Watching this video is like stealing a priceless objet d'art from a high-security vault and then watching the guards, police and administration run around bewildered, befuddled and demoralized--profound satisfaction coupled with wry amusement.
To further compound the irony, I'm actually feeling a little sympathetic to Barack Obama. He made a good deal, in fact, he may have made a great deal. I am chagrined that the death tax, like some damned vampire, seems to have risen from the casket to plague the countryside once again. Forestalling a massive tax increase is clearly the right thing to do economically, morally and politically. If things are actually improving in 2012, Obama has a realistic chance of being reelected, although he incomprehensibly found a way to insure that he can't take credit.
OK, he's not Bill Clinton, but he's clearly shown a pragmatism and grasp of reality that the Professional Left has not. Rachel Maddow is clearly in the grips of the current delusion being circulated within the herd, that the thrashing Democrats took in the mid-terms was due solely to a bad economy, and that really, deep down, Americans agree with their philosophical insanity. Certainly if you believe that, President Obama's actions are indeed incomprehensible, leading to a rather ironic "damned if you do, and damned if you don't situation for the regime.
So far, most of this has been predictable, but from here on out, it get's interesting, and by that I mean unpredictable.
The major change over the past 20 years has been that Democrats who once lied to everyone, now only lie to themselves. We can't call it a strategy since its clearly damage control, but Obama is working hard to create an impression of momentum by touting every statement by a Democrat official who comes on side. That seems to be tough sledding right now as the White House is reduced to highlighting their support from the mayor of Charlotte, NC.
The problem for Obama is that they've spent the past month explaining away their defeat and reassuring each other than the country really wants is a government like Russia's. Four weeks later they have to say "nevermind" and explain that Republicans were legitimately elected with a pretty clear mandate of cutting taxes and spending.
Good luck with that.
