republican who would become the chairman of the Budget Committee if the
GOP takes over the House. By the way, Northwestern Mutual, who would
benefit from privitizing SSI, was Ryan's top contributer.

3. Unhealthy Attraction to Repeal

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi smiles after signing the Senate Health
Reform bill on March 22, 2010 on Capitol Hill.

The Republicans are becoming not simply the ?party of no,? but the party
of repeal. We knew about their fixation on repealing healthcare reform.
Admittedly there is a certain political logic here. While the gap has
narrowed, voters still view the bill negatively. But the GOP would still
be hard pressed to explain why they want, for example, insurance
companies to be able to discriminate based on pre-existing conditions.

4. Party of Wall Street

They?ve also added the Wall Street reform bill, which Obama just signed
into law, to their repeal target list. This one is harder to figure. An
April ABC News/Washington Post poll showed two-thirds of Americans
support stricter financial regulation. Is the GOP really ready to
embrace its heritage as the party of Wall Street?

5. How About a Moratorium on Bad Ideas?

House Minority Leader John Boehner.

And for sheer goofiness, there was Rep. John Boehner?s call for a one-
year moratorium on all new federal regulations (excepting emergency
cases like the BP spill). That might appeal to big business, but a June
NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found majorities favoring more regulation
of Wall Street, big corporations, and healthcare companies.