At the outset, I felt vaguely sick of the Clintons and they've done nothing but remind me why. They are not team players. They're too busy saving the party from itself to build the party or forge lasting coalitions. As a result, they've failed at both.

If the attacks against Obama have the intended effect, they will only serve to increase his negative rating. They will do nothing to increase HRC's positives or lower her negatives, which are already in the 40's. Either way, the Democratic nominee will enter the general election with a higher negative rating than necessary.

Bill Clinton could be tremendously effective as a positive force, if they so chose. Without diminishing Obama in the slightest, Bill could easily talk about how great Hillary is, and how she never gave up on him, and she won't give up on the American people either, and how busy he is studying cookie recipes to prepare for a challenging new career as First Husband.

Or failing that, Bill could go attack the Republicans. He could easily call out individual Congressmen and Senators who opposed this or that good idea and supported this or that dumb idea. Drive up their negatives instead.

Bill Clinton has often uttered the truism that if you don't get elected, you have no power and therefore achieve nothing. The Clintons appear to believe this a little too strongly.

Posted at January 27, 2008 9:43 AM in response to The Clintons, Atwater, Rove, and the Future

I wonder how much negative-equity can be attributed to cash-out refinancing. I wonder how many foreclosures happened to people who consolidated high-interest credit card debts into one, low, tax-deductible monthly payment. I bet lots.

Wouldn't it be ironic if the greed of bankers' credit card divisions came full circle to wipe out their home mortgage divisions?

If the history of bankruptcy reform is any guide, bank lobbyists will launch an Astroturf movement for foreclosure reform. Deadbeat homeowners must not be allowed to walk away from their homes, without paying for the sports cars, vacations and lavish parties that they irresponsibly charged against their equity.

The Gods of Personal Responsibility must be appeased once more, just as soon as the Republicans and Joe LieberBiden get back into power!

Posted at January 22, 2008 9:59 PM in response to Burning the Consumer

Regardless, I hope Edwards sticks it out through Super Tuesday so I can vote for him. I'm really sick and tired of Iowa and New Hampshire having so damn much power over the electoral process. Two lousy states narrow the field to three candidates. A third insignificant state shrinks the narrative to two viable candidates with Edwards inexplicably "hanging on."

If Edwards doesn't win SC, it will no longer be good enough to just ignore him or express mild puzzlement. The narrative will morph into outright resentment that he won't just give it up already.

It's seriously messed up that the majority of Americans have no meaningful choice of candidate. I think this is a good reason for voter apathy: the race is already over before most people even get to vote. I think it also fuels the perception that all politicians are the same, when the only ones most people ever see are those who polled well in Iowa.

After my experience tabling and phone banking for Howard Dean, I decided to sit out the primary this time, until the election actually happens in Arizona. Once again, I might not even get to vote for my favorite. Thanks again for nothing, Iowa.

Posted at January 21, 2008 11:15 AM in response to Senator Edwards' Next Act?

Tax cuts hit the target the way a shotgun hits a battleship.

The economic problem is too many foreclosures, and no tax cutting scheme is going to prevent them. No tax cutting scheme is going to help the unemployed find new jobs.

Therefore, the first target should be this "moral hazard" nonsense, whereby homeowners are blamed for not signing better mortgages five years ago, and construction workers are blamed for not choosing recession-proof careers.

The stimulus should be a mortgage bailout for struggling homeowners, combined with a generous increase of unemployment compensation. There should be no tax cuts at all; the progressive income tax worked fine until conservatives start tampering with it.

Posted at January 21, 2008 5:16 AM in response to Politics Trumps Economics...And It’s a Good Thing!

Someone's been watching too much "Boston Legal."

Posted at January 16, 2008 10:44 PM in response to Ice Skates on Sale in Hell

The government should reimburse jurors the full value of their lost income, not the insulting pittance that it pays. I am blessed with an employer that offers jury pay, but many jurors aren't so lucky.

I bet lots of jury duty dodgers are really just trying to not lose income.

Posted at January 16, 2008 10:37 PM in response to When the jury summons arrives---go and serve!

Ya. "The other side does it too" is the oldest and lamest excuse in the book. You seem determined to project your own, accomplished sleazebaggery onto Democrats. So enjoy your book royalties, because it's the last chance to cash out you're ever likely to get.

Posted at January 15, 2008 4:02 PM in response to Sunlight Is The Best Disinfectant

I imagine they hired him because they thought he would increase readership. I doubt he will have much effect either way. A handful of ticked-off liberals might cancel their subscriptions. A handful of die-hard Kristol fans might buy the paper just for him. So what.

I imagine NYT will see a transient surge, followed by a small increase in web traffic, as bloggers find something new to write about. I doubt he will generate enough new ad revenue to pay his salary. At least I hope not.

Posted at January 15, 2008 1:15 AM in response to Bill Kristol and "the Mob"

Ayn Rand had candor. Republicans had you.

Normal people understand that selfishness is not a virtue. This is why Libertarians consistently poll in the single digits. Republicans would rather win, so they really have no choice but to lie.

America is about self interest, within the rule of law.

Someone with a better moral compass would say America is about something else. Thomas Jefferson, for instance, thought America was about securing the inalienable rights of equal men, as endowed by the Creator.

So candor, my eye. Republicans are so deeply immoral their only choice is to lie and cheat.

Posted at January 14, 2008 9:11 AM in response to Morality vs. Politics and My Job as a GOP Operative

When real men and women, from diverse races and cultures, actually live and work together and get to know one another a little, they usually find a way to relax a little bit. They usually don't go out of their way to be offended by the distant etymology of common phrases like "shuck and jive." They usually don't make such a big deal out of somebody getting a little choked up once and a while. They usually manage to cut one another a little slack and be themselves.

Politics should be more like that.

I don't really expect the Republicans to play along, but I'd like my Democratic champions to find their properly dismissive, "WHATever" voices that would diffuse about 95% of this nonsense.

Posted at January 13, 2008 8:36 AM in response to Imus the Attorney General