While the Republicans continue to reel, and dig themselves a bit further into that crevasse (while, not wanting to lose any time in the spotlight in an apparent race-to-the-death to see who can officially be the biggest GOP buffoon, Michael “Slum Love” Steele remains the gaffe that keeps giving), Obama keeps plugging along, borrowing the best bits from FDR (substance and style) and, apparently, Reagan (style and style), but mostly being himself. Those excessively impatient Liberals should relax. Our man is hitting on all cylinders (Iraq? Check. Abortion rights? Bam. Budget? Please. Uniting and not dividing? Done.) This is politics, (duh) but it’s not all political. He’s making things happen at the same time he is bringing Americans over to his side. And so, while it’s too early to celebrate the overdue death of Republican Voodoo, the momentum Obama is generating might become too overpowering to curtail. We’re only one month in. Suck on it Rush.
But don’t kid yourself: no one knows how much is at stake right now than the people whose lives (and, more importantly, ideologies) are most affected by this Tectonic Shift. Certainly, they will not slink mercifully into the alley without a fight. We are going to see some tired old arguments (you know, the same ones that have been indisputably, irrevocably debunked) coming out. It will be easy to poke more holes in this deflated hot air balloon, but it will require constant and consistent messaging. Obama, and his very capable Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, are acquitting themselves quite nicely. There is also some great, early anticipation of the arguments to come from Kinsley, here, Klein here, and especially Sean Quinn here. and this beauty by Bob Cesca, here.
But sometimes it’s best to use the oppositions’ own words against them. The ever-reliable Newt Gingrich, the only politician who seems to need to put his foot inside his mouth in order to speak, will proof quite useful going forward:
“Clinton’s major contribution was pushing through the 1993 budget bill, which began to reduce what had become a chronic string of federal deficits. Republicans denounced it as the “largest tax increase in history,” though in fact it was not a record and also contained some cuts in projected spending. Republican Rep. Newt Gingrich predicted: “The tax increase will kill jobs and lead to a recession, and the recession will force people off of work and onto unemployment and will actually increase the deficit.” But just the opposite happened. Fears of inflation waned and interest rates fell, making money cheaper to borrow for homes, cars and investment. What had been a slow economic recovery turned into a roaring boom, bringing in so much unanticipated tax revenue from rising incomes and stock-market gains that the government actually was running record surpluses by the time Clinton left office.”
There’s plenty more where that came from. Which is good, because we can count on plenty more of it, going forward. Stop me before I embed again.
Take it away Lopez…
