Even Boring Bob Herbert Sees The Obvious

NY Times snoozefest Bob Herbert has realized that Obama's relentless push for health care reform has become a problem:

Instead of focusing with unwavering intensity on this increasingly tragic situation, making it their top domestic priority, President Obama and the Democrats on Capitol Hill have spent astonishing amounts of time and energy, and most of their political capital, on an obsessive quest to pass a health care bill.

Health care reform is important. But what the public has wanted and still badly needs above all else from Mr. Obama and the Democrats are bold efforts to put people back to work. A major employment rebound is the only real way to alleviate the deep economic anxiety that has gripped so many Americans. Unaddressed, that anxiety inevitably evolves into dread and then anger.

But while the nation is desperate for jobs, jobs, jobs, the Democrats have spent most of the Obama era chanting health care, health care, health care.

However, Mr. Herbert can't quite get himself to the point of noticing that the endless Obama push for remaking three huge sectors of the economy - health care, energy, and financial services - is creating the sort of uncertainty that impedes a recovery.  Over to McQ of Q&O:

Actually they [jobs] will materialize by themselves – unless government gets in the way, imposes new taxes (health care reform and cap-and-trade, etc.), more onerous regulation and otherwise keeps the business climate roiled and uncertain.  Thus far, that’s precisely what the administration and Congress have managed to this point.

I don't see Team Obama embracing this perspective until after November, when newly empowered Republican chairman can distract them with madcap investigations.

SEND BETTER SNARK:  Dennis the Peasant does our dirty work:

But if health care reform doesn't pass, Barack Obama will appear to be weak. Apparently, he prefers to appear clueless.

You know, it isn't really a matter of the Administration and Congressional Democrats dicking around on one issue of 13+ months, it's that they've spent 13+ months dicking around with the wrong one issue. And when someone with the intellectual horsepower of a Bob Herbert gets that figured out before Obama, Reid or Pelosi, you know things aren't going to end well for the Democrats come November.

Comments

[Captain Hate]

Herbert is still as dumb as a plank

[Danube of Thought]

So dumb that reading him is simply not bearable.

[Pofarmer]

The other great thing here, is that Obama, and the rest of his administration, expose themselves for the idealouges that they are, while denying it profusely. Folks have got to notice.

[Clarice]

The NYT and Dept of State would both be dramatically improved if all the personnel luftmenschen were fired and replaced by carpet salesmen or some such.

[daveinboca]

Clarice, sometime back you mentioned high school in WI, where I'm headed this summer for my MUHS reunion in Milwaukee. I wonder if Tommy Thompson could ever muster up the huevos to take on Feinstein, whom I remember campaigning in an Elvis get-up his first run for Senate. I'm an ex-FSO and die luftmenschen und scheisskopfen have been running the place for decades. The NYT has veered hard left only with Pinch and Keller and Abramson, although they were always squishy soft before.

Right now, I consider the NYT as full of Flying Carpet salesmen already, so not much of a transition there.

[daveinboca]

Oops, make that Feingold, as the caffeine hadn't registered yet when I hit the post button....

[MarkJ]

Behold! The "Automatic Bob Herbert Column Generator":

http://brain-terminal.com/posts/2006/05/02/automatic-bob-herbert

[jimmyk]

Whatever you do, don't read Brooks's column in today's NYT, at least not without a barf bag in close proximity. Don't ask what possessed me to read it, but I couldn't get past the first three paragraphs. But Brooks makes Herbert look like Mencken.

[Frau Aergerlich]

Po - The "leaders" in D.C. feel they can pass their carp before folks notice. Is Jane still positive that the monster will die?

Feel free to SOB the followingkvetch:
daveinboca - did you get a nix-the-umlaut memo? I *didn't* and for over a week, Typepad has been tossing out any comment the moment I type an umlaut, usually just in my name. I am given a bum's rush back to the JOM main page. "Cheeses Greisd!" to quote Bemelmans' Herr Otto Brauer. I'm resigned to using an "e" in place of an umlaut, but why the change? Pfui!

[Jane]

Is Jane still positive that the monster will die?

Jane is worried about Stupek.

I do think the furor is growing - but there is not a chance they will listen.

[buckjohnson]

Bob Herbert writes for the NYT, an internationally read and respected global newspaper. You posters read these kinds of blogs and teabagging is your greatest accomplishment. The NYT will be well respected, and Mr. Herbert will be well resepcted and read, many years after from now. However you...well you get the picture. To call Herbert dumb is just plain silly...and dumb.

[Jane]

He's possibly as dumb as you buck, altho we can't be sure yet.

But keep reading - particularly those fab movie reviews.

[Louie723]

Mr. Herbert will be well resepcted"
**
Well resepcted? As in fished out of a septic tank?

No really, Bob is great for whenever I need a refreshing power nap.