What's that old saying? "Stand for something, or you'll fall for anything"? I think that sums up the problem with President Obama. He never worked on a budget before his election, he had very little experience in making hard decisions, and so it's my theory that he's all too susceptible to the same old Wall Street-loving advisors who are pushing the corporatist "New Democrat" tax-cuts-for-growth, "austerity" line.

Apparently this year's theme is "winning the future," and it's about his preferred solution to everything: being "competitive." (Corporate speak for "lower wages, no benefits and no pesky regulations.")

We have to "out-innovate, out-compete, out-educate." Oh yeah, and and deal with our deficits in a "responsible" way, make government "leaner" and "smarter."

"Finding common ground while having vigorous debate" is important, too. (It's worked so well, right?)

I would so much prefer to have confidence in our president, but I think he's too deep in the bubble, and he clearly believes in ideas that have already been proven to harm the rest of us.