TheDC Morning: Liberals LOVE conservative leaders … in retrospect

Jamie Weinstein Senior Writer
Font Size:

Like to laugh? Like to be informed? Then sign up for TheDC Morning email here.

1.) Liberals LOVE conservative leaders … in retrospect —  Liberals love conservative leaders — in retrospect and only in comparison to the “radicals” that currently torment them. For instance, liberals despised Ronald Reagan when he was in power. But when President George W. Bush occupied the Oval Office, suddenly Reagan was reimagined by liberals as a moderate far different than that radical George W. Recently, we’ve been told that Reagan wouldn’t recognize today’s GOP — after all, liberals preach, he raised taxes 11 times! TheDC’s Matt Lewis sets the record straight:

“Facts matter. Reagan’s legacy has been co-opted and mangled by both sides. Yes, he raised taxes. Yes he cut taxes. The real story is how he raised taxes and how he cut them. And the overarching theme is that Reagan dramatically lowered tax rates and broadened the base. He was a reformer willing to make tough decisions. And at the end of the day, his legacy is that of a free market tax cutter. ‘If you aggregate together all the tax hikes … Reagan was a net tax cutter,’ says Americans for Tax Reform’s Ryan Ellis. ‘I believe that makes him unique in the 20th century Cold War era. (Kennedy’s were passed by Johnson, who later raised taxes to pay for Vietnam).'”

As if you need anymore proof of this iron-clad rule about liberals loving conservative leaders in retrospect, Nancy Pelosi, who basically portrayed Bush as Satan just a few years ago, now longs for him — of course, only now that he’s gone.

2.) Jesse Jackson Jr. is a man with a plan — To make teenage unemployment go from high to stratospheric.  TheDC’s Nicholas “Hot Mic” Ballasy’s got the goods:

“Illinois Democratic Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. is challenging President Obama to honor his 2008 campaign pledge and ‘stand behind’ legislation that would raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10 per hour. ‘In 2011, he wanted to see the minimum wage raised to $9.50. It is now 2012,’ said Jackson, who announced the Catching Up to 1968 Act of 2012 Wednesday outside of the Capitol Building. ‘I’m calling on President Barack Obama to honor his campaign commitment of 2008 to stand behind legislation that raises the minimum wage for the American people a little more than he requested in 2008 because the numbers and the economy reflect that $10 is not an unreasonable starting point.'”

Any book agents out there? Get this man a contract ASAP  to write “How to Destroy the Economy in One Easy Step.”

3) Romney and the Hispanic vote — Former George W. Bush Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez weighs in, Stephen Elliott reports for TheDC:

“In a conversation with The Daily Caller, former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said the gap between Hispanic support for President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney will tighten as the election nears, and it will have nothing to do with Romney’s choice of running mate … Responding to Obama campaign Communications Director David Axelrod’s much-publicized comments calling the potential running-mate selection of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio ‘an insult to Hispanics,’ Gonzales insisted that Latinos are ‘going to vote for Romney based on what they believe in him. They’re going to vote for him based upon what they think about his policies, not who his running mate is.'”

4.) Bad Barbara — How can you get famed journalist Barbara Walters to help you land a job or get into an elite grad school? Aid a dictator in massacres apparently, Melissa Quinn reports for TheDC:

“After a batch of emails showing a close relationship between ABC television reporter Barbara Walters and a former aide to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad were leaked to the media, Walters issued an apology expressing her ‘regret’ over her actions … According to the Daily Mail, the journalist exchanged emails with Sheherazad Jafaari, acting as an ‘adoptive mother’ and ‘career adviser’ to the girl. Jafaari, whose father is Syria’s ambassador to the United States, was a close aide to Assad and worked with him as Syrian troops continued to kill citizens, The Daily Telegraph reported. Jafaari was also one of three women who sent ‘lovestruck emails’ to Assad.”

On another note, Walters’ influence must not be so great considering Jafaari didn’t get the job or into grad school.

5.) Poll of the Day: People slightly more optimistic about direction of country — Pew Research Center asks, “All in all, are you satisfied or dissatisfied with the way things are going in this country today?”: 29% satisfied, 64% dissatisfied, 7% unsure. As bad as this looks, it is the highest satisfied number since May 2011.

6.) Tweet of Yesterday — Jim Treacher: Why did the lefty cry himself to sleep? He can’t recall.

VIDEO: Romney’s colleague defends Bain’s record from Democratic attacks

Follow Jamie on Twitter

Jamie Weinstein