STOP YOUR BICKERING. Obama proposes massive public works program.

[Shakespeare]

I came here expecting to find GDP dominated by threads on Obama's new massive public works/job stimulus proposal that was announced today.

Instead, I find ONE thread on it, and everything else is bickering over cabinet appointments.

Get. A. Clue.

This is what we've been waiting for from Obama, and this is about as liberal (or progressive, if that's your term of choice) as an incoming president can get. Cabinet appointments are just a tiny part of how the administration is going to run: today's announcement is the big picture item. Go check it out.

[MadMaddie]

1. This is the right thing to do

The Neocons and Corporatists will try to stop it. Be prepared these numnets want to destroy America.

[Shakespeare]

3. Yep. HUGE stimulus to the economy, and very much like FDR's programs.

I'm honestly just stunned that there aren't multiple threads with people CELEBRATING this. This is, if I may borrow the term, the change we've been looking for.

[rustydad]

33. You may *borrow* the term

But where is Obama going to get the money for a massive public works program? Borrow it from future taxpayers? This is not, I repeat not, the 30s and Obama is not FDR. And what infrastructure is he talking about funding? More teachers? Five years minimum for that to fruit. More electrical grid? At least five years to fruit on that. Rebuilt highway system? New electric vehicles? New rail systems? Massive solar and wind systems? All the infrastructure we really need take years from funding to design to building. We have to face the fact that the country is broke and in massive debt thanks to bush. Obama is the new captain of a sinking ship with no options. Bob

[Two Americas]

2. here we go

"I have already directed my economic team to come up with an Economic Recovery Plan that will mean 2.5 million more jobs by January of 2011 — a plan big enough to meet the challenges we face that I intend to sign soon after taking office. We’ll be working out the details in the weeks ahead, but it will be a two-year, nationwide effort to jumpstart job creation in America and lay the foundation for a strong and growing economy. We’ll put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, modernizing schools that are failing our children, and building wind farms and solar panels; fuel-efficient cars and the alternative energy technologies that can free us from our dependence on foreign oil and keep our economy competitive in the years ahead."

[AtomicKitten]

4. the GOP will squeal like a pig over Obama spending money

The GOP did ZERO oversight of Junior flushing billions of dollars doing the drain, now watch them kvetch and wring their hands over Obama's budget.

Most economists of every stripe agree that an influx of cash is needed and the only entity capable of doing that right now is the government.

Prepare for the Brand New Deal. Obama is about to transform this mess into America again.

[CTyankee]

22. Oh, I like that! Brand New Deal. Wonderful. n/t

[AtomicKitten]

27. be there or be square

:hi:

[meow2u3]

31. I second that. Brand New Deal is the perfect phrase

for what Obama proposes.

[FrenchieCat]

5. This news is not as important as the article on Michelle

First Lady size bootay! Dontya know?

It only let's us know that we are not too much more focused on the issues than the media that we complain about.

[CTyankee]

23. Don't get me STARTED on that! I never thought I'd see that stuff here on DU...n/t

[codjh9]

6. It's very FDR-like, and it's NECESSARY - our bridges are in bad shape, just for example...

[leftstreet]

7. I'll get flamed for this...

but most people here aren't going to get excited about these types of jobs, i.e. building bridges, dams, or windmills.

You know, uh "labor."

:hide:

[Shakespeare]

8. Then they're hypocrites.

In all of the threads complaining about cabinet picks, the stated reason is that x person isn't liberal/progressive enough, or that Obama hasn't given any indications that he'll govern with a liberal agenda.

Well, now we have it. And everybody's ignoring it. :banghead:

[leftstreet]

9. Well, I don't know about that

It may not be about hypocrisy.

I just don't get the sense the average DU member is part of the physical labor class.

[Shakespeare]

10. It's not about the labor aspect.

It's about announcing a massive, FDR-esque stimulus and public works program (and not all will be blue collar jobs). You want change? You want a liberal agenda? BAM. Here it is, and nobody's talking about it.

[kurt_cagle]

15. Infrastructure and white collar jobs

You will need systems and network engineers, environmental engineers, programmers, architects, educators. You're not building a 1930s version of the world but a 2010 version, and that means smart technologies and tools. Systems and traffic engineers. Overall, I suspect that there will be a lot of openings for talented technical people, managers, and the like. It's not necessarily sexy, but the pay will likely be better than what you can get private sector for a while.

[Shakespeare]

17. EXACTLY.

A NEW new deal, updated for the 21st century. :thumbsup:

[Orsino]

36. And not hungry enough yet.

Give us time.

[Odin2005]

37. I'm starting to wonder if many of our "progressive" posters are just Naderite trolls.

They spew variations of the "no difference between the 2 major parties" BS so much that one has to wonder

[stillcool]

43. I don't know what they are...

but they surely have 'issues' with Obama, but the only 'issue' I can discern is they don't like him. I can't figure out what the intent is, other than to label him a failure before he gets inaugurated. Like so much else it seems to be manufactured outrage. Somebody's yanking chains.

[mwei924]

11. So you don't think they need engineers and contractors to build stuff?

[leftstreet]

34. Probably just as many engineers here as there are laborers

And both probably small percentages of the overall makeup of this site.

That's all I meant.

[gizmo1979]

24. I'll take one!nt

[ulysses]

12. thanks for the news.

I hadn't heard it, but I'm very happy to now. :hi:

[Shakespeare]

14. I thought you might like that!

And I don't care if folks keep hashing out arguments over cabinet picks, but c'mon--this is big news! We should be talking about it!

:hi:

[ulysses]

20. you know, it's just confirmation - he *is* a socialist!

;-)

[Midlodemocrat]

13. Dudette!!!

:yourock:

:applause:

[EconomicLiberal]

16. It is amazing, isn't it?

This is the most far reaching and ambitious job creation government program legislation in many decades.

This is what liberals/progressives want. And they don't even realize it.

[Triana]

18. I do agree that the whining and bickering far exceeds any positive mention...

...of Obama and his agenda - particularly the economic one he just announced today - which is very important - and very impressive.

There was mention of it - but as you say - quickly buried under all the kvetching.

[CTyankee]

19. Don't count on DU to stop bitching. It's our thing. We've been in an abusive

relationship with Bush for so long we can't break free.

How long will it take before we breathe the air as free people again???

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

21. To everyone mentioning FDR in this thread...

FDR toke office in 1933, years into an EXISTING depression.

Obama is supposed to PREVENT a depression.

I am really puzzled by the whole FDR analogy.

As politics, in this environment you paint anything you want to do as stimulus, just as after 9/11 everything was somehow anti-terrorist. But that doesn't mean the FDR public works projects half a decade into a depression are germane to a fast moving international crisis.

Again, I am not knocking infrastructure projects. They are needed because they are needed.

Infrastructure is good because it is infrastructure. But it isn't short-term stimulus. No building project would break ground until long after or current actions will have hopefully prevented a depression and sling-shotted us into an inflationary environment that we will then ease down.

Presuming that we will need stimulus one or two years from now is like teaching someone with cataracts braille against the day they go blind, rather than operating on the cataracts.

Stimulus is a short time hour-by-hour desperate need to prevent a deflationary spiral from developing.

Everything FDR did was to make live more tolerable after the deflationary environment had gripped the world. And nothing FDR did really stimulated the US economy sufficiently. It took WWII to get us to full employment. And I don't like that scenario!

[Shakespeare]

26. As usual, you're confused, Mr. Somebody-peed-in-my-Wheaties.

What's similar to FDR is the massive public works aspect of it, and it's something that's been sorely missing from the national economy for decades. The only post-FDR program in any way on this scale was Eisenhower's interstate highway construction project, and that ended long ago (and was neglected so much that we're now in dire need of repair). And yes, what FDR built--until the republicans began scaling it back--was VERY successful in stimulating the economy, and pretty much created the middle class, with or without FDR's public works programs that grew out of WWII. Your grasp of history is stunningly weak.

You need to go back and re-read the specifics of what Obama proposed--some of it is aimed at short-term solutions, other part of it are intended to generate longterm stimulus (as it should). There IS no quick-fix to this, but creating this kind of a program is a great start, and has benefits far beyond the economy (global warming fixes, for starters).

[Name removed]

45. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Shakespeare]

46. Did I say it would prevent a depression TODAY? Uh, no, as a matter of fact, I didn't.

But don't let me stop you from twisting words.

Go back and try reading it again. And next time, leave off the personal attacks.

[Zynx]

29. FDR did double GDP and reduced unemployment by half.

What's more is that most of those gains did come quickly. From 1933-1936, he reduced unemployment by more than a third. That's an achievement.

[Joe Chi Minh]

25. Well said!

[Sebastian Doyle]

28. I think Obama's been listening to Mike Malloy

Or someone on his team sure is....

Mike suggested several weeks ago that this type of thing is EXACTLY what Obama needed to do, and as soon as possible... create jobs AND fix the infrastructure of the country all at the same time.

Definitely a great move.

[FlaGranny]

41. Kudos to Malloy, but

Obama first mentioned this long ago. I'm really surprised that everyone seems to be surprised.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

30. This is wonderful. Improving our country while creating jobs. God bless that man! nt

[sniffa]

32. That's f'n great for my industry

if we get some up here in MA.

:woohoo:

And, with one of our major competitors just shutting its doors we're even more in line to pick up any work.

[knowledgeispwr]

35. Kicked and Recommended!

:kick:

[Odin2005]

38. The new New Deal!!!

:woohoo:

The "OMG, Obama is a DLC corporatist" Naderite concern trolls can STFU now.

[Life Long Dem]

39. Instead, freepers are busy arguing with Obama supporters

over a rumor.

[BrklynLiberal]

40. K&R - Text of speech

*AP* | WILL LESTER | November 22, 2008 09:07 AM
------------------------------

WASHINGTON: President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday outlined his plan to
create 2.5 million jobs in coming years to rebuild roads and bridges and
modernize schools while developing alternative energy sources and more
efficient cars.

"These aren't just steps to pull ourselves out of this immediate crisis;
these are the long-term investments in our economic future that have been
ignored for far too long," Obama said in the weekly Democratic radio
address. The economic recovery plan being developed by his staff aims to
create 2.5 million jobs by January 2011, and he wants to get it through
Congress quickly and sign it soon after taking office.

He called the plan "big enough to meet the challenges we face" and said that
it will jump-start job creation but also "lay the foundation for a strong
and growing economy."

Aides said the economic plan outlined Saturday went further that the
president-elect has gone before.

A trio of crises _ housing, credit and financial _ have badly damaged the
economy, and financial analysts have projected the country's economic
hardships will continue through much of 2009.

Obama acknowledged Saturday that evidence is growing the country is "facing
an economic crisis of historic proportions." He noted turmoil on Wall
Street, a decrease in new home purchases, growing jobless claims and the
menacing problem of deflation.

He said he was pleased Congress passed an extension of unemployment benefits
this week, but added, "We must do more to put people back to work and get
our economy moving again."

Figures out this week showed new claims for jobless aid had reached a
16-year high. "If we don't act swiftly and boldly, most experts now believe
that we could lose millions of jobs next year," Obama said.

He cautioned, "There are no quick or easy fixes to this crisis, which has
been many years in the making, and it's likely to get worse before it gets
better." But Obama said Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, "is our chance to begin
anew."

Obama said getting congressional approval for his broad economic plan will
not be easy.

"I will need and seek support from Republicans and Democrats, and I'll be
welcome to ideas and suggestions from both sides of the aisle," he said.
"But what is not negotiable is the need for immediate action."

Across the country, Americans "are lying awake at night wondering if next
week's paycheck will cover next month's bills," people are showing up at
work to clear out their desks and retirees are watching their life savings
disappear, Obama said.

On Thursday, the Labor Department reported that claims for unemployment
benefits jumped last week to 542,000. That marked the highest level since
July 1992 and provided fresh evidence of a rapidly weakening job market that
is expected to get even worse next year.

In this country's darkest hours, the American people have risen above their
divisions to solve their problems, he said.

"We have acted boldly, bravely, and above all, together," Obama said. "That
is the chance our new beginning now offers us, and that is the challenge we
must rise to in the days to come. It is time to act. As the next president
of the United States, I will."

[Zhade]

42. This is great news!

But we still have the right to bicker. : )

[Shakespeare]

47. Absolutely!

I just couldn't believe there was no lively discussion going on about this. This is worth talking about!

[AndrewP]

44. It's a great concept

[CreekDog]

48. Amen.

No one person is really up to the job of the presidency.

That said, we are very blessed to have as thoughtful, careful and methodical an individual as Mr. Obama.

[Trajan]

49. Yes Momma ....

First: I refuse to participate in the hand wringing nonsense ...

Second: I already have a momma ....

[angee_is_mad]

50. Thank you

and God Bless You. May sanity continue to reign on DU!!!!

K&R

[Zomby Woof]

51. WHAT?111??11

AND DENY US OUR DU BIRTHRIGHT???!!!?!11 TO WALLOW IN SELF-RIGHTEOUS OUTRAGE??????!11111!!!!!!!111

AS SOON AS I AM DONE WITH MY TANTRUM, I WILL REFUTE YOUR POST!!!!11 SERIESLY!!!!111!!





















:P





Interestingly, China announced a similar domestic infrastructure program, with a projected price tage of 550 billion or more. If we don't get our house in order, and get the progressive taxation system in place to help pay for it, we're going to be so deeply in debt to them that the new motto on our money will read "Made In China".

I have long suspected Obama would announce a New Deal-flavored public works program to build jobs, with the appropriate 21st century bent. This is real change, the pissant purists notwithstanding.