CBS’s Mark Knoller makes an amazing and completely wrong assessment of Obama’s bipartisanship appeal to Republicans: What these presidential appeals for bipartisanship always mean is: do it my way. Your liberal media at work.
I guess Knoller thinks Obama’s commitment to nuclear and “clean coal” technology, which began long before he was elected, not to mention Obama’s own version of “drill, baby drill” are just for show. It was quite amusing during Obama’s impromptu presser yesterday that he was having a hard time not using Sarah Palin’s “all-of-the-above” language, while saying exactly the same thing. Another note on Palin, Nate Silver has done the rundown on her electoral chances, along with Romney and Huckabee. Interesting stuff.
And no doubt Rep. John Boehner would agree with Mr. Knoller about Obama, but he’s currently too busy chasing his tale and his rhetoric now that Pres. Obama has made the bipartisanship manifest in televised form.
As for Newt Gingrich, who can’t keep terrorists straight, with Jon Stewart schooling him last night, and Kitt Bond, who’s finally made a complete fool out of himself for announcing to the world that John Brennan should resign for calling out Republicans for politicizing national security while also getting the facts wrong, this is the GOP’s national security presence today. At least Palin has her talking points down, which one would assume will be the same for Romney and Huckabee (add more God), which is why Gen. David Petraeus could pop up on any Republican’s short list for veep. They’re long overdue for an Eisenhower like push and the timing is perfect, because they want to beat Obama in 2012 as bad as we wanted to beat Bush in 2004.
That Democrats are only splitting independents with Republicans, even as their brand remains bad, illustrates perfectly why SEIU’s Andy Stern gives Democrats “About three or four” on leadership over the last year, with more union worries ahead for Dems.
And an… Oh. My. God. is earned on this one from Ezra Klein. Who finally proves, with no doubts left, that the entire last year of his pontificating about Obama’s perfection was worth exactly nothing.
Both sides suck, according to just about anyone you talk to who isn’t tied to one side or the other, and even many who are, which is why the Tea Partiers are having all the fun.
When does the revolution start or has it started? If not, who will be first to take to the streets. The TBP or labor? or who? This isn’t politics anymore. This is becoming a farce from all sides.
Beautiful post Taylor…You summed up my mixed feelings about both Parties…I use to love being a Dem at one time but a couple years back I became an Independent…I got tired of all the hypocrisy from Dems…I could never be a Republican either because they were to shameless in their lies…Thank God, for the internet more people will start looking at both parties closer then before…and watch endless film on youtube catching them in their hypocrisy.
I looked at the Nate Silver demographics. It is interesting to contemplate the breakdowns he provides.
Love the Klein article. We can blame staff all we want, but there should be no doubt in anyone’s mind anymore that the faults lie within Obama himself.
The man does not seem to want to play hardball politics with the Republicans at all. Maybe he does not know how to wield power.
First, he talks way to much, and he never conceals his true intentions. He will never give up on the fantasy that the Republicans want to work with him to see his presidency succeed, as if they are working harmoniously together on a senate bill.
He should keep his opposition off balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind his actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense, and by the time they realize your intention’s, it will be too late.
I expect by the time he’s ready to make his first recess appointment, if he has the guts to do it, the Republicans will be at the ready to stop him.
We will know there is change when he stops talking and just begins ACTING.
“When you want to shoot, shoot; don’t talk.”
Jane Austen says:
10 February 2010 at 5:56 pm (Edit)
When does the revolution start or has it started?
As I said to LakeLady, we had it once already and Obama won.
Thanks Marie205. In the current spectacle that is cross-dressing as leadership (no offense to actual successful cross-dressers intended), all sides get an epic fail.
To add… Ramsgate says:
10 February 2010 at 6:19 pm
Yep, Klein’s article is a real OMG moment.
Jane what worries me about a revolution is the fact that the other side is armed to teeth!
It seems that the South Carolina Republican Party has officially joined with the South Carolina Tea Party. If anybody had any doubts before that the T-baggers were Republicans dressed in non-partisan clothing, the action of the South Carolina Republican Party should lay those questions to rest. Now to the Democrats. Charlie Wilson died today. Wilson was a right wing Democratic Congressman from Texas who was responsible for the rise of the Taliban and the creation of al Qaeda. Hope you were proud of yourself Charlie. Peace
Do I hear a constipated jackass braying faintly in the distance?
I don’t think there was a revolution at all. There could have ben; but the persons participating in Obama’s election were participating in a pep rally. There was no revolution – there should have been/.
Agreed djjl. Obama made that clear in August 2008 when the Democrats allowed the FISA amendments to pass with Obama’s blessing. And Obama provided the exclamation point in September with his support of the TARP bill. His support of the FISA amendments demonstrated that showed that Obama would continue Bush’s policies on civil liberties. The TARP bill locked up $700 billion (making it that much harder to enact social programs) and set the tone and precedent for the even larger gifts that Treasury and the Federal Reserve have given to the big banks.
And don’t anyone dare tell me TARP was necessary to save the banking system. Those of us who follow these things on a daily basis, understood that there was time to do a well crafted fix for the financial system. The financial panic had already been arrested by the time Bush (or was it Secretary Paulson, lol) sent the TARP bill to Congress. Anyone who watched what Obama did (as opposed to what he said) knew that there would be no revolution.
No truth, No justice, No way American
Look up in the well, It’s a Representative,it’s a Senator. No, it’s ……..STUPORMAN. Faster than a speeding meth head. More powerful than a super majority. Able to leap to tall delusions in a single misconception. Eric Cantor,disguised as mild mannered Congressman from Va’s 7th District is the man of NO!, STUPORMAN. No truth, no justice, No Way American.
secular – as a friend – you need to get over Imhotep and go back to your wonderfully smartassed remarks
For some reason I woke up this morning and realized I live in a world where a “Certificate of Live Birth” is not the same thing as a “Birth Certificate” –
a world where people are driving down highway 99 and seeing signs about the “Recovery Act” with people ‘working’ – then claiming later the ‘stimulus’ isn’t doing anything.
http://www.recovery.ca.gov/
a world where 21 Republicans are allowed to call the stimulus foul words and adjectives as if it was the most evil act in history – then grin their asses off as if to take credit for the checks/money handed out in a photo op.
“Reality” has left the building.
oh yeah – I forgot. I also live in a world where people who are supposed to be intelligent (politicians) can’t understand that ‘global warming’ refers to the ‘average temperature’ of the entire frikkin’ world you Morons! Not to one specific spot like Wash. DC. That is why the more correct term is “Climate Change“. This “Where’s Al Gore?” bullshit makes me want to PUKE on them. Get a Clue, Idiots. When the entire planet heats up, MORE water is going to evaporate into the atmosphere creating (DOH!!) record snow fall!
Any TEN YEAR OLD could understand that Record Snow Fall in Washington DC PROVES the climate is “changing”.
Questions they won’t ask:
To Sarah Palin:
Do you believe in the Rapture and the End of Days ?
—- ( this implies significant changes to Israel and the Jews )
To Mitt Romney:
Do you actually wear spiritually protective underwear ?
—- LOL – he should NOT be allowed to ‘laugh this one off’
To any Republican:
Was Rush Limbaugh correct that Republicans should do anything and everything to make Obama (America) fail ?
“The financial panic had already been arrested by the time Bush (or was it Secretary Paulson, lol) sent the TARP bill to Congress.”
—————–
Not sure about your timing.
Lehman went bankrupt in Sept 13, 2008, this plunged world financial market in a state of extreme volatility, then liquidity dried out, governments around the world (but especially in the US and the UK) panicked and were at a loss as to what to do to restore some sanity, world stock markets plunged, there were worldwide fears of a run on banks (I and my husband were seriously discussing taking our savings out of the bank!). TARP was approved in October 2008, and on 20 Nov 2008 the Dow eventually closed at a new six-year low of 7,552.29 on November 20. So I am not sure what you mean by “the financial panic had already been arrested by the time Bush (or was it Secretary Paulson, lol) sent the TARP bill to Congress.”
We really have short term memories. A year after it is easy to dismiss the whole episode as some sort of conspiracy theory but we really came close to the edge in 2007-2008. While in the US we are back to growth (as measured by GDP) small countries around the world are still dealing with the consequences.
A country like Iceland became de facto bankrupt: The country could not pay back its external debts, and the Icelandic currency, the krona, became valueless in the rest of the world and could not pay for the countries imports. It was not phony and it was very real and drastic measures were taken by governments around the world to ensure a total collapse of the financial market and in turn the economy. All because of the reckless of its financial sector.
But you are right since then, there has been ample time for real reforms to the financial sector, and this has not been forthcoming by governments. In fact the Volcker rule is one of the only serious attempt at real structural reform. I expect the banking sector to fight it tooth and nail, intensify their lobbying and pour more money into GOP campaign coffers (like they did to Brown Scotty). Our spineless Dem reps will get scared and there will be no reform.
In Iceland they dealt with the crisis by nationalizing the banks and replaced the young, male business-schooled banking elite with more “down to earth” women to change the culture of banking and reduce risk taking. The CEOs of the two leading national banks are now women. Evolved societies…
whereas in the US any attempt at change is called socialism, and we still have to deal with the in your face arrogance of the Blankfeins of this world who declared recently that he is doing “God’s work”.
pmichael, She does; he does and old racist Rush just can’t help himself. Peace
The underpants bomber was, in effect, tortured. The guy nearly burned his testicles off trying to blow up that airplane. That must have been very, very painful. Yet the FBI questioned him for 50 minutes. He then stopped talking so that he could receive medical care. At that point he was read his rights. Kit Bond is a clown. Pete Hoekstra is a clown. Newt Gingrich is a clown. Every Republican is a bald faced liar. To politicize “terrorism,” as the Republicans do, is down right un-American. Peace
Isis, I am dead sure about my timing even if you are not. The hot button was the withdrawal of funds from money market accounts. Money market funds are invested in short term Government securities, ie., Treasury bills, short term bonds issued by business, known as commercial paper. Commercial paper is vital to finance things like business inventory. After Lehman went down, the run on money market funds was the most explosive symptom of financial panic, and yes, if it had gone unchecked there would have been even worse mayhem than we saw. But… the Treasury checked the mayhem on September 29 by issuing a temporary US Government guarantee of money market accounts, in effect giving them the protection we extend to savers through the FDIC. http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/hp1161.htm As a full time trader and investor I lived through that whole thing minute by minute and I will never forget it. However if you want to get up to speed on all of this, google the archives at naked capitalism, for starters, Yves Smith did a bangup job on this.
The point I am making is, the Government has to act to prevent the economic wheels from coming off, as they almost did when savers started yanking their money out of money market funds at the speed of light. It is NOT the government’s job to peg the stock market, however. So… the money market panic was the issue, and it happened because Lehman was handled so badly (of course Lehman deserved to fail, as did Bear… and Goldman Sachs, AIG, Bank of America, Citi, and possibly a few others). It’s just the way it was done. Having said that, the stock market is SUPPOSED to fluctuate, and the lows of November and then March, were not the issues that concerned me all that much (not that they were fun to trade either but that is part of life).
The French equivelent of Tresury Secretary is a woman and she fired the people responsible and installed new leaders in their banks.
And Sheila Bair at FDIC would probably have done the right thing if the boys allowed her do her job.