Matt Yglesias

Richard Burr’s Bobbing and Weaving on Bank Runs

The North Carolina press is starting to deliver a little heat to Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) over his irresponsible comments that could have sparked dangerous bank runs. But instead of just admitting he messed up, Burr is spinning weird and nonsensical rationalizations. Here he tells WTVD from Raleigh that he was right to risk sparking bank runs but covers himself by saying that now is not a good time to panic:

Eyewitness News spoke with Burr Thursday, and he said the comment was misconstrued. He reacted to his Democratic critics and says he meant what he said 6 months ago, but times have changed. “That was done long ago. That part of the economic crisis is over. And it was I think helpful. I think to people who heard me speak to give them a firsthand understanding of my frame of mind in that early week,” he said.

Still unclear here is why it’s ever a good time for political leaders to be sparking runs on banks. But it’s nice that Senator Burr is acknowledging that we’ve brought some additional stability to the financial system. Under the circumstances, I wonder if he regrets his vote against a key element of the financial stabilization package?

Meanwhile, talking to WGHP Burr offered a somewhat different take and “said his point is every American should keep some cash on hand and not be totally dependent on ATMs and banks.” That bears no resemblance whatsoever to his original comment, “Tonight, I want you to go to the ATM machine, and I want you to draw out everything it will let you take . . . And I want you to tomorrow, and I want you to go Sunday.” You’d have to be pretty dumb to mistake those remarks for a pragmatic warning that you should keep some cash on hand in case of a blackout or something.

I’m not sure I understand why it’s so hard for Burr to just admit he made a mistake and try to move on. It’s a kind of unseemly arrogance.

Richard Burr’s Low Approval Ratings

I’ve been remarking for some time on how odd it strikes me that the bulk of Republican Senators representing states that Barack Obama carried in November seem to have no worries that blanket opposition to his agenda will hurt them at the polls. Now via Steve Benen, I Rob Christensen in the Raleigh News & Observer wondering if Richard Burr (D-NC) is going down to defeat: “Two statewide polls show Burr’s approval rating in the mid-30 percent range, regarded as a dangerously low number for an incumbent.”

That really is dangerously low. I have no idea what kind of candidates are out there to run against him, but mid-thirties is terrible for an incumbent in re-election cycle.

Meanwhile, you don’t seem to hear much about Kay Hagan, do you? But I suppose the same could be said for all the newly elected Senators. The newly appointed ones seem to have hogged most of the press.

Kay Hagan’s Radical Homosexual Agenda

Liddy Dole’s allies in the North Carolina GOP break out the big guns:

A new mailer in support of incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Dole claims that Hagan’s agenda, with the help of “liberal judges,” will be to advance a “radical homosexual agenda” which includes same-sex marriage, removing “Under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance, and forcing the Boy Scouts to accept gay and atheist troop leaders.

To my ear, that sounds more like a radical atheist agenda that promotes equality for gays and lesbians as a side effect. What, exactly, is the gay interest in removing “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance? I’m also interested in the idea that picture depicts one “radical homosexual” newlywed in a bowtie and the other in a conventional tie — I’ve only been to two weddings and both featured straight couples, but my assumption would be that the couple would coordinate neckware and avoid this kind of mismatch.