The Spag Report

Once Upon A Time

Rich Lowry writes of a grand fairy tale:

"The story goes like this: In 2008, Americans voted for change not just in the nation's leadership, but in its fundamental political orientation. They wanted a shift to the left not seen since 1932. The nation's political map had been utterly transformed. Barack Obama owned the suburbs and independents, and laid claim to formerly secure Republican states. An outdated GOP had been reduced to a rejectionist husk clinging to rural areas and the South.

A more modest rival interpretation explained it differently."

David Brooks adds:

"Americans have moved to the right on abortion, immigration and global warming. Over the past seven months, the number of people who say government is doing too many things better left to business has jumped from 40 percent to 48 percent, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll."

Yet, there are still liberals out there who believe in the fairy tale despite the evidence and argue that Obama and the Democrats' biggest problem is that they haven't moved far enough to the Left. The way to win elections is not to cater to the 20% of the population that consider themselves liberals.  Unless of course you believe in stupid math and that 20 is greater than 80.

An Obvious Pattern

The Chicago Way And The Aliens

The White House threatens Democrats over appearing on FOX News:

"One Democratic strategist said that shortly after an appearance on Fox he got a phone call from a White House official telling him not to be a guest on the show again. The call had an intimidating tone, he said."

Now I wonder how the Far Left- alleged champions of free speech and tolerance- feel about the heavy handed, borderline extortion by the White House.  The level of thuggery by this Administration is incredible and the attempt to censor criticism by any means is shameful and un-American.

Democratic strategist Pat Caddell adds:

"I have heard that they've done that to others in not too subtle ways. I find it appalling. When the White House gets in the business of suppressing dissent and comment, particularly from its own party, it hurts itself.''

I was watching the premiere of the ABC series "V" the other night.  The charming villain chooses a reporter to spin her propaganda but instructs him that unless he agrees not to ask any questions that would reflect badly on her alien race, there will be no interview.  "We can't be seen in a negative light" she repeats and then makes promises about the interviewers career if he will play along. 

Shades of the Obama Adminstration?

Interestingly enough, the aliens also promised universal health care.

Jumping Ship Over The Liberal Agenda

Newsflash from the Lone Star state:

Rep. Chuck Hopson, D-Jacksonville, will seek reelection, but as a Republican — a move that might save his neck while wrecking the party's chances at winning a majority in the House..."President Obama and the Democrats in Congress just don't reflect the values of this district," he said.

I don't expect a lot Democrats to switch parties, but I do expect quite a number from the Class of 2006 and 2008 to switch their ideology.

What happened to the new era of liberalism and the death of conservatism and the GOP?  Hmm.  I guess some people just weren't that smart after all.

But He's Not A Liberal, Part Two

Michael Gerson warns that if Obama continues on his Leftist course, it will be a long term disaster for Democrats:

"Now comes Obama's largest test, which will determine the ideological atmosphere for the 2010 election. If the president -- opposed by a majority of Americans, with almost no support from the other party -- imposes an ideologically divisive health reform, it will smack of radicalism, reinforce polarization, and may cede the ideological center to Republicans for years to come."

Meanwhile, reliable creep Paul Krugman, who argued against deficits during Republican administrations but now thinks record deficits aren't a problem, says that if Obama loses it will be because he hasn't gone far enough to the Left:

"But the truth is that Mr. Obama put his agenda at risk by doing too little. The fateful decision, early this year, to go for economic half-measures may haunt Democrats for years to come."

Krugman's theme is one that I am hearing from a number of strident liberals, oblivious to the fact that they are by far the ideological minority in this country.  It's simply an excuse to try and keep their rejected ideology afloat.  The spin will be that any losses in 2010 will not be due to Obama going to0 far to the Left, but not going far enough.  If that were true, why are so many recently elected Democrats having second thoughts about the Obama agenda?  Further, if a number of Republican's do win seats in 2010, how is that any kind of punishment by voters for Democrats not being liberal enough?  Think of how nonsensical that is.  The logic requires one to believe that a voter who really wants a liberal agenda will vote for the more conservative candidate because the liberal incumbent wasn't liberal enough.

For a group that prides itself on being smarter ("smugger" is more appropriate) than everyone else, some of them sure can come up with some laughable logic.

If Obama is not a liberal, then the center must be to the Right and there must be a whole lot of Right wing Democrats in Congress about to reveal themselves.

Hold Democrats Accountable For Unemployment

Notice on this chart how unemployment starts its upward trend in early 2007 when Democrats regained control of Congress and keeps rising to it's present rate of 10.2%.  Coincidence?  Note also that unemployment under the Bush Administration reached its lowest point in October, 2006, one month before Democrats won back the House.

Republicans should tie this fact around the necks of the Democrats in 2010. The "Bush" economy resulted in decreasing unemployment from 2003 after recovering from the tech bubble and 2001 recession, to October 2006.  During that time, the GOP controlled the White House, Senate, and House.  Under Democratic control, unemployment  is now more than twice what it was in October 2006, the last time the GOP controlled the executive and legislative branches.

Unemployment has not been this high since 1983, and since 2006 the deficit has grown from $248 billion dollars to $1.8 trillion- an increase of 725% and the largest deficit in American history.  What is there to show for it?  10.2% unemployment.

The charts don't lie.  This should be the focus of the Republican Party and conservative movement heading into next year.

No Room To Spin Devastating Unemployment Rate

Unemployment reaches 10.2%.  The Obama Administration cannot spin this in any credible manner, but that won't stop them from stepping up the attacks on George W. Bush.

About 20 minutes before the number came out, WZTK 101.1 FM had a news report where they stated that unemployment was not expected to come in above 10%.  Brad Krantz immediately seized on this and betting that unemployment would not go above 10% used the 10% figure as the threshold on which to judge the economy.  

Then the actual figure came in at 10.2% and Krantz quickly dropped the topic altogether and shifted back to his default position which was to start on another FOX News rant.

Anyway, the Obama Administration cannot sustain these figures without taking a severe political beating. The anger and frustration over spending, the economy, and the focus on big government that is not producing results while making matters worse is going to spread rapidly beyond Obama's normal political opponents.