AP source: Obama to give major jobs speech

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By BEN FELLER

WASHINGTON (AP) - Seeking a jolt for a wilting economy, President Barack Obama will give a major speech in early September to unveil new ideas for speeding up job growth and helping the struggling poor and middle class, a senior administration official told The Associated Press.

The president's plan is likely to contain tax cuts, jobs-boosting infrastructure ideas and steps that would specifically help the long-term unemployed. The official emphasized that all of Obama's proposals would be fresh ones, not a rehash of plans he has pitched for many weeks and still supports, including his "infrastructure bank" idea to finance construction jobs.

On a significant and related front, Obama will also present a specific plan to cut the suffocating long-term national debt and to pay for the cost of his new short-term economic ideas.

His debt proposal will be bigger than the $1.5 trillion package that a new "supercommittee" of Congress must come up with by late November.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20110817/D9P5P4881.html

---

President Barack Obama holds a soft serve ice cream cone and shakes hands during his visit to DeWitt Dairy Treats, Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011, in DeWitt, Iowa, during his three-day economic bus tour. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

[boston bean]

1. yada yada yada.... nt

[newfie11]

12. I was going to say that! LOL

so YEAH YEAH YEAH where have we heard this pep rally before.

[tweeternik]

28. Y'all are so witty .......

:sarcasm:

I know ... let's elect one of the republicans for president in 2012!! Along with strong republican majorities in Congress!! That'll show 'em!! :sarcasm:

:argh:

[ixion]

19. exactly.

All talk, no jobs.

[MineralMan]

30. You must be in a very high position. Clearly, you've seen this

proposal in advance of its release, so you know it's the same stuff. I've underestimated your access to advance information, clearly. I stand in awe at your knowledge of what President Obama will propose. :sarcasm:

[tweeternik]

60. Exactly ...... thank you !!

obviously, "they" know Obama's thinking!

:fistbump:

[JusticeForAll]

105. Yes!! Just like YOU always knew Obama

was playing three-dimensional chess all this time.

Remember his sly maneuvers to stealthily avoid the Public Option or the time he decided not to tax the rich, like he said in one of his other speeches - I just looooove his speeches!!! Don't you?

Or the time that he promised to close Gitmo! or withdraw troops from our gazillion wars!

Or maybe the time he deftly put Social Security and Medicare "on the table." That was special! Even I knew what he was thinking then!!

or when he'd put on his walking shoes and walk with the unions! (Those unions that must now sacrifice their walking shoes!)

Or, or, or.

Yes you know what he's thinking! It's all a strategic game and those Repugnicans are gonna lose in the long run!!

Too bad in the long run we'll all be dead! Oh wait...most of us have only the short run to think about with some of these disastrous policies.

Get real. Get fucking real.

[tweeternik]

109. My, my such language .....

actually he's playing multi-dimensional chess, not simply "three-dimensional"! :evilgrin:

as for the rest of your bullshit rant, how about you getting "fucking real". Maybe, in time, you'll realize the difference between campaigning and governing .... but, then again, maybe not!

"some of us have only the short run to think about with some of these disastrous policies" .... so, you worked to elect a guy who has disappointed you in the two and a half years he's been in office? :cry: a guy who came to office during the worst economic downturn since the great depression; a guy who has been demonized my whack-jobs as being "the other" .... not really one of us; a guy who opponents vowed from day one that their top priority was "to make him a one-term president"; and you only have the short run to think about these disastrous policies ..... AND you're telling me to "get real" ....

I'm truly sorry if you only have a short time left, but unfortunately transformational change takes longer then that! peace.

[JusticeForAll]

113. Kindly

Obama has done more damage than many Republicans could ever do because he put what used to be third- rail policies such as Social Security and Medicare on the auction block. This now opens the door for future deterioration of our social safety net. To counter your entire post - transformational change occurred right there, in the short term by the simple act of a Democratic President opening pandora's box.

Living in a community afflicted with long term illnesses - yes, I do have a right to be fucking pissed off at the disastrous non-attempt at healthcare foisted upon us that was a give-away to the insurers and BigPharma, let alone the fact that even the most modest of benefits from the piece-of-shit bill don't take effect for years in the future. And frankly, you do not sound truly sorry about the short term prospects many in my community have, afflicted with illnesses that only the wealthy can afford to treat, nor for the long-term suffering they have endured.

As a liberal I do mind a President whose policies will eventually force the middle class to eat cat turds for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Oh sorry, that's cat food! Damn mangled metaphors - no evilgrin for you - it's not something to joke about.

It sounds as if you believe that someone who campaigns on certain themes and makes lofty PROMISES should not be accountable for how he governs - What a treacherous concept. If it's such a roll of the dice, I'll buy you a roulette wheel for 2012 - But I'll make sure yours contains only the names of Sanders, Dean, and Kucinich on it. I prefer to direct my ballot at real Democrats who are proven to walk their talk.

Yes, I'm telling you to get fucking real.

[tweeternik]

116. You're telling me to get

fucking real and then throw around names like Sanders, Dean and Kucinich? Interesting. Good luck with that! They have about as much chance of getting elected President as you or I have.

I'm not saying you shouldn't be pissed off ... I'm pissed off too! I'm not saying you shouldn't state your beliefs AND fight for them. I'm saying realistically, this country is not in a place NOW to implement policies that you and I and most DU'ers believe in. I wish it were different. But, I believe the guy we have NOW is trying ....

Sure, he "caved" right in the beginning on single-payer and then later on the public option, but as President he had to be pragmatic and realize he did not have the votes to get this stuff passed NOW! Sad, but true. I am truly sorry about that, but this fight is not over .... it will just take time.

No, I'm not saying he should not be called out on campaign rhetoric .... he should be. But, recognize it as rhetoric during the campaign .... this stuff still has to be passed by Congress!

The first thing we can do is to work to give him a real Democratic majority in the next Congress .... not one with so many "blue dogs". But, that won't be easy. This country is not as progressive as either of us would like.

I see the needs in my community as well. I am doing everything I can individually to try to help here. It is so depressing sometimes. We (progressives) need to be united in the fight we are currently waging against the right-wing extremists in our country. Top on the list nationally is to re-elect Obama and get a Democratic congress in 2012. Maybe we can then see more progressive legislation implemented.

No need for the roulette wheel, thanks anyway.

[newfie11]

108. I have seen 3 years of it

Change I can believe in, HAH!
I remember LBJ, Kennedy and Obama needs to take some lessons in guts!

[tweeternik]

112. Oh no ... another Obama should be more like .....

:grr:

check it out ... maybe this will help??

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/61439.html

[newfie11]

118. excuse me

I was showing some presidents with balls. I only wish Obama had some of his own.
Chill out. I have a right to my opinion in this country,at least so far. I voted for him and supported him and I will hold my nose and vote for him again over a repug. However he is a far cry from what a democratic president represented over the years.
Maybe your not old enough to remember.

[tweeternik]

119. LMFAO!!

good I'm glad you'll vote for him again!

Never said you didn't have a right to your opinion ... I'm just sick of people sayin' "he should be more like ..... " Y'all just need to "Let Obama be Obama"!!!

AND I'm entitled to my opinion too, correct??

As far as me not being old enough to remember ........... ahhh, if that were only true! I worked on Bobby Kennedy's campaign in 1968 ... old enough for you ??
I remember .... but we have Obama now ..... let him finish the job!! :applause: Obama '12 !!

[Firebrand Gary]

2. Im going to choose to be open minded. I trust Obama.

I knew when I voted for him in 08 that this was going to be a long, nasty, intense fight. I am in it for the long haul.

[mazzarro]

61. We've hardly noticed Obama fighting at all

He seems to be doing all he can to avoid any fight with the rethugs. However he and his people don't waste any opportunity to give "liberals" swift "kicks" every time around.

[JDPriestly]

75. He has lost credibility. He needs to put the plan into operation

and then talk about it. He really should not run for 2012. His record is just too dismal.

The last thing we need is more tax cuts. No more tax cuts.

Out of one side of his mouth he talks about debt reduction and out of the other about tax cuts. That is a Republican scam. Democrats don't usually fall for that.

[Demit]

3. Tax cuts to help the long-term unemployed. Who aren't making any money that can be taxed. Right.

[Thav]

17. unemployment payments are taxed

Which may be what he's referring to. However those who don't get any unemployment, that's a different matter.

[mazzarro]

65. And the one's no longer getting unemployment benefits?

Many more people are off the benefits roster and how are they helped by this? Sometimes I think that Obama is more entombed in the corporate bubble that most other presidents because the DLC'ers have learned it's lesson in the recent past when Howard Dean almost banished them from the party. They have resorted to completely locking out any non-DLC'er from the democratic party leaderships in the administration.

[left on green only]

106. Yes, And Perhaps Tax Cuts To Help The Working Homeless

Or the working homeowners who are trying to keep their homes out of default while not earning enough money to keep up with their mortgages. And while it might be less than intelligent for him to be saying it at this time, perhaps he is also thinking about paying for those tax cuts (and a lot of other poor and middle class assistance) by allowing the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy to expire. Think it will never pass the lower house? I dunno, maybe he also intends to grow a pair and start twisting some arms? But my point is that he is going to need some support from his own party before any of it can happen.

[Demit]

111. Excuse me, but how does my vocal support or lack of it influence this president's actions?

Please explain. Exactly what is the chain of real-world events between my support at this time and Obama's finally championing any of those things you mention?

We all know the ways he could help regular folks. We all supported him in his run for president because he acted like he would help regular folks. A lot of us worked like hell to get him elected. Leaving aside whether or not he would be blocked by opposition in Congress, all we're looking for is for him to at least SOUND like he wants to help regular folks. And I'm not hearing it.

[BeyondGeography]

4. Good politics

[FBaggins]

5. Dupe that doesn't belong in LBN

This story has run dozens of times now.

OTOH, I suppose it isn't the article itself that has been duplicated.

[Kolesar]

23. The comments belong on a Republican message board...eom

[FBaggins]

39. Really? Republicans aren't usually viewed as the rational party.

I suppose we're supposed to close our eyes to reality in order to be good Democrats?

Too many speeches about jobs and not enough actual jobs.

What is more common from Republicans is name calling. Is that really your prefered strategy?

[ProgressiveEconomist]

6. CBO: Offsetting the deficit cost of the President's jobs program dollar-for-dollar is UNNECESSARY

To the extent the establichment of an infrastructure bank, training programs for the jobless, and other elements of the plan have lasting effects on economic growth, they LOWER the long term deficit. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, a sustained one percentage-point boost to real GDP growth cuts the 2012-2021 deficit by $3.1 TRILLION!

See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1747963&mesg_id=1747963 .for a discussion and LINKS to CBO.gov.

[stockholmer]

7. the CBO, lolol, now there is a source you can trust 100% of the time... to be wrong

their track record is ABYSMAL.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

14. Past CBO growth rate assumptions have been way too low. A CBO report URL

at the GD LINK I provided shows this. Thus current deficit projections for 2012-2021 are likely too high, creating a phoney "crisis" Republicans have been exploiting for two years.

Remember, the entire "deficit emergency" flows from one CBO report.

[stockholmer]

25. you're just staggeringly wrong, the CBO has consistently overestimated growth, & overstated revenues

The CBO's Budget Fantasies
http://www.declineoftheempire.com/2011/02/the-cbos-budget-fantasies.html


Revisiting The CBO's Budget Fantasies

http://www.declineoftheempire.com/2011/08/revisiting-the-cbos-budget-fantasies.html


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Speaking Of "Credibility", Here Is The CBO's 2001 Forecast Which Predicted Negative $2.5 Trillion Net Debt In 2011


http://www.zerohedge.com/news/speaking-credibility-here-cbos-2001-forecast-which-predicted-negative-25-trillion-net-debt-2011


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The actual real GDP growth of the US is negative, when 'cooked-books' banking/financial chicanery is held up to the light of legitimate book-keeping standards.

John Williams of Shadow Stats has been/is/will be deadly accurate on UE, Inflation, GDP, etc etc. To a large extent, he simply uses the older forms of measurements that the US government utilized for decades before the 1990's and onward brought in magical, wishful, deceitful thinking and practices designed to paper over the fiscal raping of the nation's citizens.

http://www.shadowstats.com/alternate_data/gross-domestic-product-charts


Annual Growth (Year-to-Year Percent Change) in GDP is shown in the chart on the right. This is not the annualized quarterly rate of change that serves as the headline number for the series.

Note: The GDP headline number refers to the most-recent quarter’s annualized quarter-to-quarter rate of change (what that quarter’s percent quarter-to-quarter change would translate into if compounded for four consecutive quarters).

This can mean that the latest quarter can be reported with a positive annualized growth rate, while the actual annual rate of change is negative. Such was the case for the 3rd quarter of 2009.

?hl=ad&t=

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even if you buy into the 'official' GDP numbers, this article will defo make you think twice about ny rosy forecasts happening anytime soon.

http://www.safehaven.com/article/20418/gdp-data-show-that-the-us-economy-has-been-in-the-greater-depression


GDP Data Show That the US Economy Has Been In the Greater Depression

The Genesis of My Forecast of the Greater Depression


I first came to the conclusion that the US economy would enter the Greater Depression in 1998. I came up with the term independently, but later learned that it had been used earlier by Doug Casey. On all forums and blogs I have always posted under my name, Jas Jain, but in early days of my comments in 1990s I would sign as Rabbi Jazzman (rabbi of morality of financial practices and their impact on the real economy and asset classes, e.g., the stock market and the housing market; with moral tone obvious in my use of language). Here is a quote from the period, July 1998:

"May be you are on to something here... What will happen...? The Greater Depression? ...The glory days of the US stock market may be over for good and in few decades the Chinese might assume the place of the supreme economic power in the world. Shalom, shalom. Rabbi Jazzman"

In 1998, I also concluded that fraudulent financial practices, permitted by the US govt and enforcement agencies, e.g., SEC (Securing Entitlements for Crooks), have guaranteed an inefficient allocation of capital, on which the private US economy heavily depends, on top of the theft of the shareholders, would necessarily lead to a weak economy, long-term, and the US economy would enter a period of long-term growth far poorer than during the Great Depression, which was also caused by such practices that had preceded it, but at a lower degree of fraud. It also became obvious to me that a large number of organized group of economists, including Bernanke, have been lying about the true causes of the Great Depression -- bad financial practices, especially related to lending. I also concluded that, historically, the stock market has been a substitute debt market. Hence, I started to sign off some of my comments with: It is the debt, stupid! Not diligently and rigorously preventing the fraud since the mid-1990s had guaranteed outcome similar to, or worse than, the Great Depression. Now, after dozen years we have the data to prove that forecast. My forecast was based primarily on the widespread fraudulent financial practices, e.g., stock options, acquisitions, and related accounting practices, at the highest levels in corporate America and evidenced themselves in the so-called stock market, which I termed as the Scam Market, bubble. It wasn't a bubble but a direct consequence of fraud. It continues to be the primary mechanism to defraud the wider public, including thru pension funds.



After the Tech "Bubble" Burst
The economy was officially in a recovery in late 2001, but a very weak recovery. Here are my comments on July 27, 2003:

THERE HAS BEEN NO ECONOMIC RECOVERY, INCLUDING DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION, WHERE THE YoY NOMINAL GDP GROWTH RATE DID NOT REACH 5% WITHIN ONE YEAR OF THE RECOVERY. WE HAVE BEEN SUPPOSEDLY IN A RECOVERY FOR 20 MONTHS AND THE NOMINAL GDP SHOWS NO SIGNS OF GROWING AT 5%. A "weak recovery," or "sub-par recovery" is like being half pregnant! If the weak recovery lasts long enough conditions would be as bad or worse than during a recession, or depression. For example, a 2% growth in real GDP over a period of 10 years would create conditions worse than the Great Depression! During the worst 12 years of the Great Depression, the real GDP growth averaged 2.83%! But, that was a full percentage point below the trend-line growth rate before the Great Depression.

At the minimum, the nominal GDP growth rate would have to go above 5% and stay there for at least one year for the trend to be revered. That means that the 10-year Note yield must get above 6% for a year.



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


and the coup d' grace to your assumptions



http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/07/no-real-recovery-gdp-grew-less-than-1-in-first-half-of-2011/242744/


Growth in gross domestic product — a measure of all goods and services produced within U.S. borders – rose at a 1.3 percent annual rate, the Commerce Department said. First-quarter output was sharply revised down to a 0.4 percent pace from 1.9 percent.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Economists had expected the economy to expand at a 1.8 percent rate in the second quarter.

And they only lowered their rosy predictions to 1.8% in the past few days. Previously they had been predicting much higher growth.

In addition, fourth-quarter growth was revised down to a 2.3 percent pace from 3.1 percent, indicating that the economy had already started slowing before the high gasoline prices and supply chain disruptions from Japan hit.



http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease.htm


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The CBO, I repeat myself...................lololololololololol

go back to Econ 101

[GOTV]

44. Didn't the CBO correctly predict that the Bush Tax Cuts would balloon the deficit?

and that's why they had to expire in 2010?

[stockholmer]

69. even counting in the actual impact of the horrid Bush Tax cuts, the CBO is tremendouslly off in its

growth, revenue, and debt projections, always painting a more rosy picture than actually occurs. See my reply immediately below for a large amount of further detail.
-------------------------------

For just 2011, over $1.2 trillion will be spent on defense, black ops, previous military debt, etc. The overall deficit is $1.7+ trillion. $150 to 250 billion year in lost income tax revenue from the horrid Bush tax cuts {see below for the figures} is not going to come close to making serious dent in the deficit.

I completely agree that the wealthiest individuals should have not received extensions of the Bush tax cuts, but this is just a start. The US has to stop the empiric war spending and finally hold the financial systemic controllers to account.

Throughout the history of the last 65+ years, whatever the tax rates were for individuals and corporations have been, the most total revenue the Federal government has ever taken in is around 20% of the GDP. It fluctuates between 15% and 20% no matter what they do. Plus, the US GDP is now, as a percentage, composed to higher level of financial, banking transactions (not tangible good production, etc) than at any other time in its history.




What is needed is a 0.5% Tobin tax (a Wall Street sales tax, if you will) on all financial transactional turnover (with a $1 million bottom floor exemption on the first million dollars).

Combine that with at least a 50 to 60% reduction in war machine spending, and you have a balanced budget, the ability to start to pay down the national debt, and finally justice where the banksters are forced to pay their fair share of national upkeep. As of now they exist in an almost pure fascistic state, where they keep private 'profits' in the trillions, and yet get bailed out by having the trillions of real losses dumped onto the citizens.


This is a sample of the Bush income tax cuts

1998 - 828.6 in billions of constant dollars (1998 = 100)
1999 - 860.5
2000 - 950.9
2001 - 915.1 Bush tax cuts passed in June 2001
2002 - 777.7
2003 - 703.1
2004 - 698.1
2005 - 773.8
2006 - 844.0 5 years later tax revenue was still down from 2001

http://www.koch2congress.com/7.html

Taking the highest year (2000) and subtracting 2006 (844.0 5 years later tax revenue was still down from 2001) you come up with only a $106 billion difference. Taking the lowest year (2004) from the 2000 totals you get $252 billion. These numbers are dwarfed by the spending on the war machine alone.

Yes, taxing the rich via a fair income tax is important, but it doesn't come close to closing the huge deficits. Look at the percentage of GDP taken in tax when the top rate for the rich was 90% under Eisenhower. It didn't raise enough then, and certainly will not now. They will simply hide their income via loopholes, or move it off-shore. The only way to cut the deficits is to drastically cut war spending, close up many tax loopholes, institute a single-payer not-for-profit health care system, end the private Federal Reserve, and institute a Tobin tax of some sorts.

Good luck getting ANY of these done, no matter which of the two puppet parties are in power.

[JDPriestly]

76. Raise the taxes on the rich (so that they will invest more)

End the wars. And cut other military spending.

Invest in the development of alternative energy technologies -- alternatives not only to carbon fuels but to nuclear energy.

Invest in education including education in the arts.

Why do I mention investment in the arts? Because Americans are aesthetically underdeveloped -- and that encourages brutish behavior.

Also, education in the arts develops parts of the brain that are creative. It is no coincidence that both Einstein and his successor at Princeton were violinists.

Without art, life is just one long, brutal war.

[stockholmer]

104. sounds like a good plan to me!

[Scuba]

8. How many jobs do you think he'll ask us to sacrifice?

Sorry, despite the wins in Wisconsin last night my cynicism is running high today.

[Donnachaidh]

58. How many jobs the *3* trade agreements he's pushing will amount to?

Ross Perot was right about that great sucking sound. You can't advocate jobs for US citizens and sign trade agreements that allow companies to pack those jobs to a 3rd world country.

[udbcrzy2]

82. I agree and this is really bad for us

That's what I get when I hear the 'good speech', then in the next breath he's talking up a mother fucking trade deal. He knows we don't need that shit. Maybe they should halt all trade temporarily until we back to normal again. I guess that's impossible though.

I just feel so doomed these days. My unemployment has ran out, I cannot even find a part-time job at fast food and I'm an experienced office worker. I worry about my child's future.

Who in the hell comes up with these trade deals? We need to get rid of them.

I know some will hate me for this, but I would love to see Elizabeth Warren primary Obama. Obama seriously scares the shit out of me and I drank the koolaid back in 2008. I feel like a fool for defending him to all my friends too. I feel betrayed and I don't like that feeling.

[Donnachaidh]

88. I hear ya!

It would be great if Elizabeth ran, but I doubt she will. She's a friend to Obama. We can only hope that she is willing to take it on in 2016.

[Enrique]

9. in case anyone thinks this is going to be a rehash

The official emphasized that all of Obama's proposals would be fresh ones, not a rehash of plans he has pitched for many weeks...

Why would anyone think that?

[woo me with science]

10. Wow, imagine that. A focus on jobs!

I wonder what made him think of it now, after all this time!

And I wonder just how long that laser focus will last. I bet we could pin down how many months exactly, if we all tried...

:eyes:

[Javaman]

15. funny how he remembers jobs when he's running for reelection...

funny how all the candidates suddenly remember it's all about jobs when they run for reelection.

once upon a time, various candidates would take trips through the poorest parts of the nation, proclaiming this and that in regards to how the candidate was going to help those same people when he or she is elected, then nothing happens. Just the same shit different day and the poverty remains.

The entire nation now has become that poverty vote. They coat us in bullshit rhetoric regarding jobs, as if it's a new fucking idea, and expect us all to jump up, clap and slap them on their backs for coming up with the novel concept of new jobs.

poverty remains and there is still no "new" jobs.

We have all become a whistle stop on their bus ride, train ride, walking tour, townhall, of bullshit.

we are the cardboard props used for their campaign commercials. propaganda for their frothing masses who still believe that politicians in the belt way actually give a flying fuck about us.

If it wasn't so down right fucking depressing, it would be a monty python skit.

[woo me with science]

43. Great post.

Yes, we are taken for fools.

[closeupready]

11. Oh, wow, like that's going to help.

:eyes:

[Loge23]

13. Oh, good!

He's so much better when he's running for something!

[SammyWinstonJack]

26. HA!

:spray:

[Javaman]

48. The two Obama's

the one that is forceful, talks smack to the repukes and promises us the world.

the other one is the caver, compromiser, appeaser of the GOP.

one wants to get elected, the other is elected.

talking a good game is great in pick up basket ball, but we have seen it before and frankly, his game doesn't match is smack-talk.

wake me up when there actual jobs, then I might come to one of your games.

[onehandle]

16. They are not going to fund anything you propose. Go negative and kick the shit out of them.

Work on getting the House back.

[FreeBillClinton]

18. Obama is on the campaign trail

[mazzarro]

70. The multiple personality syndrome is in play here again

The Campaigner Obama says something different to get (re)elected and the President Obama does something different to appease his corporate/rethuglican/DLC overlords.

We have seen that and known that - what else is new here?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

20. 2 yrs 2 late

[Doctor_J]

21. I will listen until he says "shared sacrifice"

then go back to football

[MineralMan]

22. Why Doesn't Obama Use the Bully Pulpit?!?!!!11!

"I'm not going to listen to his speech. It's just more bullshit."

Doesn't anyone see the conflict in those two things? It's all becoming very wearisome...

[Kolesar]

24. The "people in chairs" have nothing better to do today

but bash the President

[MineralMan]

27. Well, I"m tired of it. Trashing a speech and proposal that hasn't

even been presented yet. That is nothing but anti-Obama rhetoric - unvarnished and right out in the open.

When people aren't even waiting to hear a proposal before bashing that proposal, the motivations seem obvious to me.

[boston bean]

29. Well I'm tired of people supporting Republican policies.

The motivations seem obvious to me.

[MineralMan]

33. Much seems obvious to me.

However, the contents of this new proposal don't seem obvious. I believe I'll look closely at it, once it's actually available. What is obvious to me is that you have no idea what it will contain, but you're willing to blast it before it even appears. What's obvious to me is that you don't give a damn about proposals. What's obvious to me is that you will comment on things about which you have no accurate information whatsoever.

Many things seem obvious to me.

[boston bean]

46. you are always deferring, then when the shit hits the fan you got nothing to add, except maybe

some "advice" on not picking on the president. Usually not much on the actual policy that has come to fruition.

You have a blind spot, whether it's purposeful or not, I won't comment. But it allows you to sit back and relax and then defend, not the policy, but a person, and then passively aggressively attack those who turned out be right. It's a nice little game you got going on there.

[Bluenorthwest]

55. Well stated

nt

[Occulus]

63. That about sums that poster up, yes

[U4ikLefty]

86. Precisely.

[Little Star]

97. Stop telling the truth!

[JDPriestly]

78. More tax cuts. That is a turn-off for me already.

I will wait and see, but I would like Obama to carry through on his promise that he would ask to raise the cap on Social Security contributions before I believe anything else he says.

[closeupready]

31. So, if that's how you feel, move on.

nt

[MineralMan]

34. Thanks for the advice. I'll pass on that, thanks.

I won't be moving on or going anywhere. What I will be doing is waiting to see what's in this proposal before commenting on its contents. Seems like a good plan.

But I appreciate your sharing your advice with me. Truly.

[closeupready]

I'll continue to do so as long as you post your complaints about DU publicly.

Cheers. :hi:

[MineralMan]

41. I have no doubt that you will.

[a simple pattern]

66. There's going to be tax cuts for corporations!

And a big fat tax holiday in exchange for repatriating a teensy percentage of their ill-gotten loot.

HOW DID I KNOW THIS AM I SOME KIND OF PSYCHIC

[Little Star]

35. If you keep crying wolf eventually no one believes you!!! ...

Two and a half years of words from our president and still no jobs!!! Talk about rhetoric - unvarnished and right out in the open. It must be getting close to election time cause here comes more words (jobs, jobs, jobs), just words to get re-elected.

[Kolesar]

37. That reads like a post on Governor Kasich's facebook page

By one of his fans.
:smackdown:

[Little Star]

98. ppfffffffftttttt.

[GOTV]

36. THey're not bashing the proposal. They're bashing the obama record of saying "any bill I sign must

blah blah blah" and then signing a bill without blah blah blah and telling us how great it is.

[coalition_unwilling]

50. The problem is not that the proposal has not even been

presented yet. The problem is that the proposal is a day late and more than a few dollars short.

To wit, unemployment rate when Obama took office: 7.6% Unemployment rate as of July 2011: 9.1%. IOW, the national unemployment rate has INCREASED by 1.5% so far during Obama's term.

The fact that his proposal coincides with Gallup numbers showing him below 40% for the first time ever also makes the timing of the speech suspicious, imho.

Hope I don't need to source any of this data for you. If so, please let me know.

[Occulus]

72. Prior acts, MM.

Prior acts.

[_ed_]

73. It seems like you have nothing to do today

except reflexively support everything the President does.

[Kolesar]

94. ^from the script of Pee Wee's Big Adventure eom

[woo me with science]

42. Yeah, that's quite some bully pulpit.

Nearly three years of ignoring jobs in favor of middle class-destroying Third Way horseshit, and now we are expected to cream ourselves because he makes a speech about jobs just in time for election season.

You know, at a certain point, people resent being taken for fools.

Show us the fucking jobs, and then we'll talk.

:eyes: :puke:

[Donnachaidh]

90. [phone] n/t

[Fearless]

32. Let me guess... shared sacrifice... tax cuts on the corporations... outsourcing...

Did I miss anything Mr. President??


:eyes:

[GOTV]

38. You missed "compromise" because we haven't given up enough to the GOP yet

[Fearless]

40. They'll have us starving to death and enslaved to corporations soon enough.

:(

[Akoto]

64. You missed the article, evidently.

"The official emphasized that all of Obama's proposals would be fresh ones, not a rehash of plans he has pitched for many weeks and still supports, including his "infrastructure bank" idea to finance construction jobs."

We don't even know the proposal and folks are already on it like wild dogs on raw meat. Then again, people are so hungry for chances to attack him. Who am I to get between others and their happiness?

[Fearless]

79. We're going on the quality of meat we've been fed so far.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

102. But I thought one of the main complaints was that you had only gotten a few bones and no meat n/t

[No Elephants]

87. The infrastructure bank is right off the DLC website.

[think]

77. We should be taxing outsourced jobs because this is a direct assault on America!

No more coddling the CORP!

The CORPORATIONS benefit most from our strong military that is stretched across the globe and yet the burden is placed on the American people while corporations cut pay and outsource jobs. Corporate America deserves to pay their fair share for the protection they are provided including a healthy tax on outsourced jobs!

If corporations don't like it OUTSOURCE THEIR ASS to the foreign countries where they outsourced our jobs and let them survive there! And no protection from OUR US MILITARY!

[Fearless]

81. +1

[ChairmanAgnostic]

114. trade agreements, extending tax cuts, Gitmo, Iraq,

torture?

[GOTV]

45. in which he announces all the new ideas he will drop when he politely steps ...

... in the next GOP trap.

[tawadi]

47. Finally. eom

[Javaman]

49. Finally, what?

he wants to get elected.

finally happens when there are jobs.

what he's spewing now is nothing more than rhetoric.

[tawadi]

52. Hopefully it's more than rhetoric

After all of this time. We will have to wait and see I guess.

[Javaman]

53. you know what they say about hope right?

hope in one hand, shit in the other, see which fills up faster.

[Beacool]

51. Another speech?

Please.........

If his speeches produced any results we would have a booming economy by now.

:eyes:

[Javaman]

54. yup, yet another speech.

It's so monotonous now.

it's the same crap over and over. I honestly would love to hear who he believes he's talking too.

There is a great scene from the movie, "it's a wonderful life", no not the saccharine bullshit, but it's when there is a run on the savings and loan.

George Bailey, goes to open up the S&L and turns to face the crowd. The look in those actors eyes spoke volumes. While they were actors, they were also people that actually lived through the depression and didn't have to dig very deep to bring up the emotion of being tired and were in no mood to hear some bankers bullshit. They wanted their money.

And here we are, a public so tired and frankly, in no mood to hear any politicians bullshit anymore. We just want jobs.

[Beacool]

62. That's a great movie that still touches people.

Yes, they had gone through a lot. Not just the Depression, but also WWII (the movie was released in 1946).

I wonder if the average person is even listening to Obama anymore. People are angry, frustrated, and in some cases desperate. All they see is a weak president and a bunch of weasels in Congress. Not much to work with to get us out of the economic doldrums that face us.

:(

[Akoto]

68. Yep, another speech. Legislating is beyond his power, so, as people have begged time and again ...

... he's taking to the pulpit. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

[RussBLib]

56. Eliminate the H1B visa program

But business wouldn't like that ...

[obxhead]

57. Tax cuts.... Yeah that's been working swell so far Obama. nt

[fascisthunter]

59. Clue: Stop Coddling the Wealthy Obama

[desertrat777]

67. What is needed

What is needed is honest government that serves the people, all the people, not just those who are billionaires with "personhood" corporations who buy off our representatives.

What is needed is the obvious. Sure, reducing government waste is a good idea, but that's not what the discussion about reducing government spending is about, is it? The corporatists want nothing less than government that not only has no power to regulate their unbridled power over the people, but government that actually enables them to have power over the people.

Instead of this abomination, we need government regulations that keep profits circulating, because that is the true foundation of any successful economy. Circulating not to foreign soil, but among the citizens of our country. We need government that regulates the actions of corporations, because capitalism tends to funnel money up into the hands of the few at the expense of the many.

And we need government to stop funneling money into the hands of the few, via our bloated military industrial complex. Oh--but the full name is the military industrial congressional complex (thanks to President Eisenhower for the full name of the MIC). We don't need hundreds of military bases globallly, and we don't need the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere, and we don't need thousands of nuclear weapons.

What we do need is job programs, at least for the time being, so that our unemployment rate drops to as low as we can get it. And we need economic policies that are 180 degrees from all the "free trade" agreements that congress has been spewing out over the last twenty or so years. We don't need a free trade agreement with South Korea, for example.

And, of course, we need to have a proper progressive tax system without loopholes for the rich and their lawyers. And a properly funded public education system, and an unemployment program that provides proper unemployment payments and free education for the unemployed so that they can get back to work, with a new skill set if that's what is needed. And national health care for all of us, whether rich or poor, sick or in perfect health. And so on.

According to the pigs in the book Animal Farm, "Everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others." Sound familiar?

[_ed_]

71. Another speech!

Well, I'm sure some pretty words will get people back to work. Don't worry -- now that we're headed into his FOURTH year in office, we'll finally start on jobs.

[JDPriestly]

74. Obama proposes and then disposes of what he proposed.

How much is an Obama plan really worth? At this point, I'm not sure it is worth the hot air he uses to deliver it.

[Little Star]

99. Now that was funny! Also true.

[udbcrzy2]

80. Good speeches, but little action

He's done these speeches before. Even when we had the majority the Dems caved. Our party is seriously fucked up! They seem to be so out of touch with what's happening on Main Street and I cannot help but think that it's done purposely. I guess they are correct when they say that ALL our congress critters are bought and paid for. I'm very disappointed...

[Liberalynn]

92. I don't think all of them are bought and paid for

just the majority of them. JMHO

[alp227]

83. Menawhile, the House Tea Party/Republican leadership has yet to do anything about jobs. n/t

[truthisfreedom]

84. Obama needs to watch this. WE ALL need to watch this. It still has less than 2000 views.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVOn371TCPo

[DJ13]

85. At least his increasing talk about jobs will increase the number of people employed

......writing speeches for him.

[Little Star]

100. good one! Also true

[unionworks]

89. Truth hurts

I support and will vote for Obama, but if he and the democratic majority had started doing this the minute they entered office instead of now, we wouldn't have a bunch of wingnut crybabies running the house. Bet they're kicking themselves. I wont say "toldja so".

[No Elephants]

91. DLC founder, Al From, circa 2009, on the need for an infrastructure bank

http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=86&subid=84&contentid=254871

Other articles on the website speak to an infrastructure bank as well. Search the site.

Austan Goolsbee, former DLC employee and recently departed former Obama advisor, was on the Daily Show within the last few weeks raving about the infrastructure bank.

[Imajika]

93. So a big speech is coming, but it will have to wait till after vacation?

Why even mention the big speech in the first if it isn't going to happen anytime soon?

I am sure I will almost certainly support what the President is going to propose, but it just doesn't sound good to make a big announcement that there will be an upcoming big announcement - but it will need to wait till sometime after the vacation season is over. The obvious question is, if he has a really great idea, why not spill the beans now.

[Name removed]

95. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Kingofalldems]

96. What does your post have to do with this thread?

[Name removed]

103. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Kingofalldems]

107. You keep coming back. How many times now?

[Hotler]

101. Good to be the King. n/t

[Shaundra]

110. He should slam Republicans for blocking good legislation

And for trying to get us deeper into the recession originated during the Bush years.

[Hubert Flottz]

115. "Don't take off your shoes...Jobs is on the way!"

"Where there's smoke there's work!"

"Shoes For Industry!"

"Get Thee Behind Me!"

[Broderick]

117. A speech?

Yeah! That'll fix it. About damn time!

[Romulox]

120. LOL. nt