Economist:  “The economists who studied this were quite surprised to find that fiscal policy in recessions was reasonably effective.  It is just that folks tried a first punch that was too light and that generally we didn’t get big measures until well into the recession.”

Congressman:  “That is precisely my point.  That is why I like my porridge hot. I think we ought to have this income tax cut fast, deeper, retroactive to January 1st, to make sure we get a good punch into the economy, juice the economy to make sure that we can avoid a hard landing.”

The identities of these tiresome Keynesians?  Kevin Hassett of the American Enterprise Institute and Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin—speaking in 2001.

From a purely predictive standpoint, it makes one wonder:  assuming that control of Congress doesn’t change much, are the odds of additional fiscal stimulus higher if there is a Democratic or a Republican President in 2013?