Gallup: SHUT UP ABOUT HEALTHCARE, DEMOCRATS.

I paraphrase.

Unemployment now stands alone as the top issue in Gallup’s latest update on the most important problem facing the country. Thirty-one percent of Americans mention jobs or unemployment, significantly more than say the economy in general (24%), healthcare (20%), or dissatisfaction with government (10%).

Via Hot Air.  If you’re wondering why the current ruling party is so determined to immolate its reputation, popular support, and future ability to pursue its policy goals on a Quixotic quest that the voting public doesn’t even support… well, it’s because the Democratic party at this point doesn’t know what else to do.  They’ve told themselves so many times that they are the champions of the public good – and that members of the opposing party are agents of Satan – that they are incapable of really understanding that a majority of the population would rather see some – any! – movement on jobs and the economy.  The Democratic leadership truly believe that their map has become the territory.  The Democratic rank-and-file (especially the ones in at-risk districts, which I am defining as “D+4 and better” these days) are not as subject to that particular delusion; which is why the head of the DCCC is telling them to shut up and hide until the vote is over.  Mind you, that’s to protect the leadership from the consequences of a no vote, not to protect the rank-and-file from the consequences of a yes vote.

Nothing will protect the rank-and-file from the consequences of a yes vote.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

Desiree Rogers victim of Kinsley Gaffe? #rsrh

Probably not.  Although it’s as good an answer as any, I guess*.

…Mr. Axelrod was as bothered by the words and her discussion of “the Obama brand” and her role in promoting it, according to people informed about the conversation.

“The president is a person, not a product,” he was said to tell her. “We shouldn’t be referring to him as a brand.”

Via Ann Althouse, via Glenn Reynolds. You can understand why Axelrod was so ticked, though: his entire career and reputation from now on rises and falls on his ability to promote the “Obama brand” – a key feature of which is, of course, the flat denial that there could ever be any sort of thing as an “Obama brand.”  Having people actually talk about the “Obama brand” in public was just one more thing that Axelrod didn’t need happening.  Particularly when it’s the White House social secretary; normally, they’re about the only people who can get away with calling an “Obama brand” an “Obama brand.”  Of course, normally the sentiments that lurk behind the concept of an “Obama brand” aren’t the building blocks of the primary governing strategy of a Presidential administration.

Moe Lane

*Read the whole thing only if you haven’t hit your ‘whining stories about people getting shafted by Washington’ quota for the day.  I’m really glad that we have modern medicine, but by God having it has completely redefined our definition of “tragedy.”

Just finished reading ‘Live Free or Die.’

Live Free Or Die (Troy Rising) amused me not least for the fact that when I checked it out of the library* I had no idea that it was a probably-end-up-being-canon prehistory of the Schlock Mercenary universe. If you don’t know what that webcomic is: well, like John Ringo I’ll wait for you to get caught up.

Pack a lunch.

Moe Lane

*Stay-at-home dad now, remember?  So if that moves you to pity, hey, there’s always the tip jar…

‘Health care do-over!’ sayeth… New Jersey.

They sayeth that, in fact, by a lot.

The Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released Thursday finds 81 percent of respondents wanting changes to the health care system, while 17 percent believe the current system works well enough.

But only 22 percent say Congress should pass the current reform proposals, while 68 percent want lawmakers to start over.

That’s two-thirds of adult voters in NJ who are calling for a mulligan. What’s the breakdown for likely ones? – And that’s a question that probably keeps the people on the list below up at nights:

Congressman HCR Christie?
Robert Andrews Yes Yes
John Adler No Yes
Frank Pallone Yes Yes
William Pascrell Yes Yes
Steven Rothman Yes No
Donald Payne Yes No
Rush Holt Yes Yes
Albio Sires Yes Yes

The list, of course, is the Democratic Congressional delegation for NJ. Payne and Holt Rothman [Oops!] are probably not too worried – they’re the only legislators on the list who had their counties carried by Corzine in the last election – and John Adler read the tea leaves a while back anyway.  The rest of them need to… think about things.

Quickly.  There’s only seven and a half months until the election.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

Colorado Democrats put more Amazon money in my pocket. #rsrh

(Via Instapundit) Not that I wanted them to, but if they’re going to insist on shutting down Colorado’s Amazon Affiliates program* I can at least look on the bright side.  Fortunately, there are enough Marylander legislators with working brain cells to continue to make it possible for me to put up this link:

Amazon.com

…and still hope to generate revenue from it.  I’m truly sorry that people from North Carolina, Rhode Island, and now Colorado can’t, but it’s not my fault that all three states have Democratic-controlled legislatures.

Oh, yeah, full disclosure: I generate revenue from Amazon Associate links.  As if you hadn’t guessed already.

Moe Lane

*More details here, including some pushback on the standard Lefty objections to Amazon.com ending its CO affiliates program.  See also here for a site dedicated to reversing this.

The February Rasmussen Trust Numbers.

I missed this when it came out last week, not that anybody was waiting for this with bated breath. Short version: eight for ten, and the Democrats made up a good bit of lost ground more or less across the board.

Feb-10 Jan-10
Issue Dem GOP Diff Dem GOP Diff Shift
Health Care 42% 45% (3) 37% 49% (12) 9
Education 41% 38% 3 36% 40% (4) 7
Social Security 39% 42% (3) 35% 45% (10) 7
Abortion 38% 42% (4) 32% 46% (14) 10
Economy 41% 46% (5) 42% 46% (4) (1)
Taxes 37% 48% (11) 34% 50% (16) 5
Iraq 38% 42% (4) 38% 46% (8) 4
Nat’l Security 37% 47% (10) 40% 49% (9) (1)
Gov’t Ethics 35% 28% 7 33% 30% 3 4
Immigration 34% 39% (5) 36% 43% (7) 2

Continue reading The February Rasmussen Trust Numbers.