Jack & Jill Politics

Much fuss among the pundit class has been made about a woman who described herself as a middle class veteran and working mother who happens to be black saying to the president’s face during the CNBC Economic Townhall meeting:

“I’m exhausted of defending you.”

She had a lot more to say and I recommend you listen all the way through her question above. The pundits crowed: “Ooo…Obama’s base is abandoning him!”

I don’t think that’s entirely true. That said, the Prez’s strange, sh#t-eating grin which busted out while she was saying how disappointed she was — well, that was just head-smackingly inappropriate and unhelpful. I assume it was some sort of a nervous tic but it came across…just wrong.

The President proceeded to respond to this woman — who probably does represent well the frustrations of a lot of Obama voters — and her concerns with a litany of ways in which he and his administration have tried to help.

But we ain’t hearing that. This lady is right — we all thought we were past the hot dogs & beans phase of our lives and while we’re willing to sacrifice for our families, Obama’s a bit off-key here.

Obama supporters are not really asking “What have you done for me lately? Ooo…ooo…ooo…yeah”. In terms of defending the President, I ain’t no ways tired and I can see a brother is working hard to better this country. I believe that folks don’t want to hear a long list of individual programs  — we want to hear a plan and a timeline. We’re ready to keep fighting for a better tomorrow but we want to know what we’re fighting for. And how long the road ahead of us really is. Just give it to us straight, no chaser and believe that we can handle the truth and rise to the challenge.

The Republican Pledge to America is a hollow and disgusting insult to our intelligence. It’s a crock designed by lobbyists from the same mercenary lobbyists who sold our nation down river during the last Administration so they could line their own pockets. Even self-described right wing extremists like Erick Erickson can see right through it:

I have one message for John Boehner, Eric Cantor, and the House GOP Leadership: If they do not want to use the GOP to lead, I would like to borrow it for a time.

Yes, yes, it is full of mom tested, kid approved pablum that will make certain hearts on the right sing in solidarity. But like a diet full of sugar, it will actually do nothing but keep making Washington fatter before we crash from the sugar high.

It is dreck.

The pledge begins by lamenting “an arrogant and out-of-touch government of self-appointed elites” issuing “mandates”, then proceeds to demand health care mandates on insurance companies that will drive up the costs of health care for ordinary Americans.

The plan wants to put “government on the path to a balanced budget” without doing anything substantive. There is a promise to “immediately reduce spending” by cutting off stimulus funds. Wow. Exciting.

There is a plan to cut Congress’s budget, which is pretty much what was promised in 1994. Seriously? In 4 years did the Democrats really blow up the Congressional budget? No — the GOP did that too.

There is no call for a Spending Limitation Amendment or a Balanced Budget Amendment. It is just meaningless stuff the Democrats can easily undo and that ultimately the Senate GOP will even turn its nose up at.

The entirety of this Promise is laughable. Why? It is an illusion that fixates on stuff the GOP already should be doing while not daring to touch on stuff that will have any meaningful longterm effects on the size and scope of the federal government.

This document proves the GOP is more focused on the acquisition of power than the advocacy of long term sound public policy. All the good stuff in it is stuff we expect them to do. What is not in it is more than a little telling that the House GOP has not learned much of anything from 2006.

I will vote Republican in November of 2010. But I will not carry their stagnant water.

Harsh, yes. True, yes. But the GOP/Tea Party are at least tuned in & giving Americans what they want — which is a visionary plan for how to go about bringing relief to the American people. You’re focused on the hard & dirty work of Change, Mr. President — we get that on some level but out here, it’s still hard as hell & we’re running real low on Hope these days. That’s what we need from you and the Left right now. Best to get crackin’…Hiring people like Elizabeth Warren who can feel our pain and have real proposals to do something about it is a good start.