Tag: barack obama

The Good News and the Bad News about Obama’s poll numbers.

The Bad News is that Barack Obama’s poll numbers (which are abruptly no longer underwater) are reflecting the fact that the Republican party is busy having an unexpected civil war in its primary, not to mention an existential crisis that might end up with people like me leaving politics for good. The Good News is that President Obama isn’t actually doing anything.  Yes, he’s waving around Merrick Garland around, more or less perfunctorily; and yeah, he went to Cuba and allowed himself to be used as a mobile prop.

But generally all of this is telling the man that being King Log is a good working strategy for him.  I don’t mind him being King Log.  Him being King Log works for me.  At least it’s predictable.  And, indeed, not particularly productive, which is nice because, you know, we’re in the middle of a civil war in the Republican party and so forth…

Barack Obama stabs Charles Schumer in the back.

Yes. This is precisely the time for the White House to get into a fight with the next Senate Minority Leader. What a brilliant plan, Barack Obama. Brilliant:

The White House on Wednesday lambasted Sen. Chuck Schumer, calling into question his national security credentials after he criticized the Obama administration over homeland security funding.

[snip]

“At some point Sen. Schumer’s credibility in talking about national security issues, particularly when the facts are as they are when it relates to homeland security, have to be affected by the position that he’s taken on other issues,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest shot back.

Oh, yes, I know: Schumer will take the blow and not say anything, because of the Supreme Court Justice thing. But it’s still funny to watch one of the most powerful men in Washington get lectured to by the lackey of somebody whose own power in Dizzy City declines every. Single. Day.  You think Senator Schumer’s going to remember this one? I bet he might.

Tweet of the Day, …LOOKS Petty And Graceless, @asymmetricinfo? edition

It IS petty and graceless.

And completely expected. After all, Barack Obama’s base is largely upset that Scalia didn’t take out Clarence Thomas with him.

Barack Obama blinks, retreats on possible recess SCOTUS appointment.

Guess there really are limits to kingship.

Let me save everybody some valuable time: the answer will be ‘no.’  Can we move on now? Let us move on, now.

Barack Obama will make a (poor) recess appointment because it benefits HIM.

If Barack Obama makes a recess appointment of a Supreme Court justice – and he may be able to [UPDATE: Link fixed, sorry] – it will largely benefit just Barack Obama.  The Democrats actually would like a real fight over this, because they don’t want the precedent set that both sides are permitted to be partisan over judges.  So if Barack Obama short-circuits the entire looming fight, he is pretty much cutting off his own party’s partisans at the knees AND making them have to pretend that they really wanted this to happen, ya, you betcha.  Meanwhile the GOP will of course come out of this in decent long-term shape; we probably have some bad decisions this year, sure, but we’ll get that seat opening up next year with a new President and we stuck to our guns. Not our fault that Barack Obama thinks that he’s a king.

So, yeah, Barack Obama will back-stab his fellow-Democrats.  Who will then be forced to act as if this was a brilliant ploy. Not my optimal solution, but not the end of the world, either. [UPDATE: Or maybe he won’t,]

Obama: “I want a $10/barrel oil fe…” Congress (interrupting): “No.”

Seriously, why did CNBC even bother reporting this, let alone make it a ‘BREAKING’ story? “President Barack Obama will propose a $10 per barrel charge on oil to fund clean transportation projects as part of his final budget request next week, the White House said Thursday.”  I’m sure that Obama would like a pony, too.  Heck, THAT Congress might give him. Shoot, I’d sign off on giving the President a whole horse show if he’d just play with it until his term is up and left policy to people who understand the basic concept…

Don’t forget! CNN’s and Barack Obama’s ersatz town hall on guns is on tonight!

I mention this not because I plan to watch it, because I won’t; nor because I expect any of you plan to watch it, because I doubt that many of you will. I mention it because maybe some day somebody might actually try to ding CNN for making this kind of in-kind contribution to the Democratic party. Every little bit of a proper evidence trail helps.

Yeah, I’m gonna be live-tweeting the speech, apparently.

I don’t really know why; oh, wait, I do. I fully expect President Barack Obama to tell the world tonight that he’s actually a king, and that the Constitution is a mere scrap of parchment.  Well.  He’ll try.  God knows that Obama’s screwed up everything else he’s put his hand to*.

Moe Lane

*His crew got him elected.  His crew always got him elected.