This Vintage Thomas Friedman self-parody is getting some blog mentions across the partisan and ideological spectrum.
More than ever, America today reminds me of a working couple where the husband has just lost his job, they have two kids in junior high school, a mortgage and they’re maxed out on their credit cards. On top of it all, they recently agreed to take in their troubled cousin, Kabul, who just can’t get his act together and keeps bouncing from relative to relative. Meanwhile, their Indian nanny, who traded room and board for baby-sitting, just got accepted to M.I.T. on a full scholarship and will be leaving them in a few months. What to do?
“More than ever” suggests that this very specific metaphor  has been building for some time, that it only looked a bit like this very specific metaphor just a little while ago.  I for one don’t think it’s accurate, as Mr. Friedman forgot to mention the heart-ache of breaking the death of the pet goldfish to young Tommy.

We may get the government we deserve.  The Tax Cut Deal can be seen as the first act of the incoming Republican Congress, and I guess you can say the first act of the second quarter of the Obama Presidency.  It bogs down in the House for the moment, naturally, because after all — the House is still run by the outgoing Democratic Congress.
Incidentally, the vast array of Lame Duck session docket — Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and START, the dead on arrival DREAM Act,  Aid to 9/11 Workers similarly dead — are the last acts for Obama v 1.

The theory of the Deal — for the Obama Administration – runs something along the run of punting the upper class tax cut issue down to Election 2012, in order to free up his final gasp of something stimulative for the economy, because he will get squat through the next two years.  Theoretically, the other issues on the docket for the Lame Duck session will filter through, except for the strange assuredness of McConnell and Graham that there aren’t close to enough votes (under the theory of two votes looming that large, I suppose) — saying they know exactly what’s in Susan Collins’s head.

What I’m waiting for is the final graph for Historical use (leverage, you might say) of the Filibuster.  The under $250,000 tax bracket Bush Era tax extension failed the Senate with 53 yes votes, you understand.  And the whole mass of Republicans took to the floor and declared this a “Dog and Pony” show because… an issue was brought to the floor and failed by will of the minority in one Chamber.  A further Dog and Pony Show is insisting on blowing $800 Billion in the deficit while hawking on the Deficit.
Likewise, the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” spiel from the John McCains of the world keep repeating the one about “this was a political promise” from Obama — highlighting the “political”, swirling the word with a menace — as though there can be no policy implications therein.

Grumbles abound on that “Deal”.  The Problem — we kind of get the government we deserve– and won’t accumulate enough pressure points to evade a pressure point and defeat the conventional wisdom of the pressure points of how the line has been framed. 

I note for the record that Jim Webb’s for it — the man who gave the only worthwhile “Democratic Response” to a Bush State of the Union Address.  This is good, because I’ve always wanted to pin the grumbling Webb down to some policy line (as opposed to sometimes slimy rhetorical line).

Interestingly, I can envision a scenario where Obama is re-elected, the Democrats pick up the House, and the Republicans gain control of the Senate.  You only need look at the “Map” to see how that could transpire.  A different dynamic in subtley different ways.  Or maybe not.

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