Michelle Malkin » No duh! White House “worried about bailout backlash”

No duh! White House “worried about bailout backlash”

By Michelle Malkin • March 16, 2009 10:05 AM

With a few notable exceptions, the national media has ignored the tax revolt movement against the porkulus package, omni-pork spending bill, and bottomless bailouts that began in Seattle on President’s Day; continued in Denver on the day of the Generational Theft Act signing; spread to Mesa AZ during President Obama’s massive mortgage entitlement push; spurred protest in Overland Park KS; and evolved into the Tea Party movement across the country.

But local politicians and local newspapers/TV are definitely on notice. Thousands of folks converging in places like St. Louis (1,500), Greenville (2,000), Fullerton (est. 15,000), and Cincinnati (5,000) are getting harder to ignore.

And now, it seems, word is getting around in Washington. The White House, the NYTimes (which has mocked the tax revolters) tells us, is worried about a populist backlash against bailout-mania. Naw. Really? You don’t say:

“Bracing for a Bailout Backlash”

The Obama administration is increasingly concerned about a populist backlash against banks and Wall Street, worried that anger at financial institutions could also end up being directed at Congress and the White House and could complicate President Obama’s agenda.

The administration’s sharp rebuke of the American International Group on Sunday for handing out $165 million in executive bonuses — Lawrence H. Summers, director of the president’s National Economic Council, described it as “outrageous” on “This Week” on ABC — marks the latest effort by the White House to distance itself from abuses that could feed potentially disruptive public anger.

“We’ve got enormous problems that need to be addressed,” David Axelrod, Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, said in an interview. “And it’s hard to address because there’s a lot of anger about the irresponsibility that led us to this point.”

“This has been welling up for a long time,” he said.

Starting to get a clue:

For all his political skills and his capturing of the nation’s desire for change in the 2008 election, Mr. Obama, a product of Harvard Law School who calls upscale Hyde Park in Chicago home, has shown little inclination to strike a more populist tone. The danger, aides said, is that if he were to become identified as an advocate for the banks and Wall Street, people could take out their anger on him.

“The change now is you have a free-floating economic anxiety that has expressed itself in a kind of lashing out at those being bailed out and people who are bailing out,” Michael Kazin, a professor at Georgetown University who has written extensively on populism. “There’s not really a sense of what the solution is.”

“I do think there’s a potential for a ‘damn everybody in power’ kind of sentiment,” Mr. Kazin said.

“Potential?”

It’s here, baby. Open your eyes. More Cincy Tea Party photos via RWNJ:

Via WCPO, making the message crystal-clear:

Tea party supporters say their reasons for demonstrating on Fountain Square are simple.

“To actually show the state and federal government that we’re displeased with the way that they’re handling our money. That’s our money,” said George Piper.

And: “This is not a Democrat thing. Or a Republican thing. It’s a government thing.”

Wait until April 15…

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Posted in: fiscal stimulus,Tea Party

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#201

On March 17th, 2009 at 9:47 am, sonofdy said:

jangar. No, he probably just had a cup of tea.
#202

On March 17th, 2009 at 9:47 am, sonofdy said:

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/03/17/gates_readies_big_cuts_in_weapons/
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20090316/pl_usnw/the_american_legion_strongly_opposed_to_president_s_plan_to_charge_wounded_heroes_for_treatment

So much for supporting the troops.

OFF TOPIC but important.
#203

On March 17th, 2009 at 9:52 am, jangar said:

On March 17th, 2009 at 9:47 am, sonofdy said:
jangar. No, he probably just had a cup of tea.

Not a lot of sense trying to talk to most congressmen…they didn’t study history.
#204

On March 17th, 2009 at 9:54 am, sonofdy said:

Not a lot of sense trying to talk to most congressmen…they didn’t study history.

You mean something happened in the past with tea in america???
#205

On March 17th, 2009 at 9:59 am, jangar said:

sonofdy – They studied (how to undercut the system of constitutional) Law (for personal gain) 101.
#206

On March 17th, 2009 at 10:02 am, sonofdy said:

Well they all got an A in that class.
#207

On March 17th, 2009 at 10:04 am, torabora said:

duh1 is NOT a change agent, he is a chaos agent!
#208

On March 17th, 2009 at 10:11 am, jangar said:

On March 17th, 2009 at 10:04 am, torabora said:
duh1 is NOT a change agent, he is a chaos agent!

You mean a community organizer? More like community activist!
#209

On March 17th, 2009 at 10:13 am, chapoutier said:

sonofdy – They studied (how to undercut the system of constitutional) Law (for personal gain) 101.

No. Undermining the Constitution for Personal Gain is a 400 level third year course you can only take after having completed a number of prerequisites. First you have your Questioning the Constitution that every 1L takes. Then you usually take Undermining the Constitution either your second semester 1L or in your second year. Then, of course, you also have to have taken the Law of Gain (which is a survey course, covering both personal and non-personal gain, offered as an elective in most schools).

It’s very rigorous.
#210

On March 17th, 2009 at 10:17 am, jangar said:

It’s very rigorous.

No doubt! I stand corrected.
#211

On March 17th, 2009 at 10:19 am, jangar said:

That’s right up there with going to semenary and taking “The Bible Is A Hoax”. Must be a liberal thing…
#212

On March 17th, 2009 at 8:00 pm, Omu said:

May I suggest OMU’s post go unanswered. This person obviously has a bone to pick with God and his vitriol hatred is only flamed here which is why he posts here. He likes to feel rebellious, put upon so he can excuse his feelings of being cheated and wallow in them. Those who respond to him only serve this pathetic purpose and give him reason to feel superior to you and to God. Pray for him though. The Democrat party is almost completely comprised of disgruntled, rebellious, malcontents such as OMU and the answers he seeks will not be found, cannot be found on a blog. Some people don’t feel alive unless they are spewing hatred and feeling put upon. Don’t buy into it. If he didn’t really believe in God, he would be indifferent not just try to “appear” indifferent, instead he hates God, therefore he knows God exists – he just doesn’t like Him very much.

If you want to believe that, fair enough. Delusion is a pre-condition for faith in a God, afterall. But I can assure you that I really don’t believe in God. Any God, for that matter. I assume you don’t believe in Thor, Zeus, Appollo, Buddha, Ganesh, Mohammed, right? That makes you an atheist. I just go one god further.
#213

On March 27th, 2009 at 9:53 pm, skye said:

Tired of government bailouts and ‘stimulus’ plans? Join the American Sheepdogs for a Tea Party!

Chester County Tea Party
April 4th – Noon till 1 pm
High & Market Streets
West Chester, Pa

http://americansheepdogs.com
http://www.midnightbluesays.com