These new and very sobering job figures force us to look back at the last two years, coming up as we are on the second anniversary of the Great Crash of 2008. People grouse a lot about the shortcomings of the Health Care Reform bill or Wall Street Reform. Myself, not so much. But that’s because my politics are a little different. From the perspective of someone who believes in single payer, certainly the Reform bill doesn’t go far enough. All that said, though, I think we’re seeing that the critical misjudgments — both political and in policy terms were made well, well before. All the way back to the first months of the administration, when Tea Parties were still about tea and the president’s approval ratings were still sky high. It was the Stimulus Bill. It just wasn’t big enough. Something a whole lot of people said at the time. Read More

Last month I showed you what kind of private sector job growth was needed to get us back to pre-Great Recession employment levels. For example, at 200,000 new net private sector jobs per month, it takes 12 years to close the jobs gap, according to Laura Tyson.

The numbers out this morning put July private sector job growth at 71,000. As you can see from this chart, 71,000 jobs per month is literally off the chart on the low end. The Brookings researchers figured it wasn’t worth charting anything less than 150,000 net jobs per month because the time horizon for that sort of “recovery” is too distant to even contemplate.

Having just been all doom and gloom, let me note what I see as the other side of the equation. Partisans contest elections to get power to do certain things — usually, though not always, to pass laws. You contest the next election to keep what you did or do more. Now, human nature and the calendar being what it is, it’s sort of inevitable that people lose sight of this fact and start thinking about winning elections and the next and the next one after that as and end in itself. Read More

Conservative filmmaker uses the magic of claymation to bring the horror of government spending to the young people. You can see the claymation boxing match between big-spending Obama and tax-cutting Reagan, right here.

Not really sure what to make of this story. Apparently the Maine Tea Party movement was taken over in a quasi-parking lot mugging. Earlier this week Tea Party leader Amy Hale (of “Maine Patriots”) posted a message that said …

I was cornered in the parking lot by 10+ people and told that bad things would happen to me if I did not give them the password and hand over Maine Patriots. Therefore, I no longer have control of Maine Patriots. Amy

And since then it’s gotten even weirder.

Orly Taitz appealed the ‘Stop Being Such a Freak’ fine she got for her frivolous birther lawsuiting all the way up to the Supreme Court. Justice Thomas denied her appeal. But she’s now informed SCOTUS that’s not how it works. She’s going to appeal to each Justice individually.

I hadn’t until a reader emailed to alert us non-Kentuckians that the annual Fancy Farm Picnic is, in an election year, the place for politicians to stump. This year’s picnic is Saturday, and with the U.S. Senate race between Rand Paul (R) and Jack Conway (D) being one of the marquee contests of 2010, we decided this wasn’t an event to be missed.

So we’ve dispatched Evan McMorris-Santoro to cover it. He should be in the air now en route to Nashville, where he’ll rent a car and drive another three hours into the western Kentucky hinterland to the little town of Fancy Farm, pop. 2,191, give or take.

It will be the 130th annual Fancy Farm picnic (quick math: started in 1880), and from all accounts it remains an old-fashioned good time. I’m especially intrigued by the barbecue: pork and mutton.

The big day kicks off with a Republican breakfast featuring Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor. The stump speeches will come later in the day, and will include stemwinders from Paul and Conway. By the way, it was at last year’s Fancy Farm picnic that Conway declared himself to be “one tough son of a bitch,” a remark which became an “issue” in the campaign.

Evan will have periodic reports during the day (in between barbecue sampling), plus video and photos. This should be a lot of fun.

Charlie Crist (?-FL) says GOP “would have to do better” for him to caucus with the Senate Republicans.

Michael Steele gave a stemwinder today at the RNC meeting in Kansas City, even donning a bright red “Fire Pelosi” baseball cap as he kicked off his own six week national bus tour.

But he got so wrapped up in the moment that he tossed off what will have to end up as one of Steele’s more memorable lines, declaring that he and his supporters were going to send Nancy Pelosi to “back of the bus.”

Before this is over we’ll have her drinking from a separate fountain!

If only everyone’s job were as secure as Michael Steele’s.

TPM’s Evan McMorris-Santoro is in Fancy Farm, Kentucky today for the Bluegrass State’s annual political party and picnic. Mitch McConnell and Eric Cantor will be appearing at this morning’s GOP breakfast, and this afternoon Senate candidates Rand Paul and Jack Conway will be taking pot shots at each other in front of an audience encouraged to heckle loudly. Read Evan’s preview of the festivities here. And check back for updates throughout the day.