The Great Non-explainer

I suppose I've said things in the same vein before but one of the things that drives me nuts about Obama and his crowd is his/their utter inability to explain difficulties to their audience in ways that will inspire even a minimum of confidence. Here's a selection, culled from current reading although I haven't kept good track of sources. So, they haven't explained that:

• We knew last year that unemployment was heading over 10 percent (i.e., where it is now) and we were just going to have to hunker down for the ride.

• Shovel-ready never meant "shovel ready." No matter how efficient you are, it takes time to get up-to-speed on a new brick-and-mortar project--i.e., a project that will actually juice up the economy, instead of merely replacing something that was going to happen anyway.

• As against new spending, tax cuts are just not a persuasive alternative at this moment. Sure, everyone would like tax cuts. But with so much money already lying on the table unused, it just isn't plausible that a new round of tax cuts will generate new economic activity (and besides: as a percentage of GDP, taxes are already comparatively low).

That sort of stuff. In short: These things take time; bear with me folks, and let me explain to you why. It's something he just doesn't seem to be good at, and so he is falling into the politician's most fatal mistake: he is letting himself be defined by his enemies. They are always happy to oblige, and when they do, they will cream you.

Update: This guy thinks so, too.