I suspected on Wednesday that "the deal" wouldn't happen as quickly as advertised.
After listening to Nancy Pelosi's fiercely partisan rant on NPR, I figured Congress was going to have a heckuva time with it. It certainly changed my opinion of Pelosi. For the first time it became clear to me that the fate of the country is not her primary concern. The interview was remarkable for the chutzpah displayed. Even while she said she knows that not passing the bailout would trigger a financial Armageddon, still she would have her pound of flesh.
There may be no winners here, but it does seem Democrats usually win these sorts of things. Newt Gingrich lost in a budget stand-off with Bill Clinton in '98 because Clinton figured the Republicans were taking the lion's share of the blame for the government shut-down. Dems figure that Republicans simply want this bailout more because of their ties to Wall Street. Republicans think Democrats will be blamed because they own the Congress.
The most dangerous time to play a game of chicken is when both sides think the other will blink.
Update: This bailout, by the way, is also an interesting test of whether our leaders can lead. It may be less that Pelosi on NPR was outraged on her own behalf so much than as she was just doing it to placate her constituents. I had discounted that simply because it's just so hard for me to believe Main Street is so indifferent to its own survival.
Meanwhile, Zippy shoots & scores.
Elsewhere, Ham o' Bone says let the bastards burn:
I find it interesting that the national "mainstream" media have placed Congressman Barney Frank in the de facto spot of on-the-scene expert. It is no different than bringing forth a mugger and proclaiming him as most knowledgeable of the crime committed and charging him with restoring the mugged victim to wholeness...But my take is that there is no guarantee - in fact almost the opposite - that we would return to a purer free market without the bailout. The 1929 stock market failure was legit and necessary given stock speculation but it was made ineffably worse by FDR, who put the "great" in "Great Depression". Who would be "fixing" things in the aftermath of a non-bailout? You can bet not a Calvin Coolidge! It would be Barney Frank... Barack Obama. It's one thing to fall on your sword because you believe future generations will be better off. But I see no indication of that here since I don't think people and their elective representatives see this as a result of government interference in the free market.
We are living in "Animal Farm." A corrupt media, fueled mainly by a socially progressive agenda, is distorting all reality with the aim of getting Senator Obama elected. Social Engineering Absolute Truth # 23: The heart of discord between the political parties is one of values: namely, abortion and homosexuality. Though seldom discussed, these issues are at the heart of national rancor. There are economic differences, of course, and the progressives's ongoing support for disproven Marxist policies would be humorous if it weren't dangerous. So the media presents Napoleon the pig (aka the Democratic Party)'s failed policy of mortgages-to-anyone-who-can-make-their-mark-on-the-sign-here-line as a GOP FAILURE that can only be fixed by electing more Democrats. And Barney Frank has become the spokesman.
No comments:
Post a Comment