Fool Me Thrice?

We Are Not Fans, generally speaking, of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. In particular, we remember her untimely partisan remarks during the first vote on what ultimately became the Troubled Assets Relief Program [TARP].

But:

We Would like to Offer up Our Compliments for her leadership at yesterday’s press conference concerning a proposed additional bailout of America’s Big 3 automakers. (These automakers, as you probably know, have come to Congress asking for another $3,000,000,000 of taxpayer money, with a promise that this time, the solvency-rescue deal might possibly work.)

Following Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s two previous and powerfully urgent appeals for taxpayer handouts—the “bazooka versus squirt gun” incident and the recent TARP “rescue”—Congress now is finally getting wise.

“Until They Show Us the Plan,” said Speaker Pelosi at the press conference, “We cannot show them the money.”

What a Relief It Was to Hear That.

This Congressional Recalcitrance Harkens Back to the early days of the Bush administration, of course, when President George W. Bush famously said, “Fool me once: shame on you. You fool me: we can’t get fooled again.”

You Really Ought to Look at This, which sheds a lighter humor on the currently dark economic situation:

Some Foolish George Bush Moments

It Is Never Clear Whether our lame-duck president has learned any such “fool me twice” lessons. But at least someone apparently has....

America Currently Has a Lame-Duck Presidency, a lame-duck Congress, and a lame balance in the Treasury. The auto industry will probably get its money—and probably it should, if only to retard our downward economic spiral for a while. Maybe by slowing things a bit, the recession heading down may be passed by the next economy recovery, going up.

And If That Next Recovery Doesn’t Come Soon-Enough, then the American auto industry, as well as the general American public, may descend into insolvency anyway.

So: the Auto Industry and We, the People, may be inherently broke. But at least for now—

We’ve Still Got Our Hands on That Three-Billion Dollars!

And We Can Say Thanks to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and the rest of the American Congress for that.

NEWS FLASH! Republican Ticket Promises Tax Rates “Less Than Zero”

[A Spurious Report Found in a WPA Picnic Shelter Somewhere in Slovakia, Idaho]

BOWLING GREEN—Alaska Governor and Republican Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin, speaking this morning at a rally in Bowling Green, Ohio, promised that, if elected, she and vice-presidential running-mate Joe the Plumber would bring “real change” to Washington in the form of income tax rates that would go below the zero-percent tax rate previously considered unbreakable.

“We Have Suffered Under the Yoke of a Democratic-Imposed Tax Burden For Too Long,” said the newly elevated presidential candidate. “It is a well-known fact among everybody but the ‘Tax-and-Spend’ Democratic members of the Democratic Party—including Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid—that the more you lower taxes, the greater the tax revenues. This is a known fact going all the way back to the days of President Ronald Reagan, who lowered tax rates, and the tax revenues continued to just flow right on in.”

“I Totally Agree Wholeheartedly,” said Joe the Plumber, whose candidacy for the vice-presidency was announced just hours ago, after Governor Palin accepted the Republican Party’s presidential nomination following the surprise withdrawal of the previous candidate, respected war hero and former prisoner of war, Arizona Senator John McCain.

“It’s Socialism to Keep Taxing People to Pay for Things That No One Wants,” continued Mr. the Plumber. “Spread the wealth by making someone else pay for your military, your Medicare, your Social Security? I don’t know anyone who needs those things in America, where if you just work hard and keep your nose down, you can scrape together a few dollars and buy someone’s small business and be making maybe a quarter of a million dollars, or even more, and then the government just tries to take it away from you, and give it to people who don’t even pay taxes.”

“The United States of America Wasn’t Built on the Backs of People Like You and Me,” added Governor Palin. “If we raise taxes during an economic crisis, that’s just what Barak Obama and Joe Biden and the Democrats want you to think.”

“It’s Crazy!” Ms. Palin Continued. “You Don’t Raise Taxes! You Lower Taxes! We’re here to create wealth! What do you think the U.S. Treasury is for, if you don’t already know? Someone’s been listening to the wrong people too long. We need more Joe the Plumber and Ed the Electrician. We don’t need someone like Barack the Tax Raiser and Biden the Money Spender!”

“If Elected,” said Vice-Presidential Candidate Joe the Plumber, “I will lower the tax rates to less than zero. If a top tax rate of 70% was good enough for the Democrats back before Reagan was President, then I don’t see what we can’t have 70% below zero for taxes. I don’t know about you, but I’ve waited all my life for government to treat me the way it’s always made me treat government.”

Former Candidate John McCain Was Not in Attendance at the day’s key Republican vote-getting event. AP wire reports indicate that Senator McCain was last seen boarding a commercial air flight to Panama City, Panama.

“I’m Coming Home, Lord, Lord,” the Senator was reported to have said. “Lord, Lord, I’m coming home.”

What Are Pelosi and the Revolting Republicans Thinking?

In this Seemingly Endless Epoch of the Republican Meltdown, it is constructive to glimpse how Democratics and Republicans both make a share of the mess, and contribute to the ongoing fiasco of American politics:

What the Heck Was Nancy Pelosi Thinking when she made that highly partisan, anti-Republican speech before the vote was taken on the bailout proposal yesterday? She may have merely been overtired from the long hours, but still she might have shown better restraint.

What Were Those Republican Representatives in Revolt thinking when they bailed on the bail-out? They embarrassed their peers in the House and Senate, they embarrassed their President, and they tipped the financial markets into a freefall.

And What Was Senator John McCain Doing, swooping in and out and around, and postponing the debate without skipping it, and suspending his campaign without suspending it, and then claiming a victory which was thrust into the jaws of defeat? And blaming the whole thing on Barack Obama somehow?


Over the Past Weeks, We Have Witnessed Some Stunning Non-Partisan Displays:

Republican Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire gave an exemplary presentation of the Senate bill, explaining the crux of the matter, and complimenting everyone involved on both sides of the aisle, including by name those Democrats who had played substantial roles.

Senator Chris Dodd and Representative Barney Frank have spoken repeatedly to task, without invoking partisan rancor.

President George W. Bush has called on both parties equally to help defend this crisis. Even in the special meeting President Bush called to help move a bailout forward, he flanked himself with Democratic Congresswoman Pelosi and Democratic Nevada Senator Harry Reid.

Secretary Henry Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke made their appeal to our government, and singled out no side for blame.

Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama offered up supportive words for those hard at work to rescue the economy. And he did this from an appropriate distance, as one not directly involved in the challenging negotiations across party lines.


Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures. The current fiasco has shown numerous members of our government—and in particular, members of the United States Congress—rising to put national service before partisan obstacles.

This Is the Kind of Leadership the American People Want to See. We want a government that works for each and every one of us, regardless of political party. Once a politician is in office, that person’s previous party affiliation must fall away for the duration. This is what we want to see.


It Is Up to Congress to Explain What’s Going On. Congress must convey, in clear and honest communication, what is at stake here, and what must be done. No more partisan politics, the continued politicization of a crisis caused by failed regulation.

No Bill of Goods May Be Sold to the American People by a government that knows not what it does. We depend on the wisdom of such honest congressional leaders as Judd Gregg and Barney Frank to see us through.


But as for Nancy Pelosi and the Revolting House Republicans, and others who would put party above constituents, there is not much more for us to say. Other than:

What the Heck Are You Thinking?