Over The Rainbow

Since Megan McArdle hasn't posted yet and I am very busy today, let's take a look at a post from Friday.

Worst. Talking Point. Ever.
If this is the best the Democrats can come up with, they are in deep, deep trouble:

Republicans argue that an unemployment rate higher than it has been in more than a quarter of a century is evidence that the Democratic agenda isn't putting Americans back to work. They say the situation will be made worse if Congress and President Obama enact a health care overhaul that will require $1 trillion in tax hikes and entitlement cuts to expand insurance coverage.

"Ten-point-two now makes it hard for the majority to sell their agenda," said Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan, the top Republican on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee.

"All I know is that Speaker Pelosi is trying to force her members to vote for a bill that the American people have soundly rejected," added House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio).

Democrats counter that their agenda has kick-started a recovery on Wall Street, even if it hasn't trickled down to the job market yet, and that Republicans are putting what they've begun at risk.[McArdle's bolding, I think, although it's hard to tell, the naughty little sloppy blogger.]

Whoever said that achieved the spectacular feat of making Michael Steele look like a master political strategist.

My goodness, who could have said such a silly thing, that makes Michael Steele look smart in comparison? It's kind of hard to tell, since Miss Megan can't be bothered to post a link. I understand--when you post links people can check what you say and that very often leads to disaster in MeganLand, but we (and the rest of the world) can google. Let's take a look.

Ah, it's Politico. (There is a link in the comments, but unlike McArdle we like to check sources.) So McArdle is upset that Democrats want to start a recovery on Wall Street that will trickle down jobs? That is, when corporations recover they'll hire people and unemployment will decrease? What's the problem with that?

Megan McArdle (Replying to: Bill Rutherford, Princeton Admissions) November 6, 2009 10:23 PM
Someone said something very clos e to that: "the stock market is recovering, and if we falter on health care now, everything will go to hell". Focusing anyone on the stock market, not a good idea.

Wait a minute--where did this health care talking point come from? What did the article say? What came after the part of the Politico article that McArdle bolded?

“Ten-point-two now makes it hard for the majority to sell their agenda,” said Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan, the top Republican on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee.

“All I know is that Speaker Pelosi is trying to force her members to vote for a bill that the American people have soundly rejected,” added House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio).

Democrats counter that their agenda has kick-started a recovery n Wall Street, even if it hasn’t trickled down to the job market yet, and that Republicans are putting what they’ve begun at risk.

Still, they’re anxious to show they are working on new solutions to help Americans who are out of work.

“With the unemployment rate at 10.2 percent, the highest since the early 1980s, Congress should consider a range of job-creation policies including a jobs tax credit bill I plan to introduce,” Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) said. “While a jobs tax credit wouldn’t fix all the challenges businesses face, it would be an effective tool in helping some firms hire more workers. Job creation must be a top priority for Congress and I will continue to look for ways to help get Americans back to work.”

For Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.), who has a safe seat, the answer is to get more stimulus dollars flowing.

“We’ve got to push getting those stimulus dollars out that are clogged in the system,” she said.

Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.) said a new highway bill would help immediately with job creation.

Democrats will focus even more on job creation once Congress finishes the debate on health care, said Sen. Mark Begich, a freshman Democrat elected from deeply Republican Alaska in 2008.

If at this time next year the public doesn’t think Congress is doing enough on the economy and jobs, he said, Democrats will be in trouble.

"If we are working hard, showing we're trying to move the economy in the right direction, working on creating long-term jobs and rebuilding this economy, I think the American people will recognize that," Begich said. "If we are not doing anything or we're limiting what we're doing and the rate is maybe inching a little bit, that becomes problematic."

So Democrats are counting on a prosperous business climate to create jobs? Didn't we just go through eight years hearing that when corporations are healthy they create jobs and people will earn money and the land will flow with milk and honey and flat-screen tvs? How is this focusing on the stock market to the exclusion of jobs?

A few commenters point out that McArdle's lack of attribution is problematic.

Madmadmadmadman (Replying to: Bill Rutherford, Princeton Admissions) November 6, 2009 11:29 PM
Someone said something very close to that: "the stock market is recovering, and if we falter on health care now, everything will go to hell".
Someone? Why didn't you quote and deride them? And who is this person, how do they represent the Democratic Party, and what does that have to do with the fact that you misrepresented the information you were quoting? It doesn't really matter if your point is accurate. If you don't have a good quote, just comment on the idea in general without misrepresenting things or do a little digging and find a good source. Just trying to keep you honest.

Chuckle. Good luck with that, my friend.

McArdle's response:

Megan McArdle (Replying to: Bill Rutherford, Princeton Admissions) November 7, 2009 8:29 AM
Okay, it's one thing to say that you think they were paraphrased inaccurately, but you seem to be claiming that you think no Democrat said anything like this. The reporter did not, I am near-certain, make it up. *Someone* told them that the stock market recovery showed that what they were doing was working, even if hey, everyone's losing their jobs--and that eventually this would translate into broader recovery. This is an awful, awful response, in part because corporate profits are rising in several due to cost cutting--i.e. job cuts.

Considering how often McArdle makes stuff up, she shouldn't be so confident. The Democrats quoted below McArdle's excerpt talk specifically about job creation, which is, no doubt, why she cut off the quote where she did. Camp and Bohner seem to be talking about health care when they mention Democrats' agenda, but the actual Democrats discuss how to decrease unemployment. McArdle's analysis of the situation seems a little off, not to mention made up. Another commenter makes this point.

Madmadmadmadman (Replying to: Bill Rutherford, Princeton Admissions) November 7, 2009 11:24 AM
Okay, it's one thing to say that you think they were paraphrased inaccurately, but you seem to be claiming that you think no Democrat said anything like this. The reporter did not, I am near-certain, make it up. *Someone* told them that the stock market recovery showed that what they were doing was working, even if hey, everyone's losing their jobs--and that eventually this would translate into broader recovery.
I can't speak for the other posters, but I explicitly said that it doesn't matter if your point is accurate, there's no indication from the quoted article that this is a Democratic talking point. *Someone* could have been the gang of argumentative Democrats at his soup kitchen. And I have no idea who could have been paraphrased incorrectly, because I have no idea where the info came from and whether or not this person represents the Democratic party. And neither do you.

So the Democrats' Worst. Talking. Point. Ever is really McArdle's talking point, which she creates and stuffs into the mouth of her pet Democratic Strawman. Dorothy Gale of Kansas spent less time than McArdle propping up and re-stuffing scarecrows.