Going over the fiscal cliff is better than the Republican option?

[The Contentious Otter]

A growing number of economists are claiming that going over the fiscal cliff is preferable to pursuing the Republican option of renewing the Bush tax cuts and repealing increased liquidity requirements in the Dodd-Frank bill. This movement started among energy economists who claimed that given the current positions of commodities markets players that the Republican option would create a massive spike in energy prices that will drive the country into a recession, while going over the fiscal cliff will -at most- reduce economic growth from the range of 2 to 2.5% to 1.5 to 2%.

Do you agree with the growing body of economists who say that 1.5% economic growth is preferable to Republican policies that will drive us into another recession with $5 per gallon gas and $7 per gallon diesel?
Bekind's response is a textbook example of Republican propaganda and misinformation.