Stop Me Before I Vote Again

Behold the agony of Blanche Lincoln:

"Caught in a surge of antigovernment sentiment, [Arkansas senator] Lincoln has been blasted by conservatives for allowing health care legislation to proceed, and has already attracted a slate of potential Republican challengers. At the same time, in a state with a more centrist tradition than most others in the South, she has become a target of the left for opposing a government-run public health care option, easier organizing rules for unions and regulation to fight global warming.

Not only do polls show her behind several of the Republicans, she now also faces a challenger in the May 18 Democratic primary, Lt. Gov. Bill Halter... The Sierra Club is running radio advertisements against Mrs. Lincoln and even Emily’s List, which raises money for the election of Democratic women who support abortion rights, joined the pile-on last week, reminding followers that it stopped supporting Mrs. Lincoln, who is generally a supporter of abortion rights, after she voted to ban a form of late-term abortion in 1999."

"Mrs. Lincoln retains the support of... former President Bill Clinton and Wesley K. Clark, the retired Army general."

His endorsers:

"Calling Mr. Halter “a true progressive,” MoveOn.org and other liberal groups quickly raised $1.1 million for him... four unions pledged to spend $1 million each to help him win.The Sierra Club is running radio advertisements against Mrs. Lincoln and even Emily’s List, which raises money for the election of Democratic women who support abortion rights, joined the pile-on."

Can we at least hope the seat goes red-meat Republican come fall? Not that that would be any improvement; but it would provide a salutary blend of justice and entertainment, something we don't see much of any more, now that public hangings have fallen into disfavor.

While perusing the pwog-e-con-salon, I noticed a familiar name pop up on a piece of WSJ corporate propaganda : Laura D'Andrea Tyson.

As it happens, I had recently stumbled upon a 1994 video of that old villain Sir James Goldsmith debating Tyson. Before viewing, I would recommend moving your monitor back a couple feet and tucking away any delicate objects that may be lying around, as there is a good chance that you will find this twit as infuriating as I do.

For those with high blood pressure, here's a synopsis:

Goldsmith: There is a divorce between the interests of MNCs and the interests of the public. Offshoring is destroying the advanced economies.

Tyson: Offshoring makes American MNCs more competitive and creates better jobs in America.

Sixteen years later, Tyson is shocked -- shocked -- to discover that these same MNCs are now jumping ship and moving their headquarters outside of the US. Rather than contemplating that Goldsmith was right, Tyson argues that the U.S. did not go far enough in catering to the MNCs. They need more corporate tax cuts and they need them now!

I often imagine that shills who completely discredit themselves choose to take the hit for the team, knowing that they will live out the rest of their days in some comfortable position, writing boilerplate for the WSJ or "teaching" at a business school. That's the standard career path. However, when a shill is this glib, this obnoxious, there is only one place for her: Obama's economic team.

Now some might say that this is an indication of the Obama administration's Versailles mentality, or the resurgence of the Clintonian machine, but I have a more economics-oriented explanation: it's about marginal tax rates and work-leisure tradeoffs. You see, the marginal tax rate faced by the most productive of our fainting goats is so high that we cannot entice enough of them to join Obama's economics team, and therefore we have to settle for second-best solutions like Laura D'Andrea Tyson. Instead of taking on that extra consultancy gig for the administration and moving up into the next tax bracket, the little bleaters would rather increase their time spent lazing about, or attending the Goats Music and More Festival.

Something must be done. We need lower marginal tax rates for fainting goats, and we need them now!

That could be the Dembo party line on the evening of the first Tuesday this November, if the party "of the people, all the people, and nothing but the people... so help me God" loses control of my beloved House.

The blues blocked a full-scale stimulus, and a full-scale stimulus, even if delivered in two dosages, would have meant more folks quickly back to counter and cubicle, with the delightful result... another two more years of little-guy-friendly Dembo party House dictatorship.

Here's a fitting outcome, perhaps: crime followed by smart bomb punishment. This election cycle I'd expect them blue dogs will take more of the hit than their Milquetoaste pwog colleagues. Blue dogs are in tippy districts, pwogs ain't.

Let's hope Dennis the Menace has solid grounds for a big schooner of... what's that German word?

Sorry for the cliche. But first Larry, and now Rahm. Even the talking heads on NPR this morning allowed as how Rahm might be thinking he'd be out of a job anyway in two years -- and the understrapper of a President without a legislature, in that many months, they might have added, but didn't.

It'll be nice to see the last of Rahm. Supposedly he's going to run for mayor of Chicago. It's hard for me to believe that the good people of that bloody-minded city won't hand him his tutu on a platter. It's still very much a machine town. But it's been years since I lived there, and who knows, maybe he's got the thing... choreographed.

Have I mentioned that I'm on the DSCC's mailing list? It's become increasingly frantic of late. Two or three times a day I get a desperate appeal for money from these whores -- and don't even have a BJ to show for it.

The latest one amused me. This is faithfully reproduced, every jot and tittle and uppercase and lowercase:

breaking: brand new poll out of PA has Sestak ahead 46-45, erasing a 9 point deficit a few weeks ago. You gave, ads went up, and now he's surging at just the right time – 14 days out.

Latest polls show there are 9 races within 2 percentage points – dead heats. PA, WA, CT and IL prove we can pull ahead when we have enough resources. But time is running out.

I just told J.B. that we need $66K by midnight tonight. That means we need 1,100 people to help, now. Tomorrow might be too late.

Can you give ten bucks? Whatever you give will be matched.

We can win this.

(As it happens, I know who Sestak is; he once made my flesh creep.)

Really, it makes me want to find out who Sestak's opponent is and send him ten bucks, just to make J.B.'s head explode.

From The Note:

CRESTED WAVE? Nevada’s Sharron Angle, Kentucky’s Rand Paul and Alaska’s Joe Miller, among others, may eventually prevail, but right now all three contests look tight. It may be all be part of a wave that “seems to have crested,” according to political odds-maker Charlie Cook. “This is approximately where the 1994 election was -- something in the range of eight Senate seats, 52 House seats,” Cook told the Washington Post’s Michael Gerson. “A month ago, there was a chance it could have gone from gigantic to titanic. But the possibility of Republican House gains in the 60s or 70s has declined in the last month.” http://wapo.st/dDosy8

From The Note:

The Times/CBS News poll carried grim news for the Democrats: "Republicans have wiped out the advantage held by Democrats in recent election cycles among women, Roman Catholics, less affluent Americans and independents. All of those groups broke for Mr. Obama in 2008 and for Congressional Democrats when they grabbed both chambers from the Republicans four years ago, according to exit polls. ... The poll provides a pre-Election Day glimpse of a nation so politically disquieted and disappointed in its current trajectory that 57 percent of the registered voters surveyed said they were more willing to take a chance this year on a candidate with little previous political experience. More than a quarter of them said they were even willing to back a candidate who holds some views that 'seem extreme.'" http://nyti.ms/967KJ4

She's out!

And so's he!

Headline from Paine Analytic: Blue dog / pink pwog balance in Dem House caucus shifts seriously as half of the blue dogs are washed away in the GOP wave. Huffpo seems to agree: "According to an analysis by The Huffington Post, 22 of the 46 Blue Dogs up for re-election went down on Tuesday. Notable losses included Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin (D-S.D.), the coalition's co-chair for administration, and Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.), the co-chair for policy. Two members were running for higher office (both lost), four were retiring and three races were still too close to call.

The Blue Dogs, a coalition of moderate to conservative Democrats in the House, have consistently frustrated their more progressive colleagues and activists within the party, especially during the health care debate. Blue Dog members pushed to limit the scope and the cost of the legislation and resisted some of the mandates of the bill. Last summer, seven of the eight Blue Dogs on the House Energy and Commerce Committee even threatened to block health care reform unless it met their cost requirements."

I suspect this is meaningless to most SMBIVAers, since come crunch time recently, a pwog is just a dog's breakfast; but there were pwog losses too.

Maybe some like best and want to thank most that hunk of the central florida electorate for spiking the Grayson, and others the loss of papier-mache populist el Perriello. What is more fun -- whackin' the dog or stompin' the pwog?