White House considering emergency economic stimuli...

[one_voice]

The Obama administration is mulling a raft of emergency fixes to stimulate the economy before the midterms, including an extension of the research and development tax credit and new infrastructure spending, according to several people familiar with the situation.

*snip*

The meetings, which had Obama huddling with his economic advisers twice in the last seven days, have yielded no specific proposals. But he’s given the team a priority: find ways to pay for as many of the ideas, mostly tax breaks, as possible without a deficit increase, an administration official told POLITICO.

The R-and-D tax cut, which Congressional Democrats have already considered would, for example, be paid for by closing overseas corporate loopholes.

But party leaders were dubious that even a modest, targeted spending bill could pass muster at the height of an anti-tax, anti-deficit, Tea Party-fueled Republican resurgence.

“Republicans have tried to block every other previous attempt to provide a jump start to the economy, so despite the obvious need I can't imagine that anything has changed,” said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

*snip*

http://dyn.politico.com/members/forums/thread.cfm?catid=1&subcatid=71&threadid=4460571

[babylonsister]

1. Do it, do it, do it, at least make the attempt and tape every

negative response the rethugs come up with for very near future airing.

[lib2DaBone]

2. ARRRRRRGH.. they don't get it. They just don't have a clue?

Excuse me.. I see your artery is bleeding... allow me to offer this all-purpose Band-Aid.

We will have to make sure the Republican minority approves the color and size of this token band-aid because we are unable to make any decisions on our own... but we are confident Faux News will approve and we can count on Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid to distribute our band-aid to the masses by 2012.

[Renew Deal]

3. Who doesn't get what?

:shrug:

[lib2DaBone]

6. Tax breaks..supply side..trickle down..off shoring... tax break for the wealthy...

We need JOBS.. J O B Jobs, Jobs and more Jobs... and when they get done with that.. they should look into more JOBS.

[JerseygirlCT]

4. Why more tax breaks?

And why not close that loophole, anyway?

How about some flat out jobs? Bridges, roads, that stuff.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

5. If it is paid for it is likely to be anti-stimulus

Tax breaks, even for awesome stuff, are going to be less stimulative than the spending that would be cut to pay for them.

Does the president know that?

Who cares. It really doesn't matter whether he knows how dumb and petty this stuff is in the face of an epic crisis.

The actions are the actions are the actions.

[abelenkpe]

7. Geez....

"White House press secretary Robert Gibbs has repeatedly said the administration would go small-ball with any plans to boost the economy – and that the Democrat-controlled Congress had no appetite for costly, sweeping measures two months before what promises to be a difficult election cycle for the party."

This is no time for small measures. No time for sucking up to Republicans who have said openly they will block any effort to boost the economy.

If they go small they will lose more seats than if they went big and were seen championing the working class over the uber wealthy or corporate power. It is their inability to see that this that makes the democratic leadership a bunch of out of touch losers.

This, however, would be good:

"The White House pushed back hard against a Washington Post story Thursday which reported that Obama is seriously considering a payroll tax holiday geared at kick-starting business spending – a measure the paper said could cost up to $300 billion."

Everything else is just pathetic BS.

arg!

(edit: wrong 'their')

[lib2DaBone]

8. KIck.. They just don't realize..Businesses will not spend until there is DEMAND.

You CAN NOT have demand until workers have money in their pockets to buy stuff.

When people buy stuff..business expands.

They have been worshipping so long at the alter of Ronnie Raygun... they cant see the answer which is staring them in the face...