Obama, please stop appeasing the Republicans to pass your stimulus package
By John Amato Sunday Jan 25, 2009 9:00amObama, please stop playing nice with the Republicans in Congress to pass your legislation. The country rejected conservative philosophy and turned to you to try and navigate us out of this economic Armageddon that we are facing.
I understand that you've promised bipartisanship and you've kept that promise. However, implementing the massive corporate tax cuts in your plan to appease the Boehners of the right is counterproductive.
About two-thirds of the $825 billion is reserved for spending and the rest for tax breaks. In the Republican response to the president’s address, Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, the House minority leader, called for deeper tax cuts instead.
We need sound, but unfettered spending for stimulus and not some watered down bill that will be unable to do the job. As you've already seen, phony CBO reports have shown up to try and neutralize your plan before it even became realized. That CBO report was nonexistent, of course.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid indicated that the was significant discussion within today’s meeting about the CBO numbers --- which concluded that only $26 billion out of $358 billion in infrastructure and other appropriated spending would be delivered into the economy by the end of the budget year.
Reid said that OMB director Peter Orszag explained to the group today that the CBO study only analyzed 40% of the bill.
“He said he would guarantee that at least 75 percent of the bill would go directly into the economy within the first 18 months,” Reid said of Orszag's prognosis.
And many other media figures are promoting more propaganda against your plan as well.
Numerous media figures, including David Brooks, Larry Kudlow, Brit Hume, and George Stephanopoulos, have asserted that the proposed fiscal stimulus package supported by President Barack Obama would amount to spending at least $223,000 for every job created, echoing a January 15 "Stimulus Quick Facts" press release, issued by the Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee...read on.
Republicans lost the election and they need to reorganize their party if they want to be relevant again. It's fine to bring them into the discussions, but you should have started this negotiation with zero room for tax cuts and then worked up from there. I find it appalling that an economy which was based on tax cuts that led us to the abyss is now being considered as a major component of your plan while infrastructure spending is less than twenty percent of your plan.
You promised to get rid of the Bush tax cuts, but so far seem to be reneging on that promise and might just let them expire. I understand that not all tax cuts are bad, but the Republican mantra that tax cuts are the solution to every problem has got to be smashed---not reinforced.
I urge you to reconsider and design your plan around your original goals and then give the Republicans a chance to be part of the solution and join in. If they refuse then move past them. You won a mandate from the American people to govern the way you see fit. It shouldn't be a negotiation with conservatives in Congress to try and gain Republican votes for your bill. Remember, Conservative values have put this country in dire straights. I know this Sunday you will have Lawrence Summers on Meet the Press to sell your plan. I'll be waiting to hear him out.
So please heed my warning. They want you to FAIL. Rush Limbaugh speaks for them. Bill O'Reilly speaks for them. Sean Hannity speaks for them. They want you to fail. Through your failure can they only hope to make their case to the American people.
Make the stimulus package as big as you want and ram it down their throats in the end if you must. They never worked with the Democrats when they had the majority. We've witnessed eight years of them shunning democratic values and they are less inclined to work with you at this point in time because they root for your failure as a whole.
You probably only have this one chance to make it work. The media will pounce on you if it falls short even if the people understand that the Conservative economy you have inherited will take a very long time to repair. Let Republicans call press conferences and cry over the amount of spending that is needed to repair the damage they have caused. They cared little for the amount of money that they spent, the lack of regulations that were needed, the incredible tax cuts to the rich that made them wealthier with George Bush in office and look where it got us. Now is not the time to water down your bill by playing the bipartisan game. The stakes are too high. Do not blink on this. Go all in before the flop because they cannot draw any cards that can beat you.
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If you hamstring your own attempts to fix whats wrong with the country in order to please the repubs, you'll reap all the failure and the public will pay the price.
have had weeks to "study" any legislation that they have talked about, and yet say they haven't studied the whole bill, and are not sure of ___ . What the hell have they been doing? Even Obama and his team have had weeks supposedly preparing. Doesn't look like any of them have done diddly squat.
Whereas Republicans under Bush marginalized all but the most compliant Democrats- Pres Obama is trying to be more inclusive.
He can't have Washington be a 'Democrats only' venue and succeed, as it will be repeating the errors of the Republicans-who only wanted Republicans to call the shots.
Bush alienated not only Democrats, but moderates from both parties. I'm a an Independent with liberal leanings, and do hope Obama reaches accross the aisle to MODERATE Republicans- but WITHOUT giving in to radical right wing interests.
The repubs want him to fail. The things they will try to get him to agree to in the name of post-partisanship are things that threaten the success of his attempts to fix the economy.
He was elected to do this his way...It's his 100 days...I understand that u give them something, but he does not have to bend too much...He has an incredible bully pulpit and Repubs need to work with him at least initially...
if the sad reality is this. Is Obama doing all this "reaching out" so that the Dem party has an excuse if the package doesn't work? Rather than doing it, to do what's right, they are really just covering their political asses just in case, so the blame can be shared?
You may be right, but he has a responsibility to the American people to save the country's economy first. Reaching across the aisle won't help when the repubs just want to repeat what they've been doing for the last 8 years to the economy.
Bringing the country together is nice, but fixing it is more important.
1 - they want everyone else to be poor
2 - they want all the money for themselves
It is time to change the system.
.
but I doubt if Nader will run again.
If there were a billionaire who could be trusted to go against their class, that person could break through the corrosive and corrupt duopoly of the Republicrats.
If they wanted to put an huge amount of their own money into the effort.
Otherwise it will be more of the same.
By change of the system I was thinking more fundamentally.
:-P
Maybe post-partisanship means Obama doesn't have to reach out to repubs if his goal is not the empowerment of the dems, as much as its genuinely to repair whats wrong with the country.
After all, if Obama agrees to provisions that he doesn't think are in the country's best interest just because he's trying to appease repubs, that is partisanship.
Am I the only progressive who is tired of Rachael and Keith? Since they have become popular they have substituted endless self-indulging rants for content. They are fun for a few seconds but then I crave substance.I don't watch them anymore, and yet I don't feel I'm losing anything important.
And just where do you go for "substance"?
Besides blogs, I credit the beginning of Bush pushback success to 1]AirAmerica Radio and 2] Keith Olbermann. For that alone, they deserve our respect. I also forgive progressives their occasional "self-indulging rants" considering what we have had to endure for the last 8 years.
I agree that Keith and Rachael and others deserve credit for offering progressives an alternative source of news during the dark ages of the Bush years.
I am just suggesting that at this point they could limit their ranting and focus more on the details the economic, environmental, educational, technological etc. issues that we need to confront now that we're in charge.
As for where I go for content, I like the Economist (although it's too right wing for me), New York Review of Books, New Yorker, Krugman's web sites, and other progressive blogs. Like C&L.
Besides the ones you've mentioned I keep an eye on:
The BBC
Al Jazerra
Thomson Reuters Foundation
Or for the Pugetopolos centered person, see my links page at:
Nethead.org
I'm getting tired of the Huff and all the Hollywood crap. And I don't like to read through 4000 comments all the time.
Maddow's show is excellent. KO is breaking news now...The Tice story.
Maddow's ratings are excellent and KO's are too....
And who would u rather see, Morning Joe....a Pat Buchanan hour...
But I appreciate the blog love...:-)
incredible.
the entire stimulus scenario both in the US and in Canada. Throwing around future borrowed tax dollars to "stimulate" does nothing in my view. Just because every rich crony appearing in the media agrees with the idea, does not make it right. You have to invest in future jobs, not throw money at roads and building an internet that nobody will use anyway if they have no money. Short term government jobs never lead to full time employment. The poor will not be helped with these type of jobs, just the companies that do the work or services. That doesn't mean they will keep employing after the gravy train runs out. Apparent now, watching the bank fiasco. They want money, not to provide jobs. Throwing money fixing potholes in the US midwest, will not do anything to return the industries that vanished into Asia or Mexico.
...If you dump a bunch of money into infrastructure and start building things it will create jobs.
although borrowing the money to do this in the first place is kind of like getting paid by our children.
cuz they are the ones who will pay for it.
I hope the roads we build wont get sold off to foreign companies (as seems to be the trend)
Seen this all over. Government uses taxpayer dollars to create something, and then it's practically given away, and the taxpayers take it in the end again. A good example is the windtowers right now. Tax dollars in the hundreds of millions to put them up, ownership and profits go to the corporate entities that got the rights to them.
Remove the cap on S.S. tax.
But they only need to raise the cap. Removing it completely will not fly.
For a few years during the .com boom I hit the SS cap. It wouldn't have bothered me to keep paying. Now that I'm broke and unemployed I wish I could have.
Reaching out to a bunch of criminals? We have watched these low-lifes run rough shod over us for eight long years and we are not going to take it. Do what we voted you into office for, what you promised you would do if we did vote for you, other wise you are a criminal the same as they are,even worse. But of course you know all this, don't think for an instant that "reaching out to repunks" will be an excuse to cave in to those scum. Follow the will of the PEOPLE, goddammit, not a bunch of has-been criminals, who by rights should be in prison, or is this what you planned on all along? CEO,citizens,eyes,open
get a clue, the repugs did not even wait 1 day befor they started there shit to stop you from getting things done. they are assholes to the end and will all ways be that way. Just look at them now, we want transparency. where was your tranparency for the last 8 years. you gave 335 billion to your fat cats on walstreet and banks with NO rules so they could buy banks but when it came to the American Auto Workers, pell grants and the working people of America, having the courts Refinance loans for homeowners in the US, all you could say is F-off. And the repugs and bankers are still fighting giving money to home owners. I just hope Pre. Obama tell the American people who, name names of repugs and dems who are stoping our moving forward to help the people of America
John, I'm with you all the way. WHY-O-WHY is the Obama WH listening to these fools?? They've done nothing to help O, just obstruct.
Boehner and his lowly group of house members are a HUGE minority in the House. The dems should just ignore them and pass whatever they need. If Boehner doesn't like it - to bad. Cantor in the Senate is just as bad as Boehner.. Trying to make sure they exercise their ability to cause Dems to cower in fear. If Harry Reid doesn't get a new pair soon, O may not have any chance to get anything done.
Their plan, more tax cuts, will destroy our economy further and take us into the depression that tax cuts and all-encompassing de-regulation has done getting us there so far. IF tax cuts are their only plan(which seems to be the case) then ignoring them is the only alternative - OR the financial system, world-wide collapses. You can't cut taxes you don't have...
They had 8 years and FAILED. Times up. Attempts to placate the losers will fail and Mr. O will end up looking foolish.
tax cut is their mantra. rephrased it comes out "pay me for taking your money" look at the mess california is in and the same a-holes and their terminator governor who cut taxes are still crying for more and threaten _____ what? if there is talk of voting taxes in. where does the money come from if not taxes? you think the corporate billionaires and congressional millionaires are going to donate their ill-gotten gains to save america? time to stand tall and firm and do what is right and listen to the people who voted you in- not the shills who tried their best to smear you.
Hey, john, the bending over that obama is doing of late is reminiscent of GW's man in the white house. we did not go to bat for this guy so that he could just be another appeaser. yes, he's black and in the highest position int he land, but some of the moves he has made and some of the appointments he's filled are not sittting too well. i don't want another GW groupie in the white house. Have some balls and do the right thing. again, thanks, john for speaking out. keep doing it.
He won 53% of the vote. It wasn't a landslide by any means. If he does what he wants he will screw up the nation even more. The guy has some good ideas that I can support, but the fact is sooner or later everyone has to pay the bill. You can't just expect to get everything for free and only let the rich pay for everything. We don't need tax cuts for anyone. We don't need housing relief. We only need jobs and time to pay on some of our debts.
Where was your worry about payment of the debt for the last eight years of GOP and Bush profligate and wasteful spending? Another name for GOP should be PORK.
Obama has met his campaign promise and made an attempt at bi-partisonship which the Repugs are only abusing. Move On. Let the war crime tribunal be formed. Lets get the Wall Street investigation and indictments rolling. Time for payback.
I also think it's time for Congressional Hearings on Media Propaganda. Call O'Reilly, Hannity, Limbaugh, Beck, Savage, et al. These guys aren't journalists, so they can't hide behind that. Clearly, they are enablers and they can't simply be "debated" on tv. Put them under oath. Get them to expose the fact that they were fed (mis)information directly from the Bush administration for 8 years. Let's find out who fed them. I see them no less dangerous then terrorists.
That's an excellent idea. It doesn't tread on free speech at all; simply makes it more transparent.
Obama should just ignore the corrupt GOP calls for more tax cuts for the rich. They have nearly destroyed this country internally by their failed economic polices. And, they have led us into two unnecessary and failed wars. Why in God's name should anyone pay any attention to their failed philosophy.
The GOP reminds me of the French aristocracy prior to the Revolution. The common folk were starving. Marie Antoinette replied "let them eat cake". The rich corrupt aristocracy lived in splendor. What was Louis's solution? Why less taxes for the rich and more taxes on the poor. In the end, it cost the nobility both their fortunes and their heads. But, it finally rid the French nation of these GOP-like parasites. Maybe it's time for the US to consider the French solution.
Interesting comment. So our entire economic problem has nothing to do with people borrowing to much money to buy what they couldn't afford. I disagree. I think it is the root of the problem. Greed at all levels.
yes, i'm fearful that obama will not be judged on the moves he makes but only on the fact that he set a standard, being the first African American elected to the White House. Was and am I proud. damned right. But Obama needs to be held to the same standards that we would hold any other to. He needs to follow through on his promises. He needs to follow the wishes of his base. He can't reneg on that which got him elected. And yes, he is just beginning and he does need more time. But he can't get himself so mired in his early decisions and appointment trying to appease the right and run the middle road that he becomes lost in the muck. Doesn't he have advisors who are not afraid to tell him to take the path that got him there. You dance with the lady you brung. I am getting sick of Obama appeasing. What about us. Biden speak up, even if behind closed doors, let him know your mind. don't hold your tongue. He's young and from i can see a little too much of the POLITICIAN. But Iguess they all are. Wasn't Hillary extolling the virtues of SaD sack lieberman. Well, didn't he get the loudest boos of the two million gathered for the inauguration? What does that say about the base. obama listen to your base.
... the rich will do with their share of the tax cuts? Spend them? On what? They will go and manipulate the market - up 500 one day, down 700 the next then up again 300 followed by 400. They use it to get even richer. Look how many more billionaires there are compared to pre-Reagan. Will they invest in products and Services to advance the country? Not in the near future. Companies will not expand goods or services until there is a demand, and currently they are laying off people by the thousands.
By including Republican ideas (which have dramatically failed in the past) he sets a precedent that he will have to include their ideas in the future or face their wrath. Reality: he is going to face their wrath either way. The Republcans had the chance to do good and failed. Totally. If the Democrats cannot figure out how to correct their mistakes and move the country forward then, sadly, they too don't deserve stewardship of the country.
The plans for a bi-partisan party? IT WENT NOWHERE.
People who voted for President Obama expected a Democrat not some Unity 08 bullshit.
How do the unemployed benefit from a tax cut? Second, is this the only idea that the right has? They have been trotting out tax cut as the medicine for our ills for decades now. We have tried it numerous times and look where we are. Of course they will say it isn't the fault of the tax cuts but I was here and lived through it so I am hard to fool. Of course I have come to know over those years that they are never wrong. It is always else(in their description)that that makes their philosophy hogwash.
I've heard there were 55 trillion dollars in derivative investments at the time the US market crashed in late 2008. I hear that nearly every state in the US union is short of funds to the point that many will negate the federal infrastructure grants that Obama is planning by their own indebtedness. I hear that the US has a GNP of 13 trillion dollars in a good year, which is mostly service based as opposed to industrialized production. So.....a reasonable investment in Americas future (not to the banks, military, NASA, insurance companies, HMO's, automobile makers, San Juan Porto Rican Rum Makers, and the porn industry, etc) would be ONE years GNP. How do you think the republicans would react? After the socialization of Wall Street and the financial industry, and a no interest Federal Reserve policy, they say the only thing left is for the FED to spend money. I think the only thing left is to accept a 20% inflation rate in the future and a distribution of 13 trillion to individuals earning under $150,000 a year. The inflation is probably assured anyway, and is preferable to deflation (that which causes 10 year long depressions). The hedge funds are still beating the market to a pulp because of not reinstituting or instituting new laws that would limit their and other speculators influence. We are still all hostage to the 'haves' (that still have alot!). Billions of dollars, is small change under these conditions! Extend the Social Security Tax to the top immediatly because Bush and his repug followers wanted to eliminate it So, Obama really isn't yet in tune with the seriousness of his first four years. He thinks he can spend-spend his way out. The republicans are pathetic in their protestations of a few trillion dollars for America and they probably want Obama to inherit the second great depression and skip a second term. Consider what will happen IF the dollar fails? What would cause it to fail? Goodluck to all of you that think 10 years of depression is better than the failure of the dollar.
as I remember,,,
The $55 trillion is the Credit Default Swap Market (CDS), worldwide. CDS are also called credit derivatives.
For all forms of derivatives the world wide market something like $683 trillion.
We have deflation in some areas, that comes with falling demand. The further it goes the more of a spiral it creates. However until deflation hits wages, it is not such a bad thing.
That is not forgetting the un- or undere employed. Or the millions that toil away at minimum wage, which is way too low.
For those folks deflation has already hit their wages but inflation would be worse.
With the Fed's 'Quantitative Easing' which is a euphemism for let the printing presses rip, we will at some point have inflation. Maybe a lot.
At that point credit interest rates will likely follow the pattern that Paul Volker invoked in the late '70s and '80s. It was not pretty, but it finally worked at bringing inflation down. Ronald Reagan rewarded his success with the appointment of Alan Greenspan.
We have a much more damaged economy today than Volker faced then.
The dollar will have road ahead at some point no matter what.
I know this is off topic (doesn't seem to be another place for it though), but I'd like to hear why there is a future for the dollar other than the USA isn't going away.
The dollar will have a roughroad ahead at some point no matter what.
My bad.
Whatever you may think, and no matter how confidently Rachel Maddow asserts it, there is no consensus on this and quite a few very respectable economists disagree. Including one's with Nobels which it seems has made the liberal talking heads think Krugman is infallible. Here's a little reading for you: http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2009/01/is-joe... . You people are Malkinesque in your group-think.
But when FDR came in, he instilled a confidence in the American people that helped push them through that rough patch. My point is that Obama has to do what he thinks needs to be done. FDR compromised some, but he blasted away bill after bill while blasting the very class of people he came from. The very rich and they hated him for it, but he saved the country.
"You people are Malkinesque in your group-think."
Snip - When teamwork goes well, it tends to go very well, and throughout history, brilliant results have arisen from collaborations. Miles Davis and Gil Evans’ partnership generated 1958’s Porgy and Bess. The Manhattan Project hurtled scientists to the forefront of atomic discovery. Perhaps such shining examples are why we value teamwork so much, in spite of a painful truth: Many collaborations fail, a lot of them spectacularly.
http://www.utne.com/Science-Technology/When-G...
This should appear on the op/ed page of every newspaper in the country tomorrow. Bi-partisanship is a joke - just ask rush.
"MR. Obama"? Or "Mr. President"?
Just addressing him as "Obama" makes you sound like one of the bad guys, frankly.
Just sayin'.
let them know what it feels like to be on the outside, looking in.
The big diff between the Thugs being on the outside now and the last 14 years is as different as night and day -- they were busy tearing down the middle class, destroying social services, fucking around with the faux outrage over a goddamned blow job, sending troops into to one giant clusterfuck of a war crime and looting the treasury, while those of us in opposition could only watch.
Because those 10-pounds-of-shit-in-a-5-pound-bag types kept smashing us in the face, told us to go fuck ourselves and responded to our most fervent concerns about human rights, war crimes and the domestic situation with a big fat fucking "So?"
The Thugs got us into the mess, and it is as obvious as the nose on one's face they have no desire to help clean up the SNAFUBAR they created.
And now they want to obstruct the rebuilding.
Obama is the lead, the rest of these wastes of skin better just follow or get the fuck out of the way.
And the war criminals that just left the White House and environs, well they better be in the dock -- sharpish, just to prove to the 29%ers that this IS a country ruled by laws, and that their 'fearless' leaders behaved most egregiously in our names against the world.
Once the GOP shits on his parade a few times, Barry will learn the universal lesson: Never. Trust. A. Republican.
I agree that bi-partisanship is crap. "I WON" and I even gave you a chance to act in a non partisan way, hmmmmm.....but now we will play it my way. Whine and whine but remember how the bi-partisanship worked under w. Time to start crushing some republicans, chewing them up and spitting them out.
He doesn't have to be partisan, but it would be nice to see that not everyone gave him a "blank check". He is not perfect as proven by his support of Treasury Secretary pick. A liar and a cheat and the Senate said it's no big deal. It is a huge deal. Would you hire a pedafile as a babysitter or a drug dealer as chief of police. Heck NO! Let him try his thing, but don't throw away my children's future doing it.
Excellent post John.
I'm certainly not one of those "ooh, let's wait and see what Obama will do once he's elected and so forth..." types but it would be nice if this is his moment to let the Republicans unspool the length of rope necessary to hang them all (note to NSA: that was merely a metaphor).
The trick will be to see if he's willing to spring the trap door.
Does anyone know why we don't request the funds as needed per project? Is it because it would have too go through the congress each time?
The previous $700 Bill, split the lump sum 350/350 right? While that last $350 Billion was sitting somewhere, was we paying interest on it, kinda like a cash advance?
I hope President Obama reads this.
Brilliantly blunt.
Listen to us.
Anyone?
Where are we going to get the money for these stimulus packages?
What country is going to keep loaning us money?
If your credit card is maxed out is it wise to go get another to stimulate your economy?
Do you think the crash is the problem?
Or do you think all the gravy train bullshit that lead up to the crash was the problem?
It's called a correction, why would you stop the economy from correcting itself?
We really need some people to think on this because we are about to destroy the dollar completely.
The dollar is a fiat currency, there have been over 3800 fiat currencies through out history. Anyone want to take a stab at how many have succeeded?
If... "The dollar is a fiat currency" and it is as a matter of fact, what do you think is the life blood of the market? I myself believe bankruptcy is inevitable. We can print as much as we have paper, though where is all the "HARD COLLATERAL ASSETS" and who gets them?
Good points, In the link below I have a URL to the US monetary base supply dating back to when the FED kept records, it is the FED's own chart.
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/p...
Look at the date 1970 and notice that the exponential climb occurred only a few years later. In 1971 Nixon took us off the gold standard because France was emptying our vaults of gold under the Bretton Woods agreement. They believed at the time we would not be able to pay off the debt incurred for the Vietnam War (they were right, we still haven't). The entire world tied their currency to the dollar because we were tied to gold as a monetary base.
Gold serves as a base of value and regulates interest rates, under the gold standard we would have never gotten this far out on a credit limb. Throughout history there have been over 3800 fiat currencies, all have failed, the track record of success is zero.
People have forgotten in just 38 years that Gold is real money, this is proven true because every central bank to this day holds gold as a reserve currency asset
We have arrived to a period in time were all the painless good choices are gone, the government is making it worse by intervening making the problem even bigger. Our only choice is to stop spending or scrub our economic system all together and start fresh.
I don't care if some people don't believe, I don't want them to, I want them to do their own research and then they will believe, the truth is obvious. If they don't believe that way, then about 10 years tops from now they will believe because reality will force them to.
And what do we do with the VERY REAL people who are SUFFERING while the economy "corrects itself"?
I really hate these assholes that can talk or write the regurgitated thug talking points without even knowing exactly what it means or what the results of such actions would be.
And if they DO know what the results would be, are they that callous to just let a significant percentage of the American people suffer?
I say, if you want to deal with this problem in a "pull yourself up by the boot straps" way then YOU better be prepared to ease the suffering of the masses - otherwise SHUT THE FUCK UP.
http://zfacts.com/p/461.html
http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article7099.html
Timmy the Music Snob, maybe if you were and economic snob you would know the time to fix the issue was on the way up. We aren't going to stop the downturn, but you will have to learn more to know that for yourself.
What they are doing now is adding agony to pain, it's not a solution, it's a death sentence. The answer is to do nothing and let the strong pick up the weak.
If you sincerely want to know what should be done and what the problem really is see my post here.
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/p...
But all the evidence is that bush term 3 is underway.
Your statement, "all the evidence is that bush term 3 is underway" is rather broad and initially does not correlated to the bulk of actions too date. I may agree, if that matters too you, if you could be more specific.
i laughed as i listened the to the boehner. does he FORGET that even as he promotes the republican plans as being the answer for the current financial crisis that his party caused the current crisis????
i truly had a laugh today as i listened to him say that the republicans were going to be the party to oversee the stimulus funds and watch out for the american taxpayer. holy god, HOW can they even SAY this stuff with a straight face?
boehner, WE WON. now STFU and let us FIX what you broke into a million pieces and STOP being an obstructionist, you dumbass.
i thought the feeling that my head would explode would go away now with bush gone, but it clearly hasn't, because i thought it would explode today after i laughed.
christ. MAKE THEM GO AWAY!
i laughed as i listened the to the boehner. does he FORGET that even as he promotes the republican plans as being the answer for the current financial crisis that his party caused the current crisis????
What, don't you know that Barney Frank and the Democrats caused this mess by forcing Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to sell million dollar mansions to millions of colored folk on welfare?
(snark off!)
Maybe they should have left the rubbers out of it? :-P
because of this little problem
:D
Not unlike this > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0kJHQpvgB8
If Obama is listening to Pelosi and Reid, then he should stop. They will completely lead him down the garden path to failure.
*
for the president to take the kid gloves off. I think he's reached out enough. Reaching out to these wasteful mouth breathers is like trying to pet a hungry lion, you can reach out if you want to but most likely you're not going to get that hand back. The only difference here though is a hungry lion is doing it because it's hungry, repugs just do it because it's not what they would do. Seems like they want to finish the job. They're not done wrecking the country.
I totally understand Obama's attempts to "appease" the republicans and trying to get them to "work together" for the good of the American people - and the world as well - but this textbook approach will fail.
Why? Well Obama should NOT trust the Republican rightwing conservatives one iota.
FoxNews already has the knives out - Chris Wallace claiming Obama wasn't president because the first oath was in the wrong order and the second oath wasn't with a bible and as a result refuses to recognise the legitimacy of Obama's presidency.
John MCcain has come out and said he will NOT support the economic stimulus package Obama is proposing - and according to reports not one Republican has voted for it in it's first rounds.
The Republicans WILL NOT support the closing of Guantanamo Bay, the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, stem cell research, abortion and gay rights.
And there has already been one or 2 assasination attempts - courtesy of Palin who incited her supporters to "kill the muslim!".
The Republican right wing conservatives - lead by Karl Rove and FoxNews - will make Obamas first 4 years a living hell - just like they did Bill Clinton's last 4 years.
They do not care about the American people or the world in general - unless we all abide by their strict rightwing racist ideology.
Mr Obama - don't play nice with these mongrels. As soon as you turn your back - there will be a whole lot of republican knives in your back! And of course their insider mate Joe Liberman who will support the Republicans while Reid keeps giving him massages to make him feel better!!!
of these nasty people. Their God is Money&Power, nothing else matters, not friends, family or country. Not even genuine self-interest: for they cannot think long-term.
The President is clearly showing the American people, and the whole World what corrupt cretins the so called Conservatives are.
Hmm. Conservative Cretins...it has a nice sound to it.
Has it occurred to anyone that maybe Mr. Obama knows what he is doing. He got all the way to the White House using his own talents and those of the people he chose to take advise from. As a member of congress a person represents their district or state first, country second, party third (invert that order in the case of hard core republicans). As President it's different ballgame and surely every one of you out there knows that. Here's what I refer to. Who's to say that the legislation that will one day be signed into law won't be the exact prescription you advocate in the post? Mr. Obama can spend all his time sounding bi-partisan then say, "well sorry you republicans didn't get what you wanted, but here is a bill I can sign and better luck next time."
Please, lets stop nagging the man. If you believe in what you worked for to put him in power then let it ride, eh?
You mean the guy we elected might actually know what he's doing and we don't need to act like we're experts?
Personally, I think we're all just too used to having a braindead chimp as our Prez - now that we've got a guy who actually has some sense, we don't need to keep doing this, but old habits are hard to break.
Nagging? My chest hurts.
go to whitehouse.gov and tell them. I think they might believe that this is what the people want. Let them know that you're willing to keep paying taxes in exchange for long-term improvement. Oddly enough, I think somebody over there actually pays attention.
Baaaaaaaaaackkkkk to the Future america.
This is bullshit. He wants to INDULGE the thugs habit of bloodsucking the life out of us. Doesn't he know they'll bite the hand that feeds them and every other hand they can reach...and he's listening to Summers? Why is he aiding and abetting the very people that hollowed out our society??????
We've done without for 8 long years and Obama appeases those who brought so much suffering and damage worldwide. HOW DARE HE! This is betrayal of the will of the people of this country to whom he owes EVERYTHING that brought him to where he is now.
Here is, I think, the heart of the matter. Amato writes:
"I understand that you've promised bipartisanship and you've kept that promise. However, implementing the massive corporate tax cuts in your plan to appease the Boehners of the right is counterproductive."
Look at those two sentences. You can't have the "promise" in #1 without the "appeasement" in #2. That's the problem with Obama. Always has been.
I got a bad feeling about this. Either Obama has unwavering ethics , principles and rules or he doesn't in which case he's just another fart in the wind politician and we are really up sh*t creek . Write them off , the hell with them ,these are not misunderstood good guys , you can't change or reform these scum bags they are only out to sabotage and obstruct.
Don't think a whole lot will change.
Ron Paul and Kucinich were for real change (whatever your tasts. Now we get more of the same, you can't bail the economy out with more debt..it doesn't work.
For too long we were fish, in an ever-shrinking pond, and the guy draining it is telling us how dare we complain while suffocating.
Yet, the right-wing says “well, if you don’t like it.. come over here and help us drain the pond! once all those fish slowly and painfully die, you’ll be sittin’ pretty!”.No more Obama no more..
For too long we were fish, in an ever-shrinking pond, and the guy draining it is telling us how dare we complain while suffocating.
Yet, the right-wing says “well, if you don’t like it.. come over here and help us drain the pond! once all those fish slowly and painfully die, you’ll be sittin’ pretty!”.
One way or the other the Repubs won't vote. Just five years ago Repubs would brag that they won't vote with Dems.
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