Nothing original to see here
Two quick thoughts, both of which have probably been expressed better somewhere else but that won't keep me from writing:
1) Given that a lot of "experts" (see Powerline, Yahoo, and Hugh Hewitt for interviews with real experts) are blaming today's 4% stock market drop squarely on Treasury Secretary's Geithner's "presentation" of the next TARP, I wonder when voices on the left are going to start calling for his head? This was the height of incompetence: poor details, unnecessary rush to publication, and right on the heels of a pretty big financial dust-up from which the ground hadn't even stopped rumbling. This from the "only guy who can do the job"??? Seriously, anybody who is paying attention right now is wondering what kinds of morons the President insists on surrounding himself with if the guy who hatched this briefing today is the best person for one of the most important jobs in the country right now?
2) I didn't watch the President's press conference last night, but I imagine at some point in time he called for "us" to "set aside our differences and do what's best for the country". (boilerplate cliches; the exact words probably didn't make the final copy, but I'm sure at some point he spoke to the theme). Well, now could be the time for someone very important to listen to that message: if Speaker Pelosi can just see the virtue of putting aside the minute differences between the Senate bill and the special interest-induced bill she got rushed through the House, she will simply put the Senate version of the bill on the table tomorrow. . .meaning this crap sandwich will be delivered for signature to President Obama by Friday, bow tie and all. Will she do it?
I'm hoping not, for two reasons: a) the country needs more time to digest this bill, and Pelosi forcing another Senate vote would probably guarantee that nothing is done until next week. Who knows what else is going to be discovered in this bill by then???; and b) if Obama can't even get one of his own to put aside entirely minute differences for the good of their party (forget country--that's a step that most of these people don't even begin to comprehend), why should ANYONE expect the GOP to just rollover because he has commanded it?
But on another note: what an awesome opportunity for Obama. Last night, he took to the cameras to urge quick action on this bill--and that quick action is within his reach IF he can get Pelosi to play ball. All he HAS to do is call her and tell her that she needs to put the Senate version to a vote immediately or else there will be. . .consequences. I know she's physically incapable of blinking, but would she dare play chicken with the monster that she helped create? The irony would be delicious. And the beauty is that it works for my interests two ways: if Pelosi caves and puts the Senate bill up for a vote AFTER being urged by Obama, this becomes entirely Obama's bill, marginalizing Pelosi's import for the rest of the term; if she doesn't cave, then Obama CANNOT fail to follow through on his threat--which would undoubtedly leave Pelosi's version of the bill in the scrap heap eventually, and the country fully aware that this is a mess entirely of the Democrats' making.
Which leads me to a great question I hope someone asks tomorrow: did Obama, feeling that this is a vital bill for his administration, try to influence Speaker Pelosi into putting the Senate's bill to a vote in the House so that the country can move forward from this debate? Doesn't that seem like the MOST IMPORTANT question to ask the White House tomorrow?
Yeah, I don't think I'll hold my breath, either.
1) Given that a lot of "experts" (see Powerline, Yahoo, and Hugh Hewitt for interviews with real experts) are blaming today's 4% stock market drop squarely on Treasury Secretary's Geithner's "presentation" of the next TARP, I wonder when voices on the left are going to start calling for his head? This was the height of incompetence: poor details, unnecessary rush to publication, and right on the heels of a pretty big financial dust-up from which the ground hadn't even stopped rumbling. This from the "only guy who can do the job"??? Seriously, anybody who is paying attention right now is wondering what kinds of morons the President insists on surrounding himself with if the guy who hatched this briefing today is the best person for one of the most important jobs in the country right now?
2) I didn't watch the President's press conference last night, but I imagine at some point in time he called for "us" to "set aside our differences and do what's best for the country". (boilerplate cliches; the exact words probably didn't make the final copy, but I'm sure at some point he spoke to the theme). Well, now could be the time for someone very important to listen to that message: if Speaker Pelosi can just see the virtue of putting aside the minute differences between the Senate bill and the special interest-induced bill she got rushed through the House, she will simply put the Senate version of the bill on the table tomorrow. . .meaning this crap sandwich will be delivered for signature to President Obama by Friday, bow tie and all. Will she do it?
I'm hoping not, for two reasons: a) the country needs more time to digest this bill, and Pelosi forcing another Senate vote would probably guarantee that nothing is done until next week. Who knows what else is going to be discovered in this bill by then???; and b) if Obama can't even get one of his own to put aside entirely minute differences for the good of their party (forget country--that's a step that most of these people don't even begin to comprehend), why should ANYONE expect the GOP to just rollover because he has commanded it?
But on another note: what an awesome opportunity for Obama. Last night, he took to the cameras to urge quick action on this bill--and that quick action is within his reach IF he can get Pelosi to play ball. All he HAS to do is call her and tell her that she needs to put the Senate version to a vote immediately or else there will be. . .consequences. I know she's physically incapable of blinking, but would she dare play chicken with the monster that she helped create? The irony would be delicious. And the beauty is that it works for my interests two ways: if Pelosi caves and puts the Senate bill up for a vote AFTER being urged by Obama, this becomes entirely Obama's bill, marginalizing Pelosi's import for the rest of the term; if she doesn't cave, then Obama CANNOT fail to follow through on his threat--which would undoubtedly leave Pelosi's version of the bill in the scrap heap eventually, and the country fully aware that this is a mess entirely of the Democrats' making.
Which leads me to a great question I hope someone asks tomorrow: did Obama, feeling that this is a vital bill for his administration, try to influence Speaker Pelosi into putting the Senate's bill to a vote in the House so that the country can move forward from this debate? Doesn't that seem like the MOST IMPORTANT question to ask the White House tomorrow?
Yeah, I don't think I'll hold my breath, either.
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