Of Pretty Speeches and Unlicensed Plumbers

Stop Being So Nice, Mr. President
Not a lot new under the sun the last 48 hours -- more glum economic news (but just wait until the unemployment rate is released tomorrow if you really want a downer), no stimulus bill yet and no movement on any of President Obama's remaining cabinet posts. Which brings me to my point. I think it is admirable that Obama has tried to reach across party lines and build bipartisan consensus around a stimulus bill. I think it is commendable that he admitted an error in the Daschle appointment and apologized. But enough is enough. You are the leader of the free world, Mr. President, congress should be feeling the pressure, not you.

You tried to be bipartisan, but it is obvious that Republicans are so philosophically opposed to your stimulus bill that you will get nowhere. Forget them for now -- you may have better bipartisan luck on immigration. Make Reid put the bill on the floor for a vote -- tonight -- and spend the evening on the phone with your fellow Democrats telling them they better give you the votes if they want their calls returned from the White House. Then, tomorrow, demand immediate floor votes for your cabinet appointments. They could do it for Bush in 24 hours, they can do it for you. If Republicans want to vote no, let them.

I love bipartisanship and leading from the center. But the key verb there is LEAD. America has serious, sobering problems that require action, with or without consensus and bipartisanship. This is what Presidential leadership is about -- getting the job done. We cannot wait any longer.

What we have right now doesn't feel like change -- it feels like the same governmental inaction that has become oh-so familiar. If the Democrats can't get this done with huge majorities in both houses of congress, they are unfit to govern.

SamJoe the Idiot
Our good friend, Samuel W., the one-time (although apparently not recently) unlicensed plumber has now decided to be a Republican strategist. Can we please get this idiot off camera? Wait, I take that back, let him consult for all the far right nuts that I want to lose in 2010. Maybe he can talk about how right he was when he said the election of Obama would mean "the end of Israel". I haven't traveled there recently, is Israel gone yet? But, hey, why shouldn't this guy be a top dog among Republicans. He did such wonders for John McCain. Right before he turned around and stabbed him in the back after the election.

If Republicans want me to take them seriously again (and I swear, I do want a serious Republican candidate), they need a lot more Michael Steele and a lot less Sam the Consultant and Rush the Mouth.

Minnesota Rolls On
Is it possible to spend an entire Senate term debating who won the seat? Coleman's legal challenge is still in state court, Franken has filed a suit in federal court trying to get the election certified and the end is nowhere in sight. I hope Minnesota only needs 1 senator. Frankly, I'm not sure that either of these 2 clowns help the state when one of them (probably Franken) ultimately gets to DC.

I'm Just Ticked Off
Sorry for my lack of normal good cheer today, I'm just depressed but the utter lack of anything resembling progress in Washington DC. People suffer, serious issues are at hand and all I see are turf-protecting, grandstanding and photo ops. Don't we deserve better?