With apologies to George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward and their 1935 classic song, "Summertime" (and the living is easy):
Summertime,
And the living is queasy
Taxes jumpin'
And foreclosures are high
Your daddy's broke
And your ma's suicidal
But hush, little voters
Don't you cry
One of these elections
You're going to rise up screaming
Then you'll blame George Bush
And give us a bye
An' after that election
There'll be nothin' can help you
With your Democratic daddy
Still standing on high
That would seem to catch the bizarrely self-righteous tone of the message that is being offered to the voters this summer by the Democratic Party (and their little media helpmates). The Democrats have settled on their message: If you hate what we've given you -- just wait 'cause there's more where that came from. And anyway, it's Bush's fault.
According to Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., the reason the Democratic Party is trailing in the polls is because the voters are "sour" and reluctant to award Democrats for their legislative success.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., attributed her sagging approval rating to voters who are "grumpy" about the sputtering economy. (I suppose there is nothing to the line going around Washington that in an effort to help Boxer hold her California Senate seat, the White House is going to rename the San Andreas Fault "Bush's fault")
Vice President Biden, on the Democratic Party's "summer of recovery" national tour three weeks ago, blamed the lack of recovery (go figure! Announcing lack of recovery while on a recovery tour?) on the continuing effects of the "Bush recession."
While on NBC's "Today" show (known in the West Wing as the "home court"), the VP was asked if the administration had done enough to address unemployment. To that puzzler, the VP responded "it doesn't matter" (because of all those jobs Bush lost).
Then, thinking better of his response, he corrected himself: "(I)t matters, but it's not enough." Not only does the VP not seem to be ready for prime time -- he doesn't seem to be ready for morning time.
It was about then that former Virginia Gov. Douglas Wilder (D) suggested that it might be best if Biden and Hillary Clinton switch jobs in 2012, presumably so that Biden can do for our international vital interests what he is currently doing for the president's domestic political interests.
But, not withstanding the VP's misfires, the Democrats seem to like their anti-Bush message.
When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was asked if there was a limit to how long Democrats could blame Bush, her stunningly fatuous response was: "Well, it runs out when the problems go away." Oh, for the days when President John Kennedy, after the Bay of Pigs fiasco, took personal responsibility, saying, "As president, I am the responsible officer of government."
But the Democrats seem to be quite sure that Pelosi's approach to leadership will appeal to the common man and woman of 2010. At the DCCC website, small donors are enticed to make their little contributions with the following irresistible offer:
"Team Pelosi Tote Bag. There is still time to claim one of the limited number of Team Pelosi tote bags designed exclusively by Diane Von Furstenberg. Best of all, every dollar will be used to support Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats under attack this year." Diane Von Furstenberg? What is it with the Democrats: First a Spanish holiday, and now a Belgian high fashionista tote bag. How about a tote bag from Sears or Macy's? (I know, it's all made in China; but one could at least make a sentimental gesture to the good old USA.)
But more fundamentally, one has to wonder about the soundness of the Democratic Party's central message to the voters: Don't vote to return to the "failed policies of the past."
With President Obama in the Gallup polls going from a high of 68 percent job approval to his current 43 percent; with the confidence that the country is on the right track going from a high in June '09 of 45 percent right track-45 percent wrong track to its current 61 percent-32 percent wrong track; with the generic ballot measuring the public's plan to vote Republican or Democratic for Congress going from pro-Democrats by 48 percent to 34 percent to pro-Republican by 46 percent-41 percent -- an unprecedentedly swift swing to the GOP -- one wonders whether, with time passing on, as it does, the admonition that the voters not vote for the "failed policies of the past" might fail to be understood as a request to vote Democratic.
Perhaps they should just spit it out: Vote Democratic for more of the same.
The question is not whom to blame - that's a fun game that solves nothing - but who can fix the problems? The same empty-headed-animal-food-trough-wipers who ran the economy to the very brink of collapse? Only an idiot would trust them. Not that there are any shortage.
The middle class has been the goose that laid the golden egg. The kings are now squeezing that goose as hard as they can to get out as much gold as possible. When the goose is dead the kings will simply live on longer than the rest of us. But there won't be anyone generating the gold anymore.
1992 6342.3 4.58
1993 6667.4 3.83
1994 7085.2 2.87
1995 7414.7 2.21
1996 7838.5 1.37
1997 8332.4 0.26
1998 8793.5 -0.79
1999 9353.5 -1.34
My attitude is at age 66 I'll be pushing up daisies before the country becomes a giant Chinese collective still it makes me sad. I'd like to have something left behind to remind future generations what a great country this once was.
The above statement is a LIE! In addition a Majority of the COUNTRY (that is the people in case you were not paying attention) did not want this monstrosity.
"Only Republicans have the odd belief that when they are in the minority they have the right to obstruct everything the majority tries to do. "
Again in error, when the Democrats are the minority a filibuster is a good thing, it is the mechanism that gives the minority a voice. However when the Democrats are in power that very same mechanism they claim gives voice to the minority is somehow morphed into obstructionist behaviour. I contend that such a dichotomy in the Democrats reveals their hypocrisy.
Explain to me how spending money we don't have, on connected people, helps the economy? Explain how forcing groups to take money they do not want or need helps the economy? If these programs were so successful, why have they not been successful? Why are businesses afraid to risk?
As for Republicans only obstructing and presenting nothing check out; http://www.roadmap.republicans.budget.house.gov/ Being a fair person you would read the reference before commenting.
there is nothing fatuous about that comment tony ---you would like it to be -----but the bushies caused grave harm to the country in fact------they KILLED the AMERCA everyone once knew and loved
the appropriate penalty is life in prison with no chance of parole -------nancy is giving the republicans a "faint hope" clause for eventual forgiveness and redemption .---even though they dont deserve it.
Don't count your chickens yet, Tony. Republicans have taken "bizarrely righteous tone(s)" and raised them to an art form.
Not only did republicans refuse to fund the war but they also gave tax cuts to the wealthiest among us during a war.
First the republicans bankrupt the country with enormous deficits to pay for their wars and tax cuts and never blinked an eye about the deficits and now they want to blame Obama for not overcoming the mess W left us, fast enough.
The arrogance and outright distortion of the facts by the republicans is mind- boggling.
Oh, you have nothing to say about that. Go throw mud on a mosque then, it will make you feel better.
We haven't got much change I can believe in yet, but the Republicans would be much worse. They have a stealth Contract on America.
There are a lot of fundamental structural defects in the system propagated by the unchecked corruption of our leaders, and keeping the American People as ignorant and distracted as possible.
Mr. Burns: Yes, but I'd trade it all for a little more.
I think Mr. Burns sums up the Republican philosophy on money and power exactly.
Come November it always boils down to the same thing: are you better off than you were last election. Unless you are a unionized federal employee the answer is no. Foreclosures have gone to all time highs well into the second year of the Obama administration. Unemployment has increased under the regime, although they try to sell it that we are not losing jobs as quickly in a ridiculous spin. After nearly two years and trillions of dollars spent by a bloated federal government the country is in worse shape, not better shape than when Obama took office.
Because the people elected to congress, the people that represent us…they are all millionaires many times over…Their interest is not our interest…they want to make more money, not help us..just look at the system...
And now we have more millionaires putting in their own money to buy congressional positions…These people are spending more money to get elected to jobs, jobs that do not pay enough money per year to even pay them back the interest on the money they are spending to be elected…
People with millions of dollars are business people…they do not make deals or spend thier own money without being assured that they are going to get a big return on their investment…those are the people that are buying the congressional jobs…and they have no interests in any of us at all except to get us to elect them…after that they are long gone...Till the next election cycle that is...
Our current financial mess is not as bad as it was back then, but it's bad enough, and it sure looks like it's getting worse. The cures offered by the Democrats of today may not be the right ones, I personally think the politicians are grasping at straws, they really don't have the definitive answers needed to end this recession.
The Republicans offer one solution (that I can see) Make sure this presidency fails. Their motivations are their own, I won't speculate on them, but at a time when the average American is hurting more than most officeholders realize (they do lead sheltered lives) their actions should be seen for what they are. They don't care about the country, or the suffering of its people. All they care about is political power, and how to regain it.
As long as either political party puts the good of the party ahead of the good of the nation, I don't see a quick fix presenting itself. It's not just the greed of Big business in play here, it's also the greedy grasping of our elected leaders for political power (and the money it brings).