Obama hits GOP for putting tax cuts for wealthy before unemployment extension

I believe Obama is a demagogue on this issue, attempting to fire up his base, in the same way he and Michelle are working with the national NAACP to demagogue the race issue and drive a wedge into independents in the Tea Party. But he and the NAACP may well fire up independents and Republicans to clean house in November, which I hope we will do. I am working for this, and to end this kind of demagoguery and spin. I thought he was supposed to want to transcend this? Where is the leadership?

The Republicans have correctly said that they support the unemployment benefits. Some have said they think it should be paid for with stimulus dollars. That would be a good idea. With this reality being discussed in Washington, Obama spins the issue by attacking the entire Republican party as if they are all against the unemployed.

Obama’s claims very often strain credulity. What he should be talking about is why isn’t the stimulus plan he put through working? Why did he support a plan that led to continued mortgage-backed securities, bailouts for banks and no loans? These kinds of matters would lead to change we can believe in. Instead he tries to paint himself as the savior of the unemployed, while ignoring these important issues. He meets with the health insurance companies asking them to play nice, because in his entire health care package he could not limit insurance premiums! But of course we all have to be their customers now.

He lacks substance. He should take government off the back of employers so they can hire the people they need, and not build up excess regulation and illegal affirmative action programs. This would stimulate job growth right here in Minnesota and in America.

The only reason Obama can spout such nonsense and expect to get away with it is because his supporters are the young and the clueless who will believe anything he says.

It’s good to see Obama taking on the GOP, Baggers and the so called “Independents” (same face, different mask).. The Cowards that benefited the most and sacrificed the least in our economy are the largest corporations .. The myth that tax cuts for these vultures create jobs is being debunked.. We have been trying this for years.. It didn’t work under Reagan, Didn’t work under either of the Bush Mafioso and it’s NOT working now.. After all of the Bush Tax Cuts have been implemented the main question I have is.. Where are the F*cking Jobs?? China????

Revolution Baby!!

“The only reason Obama can spout such nonsense and expect to get away with it is because his supporters are the young and the clueless who will believe anything he says.” That statement is anything but close to reality. The real reason that many in the older generation (I am 37, so I don’t know where I fall) seem to think that they have no responsibilities to their fellow American. That government should only be about serving them and them alone. The cry to get government out of lives rings until a business practice hurts you and then the cry is “Where was government all of this time?” I guess that Dennis would like to have Toyoto cars killing people, would like to see more BP accicedents through no regulations, would like to see Wall Street banks continue to play with the nations economic security, would like to see all of the government regulations that protect us every day be no more. I agree that government issues could be cut back. Get rid of tax cuts for big businesses that cry out loud that they cann’t afford to hire people even though they are bringing record profits. All those that think that we should go back to the “Constitution” should be willing to give up Social Security, Medicare, Federal Highways, be willing to get medications from non-regulated countries, and go back to wages of below $2.00 a day since none of that was in the constitution.

Tea Partiers need to become educated about specific issues and study the impact that they have on all Americans. Then if possible, try to put yourself into the shoes off all Americans. I encourage you to read John Rawl’s Social Justice and focus on the Veil of Ignorance concept. That is what many of those that believe in things such as public education, unemployment benefits, WIC, free lunch programs, and the such believe.

As long as Obama and the democrats control everything, anyone who is unemployed now is going to be unemployed for a long, long time. Chew on that for a while.

@Michael

I agree with everything you wrote “except” your very first sentence.. Obama HAS to get tough with these Anti-American freaks.. I’m almost 3 years your senior and I voted for Obama .. Am I disappointed?? A little bit.. I wish he was actually a Liberal. He’s NOT unfortunately.. However the consequence of having a Republican in power would be MUCH MORE CATASTROPHIC!

The Tea Party Movement is a concoction of oil company CEO’s, Bankers and the Wal*Church lobby that created a fake “Grass Roots” movement.. They are basically Libertarians with the added insanity of Religious intolerance .. They are EXACTLY what Bush was..

“As long as Obama and the democrats control everything, anyone who is unemployed now is going to be unemployed for a long, long time. Chew on that for a while.”

Everything except the money which is controlled by the wealthy elite in this country. They’ll sabotage a recovery and allow millions to starve to make a point about who’s in charge. Or do you disagree?

When Obama made it clear he was going to take over the auto industry, take over the financial industry, take over the energy industry with confiscatory taxation and smothering regulation, the American business owners and managers decided that they weren’t going to lift a finger to help him achieve those goals because they could be next.

Call it sabotage if you like, it’s more like survival mode.

~”When Obama made it clear he was going to take over the auto industry, take over the financial industry, take over the energy industry with confiscatory taxation and smothering regulation,~~

@Dennis>>
You said alot in less then one sentence.. It’s sort of like dropping a box of marbles in front of a cat.. “Which marble do you go after first??” MEOW!!!!

1.) The last bastion of manufacturing in this country is the auto industry. Outside of that the only thing that Americans know how to make is Debt, Garbage, Oil Eruptions and Billionaires that don’t know how to invest in our great country.. Obama’s plan for GM was to try and save this industry because it employs so many people.. When GM is finished with their “Loan” Obama’s plan is to relinquish it back to the private sector.. (someone needs to watch over the loan or these leaches WON’T pay it back.. )

2.) The FED should be FEDERALIZED.. The common myth is that the FED is a government agency .. IT”S NOT!!.. It is a bunch of Privatized Bankers and Vulture Capitalist that have NO interest in American Investment.. Yet they whisper ‘sweet nothings’ into the ears of our elected officials..

3.) “Smothering Regulation”..(really??) I guess that NIXON was a Communist, Socialist, Fascist, Florist because he created the “Clean Water Act!!” It amazes me that even after the BP’s Ocean Floor Gusher that you freaks STILL think that the Capitalist Vultures can regulate themselves..

Dude.. I have some time share’s on the beaches in Somalia.. Wanna buy some??

“When Obama made it clear he was going to take over . . . .??? When corporate American goes to the President and demands the keys to the U.S. Treasury and the President asks for some “quid pro quo” i.e. an equity position in these bankrupt companies, I hardly call that any “takeover.” These “masters of the universe” who run these corporations without any accountability to shareholders, taxpayers or anyone but God in the hereafter bankrupted these companies with the aid and assistance of eight years or more of Republican right wing laissez faire policy. In my mind, they ought to be grateful to the President for saving their greedy, incompetent asses.

Face it, Dennis, the Reagan/Bush/Phill Gramm/Newt Gingrinch/ Alan Greenspan Republican experiment with a return to pre-McKinley laissez faire economics has been an utter failure and a disaster. Maybe Obama’s not going to have any better luck with what he was given, but it seems to me the height of chutzpah and hypocrisy to blame him for what’s gone wrong while refusing to even meet him half way on his solutions.

I noticed Obama said the GOP would not “offer” help to the 99′ers as they call them. But that is patently false. Those folks have received at least two extensions. I think it is wise to give them the chance for an additional extension, but primarily because the Obama administration’s jobs program, which is obviously ill-conceived, is not working out, and the bank bailout, also obviously ill-conceived, is also not generating any credit, and our businesses are starved for credit.

Had I been representing the 4th Congressional District in 2008, unlike the incumbent McCollum: (1) I would definitely not have voted for the bailout as is. (2) I would have quickly met with McCain and the Republicans on this issue when McCain returned to Washington for the crisis, I would not have called it a campaign trick as Obama did, so that this might have avoided that big rejection of the bill in the house. (3) I would have voted for some form of McCain’s program to stop the downward spiral in housing prices (which Obama rejected, saying “it will cost the taxpayers money” (probably less than $32 billion). (4) If I were Obama I would have asked John McCain for his copy of Alan Greenspan’s book of deregulation (which McCain was RE-reading), or joined John in a discussion of what when wrong with Greenspan’s ideas. (5) I would have gone on CNN, MSNBC and immediately called them out for jeopardizing America’s financial security by gaming the crisis for profit and to get their so-called “progressive” wisdom voted in, instead of honestly informing voters.

Ending tax cuts for the rich should have been the FIRST step toward cutting the deficit. They are worthless for job creation, and one of the biggest factors driving the deficit.

Historically, republicans suck at job creation
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2009/01/09/bush-on-jobs-the-worst-track-record-on-record/

Returning to failed republican policies would be a death sentence for the recovery.

The Republican Party solidified behind one plan before Obama was sworn in: oppose every measure he proposes and make him fail no matter what the cost to the country. Meeting with John McCain? You have to be joking. When you refer to McCain’s plan. What plan? None of the Republicans have ever presented any plan that was not some rehash of the same old failed policies of Bush. Hope is not a plan either and Republicans are opposed to that too.

You complain about Betty McCollum but how many Republicans joined her in voting for the no strings attached bailout? The reason there are no jobs is that the banks are sitting on bailout funds. The mistake was in not helping out those facing foreclosure. That would have helped the banks and a lot of people.

Well, Jonerik, did you notice that as soon as John McCain called for an immediate response to stop the downward cycle in housing prices, by helping those facing foreclosure, Barack Obama said he opposed it because John McCain proposed it (not really: he said it would cost the taxpayers too much money. Obama is a not ready for prime time Democrat who contributed greatly to this crisis. Nothing personal, but he has failed in almost every respect at leadership). He is a demagogue on this issue.

I’ll be happy to go back and look at what McCollum did about foreclosures. I have to do that work anyway, since I’m running against her November 2.

The focus should be on creating jobs here in the 4th Congressional District. We’re “looking for” jobs. But is there economic growth, so that we don’t have to rely on jobs opening up because people leave them? Unemployment is to allow us to prepare ourselves for productive work, and then to perform that productive work.

For job growth, we need economic growth. What can we do in the 4th District to grow jobs in the for-profit sector? We can’t have extensions for ever and Obama is making a big deal about this. I have confirmed that the Republicans want to pay for the benefits with unused stimulus dollars. What is wrong with that, tell me what is wrong with that? Why doesn’t Obama admit this obvious fact and use those funds? Because he is a political manipulator, because that is what he thinks is called “leading” and “governing.”

I hope he can do better in his time remaining.

Obama also treated the tax cuts issue wrongly. If they have been in place since 2008, if he were fair, he would have to say (and if I had the information I could pinpoint specific beneficiaries of the cuts) that they have probably been working to create or maintain more jobs for someone in America. Had they been repealed in 2008, possibly that could have caused a recession. This is the problem I have with Obama. When something would tend to favor him, his side, hey, it’s the greatest. But if it would lend any help other points of view, he self-righteously demagogues it. I wonder if he is capable of the level of leadership that is required.

Dennis, I don’t know that I can agree that Obama and the Democrats “control everything.” I think you’ll agree that most of this is in the hands of private for-profit organizations. You hear Obama’s supporters saying “the rich” control everything. I think we need to understand market forces. I think Obama and the Democrats do not understand these forces. Because of this (and other reasons) most corporate leaders say to the politicians, just give us more tax cuts, because they understand if they have more resources to reinvest in their enterprise they can open new markets and increase revenues and earnings. I think the Democrats need to quit trying to socially re-engineer the Congress, the White House and the Supreme Court and begin to understand how things work when they make decision and hand out money.

Until that time I not only forecast a steady decline in employment, but also the ascendancy of China and other behemoths who REALLY have centralized control of their economy, and a much large growth curve.

Did you notice today’s WSJ headline, “China Tops U.S. in Energy”? We face MAJOR problems that we need to start talking about.

@ Steve Carlson: “Obama is a not ready for prime time Democrat who contributed greatly to this crisis. Nothing personal, but he has failed in almost every respect at leadership). He is a demagogue on this issue.”

You keep saying things like “contributed greatly to this crisis.” Are you espousing the Michele Bachmann-Peter Schweizer propaganda that Obama is part of a grand social engineering project reaching back thirty-five years? Please explain how Obama was responsible for this crisis after 8 years of Republican control of the WH, at least 4 straight years of control of all three branches of government, 8 if you count the DINO’s who continue provide cover for the right wing’s iron choke hold on this nation.

I’m not happy with Obama’s handling of the foreclosure crisis, health care or the stimulus either but probably for the opposite reasons you say. He’s been trying so hard to placate the unplacatable right wing that he has repudiated what he was elected in office to do.

You want to see a demagogue, look at Queen Bachmann.