Watching Out For Number One...

This Talk Left headline says everything you need to know about Barack Obama in 9 words:

Obama will support the public option if Reid will.

And as the article breathlessly proclaims:

Voters are watching. Democratic senators are watching. President Obama is watching. Will Leader Reid lead?

That's where Democrats, liberals and progressives are at with Barack Obama these days; they aren't even pretending he will assume a leadership role on anything anymore.

Of course, there's an excellent chance that what's really going on here is that Obama and the Democrats have come to the conclusion that (a) health care reform cannot pass, and (b) Harry Reid cannot win another term in November... making Reid the perfect fall guy on that day in early March when it becomes clear health care reform is dead (and a fall guy is needed).

This still begs the question, however, of just how long Democrats are going to continue to pretend that messaging is the only problem they really have.

Comments

[Jeff]

some people are natural salesmen and can literaly sell ice to Artic residents. On other words they are able to spin/sell almost any product. The one thing you'll always note about really good salespeople is that they gravitate to sell really good products or they push hard for their products to be changed to match the customers desires. Other folks are really good at selling themsleves and they often are able to sell certain products based on their own likeability.
Obama seems to forget that not only is he the head of sales but he is also the head of product design and manufacturing. On the campaign trail he was able to get away with "Hope and Change" as his product because he promised to show up with real concrete DESIRED products once elected. Instead of a new product line we got Obama trying to hawk the same old failed utopian liberal theories on everything from Stimulus, Cap 'n Tax and Health Care.
I don't remember who said it but some pundit once said something like this.
When you campaign you can sell "ice cream" because everyone loves ice cream. Once elected you find that you have to sell Rum Rasin and suddenly the number of ice cream lovers drop dramtically.
Selling specifics is hard work and I see no indication that O-6bama and his team are up to the task. They have never been involved in free market closed loops where you must adjust or die, they just keep selling the same old buggy whips.

[Allen]

I think you're wrong Dennis, they won't pin it on Reid. They've tried to pin it on the republicans, the seniors, the voters, and the tea party folks all to resounding failure. There is only one group left to pin it on, their own base. It will be something like "we failed to motivate our grass roots, blah, blah, blah." But, the upshot will be they didn't fail, the grass roots did.

The only question is will their base go with it? Probably.

[JeffS]

President Obama is watching. Will Leader Reid lead?

Time for a face palm.

[David]

What interests me now is whether Reid, knowing healthcare is a loser, offers himself up as a scapegoat by offering a bill anyway.

Another Item Of Concern: seeing how poorly Obama is doing on his signature items makes one wonder whether he's fucking up in other less publicized areas.

[Eric Blair]

The only reason Obama isn't screwing up in less publicized areas is because he's letting others run it for him. Like Iraq and Afghanistan.

[lambert strether]

They will pass "some bill, any bill." The health insurance companies are very happy with making failure to purchase their defective product a federal crime.

[Donald]

Why shouldn't Reid "lead"? Now that his state is getting paid off, I mean bailed out, I mean charitably assisted with big Federal monies, whew, that's a load off his mind. On to proposing more Federal free and cheap stuff for the rest of us.

[Zimriel]

David and Eric: To give an example for a publicised area which Obama is running himself, the Department of Homeland Security. He's got that hapless androgyne Napolitano in "charge" and as a result, we nearly had our very own Lockerbie right over Detroit.

Another example: the economy, currently undergoing a capital strike whilst investors wait to see what zany whackiness Obama will come up with next.

[kansas]

More cowbell.

[Drive-by commenter]

This still begs the question, however, of just how long Democrats are going to continue to pretend...

No, it doesn't "beg the question".

[Dennis the Peasant]

I was using the term in the biblical sense.

[richard mcenroe]

Obama is going to publish "his" health bill version Sunday or Monday. "combining" elements the House and Senate bills.

Like he's had time to read a nd digest 3000+ pages of legislation, regulation and extortion between his Rose Garden walks, vacations, fund raising trips and golf games.

And I use the word 'digest' because we know what the product will look like...

[TmjUtah]

This presidency has devolved into providing sound bites and photo ops for media to propagate as an indicator that the administration is doing "something"...

Panic smells like sour milk... at least in Westerners. It has something to do with diet, I'm sure. Smells like somebody bombed a dairy down the street a ways, doesn't it?

[mojo]

Part and parcel with the proggy delusion that the world is what we imagine it to be. Everything will work out if you just believe hard enough.

"Tinkerbells", I call 'em. Keep clapping, boys.

Unfortunately, as somebody I can't be bothered to look up said, "Reality is what remains when you stop believing in it."

Phil Dick, my memory insists. It may be right.

[Lefty]

Dragging the right kicking and screaming to the HC summit is fun. Vetting their plan that costs more, does less and would make a broken system worse will be even more fun. Passing a good bill will be priceless.

And I love rum raisin ice cream. If you ever go to Atlantis in Nassau try it there. Good stuff.

[Randy Rager]

You're delusional.

The Dims could have done it when they had the filibuster proof majority, but didn't. They sure aren't going to do it now.

[Lefty]

You keep telling yourself that Randy.

[Randy Rager]

So the Dims are going to lose the House and the Senate? Excellent.

Don't be a big pussy when that happens, ok? You always seem to run off and hide any time your political opponents make headway. It makes us sad, that we have so much mockery saved up for your losing ass, and nowhere to dump it.

[Randy Rager]

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report now lists 54 Democrat held House seats as "highly competitive". Almost half of those show Republican challengers running even or ahead. Republicans need only pick up 40 seats to regain control of the House. Cook finds that a total of 95 seats held by Democrats are potentially vulnerable.

Only 6 Republican seats are in play as possible Democrat pickups.

I predict that the Dims will lose all 95 seats, cry like little girls and split into at least 3 other political parties, thus ensuring their political extinction. On that day I will drink a martini flavored by the sweet sweet tears of your utter despair.

[Lefty]

From your prose it sounds like you're half in the bag already.

[Randy Rager]

Stone cold sober.

But thanks for reminding me that I have "Get Kennedy-faced" on my evening agenda.

[Lefty]

You write like that when you're sober? LOL Please come back when you've had a few. Can't wait to see it.

BTW Menendez and Specter make it 20 senators who have signed the public option letter.

[Randy Rager]

That many retirements?

Nice.

[Lefty]

Like I said you keep telling yourself that.

[Randy Rager]

Rasmussen is already indicating that, like everything else he's attempted, Obama's health "conference" is going to be an Epic Fail.

But you keep on fucking that chicken. It's funny.