Well, thank you, Li'l Luke and Ken Blackwell for throwing the wet blanket on the possibility that ordinary Americans might finally see some benefits from our economic recovery.
Is Luke Russert just a troll or clueless or both? During the panel discussion on the soon-to-be dead Meet the Press, Russert decided he should be the contrarian in the room with regard to the economic recovery President Obama is finally getting some credit for.
Chuck Todd's intro to the segment mentions all the things that should have been mentioned on Labor Day when it might have made a difference in the election. Gas prices down, consumer confidence up, growth and job creation at the best it's been since 2003.
Enter Li'l Luke, stage right. "A booming economy would change the dynamic of what Congress can do," Luke opines.
Oh noes! Whatever shall we do?
Placing his derp hat on to cleverly disguise his troll ears, Russert goes on to express his skepticism. "If we have this robust growth what does Hillary do? What do Republicans do?"
Gee, I don't know, Lukie. Maybe we try addressing the disappearing middle class, the amazing wealth and income disparity in the country, and start getting real about what the stock market gains mean to ordinary people.
All of these mean something, after all. Maybe we do tax reform that actually stops penalizing the middle class and starts limiting what billionaires can do. Maybe we quit repealing the Affordable Care Act and fix it instead, so more people can get coverage and have more money to put back into the economy.
It's not like we have to have a crisis to think ahead to the future, after all.
Then it's Blackwell's turn. After replaying some of the Top Republican Stupid Predictions of the year -- like Boehner saying health care will destroy the economy or Romney claiming Obama can't manage economic matters -- Todd asks Blackwell whether Republicans will have to change their rhetoric.
Because Li'l Luke has been so accommodating, there's not much more for Blackwell to add other than the plaintive wail -- "How sustainable are these numbers?"
Well, Ken. They're not sustainable if the Affordable Care Act is repealed and people go back to losing everything because they had the misfortune to be human and fall ill. They're not sustainable if billionaires are allowed to continue offshoring trillions and not paying taxes on them. And they're certainly not sustainable if Dodd-Frank is repealed and the financial geniuses on Wall Street are allowed to do whatever they want to ordinary folks.
It does not bode well for us that the Republican majority in Congress is the largest they've had since the Great Depression. Not at all. So my answer to both of these Sad Sacks is simple: It's sustainable as long as Republicans keep their filthy mitts off the fail-safes that have allowed it to grow.
Will someone just shoot MTP and put it out of its misery? Ken Blackwell? Seriously? And Luke Russert might be qualified to offer an opinion on football stats, but keep him the hell away from economic matters.
