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You don't understand! A wrecked economy is our only hope in 2012!!
I first wrote about this matter lat week in this post, but new things have happened since them.
This is going to be one of the big stories between now and Election Day a year from now — and you, Dear Reader, are getting in on the ground floor.
Daily Kos and SEIU contracted with PPP (a well-respected national polling firm) followed up on the Florida poll showing a broad majority of people believing that the Republicans are intentionally trying to sabotage the economy (on the theory that this will lead people to blame him and vote him out of office) with a poll of their own.
They posted a preview of their poll results today, at http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/11/07/1033982/-Half-of-all-Americans-think-Republicans-are-purposefully-sabotaging-economy, with details to come tomorrow (if they can wait that long.) Here goes:
“Latest dKos/SEIU poll by PPP: 50% think GOP intentionally stalling economy, incl 51% of Indies, & 15% of GOPers. Details Tuesday”
Wow. And that’s before the meme reaches the public! As Steve Benen of Washington Monthly pointed out, http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_11/the_growing_acceptance_of_the033320.php:
The New York Times editorial board had a piece today on the importance of unemployment benefits, and made an observation in passing that stood out for me.
“Tragically,” the editorial said, “the more entrenched the jobs shortage becomes, the more paralyzed Congress becomes, with Republicans committed to doing nothing in the hopes that the faltering economy will cost President Obama his job in 2012.”
The point was made in passing, but it’s nevertheless striking. As far as the editorial board of the nation’s most important newspaper is concerned, it’s simply accepted as fact that congressional Republicans want to hold back the economy, on purpose, to undermine the Obama presidency.
Republican supermodel Senator Mitch McConnell has appeared following his earlier pledge to do everything to get rid of Obama with the assurance that, of course, that means doing everything except this (note, new window):
Juxtaposing Mitch McConnell’s announcing plans for sabotage — and later denial of having done so
Indeed, let’s have that debate. The biggest danger to Obama right now is that Americans don’t understand how completely the Republicans can gum up the system. The success of the Republican plan depends on such things as ignorance of the filibuster and the Congressional role in initiating budgeting. But this poll result shows that people already intuit that something is wrong. In the year-long countdown to Election Day, which begins today, the task of Democrats will be to teach people basic civics. The task of Republicans — to prevent it.
Well, Americans do understand that Obama has had four years and has done nothing to revive the economy. I find your “series” ironic in that McCain would have defeated Obama but/for the economic collapse near the end of the last election cycle. And now, boo hoo, the economy still sucks and Obama has done donthing. Whatever you want to say about the Republican efforts, Obama is standing like a deer in the headlights repeatedly saying “more spending should work – more spending should work.” Luckily this one trick pony will be a one termer.
This just came to me from Chuck Schumer:
Why not borrow to build what we’ll have to build anyway while the interests rates are as low as possible? One reason is: Republicans don’t want those jobs to go out yet, because they may boost the economy and ensure Obama’s re-election.
Do you dispute that this is a large part of their rationale, Geoff? Be careful, I can find you quotes.
Geoff,
“… that Obama has had four years…” when you CAN’T even get this BASIC fact correct,that’s a red flag that everyone should be wary of ALL your so-called facts.
From Wikipedia;
The inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States took place on Tuesday, January 20, 2009.
By my calculations he has been POTUS for 2 years and 9+ months.
And for how long of that did he have a veto-proof Senate? The window between Al Franken being finally sworn in and that naked guy with the truck winning Ted Kennedy’s seat – seems like about a month.
I think it was about half a year, during which time the Republicans picked off a couple of conservative Democrats — usually Lieberman and Ben Nelson, sometimes Conrad or Baucus — to uphold vetoes and such. Yes, Democrats do bear some blame — but conservatives in both parties bear pretty much all of it.
Yes, lets deflect away from the absolute failures of the Obama Administration and focus on my unintentionally imprecise reference to his current stay in office.
” I find your “series” ironic in that McCain would have defeated Obama but/for the economic collapse near the end of the last election cycle.”
Pure revisionist history.
McCain ran the worst presidential campaign in recent history. Let’s review some of the low points..
He let the GOP pick an unvetted, female, amateur to be his running mate, in an effort to garner broad support (pun intended) from the middle. Didn’t work.
He said “The fundamentals of our economy are strong,” as well as he didn’t know much about economics. He also suspended his campaign to go back to Washington to help out with the bailout, and then contributed nothing. He also wanted to suspend the debates at this time.
He was on the campaign trail singing “Bomb, bomb Iran”.
He couldn’t remember how many houses he had.
He had a secret plan to get BinLadin, but we had to elect him to find out what that plan was.
He flipped on climate and immigration.
He was 72 at the time.
But he would have won if not for the economy that Bush was leaving behind ?
It’s hard to take you seriously.
Seriously.
ahhhh haaaaa daily kooks poll , and andy sterns seiu . oh yeah a real FAIR N BALLANCE POLL . boy diamond COME NOVEMBER YOUR GOING TO GET A SHOT OF REALTY . . thats like asking all the locos at occupy for their thoughts and putting it up as poll ..
DKos requests the subject areas; PPP does the questions and the polls. They have one of the best track records in the business. I’m sorry, but you don’t know what you’re talking about.
I also see polls like this one along with the “Occupy” “movement” as intentional acts by the Obama administration to desperately try to change the subject away from the abject failure of the administrations efforts to prop up the economy:
“With a dismal failure of a record on economy where the majority of the public disapprove of his handling of it, the U.S. suffering the highest rates of unemployment under Obama, higher deficits than have ever been seen, and raising the national debt higher than any other president , Obama made a deliberate political calculation to distract from those issues and focus his base on a perceived unfairness of some people being more successful in business than others.
I also pointed out that by mid-July, Obama started reaping his profits from his political calculation to distract from his dwindling poll numbers and failed economic policies when his class warfare rhetoric gave way to an idea to protest “greed” by occupying Wall Street by a George Soros funded group called Adbusters.
Jump to today, and House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), in a speech at the Heritage Foundation, calls Obama out publicly for “sowing social unrest and class resentment.”
Via The Politico:
“Instead of working together where we agree, the president has opted for divisive rhetoric and the broken politics of the past,” Ryan said. “He is going from town to town, impugning the motives of Republicans, setting up straw men and scapegoats, and engaging in intellectually lazy arguments, as he tries to build support for punitive tax hikes on job creators.”
Ryan accused Obama of using “class-based rhetoric” in his re-election campaign. Obama’s tactics, he said, make “America weaker, not stronger.”
“Instead of appealing to the hope and optimism that were the hallmarks of his first campaign, he has launched his second campaign by preying on the emotions of fear, envy, and resentment,” Ryan said.
“This has the potential to be just as damaging as his misguided policies. Sowing social unrest and class resentment makes America weaker, not stronger. Pitting one group against another only distracts us from the true sources of inequity in this country – corporate welfare that enriches the powerful, and empty promises that betray the powerless.”
Rick Moran at American Thinker states “It’s about time someone pointed out the consequences of Obama’s reckless class warfare rhetoric.”
I agree.
It should not just be Ryan beating Obama over the head for putting his reelection campaign above the country and for stoking a complete class war . Every single Republican presidential candidate, every GOP Senate and House politician needs hammer home the point relentlessly.”
http://wwwwakeupamericans-spree.blogspot.com/2011/10/paul-ryan-beats-obama-over-head-for.html
I knew you’d say “class warfare” sonner or later–Frank Luntz would be proud of you.
Say, Geoff, are you ever going to defend the turning of the US into a third world country? It’s your boys’ agenda, you know, and you keep dodging it.
I have always thought your statement rhetorical since ALL classes of American society have improved roughly proportionally in the past 100 years. The rich may be getting richer, but the poor are getting richer as well. Virtually any ordinary person in the third world would change places with “impoverished” Americans in a heart beat.
“The rich may be getting richer, but the poor are getting richer as well.”
Do you believe this stuff? Have you no shame? Also, your use of impoverished in quotes, as if there are no such Americans, is telling. You still have not responded to the fact that as income inequality gets worse and worse (I believe we’re now beating Portugal) we’re off to 3rd world status.
How about over the past 50 years, Geoff? Choosing “100 years” stacks the deck. Clever, though!
Hey, how about the past 32 years? I have charts on that!
Talking about this chart? Yeah, I posted this last week and asked Geoff if these income trends are sustainable…or even desirable.
It’s essentially the same unanswered question Rapscallion has asked.
http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=12485
Republicans tend to argue in generalities, Geoff. Let’s argue particulars.
The Republican Party has shown unprecedented lockstep solidarity and used the filibuster more often and more effectively than any previous Congress. They have prevented Obama from signing — and in many cases even proposing — the sorts of economic stimulus that are needed to create jobs. They are, right now, doing so again — and it’s because they want the economy to be sputtering and unemployment high during Obama’s re-election campaign. They want it. They weren’t even shy about saying it until people recently started noticing and discussing what was going on.
Republicans are willing to see increased pain and suffering — and yes, deaths — on their fellow citizens so they’ll be that much more likely to beat the Democrats in 2012. This is one of the most cynical and disgusting things in our recent political history. We don’t have to be in a jobs recession right now! We could ameliorate suffering if we wanted to, borrowing money and employing people at historic lows! But Republicans — who ran up most of these deficits with irresponsible tax cuts, unpaid-for wars, and crony giveaway Medicare Part D — don’t want to, simply because they think that they can confuse the public enough for Obama to catch the blame.
Unfortunately for them, the public is figuring it out.
The Republicans don’t have to do anything to guarantee a sputtering economy and high unemployment. Obama already has made sure there will be no recovery any time soon during his 4, I mean 2 years and 9+ months in office with failed program after failed program. Meanwhile, the 15 jobs bills that the House already has passed sit in limbo in the Senate while Harry Reid and his minions fail to even bring them up for a vote – and yet, you libs are accusing the Republicans, who actually have stuck with their principles, of trying to rig a campaign. Oh, and this is while Obama sticks it to the taxpayers over and over embarking on his battleground campaign tour under the ridiculous guise that it is not really a campaign stop, but he is only acting as President to push his dead in the water jobs plan – when all his is doing is attacking Republicans with the MSM buying it hook line and sinker. Obama can’t even get the support of all of his own party for his jobs plan, yet it’s the Republicans’ fault. Nice try.
Of course, Newbie, you and GW completely avoid the facts stated that show the massively orchestrated campaign of obstructionism promulgated by the republicans. Did you see Boehner’s job package? More drilling and fewer taxes on corporations. That’s the crap your crowd spews while they block all of Obama’s well resoned Keynesian approach. It’s akin to treason.
“its akin to treason?” Is that like “let’s take back our country.” While the censoring forces behind politically correct rhetoric would like you to think that disagreement with them equals treason, that is ironic and tragic at the same time.
Obama’s “well reasoned Keynesian approach” has been a complete failure and he simply wants to poor further failure on top of it. He is the most intractable, stubborn and stupid President since Carter. They may both be book smart but that don’t have a lick of common sense.
It’s hardly a failure if itr hasn’t been tried. It worked well with FDR, and the Republican opposition is making damn sure it won’t be tried. In the meantime, as you carry water for the overly rich and powerful, down we go. Thanks!
Geoff, your proclivity for lying has taken on a new standard with this one: “He is the most intractable, stubborn and stupid President since Carter.” Many of us are bothered by Obama’s continual attempts to reach consensus through negotiations and compromise, while the party of no marches in lockstep against anything he tries to work out. He even continued the damned Bush tax cuts, that have damaged the economy while enriching your masters.
Great lie, though. I’m impressed.
Rapscallion, FDR spent us into a longer depression and only got his butt “saved” by WWII. Don’t you even read the Juice? http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2011/02/franklin-roosevelt-and-his-new-deal-prolonged-the-great-depression/
Umm, Geoff, WWII resulted in massive public spending. The NRA was well on track and the boost supports the principle of government spending to save the country. Your wealthy job creators are falling down on the job, dont’s you think?
It’s also quite well known that since the New Deal, the reactionary forces have been working hard at destroying it, especially social security.
I’d rather not think about Boehner’s “package” during the dinner hour.
yes keep beliving the reps are going to cause deaths now . typical far left chatter . IF YOU ELECT BUSH CHURCHES WILL BURN AND MY DAD WILL BE DRAGGED AGAIN renember that one . ahh diamond your boy nobama is the one who has spent more than any other pres . you libs belive we can prosper by spending and taxing. and as far as confusing the public haaa see calif uinon public employee driven proposels that they put on the ballot every year .
I recall saying that if Bush were to be elected he’s be the single most incompetent person ever to be president, and the country would plunge into a morass. Sort of worked out that way, right?
Judson Phillips, of Tea Party Nation, has proposed that the government create more jobs by building more aircraft carriers. And he’s right, in that building more aircraft carriers would create jobs. Whether or not we need more aircraft carriers is another matter.
Putting unemployed construction workers to work repairing our crumbling infrastructure would create jobs too. Yet last week, Senate Republicans voted in lock step to kill a $60 billion infrastructure plan.
As has been noted on this blog, more and more Americans are taking note of the hypocrisy and seeing it for the recovery-killing tactic that it is. As Mitch McConnell stated after the 2010 elections, his NUMBER ONE priority is defeating Obama in 2012.
Wasn’t he supposed to say his number one priority is creating jobs?
You mean like Obama’s number one priority is getting re-elected? Hence, his extended campaign tour at taxpayer expense. At least McConnell is trying to get rid of Obama to get the country back on the right track (get it anon?). All Obama wants to do is get four more years to run the country further into the ground and create millions of more Democratic voters with further taxpayer funded handouts.
Are you saying that a campaign tour is the sum total of what Obama is doing?
Really?
Nice try at deflection. Would you like to tell us if investing in infrastructure projects would create jobs or not?
And do you think that McConnell’s statement, made a year ago, was appropriate? Unemployed Americans wanted Congress to concentrate on defeating Obama in 2012?
No REPUBLICANS have ever done such a thing, anon. (Not at least so far as Newbie can remember. Or chooses to remember.)
rap it sure did see current pres .
I fail to see your point, except for the fact that you are just being disingenuous in ignoring history and facts.
rap i was pointing out how you said bush would be the most incompetent pres . 75% of the country belives its going in the wrong direction . look at the pres to see why it is
Really? The President is SOLELY responsible for that number? Congress doesn’t have anything to do with it?
You’re ridiculous. Take your ridiculous cable-news-style soundbites somewhere else.
when did i say he is SOLEY RESPONSIBLE . your mshatebc topics on here dont work with me you know putting words in peoples mouth . yes congress has some fault alongf with the president and also that same gongress when they had all 3 branches . and did nothing so take your stupid soundbites to ed schultz he will surely like them
You said “look at the pres to see why…”
That’s blaming the President, solely, by default, because you chose to present just part of the story in your initial comment. Now you’re walking back from that. Idiot.
And I don’t watch Ed Schultz. I don’t watch MSNBC at all. Watching cable news is a waste of time.
GO, you need to go back and read the original post to see why Obama is stymied by the obstructionism of the Republicans. They’re all too happy to see his programs fail; hell, McConnell announced this from day one.
You should also work on spelling and correct word usage to look a bit more credible.
and how do get your info = blogs ? genious
Mostly, I look at objective reality and form my own opinions. That’s what enables me to look at something like the country’s dissatisfaction with the direction we’re going in and conclude that it can’t all be blamed on the President. You should try it sometime.
Watching talking heads on TV leads people to make simplistic statements like the one you made.
yes but you still did not anwser the question , where do you get your info from , newspaper , tv , blogs , radio ?