Political Malpractice

It's not enough that the "mainstream media" is actively abetting the Rethuglican narrative that people are scared, SCARED I tells ya, about the deficit when, in fact, jobs and the economy are by far the biggest concern.

It's not enough that conservaDems (hello, Sen. Ben "Dover" Nelson) are aligning with Rethugs to thwart or water down financial reform, additional stimulus spending, and a clean energy bill.

And it's not just the Dems' inexcusable message mis-management (see health care reform; BP oil spill, etc.) and lack of consistent message reinforcement, although that's a huge continuing problem going into November that's not being addressed.

Why do the White House and Congressional Dems have to engage in political malpractice on top of all of this? Why is there discussion in the White House* about whether to focus on economic stimulus or the deficit at this critical juncture in the recovery? Why are Congressional Dems giving up on passing a budget with reconciliation instructions for FY 2011 - which will make it virtually a certainty nothing will get done next year? If anyone has a clue why these Dems have a death wish, please let us know.

*UPDATE: Ryan Grim at HuffPo calls the political advisers Obama's Mayberry Machiavellis.