Today, President Obama went to Capitol Hill to intimidate and cajole on behalf of his healthcare reform bill - a bill that the Wall Street Journal called the "Worst Bill Ever." It is a dramatic change of pace from a guy who can't be bothered to make a decision on strategy in Afghanistan.
This is the same guy who waited days to denounce the Iranian crackdown on free speech following this summer's elections.
The same guy who only addressed the killing of US soldiers on US soil after he gave a shout-out to Dr. Joe Medicine Crow.
However, a dramatic visit to Capitol Hill is reminiscent of Obama's attempt to close the deal on Chicago's Olympic bid by flying to Copenhagen to deliver a speech to the IOC. Of course, Obama failed miserably. It is interesting to see him try the same tactic with Congress. Apparently, he hasn't learned.
While we await the result of today's speech, let's see what else is going on in the Fail-O-Sphere:
The New York Times is recognizing the fallout of Tuesday's gubernatorial elections:
Job creation has dropped from top priority to one of many, and President Obama has been remanded to pandering for patience and offering excuses. On the one hand, he argues the tortured rationale that there is good news in the awful numbers: Things are still getting worse but at a slower pace. On the other, he incessantly reminds us that he inherited the crisis. The implication: Don’t blame me, blame Bush.
But this president can’t keep deflecting to the last one. Pain is presently felt. The crisis that took form on Bush’s watch is being experienced on Obama’s. Fair or not, finger-pointing is not effective policy.
This is now Obama’s crisis, and it carries political consequences. During Tuesday’s gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, nearly 9 in 10 voters said that they were worried about the direction of the nation’s economy in the next year. And the majority of those who held that view voted for the Republican candidates. This could portend a flashback to 1994.
Source: New York Times ("Obama's To Fix")
The Associated Press is also displaying a surprisingly negative tone on Obama's failed economic policies:
Already, consumer confidence for October came in well below what analysts were expecting. Shoppers' sentiments about the state of the economy are the gloomiest in nearly three decades.Meanwhile, David Paterson - the African-American governor of New York who was was told not to run for office by President Obama - has begun a major ad campaign to promote his canidacy in next year's election. After big Republican wins in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial elections, it seems like Paterson may be pushing back against Obama's meddling in his state.
Stores, always with an eye on holiday sales, are especially worried this year.
"This is a situation where the recovery balloon is getting off the ground but might not have enough power to keep rising," said Brian Bethune, economist at IHS Global Insight.
Sitting at a St. Louis unemployment center, Paul Branyon, who was laid off in July from a Williams-Sonoma factory in Tennessee and now lives with relatives, shook his head and laughed at the notion that the recession is over.
"It's getting actually harder right now," the 26-year-old said. "It seems like everywhere you go, people are losing jobs. People are cutting back. So it's going to get harder before it gets easier."
Source: AP ("What Recovery? Unemployment Shoots Past 10%") via HotAir
"Some say I shouldn't be running for govenor," Paterson says, before touting his record on the budget.
Though Paterson doesn't mention it in the ad, one of the people calling for him not to run for a full term was President Obama, whose political clout wasn't sufficient to push Democrats across the finish line in Virginia and New Jersey.
Source: The Hill
