Susie Madrak Is Walking Along When She And Jake Tapper, Blindfolded As Usual, See An Elephant...

Susie Madrak caught an interesting-- if obvious-- diatribe from David Axelrod yesterday on This Week:

Elections are about choices, though. They're not referendums. And on the other side of the ballot in November will be a party that has an economic theory, and it was tested, and it led to catastrophe. We lost 3 million jobs in the last six months of 2008. The financial market almost collapsed. They turned a $237 billion surplus that Bill Clinton left into a $1.3 trillion deficit. And they're running on the same policies.

If you watch Susie's video (above) you'll notice Jake Tapper, a typical Inside-the-Beltway worm, hoping to please the ruling elite and keep his miserable job, making sounds indicating that it was time for Axelrod to shut up. This isn't what the Village has decided is the appropriate political theme going into the midterms.

Instead it's supposed to be about how conservatives are right again and how important it is that the poor and middle class just buck up and pay for the outrageous excesses of the Masters of the Universe. More war, more tax cuts for the wealthy, less services for the poor and middle class. Anything less... just will not do. No one knows what's going to happen going forward, but I predict that this will be a theme at DWT from now until I leave for Marrakech (after the midterms are over).

In his own account at the ABC blog, the Tape Worm emphasized what it is the Village has decided is the proper way of framing the political environment:

White House Senior Advisor David Axelrod conceded this morning on ABC News’ This Week that there wasn’t “a great appetite” on Capitol Hill for more spending to stimulate the economy, but called on Democrats and Republicans to support more tax relief for small business.

In his February budget proposal, the president requested $266 billion for additional stimulus for the economy.  And just a month ago, the President called for $50 billion in emergency aid to states alongside the extension of unemployment benefits.  This morning Axelrod called again for extension of unemployment benefits, but aid to states was not on his list.

“It’s true that there is not a great desire” on Capitol Hill to spend more money, Axelrod said, “even though there is some argument for additional spending in the short-run to continue to generate economic activity.”

“There’s not a great appetite for it, but I do think we can get additional tax relief for small businesses-- that’s what we want to do-- additional lending for small businesses,” the President’s senior advisor said.

“They are an engine for economic growth. We’re hoping we can persuade enough people on the other side of the aisle to put politics aside and join us on that,” Axelrod told host Jake Tapper.

Quite the different emphasis than Susie's but, alas, also the one both Atrios and Krugman picked up on. The White House better get it's messaging straight. I suggest they call in Susie and get some pointers-- before it's too late.