On Economy, Democrats Face a Lack of Unity and Time

[onehandle]

WASHINGTON — Democrats are entering the fall sprint to the midterm elections lacking a unifying message to address the lackluster economy, scrambling to come up with further job-creating remedies and out of time to show substantial results before voters go to the polls.

The monthly jobs report on Friday, while better than economists had expected, did nothing to improve the deteriorating political climate for Democrats a little more than eight weeks before Election Day.

President Obama, after a week consumed by foreign policy issues, will begin focusing publicly on the economy next week and on Wednesday plans to propose modest additional tax breaks, temporary and aimed at small business to promote hiring. But it is not clear that he has the votes or the time in Congress to pass them, with Republicans eager to deny Democrats any victories and endangered Democrats eager to get home within three to four weeks to campaign.

Democrats’ sense of vulnerability has increased since Congress broke for August, after a month of reports tracking weakness in both the economy and their polls. One result is that they now split more deeply than ever on the issue that in recent elections had been a rallying cry: ending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent of taxpayers. Democratic leaders are imploring Mr. Obama to come off the sidelines and lead the fight.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/04/us/politics/04dems.html

[impik]

1. Stupid country, stupid people will get what they deserve

[BeFree]

2. The message is simple

We are in the final stages of this Bush/republican economy.

Is America so stupid as to put republicans at the wheel again, or have they wised up?

And how will their votes be counted?

[Hawkowl]

3. The Democrats lack a leader

Obama is content to play "bipartisanship" over leadership. Begging and pleading for Rethuglicans and Conservadems and then caving to their demands is not leadership.