The package honestly needs more liberal items put in it. Forget the gops; do what needs to be done (listen to Krugman) and push it through regardless. If the gops are ignored en toto, and liberal ideals are followed, history will look kindly upon Obama's first 100 days. Otherwise, he risks being written off as a "could have been."
Posted by gmknobl at January 30, 2009 06:45 AMObama, et al, are scooping untold trillions of dollars into a black hole as explained in this excellent analysis.
Posted by brisa at January 30, 2009 06:53 AMForget them and lead dammit. You won the damn election and its about time you stopped being a pussy and started acting like a guy who won 350 electoral votes. Remember that George W. Bush acted like a guy who had 350 electoral votes, when in fact he never had a mandate. Obama actually has one and is squandering it trying to work with people who should be called out every day for what they are.
Amen, amen, AMEN. I thought his whole hope, change, and unity schtick was self-contradictory from the start, and this is exactly the kind of thing I was afraid we'd be saying after he landed in the White House. He CAN'T have it both ways--either he's a wishy-washy compromiser for Unity like every weak-willed Democrat before him, or he sticks to his guns and actually fights for Change. Make up your mind President Obama, our lives are depending on it. . . .
Millions of us understand the obvious, that the GOP is no longer the Party of Moderates. We also have understood that the GOP does not believe basically in a Democracy. We also understand that the GOP would further the destruction their leader unleashed if it meant beating the Democrats in the next election. We know they will tell the Democrats anything they want to hear, and then laugh as they screw them to the wall. I'm not sure why we all get it, while the
OBAMA AND THE FUCKING CONGRESS DOESN'T!!!!
Oh, and Pelosi is becoming the Republicans most loved Democrat in the GOP. She and Lieberman make a good pair.
Posted by Judith at January 30, 2009 07:10 AMForget them and lead dammit. You won the damn election and its about time you stopped being a pussy and started acting like a guy who won 350 electoral votes.
I can see Obama's point... he's trying for unity. Right now though, we are losing the media battle. Obama has to come out and say, "I tried to compromise... next time I will be less willing if they keep pulling partisan politics." Hammer the message home each time... put the "Klieg Lights" on congressional Republi-cons.
Let's start embarrassing the Boehner's, McConnell's, Cantor's, Kyl's of this world. Their hypocrisy is still alive and well in D.C.
Posted by Seven of Six at January 30, 2009 07:28 AM"Obama has to come out and say, "I tried to compromise... next time I will be less willing if they keep pulling partisan politics."
QUESTION: How many times has the obvious been posted on this site, and not one Democrat got it?
Posted by Judith at January 30, 2009 07:55 AMSteve, I love you man and I love this little bit of internets webspace, but...respectfully, I have to disagree with you.
I think the new Pres is giving these guys all the rope they need to hang themselves, and dangit if they don't fall for it hook line and sinker (pardon the mixed metaphors). He's talking the unity post partisan game, but he knows who these fuckers are and he is delibrately showing the electorate what they are made of, and darn it if they aren't complying. He's given them a chance and they blew it. C'mon, he's only been in office 10 days. He's going to lay the wood and he's going to continue to let the Rethugs isolate themselves and the people they represent into electoral oblivion.
Posted by John B. at January 30, 2009 08:40 AMI agree John B.
Let these fucking republi-cons continue down this road of ruin! Obama is setting conservatives up for 30% approval for the next 3 decades.
Posted by Seven of Six at January 30, 2009 09:39 AMMy neighbor's dog got loose and took a huge dump on my lawn. I got a baggie, picked up the dogshit, and dumped it on my neighbor's front porch, then called the local newspaper and told them about it. What I don't understand is, my neighbor's kind of pissed off, which I just got understand. I mean, it was his dog and all.
Posted by joel dan walls at January 30, 2009 10:25 AMThe fundamental question is whether the current stimulus bill will work. Doubtful considering how loaded up it is with tax cuts which do NOT provide enough economic benefit in comparision to spending.
Posted by Gay Veteran at January 30, 2009 10:41 AMWith such a huge piece of spending legislation it's hard to get one's hands around it.
As GV says, about $275 billion is tax cuts, supposedly mostly focused on the lower income demographic---the idea is that the people will spend most of it, but it's hard to see how they won't also allocate a goodly portion to their masive debts, which isn't much of a stimulus. Supposedly because its not a one time check, more will be spent. God knows.
At least it's not more tax cuts for the rich and to the giant corps which was the Repub "alternative" nonsense.
As to the spending, it does appear that it's kind of a patchwork of many, many smaller projects, and not focused on a few bigger long term needs, hence the "pork" attack. The goal seems to be to fund spending projects that get into the economy ASAP, not spending that creates new, but slower, large programs like say, a national rail network or new national electic grid.
Perhaps they should have brought this stimulus out in a series of smaller bills, each with a clear focus, and not just passed the largest "spending" bill in history. The more massive something is, the harder it is to see the big picture, to focus it appropriately and to sell it.
Posted by euzoius at January 30, 2009 11:36 AMGreat argument.
Come on, Obama. Be more like Bush....
Posted by wilson rivers at January 30, 2009 12:25 PMRight, come on Obama, be more like Bush and fight for Democratic principals the way Bush fought for Republican principals.
Instead, he still wants to be the uniter/not divider that Bush never was.
Posted by jmac at January 30, 2009 12:36 PMThe problem is Obama's and the Democrats' recovery plan is a stimulus package to nowhere.
Spending money we don't have on things people don't want? Wall Street cast its own vote on Obama's and Democrats' stimulus plan by tanking two days in a row. The markets know that FDR's spending in the 1930's didn't work. There is a lot of revisionist history going on that is hurting American families.
The idea that the government should be spending and "investing" in stuff is completely ridiculous. This is not what made America a great nation.
The only plan that will work is putting more money in Americans' pockets with tax cuts. Cut the payroll tax. There is also a massive tax hike looming on the middle class when the previous tax cuts expire. Make the previous tax cuts permanent. Don't mess with people's monthly paychecks. Give them more to spend every month.
Posted by Matt Alfring at January 30, 2009 01:09 PMDr. Benjamin Powell clearly explains what happens when the government intervenes in the free markets:
"Japan created a structure of production that did not meet consumers’ particular demands. Producing things that nobody wants and propping up mal-investments cannot possibly help any economy. This policy is equivalent to the old Keynesian depression nostrum of paying people to dig holes and fill them. Neither policy will revive the economy because neither forces businesses to realign their structures of production to match consumer demands."
http://blogln.ning.com/profiles/blogs/turning-japanese-the-audacity
Great column. Great criticism on Obama's plan to have people dig-and-fill holes as a recovery package similar to Japan's.
The idea that the government should be spending and "investing" in stuff is completely ridiculous. This is not what made America a great nation.
My thoughts exactly. Fuck the interstate system.
He CAN'T have it both ways--either he's a wishy-washy compromiser for Unity like every weak-willed Democrat before him, or he sticks to his guns and actually fights for Change.
Like how he will sign SCHIP next week and help States give another 4 million children healthcare?
Obama gave the republi-KKKons a chance. They didn't take it. The radio and television ads against the republi-KKKons started playing in their respective districts today. Hell, the dems are even going after Rush. Pretty cool!
Posted by phidipides at January 30, 2009 02:58 PMgeez the stench from this new puke talking points spewing troll is rank...find another haunt matt whatever you are.....try powerline they thrive on crap spew over there....
Posted by headxray at January 30, 2009 03:03 PMFrom Essay: "Is Greed still our Creed in America?"
By: William A. Donius
There is a great divide that has been created in this country between the super rich and everyone else. I'm not sure the super rich or also the super greedy? The richest 1% of Americans earned $1.3 trillion in 2004, an amount greater than the total national income of Canada. Further the top 1% of Americans has 33% of the country's wealth. The tax policy center estimates that 80% of the tax savings from the Bush tax cuts went to the top 10% of taxpayers and almost 20% went to the top one tenth of 1%!Posted by Seven of Six at January 30, 2009 03:15 PM
I have never believed that Obama was a fighter. He won the White House, and now he has to grow into it. Unfortunately there is too little time for conventional fence mending and yes, I agree, the Republicans quit being "moderate" about 35 years ago.
Obama needs to fight. It wouls sure help if the Dems would help him instead to pander to Republican ideology.
Posted by gtash at January 30, 2009 05:08 PMWhat was Geithner's newly paid tax bill? Now what was Daschle's newly paid tax bill? And how many waivers has President Obama given to lobbyist? Seems we're seeing a pattern folks. Then there's the ethics problems with Rangel and Dodd. Why has Dodd fallen so much in his poll numbers back home? We seem to have emptied the Republican side of the swamp, when will the Speaker follow through on her side?
What did that Wall Street firm get for that "free" car and driver?
Senator Tim Johnson doesn't care for the House version of "stimulus". Senators Conrad and Nelson also seem to have problems with it. I'd like to see this president play hardball with Sen. Johnson, not going to happen. Sen. Johnson's going to come up with a different plan with a new 'gang of 14' supporting it. There's the better direction, not this old style waste of time and money that Speaker Pelosi came up with. What, the stimulus plan cost us $102 billion an hour for each hour discussed in Congress!
Posted by peter at January 30, 2009 09:09 PMpetie, Obama has more to worry about from Feingold and Sanders than conservative Dems like Johnson.
Since we only have one president at a time, when is turdblossom going to testify? Miers, Bolton? Still the scum bucket party petie... never forget it!
Posted by Seven of Six at January 30, 2009 09:42 PM