The Thursday edition of the Morning Jolt looks at the parts of the Democratic party that aren’t as interested in adapting their agenda and worldview in order to win elections, some revealing comments in focus groups of frustrated former Obama voters, and then . . .
We Would Have Liked David Axelrod Eighteen Years Ago
Back in 1994, David Axelrod sounded like a really smart guy:
In 1994, Democrats faced a similar challenge, and a C-SPAN roundtable mulled the issue.
One of its members, Democratic consultant David Axelrod, sounded then a bit like the Clintonites do today.
“One of the interesting things about this is that as you cite these statistics that say the economy is improving, you almost do political damage to yourself. If you stand up and claim great progress you’re only frustrating this alienated middle class more,” Axelrod said.
The moderator, John Callaway, noted that Ronald Reagan had been able to talk up the economy in 1984, while George H. W. Bush had been unable to in 1992.
“Bush tastelessly did it often from the ninth hole and from the cigar boat and other places. And the impression you got was that he was out of touch,” Axelrod said.
“You still like to beat up on Bush?” Callaway asked.
“It’s the only thing we have left,” Axelrod responded.
Man, not even Young Axelrod’s a reliable surrogate for the Obama campaign.
Allahpundit savors this: “Enjoy as one of the masterminds of Hopenchange kneecaps his future self not once but twice in a 61-second span. Turns out it’s a bad idea to try to B.S. the public with economic optimism when they’re not feeling optimistic, and it’s a really bad idea to try to do it when you’re known for spending your leisure time engaged in the ultimate stereotypical rich-guy pastime. Eighteen years, a catastrophic global recession, and 100 rounds of golf later, here we are.”