Here’s the latest column from election expert Charlie Cook in the National Journal. Charlie is a very fine analyst and a true gentleman. In this column, he praises Pelosi & Emanuel. Yet once the reader (or at least, this reader) thinks through Charlie’s case, it’s rather damning of Pelosi & Emanuel.

Charlie tells us (yet again) that Nancy Pelosi grew up in the dorms of the Baltimore Mayoral Academy of Arm-Breaking and that Rahm Emanuel taught “Torque & Technique” at the Chicago School of Macroscopic Knee Knocking.

Let’s tune in as Charlie explains how the heathcare bill passed the House due to the methods of the twin heavies:

The key to victory was that Pelosi and Emanuel understood that their relatively new House majority is built on a layer of conservative-leaning districts won under perfect conditions in 2006 and 2008. And the two actively discourage members from some of those districts from voting in ways that would be construed as out of tune with their constituents. When the House passed Democrats' cap-and-trade energy legislation in June, for example, 44 Democrats joined 168 Republicans in voting no. Twenty-nine of those Democrats were from districts that President Obama failed to carry in 2008. Likewise, when the House approved Democrats' health care legislation, 39 Democrats, including 32 from districts that Obama lost, joined all but one Republican in voting no.

In other words, Pelosi & Emanuel allow a carefully deduced number of Democratic Members from conservative districts to be untouched because, you see, that serves their ultimate goal — pass a suicidal healthcare bill as they earlier passed a job-killing cap & trade bill out of the House.

What is the goal of the so-called conservative Democrats? We can infer from Charlie that it is merely to escape the wrath of the voters back home.

You see, they don’t need to serve their voters to get reelected. Charlie uncovers the Pelosi-Emanuel scam that it’s all about “seeming to have bucked their leadership on a key vote.”

Why is any of this praiseworthy? Because it can be effective?

Here’s Charlie again:

Twenty-three Democrats voted against the health and energy bills. Most of these lawmakers are conservative true believers or serve districts where backing Obama and Pelosi would be political suicide, or both. A larger number of Democrats, 37, took a pass on just one of these issues, which will allow them to point in future ads to an instance in which they "bucked the leadership." Letting so many -- but not too many -- Democrats stray is a reflection of the Democratic leadership's impressive discipline and its familiarity with recent history.

Pelosi is Speaker because of numbers. Let’s take one of Charlie’s numbers -- 37. If the voters in those 37 districts replaced their representative with a Republican — someone we hope would not define their job as “seem to buck” but rather to revive the private sector and to reduce government— then Nancy’s margin falls to four.

A switch of 41 makes Nancy the Minority Leader (assuming NY23 stays lost for the GOP).

Think about the relatively easy math of 37 + 4 as you read Charlie’s excellent conclusion:

But this time around, will seeming to have bucked their leadership on a key vote or two be enough to protect Democrats in districts that GOP presidential nominee John McCain carried in 2008? Or will the environment in these battleground districts turn so hostile, thanks to high unemployment, that individual voting records matter less than party affiliation?

Rasmussen says the public is moving fast in that direction. Seem to Buck? How about we Buck the Seemers.

Update... Reader Dave Lundry writes,

Did you notice the end of Krugman's piece? After telling us about Germany's effective and relatively inexpensive way to save jobs, he says: "Just to be clear, I believe that a large enough conventional stimulus would do the trick. But since that doesn’t seem to be in the cards, we need to talk about cheaper alternatives that address the job problem directly." Krugman reflexively goes to pouring trillions down the stimulus rat hole even though there is a cheaper way to save jobs that actually works in the real world. His ideology trumps all.

This “just in.”

Mr. Obama is set to make the announcement at 9:15 a.m. in the Diplomatic Reception Room, an official said, before he leaves for a weeklong trip to Asia.

With health care and Afghanistan dominating the conversation in Washington, many Democrats have grown concerned that the administration has not focused extensively enough on the economy and the unemployment rate that has risen beyond 10 percent.

A “Forum on Jobs” to be held in December, an official said, is intended to show that the administration is taking steps to try to turn around the jobless rate that is at its highest levels since the 1980s.

Breaking (the) news (code):

The President’s political staff is concerned that the average American will be more than a tad miffed that the economy for them still sucks but he’s off to Asia in Air Force One, which really is such a cool way to travel, to hob knob with his fellow wizards, who are kicking our ass but upon whom we are dependent because they have the trillions we need to borrow to get from today to the next day.

Now look at the related links” the New York Times so conveniently inserts below today’s flash: "Obama was deeply concerned back in July." Whoa, that’s reassuring.

Maybe the government needs a sedative. It's the economy which needs the stimulus.

How about a permanent tax cut now? Oh, and cut the health care bill down to a handful of provisions costing (realistically) not more than $100 billion over 10 years.

When John Wilkes Booth opened fire on President Abraham Lincoln in Ford’s Theatre in April 1865, the media was puzzled. “True, the actor was outspoken in his Confederate sympathies and viewed himself as a Southerner,” said someone who knew him, “but that was no reason he might want Lincoln to be dead.” The day before he went on his shooting spree, Booth hoisted a big Confederate flag outside his hotel room. After he leaped onto the stage he shouted, "Thus ever to tyrants!" the motto of the rebel state of Virginia.

The New York Times reported that Booth was psychologically unstable and was frightened of the Civil War coming to an end and having to face a peacetime actors’ surplus. “His political views had nothing to do with the motives for this tragic act,” it said, quoting experts.

After Fritz Reichmark opened fire on fellow soldiers at Fort Dix in January 1942 the media was puzzled. “True, he used to go to German-American Bund meetings,” said one fellow soldier, “but he only wore the swastika armband in his off-hours.” Reichmark would regale other soldiers with diatribes against the Jews, Winston Churchill, and Communists. The day before he went on his shooting spree, Reichmark gave out copies of Mein Kampf to neighbors. Soldiers who survived reported he was shouting "Heil Hitler!" while firing at them.

The New York Times reported that Reichmark was psychologically unstable and was frightened of being shipped out to North Africa because he was a coward, though this doesn’t explain his making a suicide attack when his job wouldn’t have required him to go into combat. “His German ancestry and political views had nothing to do with the motives for this tragic act,” it said, quoting experts. The newspaper urged that the main lesson coming out of this event was to fight more firmly against Germanophobia.

When Padraic O’Brian bombed a restaurant in London with massive loss of life, the media was puzzled. “True, he used to go to IRA rallies,” said a cousin, “and he would rant for hours about how the British invaders should be wiped out” but the media reported that this had nothing to do with this attack which was caused by his psychological problems. As he fired at pursuing police, O'Brian yelled: "Up the republic!"

The Guardian reported: “His Irish identity and political views had nothing to do with the motives for this tragic act.” The newspaper urged that the main lesson coming out of this event was the need to fight more firmly to ensure that Northern Ireland was handed over to the Irish Republic and that Israel be wiped off the map.

When a group of 19 terrorists flew two planes into the World Trade Center...The New York Times reported that they were all psychologically unstable and had difficult times in forming stable relationships with women. “The fact that they were Arabs and Muslims or their political views had nothing to do with the motives for this tragic act,” it explained. The newspaper urged that the main lesson coming out of the attack was the need to fight against Islamophobia and Arabophobia as well as for the United States to make more concessions in the Middle East and to impeach President George W. Bush.

Robert Benmosche has told the board of American International Group Inc. that he is considering stepping down as chief executive of the government-controlled insurer, just three months after taking the job...

The executive is chafing under constraints imposed by AIG's government overseers, particularly a recent compensation review by the Obama administration's pay czar, Kenneth Feinberg, according to the people. AIG, 80% government owned since a rescue last year, is one of the companies under Mr. Feinberg's purview.

Last week, Mr. Benmosche and other AIG board members met with Mr. Feinberg in New York. During the three-hour meeting, board members discussed difficulties of complying with pay policies and retaining talent at the company. Mr. Benmosche's frustrations "hit a crescendo," said a person familiar with the matter. "Bob feels he is in an impossible situation," the person added.

Posted by Donald L. Luskin at 9:01 AM | link  

Monday, November 09, 2009