Sorry I'm running late today. Maybe NJ Transit needs another tunnel into Manhattan. Enough griping, here's your Morning EDition:
TODAY
- The House goes home. Until Sept. 7th. Just like your summer vacation, right?
- Senate vote on the debt-ceiling deal is expected at noon.
- Pres. Obama will make a statement following the Senate vote.
BUDGET
- Who will sit on the "super committee"?
- VIDEO: Sen. GOP Leader McConnell (R-KY) vows to hold the debt ceiling hostage again. Why wouldn't he, when Dems keep rewarding it?
- Greg Sargent on what the reaction to the deal says about how screwed we are.
- White House does know how to draw some lines, e.g., Medicaid.
- Liberal reaction to the deal.
- Dems say GOP won.
- GOP says GOP won. (Though maybe that's to fool the Tea Party...)
- Taibbi says Democrats didn't fight because they didn't want to.
- The Ticktock.
- Both parties try to spin the deal as helpful to the economy. History be damned.
- Markets not happy.
- Lobbyists are.
- Gene Robinson: Liberals lost the battle, not the war.
- The GOP 2012 field finally weighs in on the deal.
- Union leader says the deal will kill jobs.
- The deal won't help the economy.
- Industry says the deal won't create jobs.
- What does create jobs? Government spending.
- So the Fed is considering stepping in again.
- The deal saves only what we spend on three months in Afghanistan, cuts aid to grad students.
- Most Tea Party supporters supported new revenues in the deal.
- Democrats will push for the debt committee to raise taxes, which Republicans will be able to prevent.
- The debt-ceiling battle cost taxpayers $1.7 billion.
- Think I saw a McConnell denial, but reports say GOPers who vote against deal won't get to sit on "super committee."
- Chart: The deal's cuts utterly dwarf the spending from the stimulus.
- Poll: Most Americans oppose the debt deal.
- Poll: Most Americans want a different representative. So much for 2010.
- VIDEO: Rep. Gabby Gifford (D-AZ) returns to the House to vote for the deal.
JOBS
- The administration plans a pivot to jobs.
- Corporations move to lay off tens of thousands.
- Pres. Obama talks jobs today with the AFL-CIO.
- Pivoting to jobs is tough without room to pivot.
- Manufacturing saw weakest growth in two years.
- If you thought electoral anger about unemployment was bad now, what about when the debt deal fails to improve things?
CLASS WARFARE
- Study finds weakening of unions has led to income disparity.
- Significant numbers of students may be unable to repay their loans.
- Wall St. has spent $100 million this year to fight back against already-weakened new rules.
BROKEN GOVERNMENT
- House members fly home on planes inspected by FAA safety inspectors working without pay. Leaving Dems defending rural airports. And unions.
- We could have another shutdown standoff next month.
- And another one.
- Map: Which states are actually the parasites on government?
- Analysis: Our system is fine, it's the GOP that's screwed up.
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
- Judge orders Kansas to resume disbursing funds to Planned Parenthood.
LATINOPHOBIA
- DOJ files suit against Alabama's anti-immigrant law.
ISLAMOPHOBIA
- Fox attacks Obama's Ramadan statement.
WISCONSIN
- Could debt-deal loss dispirit Wisconsin progressives in the recall battle?
SYRIA
- President Assad continues killing reformers.
SOMALIA
- Islamist insurgents make the famine worse by detaining starving refugees.
RACISM
- Lawmaker apologizes to Pres. Obama for calling him a "tar baby."
RIGHT-WING MEDIA
2012
- Poll shows Obama in trouble in Pennsylvania.
(What I'm reading: Greg Sargent's Plum Line, Think Progress, Matt Yglesias, Talking Points Memo, TPMDC, Taegan Goddard's Political Wire, the Washington Monthly, CNN's PoliticalTicker, the National Journal, Ezra Klein, Politico's Playbook and Huddle, Dave Weigel, Wonkette, Firedoglake, the NYT Caucus, Daily Kos, Crooks and Liars. What my iPod has me listening to: Pacing the Cage by Bruce Cockburn.)
Follow Senior Producer Jonathan Larsen (@jtlarsen) on Twitter



So the President is going to make another useless and time wasted speech. I through watching him and wasting my time.
The question that I pose is; would you vote for Pres. Obama for a second term? I would not vote for him again. He does not have a backbone and he has proven many times that he will give in to anyone who stands up to him. Having said that I think that he is the lessor of two evils but will the economy turn around during the next two, three, or even four years? It might turn some but I highly doubt that even in that time frame it will turn around to where the middle class and poor would be much better and spending again. The only time we've seen spending increase over the last few years is after people receive their income tax over payment checks. And so with the republicans going in the direction that they are, which is catering to the rich, the chances of this economy doing well under their leadership in the next election cycle are slim to none. So my thought is to elect Obama out and let the republicans have at it. With their direction they will most likely fail and hopefully in the mean time a strong democrat with a backbone will surface and we will then elect him / her into office. If we leave Obama in for another four years, let's face it, it's not looking good and the democrats will be more tainted then they already are. Obama won't stand up to these guys and then the whole democratic party looks worse then they already do. SO get Obama the heck out, let the democrats do some regrouping, like get Pelosi out of there, and let's move forward. Maybe we could make a good sweep in the midterms.
This is totally ridiculous that Obama doesn't stand up to these people!! He should never have taken the 14th amendment off the bargaining table and he should have used it. If he used it I am sure that more people would respect him for just being strong and not backing down. I never liked George Bush, but I respect him more then I do Obama because at least Bush stood by and stood completely firm to his decisions. He didn't waiver and I respect that.
Get Obama out of there and let's get some strength into this damn democratic party. They are so darn weak and spineless!!!
Hello Tom, see you just invented yourself this morning. We still have 20 mins., to the vote. No one know exactly what will be coming down other than we have raised the debt ceiling, so bills can be paid and we won't default. Other things will be done later and we don't know what the out come will be.
Your beloved GW, left a nasty, vile, bag of garbage on Obama's White House door step at his election. As an armchair, Tuesday morning, water cooler critique, exactly how would you have played this Crisis that Our House created to obstruct any legislation of value from coming down?
I personal want to hear what Obama has to say since it is going to effect our lives for the next 5 &1/2 years.
Thankful Mom
Your beloved GW, left a nasty, vile, bag of garbage on Obama's White House door step at his election.
and the Teapubliecants start that bag of garbage on fire, then ran off like the cowards they are.
Tom, so you respect a man that took us into Iraq, a totally needless war where we lost thousands of lives and not to mention, it was put on America's credit card and caused the majority of this defict problem we are dealing with? Just because someone has convictions and doesnt sway, doesnt mean their decisions are right. Bush's decisions is what led us to where we are now, complete devastation of our economy. You think things are bad now, wait until people dont vote and the Tea Party takes over the Congress as well as the Presidential seat and potentially for 8 years. I understand people's disillusionment but seriously, your answer to that is to not vote? Guess what got us the Tea Party in 2010? It was because people didnt vote, it was because of people (primarily Democrats) that sat on their arses and didnt vote and let the Tea Party thugs into the picture. Anyone who doesnt excercise their right to vote and have say in this country has no right to say anything, period. I totally agree that Obama needs to get a backbone and start fighting for his base, and if Hillary were running, I would vote for her but I will for sure vote for Obama a second term because the path the Tea Party wants to take our country will be devastating. I think it would be devastating if our country was run by a Palin, a Bachmann, a Romney or a Perry, they are nut jobs and I cant imagine you think it would be OK if they won. Imagine the number of things they could do in their time in office, and alot of it would be undoable including Supreme Court Justices, etc. So I encourage you to think twice about your decision to not vote and hope that its because you are in a place of , every Tea Partier out there would think your not voting would be fantastic and I cant image that you would really want to give them that satisfaction.
Now don't get me wrong. I do not agree with the Iraq war and I disagree with much of what GW did, but he stood strong and Obama is not standing strong. Things could definitely be worse no doubt. My point is simply that if the dems and the pres do not grow backbones real quick then can anyone see this getting better? At present it is like we have a republican running the country in many ways. If it continues as is and things do not get better and we have similar through his next term then not only is the situation still bad but then the chances of another dem getting in office in the 2016 election are slim. Now not only is the situation still bad but we would have a full fledged repub in office. Then see how bad it would become!! Think about it. I would probably vote independent.
Someone asked how I would have handled it. I certainly do not know it all but it seems to me that the best option would have been to use the 14th amendment. Then he appears strong and in charge. Then, while the whole 14th amendment thing is playing out, I would throw a bunch of cuts out on the table, not only to appease but because they are needed. Then he is looking in charge and showing the country that he is serious about cutting spending.
As it stands now the middle class is shrinking and the poor are suffering and those Bush tax cuts will not end. If they ended for the top 1% it would certainly be better and we'd have money to throw at the deficit. But now to end them Obama would have to end them for all because the repubs and teabaggers will not allow them to end for the rich.
Like the old joke of putting dog crap in a bag and sitting it on fire and ringing your door bell! Not funny for the person who receives it. I'm listening to Obama's speech now.....I agree with every word....Thank you Mr. President.....Make the House put that gun to the head of the American Citizen away. Would you like to take all that talk back now, Tom????
I agree, i cant stomach voting for him again. democrats need someone to run against him for the nomination. I would like hillary or bernie sanders.
oops....another one.....splat!
Sam, you make some good points and some of what I say is just venting and I would naturally vote to keep repubs out but Obama is just pissing me off. He never should have given away so much for so little.
There's a Roosevelt speech I saw recently where he states all of these HUGE numbers of planes, ships, and various military stuff needed for the war that he wants the auto company's to start building. He was talking 40,000, 30,000 etc. So sometime after the speech he meets with the heads of the big three auto producers. They say to him, how are we going to build all of this stuff and continue to build cars. Roosevelt says, you don't understand. We are not building cars anymore. We are building these other things to get the job done. I thought that it was great to hear a president get up there in front of America and truly lead. I mean TRULY lead. Everyone did not agree with him but they stood behind him because he promoted himself and put himself out there and said with so many words, I am in charge and this is what is going to work. The country then rallied behind him. It wasn't a meaning less speech because he had backbone and they knew that he wasn't going to waiver.
democrats look like damn fools under this administration. i dont know who his advisors are but they need to be fired. he just dont get it!
I keep watching these debates and wondering why americans don't know why americans don't ever read a history book. No, not the history that the morons in the tea party seem to read, but a real history book. The Great Depression did not begin with the crash of 29 but the Fed under the idiot Hoover decided they needed to cut spending. We didn't get fully out of the GD until Ike raised taxes to a marginal rate of 91%.
Tom, you said you were just venting and that's fine, we all need to do that from time to time. However, your first post said you would NOT vote for Obama again. Now, you are contridicting yourself. Could it be that you don't want to be in the same boat of arrogant, lying, stealing, bigoted obstructionalist like little Willy who immediately jumped on your bandwagon making a total idiot and fool out of himself. Be careful how you vent, you may get some very nasty bed partners that will leave you itching and scratching because of all of the bed bugs they left behind.
Ok, friends, I've watched the coverage of the vote in the house today. To tell the truth I am frustrated and a little bit angry at the American voters, the progressive Democrats, the Republicans, all the pundants, and last but certainly not least, The TEA PARTY. Here's why I'm angry with everyone of the politicians and voters. Let's start with the American voters back in 2008. We knew we had an economic disastor, we had high unemployement and our debt was sky rocketing, not to mention that Bush/Chaney got us into 3 wars that we had no way of paying. They took a healthy economy, blew through our surplus, cut taxes for their rich buddies on Wall Street, deregulated the banking industry and gave subsidies to oil barons. Need I go on, because I could. Being the smart Americans that we WERE back then we voted for the first black man running for President and we did that because he had a vision of turning this country around and putting people back to work. So, he was elected. But the moment he took the oath of Office all the Republican leaders got in front of the cameras and said that their sole mission was to make Obama a one term President. They had NO intentions of ever working with him, they did everything to obstruct new jobs, and economic recovery. They threatened the President that if he did not extend the Bush tax cuts for the mega rich, they were going to vote to end unemployement extensions that so many middle class out of workers needed. And, they needed those extensions because the tax cuts to the wealthy and the subsidies to Oil companies DID NOT create one job. They also threatened to raise taxes on the middle class, so they left the President with really no other alternative. Now, we have the nerve to blame the President for extending the tax cuts and NOT the Republicans who acted like the mob to get their way. Ok, we move on to 2010, every job creating package put before the Republicans was either straight out voted against or it was filibusted in the senate. No jobs, without jobs it costs tax payer dollars to help these poor people and they can't pay into the revenue with out a job. Here's where we went totally out of our minds. When the 2010 elections came around, we got lazy and didn't turn out the vote, The Republicans took advantage of that laziness and brought the new bullies in to run against Dems. They scammed and lied their way into office. Most of them had never held a public office before in their lives and they absolutely didn't have the foggiest idea of how to govern. But, they promised job creations, putting the middle class unemployed back to work, they promised to lower the deficit, they promised to make the world a rosy place for all Americans to live in. Well, being impatient like children often are, they voted these lunitics into office. Then the same people that we elected under false pretences, STABBED US IN THE BACK. They set out to destroy the middle class worker by stripping away their right to bargain, they went after pensions, they went after seniors, the poor and our children. They did it without the least bit of shame. So, here we are, we have a bunch of bullies running the show. For some reason the Republicans are afraid of the bully teabaggers and refuse to stand up to them.. They can't control their own party and their party is splintering. They create a man made crisis with threatening to vote no on raising the debt ceiling, something that has been done under every president except Carter. They take it to the edge of the cliff, they walk out on negotiations and basically tell us that they are ok with having us default on our debt. Remember now, Chaney says debt doesn't matter. Really, I don't know about you but it matters to me. If I don't pay my bills I ruin my credit, have my wages attached, etc. The Tea Party was perfectly willing to let this happen, even after they were told that default would put us in a depression worse than the 1929 one. So, they try to get the President, who is a scholar on the constitution to make a critical mistake and invoke the 14th amendment and raise the debt ceiling on his own. If he had played that card, he would have lost the game. The Teabaggers would have mounted the impeachment process right in the middle of the 2012 campaign taking the focus off them. They did not keep one campaign promise made in 2010. As a matter of fact, they cost Americans thousands of jobs and they created O jobs. Remember the Supreme Court Republican judges holds the majority. Did we forget that they were the ones who re-elected Bush, not us, the voters. So, now it's the 12th hour, the President can let this country go into a deep depression, or he can try to avoid it by accepting a bill that nobody likes. But by accepting it we avoid default that the teabaggers were so anxious for us to do. Now everyone is pointing the finger at Obama for all the trouble and we are not holding the Republicans responsible at all. Progressives are mad because the President gave too much, but nobody had any better idea or plan. We must look in the mirror, because the face that looks back is probably the one who shares the blame.
This is for you Tom, Willy and Sarge. Sarge I only see your name because I have blocked your posts, but I'm guessing you are still spouting the same uneducated, bigotted and ignorant remarks you've made in the past. You don't have to respond Sarge because your words do not show up on my screen unless I chose to view them, which I DON'T. I'll be able to tell from how others respond to you to see if you still have the same obstructionist views or if by some miricle you've finally let some facts sink into your head. I'm not holding my breath as you seem too stuck in your hatred and your uneducated views.
Valerie, everything you say about Replublicans...can be said about the Democrats in the not so distant past. You guys have splintered before. I just love it when you point out our faults when you have had the same.
Don't you get it....we spend too much...Replublicans spent too much under Bush...Democrats have spent way too much under Obama. WE NEED TO STOP THE OUT OF CONTROL SPENDING. Don't you get it? Do you have any kids?
And finally the left progressive talk shows, journalists, etc....furious with Obama and now talking about him like a dog....the same cursing and swearing they did at Bush. They are letting Obama have it. How do you feel about your leader?
Don't you think the country would be better off if he becomes a one term president? The peoples spoke in 2010 and will again in 2012.
nice try Johnny.
think you have that spend way to much wrong<<<
but you are right 2012 will be a very bad year for Teapubliecants!
LOL
PS see what I mean about how they ignore 30 years of unpaid Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 debts from their cutting taxes then borrowing to shore up their revenue just to waste it on military, wars and more tax cuts without paying a dime on even the interest from their borrowing?
This is the type of stupidity that gets the tea bagged GOP nation elected. Do the tea bagged GOP nation address the debt or try to increase employment to generate more revenue. No, they make bills to cut taxes, out law abortions and suppress the vote and their dim witted followers cheer them on right up to the day the banks foreclose their homes and the repo men take their cars. Then they cry how a black teen got pregnant costing them everything. You can't fix that kind of stupid.
@Tom: Now days if a Democrat got up and tried to lead like Roosevelt he would be called a Dictator. People dont respect authority in the US anymore and for good reason. You have to be respectful to earn respect. We have had some undesirable people in all authority positions. Although usually the most undesirable usually are feared therefore they gain their respect out of fear. GW Bush for example.
I am not happy with the bill. But all considered, it prevented default, and seems to have calmed the debt rating people.
Things, for sure, are going to get ugly in the next year, but we need to keep our focus. Remember who insisted on all of the cuts, when they cost you your job, or when your unemployment runs out, or when you can't get a school grant to prepare you for a new job.
Bonerhead boasted that he got 98% of what he asked for. He now, more than ever, owns 98% of the unemployment rate. The teabaggers wasted months of the Congress' time holding out for budget cuts. Well, they own those cuts, and the economic chaos that they will cause. They are going to find out that actions have consequences.
It is not time to kick the President to the curb. Rather we need to support him, and help him get a democrat majority in the House , and increase the majority in the Senate. This compromise pos bill is simply a consequence of the 2010 election, when Democrats did not get motivated, and in large numbers stayed home. Abandoning the President now, will only give us the same result in 2012.
gee to think that this has not gone into effect but there are 94K going to the unemployment line and will reflected on that number at the end of the month.
If they will not fund the FAA them let them drive home for vacation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
we all should be waiting at the airports went they get in with signs and protest!!!
Hey PS, the kochroaches have arrived on the sight early. It has become more difficult to fly with all this "protection" they do or don't give us.....but I've compared the time, price of gas, and rent a car....I'll just drive where I can.
and i expect them to be running around spew kockroach droppings, hell i see WI has a empathetic of them.
Looks like this one is trying to clean up after himself. Guess he didn't like being spotted.
Here are some thoughts. People do not like ugly. Just as God does not like ugly as the old adage proclaims. You know when you walk down or drive up the streets of your city what is that you see? Broken roads, holes, failed or failing bridges old dilapidated buildings poorly kept yards, weeds the city has failed to spray in medians. Old paint in lines and on walks that were once quite vibrant. Why is this? Obviously because there is NO tax revenue to pay for them to be done or fixed. Their is then no money to take on new projects either. The tea bagging republicans simply want you and America to deal with it. On a hope and a prayer they wish with all of there might that rich folk will simply volunteer to pay for it themselves after they receive just a little more tax cuts. But I'm sorry. To no avail this will never happen. And when people live in a ghetto or even a city that just looks like one it seeps into there psyche.A horrible feeling of dread and despair that things are that far out of reach.
The Government SHOULD be working together to make these things get done. To give America a scence that if the government is OK we to will be ok. Like a child knows that when his parents our getting along and doing well they have no need to worry. They may dream look to the future and dream of whats ahead. But tea bagging republicans want to force the past on us. With talk of NO hope and dread and despair ahead of us all. That is all that there hate is capable of seeing. Because of their hatred of our nations President who was voted in overwhelmingly. In fact uncertainty is perpetuated by the right when they do what they have done. And they have no plans to stop.
If business commerce the markets, could recognize what they see as togetherness as a government solving problems together instead of hating the opposition we might move along. You see uncertainty is claimed when our government is dysfunctional as it is. So the main line of thinking is that Americans to are dysfunctional as they are represented by these people. And instead of sucking it up and EVERYONE paying the taxes they should be paying you have the tea bagging republicans acting as though we should have a distinct different set of laws for the poor and the rich. Refusing to insure hope for the elderly and the disabled and poor and instead providing an uneasy uncertainty for THERE future you have nervousness. A nervousness that does not breed respect hope or outlook. Only dread and dispare.
If we could look around and see how great America is it would do SOooo much for the American psyche. But instead you see ghetto everywhere. No hope. Hopelessness. We hear of business being FORCED out of this great nation because it is cheaper for them to move to China and elsewhere to ship things back to America at a lower tax rate. That is something tea bagging republican REFUSE to address. They also refuse to relinquish there own salaries for a job I would happily serve for free. In fact tax handouts in a a time of debt and deficit are absurd. They are welfare for the rich because as soon as the middle class and poor get there few hundred dollars it goes straight away into the gas tank because gas rise in price ALWAYS coincides with this. It is simply another tax break for big oil in America while the right trys to fool you that is is yours. Indeed.
We need to be able to look around and see it. See the vibrancy. See the shining outlook. See the prosperity we create when we ALL work together. But hate racism and ignorance blinds so many to the re selfish indignation clambering for what they alone hold dear. Insisting upon absurd notions and spitting on what has worked for us all time and time again. All due to the hate they feel for one man who they see as our government as America. There is NO conspiracy theory here. He is NOT the Anti Christ and God will not come back for those of you who hate and refuse to HELP your neighbor ALL of the time. Read your good book yourself and tell me what it says to you. I will be waiting. ; ]
Cheers
ed we all know that the republican teapartywhitch includes all republicans cannot be trusted .they have showen that already so why would the people trust the hostage takers in the feature?the poor and middle class are at the breaking point already we cannot give any more we are already in poverity and they want to take our homes as well as the clothes off our backs.
It is the same old speech just on a different day. Th President said he was going to fight for fair taxes and saving entitlements every speech. Now they have a commitee of 12 Idiots that will not find common ground and cause the trigger to shoot the American people in the back. They could not reach an agreement with the gang of six. This is just more retoric. The so called trigger if the commitee dont reach a plan is just covering their butts on both sides so neither side can be blamed. This is bi-partisan politics.
1. If they go home, why aren't you planning on being there to meet them? How about some planned/unplanned town halls where these people live? How about a free and open discussion on the air? Do we have to wait for a strike or a horrible right wing Governor to ram in draconian cuts and union busting to act? If "the American people" are truly behind these acts, let's hear why or if not, let Congress hear the true voice of "the American people".
2. Why aren't the baby boomers looking at our current "elder care" horror show and saying, in a few more years, there I go and moving to try and change the way we abandon old people to sit in chairs and crap their pants! Why aren't we making jobs for people to figure our how to involve people. The Web. A tablet for every old person on their birthday and show them how to use it! Look at all that brain power we just allow to rot away. Even if they just told us their stories, it would be well worth the money. Why are we so arrogant that we forget "those who forget history are doomed to repeat it".
A mob would be nice to meet them....with protest signs...Do you know where they are landing?
They will arive in private jets in the middle of the night, unannouned. Just like the cockroaches they are.
What's the deal with the Rev? Why doesn't he have his own show? He's smart and even though I don't agree with his position not to criticize the Prez, I totally love the way he argues with people who seem to think because they are hard left, they should be above reproach. We see from the right what happens when compromise becomes a bad word. I like the left because the argument is usually on facts and not just name calling. What is it that can be done and when? Do we want (and can we stand) a President of All the People or just us who have been fooled again (who elected the tea baggers? ;-). They lied or at best did not tell us that they had allegiance to an oath to a man and not to our country and who were willing and wanting US to default unless we accepted ALL their demands.
Rev. Al has his own show on MSNBC at 5 EST. I agree, he is feisty. Once he dials in on his broadcasting abilities, his show will do well.
I Will vote for him again, because what is out there, he is the lesser of two evils. The man had good intentions, but once you get to the white house you no longer can represent ONLY your party. You have to represent all the people. I think that is supposed to be with all those who are sent to Washington and the wrong thing that the GOP leaders have done. They have been representing the top 2% and pledge loyalty to Norquist who is a money launderer instead of working for all Americans. They were willing to cut SS, Medicare, Medicaid and unemployment benefits, let alone the faith and credit of the USA just to be loyal to that pledge. They are still loyal to it and to those top elite who control 90% of the wealth. Read my long comment above.
Ok, friends, I've watched the coverage of the vote in the house today. To tell the truth I am frustrated and a little bit angry at the American voters, the progressive Democrats, the Republicans, all the pundants, and last but certainly not least, The TEA PARTY. Here's why I'm angry with everyone of the politicians and voters. Let's start with the American voters back in 2008. We knew we had an economic disastor, we had high unemployement and our debt was sky rocketing, not to mention that Bush/Chaney got us into 3 wars that we had no way of paying. They took a healthy economy, blew through our surplus, cut taxes for their rich buddies on Wall Street, deregulated the banking industry and gave subsidies to oil barons. Need I go on, because I could. Being the smart Americans that we WERE back then we voted for the first black man running for President and we did that because he had a vision of turning this country around and putting people back to work. So, he was elected. But the moment he took the oath of Office all the Republican leaders got in front of the cameras and said that their sole mission was to make Obama a one term President. They had NO intentions of ever working with him, they did everything to obstruct new jobs, and economic recovery. They threatened the President that if he did not extend the Bush tax cuts for the mega rich, they were going to vote to end unemployement extensions that so many middle class out of workers needed. And, they needed those extensions because the tax cuts to the wealthy and the subsidies to Oil companies DID NOT create one job. They also threatened to raise taxes on the middle class, so they left the President with really no other alternative. Now, we have the nerve to blame the President for extending the tax cuts and NOT the Republicans who acted like the mob to get their way. Ok, we move on to 2010, every job creating package put before the Republicans was either straight out voted against or it was filibusted in the senate. No jobs, without jobs it costs tax payer dollars to help these poor people and they can't pay into the revenue with out a job. Here's where we went totally out of our minds. When the 2010 elections came around, we got lazy and didn't turn out the vote, The Republicans took advantage of that laziness and brought the new bullies in to run against Dems. They scammed and lied their way into office. Most of them had never held a public office before in their lives and they absolutely didn't have the foggiest idea of how to govern. But, they promised job creations, putting the middle class unemployed back to work, they promised to lower the deficit, they promised to make the world a rosy place for all Americans to live in. Well, being impatient like children often are, they voted these lunitics into office. Then the same people that we elected under false pretences, STABBED US IN THE BACK. They set out to destroy the middle class worker by stripping away their right to bargain, they went after pensions, they went after seniors, the poor and our children. They did it without the least bit of shame. So, here we are, we have a bunch of bullies running the show. For some reason the Republicans are afraid of the bully teabaggers and refuse to stand up to them.. They can't control their own party and their party is splintering. They create a man made crisis with threatening to vote no on raising the debt ceiling, something that has been done under every president except Carter. They take it to the edge of the cliff, they walk out on negotiations and basically tell us that they are ok with having us default on our debt. Remember now, Chaney says debt doesn't matter. Really, I don't know about you but it matters to me. If I don't pay my bills I ruin my credit, have my wages attached, etc. The Tea Party was perfectly willing to let this happen, even after they were told that default would put us in a depression worse than the 1929 one. So, they try to get the President, who is a scholar on the constitution to make a critical mistake and invoke the 14th amendment and raise the debt ceiling on his own. If he had played that card, he would have lost the game. The Teabaggers would have mounted the impeachment process right in the middle of the 2012 campaign taking the focus off them. They did not keep one campaign promise made in 2010. As a matter of fact, they cost Americans thousands of jobs and they created O jobs. Remember the Supreme Court Republican judges holds the majority. Did we forget that they were the ones who re-elected Bush, not us, the voters. So, now it's the 12th hour, the President can let this country go into a deep depression, or he can try to avoid it by accepting a bill that nobody likes. But by accepting it we avoid default that the teabaggers were so anxious for us to do. Now everyone is pointing the finger at Obama for all the trouble and we are not holding the Republicans responsible at all. Progressives are mad because the President gave too much, but nobody had any better idea or plan. We must look in the mirror, because the face that looks back is probably the one who shares the blame.
Well stated!
If you read all I typed you will ultimately find that I will indeed be voting and will probably vote independent. If Obama and the rest of the dems get their act together then I will gladly vote for a second term. I would like to see Obama succeed but you cannot deny that he is a caver and this trait is known among the repubs and teaheads. They KNOW that all they have to do is keep the pressure on the dems and the pres. and most of the dems are going to crumble. So hopefully they will get their act together. But I'm looking at reality here and reality is that the dems have negotiated themselves into a corner when it comes to helping the middle class and poor by means of ending the Bush era tax cuts. That's gone and off the table.
Yes, we can blame Bush for getting us to this point but at some point the blaming has to end. If you ask me where it all started then I would say that it started directed after Bush took control. But blaming is not going to straighten the mess now is it? Can we keep blaming Bush? The answer is NO!! Blaming does not produce results. Although the answers in politics are not easy due to egos and greed I do believe that we would be far better off if Obama portrayed a stronger and more direct approach. The same with the dems. Are you reading what I am reading with all of these politicians trying to tell us basically that all is cool even though neither of us got what we wanted. Boneheader said last night on tv that the repubs got 98% of what they wanted. So who lost? Who quit fighting and bent over? I don't know if you have ever negotiated for anything but one side getting 98% is not fair and indicates that the losing side caved in. Now who was on that other side that caved? Just stating the facts mam. That's reality.
Tom, I do agree if Boehner felt he got 98% of what he wanted, Dems should have said fine, then go get 98% of the votes to pass this bill. But no, instead the Dems fall in line like good little soldiers and help provide the votes that Boehner should have been forced to get on his own.
On blaming Bush, I think as long as his tax cut policy is still in place, he will be blamed and rightfully so. The debt being run up by 2 unfunded wars and tax cuts that we never could afford dont just stop because Obama took office. For sure Obama extended those tax cuts but because, once again, the unemployment extension was being held hostage. The next fight will be the Federal budget and you can bet, the Tea Party wants to shut it down to make a point. It backfired when Gingrich did it, it will backfire when the Republican Tea Party does it, if they hold it hostage again, Obama should stick to his guns and if the Tea Party thinks shutting down the government will help their cause, then let them. It will backfire big time. The American public will get fed up with the constant Tea Party obstructionism and terrorism and send them packing. See, the Tea Party thinks they changed things when they came to Washington, the only thing they changed was ramped up the racism and the threats. I just saw Pat Buchanan calling our President your "boy". We all know what is under the surface of every act taken by a Tea Partier and its called racism. This man is our President but yet we have idiots like Buchanan calling him "boy". Real nice.
Tom, let me start by thanking you for keeping your posts respectful. That being said, please go up to my post #11 to see why I think you are wrong about the President being a "caver" as you put it. Please read my whole post and you will see that all of us need to share the blame for what has happened and how we, in part, tied the President's hands. We are the ones that need to make our voices heard. Don't expect the President to do all the work listening to our voices while you do not give him 100% support. Not conditional support. In placing the blame on the President makes us look like the ugly teabaggers.
I don't consider the President a caver, but a realist. Had we not stayed home in 2010, the President would now have a stonger hand to deal with.
The President cannot do everything himself, he needs our support not our griping.
Funny FU, he says he is voting independent, 9 times out of 10 that means GOP supporter running from the GOP, and he will vote democratic if democrats do the impossible, please him. Another one that lays all of the countries ills on the democrats door step without looking at the road blocks that keep getting put in the way of democrats to pass good progressive bills that will start to address the nations problems or the people who are causing the problems with the same failed solution, tax cuts. 30 years of GOP tax cuts, made with the promise that jobs will be created and we have a ruined economy that only feeds tax dollars to the top 2% while producing no jobs. Even more amazing is the faithful still believe that if they continue to support those tax cuts some day they too will be one of the top 2%, the Joe the Plumber mental illness at work.
Listened to Ezra Klein today saying that the cost of the recession from 2008 until today has been $6T. Yet, the deficit has been layed at Mr. Obama's door. I think that this whole debt ceiling fiasco has been about taking the focus off jobs. I think the MO of the TP/GOP is simply to keep corporations from hiring; Congress can stiffle any job creating legislation from reaching the floor; keep any revenue off the table; then use the economy, unemployment, raising taxes to defeat Mr. Obama's second term. We democrats and independents need to adopt the same resolve and determination that brought the TP/GOP into power in 2010. Most importantly we should have started yesterday.
Independent working to take back the House, keeping the Senate and the Oval office.
There are no winner in this deal so far....Nothing or no one is safe from these destroyers....Stupid Lieberman today said we should take the money form Social security to continue our war on terrorist. Terrorist, I'm more afraid of the legislature of our congress. He and the rest of the right wing nut cases are deaf to the American People. We need to fight against their agenda.
Yes Mom where Bernie Sanders is a great Independent Senator then on the other hand you have Lieberman who is a joke. The only reason he turned Independent is because he cant figure out what he is and he can get money from both sides of the spectrum.
Tom, I do understand your disappointment, I feel it as well. Obama needs to stand up or he will keep getting his b---- handed to him on a platter. He got elected by Dems and Independents and he has forgotten that. Even Reagan's economic advisor said this legislation was a POS and he said it will do nothing to help our economy and in fact, will probably hurt it. He also said he doesnt blame the left for being upset because Obama is behaving like a moderate Republican and thats not who elected him. One of the reasons why he didnt use the 14th amendment was because it would give the right perfect opportunity to attempt to impeach him. Can anyone guarantee which judges would be involved in the legal case? Very possibly right wing plants put in by the Republicans so what would that accomplish. But I hear you. I also think Dems depend on their leaders way too much and they need to be out marching against the Tea Party and Republicans in DC. The only marches you see are by the looney Tea Partiers with their tea bags and superhero costumes. Dems are sitting on their arses and not fighting back.
You make some good points. I haven't listened to Obama's speech yet but I'd be willing to bet that it will be the same ole some ole. Someone needs to wake him up. He can't be playing this let's make friends game with everyone or he's a goner. I'd be willing to bet that his approval rating will plummet and he's caved enough and to the point where I am sure that many people are leaving him behind or have already left. I read an article after his cave on the last tax cut proposal and it stated that some of his biggest supporters were done. Some names were mentioned and some were interviewed and it wasn't looking pretty then. Now, what's it going to look like. He needs to get some balls and quit talking all pretty and trying to please everyone.
We've already seen what happens when Dems walk away because they are mad or disappointed, its called Tea Party 2010. If Dems do this again, they only themselves to blame.
he is the weakest president in my memory. i hope he dont get 4 more years!
WTF the weakest president where did you get that, what you expected Obama to take out his 9 and start capping tea bagged republicans on sight. Good lord people don't freaking think.
The problem with the liberal/progressive movement is that we have too many splinter groups and no central organizer.
We need a big name to represent our movement. Someone to be the face of our movement, like Sarah Palin was for the teabaggers. Unlike, Palin, we need someone that speaks coherently, and actually knows something about governmnet and american history
I think that person is Van Jones . I encourage all to join his Rebuild the Dream movement.
Remember what Will Rogers said FU.........I do not belong to an organized political party I'm a democrat. My favorite one has always been trying to get democrats to work together on anything is like trying to herd cats. Free thinkers don't like being told whats good for them, that is why we don't elect leaders we elect public servants.
What I want to know is what is MSNBC going to do about Pat Buchanan just calling our President "boy" on one of their shows with Rev Sharpton. If I remember correctly MSNBC has suspended various hosts and guests for name-calling and poor behavior, why is Pat Buchanan being allowed to walk on this one? MSNBC, suspend Pat Buchanan for insulting our President and do it now, enough is enough. No one on your show should be allowed to call our President "boy" without repercussions.
anyone listening caught that comment. so did Sharpton. glad you brought this up. now all you fence sitters that think your vote will not count and those that think Obama could have done better and are saying you will not vote for him, remember what you just heard by Buchanan. the right has not changed in the republican party and it never will.
you are at war with an ideology that calls presidents boys and thinks Americans are only entitiled if they have. the have nots have no rights. get that through your heads. the right is pushing hard and the left needs to get it together and push twice as hard back.
I'm not willing to let the middle class tea party folks proove themselves to be on the wrong side. that's their choice. me, I'm voting for Obama because without him the Kochs win pure and simple. put yourself in Obama's shoes and tell me what you would have done. as someone stated, Obama has to be president for ALL Americans not just me and what I just want. he must be fair to the best of his ability. this is what stands out about him, mistakes or no mistakes.
Sam, I posted about this yesterday and also sent an email to MSNBC to have him removed as a commentator. He was on Morning Joe today with his same old dribble. All of us need to send a letter to MSNBC, it certainly worked when Mark Halperin shot his mouth off.
I encourage all of the bloggers here to either call or e:mail MSNBC and demand Pat Buchanan be suspended from their network for calling our President "boy". This type of racist, disrespectful behavior has no place on their network and enough is enough, Im not going stand idly by and let the Tea Party and their cronies continue with these sort of disgusting attacks against the President of the United States. Didnt Mark Halperin get suspended for insulting our President? Pat Buchanan should as well. Demand they not allow this talk from anyone at MSNBC including Buchanan.
Those people, are not the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. He is called all kinds of name....It is just A Matter of Respect for the Office.....You are right there is no respect today, for the shame of it. But you never, ever, ever refer to a Black Man person as BOY....It may as well have been the "N" word. Just not done. Bachmann and Palin, get no respect because they are not respectful to any one else. Ed was called on his mistake, and he apologized for it. He was talking about how she used her mouth, not her sex. I have never heard Backmann and Paling apologize to any one they slurred and Obama has never slurred any of them.
One persons bad behavior in effect does not excuse another person bad behavior or speech.
Jules, Ed was suspended and Buchanan should be as well. As far as Palin and Bachmann go, they top some of the worst offenders of racist, violent rhetoric. Worst President ever? Im afraid your hero Bush has that in the bag.
I encourage all bloggers here to contact MSNBC and demand Buchanan issue and apology and request he be suspended, he should receive the same treatment that anyone else has reeived for crossing the line. You will see that people like Jules encourage this sort of behavior, another Tea Partier that wants to take our country back to the 60's, in more ways than one.
Oh and one more thing Jules, Palin shouldnt have the right to keep the word "Governor" in front of her name. She couldnt even complete her first full term, couldnt handle the heat but yet somehow Tea Partiers think she can handle being President. The only reason Palin is still on the scene is to reach into your back pocket and line her piggy bank. Why do you think she left her term as Gov? Why do you think she wrote a book? Why do you think she had a show on TLC? Why do you think she made a movie? See, the Tea Party thinks Palin actually cares about them, when in fact its your money, that you love handing over to her that she really cares about. Palin and people like the Koch brothers are playing you all for fools and you cant even see it. Why do you think she is delaying announcing if she will run? Because it keeps people stuffing her piggy bank. The minute she announces she isnt running, she knows her fountain runs dry. She is nothing but a talking head sitting in her home in Wasilla, big deal, anyone can do that. How many Governors have left their position in the middle of their term? Im guessing one, Palin. Family in Alaska said she actually left because investigations were about to turn up some shady dealings involving her husband and abuse of power.
Why do they constantly try to compare apples to oranges? Palin brought everything on herself, none of what we say about her is based on her gender nor do we make up stuff about her we just don't like the type of person she is. You can't say the same about the other side who from day one attacked him because of his race and made up stuff at the drop of a hat over the least little thing, like the birther nonsense.
The republican controlled congress has done absolutely nothing but protect the selfish interests of their fat cat backers. And now they go on vacation. Well, it certainly wasn't earned. Sadly, we can only expect more of the same upon their return in September. Maybe they could take a permanent vacation!
Yes, those same Tea Partiers that complain about government but have no problems drawing their government paid check as well as their government benefits as well as more paid time off than any average citizen gets. I wonder if Tea Party House Rep Walsh will at least pay his back-due 9 years of Child Support while he is on vaca. Perhaps if he doesnt, its time for a little jail visit for him afterall he is breaking the law. Oh I forgot, those "government" laws of paying Child Support only apply to others not him. Tea Party motto: Do as I say, not as I do.
Valerie, you have said everything I was thinking, you are so right, everyone should look at Wisconsin they fell asleep and let the tea baggers take over their state and now they are out on the streets fighting to get their state back. If we let our dissapointment for the deal that was done get the best of us and stay home and not vote in the next election we will get what we deserve, we elected the idiots in congress that have made it their number 1 goal to make sure our president is a one term president. If EVERYONE doesn't get off their butts and vote Democratic across the board not just making sure Obama gets back in but make sure the Congress and the Senate are overwelmingly Democratic it will be OUR FAULT when we loose this country. the President is strapped by these idiots and can't get anything done as long as the teabaggers and stupid republicans that ONLY want to protect the rich and make sure Obama looks bad are in office Mcconnel and his iodots need to go cause all they did was filabuster everything in the Senate so even when we had the majority we lost there. this will be our only hope if you want the jobs to come back if not do what you did in the last election and stay stupid. Use some common sense please being pissed at Obama doesn't help anything.
Kimberly, I'm glad that you feel as I do. What scares me the most is people on these sites that say they voted for Obama in 2008, but they won't vote for him in 2012. Their protest votes play right into the Republican party's hands. They want to stir Democrats to anger hoping they will act like spoiled children when they don't get immediate gratification. Look at Wisconsin, they protested the economy not growing fast enough and no new jobs, so they believed the liars in the Republican Party who said they have young people with great ideas to turn unemployment aroung, lower the deficit, and make the world a rosy place to live in. These poor people did not know they were voting in the enemy. As soon as the teabaggers got in, they went striaght to work on destroying the middle class, seniors, poor and our children. They were stabbed in the back big time. I am proud to see them taking back their power and their state. Republicans have sunk so low that they are sending out absentee ballots with the wrong day to get their votes in. They are telling people to mail them in on Aug. 11th the only problem with that is that the recall elections are Aug. 6th. and let's not forget the "fake" dems they ran to postpone the elections. Also remember them trying to trick bar patrons into signing a petition to get their Democrat candidtate on the ballot. They didn't know that it was a recall ballot. Thank God, most were not drunk enough to fall for that and reported them. After all that, their fake candidates all LOST to the real Democrats. How dishonorable can you get and expect anyone to have faith in you?
One more thing, for those Dems and Independents that are toying with the idea of not voting for Obama in 2012, you seem to have forgotten that the Republicans have used every trick in the book, more often than normal, to block every thing he has tried to do. Remember the amount of filibusters they have done, more than ever in history. So while you blame Obama for not living up to your dreams, just remember that he has had more road blocks thrown in front of him by the Republican Tea Party than any President in history. If you think any other Democratic President wouldnt have the same thing happening to them, think again. Seriously folks, you are forgetting what he has been up against, it would be nice if he could pull a rabbit out of his hat or wave a wand and make the Tea Party disappear but the fact remains they have been the most obstructionist party in Congress in decades. And who are you going to vote for? Ralph Nader? All he does is split the vote and risk Dems losing period. Really I hope you all re-think what you are about to do. Valerie is right, if you havent read about what is happening in Wisconsin, I'd advise you to do so because that is what our country will look like if Obama doesnt get re-elected. I have a friend that lives in Wisconsin and she said its like the thugs have taken over. Illegal attempts at over-throwing state government, Federal and State elections, planting fake Democrats in recall elections, sending out ballots giving false election dates, attempts to stop minorities and elderly from voting and so much more and guess who is behind it all? Koch Brothers. If you allow the Republicans to win, you have played right into their hands.
so true, every state is going to go thru the same thing as Wisconsin that have republican majority and governors. I live in Vegas and I'm just waiting for this idiot to start doing to us what is being done to Wisconsin, we better vote all democratic come the election or we are all going down. the problem with people on here is they get mad at not getting enough from the president, he can't do anything on his own it takes the congress and senate to pass anything and it amazes me that all these people went to school and had government clases and don't know how it all works they get there education from fox news thats why we have all these idiots in office. all I can hope for is people will wake up if we don't we may loose the ability to even cast a vote if the governors get there way all the republican states will become run by dicatators if we don't stop them now we may not be able to in the near future. I just hope everyone wakes up before its too late.
Bush was too stupid to run this country. That's why Cheney had to do it for him. You notice how long it took Georgie to react on 9/11. Dickie wasn't there to tell him what to do!
Well, the Republicans got what they wanted and what they didn't want, mostly to take care of their wealthy contributors and as usual the working public gets the shaft. As well as the bill to pay for more of the Washington elite's foolishness. Now they are going to take a nice month long vacation, which, of course, we the taxpayers will also pay for. Except for a few notable elected officials who actually understand who is responsible for voting them into office, the rest are in for the free ride. Their salaries, retirement, healthcare etc etc etc. ALL covered while the rest of us get to PAY for IT!!! OUR "Entitlements" the Social Security, Medicare, programs for the needy that we have payed for our entire lives will now be rerouted to the bank accounts of the wealthy because, after all there is no such thing as RICH ENOUGH!!! It is time to clean house and vote out of office all, Democrats and Republicans, who have forgotten or probably never knew who puts them in office. If the next crowd can't figure it out then we vote THEM OUT TOO!!! It is time to take back the power we already have and make our elected officials do what we tell them to do!!!
What I will never understand is the Tea Partiers that voted these people in office. They somehow think their social security wont be touched I guess, only someone elses will be taken away or reduced? Because most of the Tea Partiers I know, draw social security or plan to. They have allowed themselves to be suckered in and they cant even see it. Unfortunately they dont realize that big business and corporations could care less about them. They are putting into office the very people that will be and have been, robbing them blind.
No no no they are tea bagged republicans, Reagan promised them they will be rewarded for towing the party line, any day now they will be getting their golden reward from above, all they have to do is keep the faith and pray to Saint Reagan nightly. Haven't you noticed the fanatical religious belief they have in the GOP? I have seen them act the same way towards whatever mega church they belong to, same reverence they have for those churches they have for the GOP and the tea bagged nation. The GOP taped into their belief system the same way that people like Jim Baker and the rest of the griffters got them to give their last dollar to them. Notice no matter how much evidence they have in front of them they ignore it and go for the pie in the sky empty promises the GOP made with them, blind faith that some day through hard work they too will need those tax cuts to protect their millions.
Re post 17-1
" It will all be over soon, Obama is one and done and no one will care what he is called. He will go down as the worst Pres in history, hope he likes that TAG....."
Sorry, dude, President Obama will be in the White House until January 2017, deal with it. And since the term "boy" is appropriate in your world, your boy Bush will continue to be known as the worst President ever.
If the working class had not screwed up and put the Republicans back in control of the house Barack would have had a chance to show you what he could do . But since the working class thought they new best look what it has got them . Wake up quit the winning and if you think that the GOP can do better go ahead screw up the rest of your savings. The Gop good not give a rats ass about you. Go ahead do it do it you will be winning even harder in the next term.
Bill M