Between Barack and A Hard Place – The Lesson of ’68 Looms for Democrats

These may well be the times that try the souls of Democrat politicians.

In the year since Obama took the oath of office, the fortunes of the Democrat Party have changed substantially. Voters, especially Independent voters, now favor Republicans on many issues and in Rasmussen’s Generic Congressional Ballot by 9%. Entrenched Senate Democrats like Christopher Dodd and Byron Dorgan are retiring and now – in no small irony – in the election heard ‘round the world, Scott Brown, campaigning against ObamaCare was elected to “Kennedy’s seat.”

It has been a remarkable turnaround – yet the worse is yet to come for Democrats in office.

Keep in mind that voters turned out the Republicans in 2006 and 2008 in large part because they spent too much, reformed too little and ran up the deficit into the $400 billion range. By the end of the Bush Presidency, economic troubles were mounting and the Republicans had no clear plan for a national recovery.

Today, the incidence of buyer’s remorse for voters over Barack is mounting for all the same reasons and more. Unemployment is at double digits, government reform has been abandoned in favor of unprecedented government spending and the deficit is in the $1.5 trillion range. All of that, with no meaningful recovery in site.

Beyond that, the President has his Party in the stickiest of wickets known to you as the Health Care debate. By allowing Pelosi and Company to write the bill, Obama lost control of the process and now public opposition to the bill is at an all time high.  Even so, the Democrat leadership still promises to push it – whether we like it or not.

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Tags: Barack Obama, Democrat Majority, eugene mccarthy, hubert humphrey, Lyndon Johnson
Posted Jan 21st 2010 at 5:55 am in Congress, Featured Story, Obama, Politics | 6261467 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/tdelbeccaro/2010/01/21/between-barack-and-a-hard-place-the-lesson-of-68-looms-for-democrats/Between+Barack+and+A+Hard+Place+%E2%80%93+The+Lesson+of+%E2%80%9968+Looms+for+Democrats2010-01-21+13%3A55%3A17Thomas+Del+Beccaro

Winfrey/Palin Was No Frost/Nixon

Everything about Sarah Palin is magnified, as the current book tour demonstrates. The book was number one the day it appeared for sale on Amazon. All public figures have a larger than life appearance, but it is far more pronounced with Palin. She is an almost unprecedented media phenomenon. Yet few present her as a truly serious person. Democrats attempt mockery and Republicans damn with faint praise. Those who themselves praise her strongly are cast in a similar light. The great paradox is, on the one hand, the media is driven to her like a moth to flame, yet, on the other hand, they treat her as if she were not worthy of all the attention.

This attitude comes from the same media which takes or has taken Nancy Pelosi, Al Gore, John Kerry, John Edwards, Jon Corzine, and Joe Biden seriously. Admittedly, these are low hurdle comparisons, but that is exactly the point. Yet, to anyone who looks beyond the superficial coverage, it is obvious that Palin knows exactly what image she wishes to portray. Sarah Palin may or may not be a legitimate presidential candidate, (she is, in my opinion); her tactics on this book tour may or may not be helpful regarding future political ambitions (remains to be seen); but she is completely and naturally in command of herself. Yet this seemingly goes unobserved and flies in direct contradiction to the dominant narrative.

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Tags: Barbara Walters, David Brooks, David Frost, David Letterman, Fidel Castro
Posted Nov 25th 2009 at 9:31 am in Culture, Media Criticism, Politics | 36530123 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/mrulle/2009/11/25/winfreypalin-was-no-frostnixon/Winfrey%2FPalin+Was+No+Frost%2FNixon2009-11-25+16%3A31%3A41Michael+S.+Rulle+Jr.