Joe the Plumber, February 2009.

I mean, I cut cable when I realize that I’m not making enough money to cover my bills, I use coupons. Shouldn’t we expect the government to cut some programs?

Today’s New York Times.

The freeze that Mr. Obama will propose for the fiscal years 2011 through 2013 actually means a cut in real terms, since the affected spending would not keep pace with inflation.

Sigh.

I really have no idea what Obama is thinking. Leaving the economic analysis to my betters, he is validating decades of right-wing complaints about “wasteful spending”, that “big government” is really the problem, that defense spending is sacrosanct while programs for the stray animals are expendable, and most recently, that government spending somehow caused the Great Recession — all in an era in which Americans brought Democrats to power to do more, not less.

Do they think this will appease Republicans? Hell no. Do they think this will win teabagger votes? Please. This is truly a policy without a constituency.

It’s unforgivable.