Monday, August 1

Look On The Bright Side. Now We Won't Need Death Panels.

Chris Cillizza,"The debt-ceiling deal: Winners and losers". July 31

Peter Wallsten and David Nakamura, "Did Obama capitulate--or is this a cagey move?" July 31

Ezra Klein, "Democrats will lose now. But they can win later." July 31

IF you'd like to forget for a moment what input you had into the Great Debt Ceiling Compromise, or "Compromise"--your choice of fries or cole slaw with your shitburger--I recommend casting about until you find The Cool Kids' Analyses. Because just think about it: which would you really rather do, get the 1500 calories a day you might manage in your golden years from premium cat food, or escape, without medical assistance, a world where Ezra Klein and Chris Cillizza don't just have jobs as political commentators and open-mike-night standup comics, but are charter members of the Liberal Media Emailers Club?

Wallsten and Nakamura:
But for a White House eager to improve its standing with centrist independents who have been fleeing Obama, even a losing deal can be a winning strategy.

Leaving aside for the moment the question of where, besides "inside the skulls of Beltway insiders", these centrist independents reside, let's ask exactly why they've been fleeing Obama. Because he was too centrist? Because the reasonable, middle-of-the-road Republican party pointed out his Socialist World Domination scheme? Because previously he just hasn't shown the leadership that utter whimpering capitulation signals to your average demanding Difference Splitter?


Liberals: As the basic framework of the deal emerged, liberals began voicing their discontent about a bargain that left their side wanting more. With no revenue in the initial phase of the legislation and Medicare cuts on the table in the second phase, there’s not much for the ideological left to celebrate.

Same question, in reverse: where are these people, aside from the actual America none of these fucks knows anything about except how to fly over? The only liberal official I heard from during the whole mess was John McCain.

(Okay, I heard Chuck Schumer with David Gregory. Schumer made sense. Which meant nothing he had to say would be reflected in any final deal. As if we needed confirmation.)


Look, I don't give a fuck if you really are only 23-years-old. You've already had a lifetime's worth of proof that the Democratic party will never be able to take advantage of any hand it's dealt. Saying "oh, wait, the Dems will get it back in a lame-duck session when the Bush tax cuts expire" is like saying "Good news! The Democrats have a fillibuster-proof Senate majority!"


R. Porrofatto said...

Ha ha ha. Didn't Boy Ezra write that same exact paragraph last year: Democrats will have their turn. On Dec. 31, 2010... the Bush tax cuts expire. Income tax rates will return to their Clinton-era levels. [blah blah.]... And all Democrats need to do to secure that deal is...nothing.

Sadly, as I recall, instead of nothing they chose to do something; they extended the Bush tax cuts to the very December 31, 2012 deadline Boy Ezra is writing about now. Gosh, I wonder what Democrats, or more likely, a two-house Republican majority about to take office, will do then?

Doug said...

As with any shit sandwich, this one tastes better the more bread you have.

heydave said...

Whoa! *rim shot!*

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

Not one of these shits realizes that the economy is weakening again, and our President Wannabee Reagan (why the fuck did he run as a Democrat?) is going to be the next Herbert Hoover instead.

/Minister of Optimism

charles pierce said...

That EK piece is the funniest damn thing I've read in months.

BigHank53 said...

But the Democrats can win later! All they have to do is get in line with the rest of us mopes and buy a PowerBall ticket...

Anonymous said...

I hafta apologize to you, Riley. You made some comment a few years back about it being clear that the President was not up to the job. I was very angry with you, thought your spleen might be gettin' the best of you for a minute.
Well, I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong. This guy is either woefully out of his depth, or he's got his eye on the 2013 lecture circuit money, and wants to line up a bunch of friendly rich folks early.
There is simply no way I can reconcile the strategic ability on display during the campaign with the abject political bumbling I've seen since. Was Axelrod killed and replaced with a pod-person?
I can't tell. I'm almost to the point of not caring. I need a drink ...

LOL, nice one, Doug!


David in NYC said...

@Anonymous --

Well, as I put it in a comment on Krugman's blog,

My only question at this point is whether Obama is a useful idiot or just an idiot...

I guess we'll know for sure when we see what job he takes after he leaves the White House.

Sator Arepo said...

That sucks and we're screwed etc etc. And how come we can't elect a crazy/insane leftist brigade to congress that holds SOP shit hostage until they get what they want?

Oh, right.

heydave said...

Hey, I'll volunteer for the job, but you may find I'm a bigger asshole than you thought you wanted/needed.