Democrats: POTUS bringing ”awful” vibes to the party

After yesterday’s special election loss in NY-09, the fallout is only beginning for Democrats:

Even before the polls closed, the recriminations — something short of panic, and considerably more than mere grumbling — had begun. On a high-level campaign conference call Tuesday afternoon, Democratic donors and strategists commiserated over their disappointment in Obama.  A source on the call described the mood as “awful.”

“People feel betrayed, disappointed, furious, disgusted, hopeless,” said the source.

Less expansive but equally telling were the remarks of House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, who in a conversation with reporters Tuesday morning said bluntly that Obama would take some blame for the two special election losses.

“I think every election reflects on the person in charge, but do I think it is an overall statement on the president alone? No,” said Hoyer. “Do I think it will be interpreted as being a statement on Obama? That’s probably correct.”

A senior Hill Democratic aide was more direct in attempting to explain the New York loss: “The approval ratings for the guy at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue cratered.”

A Turner consultant, Steve Goldberg, validated that assessment: “It was all Obama — not even a thought of anything else.”

Got that? Democrats are feeling “hopeless”.  HOPELESS!  This under the tutelage of an empty suit, who brought nothing but styrofoam Greek columns and empty promises of Hope and Change to the table of our political discourse.  If it wasn’t so damaging to the country, I’d encourage Obama and the Democrats to keep doing what they’re doing.  Because it’s working wonders for the Republicans.

[h/t: Memeorandum]

Congressional Black Caucus member: “Tea Partiers want blacks hanging from a tree”

Looking for a new tone in political discourse?  The Congressional Black Caucus has your new tone–same as the old tone for today’s Democrat party.  Which is to say angry, race-baiting politics:

A top lawmaker in the Congressional Black Caucus says tea partiers on Capitol Hill would like to see African-Americans hanging from trees and accuses the movement of wishing for a return to the Jim Crow era.

Rep. Andre Carson, a Democrat from Indiana who serves as the CBC’s chief vote counter, said at a CBC event in Miami that some in Congress would “love to see us as second-class citizens” and “some of them in Congress right now of this tea party movement would love to see you and me … hanging on a tree.”

Why is Carson using such vile rhetoric?  Frustration over the utter failure of the left’s spend and spend some more policies:

Carson’s spokesman, said the comment was “in response to frustration voiced by many in Miami and in his home district in Indianapolis regarding Congress’s inability to bolster the economy.”   Tomcsi, in an email, wrote that “the congressman used strong language because the Tea Party agenda jeopardizes our most vulnerable and leaves them without the ability to improve their economic standing.

“The Tea Party is protecting its millionaire and oil company friends while gutting critical services that they know protect the livelihood of African-Americans, as well as Latinos and other disadvantaged minorities,” Tomcsi wrote. “We are talking about child nutrition, job creation, job training, housing assistance, and Head Start, and that is just the beginning. A child without basic nutrition, secure housing, and quality education has no real chance at a meaningful and productive life.”

Raising taxes on their perceived enemies and spending money to solve any problem are the only solution they have for anything.  When that fails then, well, it’s all about race-baiting for Democrats.   Their constituents will continue to suffer.  And if anyone raises objections (in this instance, the Tea Party), they vilify that person or group as wanting that  suffering to continue.  Then you have explanations like that from Carson’s office.

It is the vile underbelly of leftist politics.  And as the economy continues to sour, we will be seeing more hateful rhetoric from the left.

[h/t Drudge]

UPDATE.  Video/audio added, via Hot Air:

Carson’s comments start about 10 seconds in, with additional commentary by other angry CBC members throughout the video.

Maxine Waters: The Tea Party can go to hell

Bitter old bag:

On Saturday in Inglewood, Calif., Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters had some harsh words for the tea party.

“I’m not afraid of anybody,” the California congresswoman told constituents in footage that appeared on ABC affiliate KABC in Los Angeles, not backing down from comments made about President Obama earlier in the week. “This is a tough game. You can’t be intimidated. You can’t be frightened. And as far as I’m concerned — the tea party can go straight to hell.”

That proclamation was met with cheers from the audience, including attendees sporting purple SEIU T-shirts.

Tone down the rhetoric, indeed. 

The Democrats thrive on hate and anger, and this story is just another example of that.  And make no mistake, if it was up to progressives, Maxine Waters would be President and not Barack Obama.   She’s right up their alley.

[Hat Tip: Memeorandum]

The thrill is gone

In total agreement with Jennifer Rubin here:

The chasm between the president’s agenda (and leadership skills) and the problems we face seems to widen with each passing day. The problem is not the Martha’s Vineyard vacation but the two and a half years that preceded it. The policy initiatives and the president himself seem too small for the challenges we face. He resorts to political stunts to fill the time and directs blame to Congress, the Republicans or whatever else he can think of.

People who complain about the vacation are missing the point.   I hear a lot of conservatives complaining about this vacation, as the economy seems to deteriorate with each passing day, and world markets continue to melt, and that the President should be….um, well…I’m not exactly sure what they think he should be doing.   Sure the optics look bad, and I honestly don’t think the President really cares.  And, as the last four years have shown us, anything the Democrats propose to “help” the economy, is bound to be a disaster.

But more importantly, as Rubin notes, when he does come back from vacation, then what?  Democrats, as always, appears to be out of bullets and have nothing to contribute.

[Hat Tip: Instapundit]

Consumer confidence in Obamanomics slips; lowest since Carter administraton

More hope and change:

Confidence among U.S. consumers plunged in August to the lowest level since May 1980, adding to concern that weak employment gains and volatility in the stock market will prompt households to retrench.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary index of consumer sentiment slumped to 54.9 from 63.7 the prior month. The gauge was projected to decline to 62, according to the median forecast in a Bloomberg News survey.

The biggest one-week slump in stocks since 2008 and the threat of default on the nation’s debt may have exacerbated consumers’ concerns as unemployment hovers above 9 percent and companies are hesitant to hire. Rising pessimism poses a risk household spending will cool further, hindering a recovery that Federal Reserve policy makers said this week was already advancing “considerably slower” than projected.

“We’re really at the bottom of the barrel right now,” Lindsey Piegza, an economist at FTN Financial in New York, said before the report. “Americans are feeling an increasing level of frustration with their leaders in Washington. We’re also seeing a slew of weaker than expected economic reports.”

But don’t worry.  President Obama’s  just as frustrated and worked up about the economy that he and the Democrats have created as we all are.  Doesn’t that make you feel sooo much better?

It’s always been about the jobs, stupid.

Eugene Robinson whines about the lack of cool slogan for progressives:

In the midst of a profound economic slump, with unemployment at crisis levels, we’ve just had a long and bitter budget debate that wasn’t about how government might try to create jobs. It was about budget cuts that will eliminate jobs.

And what is the progressive response? Basically, all of the above — which doesn’t fit on a bumper sticker. Democrats have utterly failed to develop and communicate a Big Idea of their own.

Obama talks about “winning the future,” but that’s too nebulous. I’d suggest something pithier: jobs, jobs, jobs.

People may dislike paying taxes, but they dislike unemployment more. Progressives should talk about bringing the nation back to full employment and healthy growth — and how this requires an adequately funded government to play a major role.

The emphasis was mine, as Robinson’s comments are clueless.  Democrats had the better part of three years with control of the White House and majorities in Congress, plus trillions in new debt, and stimulus money.  Surely this was and “adequately funded” government at work, no?

Jim Geraghty smacks Robinson around:

Really? Seriously? The president with a stagnant economy, unemployment that never dipped below 8.8 percent since April 2009, and with the rate inching up again is going to run on jobs, jobs, jobs?

Of course Obama inherited a troubled economy with an unemployment rate rising fast. The problem is that he was given a heavily Democratic Congress, and he gave us the very best he could do with the stimulus, which hasn’t even come close to bringing it down. In fact, Obama’s A-team of economic advisers didn’t clearly understand the recession, and vastly overestimated how much good their preferred stimulus plan would do […]

What’s the slogan after “Jobs, Jobs, Jobs”? “I swear, I’ll do better next term! This has never happened to me before!”

I think we’ve had enough with empty slogans, styrofoam Greek columns and long-winded speeches, and other such nonsense.

What a mess

Less than two hours ago, I returned from a truly relaxing five-day trip to Harwich Port in Cape Cod.   Trying to actually enjoy a relaxing time, I tried as hard as I could to stay away from Mets baseball, the status of the NFL lockout, and more importantly, the debt ceiling negotiations on Capitol Hill.

As I was driving back earlier today, I realized that the Mets just swept a four-game series with the Reds, the lockout is officially over and…well, yeah.

The debt ceiling deadline has been staring Washington in the face since last year.  Neither President Obama nor the Democrats in Congress bothered to address the issue, even when they had their majorities in both chambers.  So of course, the big news today is that Speaker Boehner and the Republican leaders, not to mentioned the so-called Republican “conservatives” in the pundit class, are willing to shoot the Tea Party conservatives in the back of the head, figuratively speaking of course, in the name of waiting for 2012.  Or something.

Heckuva job guys. 

An update of today’s events here.

How not to run for President

It’s barely Tuesday and it’s already the worst week ever for the Gingrich campaign.   Will Gingrich flame out before the campaign is even a week old?

[South Carolina Governor Nikki] Haley, whose promise to endorse a presidential candidate has made her a key power broker in the Republican primary fight, joined in the chorus Tuesday and said she is “terribly disappointed” in Gingrich.

“What he said was absolutely unfortunate,” Haley told CNN in a phone interview. “Here you’ve got Representative Ryan trying to bring common sense to this world of insanity, and Newt absolutely cut him off at the knees.”

“When you have a conservative fighting for real change, the last thing we need is a presidential candidate cutting him off at the knees,” she added.

It’s easy to figure out Newt’s Road to the White House from here.  Let’s see now:

1) Piss off Iowa Republicans?  Check

2) Piss off South Carolina Republicans?  Check

3) ??

4) President Gingrich!

A sincere hat-tip goes to Governor Haley, especially for the last sentence in that excerpt.  Paul Ryan has done what most politicians would never dare to do–formulate and actually present a plan to reform our disastrous entitlement programs.  The President,  the Democrats in Congress–not one of them is proposing anything.  And certainly not Newt Gingrich.  He’d rather see what the polls are saying and play to the elderly vote “have a conversation” about entitlement reform.   That’s not leadership, Mr. Speaker.  That’s more of the same crap.  Which is what we don’t need nor want.

Breitbart to leftists in Wisconsin: “Go to hell!”

Kudos to Breitbart for having the guts to say what is right.  Well done:

More at Big Government here.

Senator of the people Claire McCaskill owes taxes, decides to sell private plane

Because she can relate to you miserable rubes in Missouri with your hundreds of thousands in back taxes and private aircraft:

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo) said Monday she will sell her private plane and pay back $287,273 in four years of back taxes, the latest chapter in a politically embarrassing saga for the moderate Democrat facing a tough reelection battle in 2012.

McCaskill has been answering questions about the plane since POLITICO recently reported that she billed taxpayers for a political trip around Missouri. POLITICO also reported that McCaskill spent $76,000 from her Senate budget on trips on the aircraft over the past four years, prompting the senator to refund the Treasury Department more than $88,000 for the cost of the trips plus pilot fees.

McCaskill’s announcement Monday is the latest twist in a political scandal that has dogged her for the past two weeks. The expensive fiasco clashes with her self-made image as a reformer and good-government advocate during her first term in the Senate. McCaskill has now shelled out more than $375,000 in payments to cover the cost of the plane flights and back taxes, a series of events the senator herself has called “embarrassing.”

On top of this, McCaskill signed on in February as a co-sponsor of Senate legislation that would fire federal employees if they are “seriously delinquent” in paying their own federal taxes.

Yep.  She whipped out her checkbook and wrote a check for $300,000.  Because we all have that kind of money laying around.  This from a member of the party that purports to be on the side of working class Americans. 

[Hat Tip: Memeorandum]