A fantastic bit of rhetoric from an enraged leftist Democrat in the House, responding to the outlines of the budget deal: Emanuel Cleaver, a pastor from Missouri, described it as a “sugar-coated Satan sandwich.” And indeed it is. There are no good options for liberal/Left Democrats in the House. If they vote against the bill en masse, they will make Obama look as though he has betrayed his own core principles, and indeed, they may lead to the deal’s collapse if a few more Republicans than agreed to the Boehner bill yesterday decide to vote no. Should that happen, they will destroy the Obama presidency. But if they agree, they are eating that sandwich. Tactically and strategically, this is a political disaster for the Democrats. That won’t mean much to the Tea Partiers in the House, whose opposition to the bill is entirely conviction-driven. But to the extent that a politician’s heart beats within a Tea Partier’s breast, that politician should be able to see the practical benefits to him and his party here.
Contentions
6 Responses to “Satan Sandwiches and House Democrats”
May 2012
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Articles
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The Jigsaw Puzzle & the Chessboard
Henry R. NauThe making and unmaking of foreign policy in the age of Obama.
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What the Evangelicals Give the Jews
Michael MedvedThe true, and hidden, virtue of a controversial relationship.
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Three Days that Shook ObamaCare
Tevi Troy -
The War Obama Wanted
Alana GoodmanHow Democrats got the better of Republicans on contraception vs. religious liberty.
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Ryan's Hope
James PethokoukisAre the politics changing when it comes to reining in Medicare?
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Capital Offense
Omri Ceren -
Eisenhower and the End of Greatness
Michael J. LewisFrank Gehry's design doesn't know how to convey a singular truth.
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Deviated: A Memoir
Jesse KellermanA cautionary tale from the brave new world of health-care coverage.
Politics & Ideas
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Class Dismissed
Jeff JacobyA review of Jonathan D. Sarna's "When General Grant Expelled the Jews"
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The Closing of the American Nietzsche
Charles M. StangA review of Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen's "American Nietzsche"
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In Tropes They Trust
Jonathan Neumann -
Prudishness Lost
Peter Lopatin
Culture & Civilization
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Beloved by Whom?
D.G. Myers -
The Incredible Shrinking Conductor
Terry Teachout -
Roth’s Complaint
William GiraldiA review of "Joseph Roth: A Life in Letters," edited and translated by Michael Hofmann
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The Game Change Game
Andrew Ferguson
John Podhoretz
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Culture Warrior in Chief
John Podhoretz
Threat Assessment
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The Iran Leakfest
Jonathan S. Tobin
Letters
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Taking the Jewish Vote for Granted
Our ReadersLetters in response to Jonathan S. Tobin's “Jews, Money, and 2012"
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Bickel and Judicial Restraint
Our ReadersLetters in response to Adam J. White's "The Lost Greatness of Alexander Bickel"
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Objectivity and the Haredim
Our ReadersLetters in response to Mati Wagner's "The Ultra-Orthodox on the Warpath"
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What About the Urban Poor?
Our ReadersLetters in response to Bruce D. Meyer and James X. Sullivan's "American Mobility"
Enter Laughing
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[...] Tactically and strategically, this is a political disaster for the Democrats. That won’t mean …, whose opposition to the bill is entirely conviction-driven. But to the extent that a politician’s heart beats within a Tea Partier’s breast, that politician should be able to see the practical benefits to him and his party here. [...]
[...] Classic Liberalism: No Vision + Utter Incompetence = Total Failure And I’m not alone… Satan Sandwiches and House Democrats Obama’s base: We’ve been “thrown under the bus” And you’re being dragged Trending: [...]
[...] Link: http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/07/31/satan-sandwiches-and-house-democrats/ [...]
[...] John Podhoretz: Satan sandwiches and House Democrats. [...]
[...] Krugman, New York Times White House: Lot for Dems to Love in Deal – Sam Youngman, The Hill Satan Sandwiches and House Democrats – John Podhoretz, Commentary How the Tea Party Won the Deal – Peter Beinart, The Daily [...]
[...] the tone set by the Democratic leadership. It’s not just Emanuel Cleaver talking about Satan sandwiches, although that’s fairly risible given the liberal smirks that arise whenever conservatives claim [...]