Millionaires, Attack Politics and Economics

It looks like I'm otherwise engaged today for at least a big portion of the day.  So here are some quick impressions of some recent news events that I don't want to just let slip by without commenting on.

President Obama is going to talk on Monday about instituting a millionaires tax.  I guess he's forgotten about his supposed jobs agenda.  He pivots so much from the most important issue to the other most important issue like a carnival Tilt-A-Whirl, that it's a wonder everyone in the White House isn't suffering from motion sickness.  It's the very definition of management by crisis - what's in the headlines today will be tomorrow's talking points.  If you want to control Obama's agenda, control the headlines. The President doesn't seem to realize that by tax millionaires he's punishing potential job creators.  He seems to believe he's caught between a government revenue rock and a jobs creation hard place.  He won't accomplish positive results in either because he sees the two elements as diametrically opposed goals.  Someone should introduce him to the concept of the Laffer Curve, or even the basics of economics.  That would be a good thing.

Ron Suskind's book is hitting stores and it is not entirely kind to the White House.  The headline grabber is that women feel excluded.  There's another Obama target group that he may have to fend off losing.  It's been slightly more resistant to declining approval than other demographics.  Apparently Suskind's hit pieces are not always accurate - so says Karl Rove?  I don't know, I've never read them.  Frankly it doesn't matter.  The media attack dog shoe seems to be on the other foot now and it's okay to sit back and allow the damage to be done.  Why not?  The Palin hit piece is coming out as well and no one is going to be issuing corrections on her behalf.  Yes, Keith Olbermann did do a little note that the assault was speculative and in bad taste - before he went on to remind everyone what he thinks of Sarah Palin.