Obama to Dems "I Am More Important Than Your Voters"

I consider it a badge of honor that I just can't seem to figure out Washington DC logic (because it is not logic as you or I would recognize it).  It is with that self-awareness that I ran my interpretation of last week's events by some DC-savvy friends, and combining that with my well-honed grasped of actual logic and reality, I have come up with this interpretation of Obama's healthcare push...

Let's start with basic, DC understanding.  Obama was not addressing Republicans or the American people last week in his lecture to the joint session of Congress.  Republicans have had umpteen bills and proposals on healthcare reform - Obama isn't interested.  The American people have spoken their piece via townhalls throughout August - Obama isn't interested.  His focus was to wavering Democrats and his message was "I am still King of the Airwaves and if you dare to cross me, I will take you down.  I own the media message and if you are having second thoughts about voting with me on whatever I deem worthy healthcare legislation, woe betide you if you act on those doubts."  That was the purpose of the the theatre in the round on Capitol Hill last week.

And it would have worked.  Except one Republican out of 200+ spoke his mind.  Some obscure Sausage Factory worker blurted out "You lie!" and next thing you know, that is the story.  Sure as day follows night, the left and their MSM allies laughably portrayed this as a coarsening of our political culture, and the rightward media took it as an opportunity to examine whether the President actually did lie.  So conservative folks and a whole new cohort of skeptical, independent Americans (and there's alot of those lately) got to read about Obama's lies that much more and the MSM got to eviscerate its own credibility that much more - but that is not the BIG deal here.  It apparently is factual reporting that Joe Wilson, despite all attempts to discredit him, is a minor political rock star, or at the very least a beneficiary of outsized political fundraising largesse. 

So, after an attempt to threaten fellow Democrats to fall in line with him , Obama spends his weekend watching the world debate whether 400,000 or 2,000,000 people (with jobs) descended on Washington DC to complain about out-of-control government spending epitomized by his healthcare plan AND Joe Wilson become a $1 million touchpoint.  Let me be clear here (do I sound like the President?), when a piss-ant lower house sausage factory worker becomes a mini-star because he dares to challenge you and you are putatively the messiah of all fucking world history, you better recalibrate...

So, let's recap.  Obama set out to whip the Dems into line and within days he got hordes of angry citizens in the street and a congressional nobody who challenged him is an overnight celebrity.  Polling aside, I'd say that's not a good showing.  Lesson for the Prez: you may be King of all the Airwaves, but the power now lies along those Internet tubes.  You misjudged.