Obama Misses the Lesson in NY-26
Congratulations to Kathy Hochul, who rode a disciplined campaign against Paul Ryan’s plan to privatize Medicare to victory in a Republican Congressional district tonight.
There’s a lesson here. Republicans voted on Ryan’s shitty plan. Which allowed Democrats to highlight how shitty it, and Republicans, are. And … Victory!!!
Obama, however, seems to be missing that lesson:
I want to extend my congratulations to Congresswoman-elect Kathy Hochul for her victory in New York’s 26th Congressional District. Kathy and I both believe that we need to create jobs, grow our economy, and reduce the deficit in order to outcompete other nations and win the future. Kathy has shown, through her victory and throughout her career, that she will fight for the families and businesses in western New York, and I look forward to working with her when she gets to Washington.
One corner of real America just made it very clear they don’t want anyone messing with Medicare. And yet Obama’s off negotiating just that, rather than making it clear that Republicans want to hold Medicare hostage along with the rest of the government.
He doesn’t want to win, he merely wants to please his sponsors.
Yep!!!
I am so glad Obama was out of the country during Hochul’s last few days. He could have screwed the whole thing up in a day if he’d wanted to.
But let’s remember this is only a House seat, our side was motivated and this was a midterm election seat-filler for Christopher Lee (R) who was trolling shirtless for dates on the internet.
Despite the stories today that the Grand Bargain works for O and against his likely opponent, it’s still hard to believe he’d so openly undermine the best chance the Dems have to retake House. Why would you want to be President with that House? What’s the point. Just to have tea with the Queen?
To serve your masters, of course. He’s a corporatist to the bone. The fethugs have to be quite content to have him in the oval. After all, he’s really one of them. What I would give for an Ike right now.
At least Obama didn’t insist on having tea with the Queen mother on Irish soil while he was “exploring” his Irish roots. From the Irish perspective, the Queen coming on to Irish soil was unwelcome and enough of a slap in the face (video, time point 3:49).
The irish handled it much better than the Palistinians did when Bibi visited temple mount. But it’s basically the same thing.
Boxturtle (We won. You lost. Suck it down, Paddy!)
Yes but I do doubt that the Irish or the Palestinians are going to let that slide. Here’s Charlie Veitch (he is shown speaking at time point 7:31 regarding the Defend The Right To Protest Movement). The UKG may well be a worse police state than ours but the USG has been coordinating with them for sometime on the behest of Mayfair/Wall Street and is moving as fast as possible to catch up.
BoxTurtle, just a small quibble: I believe it was Ariel Sharon who went to the Temple to cause problems.
OMG! That is so funny. I always make references to the movie, “Tea with Musolini” and call him Benito regularly.
Thanks for the morning laugh.
One more for the road: “Obama’s motorcade gets stuck outside U.S. embassy in Dublin” (May 23, 2011).
Yeah. I had a great laugh on that one too. When I saw that thing jump on the newz reel, I hit the floor laughing.
I mean, sometimes your pimpmobile runs up on dry land. (LOL!)
The Irish cat-called in response and I can’t blame them. As a citizen of the most hated country in the world, I make apology (I am not an apologist for them, mind you) for my country and the Ugly Americans where ever I go and even within this country.
I thought this was actually a snide remark to us “little” people here in the US: “Netanyahu interrupted by protester, calls it “real democracy”‘ (May 24, 2011). Glenn Greenwald is absolutely right on about the treason of the 1%ers (Salon.Com, May 24, 2011).
I’m with you. It really is shameful that the largest part of this country has no idea what we do around the world. Heck, even I don’t know all of the secrets of tax payer takeovers for corporate profit, but at least I am aware of some.
It seems the only time we have foreign news reports it is only how our wars or going, or how the protests in oil rich countries are causing gas price hikes.
I don’t actually think that’s true anymore but the corporate media has gone to every length to project that as the reality as this is their real job as a pravadaganda operation. At this late date, I have no idea why anyone thinks the corporate media is intrinsicly honest or worth relying on. Is it a wilful ignorance steming from a self-responsibility problem? Do they still suck on their thumbs and expect to be spoon feed everything of which they mindlessly receive? If so, then what knuckle heads as what they get is anything but good and it will be forced down their throats like geese being prepared for foie gras.
not you. not me.
but maybe obama just wants to be president and doesn’t care about the house?
O’s a busy man. He’s got a billion dollars to raise. You can’t expect him to keep up with details like what the voters want their elected officials to actually do for them, once they are in office. Can you? ; )
The liberal blogs are screaming, we won. I have not a clue as to what that person thinks, believes, favors or wants to do.
The Tea Party pushed a bunch of Republican/Democratic candidates into the House in 2010. Then the new politicians all hired lobbyists as their chiefs of staff.
I will be interested to see whom the new Democratic member hires for chief of staff.
Tonight, she will lie awake dreaming of when she takes the oath of office as President of the United States.
The liberals will be glad and dreaming of when things go right for the people of the United States.
I am glad people will celebrate.
Poor Joplin, I have cordially hated that town for 35 years. Why am I crying about their problems?
Does Emptywords have some votes to stop the GOP from their kamikaze mission?
No.
Does Emptywords have a plan besides “save Bradley ‘Charismatic Megafauna’ Manning”?
No.
Will Obama win the next election and make you all look like the ignorant, contrarian asshats you are?
Yes.
Firebots suck. Fucking cult of idiotocracy over here.
Markos, is that you?
Boxturtle (We really need a better quality of troll around here)
Markos isn’t that silly. None of the DK front-pagers are. The Booster Clubbers that have been trying to take over the site, on the other hand…
So, you support the PATRIOT Act?
And where is “over there”?
Does Malinowski have a plan besides ‘Vote Democrat’? Let’s see what that’s gotten us:
* Repeal of Glass-Steagall
* Indefinite Detention
* Patriot Act
* Unconstitutional War
* Bush Tax Cuts becoming Obama Tax Cuts
LOL!!!
Waaa
Waaa
Waaa
Why won’t people just like O.
Waaa
Waaa
Waaa
leave it to obama to take a clear victory for progressives and turn it into a coup for corporatists
when are the progressives going to climb off the obamatrain?
As soon as we get a better offer.
Boxturtle (Russ Feingold, where are you?)
Obama’s given progressives no reason to turn out in 2012. Of course, we’ll be hearing from many progressives about how dangerous Pawlenty or whoever is.
T-paw isn’t going to be the nominee, I still think it will be Petraeus with as little time for oppo as possible. T-paw has more than a few issues, with the budget mess he left (credit cards all the way), I-35, and apparently there was a child molester let out early that proceeded to commit the same crime for years afterward. That’s off the top of my head, and those are the ads that kill POTUS runs, just ask Dukakis or Huckabee (with his own criminal problem).
So while I agree that Obama is a corporatist, realize that anyone, even Petraeus, that makes it through the GOP primary gauntlet is going to be a radical because the Teahadists have made their litmus tests clear and they will be the ones voting. Sharron Angle was the best thing for Harry Reid, but it was still close. The Teahadists are also backed by the Koch empire, so the cutoff of funding is not a way the GOP can solve their dilemma. Awwwwwww…..
Like we’ve seen with the selection of the members of the catfood commission, the treatment of Warren for the CPFB, the continuing PATRIOT Act and wiretapping abuses as well as the caving on GTMO detainees, the probable caving on Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security, President Obama has left a trail of unforced errors and flipflops from Candidate Obama. So while he still would be better than any GOP critter, keep in mind that it’s a very low hurdle to clear.
I keep asking: who has what goods on Obama that he keeps caving like this?
Maybe they aren’t progressives, but Democratic partisans.
The mission of the Democratic Party is to do their part in denying the American people a real choice.
Kathy Hochul’s victory last night may have highlighted the fact that Americans don’t want Paul Ryan’s shitty plan to privatize Medicare, but that won’t stop Democrats from doing their part in messing up Medicare.
Man! He gives a good speech. That’s all though. I bet he does look forward to working with her, but only on the business issues. Have you seen one thing that Obama has done to fight for the families?
He bailed out the car companies, agreed to bail out the banks, gave all sorts of other giveaways that went to businesses and banks but what did he do for families?
That’s right! NOTHING!
Is he going to change and hope for a better life for families? NOPE
He might lose campaign money if he did that. Can’t do it.
There’s a reason for this. Obama can’t say it but dollars to donuts he hates Medicare, Medicaid and SS just as much as the republicans do. Maybe even more.
Exactly! You can’t run a business and hand out goodies every month. It doesn’t matter if the people in the lower ranks have already paid for it. Heck, forget about real Government and Legislating. This is a business doncha know. Got trim off the waste in order to show a profit.
Statements (with qualifiers) by Pelosi and Debbie Wasserman Blue Dog Shultz indicate that CUTS to Medicare are still OKie Dokey.
Their lies by ommission are obvious.
Ryan Plan to voucherize privatize medicare is bad.
Cuts are ok becuase – we all (not banks, not GE, not the MIC, not Goldman Sachs) need to tighten our belts, etc.
Will Congressional D’s let Obama lead them to defeat again?
Why not? That’s waht they did last time. 08 Midterm wipeout by Obamacare.
Followed by a repeat by (more) Medicare Cuts in 2012. (They’ve already been cutting Medicare, Medicaid all the time).
Rethugs will swim away from the cuts. and Back away from the Ryan Plan.
Rethugs will reposition for victory as Obama destroys his own party again.
The Republicans know that Obama will be their to help them off the mat. A sellout of the worst order.
They already know that! Why on earth do you think the repug campaign is having such a hard time getting off the ground?
Who is going to ditch the President that got Bin Laden? Who is going to ditch the man that saved the Banks, Auto Industry, and helped corps make the largest profits ever recorded in history?
On the presidential race, the repugs got nothing.
Looks to me like the voters in 2012 will be going Democrat for House and Senate seats, while the presidency will be going Republican.
If your going to have a Republican President, might as well have a (R) after their name.
Couldn’t agree more.
I totally think that Obama will win, but so what? Anyone who doesn’t “get” that Obama’s solely and only working for the corporations and the upper 1% is either: a) in denial, b) delusional, c) totally asleep at the wheel, d) not paying any attention, or e) all of the above.
From my perspective, I’d rather someone in the white house who tells the truth and has an “R” next to their name. Maybe some trad-Dems would wake up and pay attention and start protesting the ongoing reign of Bush III.
I agree with you there, If Obama had an “R” behind his name, people would be awake and aware to what he’s done; as it is……………so many folks who were active and outraged by Bush just dismiss what Obama does, just because of that “D”
It’s beyond annoying & aggravating that trad-Dem voters are so completely asleep at the wheel and give O a giant pass just bc of that d*mn “D” beside his name. I am working on my trad-Dem friends and acquaintances to get them to pay better attention, but it’s been heavy lifting.
I agree with your take on China & Chinese wages. And I wouldn’t be surprised if either the Chinese people or the Chinese PTB kick out US corp in the long run. Time will tell.
Did you see this article about the Suarez Corp bringing an EdenPure enterprize *back* to the USA from China – to Canton, Ohio. Of course, 100s lined up to apply for a job. Most of the jobs paid min wage – $7.50 per hour. In the past, similar jobs in Ohio used to pay around $20 an hour (which ain’t all that much). I would be surprised if the EdenPure jobs paid decent benefits; I’m so sure that there’s NO pension involved:
http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20110518/BLOGS03/110519846
The Oligarchs have the US serfs by the short ‘n curlies… right where they want us: ever so grateful to be wage slaves, just like our counterparts in China.
Welcome to the third world status, y’all. Ain’t it great??
Seems Obama’s goal is to be the GOPer that brings Democratic support to GOP ideas
James Carville today in CNN suggests that Obamna is into stealing GOP ideas (Obama’s Mideast plan is the plan once lauded by George W. Bush and Tom DeLay….Obama’s Israeli and Palestinian conflict position is a position that was previously advocated by George W. Bush, Tom DeLay, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, opposition leader Tzipi Livni and even Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu….Indeed the TARP continuation and the car maker bailout were a continuation of the Bush Tarp and car maker bailout – and the stimulus was attacked by John Huntsman for not being large enough…The Obama individual mandate health-care plan was previously endorsed by Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman, Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty….Indeed Obama praised Pawlenty, McCain and Romney’s cap-and-trade carbon-control plan ….And Obama had the chairman of the Federal Reserve (who, by the way, was appointed by George W. Bush) institute a program that was advocated by Ronald Reagan’s favorite economist, the late Milton Friedman….Then there is Newt’s advice that we should hurry up and intervene in Libya, and of course Obama doubled down on George W. Bush’s lead in sending troops to Afghanistan), but I suggest Obama is a GOPer so the question is not about the GOP difficulty running against him after he has stolen their ideas, but the question is why the hell he is considered a Democrat – a democrat that can not be primaried – is it just because the Obama team will cry racism again, as they did against Hillary when she noted Obama was appealing to race to win in SC – later revised to “appealing to group pride”?
Nah, O’s got it locked.
People thought that about Daddy Bush at about this same point in his only term.
The swing voters always decide the election depending on the state and direction of the economy. The only way Obama has a lock on the election is if the unemployment rate drops down to 7.5% or lower by the 2012 election. If it is 8% or higher, then he’s hitting the speaking circuit in 2013. Between those two numbers and it is a toss up.
I have no idea whether Hochul is good, bad or indifferent to/for/about the plight of us “small people” out here – and in particular, in her district. All the best, but I gave up long ago clapping louder for Tinkerbell. Just bc someone has a “D” by their name means BUPKISS anymore.
Sure, I think that the voters in NY-26 are solidly *against* Ryan’s shitty plan to rip off Soc Sec, Medicare, Medicaid. But as Dick Cheny would say: SO???? Who gives a fack about common serf voters these days?
Anyone who believes that Obama does better keep on clapping cuz I sure don’t see it. And who knows what Hochul’ll do once she’s bought the curtains for her fancy-schmancy office (paid for by you & me the taxpayer)… what lobbyists will be knocking on her door and whispering sweet sweet payola “nothings” into her ear?
Seems to me that our pols get elected based on what the voters want, but once they get to Dee Cee, all bets are OFF.
Time will tell… color me skeptical.
I suspect ( pretty sure) the game is to turn us into folks who will be happy with Chinese wages. But America is too expensive to live in on Chinese wages.
While the multinational corporations are busy polluting China, their government is taking the $$$$$ and investing in renewable energy and fast trains.
I predict, being Kassandra, that there will come a time in the not so distant future that the ethnically pure Chinese will tire of the exploitation of their people by the Chinese equivalent of Gringos (Gaijin?) and will kick all those predatory corporations OUT of the country. The Chinese are known for their patience. And what is the West gonna do about it of we’re so broke we have to take food out of the mouths of our seniors and children. Not much, I also predict.
Then, China, already working on a safety net for it’s own people, will have US by the short and curlies and most domestic US corporations will ave gone bust because their customer base can’t afford their products anymore. and they will NOT be welcomed elsewhere either.
Whatever….. Anyone notice how all the horrid weather is in the red states?
“The real owners are the big wealthy business interests that control things and make all the important decisions. Forget the politicians, they’re an irrelevancy. The politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice. You don’t. You have no choice. You have owners. They own you. They own everything. They own all the important land. They own and control the corporations. They’ve long since bought and paid for the Senate, the Congress, the statehouses, the city halls. They’ve got the judges in their back pockets. And they own all the big media companies, so that they control just about all of the news and information you hear. They’ve got you by the balls. They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying lobbying to get what they want. Well, we know what they want; they want more for themselves and less for everybody else.”
“But I’ll tell you what they don’t want. They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That’s against their interests. They don’t want people who are smart enough to sit around the kitchen table and figure out how badly they’re getting fucked by a system that threw them overboard 30 fucking years ago.
“You know what they want? Obedient workers people who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork but just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly shittier jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, reduced benefits, the end of overtime and the vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it. And, now, they’re coming for your Social Security. They want your fucking retirement money. They want it back, so they can give it to their criminal friends on Wall Street. And you know something? They’ll get it. They’ll get it all, sooner or later, because they own this fucking place. It’s a big club, and you ain’t in it. You and I are not in the big club.”
“This country is finished.”
George Carlin- “Owners Of This Country”
The BIGGEST failure of the Obama presidency thus far has been his inability to change minds.
He got plenty of people who hated Bush to love the wars and Bush’s policies by making them his own. That’s changing minds. Change, like superstition, is something you can believe in whether or not it’s real. :)
Hochul won because her district contains a disproportionate number of lazy socialists wanting government handouts.
I should become a conservative. It is so much easier than being a liberal. You don’t have to think and the narratives are very simple and easy to repeat. Plus, despite
Democrat’ssocialists’ little victory in New York’s 26th, I’d be on the “Duh! Winning!” team.Like all politicians Obama is not a leader — he’s a follower. WE are the leaders.
The people who make big campaign donations to both parties simultaneously are the leaders.
Right on!
Really, is there ANYONE out there that believes or believed that Obama wouldn’t cave to the Repugs on this Medicare issue??? He will “save” the country and the world by giving the most heartless group of politians most everything they want. He will look good with anything he does after the right shot itself in the foot over being too hasty with the plan to kill Medicare.
reduce the deficit in order to outcompete other nations and win the future.
What is Obama saying? Does he mean US workers must accept lower standard of living to compete against people in poorer countries making 1 dollar an hour? A situation created by the GOP and Corporate Dems with “fair trade” deals? Does Obama really think cutting the debt will lead to jobs? Mr Obama: end the wars; get rid of the Bush tax cuts. invest in this country; fix the trade aggreements, and end corporate welfare,,then maybe GOOD jobs will come back,,
I’d prefer this headline, “Just like with Scott Brown, Bill Halter, the Polls showing overwhelming support for the public option in 2010 HCR, the 2010 House elections, and so many other clear signs of Democratic voter preference, Obama once again shows his DISDAIN for middle-class Democrats.” Ok, maybe it’s a little long, but not nearly as long as my disgust with “Clarence Thomas” Obama.
Obama didn’t “miss the lesson of NY-26”. He knew he could ignore it because he knows most democrats (and independents) will still see him as the lesser of the evils. He still sees himself as the great compromiser.
I did not vote for compromise or bipartisanship in 2008. I voted to overrule republican idiocy on things like healthcare, social security, wars, Wall Street corruption, govt corruption and business as usual, etc etc. What we got was Obama’s promises and betrayal, and he had plenty of help from the blue dogs. I have been thinking Obama couldn’t win re-election because of his disappointing performance, but the Ryan budget proposal just might get him re-elected if he and the dems don’t blow the gift the repubs have given them. Then what will we have? More promises and betrayal. There is a track record. Primary Obama and blue dogs. Fool me once……..
Actually, they have already partially blown it by not forcing the vote in the senate before the NY-26 election, so that the senate repubs would have the same albatross around their necks that their house counterparts do.
By the way, I haven’t as yet heard anyone mention the fact that it sort of looks like more than half of the voters in NY-26 voted to end Medicare. Even in a heavy repub district that should cause some concern.
By the way, I haven’t as yet heard anyone mention the fact that it sort of looks like more than half of the voters in NY-26 voted to end Medicare.
Good point. That occurred to me, too. If the teabagger hadn’t been in the race, the seat could have been retained by the (Rs).
Doubtful, I was listening to Hartmann today, and his opinion is that the Teabaggers would have stayed home or split along the Medicare lines (e.g. for Hochul) since “hands off my Medicare” is a favorite slogan of theirs. Hochul made sure that was THE issue in the race.
Thom Hartmann is more often wrong than correct these days, IMO. Smart as he is, he’s downed a lot of koolaid.
Possible, he does think highly of himself, but in this case I think he is correct. Once Hochul made the Medicare linkage, and equally clear that she would protect it and Corwin would not, at that point the Teabaggers voting their #1 issue would be more likely to vote for Hochul than Corwin. Buffalo Beast’s infiltration report makes for some good background as well as humor.
Not really a good point –
McCain took 74% of the vote – the Dem line took 24%
Now the Dem line took 48%
Something changed – Medicare perhaps?
I don’t see why the majority for R plus T is a concern.
McCain took 74% of the vote – the Dem line took 24%
Now the Dem line took 48%
Something changed – Medicare perhaps?
The fact that the word “deficit” was there but the word “Medicare” wasn’t tells you all you need to know.
If the Dems take back the house, Obama looks bad for his election. He needs you, well everyone who might possibly vote Dem to think you need him to balance out the Republicans. He can’t exist without them as a foil. His actions are consistent when based around that strategy. If the rank and file aren’t afraid of a Republican in office he is toast and he knows it.
There’s no benefit to him personally having control of the House and Senate. He’s going to kill Medicare and SS, the only way he can do that without mass revolt is by convincing the rubes that he wanted to help them, but just couldn’t because of those bad republicans.
you need to look at every situation as to how it benefits Obama personally. That starts with pretending he is Bush and thinking how a bush or Reagan would benefit from any particular situation. Obama isn’t losing anything, he’s winning. I bet he laughs his butt off every night thinking about the proles at DKos, the Veal Pen, and D in general eating his crap and asking for more. He’s a dark skinned Rahm, nothing more.
Very interesting approach…defining one’s self by one’s enemies(perceived or real) rather than by one’s own actions.
There’s an inherent bias in human thought. We can only handle a certain amount of new information at a time. We can only accept change a certain amount at a time. Its different for different people, but I think it holds true for everyone. For you or me it might take the death of a loved one to shut down rational processing, for someone who’s autistic it could be as benign as a change in location or color.
So I think its rational to expect people to approach any problem with some preconceived notions, especially as to intent. Its much easier in science to observe some action than to understand why it happened. Think of the effort involved in observing gravity versus figuring out what causes it. The human mind fills in the blanks with whatever it has on hand, generally stereotypes of people and groups that we have become familiar with. Its an wondrous adaptive system, but it means that rational unbiased thought is one of the hardest things to do.
Propaganda and advertising both (not to mention political parties, religion, and well most institutions) depend on filling in those blanks with what they want. The more people have emotionally invested, the harder is is for them to think logically. I think that’s why people so easily accept certain motivations for Obama/Dems whether they correspond with reality or not.
So if you know you are going to do something that will violate others preconcieved notions of you. How do you handle it? Do you risk challenging those preconceived thoughts that people have about you? No, you rely on emotion to prevent rational thought and set up cognitive dissonance. The same way a tea partier can think Obama is a muslim who goes to a christian church. You use emotion to set those thought patterns (Dems are always good, Obama wants to help me, he’s a regular guy, USA USA USA) and the easiest emotion is fear. For that you need some scary enemies, and to keep people in fear you need those enemeies to stay around. To keep raising that alert level so to speak. If all of a sudden Rep started going moderate where would Obama be? Obama needs Trump. Its kinda funny and kinda sad, mostly infuriating.
Obama isn’t missing the lesson of NY-26.
He’s ignoring it at his own peril.
He’s no shoo-in. Remember, Bush the elder was thought to be a shoo-in back in 1992 because of Iraq and all that. All the major Dems declined to run. Then a little known governor from Arkansas said to himself what the hell and ended up winning 2 terms.
The economy is worse now than it was in 1992. Anything can happen. Obama doesn’t have a lock on his re-election. If he does the stupid “grand bargain” (which he’s seems desperately to do, despite the fact that cutting Medicare is political stupidity, as Paul Ryan showed), he might just be out of his ass in 2012.
I agree completely. So, why isn’t there any talk among Democrats, especially Progressives, of a Primary?
@ #57–fritter
Thoughtful and remarkably insightful commentary…thank you. A pleasure to read and ponder upon.
“Its much easier in science to observe some action than to understand why it happened”- fritter
NOTE: Doesn’t the act of observation create changes in and of itself?…I’m thinking string theory here. (IANAS,so I am WAY out of my league here.*G*)
Heya Gitchee!!
Great to see you.
You and fritter have an excellent exchange going.
Hmm: And “expectation” of “result” do have “effect”: be it “particle”? be it “wave”?
(Gosh, look at all the “empty” space in there.
Where?
There.
You mean “everywhere”?
Yes, generally …)
;~DW
DW, great to “see” you posting again .
Wish I had more time these days to pursue the issues in greater depth …
The Democrats are fully as out to gut the middle class as are the Republicans.
And to suggest that only the Republicans are so motivated is aiding and abetting this attack on the middle class because they are letting the Democrats off the hook.
While I am concerned about Obama and the Medicare bait he’s dangling, I have to ask…
What did you expect him to say here?
Really…the President’s job is to rise above electoral politics if he doesn’t want to be seen as overly partisan, which even BUSH managed not to screw up (the appearance, I mean, not the actually bipartisan crap).
Did you expect him to come out and say “Hochul kicked ass because Republicans want to rape old people”?
My, there certainly have been a lot of trolls today.
I got a laugh out of Ryan claiming that Hochul won because of Democrats demagoguing on Meidcare and the deficit. It seems to escape him that people who have been paying into Medicare and SS for years, even decades, might not want people representing them who think that those programs should be shut down in favor of Wall Street and health-insurance corporations.
Here’s what Hochul was quoted as saying from FactCheck.org on a Corwin ad:
(But 4jkb4ia, you can’t be this stupid to really believe Hochul flip-flopped on Medicare. I devoutly hope no one gets that joke.)
What Obama can see is that Ryan has moved the Overton window to the right, and done it deliberately. Ryan has set the right-wing goalpost for what will happen. So if you point out that that is what Ryan has done, you can win. Obama has already pointed that out by saying that the Ryan plan is balanced on the backs of the poor and the sick. But Ryan thinks that he can appeal to voters wanting to make sacrifices to prevent economic catastrophe. Obama may also think that he can appeal to voters wanting to make sacrifices if they are less drastic or if he continues to talk about restraining the growth of Medicare instead of cutting it. This begs the question of the voters who have already made sacrifices, by the failure of HAMP etc.
Congrats, Marcy, for getting a link to this in Krugman’s column.
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo-buffalo/
Glad to see that your use of the vile “shitty” didn’t scare him off.