Pelosi needs to go, the Stim package is becoming an embarrassment because

[demo dutch]

she let the Dems load it down with stuff that shouldn't be there. She's just not on the same page as Obama. She's going to be a distaster for him.

Check out this link
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/02/gop.stimulus.worries/index.html

Even if you're for some the items they shouldn't be in the economic stim package

[Barack_America]

1. You say "sorry" as if you expect that to be an unpopular opinion around here.

It's not.

[demo dutch]

2. Ok ...I took it out! I do think she's a distaster for him, don't you agree?

[Barack_America]

15. I think the consensus around here is she is a disaster, period. nt

[KittyWampus]

8. So many DU'ers hate Pelosi they will blindly agree with the opening post regardless of its actual

premise.

[Edweird]

48. You say that like it's a BAD thing...

[JuniperLea]

3. She's dead weight and needs trimmed from the party

She hasn't stood by one thing she promised us. Her oneupmanship photo op with Bush was the last sort of good thing she ever did.

[KittyWampus]

9. What does that have to do with the opening statement about the Stimulus Bill?

[D-Lee]

35. We ought to give Pelosi a chance to show what she can do with a Dem majority

I believe the Repubs did all they could to trash Pelosi -- as part of their general campaign pushing the position that Congress was inept (ignoring that law makers can't be be effective when legislation is ignored by the executive and trumped with signing statements or just plain disregarded AND that the Senate Repubs blocked anything being passed by the Senate).

Pile that degrading campaign on top of a little sexism and -- VOILA! -- Pelosi didn't have much of a chance to develop an reputation for effectiveness nor to be fully effective.

I'm in favor of assessing her role with the votes we have following Obama's election and a new Congress.

[tavalon]

57. Pelosi destroyed her own rep. She needed no help

[geek tragedy]

4. No, it's Obama's fault for accomodating Republicans instead

of fighting for good policy. He's triangulating against his own party in a way that Bill Clinton would never have dared to do.

Congressional Republicans vs. Congressional Democrats--whose side is Obama on?

[demo dutch]

5. The campaign promised to work accross the isle but in the end it will still be "his" package

[geek tragedy]

6. Then he should act like it and FIGHT for it.

This is a fight, and if he didn't want to fight Republicans he should not have run for President.

[KittyWampus]

7. How exactly is the Stimulus Package 'triangulating'?

[geek tragedy]

11. He's not saying "The Republicans are full of shit and advancing

nonsense arguments." So, their arguments are considered credible.

Because, heaven forbid, that would be telling the truth instead of kissing the party of Bush's ass.

[demo dutch]

14. I don't think the GOP leak on the pork helps its popularity see link

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/02/gop.stimulus.worries/index.html

After the passing of TARP and its problems, many Americans just don't get it.

[geek tragedy]

23. Do you think that summer jobs programs for students

is wasteful pork that has no place in a bill that tries to create jobs?

[Boomerang Diddle]

10. I don't understand this hatred of Pelosi

The left hates her and the right hates her!

[geek tragedy]

12. Left hates her because she didn't impeach Bush.

It's amazing--she's fighting the good fight for the right issues, but she gets blamed while Obama doesn't even bother debating the Republicans.

[WCGreen]

34. It takes 2/3 of the Senate to Convict and the proceedings would

have been run by Roberts...

That is why the House didn't start Impeachment hearings...

[laugle]

54. I know it is way to late now, but I think she

could have impeached Chaney. Besides, he was the real president, Bush was the idiot puppet!

If she does some investigations on the torture at Gitmo, Wiretapping of citizens, and all the rest, I will support her again. Right now I don't!

[dmr]

60. That's not the point for many of us. The point is standing for (& documenting) the rules of law

For us to sit on our hands was/is wrong. Besides not even trying to honor our Constitution, as leader, she seemed to not even buck old 43 and his buddies in Congress.

Truly, truly frustrating. The Democrats have been given the gift of trust from weary Americans and Pelosi and big name Dems fuck it up during their first major vote, giving truculent Republicans ammo to throw at our new president.

Though, I agree with you that the Senate (and Roberts) would have sunk anything the Democrats put forth on Bush*, I do believe something - anything - should have been officially done on the floors of Congress.

History will not be kind to Pelosi, nor to many other Dem leaders.

[bvar22]

65. That may be true, but

...that is NOT a good reason for "taking Impeachment OFF the Table" before the 2007 Congress even began.

[Still Sensible]

50. You are right, the left hates her

over impeachment. I don't like her because I believe she is incompetent.

[AlinPA]

56. I don't like how she almost worshipped Bush** - lots of pictures of her and Bush**.

[Sonicmedusa]

16. The right think she is a flamming liberal

because she has a "D" after her name.

The rest of us know she is not.

[mmonk]

33. I understand it given I don't like her, but not on or concerning this issue.

The stimulus is going to be attacked no matter what by the republicans to keep their cult alive.

[uponit7771]

42. The house dems didn't have to make it EASY for them to attack though. Some of the shit they threw in

...there was stupid and low hanging fruit for reThugs to pick at either way it slows things down.

[mmonk]

46. Maybe some of it was designed so that they can take

something off and the important spending stimulus can get through.

[elocs]

13. In case you are not familiar with how the Speaker is chosen, Pelosi cannot simply be made to "go".

She was just reelected as Speaker and she will not be going anywhere just because she is not liked here so we may as well accept that fact.

[demo dutch]

17. I know that, but I believe she's going to cause him lots of problems

[elocs]

20. What's causing Obama problems now is nominating people who have tax problems.

Either this is poor vetting or these people somehow believe their avoiding paying taxes will not be exposed. The next time this happens it is going to have to be on Obama for making the choice.

As for Pelosi, she is here and she is not going anywhere. Take it to the bank.

[endarkenment]

18. turn off the hate radio

it is bad for your mental health

[demo dutch]

19. actually not listening to the radio

[endarkenment]

26. whatever

the 'wasteful spending meme' is the current refuglican talking point.

[paulk]

21. So, an article about what the GOP deems "wasteful"?

Perhaps you could explain why we should give a fuck about what the GOP "deems wasteful"?

Other than as just another excuse to bash Nancy Pelosi...

[geek tragedy]

22. LMAO--they think a summer jobs program

doesn't belong in a stimulus.

Because a stimulus is about job creation.

Or something.

[demo dutch]

28. Come on that's one of minor things there are other items that are rediculous and should not

be part of a stim package. I'm all for these items but not in the stim package

A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.
$248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters
$1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.
$75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI
$100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint

[paulk]

45. anything that puts money directly into the economy -

where it will get spent - is fine by me

I would be happy with a couple more billion being put into the Census, especially because it's looking like that's the only work my wife or I are going to get this summer.

You are arguing for the Republicans.

[demo dutch]

24. I think that several items do not belong in this bill. The more details that are coming out

after the TARP fiasco the more negative it will become

[geek tragedy]

27. Yeah, we should only pass legislation that the Republicans

wouldn't dare criticize.

Fortunately, Pelosi has bigger balls than many of her critics.

[Occam Bandage]

25. Pelosi needs to go because the Republicans think she's a tax-and-spender.

Solid logic there.

[Fire1]

29. Rarely, if ever, do I agree with anything a Republican says,

particularly, McConnell. But, in this case, I have to agree. Too much waste and pork to the point of taking away from the urgent issues at hand.

[demo dutch]

31. Thank you. There's a time and a place and eventhough I'm for some of the items they shouldn't be

in the stim package

[Medusa]

30. She's been a failure since Day 1

I've never understood how she got that leadership position to begin with, let alone keep it.

[ProSense]

32. Screw the GOP. When they eliminate all the tax cuts for the wealthy in their package then

maybe they get to hurl criticisms. Never forget, their BS is what brought on the financial crisis.

[Thrill]

36. The problem is the Democrats let the Republicans frame the debate as usual

[uponit7771]

41. Unnn, some of the shit in the link looks stupid. If we're in an emergency then don't load the measur

...down with crap.

[blueladybird]

37. I agree.

"she let the Dems load it down with stuff that shouldn't be there." A lot of weird stuff is included in the package. I don't see how some of the stuff included will help the economy.

[bigwillq]

38. She needs to go, but not because of the stim package.

The stim package will pass.

[Minimus]

39. The only ones that really bother me are:

- A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.

- $75 million to construct a "security training" facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.

[uponit7771]

40. Yeah, that move was stupid...loading this down slowed it down. We'll see, ....

[ieoeja]

43. My opinion on their list.

Wasteful

• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.



No Opinion

• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.

• $75 million for "smoking cessation activities."

• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.

• $75 million to construct a "security training" facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.



Not Wasteful

• $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Department of Energy defunded last year because it said the project was inefficient.

• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).

• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.

• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.

• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.

• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.

• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.

• $125 million for the Washington sewer system.

• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.

• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.

• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.

• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.

• $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River.

• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.

• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings.

• $500 million for state and local fire stations.

• $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands.

• $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs.

• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.

• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.

• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.

• $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service.

• $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.

• $850 million for Amtrak.

• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.

• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.

• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations

[biopowertoday]

44. Mitch McConnel said Obama is embarrassed by it. on the

Sunday talk show. Wonder if he is.

[sundog]

47. since when does pelosi -not- have to go according to du?

[Still Sensible]

49. Yeah, because she couldn't herd her cats

the GOP has valid talking points. And the sad thing is they can pass just about all of those pet projects individually after they get the Recovery Act done.

[lonestarnot]

51. Totally fucking agree!

[onenote]

52. so your premise is that Obama and his team had no real input into the bill

that was introduced even though that bill was going to be and was labelled as Obama's proposal?

If that was true, and I'm quite certain that its not, it would say more about Obama than Pelosi, wouldn't it?

The fact is that the bill was worked out by members of Obama's transition team and house leaders and reflects a series of compromises and strategic choices, such as the inclusion of provisions aimed at teeing up an issue even with the knowledge that it would come out of the final bill.

I'm sure you know the old saying about legislation and sausage -- two things you never want to watch being made....

[uponit7771]

61. No, Pelosi didn't have to let this crappy ass'd bill hit the floor. It was stupid to load it down...

...with dumbness.

[BuyingThyme]

53. Poo stinks.

[laugle]

55. That just about sums it up! LOL........nt

[CATagious]

58. by my calculations...

which may be incorrect... that list amounts to $19.1 billion dollars which is just 2.12% of the total bill. I don't think I would characterize that as loaded down... I do think much of that should be removed but to say it's loaded down with pork does not appear to be accurate.

[uponit7771]

62. It wasn't loaded down numerically but anyone who's watch 3 seconds of political shows knows reThugs

...were going to whine like children about the "social crap" they put in it.

They could've kept it simple...2 - 3 programs get passed and let the other crap fly when they have some credibility.

[Clear Blue Sky]

59. Yes she should go.

Obama wants to be bipartisan and she doesn't. It won't end well...

[Jamastiene]

63. I have despised Pelosi since she said "Impeachment is off the table"

But...

Fuck the Republicans and what they think. President Obama won. That's why he is President now. The Democratic Party is in charge now. The Republicans can learn to work with us or go off whimpering about it. The choice is theirs. Either way, we won. They need to step down off their high horses and realize the country wants the Democrats in charge, not them.

[Writer]

64. Okay, demo dutch I vote YOU for House Speaker...

Go ahead, now. Let's see you get nearly 500 representatives to agree on a bill! Heck, let's get just the 300 or so DEMOCRATIC representatives to agree on a bill.

And while you're at it, I'm sure you'll care when a DU'er named stemo stutch decides to go online and get uptight about there being compromise measures in the bill.

Let's see how well you'd do with strict ideology and no compromise.

Good luck.

[Barack_America]

67. Nobody can disagree with infrastructure spending.

IMO, Pelosi took the lazy route in assembling this bill. She just went around to Dem representatives and asked them, "hey do you have any projects that are "stimulative"?" and then tossed them in the bill. Some of it may be, most of it isn't. But adding any of it opens the bill to criticism, slows the process down and is an embarrassment.

All that shit should be tossed out and the money added to infrastructure spending.

[Barack_America]

66. Kicking this because I'm very much agreeing with it today.

What a mess Pelosi made with that bill.