As they were saying.

"You know what scares me? I think Iran as finally mastered the art of how to weaponize irony." -Jon Stewart, reaction to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's condemnation of Moammar Gadhafi's suppression of Libyan dissidents. (Feb. 24 edition)

 
Michael Bloomberg (AP)

"Guns kill people. I'm not opposed to the Second Amendment. I'm not opposed to hunters. I don't understand why we have to sell magazines with 33 bullets. If it takes you 33 bullets to kill a deer, you're not a sportsman. And armor-piercing bullets - the last time I saw a deer with a bulletproof vest was a long time ago." -Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York and gun-control advocate.

"Typical Rumsfeld, rather slimy maneuver." -H.R. Haldeman, diary entry by President Richard Nixon's chief of staff, on an incident involving then WH advisor and future defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

"It looks increasingly like the rescue of the auto industry was an overall success, saving hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of jobs and bolstering the country's manufacturing base for years (if not decades) to come. Maybe it's time to start giving President Obama some credit for it - and recognizing that, when properly managed, the federal government can do a lot of good." - New Republic columnist Jonathan Cohn's reaction to GM's report last week of its first annual profit since 2004.

 
Stephen Harper (CP). Re-elect me or I'll choke this household pest, er, kitten.  

"Consider the stategic decision by Harper and his Conservatives to begin referring to large corporations as 'job creators'. It's easy to see why they're doing it - it's the same reason Kirstie Alley refers to a tray of Twinkies as a 'nibble.' Harper wants to keep cutting corporate taxes - but huge corporations are saddled with a bad reputation. ...But job creators - those guys are great! Who wouldn't support tax cuts for those guys?" -Maclean's columnist Scott Feschuk, observing that, not for the first time, the Tories have lifted an idea from U.S. conservatives in renaming a policy to make it seem more palatable. Most recently the House GOP's proposed harsh cuts to social programs have been relabeled "budget relief." It works the other way, too, concocting derogatory terms for popular things the GOP wishes to abolish. Thus "estate taxes," a means by which the well-to-do are made to help fund social services, became the "death tax." And "end-of-life hospital deliberations" among patients, relatives and physicians that Obamacare seeks to have Uncle Sam pay for rather than loved ones, became "death panels." In symbolically voting down Obamacare as one of its first acts, the GOP-controlled House dubbed it a 'jobs killer.'  

 

Comments

[MLC]

Yesterday, Saturday 2-26, C-Span's coverage of the Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting, Tim Kaine gave a eloquent speech that used a frame on the Republican House majority coming into office after the 2010 election campaigning on jobs but going after Obamacare first and foremost. This frame would have made George Lakoff proud. It went something like: "don't you find it odd; the Republicans went after Obamacare; care as a bad word; care as a negative; it's wrong to care; be against care; fight against care. I'm glad Obama cares!!! I'm glad Democrats care!!!" This (Kaine's) speech is about 55 minutes into the meeting. It was worth staying home on a Saturday afternoon and listening to it, because it outlined the facts and misconceptions regarding the Republican 2010 election victory.

[Rob. B]

"Stephen Harper (CP). Re-elect me or I'll choke this household pest, er, kitten."

Really mature and classy Dave. Typical of a leftie.

[dolive]

Hi Rob. Sorry to ffend. It's a play on the classic National Lampoon cover of the 1970s, repeatedly reproduced in the magazine cover books I collect, in which a silver pistol is held to a dog's head, and the only cover line is: "Buy this magazine or we shoot this dog." Of course it was outrageous but that was the point. Yes, typical of a leftie, I guess, though I'm actually more centre-left, as my truly progressive friends will attest (with annoyance).

[dolive]

Hi MLC: Kaine's been doing a great job, it points up the odd lack of "surrogates" to promote the president's agenda - a practice that seemed to die about the time Bush I or Clinton were in office. Obama's construction, "the American family," is perfect - it's true, and it also reminds folks that Obama's a family man. I said in my Obama book in 2008 that I thought at times it seemed he was running for the office of Dad-in-Chief, he spoke so often of parenting responsibilities in speeches ostensibly on economics or foreign policy. Not that Mr. O's poll numbers aren't surprisingly strong already (roughly 50% approval, compared with 35% for Reagan after his first two years), but what pollsters are asking is for respondents to say what they think only of Obama. When we get into match-ups - Obama vs. Palin, Obama vs. Romney - that's more telling, and also happens to show Obama even stronger in public approval. We had a saying up for years, when Mr. Trudeau was unpopular for most of the 1970s. He'd simply say, "Consider the alternative." And we didn't especially care for the leaders of the rival parties. So, end of discussion! Well, once you get into an actual campaign and election, Mr. O is no longer being compared with some imagined perfect alternative, but to specific people the GOP puts up, and eventually just one of those. I'm confident he'll be fine in that contest, but he'll need more Kaine's.