Thankfully, we have a productive, strategic, fresh new President coming in with a stimulus plan that will cost less than the Iraq War and be about creating new jobs, particularly in the renewable energy sector, rather than killing a lot of people who never attacked us.
And the Party of Hoover = No Change:
The latest from RNC Chair Michael Steele: "Not in the history of mankind has the government ever created a job."
And there's the confusion: of course a stimulus bill is a spending bill. It is when it's money spent on the military, and it is when it is spent creating public works programs. More Josh Marshall:
"Not a Stimulus bill. It's just a spending bill." That was Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) just a few moments ago on Fox...
...Can someone point out to me any case where an interviewer presses DeMint on the point that stimulus bills are by definition spending bills. Please someone send me this link or a time when it happens on TV. You're trying to counter the drop off in the demand that is causing the recession.
And, as if the last eight years never happened, they're lying again.
You may recall how, the week before last, Republicans were up in arms over a CBO report showing that under 40 percent of the estimated $350 billion in stimulus spending projects would hit the economy in the first two years...Which just goes to show: Don't mess with a White House budget director who's a former head of the CBO. This afternoon, the CBO released its official scoring of the overall stimulus package. And, wouldn't you know, the agency says slightly north of 78 percent of it will pay out over the first two fiscal years.
Where does this leave us? Obama's taking heat for not getting out ahead of this bill fast enough -- he's been working on substance, not media. But now that the other team has shown their cards, he's making his play:
Barack Obama is slated to sit down with the five major television news networks tomorrow, a media play that is almost certain to be part of a broader effort to sell his stimulus package to the American public.
The president will conduct interviews in the Oval Office with ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and FOX News on Tuesday afternoon, according to the official White House schedule. The sitdowns come at a delicate time for the president, with concern mounting in Democratic circles that much of the debate over the stimulus has been dominated by the GOP.
But I still wonder, if Obama resists caving, if he can return to the fray and once again seize the momentum, his impeccable sense of timing, and keep his Party in line, then will the Republicans really make good on threats of a Senate filibuster? Against news like this:
Macy's Inc. announced Monday that it will eliminate 7,000 jobs nationwide, including 1,400 at its West Coast headquarters in San Francisco — which amounts to almost 4 percent of its total work force.
In addition, Macy's plans to cut capital spending, reduce its contributions to its employees' retirement funds and slash its dividend to preserve cash amid a severe pullback in consumer spending.
It's all about the framing from here on out. Is this a spending bill or a jobs bill? I mean...everyone knows we need jobs.
Like, yesterday.
2 comments:
Since this is almost a one way dialogue I'll keep this brief. If we analyze his remark, instead of hopping on a single point, it's not too far basis. A lot of commentary remarks to the fact he used to be employed as Lt. Gov. at Maryland, did the government create that job.
NO! People that designed the government created that job. See we're under the assumption that these governments have money, it doesn't. It's representing our collective money. I think the democratic party is under the assumption that this money just appeared in our bank accounts. He is absolutely right that small businesses and enterprises are the ones that create these jobs that fund this money.
His point is this, with this stimulus package that creates jobs, the government isn't coming up with this money to pay people for these jobs. We are. Where is this additional money going to come from this stimulus, us. Spread out however the government wants to spread it out, across Big Business, small business, income taxes, inheritance taxes.
I think it's very narrow minded just to discount his statement. Mark you're one of the more intelligent guys I know, Steele's a smart guy too, it's not a lie he's speaking it's an ideology.
How do I edit comments, I need to proofread before I submit, especially going up against your writing style. Also enjoyed your BSG commentary. Hope all is well.
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