NOT getting everything he wants NOW is what Obama NEEDS

[denem]

In case you haven't noticed, the economy is in free fall. Things will be worse in six months, worse in twelve months. Much worse. The RATE of decline is tracking the great depression.

Who is going to carry the can? Most obviously, the Bush administration. But tying the rate of the downturn to Republicans who forced the stimulus to be cut back, or opposed any stimulus is the real payload. When Obama is challenged on the state of the economy he gets an partial ou:; The stimulus was crippled by obstructionism. A strong backup is needed.

Bush got all he wanted in TARP and had nowhere to run as credit continued to run dry. Obama has not what he wanted, and lives to play another day under darkening skies.

Some of the programs in the first package may never see the light of day again. A real loss. But in twelve months time, desperation will reign. Of course I don't expect Obama to use ham fisted using words like crippled. He is the master of slipping in the knife, with compliments.

[Demeter]

1. Unlikely That Obama Will Get a Second Chance

The economic situation is so dire that this "anti-stimulus" stimulus that the desire for "bipartisanship" has stuffed down our throats will probably choke off any recovery in our lifetime.

FDR Obama isn't. And that's really bad for the rest of us.

[Hekate]

2. Speaking of FDR, how long DID it take him to get up to speed?

Just asking because I'm curious.

Hekate

[sandnsea]

3. Two years

He went with small moves first, like the CCC. When that didn't work, he went for the bigger WPA, social security, etc, in 1935. The only good thing is we have so many more programs in place this time, so it's easier to move money to the people than it was in the 30s.

[Hekate]

4. As I suspected, President Obama will probably have a few more chances ahead. nt

[sohndrsmith]

5. But is it accurate to call it "up to speed" based on the when things were

initiated or implemented/started, because I don't know if the changes as a result of these things was immediate - or obviously successful immediately as of the first day they were put in place, right?

Kinda makes what Obama's going to achieve in less than a month - awfully flipping impressive in my view.

[sandnsea]

9. Nobody was criticizing Obama

I don't think "up to speed" was meant as a criticism of Obama.

I think he meant that it took several tries before we got enough help during the Depression. People think of the CCC and WPA together, but they weren't. The CCC was actually considered a failure, which is why they implemented the WPA. The CCC took young people out of the home, into housing, and gave them a stipend to send back home. It didn't turn out to be enough. That's when we got the WPA with real living wages, that built an infrastructure that enabled us to go full speed during WWII and be the only country ready to rebuild afterwards.

[Cha]

11. I direct you to Howard Zinn..

"What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places –and there are so many – where people have behaved magnificently, it energizes us to act, and raises at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory." – Howard Zinn

Obama is Obama and we're fortunate to have him and the force of good they are working for.

[Bonn1997]

6. Dems can't manage the spin now; they certainly won't be able to in 12 months...

if a stimulus package passed by a Democratic House and a Democratic Senate and signed by a Democratic President has failed to turn the economy around.

[onetwo]

7. Nobody will care that Obama was obstructed if the economy continues down this path for much longer.

Remember, the people INSTALLED strong Democratic majorities PRECISELY to defeat the predicted Republican monkey-wrenching. Dem leadership needs to grow a spine and throw this in the faces of any misbehaving Republican.

[FatDave]

14. Our senate majority is not that strong.

It's not enough to stop a filibuster. In 2010 we should have 60+.

Of course, the democratic majority is still playing it all wrong. Rather than selling their souls to avoid a filibuster, they should force the republicans to do it. If they want to obstruct, make them go the full nine and speak nonstop on the floor. Let America see that on TV every night, and beat them over the head with it every morning.

But the democrats' MO is "we're better than them, we'll try to reach across the aisle," even though history has shown that republicans are fucking irredeemable scum. Republicans' idea of compromise is "just do it our way," and democrats usually end up doing it their way for the sole sake of being able to say "look, we compromise!"

[MadHound]

8. Ah yes, while the economy tanks and Dems throw good spending programs under the bus

There will always be those who are willing to excuse and rationalize away even the worst behavior, all because it's Democrats who are fucking up instead of 'Pugs.

Excuse me, but political bullshit aside, we need that spending that's been stripped from the bill. We need those education improvements, Head Start expansion, and all the rest that got tossed out.

Yet you seem to think that this is all politically beneficial. Way to fucking put politics ahead of people. You and the Dems are just as bad as the 'Pugs, willing to play politics with people's lives, while the rest of us continue to circle the drain.

[Cha]

10. I'm sure they have plans to

go forward and this is the way it is now..and they will keep trying. It's a big evil force they have to move around.

[Life Long Dem]

12. Everything doesn't have to go into a package. It makes it easier for many bills to go through as one

Bills are currently going through on their own right now to stimulate the economy.

[OwnedByFerrets]

13. I'm afraid you live in a fantasy land. In 12 months

this entire piece of shit that was handed to BO will be HIS. All his. Whether correct or not, he will own this shit economy in 12 months. The reich wing media will make sure of it.

[anonymous171]

15. The economy will get worse in the next 6 months. It is then that Obama should act.

[Maven]

16. ROFL

Please stop these contortions.