US POLITICS: AMERICANS, PLEASE WELCOME YOUR NEW PRESIDENT... SCOTT BROWN!

but how could it possibly have been otherwise? WH can't set congressional committee agendas

Im sure President Scott Brown will do a better job tho so Im not worried.

most of the millions of people mao killed were committee chairs. something to think about.

Think of the potential millions killed by death panels.

President Brown definitely has the finest cosmo body of any post-Kennedy president except for Obama imo

krugman weighs in

some douchebag at Brown's press conf today actually did ask if he was prez material

that's an odd interpretation of obama's statement tbh

xpost

I don't know. I think the point that Krugman is making, and others have been making, is that in the absence of anyone with a spine in the democratic party, Obama needed to come out and make a STRONG argument for moving forward and passing this damn thing. Obama didn't throw in the towel, no, but he also didn't come close to making the sort of statement that could have rallied the troops.

Obama needed to be George Scott at the beginning of Patton, and instead he was like "let's just do what we can, not all of it so bad lol"

Obama Today: "Why you looka so sad/Itsa not so bad. . ."

massachusetts voters just expressed their will to elect a guy who explicitly said he'd vote against HCR - i think it's wise to let the dust settle before jumping in with "ignore these fucks"

I think it's a perfect interp of the Slickster's spin

seriously the amount of instant fanboi butthurt here is through the roof - what is up with josh marshall's one-line post about obama "throwing in the towel" on HCR?? maybe if he'd admonished me to "think about it" in a putative second sentence i'd know the answer??

I suppose it comes down to how much you think HCR took a hit over the past 24 hours, and how strong of a response was necessary to stabilize the situation. Marshall/Krugman/myself (I am the www's sixth most popular political blogger fyi) see a tailspin and an absence of leadership, so Obama's weak sauce statement was just another indicator that no one's really going to lead.

truth is, if obama has a political talent its letting the right tire itself out w/ self-congratulation for a news cycle, and then stepping forward and 'leading'

see also--jeremiah wright last year, hcr in august/sept

not that im saying thats what hes doing here

just that it would be a familiar strategy

"Obama needed to be George Scott at the beginning of Patton"

everyone needs to be more like that imho

paul krugman was at any point an Obama fanboi?!?

That's his thing, for sure, but I don't see how it works in this case. The best hope was to pass it in the House, but house dems are falling off like flies on the left. Trying to water it down AGAIN in the Senate for Snowe or Collins seems like the worst idea of all time. Would his plan be to wait 3 weeks, and then "lead" by signing a bill that just has the basic stuff that everyone agrees on - no more denying coverage for previous conditions, etc - but none of the (already watered down) more progressive elements that are sorely needed?

xpost

haven't followed this too much (too depressing), but isn't this what happens with obama all the time? he absorbs hit-after-hit, is accused of being too soft, unable to counterpunch or attack and so forth. then, after the other side has "punched itself out," so to speak, he steps forward and delivers a speech that galvanizes support and rallies the troops. he did this in the primaries, the general election, the big speech in favor of the stimulus. i hope and assume he'll follow his pattern and do it again.

but who knows? maybe it will be pres. brown/vice president palin.

Seriously thought the first post would be Brown's centerfold picture from Cosmo

Sorry, I'm not trying to be dense, but what am I missing with how the "wait and the lead" approach can possibly work this time (see my post just above)? I'm probably just missing something really obvious, but I don't see how he ever gets back the house dem votes that he's losing now if he waits a few weeks.

he gave his big health care speech already! then the dems proceeded to waste more time and make more concessions to insurance companies/conservadems like lieberman and nelson, which depressed the hell out of the base, who rahm emanuel told to f*** off basically, which helped rally them no doubt

here ya go michael

http://i38.tinypic.com/im8n02.jpg

that picture is disturbing.

Sorry, I'm not trying to be dense, but what am I missing with how the "wait and the lead" approach can possibly work this time (see my post just above)? I'm probably just missing something really obvious, but I don't see how he ever gets back the house dem votes that he's losing now if he waits a few weeks.

― CATBEAST!! (Z S), Wednesday, January 20, 2010 9:12 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

IF this is the strategy hes playing hes not going to wait a few weeks, hell wait a few days

anyway i hope you guys all called your congressman today!

dont tell anyone but i called my congresswoman AND my old congressman

i live in the city of taxation-without-representation, my congresswoman can't even vote

one of my US senators (the guy running the DSCC) is at least mouthing the right words about fighting and shit. OTOH, he cut his teeth in Hudson County, NJ (a political sewer that even Clay Davis from The Wire would find too nasty).

my mom called - we are doomed

tidbits:

"hey that guy quit today (note: she's referring to the TSA nom) because he had such a shady past"
"well mom he was being held up by the GOP and.."
"oh no he wasn't"

http://i46.tinypic.com/11algyt.jpg

then, after the other side has "punched itself out," so to speak, he steps forward and delivers a speech that galvanizes support and rallies the troops

The State of the Union speech is in 1 week.

http://i46.tinypic.com/2uiac5f.gif
sorry

THAT IS DISTURBING

politics is disturbing

lol Chuck Todd today made the same point: his WH sources told him that the Oval Office was going to let the right wing talk itself to death in the next couple of days before Obama swung into action on Friday or Monday.

WH sources have been in communication with me, too, which is how i know their strategy

Do the group of progressive house senators who made it clear today that they would not vote for the senate version of the bill know of his plan?

they communicate with me through my dental fillings.

eh. best-case scenario progressive reps are essentially giving moderates some cover inna overton window kind of way. frank has already walked back his comments. i imagine that fairly universal liberal base outrage over ppl tryna scuttle healthcare + more or less unanimous feeling among even center-left pundits had a lot of effect.

Tr.: progressive reps are chicken-hearted and gutless.

j/k -- got to get HCR

frank, btw, probably has been kind of harsh about this since his district went half for brown last night--hes probably a lil scared

according to my mom Frank has been president for 9 years now

don't worry y'all just got this email from my pal mitch : )

Matt --
Yesterday's disappointing election results show deep discontent with the pace of change. I know the OFA community and the President share that frustration.
We also saw what we knew to be true all along: Any change worth making is hard and will be fought at every turn. While it doesn't take away the sting of this loss, there is no road to real change without setbacks along the way.
We could have simply sought to do things that were easy, that wouldn't stir up controversy. But changes that aren't controversial rarely solve the problem.
Our country continues to face the same fundamental challenges it faced yesterday. Our health care system still needs reform. Wall Street still needs to be held accountable. We still need to create good jobs. And we still need to continue building a clean energy economy.
The President isn't walking away from these challenges. In fact, his determination and resolve are only stronger. We must match that commitment with our own.
But it won't be easy. Real change never is. For that reason, I am grateful you're part of this fight with us.

Thank you,
Mitch
Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

ed rendell just told rachel maddow, look we don't NEED 60 votes to pass this thing, we need 51. we only need 60 to break a filibuster, so let's get this to the senate and let them filibuster if they really think that's what they want to do, let them explain to the public why they are holding up reform, and if we lose at least go down fighting for something we believe in. maddow's like RIGHT ON.

omg that guy mitch emails me all the time