Michael Barone says the standard narrative for the Obama surge and Republican failure is running into a lot of trouble explaining events this year.
So it may be time to advance a Narrative B. It goes something like this. George W. Bush’s inability to produce progress in Baghdad and New Orleans, along with floundering by congressional Republicans, led voters to give Democrats majorities in Congress in 2006 and the presidency in 2008. But the huge flow of dollars designed to staunch the financial crisis (the Troubled Asset Relief Program), finance bailouts and fund the stimulus package raised fears that government would crowd out private-sector growth.
Read the rest here. Join us for lunch today and you can ask Barone whatever questions you might have, too.