Anyone else expecting something more than corporate handouts, FISA cover, and troop escalations?

[whatchamacallit]

Yo Barack, I'm glad you have the ball but our end zone is the other way...:shrug:

[babylonsister]

1. Yea, he sucks, doesn't he. nt

[whatchamacallit]

3. No, he's really pretty cool

but so far the agenda has been a bit disappointing and confusing.

[babylonsister]

5. Read up:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8302608

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8263932

[whatchamacallit]

11. Thanks

All good shit and deserving of praise. Maybe my problem is I won't be totally happy unless he drives every last repuke into the sea.

[babylonsister]

13. You're welcome and

I'm not happy about everything this president has done, might do, whatever. But I'm so damned grateful he's not diseased with the Bush mindset, he's a brilliant man who is handling everything thrown at him with grace, and I think he genuinely cares. I'm happy about that. I also loved his 'resetting' the tone in Europe. We so needed that!

[Idealism]

2. He ran on a troop escalation in Afghanistan, he was pretty clear on that one..

FISA cover is shitty, no doubt. Corporate handouts, or whatever you call them, in this case are needed. Reform should be attached to them, and unfortunately because of the lobbying power of business it isn't, but we have seen what happens when you don't intervene to save the system. Japan's Lost Decade was made possible when the government refused to help failing banks after their speculative real estate bubble. The Great Depression in the US happened in part because the Fed refused to save any of the 3000 banks that went under, and the government refused to boost public spending and investments to help spur growth.

[whatchamacallit]

9. Hmm...

Wasn't part of the cause of Japan's "lost generation" a result of the "zombie banks" they kept alive? Lots of people, including George Soros, believe many if not all the banks we're shoveling trillions into are insolvent. Beyond the requisite display of confidence and certitude, the treasury pretty much admits they are not sure their efforts will actually work.

[Idealism]

12. Zombie banks weren't given funds

there was no liquidity being injected into the system. The government allowed no discernible investment (what we call stimulus). It was a horrible mess throughout the decade, with the Japanese central bank trying every policy prescribed to them, finally settling on Keynesian theory. It has met with mixed success, though.

[girl gone mad]

16. I don't think you've got a good understanding of Japan's lost decade.

Subsidizing failed banks rather than forcing write downs of toxic assets is what caused the so-called "zombie banks". It's exactly what we're doing now.

Japan spent significant amounts on stimulus, including infrastructure. They built many bridges to nowhere. The results were fairly poor, not mixed. If not for a strong export market (mostly thanks to America's credit bubble), Japan would have been in much worse shape. We don't have an export market to fall back on.

[truedelphi]

15. ABout Japan:

You say:

"Japan's Lost Decade was made possible when the government refused to help failing banks after their speculative real estate bubble."

But the thing is, when a President is pushing for a recovery, he needs to take smart and productive actions, not simply handing over the last dime on Main Street to Wall Strteet.

Actions that are senseless will only create an even more dire situation. Think about it - where is the money for jobs going to come from? Not from the banks under Geithner. He is one of the foxes watching the hen house. They will continue their partying and acquiring foreign banks and maybe local utilities before they start loaning the money out to the Public.

[NavyDavy]

4. if that is all you see, then that is all you want to see......hes

accomplished more in the first 100 days than shrub did in 8 yrs......man the haters are on DU thicker than fleas lately!!!

[Webster Green]

6. I think he is playing chess on the FISA thing. We'll see what happens,,

Part of the "corporate handouts" is to try to prevent folks from losing their hard earned pensions and health benefits. Keep in mind that Obama is cleaning up someone else's mess.

Troop escalations: Again, someone else's mess, though I'm not too happy to see an escalation.

Obama has really improved our image in the eyes of the rest of the world after his recent tour. That in itself is Hugh!!11 :patriot:

[Webster Green]

8. Well, looky here:

President Obama Fulfills Two Critical Campaign Promises to Vets

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8333003&mesg_id=8333003

[sam sarrha]

7. tea... no insurance program for the CommonWealth, and more of the same bullshit i'm afraid

[Reform]

10. Iraq deadline will be interrupted as well I'm afraid

April 9, 2009
General Ray Odierno: we may have to ignore Iraq deadline to halt al-Qaeda terror

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article6069734.ece

[babylonsister]

14. I saw that. I'll wait to hear it from the - ahem - horse's mouth. Odierno

has been known to say things that aren't necessarily true. It might be, but then again, maybe not. :shrug: