Mark Penn writes:
That is so sweet. One might even fail to realize that class warfare is something that is being carried out all the time. We pretend not to notice when the rich are winning, which they are, big time. Given the actual data, the rich ain't hurting and don't really need tax cuts. They've got like -- duh -- almost all the money.
But 62 percent of the voters said that the economy was the key factor determining their vote. The polls show that the voters want tax cuts not tax increases, modification or repeal of health care, spending cuts and above all jobs.
With health care reform, cap and trade bills, and tax increases, President Obama got out of step with the voters. Why he didn't just kick the Bush tax cuts down the road a year and get them out of the election cycle is mystifying. Instead -- just like in 1994 -- the Democrats ran on the platform of increasing taxes for the wealthy, amplifying class warfare rather than ending it.
Here's more:
If laughter prolongs life, Mr. Penn just guaranteed me another millennium or so.
But this does not mean that the voters want to gut Medicare, Medicaid, Education or the Environment. They don't want the government shut down; they want it fully open for business. Above all, they want jobs, and they are willing to vote for any party they believe may have the answer to the economy. Nancy Pelosi became the poster child of the left and became the target of the Republican right. They scored a bulls eye on her, but all glory is fleeting. The burden will be on the Republicans now to be a responsible handbrake -- if they again shut down the government they will lose the public's trust and support very quickly.
If President Obama wants to serve a second term, he will have to heed the call to recalibrate his administration. He was elected as a centrist. They want him to be one. He was elected as a youthful, vigorous candidate who would lead us into a more global future. They want him to do just that. He was elected to end, not amplify partisanship.
And guess what? If Nancy Pelosi didn't have girly parts she'd be thought of us one of the greatest Speakers of all times. Because she got stuff done. But her girly parts disqualify her and also make her the major target of hatred. None of that is at all new.
But honest, that bit about "ending partisanship!" Penn should be ashamed of himself, he really should. Obama's been going on and on and on about compromises and how he lurves the wingnuts and how nothing whatsoever can be done except by beginning from a compromise position and then ceding even more. And for that he gets called partisan. The people who refused to have anything whatsoever to do with him got the House handed to them. What does that say about "ending partisanship?"
Here's what I think: The election results had loads to do with unemployment figures, the housing crisis and the inept handling of the crisis in the financial markets. None of those were initially the fault of the Democrats but the fault of the Republicans. Still, the public memory is about six months and Americans do the same to their politicians as to their losing sports coaches: They kick them out.
And yes, the young and/or the African-American voters seem to have stayed home this year.