×
- When Matt Yglesias describes the fact that Republicans are rewarded for obstructing good economic policy as "a major breakdown of the logic of the American political system," he's technically right. But to appreciate why it's illogical, one must appreciate the fact that Senate Republicans are using any procedural rule they can to obstruct business. I doubt the public is aware of this crucial detail, especially when news headlines consistently read, "Congress fails to pass X." The public doesn't see logic breaking down; they just hear about Congress being "gridlocked."
- Longtime political observer Michael Barone says, "The Obama Democrats’ assumption that economic distress would make Americans more supportive of big government programs has clearly turned out to be wrong." Barone is correct that Obama is not a realigning president the way FDR was, but could we get a little more specific than "big government programs?" We know Medicare and Social Security are "big government programs" that enjoy popular support, and actually, the public prefers Obama's policies to the Republicans'.
- Stanley Kurtz continues to tantalize us with his new book: "Yet precisely because much contemporary American socialism is self-consciously stealthy, Obama’s socialist past illuminates his presidency in a way that non-historical accounts cannot. I am not going to spell this out until the publication of Radical-in-Chief, precisely because my understanding of Obama’s presidency is bound up with my revelations about his past." So, two years of oppo research on Barack Obama fails to dig up anything radical or controversial in his past, but Kurtz manages to find the goods all by himself. Like I said, I'm dying to see this new, damning evidence.
- Remainders: Paul Krugman takes down Paul Ryan's budgetary chicanery; the deficit commission is just awful; Fortress America receives bipartisan support; five myths about the Tea Party; David Frum vastly overestimates the power of public sentiment to overcome structural limitations; July was quite the month for the right-wing crazy; Sharron Angle gives us another glimpse into her vision for a theocratic America; and Michael Steele is such an incredible buffoon.
--Mori Dinauer
