Harry Reid: Private sector employment is ‘fine’

The irresponsible leader of the irresponsible Democrat majority in the US Senate:

James Sherk clarifies:

Senator Reid is not just mistaken; he has his facts exactly backwards. If the recession has barely touched one sector of the economy, it is government. Since the recession began in December 2007 the private sector shed 6.3 million net jobs, while government payrolls are down by just 392,000.

That amounts to a 5.4 percent drop in private sector employment, while government employment has slipped only one-third as much (1.8 percent). Education-related government jobs have fallen even less, down 1.4 percent.

The majority of the American unemployed, those not employed by the public sector, will be glad to know that their Senate leaders are completely clueless about what’s going on in the real world.

Senate Democrats want your money

They want it bad.  After meeting with Vice- President Biden yesterday, Senator Lautenberg cleared any misconceptions of where Democrat priorities are:

“Show me the money, show me the revenue,” Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.) told reporters following a Democratic conference meeting. “People like me fortunate enough to have done okay should — must — pay more for their share of this society.”

How much money is enough Senator Lautenberg?  What’s considered “fair”?  And where will all this money go?

I think I have an idea:

 

 

Senate Democrats begging for White House leadership on budget battle

They’re taking the President’s bait.  Again:

Without a clear strategy from the top, Democrats fear their party risks splintering even further. And absent a plan, Democratic senators worry they’ll be forced to cast politically treacherous votes that may be rendered meaningless if the White House and Republican leaders ultimately reach a bipartisan deal, nullifying whatever action the Senate takes.

We saw this exact scenario play out during the debate over Obamacare during most of 2009.  The President put forward a vague framework for “reform”, stood back, and let the Democrats take the heat for the rest of the year.  Then, he presided over some serious drubbings for Democrats at the polls.

Over two years into the administration, it’s amazing that the Democrats don’t seem to understand Obama’s political cunning.  He clearly doesn’t want to be anywhere near the political infighting, part of his strategy to appear above the fray and the partisan bickering in Congress.  And more importantly, the healthcare debate should put Democrats on notice–he really doesn’t care for their political careers.  So long as he gets to take credit in the end.

Screwed up priorities, continued.

Somewhat relative to what I spoke to in this post on Democrat party priorities on the eve of Republicans taking control of the House, Erik Erickson at Red State writes:

Right now in Congress, the Democrats are trying to pass the START treaty with Russia and abandon Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. They are pushing the DREAM Act to allow illegal aliens access to college. Harry Reid is personally pushing online gambling initiatives.

Meanwhile the GOP is trying to keep the government from shutting down and keep the stock market from crashing on December 15th and, once those two are addressed, want to extend unemployment benefits by December 31st.

I guess the messaging still sucks. Maybe the Democrats need to remember that it is, in fact, the economy stupid. And uncertainty over a pending Obama tax hike, including an increase in capital gains taxes, as well as the certain increase in health care costs due to Obamacare will continue to kill job creation in this country.

Senate Democrats are well aware that they’re pretty much neutered in trying to push their liberal agenda.  For the most part, they’re tone-deaf to what November’s election was all about.  Which is fine with me, as 2012 is right around the corner, and their reckoning will be coming soon enough.