When it comes to selling his “stimulus” bill, The One is rapidly closing on shrill.
I really thought McCain would be the guy to just slip a gear one day. But maybe it’s Obama, upon the realization that actual governing is harder than kissing ass and keeping podium jokes fresh. Probably a “what’s your damned problem?” is too much to hope for, but we seem safely headed for a good eye roll and exaggerated sigh, at least.
I digress. If you haven’t read National Review‘s dissection of the bill, do so now. Even if you believe that spending our way to prosperity is possible, you’re sure to find plenty of outrage in this mess. It’s mostly a huge mound of pork, and (apart from its size) not even a particularly remarkable one.
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Howard Dean is probably in his bunker saying, “He’s out of control! Who is this guy?”
It’s like we get a glimpse into what it would have been like to have Ross Perot as the CIC.
Obama can defend anything well, no matter if it is crap that he is defending.
I just love it when his hackles go up when someone has the “audacity” to question him on ANYTHING. Just makes me smile. The shiny newness is definitely starting to wear off. You think some of the press folks have finally started coming out of the stupor they’ve been in for about a year and half?
Right now, the Republican Party is playing a game of chicken with the Obama administration, and the stakes are much higher than any short-term partisan victory. To be sure, there is junk in the stimulus package that was put there by a few empty-headed democrats in the House. However, what we’re talking about here is not a process of bi-partisan compromise where fat is trimmed from the package. What’s going on now, at the worst possible time, is that a group of ideologues who want the administration to fail are doing everything they can to instill mistrust and lack of confidence in the government. This is the battle cry of Rush Limbaugh. Take down Obama, even if it means jeopardizing the well-being republic. As Obama said, this is not a game. The stakes are high. Doing nothing, or even delaying too long could put this country into its second Depression. It’s time to drop this ideological, partisan bickering and get serious for once. Juvenile name-calling and chest-thumping at this time in our history is not only stupid, it borders on self-destructive. The GOP, whether it realizes it or not, it committing political suicide with its recalcitrant, self-absorbed, and almost robotic need to attack anything that the new administration tries to do to repair the crashing economy. Like a fanatical suicide bomber, many Republicans seem willing to blow themselves and the country to bits, as long as they take out Obama in the process. Grow up, people. For the last eight years, your ideology failed the entire world. Time for a little humility, don’t you think?
Right on, JohnRJ08. The complaints like those above are so petty, they’re nearly on the level of a tree house gang whining about going home to do chores.
They’d complain if he were more conciliatory (he’s weak!!), they’d complain if he pounded his lectern like the stain…er, sainted Rush Limbaugh pounds his desk (he’s out of control!!), they’d complain if he remained silent, like Bush did so often (he’s hiding something!!!).
I think we all can admit that there were a lot of items in the original stimulus package that were clearly not appropriate, and all of us can say, “WHAT were the Dem representatives thinking?” when they presented the bill to the House for a vote.
But if the House and Senate Republicans think they are gaining points by being obstructionist, and not constructively helping clean up the bill QUICKLY, they should think again…if that’s at all possible. And I’m wondering.
The Republicans seem to be on a collision course with chaos, and that course didn’t just start on January 20th, or November 4th.
JohnRJ08.. I have to give you praise about what you said. My oppinion differs somewhat, but we are on the same page.
I believe that the GOP is not necessarally making an effort to specifically bring down Obama, what they are trying to do is destroy any chance of biparticanship and blame it on the democrats, destroy any chance of Obama turning the economy around and blame it on the Democrats. Here’s why:
The destroyed the reputation of America, they destroyed the economy, they left the next president with the highest defecits in the history of our country.. and the list goes on. And think about it. The reamining GOP in office have nothing to say. They were all a rubber stamp for it. Who are they to recommend anything. As far as I’m concerned, they have no credibility when it comes to doing right for our country. It’s all about maintaining power at any cost.
So what would Karl Rove recommend? DO NOT let Obama claim bipartisan leadership which we haven’t had for some time and DO NOT let the economy improve under the Obama Administration and DO NOT let the american people think that Obama has repaired our good name throughout the world.. Why? because if that happens, the Republican party is going to be the minority party for some time. I believe they are going to continue the destructive tactics at the expense of the american people so they can have their talking points in the coming elections.
It’s really pathetic to watch them these days. I just hope that the american people continue to see the light and reject this rediculousness.
Come on America.. Let’s pay attention and reject this behavior. It’s time to make America great again.
Honestly, these people make me laugh. All of a sudden national unity and supporting the President is critical after 8 years of these same petulant cry-babies opposing the previous President at every step…..but now we all need to unite behind this empty-suit of a President, puh-lease. And for all you folks who are so worried about how America is perceived by the rest of the world…well I’m not seeing the love-fest since The Great Leader has been elected. In fact the initial euphoria is evaporating pretty damned fast.
Predictably all the old bogeymen are pulled out like Limbaugh and Rove. Listen folks, if these guys were so powerful the Republicans would still be in power. They aren’t that powerful, but please continue to beat your straw villains.
Actually there is bipartisanship here but it’s in opposition to the so called “stimulus” bill. There are enough Democrat votes to ram anything they want down our throats. You people can’t even get your own party to support the bill but you want to blame the minority. Heck, you can’t even get the RINO’s to support you. The President likes to say that the objectionable pork amounts to only one percent of the bill. Well if that’s the only thing stopping this bill from passing then why not cut it out? I suspect the pork really amounts to a lot more than just one percent.
Democrats got us into this economic mess by promoting politically correct home ownership. Hell, for a while everyone was happy, builders, real-estate agents, and lenders. Everyone was making their quotas getting bonuses and putting record numbers of minorities in their own homes. Everything was great until all those 2% ARMs started going up and these marginally able homeowners couldn’t afford their mortgages anymore. The Republicans certainly share some blame here for letting themselves be co-opted into this mess. I realize it would have been political suicide take a fiscally prudent stand that the liberals would have twisted into evidence of racism.
Finally, Republicans are feeling the economic pinch too. We are also worried about our jobs and want to fix our economic ills. We won’t be swayed though by hysterical portents of doom. If the situation is so dire why not produce a good bill, without pork, that the majority of Americans can see will really help the economy. We’ll support it. You can’t do it and we aren’t going to be railroaded into supporting it. Oh, and this has nothing to do with whether Obama succeeds as a President or not.
Jesus H Christ you democrats have a short memory. What the hell do you think the democrats have done for the last eight years? They did everything they could to get Bush fail. I said those EXACT same words you say above too many times to count but, about the democrats. This just shows how two faced, double standard you people are.
Personally, I don’t think the President has that much power. It is Congress that makes the laws, not the President. It is Congress that decides how to spend the money, not the President. It was a democratic Congress for the last two years that got us in this mess. Not Bush, not the Republicans, not Wall Street, but the democrats who will do ANYTHING the get and stay in power even if it means shitting all over the USA.
Good commentary from Krauthammer today:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020502766_pf.html
You mean I *CAN’T* afford my $750K home in San Diego on a bus driver’s salary? Can’t I just flip it like they do on HGTV? Houses always appreciate.
So, what do the people that paid their mortgage and lived within their means get? You know, other than the bill for the people too dumb or greedy to follow the rules. Reagan inherited a much worse economic environment in his first term and didn’t get his economic bill passed until summer…maybe take the time to get it right? That being said, they all look like fuck-tards right now, but at least their constituents are informed…wait…
“I won’t have to work out how to put gas in my car, I won’t have work out how to pay my mortgage. If I help him [Obama], he’s gonna help me.” -Peggy Joseph-
Now where the heck did I put that extra gas and matches? PHOOOOM!
All kidding aside, since it’s questionable spending that is holding the bill up, why not take a week or so to work it out? Stamping ones feet and screaming, “you’re not cooperating,” really isn’t getting anywhere. It looks childish. I honestly had expected the president, at this juncture, to suggest it.
What bothers me the most (and it has bothered me for the past 10-odd years) is the use of fear, and then hysteria, to take rash, possibly harmful, action. Catastrophe? Pandemic? Weapons of Mass Destruction? It’s all the same. Perhaps its been overused so much we are immune to allowing fear to drive us into passing bills that spend a trillion dollars in one fell swoop.
Break it up. Break it out into its component sectors, and deal with the most urgent first. That way, you can have a plan of action other than printing money.
The above referenced CNN.com story was linking here for a while. Welcome to the new folks!
Most all of the points I was going to make have been made.
I’ll add that I agree that Republicans have not been good stewards of our money. Given that substantial political weakness, the Democrat juggernaut had a great opportunity to get a more grounded and sensible stimulus package passed (and likely keep initiative for months).
Instead, they gorged, to a staggering degree. Again, go read the 50-point breakdown of this bill at National Review, linked above. Only a dyed-in-the-wool socialist shall emerge from said reading with no irritation whatsoever.
The Republicans are right to obstruct this monster. Wrong for six years doesn’t mean wrong now. It apparently takes having their asses handed to them for them to rediscover anything resembling fiscal conservatism.
The amused observer in me marvels at how rapidly the Democrats squandered their political advantage.
The cynic in me says same old shit; just add three zeroes.
(As I finished this comment, news broke of a new stimulus bill that is “only” $780,000,000,000.)
From his speeches lately, it seems to me that Obama is still running for office. Doesn’t he know he’s IN office?