The DC press corps’ candle in the wind, Mark Halperin, bows in the direction of perceived power :
The President, however, may be indifferent to the acrid fussing of his Republican foes. He will be able to bask once again in the glow of positive press coverage (accented by a momentous signing ceremony), which will focus on four areas helpful to the Democrats’ prospects in November: the masterful display of White House patience and competence that got the job done; the elements of the legislation that are in fact consistently popular with large numbers of Americans, such as its insurance company crackdowns; the return of the meme that Republicans are the party of “no”; and the accompanying rising poll numbers for the administration and the new law.
This is a guy who turned in columns titled Obama is Making the Same Mistakes as Bush and Can Obama Fend Off Failure Attacks in the last few weeks, not to mention What Obama Can Learn from Reagan.
(via Rhoda in the comments)
Comrade javafascist
Crap. I had my money on Halperin as the first to pen a contrarian column about how this is a loss for Obama. Should’ve gone with Kaus.
Darksyde
Yes the basking has already begun, as Joe and other gangs are visibly pissed on the morning chatter soaps, coming up with all kinds of barbs and nonsense.
beltane
We need a new tag: Black Ronald Reagan.
soonergrunt
It was ever thus. We all knew this was going to happen, so let’s just sit back and snark over it.
@beltane: this.
Comrade javafascist
@beltane: That is what the wingnuts have feared all along.
Bill E Pilgrim
A foolish
consistency is the hobgoblin oflittle pundits.rob!
Its a new day in America, and yet Morning Joe still makes me want to throw a rock into my TV screen. Some things never change, I guess.
Menzies
@rob!:
I get the feeling we could right now have single-payer or universal health care, free deficit-neutral public education, and constitutional same-sex marriage, and Morning Joe would still make you want to throw a rock at your TV screen. Joe Scarborough is an asshole and has always been one – his great coup has been in managing to seem saner than most other conservatives.
dmsilev
I hope nobody’s surprised. This is what courtiers do.
-dms
Dannie22
I think Lawrence Odonnell should be on suicide watch.
Napoleon
@beltane:
Seconded!
Menzies
@beltane:
I’ll fourth that.
The Grand Panjandrum
I know Cole is slowly working his way back from the injured reserve list but I am surprised we never saw the famous “Chill the fuck out. I got this.” photo.
Mark Halperin wanking? Again? Hoocoodanode?
Lolis
Isn’t it fun? We are big winners and Republicans have to suck it. Not to mention fewer people will unnecessarily die in this country.
BR
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/House-sends-health-care-apf-2440271559.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=main&asset=&ccode=
someguy
>>>free deficit-neutral public education
Public school education is already “free.” Unless you just received my property taxes which, thanks to the Bush economy, are skyrocketing. In which case “free” means “just went up 30%.” You’re partially right about deficit neutral though. The local school board is not going to run a deficit this year. Me, on the other hand… not so much.
Menzies
@BR:
Did he mention he was a POW? If not I smell an impostor.
gbear
@beltane:
Speaking of tags, how long will it be until ‘Nancy Smash!’ is listed in the lexicon?
PTirebiter
@dmsilev: I’ll admit to being surprised by the speed and total absence of segue. It makes it all the more fun for me.
Boudica
@Bill E Pilgrim
That’s it…..you have a gaggle of geese, a herd of cows and a hobgoblin of pundits!
mr. whipple
@Dannie22:
Nah, let him do it.
beltane
@BR: Hey kids, stop that euphoria right now! No smiling is allowed on the premises.
Trinity
@beltane: This.
dmsilev
@BR: You kids! Get off my lawn!
-dms
Brian J
But wait, what if the Dow is down by .05828 percent today? Isn’t that a sign that the legislation is doomed to turn us into the Soviet Union?
ericblair
I’d expect more of this, because otherwise the overpaid ink-stained wretches have written themselves into a rhetorical corner, and still have column inches to fill. What else are you going to go on about: “Sky about to fall, day 43! Well, OK, it hasn’t fallen yet, but a robin shit on my car! So anytime now!”
So we get months of Manly Package columns. They’re nauseating too, considering the sources, but it fills the blank space and keeps Our Guardians of the Public Trust in cocktail weenies and ceviche.
dmsilev
@PTirebiter: It does mean, of course, that he’ll switch *back* to Obama Death Watch in a heartbeat if the winds seem to shift.
-dms
Karen S.
@ BR 15:
That man’s bitterness never ends. His death throes, whenever they come, will feature lots of vituperative nonsense and spitting.
After being on pins and needles for the past several months over health system reform, I think we’re — dare I say? — entitled to some euphoria.
Yea!!!!!!!!!
Bill E Pilgrim
@Boudica:
And “a Matlock of tea baggers”, or at least that’s what it would be if I had my way.
@Brian J:
Well they’re right, you know, the Dow was always down in the Soviet Union.
DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal)
@BR:
So Walnuts is pissed off that the people are euphoric about passage of the bill? Wow, just wow.
What a nasty old bastard.
cleek
i eagerly await the flood of stories noting that every single argument and dire prediction that the GOP made about HCR was a fucking lie.
Redhand
the return of the meme that Republicans are the party of “no”
Right, it’s a “meme,” not reality.
Asshole.
gbear
@Bill E Pilgrim:
TBogg calls them ‘a scrotum of teabaggers’.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
And from the shallow end of deep thought, the braintrust at NRO weighs in.
The Editors
Only the wingnut mind can equate expanding health care to all Americans as undermining “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”
Excuse me. Time to hug my Plastic Unicorn.
Tattoosydney
@beltane:
I think that sound was Jane Hamsher’s head exploding.
beltane
@General Egali Tarian Stuck: I guess uninsured working people are not entitled to the same rights to life and the pursuit of happiness that wingnut welfare recipients are entitled to.
Tattoosydney
@gbear:
Hell yes.
Linda Featheringill
Good morning. Late night last night [Duh!]. Fortunately for me, this is my day off so I could sleep late.
I really don’t care where it came from – if feels good to read it.
And no smiling at work today! That is an order!
Ogami Itto
We should all be so lucky. I’ve really come to despise that @#$%.
pharniel
@dmsilev:
I forget the movie, but it was about the corut of louis the xVI or so (right before the revolution) and one of the sub plots was this bishop who proved teh existance of god for the king….
…and then went on to state that he could just as easily prove the opposite, should his majesty wish it.
Fergus Wooster
@General Egali Tarian Stuck:
Transparently sociopathic assholes. Let’s not forget it was their comrades who decided to recreate Selma 1961 at the Capitol yesterday.
They’re just pissed because the Dems managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, instead of the other way around. It’s as if the Earth reversed its spin.
I’m loving it though. No more rescission, no more preexisting conditions, no need to move to Canada. Hurrah, Nancy.
Roger Moore
@pharniel:
I believe you’re thinking of Ridicule, a fine movie.
Linda Featheringill
From Krugman in the NYT today
Yes.
liberty60
It is only natural, the freakout. After 30 years of wins, after an entire generation of the Village trumpeting the “center-right” meme, of being told that the curled lip cynicism is The Truth, that Gummint is incompetent (except for the Police/ Military), that only brave David Brooks’s stood between Us and Strapping Young Bucks buying T-bones with YOUR TAXES, after three decades of
being toldbeing shown that Democrats were at best the Washington Generals to the GOP Harlem Globetrotters, to wake up to find that the sun is rising in the west is terrifying for them.Seriously, no one under the age of 40 can probably remember any time when anyone believed in the power of government to effect positive change. No one except those of us with thinning hair can recall a time when the debate wasn’t about how fast government programs could be jettisoned and taken over by The Free Market (pause to genuflect).
Little Dreamer
@Linda Featheringill:
I not only smiled, I laughed my ass off as I was throwing out papers to wingnut residences with the headline “Victory; Outcry!” in John McCain’s hometown.
Sweet schadenfreude, it’s simply sensational!
;)
Gregory
@cleek:
I’m sure the “liberal media” will get right on it.