Meanwhile, In The Real World...

Things are just so fuckin' swell that spending another month or so dicking around with health care reform simply can't be beat. It's both good policy and good politics:

Unemployment claims filed last week rose unexpectedly, coming in at 496,000, up 22,000 from the previous week.

Taken with other discouraging news released this week -- record-low January new home sales and a slide in consumer confidence -- the new jobless claims number describes a slow and uncertain recovery.

A slow and uncertain recovery? How about no recovery. Unexpected rises in unemployment claims, combined with record-low home sales and a huge slide in consumer confidence numbers do not point to a recovery. They point to a lack thereof.

This is about the strangest aspect of a very strange 1+ years in Obamaland: The White House and Congressional Democrats (or their leadership, at the very least) treating the state of the economy and unemployment as afterthoughts. Remember three weeks ago? When the economy and jobs and fiscal policy were going to be Barack Obama's First Priority?

Where is Obama now? And what is he doing?

If nothing else, Obama's continued obsession with health care reform is a useful reminder of just how detached from reality our president really is. In good times, all politics is local. In bad times - and these are bad times - all politics is economic.

Even if, by some odd convergence of sun, moon and stars, the Democrats manage to enact Obamacare, it will gain them nothing come November. The voters that count - Independents - don't care about health care reform. They care about the economy.

Everything else is inside the beltway nonsense that nobody cares about (at least in a good way). Barack Obama is partying like it's 1999, and 1999 it sure as shit ain't.

Comments

[J West]

1. The saga continues.
2. Mr. Obama and his handlers have nothing for the middle class (me).
3. We are an obstacle to be ignored or circumvented.
4. Don't think much of Congress feels any different.
5. Most ramifications of the recession, defense and immigration are middle class concerns.
6. Effective measures to address them would bring cries of racism and malfeasance from a small group of cheerleaders.
7. That bunch is who Washington is playing to -and, of course, the money people.
(Not sure there are any effective measures for the economy beyond allowing market forces to play -and boy would that hurt!)
V/R JWest

[Eric Blair]

I like how the jump in claims is "unexpected". It's always unexpected now.

[Dennis the Peasant]

Very true, Eric.

[Randy Rager]

Look at the people he's surrounded himself with, and it's no surprise at all. Nary a private sector type to be found, public policy wonks all.

When all you have is hammers, everything starts to look like a nail.

[richard mcenroe]

Seriously,how many months in a row have they used the phrase 'unexpected' now? And how many times has the 'responsible' media trumpeted this Administration's lowball initial claims and tried to bury the actual numbers?

Do they think we don't notice that our friends, our neighbors, our families, WE are losing our jobs? Do they think we don't see more and more empty storefronts everywhere from Ventura Boulevard to Seventh Avenue?

Do they think we are THAT FUCKING STUPID or do they just not care?

[JeffS]

Do they think we are THAT FUCKING STUPID or do they just not care?

More likely, they are convinced that they are right, richard, and nothing that the unwashed masses say will convince them otherwise.

[richard mcenroe]

JeffS-- How about YOU'RE FIRED.

[JeffS]

Oddly, Richard, I find that reassuring....