The Politics of Right Now

Even though, till the end of the month, the Democrats still have huge majorities in both houses of Congress, enough Democrats have heard the will of the people, first expressed in tea parties and then in election results, that Pres. Obama is unable to get his tax-increasing agenda passed. This has left Obama bitter and angry, as he complains about "hostage takers," for example. Obama, however temporarily, has faced facts and decided to compromise with the moderate Democrats in Congress. Amazingly, the "unbiased" news media still doesn't get that the Democrats have splintered and the game has changed. Here is AP reporter Ben Feller questioning the President at Tuesday's press conference after Obama defended his tax compromise:

Ben Feller: Thank you, Mr. President. You’ve been telling the American people all along that you oppose extending the tax cuts for the wealthier Americans. You said that again today. But what you never said was that you oppose the tax cuts, but you’d be willing to go ahead and extend them for a couple years if the politics of the moment demand it.

So what I’m wondering is when you take a stand like you had, why should the American people believe that you’re going to stick with it? Why should the American people believe that you’re not going to flip flop?

Pres. Obama: Hold on a second, Ben. This isn’t the politics of the moment. This has to do with what can we get done right now. So the issue -- here’s the choice. It’s very stark. We can’t get my preferred option through the Senate right now. As a consequence, if we don’t get my option through the Senate right now, and we do nothing, then on January 1st of this -- of 2011, the average family is going to see their taxes go up about $3,000. Number two: At the end of this month, 2 million people will lose their unemployment insurance. [Emph. added]

So, what is the difference between the "politics of the moment" and the politics of "right now"? Ed Morrissey explains:

Maybe it’s the politics of the next moment, or something.

Or something.

So this is what our democracy has been reduced to: a delusional reporter questioning an incoherent President? We live, unfortunately, in interesting times.

BigJournalism has more on AP reporter Fuller's delusional thoughts.

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