Walsh sees ice growing thinner for Obama...

[misanthrope]

..."I never thought candidate Obama entirely understood the economic and political anger and populism his campaign tapped into, but he's smart enough to see it now, and it's time he got out in front of it. There has been a deliberate transfer of wealth, from the middle and working classes and the poor to the very wealthy, in the last 30 years, and many Democrats decided along the way, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. But the voters are catching on."

More from Salon editor Joan Walsh. Also worth reading is the excoriation of Daschle that Glenn Greenwald delivered on Sunday (follow the link embedded in Walsh's piece).

Carl Sagan always said, "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" and the same can be said in relation to political expectations. Some of these appointments are starting wear the lustre off the Obama admin in a hurry and our president needs to use his rather prodigious capabilities to stave off the growing stench of "business as usual" arising in the Beltway.

[monmouth]

1. She's absolutely right IMO....n/t

[KittyWampus]

3. And some DU'ers seem determined to get out the blowtorch and head for the ice...

[KittyWampus]

2. Fuck the Mediawhores stupid talking point about the luster coming off Obama's presidency

and fuck the DU'ers who are happy to play along with them.

How many other presidents had questions come up with nominees?

Compare the issues with Bush nominees to the three people who made mistakes on their taxes.

[Winterblues]

10. We were led to expect better

Did you ever hear the phrase "Change you can believe in"?

[KittyWampus]

11. If you don't think Obama and his Administration are better than the likes of Rumsfeld, Gonzalez

and the rest of the criminals and want to compare them with the likes of Tom Daschle that's your problem.

I'd say you were in the company of a lot of vacuous Mediawhores but they actually are happy to slap smiley faces on the Bush Administration and its crimes.

[Winterblues]

12. Our guys are not as horrible as their guys are, yipeee...

Make you proud does it?

[KittyWampus]

13. LOL! Three nominees had obscure tax problems. THEY'RE MONSTERS

[FrenchieCat]

4. Thanks for the warnings!

That was what.....a one day Honeymoon. or should we just measure it in hours?

[SoCalDem]

5. Honeymoon Suite at the No Tell Motel..hourly rates..clean sheets on Thursdays

[Tempest]

6. As a self-professed Liberal, Walsh has some things to answer for

Like her unwavering support for the Clintons, who are hardly Liberal.

[alcibiades_mystery]

22. Correction

FANATICAL support. Walsh is an insane Clintonite, who was very obviously positioning herself to bash Obama "on day one," as it were.

She's a lunatic.

[Skwmom]

7. Joan Walsh, the ultimate Clinton supporter.

Amazing how people who were loyal to Obama are dropping like flies and the gang of Clinton is increasing its power.....


Hey Joan, I think the average American can figure out that Bill Clinton isn't being paid all of those millions for delivering a speech. Plus, dear Joan, your heroes the Clinton played a major roll in transferring that wealth (along with the Bush family).

Did team Obama really think that agreeing to give the Clintons the State Dept would keep them from going after the big prize or make them loyal to Obama? So I guess Joan is telling us that Obama only tapped into that anger for political reasons and never meant what he said....

[DonCoquixote]

14. BINGO!

I love how some people slam Obama for not being liberal enough, yet these were the PUMAS that supported Clinton, who would not have been anywhere near as liberal...but of course, if this was president Clinton, all would be well.

[karynnj]

23. Either that or she is making a tin foil hat comment

implying that Obama supporters - Daschle, Richardson, Caroline Kennedy are dropping like flies - and the people getting easy acceptance are the Clinton people - the confirmation of HRC was easy and no one was interested in the concern that Lugar politely raised that oversight on Bill's donations would be only after the fact as much as a year later in spite of the fact that the entire committee agreed to that concern. On the economic side, Summers, who might have had a problem was given a position for which confirmation was not needed and Geitner was pushed through - even though it was harder to see his tax problem as unwitting than Daschle's. If I were paranoid, I would believe that the powers that be co-opted Obama and won't let him implement any real change. (In reality, I think that everyone read what they wanted into Obama's rather vague inspirational words. I always though that he, like the Clintons, was to the right of where John Kerry was - and Kerry is not to the extreme left even of Senate Democrats. The nominations have been a little to the right of what I expected, but his statement on torture was stronger than I had hoped for.)

[McCamy Taylor]

8. LOL. It has been what? Two fucking weeks? These people want to hear themselves talk.

Obama is working. More than I can say for some of them.

:eyes:

I heard a promo for the "Obama, the First 100 Days" special last night. What first 100 days? He was sworn in two weeks ago! These guys have the attention span of ADD kindergarten kids on Red Bull.

[chollybocker]

9. Now Obama is responsible for 30 years of corrupt politicians???

[spanone]

15. 2 weeks, i ain't buyin' that.

[firedupdem]

16. Were talking about a "stench" already? Fuck these people. n/t

[misanthrope]

17. The problem was that he tapped Daschle to begin with...

...It's not just the taxes. It's been no secret in Washington that Daschle represents everything Obama stumped against. If the president's vetting process is that slipshod, he needs better people working for him.

America voted for Obama to see new approaches, new ideas, new methods, new faces. We didn't want just a name change at the top of the White House stationary but plenty of folks brought in from beyond the Beltway.

No one is ready to throw the president out and I think he is worlds better than the Clintons. But I also believe he needs to be a little more innovative, insightful and sharper than that. It was refreshing to see Obama take the "hands on" approach to damage control though.

[busybl]

18. chill dude

he can walk on water

[GeorgeGist]

19. The bi-partisan consensus is that Obama will make a difference in the outcome ...

of The Predators vs The Victims.

[Klukie]

20. Kick

Regardless of the details of these tax problems....Perception is everything. Our guys must be squeaky clean. This should be looked at as an opportunity to do the right thing rather than an impediment to continuing business as usual. I hope Obama can do the right thing. His interview yesterday where he said that he screwed up was a great start, although next time I hope he is proactive instead of reactive. Do the right thing Mr. President.

[alcibiades_mystery]

21. Joan walsh has despised Obama from the git

He rudely stepped in the way of Walsh's chosen candidate, after all, like all those smarmy young bastards who get all the breaks, harrumph. It was very clear to anybody watching Walsh's column that she would become the chief critic from her Hillary armchair as soon as conflict was in the wind. I'm only surprised she's waited this long. I'd lay even money that Joan Walsh voted for McCain. Some DUers, too, in the same sad category.