Does President Obama Understand??????

[amborin]

There's no 'bipartisanship' given the likes of the republicans. Right now, republicans, led by Limbaugh and Gingrich and crew, are obstructing Obama and the dems and hoping the stimulus plan derails, or devolves into something that largely consists of personal and corporate tax cuts, to make their wealthy cronies even wealthier.

Republicans don't care if the U.S. economy remains bogged down in a massive recession for years, or worse. They're safe, their money is safe. Recession would simply be the final demise of unions, of a middle class; it would further widen the already huge and growing gap between the wealthy few and everyone else in the U.S. Worse yet, if the stimulus plan is drastically pared back, or if, due to delays, it fails to rev things up, rethugs are getting ready for 2012. The populace is already confused, and to some extent buying into the rethug propaganda. For starters, a fair amount of people confuse the bailouts with the stimulus plan.....

President Obama's intentions are great! He's pro-science, pro-union, pro-environment!!!!!! Those three items make him my big hero.

But the republicans are treacherous and right now dems are being too catering. Dems are acting as republicans had power. We need to get a lot tougher, fast!

some folks have posted some pretty interesting posts on this blog:

<http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/what-all-but-5-republicans-support/#comments>



(ps: i know, i bet i'll be 'thanked' for my concern)

[ecstatic]

1. He knew. And now EVERYONE knows nt

[Chulanowa]

14. Now what will be done with this knowledge?

Is it really a new game, if it's the same teams on the same field with the same crowd and the same coaches?

Sorry, I've been disillusioned of late.

[trashcanistanista]

2. Yes he does. He padded the bill up to $900 billion.

Right now the Senate has reached a tentative agreement at $780 billion. He originally wanted $800 billion. He will get what he wanted and he will get it one week earlier. They will vote to pass it tonight in a "bipartisan" way. He won and he won big. This is the biggest stimulus package ever conceived and passed in US history, and it was thanks to Obama.


edited for spelling

[cilla4progress]

11. I'm with you

My views exactly. He played them like a fish on the line - reel 'em in a little; let 'em out. I think (just about) every move he makes is well thought out and analyzed in advance. Join that with his genuine goodwill and innate honesty, and it's just a formidable and powerful combination.

We are watching the master at work. Obama is a once in a lifetime - maybe even once in an era - president.

[Still Sensible]

3. He's just taking the high road

and whether any republicans come along or not it will pay off. What it is doing is keeping the moderate middle in his corner because he is offering his hand (but the GOP aren't unclenching their fists yet).

I think it's a win/win. He is doing what he said he would do. If they don't make an effort, then they come off as the obstructionists and the naysayers. If a few of them start working with him to get some things done, great.

In the end, I think it plays much better than the my-way-or-highway style of the previous administration.

[stray cat]

4. Many GOP governors want Obama to succeed - so don't lump repubs together

[HOLOS]

5. Obama has truck loads of embarrassing info on All the repugs....

[Motown_Johnny]

6. I assume he is already fighting the next big battle... Health Care

after this huge spending/stimulus bill trying to pass any social program, including health care, is going to be a bitch.

I can only assume he is going all out trying to ger repugs on board this cycle so he can point out what total assholes they are the next time he needs to get into the trenches. (at least that is my hope)

[eridani]

15. It need not be. Health care is the only problem we can solve WITHOUT putting more money into it

That is, we could do this if we eliminated private insurance. Without the health care dollars they are stealing, a public plan would indeed be too expensive. However, we are ALREADY PAYING for universal health care--we just aren't GETTING it! Good fucking grief! Every other industrialized country has universal health care and spends half to 2/3 as much as we do. The system does NOT need more money.

[Jennicut]

7. Apparently there are only 3 Repubs to negotiate with

Specter, Collins and Snowe. The rest are babies. I don't like Rethugs but at the very least these 3 met with Obama and allowed him to pitch his side and really thought about what he said. The other Rethugs: go f*ck yourselves.

[amborin]

8. dems are in a position of power

why are we acting as if we're not?

[Thrill]

9. Because in the Senate you have the Blue Dogs

who make it hard. They're basically Republicans

[Jennicut]

10. True. I wonder what Collins's and Snowe's records

voting-wise are compared to some of the Blue Dogs. I need to go research.

[autorank]

13. Referring to them as Republicans is very generous.

I commend you;)

They're a bunch of dreadful hypocrites who cover their corporate servitude with the
quaint phrase, "blue dogs." They're really lying dogs.

I was listening to C-span radio for a bit and heard Reid commend these four for making the
bill happen: Ben Nelson (I presume Ben), Collins, LIEberman, and someone else. Good grief
that's the Three Stooges plus one. If it was Florida Nelson, then I'll retract the "Stooges"
because he's a very bright guy but LORD, what a "confederacy of dunces."

[cilla4progress]

12. You know what else?

Last night my husband worried that it will take so very long for the stimulus to kick in. You know what I think? I think getting it passed was the hard part. Obama is such an inspirational leader, I think we are going to see folks get on board like nothing we've seen before. Also, with his accountability provisions and expectations, he won't allow money to be wasted. Not that it won't happen -but when it comes to his attention, he will be right on it.

Just when it looked like the human race was going down the drain (GWB, McCain), we turned it around in a way unimaginable only years, months earlier. We are living in amazing times, and I feel very fortunate to be here now. Hope it lasts.

[amandabeech]

16. Seen in its best light, it would appear that Obama wants to appear

bipartisan at first to satisfy all those who voted for him "because he is a different kind of politician" before he addressed the reality of only three responsible Republicans and a few Blue Dog Democrats who must mollified and the vast majority of Republicans who will vote down anything that isn't 100% tax cuts. In this scenario, he and his economic team are okay with lots of tax cuts that most traditional Democratic voters will be unable to use, including the $15,000 savings for home buyers and the $1,000 savings for new car buyers.

Seen in another light, as set out by John Odell in the comments to the Krugman piece, Obama seems to have put let the House Dems put out a bill that was a moderate compromise--30% tax cuts and plenty of items that make the bill look like a bit of a pig roast--assuming that Republicans of good will would immediately vote for it. Now it looks like he's had to up the least effective tax cut part of it to 40-something percent and trim off some of the spending that looks less job-creating to Susan Collins. He now looks either completely naive or like he wanted more less-effective tax cuts in the first place.

I just hope that either these tax cuts and spending provisions are enough to keep the U.S. economy from imploding or that Obama's ready to go to the well again soon if necessary.

I admit to being critical of Obama's economic team right from the get go, and to a critic like me, this hot mess only reinforces my skepticism on Obama's $$$$ front.