George Soros predicted in an interview aired Sunday that if Republicans just tried a second stimulus — and they would if the party ticket manages to unseat President Obama — they’d love it.
In an interview on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria: GPS,” the billionaire financier also said he’s still weighing whether to create a super PAC for Obama and rated the president as having done “kind of a mixed job” during his first term.
“I think it’s a big, big issue that the Citizens United has really unleashed private money for political purposes that can be used anonymously,” Soros said when asked whether he’d create the PAC. “And this will create an unequal playing field, which will further destroy the political system. And let’s say I basically have given my money for, on principle, not for pursuit of my private interests. And I’ve always done it very openly, saying what I’m doing. So whatever I decide, I will state what I’m deciding but I’m distressed by the problem that Citizens United has created.”
He said he’ll “definitely” vote for Obama again despite his mixed reviews, blaming the president’s early stumbles on the weight of his “inherited” problems.
“He made some mistakes at the beginning, but nevertheless, things have recovered,” Soros said. “So whoever gets elected now has a much better chance of being successful than Obama had.”
He also foresaw the next administration getting hooked on stimulus, after Republicans “will continue to push for austerity, no new taxes, and therefore cutting of services, which will depress economic activity and employment” to win in an election year.
“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 in which Obama can claim to have sort of seen the economy recover,” Soros said. “…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.”
“So you think Mitt Romney, if elected, would pursue a stimulus program?” Zakaria asked.
“I think — I’m pretty sure that would happen,” Soros responded. “I mean, of course, Obama would like to as well. He may find it more difficult if the Republicans continue to obstruct him.”
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