Politico: D.C. Doing great during recession.

And by ‘D.C.’ Politico means ‘The trendy parts of D.C.’

I’d just like to make that clear. When Politico is writing things like:

The rest of the country has a new reason to hate the inside-the-Beltway crowd: Our economy is better than yours.

At 6.2 percent, the unemployment rate in the D.C. metro region is lower than in any other major metropolitan area in the country — and far below the 9.5 percent national average.

…they’re more or less obscuring the problems that DC itself has. They do note the 1/3rd illiteracy rate in the District itself, not to mention unemployment (which is either 10.9% or 11.3%, depending on which official harbinger of doom you believe more), but the article writer seems more interested in interviewing Republican politicians about how awful DC is compared to the rest of the country than it is in interviewing Democratic ones about why it is that the non-tourist part of the city of DC is in such bad shape.  After all, as Politico itself notes: “[f]ifteen cents of every dollar the federal government doles out throughout the world on goods and services is spent in the D.C. metro area,” which raises the question of why the District itself isn’t benefiting more – particularly since it’s a Democratic-controlled city in a Democratic-controlled area in a Democratic-controlled administration.  It should be benefiting more, but it isn’t.

And I can’t possibly imagine why that might be.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

Jon Corzine (D-NJ) should just do an *actual* Reality TV show.

If he’s seriously considering Randal Pinkett (the guy from Season Four of The Apprentice, apparently) for his running mate, he might as well get a camera crew together and film Who Wants to be a Losing Candidate for Lt. Governor ?  There’s money in Reality TV, as I understand.  I also understand that he kind of needs money right now.

More from Politicker NJ, including this:

So far, there is only one certainty in the race to become Corzine’s running mate: the LG selection process – including an uncomfortable public search for an African American candidate — has become a bit too comical for the comfort of Corzine supporters.  Democrats are giving the impression of desperation; even East Orange Mayor Robert Bowser received a call asking if LG was something he would consider.  He said no.   At this point, new names are being treated with some trepidation.  A trial balloon for former Superior Court Judge Theodore Davis, the state appointed Chief Operating Officer of the City of Camden and a Republican, was viewed as too late to be serious.  Talk of Seton Hall Law Professor Mark Alexander, who ran Obama’s New Jersey campaign in the primary, had a shelf life of just a few minutes.

…and the Daily Record is reporting that insiders aren’t really happy about any of this.  Meanwhile, you can donate to Chris Christie – the guy taking this race seriously – here.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

Joe Trippi confesses sock-puppetry, but not astroturfing for Carolyn Maloney.

[UPDATE]: Welcome, Instapundit readers.

If, like Dan Riehl, you were curious at Joe Trippi’s sudden announcement that he had to take responsibility for other people’s sock-puppetry:

First, that no matter how long my association with the blogging community in fact because of that long association – it is even more important that I disclose any professional relationship with any candidate or issue I blog about or comment on.

[snip – and I’m including the previous paragraph because it’ll be important later]

But once I did it became clear to me that interns and a few staff who are my responsibility did create seven DailyKos accounts – two of which were never used but five of which were used to comment and post diaries here for the same candidates I was working for, sockpuppeting the same things I was saying here and elsewhere.  This is so unacceptable that I cannot believe it happened – but it did.

…well, it’s because Trippi violated professional ethics by lying about his paid relationship with Rep Carolyn Maloney (D, NY); he had claimed to not be working for her campaign on June 10th, and it turns out that his firm had started getting paid on June 5th (H/T: dKos, who was quite surly about it, too).  Hence the sudden concern over ‘sock puppets’ (individuals whose job it is to fake agreement and excitement at websites via posting under multiple usernames; see Greenwald, Glenn) and ‘astroturfing’ (creating a false impression of grassroots support for an issue via a coordinated campaign; see Journolist).  Trippi’s been caught out on the second, and there’s probably evidence coming up that will show that his staff were heavily involved in the first on Congresswoman Maloney’s behalf; hence, the ‘acceptance of responsibility’ by blaming anonymous staffers. Continue reading Joe Trippi confesses sock-puppetry, but not astroturfing for Carolyn Maloney.

Preliminary June fundraising numbers appearing.

So far, the RNC’s reporting over 8 million raised; 23.7 million cash-on-hand; no debt. The DNC’s reporting 6.75 million raised; 13.03 million cash-on-hand; 4.91 million in debt. As a look at last month’s numbers show, the DNC continues to trail the RNC in cash on hand and debt being retired, and is now back to trailing it in cash being raised, too.

Congressional/Senatorial numbers to be posted when I get them.

Crossposted to RedState.

‘You almost have to feel sorry’ for Chris Dodd (D-CT).

Quote used with malice aforethought.

Here’s a brief intelligence test.

Question: If you are a Senator who has spent the last week bashing lobbyists in a desperate attempt to look like a populist, would you or would you not attend an elitist DSCC retreat designed to put Democratic politicians and K Street checkbooks in the same room?

If the answer is “you would not attend,” congratulations: you’re smarter than Chris Dodd.

After distancing himself from lobbyists in campaign ads, Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) was on Martha’s Vineyard this weekend meeting with some of the most well known names on K Street.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) hosted its annual retreat this weekend at the high-class getaway. Designed for candidates to meet with senators for campaign advice and policy guidance, several high-powered lobbyists also attend and network with lawmakers during the retreat.

Dodd’s attendance at the retreat follows a series of web videos his campaign released promoting his populist credentials and highlighting the frustration some lobbyists are feeling with the senator, including quotes from anonymous lobbyists in news reports.

Continue reading ‘You almost have to feel sorry’ for Chris Dodd (D-CT).

Former IG Walpin suing to get good name back.

You may remember Gerald Walpin.  He was fired from his position as AmeriCorps Inspector General a few months ago for either: pushing an investigation against one of the President’s cronies; no particular reason; or diminished mental capacity.  These three possible answers are, respectively: an assumption based on an acquaintance with objective (if cynical) reality; what the White House went with before Senator Grassley reminded them of the law; and what the White House went with after Senator Grassley reminded them of the law.  Well, Mr. Walpin didn’t particularly care for the last answer, and he’s decided to get satisfaction:

Gerald Walpin, the AmeriCorps inspector general who was summarily fired in June amid controversy over his investigation of a politically-connected supporter of President Obama, has filed suit alleging that the firing was “unlawful,” “politically driven,” “procedurally defective” and “a transparent and clumsily-conducted effort to circumvent the protections” given to inspectors general under the Inspectors General Reform Act of 2008.

Walpin’s suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, is against the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees AmeriCorps.  Also named are Nicola Goren, the acting CEO of the Corporation, Frank Trinity, its general counsel, and Raymond Limon, the Corporation’s “chief human capital officer.”  The suit asks the court to declare Walpin’s firing unlawful and restore him to his position as the Corporation’s inspector general.

Via The Rhetorician. Note that Walpin isn’t suing for damages, merely reinstatement and an admission that the firing was improper in the first place.  Whether or not he gets either will depend in large part whether the administration can outwait him; as Ed Morrissey points out, Walpin is 77 years old.  On the other hand, this is hardly the only IG controversy going on, and right now the White House doesn’t need any more negative scrutiny than what it’s already getting…

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

USPS at risk at not making payroll?

Elections have consequences.

Back last month, House Minority Leader John Boehner made the following comment about government-run health care options:

“Listen, if you like going to the DMV and you think they do a great job, or you like going to the post office and think it’s the most efficient thing you’ve run into, then you’ll love the government-run health care system that they’re proposing because that’s basically what you’re going to have,”

…to which a variety of people who do, indeed, love the DMV/Post Office as examples of government-run agencies reacted in various levels of reflexively sardonic befuddlement.  The DMV comparison was usually skipped over, in favor of the USPS: after all, what’s wrong with them?  44 cents for a stamp, send it out, gets where it’s going.  Great, right?

Sure.  Until they can’t make payroll. Continue reading USPS at risk at not making payroll?