'If health care legislation had to fight uphill against a public mood that is skeptical of government's capacities, the financial reform bill Democrats are pushing has the advantage of flowing with a public view devoutly critical of Wall Street, bankers and all their works.
And for the first time in Obama's presidency, Republicans are uncertain as to whether resolute opposition to a Democratic idea is in their political interest. There are strong indications that the GOP would prefer to avoid an all-out confrontation over re-regulating the financial system, and several Republican senators are saying that they would like to negotiate with Democrats on this one. Suddenly, it's Democrats -- and, in particular, the often conflict-averse Obama -- who are relishing a fight.
This raises what may be the essential question for the campaign: Can Democrats finally put the Republicans on the defensive?
Obama is betting that they can. His speech at a fundraiser for Boxer in Los Angeles on Monday offered a template for a new Happy Warrior president. After a year in which he repeatedly and almost apologetically insisted that he was -- really, really -- trying as hard as he could to work with Republicans, he turned the beat around and asked why Republicans weren't willing to work with him.'
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/04/22/obama_the_new_happy_warrior_105270.html
Interesting phrasing. The first time I read this, that sentance read quite definite. But on second reading, it says '[Obama] repeatedly and almost apologetically insisted that he was ... trying as hard as he could to work with Republicans'.
Not, you will note 'Obama tried hard to work with Republicans'. Of course not, that would be silly. Not only did Obama ignore all the Republican suggestions about possible reforms of health care delivery, he repeatedly and insultingly insisted that the Republicans hadn't suggested any actual reforms of health care delivery. And called opponents of his specific reforms liars and shills for big pharma.
So the phrasing of this supporter of Obama is very interesting '[Obama] repeatedly ... insisted that he was ... trying as hard as he could to work with Republicans'. He did do that a lot. He did go on TV and drone on and on about how he was trying to work with the Republicans- almost as often as he went on TV and denounced the same people as liars and obstructionists.
But nobody outside the closed bubble of Democrat lackeys and dupes bought it. I haven't seen polling figures for how many Americans consider Obama a bipartisan figure, but I bet you dollars to donuts that he would score below Tricky Dicky. Even the big government Republican RINOs couldn't get on board with Obamas proto-socialism- and that is saying something.
As for the main point of this piece of dull propaganda- that somehow smashing Wall Street over the head with a big piece of straitjacket legislation is going to win back all those disillusioned Americans- go ahead and see. I think we all know that Wall Street regulation sets as many pulses racing as Nancy Pelosi in a leotard.
"In this entire year and a half of cleaning up the mess, it's been tough because the folks very responsible for a large portion of this mess decided to stand on the sidelines," Obama declared. "It was as if somebody had driven their car into the ditch and then just watched you as you had to yank it out, and asked you, 'Why didn't you do it faster -- and why do I have that scratch on the fender?' And you want to say, why don't you put your shoulder up against that car and help to push? That's what we need, is some help."
Eye-watering. Simply eye-watering brass. If you make a list of the problems which Obama had to face on becoming president, and rank them by urgency and importance, where would 'fix Americas not-broken health care provision' be?
Most peoples list, prioritizing the most important things first, would have been something like:
1) Unemployment, how to reduce
2) the US banking sector, how not to further screw up
3) US federal debt, how to reduce
4) US dependence on foreign sources of energy
As I've said before, Obama really had very little on his plate when he became president. Iraq? Sorted by Bush. Afghanistan? Easily manageable. The Bank bailouts? Already done. The recession? They fix themselves every single time.
The idea that America was completely broken, and that Obama has spent a year fixing it is laughable. If you take my list, here is what Obama has done:
1) loaded more taxes, regulation and debt onto the already laboring US economy, thereby causing lots more unemployment
2) continuing the dismal interventionist policies of Bush via the terrible bailouts
3) passed the 'stimulus', which will hand over almost a trillion of taxpayer money to Democrat constituencies up and down America; passed a very expensive healthcare boondoggle; cut no government programs of any kind
4) done nothing whatsoever to alleviate US dependence on foreign sources of energy
Just for laughs, he introduced cap-and-trade to thrash the US coal and steel industries.
So, lets try a slightly different metaphor.
Imagine you crashed your car into a ditch. A nice, personable, sauve guy in an expensive suit stopped by. You thought he would help you get your car out of the ditch. Instead, he took everything out of the glove compartment, polished it with windex, and buffed it with a chamoix. He then wanted you to give him a standing ovation, a nobel peace prize and medal for best roadside assistance ever given.
But you kick him in the pants and tell him in short, anglo-saxon phrases how much his help was appreciated.
Hey, at least that image is better than Nancy Pelosi in a leotard.
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