nbsp

While corporations are sitting on records amount of cash and still refusing to hire we have the reality absent GOP pushing for more tax cuts for these people. They consider to insist that their almost 30 year old failed experiment in economics is the way to go, that some how corporations will create supply without any demand. It's enough to make your head explode. 

Today Think Progress posted this chart. I have seen it before but always forgot to share it. It's a striking tell of what the Bush tax cuts did for the jobs market:

I know many on the right will be quick to dismiss this chart as some form of partisan hackery, compiled using fake numbers. To those people I ask you to look at the data source. This data comes straight from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and at the time of the data, George Bush was President. So if you honestly believe that the Bush administration would alter data to make it look like one of his keystone pieces of legislation was a failure then I'm amazed you even have the common sense to turn on a computer.

For those that do accept this data and realize it is true, especially given the fact that it was produced by the Bush administration, thank you. We can get beyond the partisan rhetoric and talk like grown ups, which is something greatly amiss in our country today.

As anyone who reads this blog somewhat regularly knows, I feel there is a big risk of a President Bachmann in 2013. I have given plenty of reasons previously, but the biggest one that scares me is the enthusiasm gap on the left. A new Public Policy Polling poll verifies that fear:

There's been plenty of bad news for Barack Obama this month in the form of his approval numbers, but our polling finds that his problems go deeper than that. Democratic enthusiasm about voting in next year's election has hit a record low this month. 

Only 48% of Democrats on our most recent national survey said they were 'very excited' about voting in 2012. On the survey before that the figure was 49%. Those last two polls are the only times all year the 'very excited' number has dipped below 50%. 

In 13 polls before August the average level of Democrats 'very excited' about voting next year had averaged 57%. It had been as high as 65% and only twice had the number even dipped below 55%. 

Face it - the left is getting fed up. The President has constantly caved to the demands of the right, yet the right and the media makes it sound like everything sound like a victory for the left. Team Obama is also doing nothing to soothe over the disconnect between him and the base. That can easily lead to disaster next month.

With Bachmann in the top three in the Republican field and barring any last minute entries by some golden child, the fear of President Bachmann continues to grow. Just consider the two leading Bachmann - Romney and Perry. Both have parts of the base that absolutely doesn't like them. Bachmann is somewhat back burner now, so most people don't have much of an opinion of her, except that she has an R by her name. 

We are waiting for the official word from the White House, but everyone is reporting that we finally killed Osama bin Laden. 

As an interesting and ironic side note, today marked the 8th anniversary of this:

Suddenly the right is upset that the dollar has taken a big decline, but Barry Ritholtz states the facts, something the right seems unable to comprehend:

Where were all you concerned dollar bulls earlier in the decade? It strikes me that like the late-to-discover inflation, you folks cannot spot a trend until it bites you in your collective asses.

Barry even includes this handy chart to show the decline:

Sadly the ones making all the noise over the dollar’s decline are the very ones who tried to tell us that we didn’t have any problems in early 2008 – people like FOX  News. Even more sad is the fact that many people will buy into that, without taking the time to look into the data themselves.

Things are getting interesting in the land of half term governors:

Republican leaders are angry with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) for jeopardizing their chances of winning the Senate. 

Murkowski’s decision to mount a write-in campaign risks splitting the Republican vote between two candidates and could cost her party a safe GOP seat.

“I am bothered by anything that makes it less likely that we can elect a Republican, especially in a state where we had every hope of electing one,” Senate GOP Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said Monday.

But what I find interesting is that this is the same GOP that cheered on Joe Lieberman’s run for Senate in 2006. They laughed at the netroots, accusing us of creating the problem with Ned Lamont. Well now the GOP has a much bigger Lieberman problem, with Murkowski only being one part of it. You also have O’Donnell and numerous others around the country. As matter of fact the GOP’s Lieberman problem has most likely cost them any chance of regaining control of the Senate. This is Karma in its purest form.

The President's speech from the Oval Office was a major failure in my view. He missed a golden opportunity to really hit one out of the park. A good example is talking about the clean energy bill, yet he did not use the power of his office and speech to urge Senate to pass it.

That's a big miss Mr. President.

When Bush wanted something done he went in front of the cameras and started chastising the Senate into doing it. It was actually a rather effective approach, and not one all that uncommon. I know Obama used to be in the Senate, but he has to stop acting like it. He needs to push the changes he campaigned on through, and right now energy alternatives is a big one that needs pushed through.

And what ever happened to the "yes we can" attitude? If we ever needed that, it's right now. We needed a forceful President Obama tonight pushing for a new energy future and following it up with a healthy dose of "yes we can". As many have said, we needed a Kennedy "put a man on the moon" speech and we didn't get it. Taegan Goddard sums it up very nicely:

Though Obama called for a "national mission" to transition to clean energy, he was vague on what he actually wants to see in a comprehensive energy bill. In doing so, Obama is just another president that has refused to ask Americans for the necessary sacrifice to finally achieve this greater national goal. He missed a golden opportunity.

That's exactly what we need and we didn't get it. Is he afraid that the Republicans won't agree with him? Well they still won't, so fuck them and move on.

Can we get the Barack Obama from 2008 back? We really need him right now. Back then candidate Obama never missed out on a golden opportunity like he did tonight.

The details of the CBS post debate poll are here (pdf file). Here are some highlights from it:

Then we also have this fine little part:

PostQ3. After tonight's debate, has your opinion of John McCain:
Changed for the better 32
Changed for the worse 21
Not changed 47

PostQ4. After tonight's debate, has your opinion of Barack Obama:
Changed for the better 46%
Changed for the worse 8
Not changed 46

Obama was clearly the winner of this thing.