The Republicans in Congress are cynically obstructing the Obama administration to keep the economy from recovering fully (from their own failed economic policies over the last thirty years).

George Soros: I'm worried that the politics of the election are going to interfere and put a lid on this –because the Republicans don't want to face elections where Obama can claim to have sort of seen the economy recover. So they will continue to push for austerity, no new taxes, and therefore cutting of services, which will depress economic activity and employment.

After the elections, if the Republicans win, actually they’ll undergo a miraculous transformation where they discover that actually it wouldn’t be so bad if maybe we can afford to have some stimulus.

Fareed Zakaria: So you think Mitt Romney, if elected would pursue a stimulus bill?

George Soros: I’m pretty sure that would happen. I mean, of course, Obama would like to as well. He may find it more difficult if the Republicans continue to obstruct him.

Fareed Zakaria: So in a sense, you feel that some part of this Republican opposition to an additional stimulus is just cynical? They want the economy to stay weak in an election year?

George Soros: Unfortunately, our political system is now not functioning the way it used to in the sense that the political parties are more determined to destroy each other than to lead to policies that would benefit the country.

Really, is there a bigger "Well, duh" statement uttered than that? It's amazing that it had to take Soros taking a break from all that alleged liberal media check writing he does to say out loud what we all know is true: the Republican Party is willing to take down the country--dropping almost 50 percent of Americans to near or below the poverty line-- for their own cynical political gain.