House Republicans Stiff Obama
28 January 2009 9:17 pm by Taylor Marsh
The new president is going to get blamed for whatever doesn’t go right in the stimulus, so I sure hope he’s happy at the end of this, because he’s going to own it.
Candidate Barack Obama said he would be bipartisan, so President Obama brought Republicans in to the stimulus debate. He went out of his way to make this a bipartisan stimulus package. Symbolic and important, he kept his word.
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Then, as planned from the start, House Republicans stiffed the new president. But never mind, because in the first Obama cocktail party late Wednesday, President Barack Obama toasted bipartisanship. He’s so over it.
The lesson of this tale? The only way President Obama is going to get it done is with Democrats, so it might be a good idea when he’s up on the Hill wooing Republicans, he stops by to see the Democrats who are the only ones voting his way.
Now I really don’t know why they gave back the low income healthcare. It didn’t matter to House Republicans, because they weren’t going to vote for the bill anyway. D.C. Democrats still haven’t learned to stand up for our issues against irrelevant politicians who have no power. This is especially true when it involves poor women and healthcare. Democrats need to simply turn the table. Banks get billions, but allowing Medicaid to help poor women automatically with family planning challenges isn’t important? Preventing abortions isn’t important? Let them answer that question on TV for awhile.
Or perhaps House Republicans should be made to explain why infrastructure isn’t important to these people: More than a million wait in icy darkness across US. Actually, maybe we should start with Larry Summers.
Seriously, what are we doing?
These people like Fox News who are screaming about the stimulus package should be required to use a percentage as opposed to dollar amounts. Their ignorant audience is far too slow to see the difference between 26 BILLION for one item, as opposed to 10 million for something else. Even this little bald economy expert on Hannity today told him to STFU.
Then on the same show, we have the wonderfully entertaining Ann Coulter – who reveals her KKK-like biase by declaring this guy in Yemen who recently became a terrorist as a man who escaped from Gitmo. Of course he did, Ann. He’s just a crazy raghead Muslim so the fact that he was released from Gitmo means he must have done the Jedi mind trick on everyone. In your feeble mind, he was automatically guilty.
I’m getting very sympathetic with Barack as he attempts to tell the right wing, Rush Limbaugh isn’t exactly the path they should be following. Limbaugh, Hannity, and Coulter are becoming more like the modern day KKK with each passing week. And when a SENATOR calls Rush to KISS HIS ASS and SUCK UP TO HIM – it makes me want to go in the bathroom and vomit for a couple of hours.
I hope Obama has finally learned what most of us already knew – to Republican, politics is absolutely not “the art of compromise.” The Gingrich scorched earth tactics still rule the party.
When John Warner (R-VA) retired from the Senate, he said there was no longer room in the Republican party for moderates like himself. (Although I never really considered Warner “moderate,” he was always ready to talk things over and negotiate.) Didn’t Obama have learn anything about Republicans after 4 years in the Senate?
Taylor, I could not disagree more. This whole package is being done too quickly. I think he could have had bipartisan support, if this were not clearly a “let’s throw everything we’ve ever wanted to fund” kind of bill. I’m not going to get into the contraceptives angle — I’m pro-choice, so it’s not ideology — but this was supposed to be a plan to create JOBS. It was supposed to be a big push to improve our infrastructure, and I’m not sure how $600 billion (more than that, I believe) for education, is doing that. Is-sodding the National Mall, as worthy a project as that may be, really where we need to focus our efforts right now? There’s been little oversight of the last money, and the Dems want to spend more? This is ludicrous, especially given that there are economists out there who don’t think it will do anything except add to our staggering debt (and that’s my big, main concern).
Obama may own this disaster. BUt we’re all going to have to pay for it. All those in Washington will still have their jobs. THeir pensions are tied to inflation. They probably aren’t looking at their kids’ college funds and wondering if their kids are now going to be going to community college for two years because the value of those funds just was cut in a third or a half. (And yes, I know families like this.)
So Washington plays it bipartisan games. Obama goes for a “win” at whatever cost. And we get the shaft. Again. Nothing’s changed. Not one thing. Except now the Democrats are throwing their weight around, instead of the Republicans. IT was unaattractive of Bush to swagger and say he was the decider, and that he had “earned’ his political capital and now he was going to spend it. It was just as unattractive for Obama to swagger and tell the GOP, “I won.”
ONe more thing — why does anyone listen to Ann Coulter? Just wondering… how on earth did she get to be prominent when she plays so fast and loose with facts? It’s a mystery to me…
I have to laugh a little. This is what non-ideology gets you. Hillary Clinton and John Edwards understood this all too well when it came to domestic issues.
All I heard from repugs was, more tax cuts for the well to do and less government spending will get us out of this mess. They cried about giving tax cuts to working stiffs, who they say don’t pay taxes, because in repug world payroll taxes are not taxes. This is the same bs we have heard from them for the last eight years and now we are supposed to take them seriously? Its their political brand of politics that has gotten us into this mess to begin with.
I disagree with you Beth and had you read through the entire stimulus package I think you would find yourself agreeing with more of it than not.
For you to blame this on Obama? Also shows misdirection by disregarding the facts. Obama has to appease the Republicans AND Democrats which means he has to allow them to stick somethings in to get it passed. 12 Dems voted against the package yesterday.
As for the money going into education that you find “wrong”….what about our school systems going under do you not understand? Many cities & states across the country are suffering and some are now unable to meet payroll (CA) so yes the money to the education will help to keep teaches (and all other school jobs) viable.
It’s easy for you to sit at home and bitch but harder to actually make a difference which is what Obama is attempting to do and having to fight the Repugs and some in his own party.
Instead of griping perhaps we all need to work to remove those who only want to play politics.
Agree 100% Angels81
Agree 100% Angels81
Grissom1001 | 01.29.2009 – 10:19 am | #
agree, and I’ll add time will show the wisdom of Obama starting out on this foot. Subsequent cross-party dealings will be gauged by the Republicans refusing to participate in the effort to get the country back to work. They will be isolated and loe even more seats in 2010.
it makes me want to go in the bathroom and vomit for a
couple of hours.
pmichael | 01.29.2009 – 04:36 am | #
“we’ll keep a light on…” ?
I think when this is all said and done Obama will have played these old political deadheads like a fine violin. These fools couldn’t even see the trap that Obama set for them. He went to them, asked what they thought, added some of their ideas on taxes. and then these idiots did what they always do…screw the pooch.
Who am I? Why am I? Where am I going?
The search for the soul of the GOP
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/28/AR2009012803789.html?hpid=topnews
Grissom – you’re on to something with your comment. I’m willing to wait to see what this stimulus package has to offer. I’ve only seen portions of it and can’t make an informed decision as to what is right or wrong about it.
I would like to add one thing about the family planning provision being disallowed and I hope I’m not belaboring the point.
When you exclude an entire group of people and in this instance it’s women who do not have access to family planning services you automatically take them out of the equation for economic recovery. Women have been, for centuries, slaves to their biology. If you go back to the early ’60s when the Supreme Court ruled that contraceptives were not illegal that is when women were able to look at other options for their lives. More and more women were able to postpone pregnancy and went to college/university and went out into the work force. When women are allowed to control their own fertility than the world opens up for them and they have other options other than child baring.
Some of you may think that family planning services are not part of an economic recovery but for the woman who is forced to have children she is not able to afford because of her economic situation the lack of family planning services dooms her to a life of poverty. If this economic stimulus has opportunities for further education and/or jobs then poor women should be allowed to have the option of having another child or taking advantage of education and/or a job.
The provision of good family planning services benefits everyone, men and children included, and our society.
This stimulus package is like pissing in the wind. It would take Trillions to turn the economy around.
GeoT | 01.29.2009 – 10:41 am | #
The GOP has a soul? I’ve never thought so simply because their party was never about people, only about tax cuts, big business and how to make the rich richer. Maybe I’ve gotten it wrong.
Sorry folks, buying a new fleet of cars (38,000)for those federal folks who currently have them is NOT stimulus.
Millions for the changeover from analog to digital is NOT stimulus.
Hundreds of millions for STD programs and smoking cessation programs is NOT stimulus.
This bill is loaded with funding for social programs. This is NOT stimulus. Very little could actually be called real stimulus.
Hopefully the Senate will act with some sense and revise this albatross.
AND who is going to buy this debt? We don’t have the funds for this. The Chinese? The Japanese? Their economies are faltering as well.
Justlen – Amen.
The GOP has a soul?
Jane Austen | 01.29.2009 – 10:58 am | #
the results of the search are TBA :=)
Jane…thank you so much for your very well said points on birth control and poor women.It always amazes me how mean spirited Repubs are, especially when it comes to the working poor.
Angels I sure hope you are right about Obama playing the Repubs. I really worry about the reduction in infrastructure spending in lieu of tax cuts.
This stimulus package is like pissing in the wind. It would take Trillions to turn the economy
around.
justlen
Don’t tug on Supermans cape.
This stimulus package is like pissing in the wind. It would take Trillions to turn the economy
around.
justlen | 01.29.2009 – 10:56 am | #
okay Mr. Sour puss. having a bad day? :=)
GeoT -
Justlen isn’t having a bad day, he’s just flat out right.
Justlen isn’t having a bad day, he’s just flat out right.
kris | 01.29.2009 – 11:12 am | #
there’s a first time for everything ;=)
This is NOT stimulus.
kris | 01.29.2009 – 11:00 am | #
I’m curious, what would you would say IS stimulus?
It would take Trillions to turn the economy
around.
justlen | 01.29.2009 – 10:56 am | #
or… is there a there, there…?
House Republicans have proposed an alternative that leaders say would create 6.2 million jobs for only $478 billion.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090129/pl_politico/18160
*Blago Allert* closing statement @ impeachment hearing… pending.
two words: new thread
President-Elect Barack Obama has chosen, mostly, Wall Street promoters and corporate lawyers to be in his cabinet. He hasn’t included anyone who knows how to interact and relate with everyday American citizens, and then report back to him concerning: (1) what the people need, and (2) whether his administration’s new initiatives are working. During the Great Depression, Eleanor Roosevelt fulfilled this role for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. I nominate Senator John Edwards for this role. John Edwards would be a refreshing change. John Edwards, consistently spoke up for average Americans, i.e. Main Street, not Wall Street. During his “Road to One America Poverty Tour†John Edwards demonstrated that he is uniquely qualified for this role.
The video evidence follows:
He has walked with and comforted people whose homes were being foreclosed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i_GWrYkcCI
He has visited workers employed in the new renewal energy economy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50yOR5bvMV0
John Edwards is, also, the only candidate for President that actually went down to New Orleans on several occasions and worked along side those striving to try to bring back the areas that remain so devastated from the effects of Hurricane Katrina.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAqktFnA4nk&feature=PlayList&p=EB1EC8919DC5DC52&index=0