"A black sheriff?!": The Official Topic of Obama and New Era American Politics

[ToxicAdam]

The media smells blood ...

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE52505K20090306

[FlameOfCallandor]

http://in.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idINTRE5251VN20090306


Never waste a good crisis, Clinton says on climate
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an audience on Friday "never waste a good crisis," as she highlighted the opportunity of rebuilding economies in a greener, less energy intensive model.


Stay Classy

[ToxicAdam]

... or just create a crisis where one doesn't exist.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29469287/

[Brehvolution]

From the same page:

Tillerson: Raising oil taxes will hurt Americans
March. 5: Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson discusses his views on proposed taxes and whether or not the company plans to invest in alternative energy in the future.

[FlameOfCallandor]

http://boortz.com/nealz_nuze/2009/03/letter-from-a-law-student.html
LETTER FROM A LAW STUDENT


Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters,

We've stuck together since the late 1950s, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know that we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly this relationship has run its course. Our two ideological sides of America cannot and just will not ever agree on what's right. So let's just end it right now while we can do it on friendly terms. We can smile, shake hands, chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and each go our own way.

So here's a model separation agreement.

Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by land mass, each taking a portion. That's going to be the difficult part, but I'm sure our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy. Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate taste. We don't like redistributive taxes so you can have those. You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU. And since you hate guns and you hate war, we'll take the firearms, the cops, the NRA and the military. You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O'Donnell. But you are going to be responsible for finding a biodiesel vehicle big enough to haul them around. 

We'll keep the capitalism, the greedy corporations, the pharmaceutical companies; we will keep Wal-Mart and Wall Street. You can have the homeless, the homeboys, the hippies and illegal aliens. We will keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, the greedy CEOS and all of the rednecks. We'll keep the Bibles and we'll let you have NBC and Hollywood.

You can be nice to Iran and Palestine and we'll retain the right to invade and hammer anybody that threatens us. You can have the peaceniks and the war protesters. When our allies or our way of life are under assault, we will provide them with security. You won't have to worry about it. We will keep our Judeo-Christian values. You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism and Shirley Maclaine. You can also have the UN, but we will no longer pay the bill.

We will keep the SUVs, the pickup trucks and the oversize luxury cars. You can have the compacts, the subcompacts and every Subaru station wagon you can find. You can give everybody healthcare, if you can find any practicing doctors. We will continue to believe that healthcare is a privilege and not a right. We will keep "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and the national anthem, and I am sure you will be happy to substitute in their place "Imagine." I'd like to teach the world to sing "Kumbaya" or "We are the world." We will practice trickle-down economics and you can give trickle-up poverty your best shot. And since it so offends you, we will keep our history, our name and our flag.

Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along other like-minded liberal and conservative patriots. And if you do not agree, just hit delete. In the friendly spirit of parting, I'll bet you ANWAR which one of us will need whose help in about 15 years.

Sincerely,

John J Wall

Law student and an American

P.S. You can also have Barbara Streisand and Jane Fonda

[Human Snorenado]

tl;dr

I get the gist of it, tho, and would like to offer Libertarians a piece of land roughly approximate to the percentage of the populace they make up.  Will Rhode Island do?

[siamesedreamer]

The White House is seeking economic advice from a Twitter co-founder. Twitter makes no money in the US even though they have a 700% growth rate. This makes about as much sense as putting the Michigan governor on your economic team.

We're so fucked...

[Cheebs]

tl;dr

I get the gist of it, tho, and would like to offer Libertarians a piece of land roughly approximate to the percentage of the populace they make up.  Will Rhode Island do?

There are enough libs to fill up rhode island?

[Cheebs]

This makes about as much sense as putting the Michigan governor on your economic team.

Granholm is one of his economic advisors. 

PD & I voted for her.

[ToxicAdam]

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton raised eyebrows on her first visit to Europe as secretary of state when she mispronounced her EU counterparts' names and claimed U.S. democracy was older than Europe's.



Did she attend the Wellesley Agricultural School instead?

[Eric P]

thank god she wasn't president.

[FlameOfCallandor]

It's amateur hour in the white house. lol

[FlameOfCallandor]

"I have never understood multiparty democracy.

Okay WTF.

[Crushed]

Last month!

WHY ARE YOU FEAR-MONGERING OBAMA, WHERE'S THE "HOPE," JEEZ!?

This month!

WHY AREN'T YOU DOING ANYTHING OBAMA, WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!

[Cheebs]

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton raised eyebrows on her first visit to Europe as secretary of state when she mispronounced her EU counterparts' names and claimed U.S. democracy was older than Europe's.



Did she attend the Wellesley Agricultural School instead?

Fuck em, I love me some Hillary.

[Phoenix Dark]

This makes about as much sense as putting the Michigan governor on your economic team.

Granholm is one of his economic advisors. 

PD & I voted for her.

...

[recursivelyenumerable]

You can be nice to Iran and Palestine and we'll retain the right to invade and hammer anybody that threatens us.

ah yes the right to invade, one of the fundamental human rights this country was founded upon

[siamesedreamer]

Oh for fuck's sake:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton opened her first extended talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov by giving him a present meant to symbolize the Obama administration’s vow to “press the reset button” on U.S.-Russia relations.

She handed a palm-sized box wrapped with a bow. Lavrov opened it and pulled out the gift: a red button on a black base with a Russian word peregruzka printed on top.

“We worked hard to get the right Russian word. Do you think we got it?” Clinton asked.

“You got it wrong,” Lavrov said.

Instead of "reset," Lavrov said the word on the box meant “overcharge.”

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0309/19719.html

[youtube=560,345]9sudCmrAsF4[/youtube]

That's is on top of this crap:

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5253XS20090306?sp=true

Amateur hour continues for the new administration.

[Flannel Boy]

Jobs Report:

FEB -651K
JAN revised down to -655k from -577k
DEC revised down to -681k from -598k

Unemployment rate 8.1% from 7.6%...

If "discouraged" workers, workers who have stopped looking for work, are counted, the rate is above 14%. 

[Phoenix Dark]

Even higher when you count under-employed folks. It's a mess sheriff

[Dickie Dee]

Hillary is awesome

Administrations to ignant to even try diplomacy

Strong diplomacy with some lighthearted stumbles

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

I got to admit that I'm not digging the Obama administration so far.  Those diplomatic slip ups are minor but in general, they still seem all too willing to let banks cornhole the US.  You shouldn't be throwing around hundreds of billions of dollars unless it is going towards a significant cause or to turn things around.  Things like letting AIG hold government bailout cash hostage and get away with it is pretty disgraceful.  The administration lacks balls.

[ToxicAdam]

I said two months ago all these fuckers get their pockets greased by the financial industry. They're not going to bite the hand that feeds them.

[Human Snorenado]

I said two months ago all these fuckers get their pockets greased by the financial industry. They're not going to bite the hand that feeds them.

I think it wouldn't be so bad if it was just ONE of the Geithner/Summers pairing.  But having Geithner at Treasury and Summers in the WH probably just creates an echo chamber.  I'm honestly worried that they'll pull a Japan and keep these stupid institutions limping along in zombie mode for years and fuck up the administration as a whole in the process.  Paul Volcker should just beat one or both of them to death.

[Dickie Dee]

I think Obama should just say fuckit and short of pulling out the guillotine do whatever their group thinks might actually fix shit. An approval rating short-term drop of 10pts oh no, much worse than being saddled with the long-term consequences of this.

Start swinging some elbows

[Van Cruncheon]

yeah, geithner and summers need to go. i was never thrilled by the geithner appointment, but i had some hope for summers. now, they're both interchangable. kick 'em out and bring some real heavies in, and get that thin black bank blood runnin' in the streets.

[Human Snorenado]

I think Obama should just say fuckit and short of pulling out the guillotine do whatever their group thinks might actually fix shit. An approval rating short-term drop of 10pts oh no, much worse than being saddled with the long-term consequences of this.

Start swinging some elbows

The problem is that Obama's economic braintrust seems incapable of coming up with a plan that the underwear gnomes would find laughable.

Prole- I think that when the inevitable purge happens, Obama should just say fuck it and try to appoint James Kenneth Galbraith as Treas Sec.  It might outright kill some of the elderly GOP lawmakers just hearing it, to say nothing of the confirmation hearing.

[Phoenix Dark]

yeah, geithner and summers need to go. i was never thrilled by the geithner appointment, but i had some hope for summers. now, they're both interchangable. kick 'em out and bring some real heavies in, and get that thin black bank blood runnin' in the streets.

No you're wrong, Summers went to college at 16. He's just the wizkid Obama needs!

[Human Snorenado]

yeah, geithner and summers need to go. i was never thrilled by the geithner appointment, but i had some hope for summers. now, they're both interchangable. kick 'em out and bring some real heavies in, and get that thin black bank blood runnin' in the streets.

No you're wrong, Summers went to college at 16. He's just the wizkid Obama needs!

Means nothing, plenty of Republicans and/or idiots went to college at 16.

[Phoenix Dark]

*whoosh*

 

[Cheebs]

I'd like it to be Summers/Some outsider still. Echo chambers are never good, either side. Rather have Obama have a more pro-WS guy and a anti-one to hear from. And between Timmy and Summers I'd go with Summers.

[siamesedreamer]

Those diplomatic slip ups are minor but in general, they still seem all too willing to let banks cornhole the US. 

Honestly, I don't even think they're focusing on it. Its like there's a disconnect between the WH and reality. Yesterday one of his economic advisors (can't remember his name - would recognize the face) was giving an interview after the healthcare forum and he said something to the effect of "the way to solve all this is to fix healthcare". WTF? The banks are completely insolvent, pushing us into 1873 Redux and they're focused on healthcare reform?

[Phoenix Dark]

speaking of which

According to ABC News,  talk radio show host Rush Limbaugh said that President Obama has now pushed healthcare reform to center stage because it is "highly visible, news leading, gets a great focus, plus it has the great liberal lion Teddy Kennedy pushing it. Before it's all over, it will be called the Ted Kennedy Memorial Health Care Bill."

He's probably right

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Stiglitz didn't really think too highly of Summers' work.  That and his Harvard hijinx made me think that going to MIT at 16 doesn't really mean shit if you don't really know what you're doing.  The solutions seem almost obvious to everyone except the White House and the GOP minority in Congress, who are just throwing things out for the sake of throwing things out.  The White House solution is to keep throwing money down the black hole that is the failing banks, who just save the bailout cash anyway.

It isn't like busting out the guillotines would cause a drop in approval.  Hell, that might push the administrations ratings into the 80s and 90s.  I don't see the public accepting these half assed measures much longer.

[Cheebs]

speaking of which

According to ABC News,  talk radio show host Rush Limbaugh said that President Obama has now pushed healthcare reform to center stage because it is "highly visible, news leading, gets a great focus, plus it has the great liberal lion Teddy Kennedy pushing it. Before it's all over, it will be called the Ted Kennedy Memorial Health Care Bill."

He's probably right

He is right, and Ted Kennedy's death will likely give a huge push to health care reform due to the fact it was his life's dream and make it far easier for Obama to get those 1-2 GOP senate votes he needs.

But it isn't something you go around saying out loud in the media. Especially when your someone the media is obsessed with right now and calling the GOP leader. All Rush is doing is playing into Democrats hands with stuff like this. They have a new excuse to mock him and Republicans according to Politico are refusing to comment on it showing them as scared of him still.

[Eric P]

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/06/weekend-opinionator-the-party-of-limbaugh-a-conservative-debate/

great breakdown of the current Limbaugh kerfuffle

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/06/weekend-opinionator-the-party-of-limbaugh-a-conservative-debate/

great breakdown of the current Limbaugh kerfuffle

It is a political tactic but Rush is too egotistical to know that he is setting his party up to fail.  This is the highlight of his career right here and his priorities is his influence and probably the possibility of more money rolling in.  The GOP is stupid enough to hitch their wagon to the shooting star that is Rush.  The Democrats were smart enough to keep a distance between themselves and Michael Moore for the reasons that the GOP & Rush will find out here soon enough.

[Beardo]

My roommate has a high IQ, is a PHD student and he drinks algae.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

[Phoenix Dark]

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/06/weekend-opinionator-the-party-of-limbaugh-a-conservative-debate/

great breakdown of the current Limbaugh kerfuffle

It is a political tactic but Rush is too egotistical to know that he is setting his party up to fail.  This is the highlight of his career right here and his priorities is his influence and probably the possibility of more money rolling in.  The GOP is stupid enough to hitch their wagon to the shooting star that is Rush.  The Democrats were smart enough to keep a distance between themselves and Michael Moore for the reasons that the GOP & Rush will find out here soon enough.

Nah's he's egotistical enough to know that he's setting the party up to fail, but just doesn't give a shit.

Byron York talks to Rush Limbaugh about his ratings:

"The latest numbers I have are for January, well before this kerfuffle began, and they are through the roof -- six shares in NY, for example. There are daily ratings taken now in about the top 15 markets but I have not seen them yet. All I can tell you is that as of January, we booked 80 percent of all our 2008 revenue and we'll be over 2008 by the end of this month," says Rush.

York's comment: "Given those numbers -- revenues for the first quarter of 2009 higher than all of 2008 -- it's clear that the most decisive economic stimulus produced by the Obama administration so far has been at the Excellence in Broadcasting Network."

This really is win-win, for everyone except the Republican Party.

http://www.dcexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Limbaugh-My-Ratings-are-Way-Way-Up-40846352.html

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Rush:GOP :: Odoacer:Rome

[Beardo]

Byron York talks to Rush Limbaugh about his ratings:

"The latest numbers I have are for January, well before this kerfuffle began, and they are through the roof -- six shares in NY, for example. There are daily ratings taken now in about the top 15 markets but I have not seen them yet. All I can tell you is that as of January, we booked 80 percent of all our 2008 revenue and we'll be over 2008 by the end of this month," says Rush.

York's comment: "Given those numbers -- revenues for the first quarter of 2009 higher than all of 2008 -- it's clear that the most decisive economic stimulus produced by the Obama administration so far has been at the Excellence in Broadcasting Network."

This really is win-win, for everyone except the Republican Party.

http://www.dcexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Limbaugh-My-Ratings-are-Way-Way-Up-40846352.html

Rush Limbaugh: single handily saving the U.S. economy.

[Dickie Dee]

Obama administration successfully promotes Limbaugh to head entire GOP, his audience rises some.

Durr durr this is obviously a win for the conservative movement!

[ToxicAdam]

Rush isn't "setting the party up to fail". They were going to fail regardless.


Unless ... the MSM media starts to turn on Obama like this...


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hzxMIm4EJQJddvV_ZHPkN1pw8nJwD96P7RC80

Although the administration likes to say it "inherited" the recession and trillion-dollar deficits, the economic wreckage has worsened on Obama's still-young watch.
Every day, the economy is becoming more and more an Obama economy

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

People want answers and solutions.  Quite frankly, Obama and Co. has been doing little of either.  The only reason that he still has the support he has now is because the GOP has embraced insanity.

[Barry Egan]

The only reason that he still has the support he has now is because the GOP has embraced insanity.

this sounds a bit disingenuous.  People are supporting him because people are scared and want someone to believe in, and more importantly, because he hasn't really done anything to dissuade their trust.

[Human Snorenado]

Rush isn't "setting the party up to fail". They were going to fail regardless.


Unless ... the MSM media starts to turn on Obama like this...


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hzxMIm4EJQJddvV_ZHPkN1pw8nJwD96P7RC80

Although the administration likes to say it "inherited" the recession and trillion-dollar deficits, the economic wreckage has worsened on Obama's still-young watch.
Every day, the economy is becoming more and more an Obama economy

DAMN THAT LIBRUL MEDIA!

[Beardo]

SMH Republicans

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-obama8-2009mar08,0,5323504.story

Obama says he is not wedded to a plan on how to fix the problem. But one proposal he has endorsed, giving people the option of buying medical coverage through a government plan, is drawing opposition from Republicans.

Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., emphasized that point in the GOP's weekly radio address. "I'm concerned that if the government steps in it will eventually push out the private health care plans millions of Americans enjoy today," Blunt said.

Surely Blunt didn't mean to suggest that in a free market, consumers might choose a government health plan over private health care plans offered by companies with billions of dollars in profit margin. Surely the government could never offer a plan that's more affordable than what the private sector can offer. That can't be what he meant at all.

I guess "subsidies" doesn't mean anything to you does it.

Let's do a little roleplaying. I'll be the government and you be the average american.

I come to your house and force you to give me $100. We'll call this a "tax" I then turn around and use that money to offer you healthcare for the Cost of $50. You're options are a plan that costs $50 from me the governemnt and $75 a business. Of course you will go with the $50 option because on the surface the $50 looks like it costs less than $75, but in reality $150 (when you factor in taxes that subsidize the industry) is not less.
 

[Beardo]

I'll give you another example. Let's talk about the United States Post Office. They have a legal monopoly on first class mail. They handle millions of letters a year. They are great if you want to send a letter to joe blow for his birthday, but as a business they are losing millions of dollars a year because they are not capable of actually operating without subsidies from the federal government. And not to mention that if you want to send an important package or an overnight document you will get laughed at if you use USPS.

[Flannel Boy]

Let's do a little roleplaying. I'll be the government and you be the average american.

I come to your house and force you to give me $100. We'll call this a "tax" I then turn around and use that money to offer you healthcare for the Cost of $50. You're options are a plan that costs $50 from me the governemnt and $75 a business. Of course you will go with the $50 option because on the surface the $50 looks like it costs less than $75, but in reality $150 (when you factor in taxes that subsidize the industry) is not less.
 

The "let's make up figures" game?! This game is particularly hilarious because no other country spends as much on health care as America. Surely if $150 spent on government health care only nets you $50 in services, other countries, such as Canada, would be spending significantly more on health care per person than America.

[Beardo]

I'll ignore that fact that quality of healthcare is significantly better here than in countries with socialized medicine and just mention that only in liberal fantasy land does a business actually decrease its cost under a monopoly.

[Mandark]

Except everyone* agrees that the government is able to provide health insurance cheaper than private competitors could, because its size would give it more leverage as a buyer to implement price controls.  The conservatarian argument is that this would eventually lead to rationing.  See Michael Gerson.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

*When I say "everyone" I mean "everyone who can be taken even a bit seriously".  YMMV.

[close]

[Human Snorenado]

I'll ignore that fact that quality of healthcare (available for sale to those who can afford it) is significantly better here than in countries with socialized medicine and just mention that only in liberal fantasy land does a business actually decrease its cost under a monopoly.

fixt lol

I'm sure the quality of American healthcare vis a vis Western Europe and Canada is very reassuring to the 50 million or so people who DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO IT WITHOUT HAVING TO GO BANKRUPT.

[Beardo]

Except everyone* agrees that the government is able to provide health insurance cheaper than private competitors could, because its size would give it more leverage as a buyer to implement price controls.

 It's size? You mean because there would no longer be a choice. Either you work with the governments health insurance or you dont work in the field at all. You cant set prices and not expect it to actually work. That's not how economics work. Not to mention the loss of freedom to actually choose what you want. We would live in a system where you are forced to pay for something whether you want it or not.

Gee that sounds a lot like the mafia.

[Beardo]

I'm sure the quality of American healthcare vis a vis Western Europe and Canada is very reassuring to the 50 million or so people who DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO IT WITHOUT HAVING TO GO BANKRUPT.

Healthcare isnt a right.

[Mandark]

That's not how economics work.

Oh do tell.

[Dickie Dee]

I'll ignore that fact that quality of healthcare is significantly better here than in countries with socialized medicine and just mention that only in liberal fantasy land does a business actually decrease its cost under a monopoly.

Wow, ignoring non-existing facts so you can go easy on us? You saint.

[brawndolicious]

wait, how exactly do health insurance companies "compete"?  they don't provide the services directly.

[Beardo]

Oh do tell.

When has price setting been a long term viable strategy.

[Human Snorenado]

I'm sure the quality of American healthcare vis a vis Western Europe and Canada is very reassuring to the 50 million or so people who DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO IT WITHOUT HAVING TO GO BANKRUPT.

Healthcare isnt a right.

Sez you.  If a large enough group of people with guns say blowjobs are a right, then blowjobs will be a right. 

[Beardo]

Sez you.  If a large enough group of people with guns say blowjobs are a right, then blowjobs will be a right. 

sigh