Krugman: Obama's bipartisan attempts only empowered those who take orders from Rush Limbaugh.

[seafan]

This is the crux of the problem, and thank you, Paul Krugman, for yelling this out in your column.


These Republicans will NEVER act in a selfless manner for the good of America. They are only intent on sabotage. Anything that will empower the common people must be derailed and ground into the dirt.

These Republicans, led by Rush Limbaugh, actually do want President Obama, and, by extension, the country, to FAIL.


These obstructionist, soulless automatons that squat in our Congress and reek from FOX Noise and spew-radio, must be shut down and removed.



Shove them aside, Mr. President.




Krugman writes:

.....

Would the Obama economic plan, if enacted, ensure that America won’t have its own lost decade? Not necessarily: a number of economists, myself included, think the plan falls short and should be substantially bigger. But the Obama plan would certainly improve our odds. And that’s why the efforts of Republicans to make the plan smaller and less effective — to turn it into little more than another round of Bush-style tax cuts — are so destructive.

So what should Mr. Obama do? Count me among those who think that the president made a big mistake in his initial approach, that his attempts to transcend partisanship ended up empowering politicians who take their marching orders from Rush Limbaugh. What matters now, however, is what he does next.

It’s time for Mr. Obama to go on the offensive. Above all, he must not shy away from pointing out that those who stand in the way of his plan, in the name of a discredited economic philosophy, are putting the nation’s future at risk. The American economy is on the edge of catastrophe, and much of the Republican Party is trying to push it over that edge.

These Republicans are putting the future of America AT RISK. This is nothing short of economic terrorism.



Shove them aside, Mr. President. We The People have your back.

[KittyWampus]

1. Attempts at being Bipartisan give Obama the credibility to make the case now. Krugman

is great at Economics and sucks when it comes to implementing them.

It's all about Process and Marketing your message.

[HughMoran]

33. First post sums up my feelings as well

Krugman is turning into a reactionary - it's only been 2 weeks!!!!!

Amazing how small-minded & impatient a country we've become.

[xchrom]

2. recommend

[gratuitous]

3. Digby has it on her site

You want to take someone out to dinner. You suggest Italian, she says she wants to dine on tire rims and anthrax. There is no place to compromise.

[Radical Activist]

4. Obama's actions revealed the Republicans for what they are.

Now people like Krugman can write columns about how destructive they are.

[Larkspur]

12. Where have you been the last 8 years?

Krugman has been critical of Bush and the Republicans when it wasn't the popular thing to do. Obama was asleep over those 8 years. That's the only thing that can explain Obama's vacant post-partisanship ideology.

[burythehatchet]

15. What we're witnessing is individuals who ought to be critical thinkers

abandoning any pretense of objective analysis and fawning over the man.

[Radical Activist]

19. It's unfortunate

that your critical thinking doesn't allow you to see how this is working in Obama's favor. Obama reaching out again does far more to show the public what the GOP's true colors are more so than a millions columns in the NYT.

[Maven]

21. This isn't performance art

People KNOW how disastrous Republicans have been for this country. That's why they voted for Obama!

[Radical Activist]

29. 53% nationally.

That isn't enough to pressure Senators and Congressmen in red states. It needs to be obvious and undeniable. What Obama is doing gives more proof to people making arguments like Krugman's.

[Kalyke]

38. No - because the senators left are from red states that

A.) Will never turn blue because;
B.) They only have right-wing radio and the people never get truthful information.

Sadly, I live in one such state. I've seen Tennessee turn from the state that brought us Al Gore, The Highlander Center (civil rights mecca) and ratified the right for women to vote into a state whose denizens are subjected to a Neanderthal-like existence.

[Radical Activist]

17. You haven't noticed public opinion turning against the GOP?

You haven't noticed people talking more about them being obstructionist and putting party over country? Do you not see how Obama's actions are working in his favor by pushing public opinion that way? What Krugman was doing for the last 8 years has nothing to do with it.

[jsamuel]

18. No, I haven't noticed that. I have noticed support for the bill dropping.

sorry for butting in here

[Radical Activist]

22. who told you that?

the corporate press?
Some of the proposed changes are coming from Democrats too.

[jsamuel]

23. the polls

[Radical Activist]

24. that's what i thought.

meaningless corporate press polls.

[wroberts189]

25. Exactly... he is shown to be reaching out his hand in the public eye...

while they try to bite it every time.


People are pissed and its not at the Dems.

[Larkspur]

35. Obama hasn't noticed that people are against the GOP

He still acts like he only won by 1 vote.

The Washington Beltway echoes the Right wing bull crap louder than reason and it seems to be influencing Obama more than reason itself. Hopefully, in his last 2 speeches, he is breaking away from Broderism also called Conventional Wisdom within the Washington Beltway but more accurately defined as wealthy elitism.

[HughMoran]

34. That's small minded thinking

Obama has to show that the Democrats are NOT like the Republicans. He can always say "see, I tried" afterward.

Your way of thinking is like running the country like it's a checkers game - Obama plays Chess.

[Larkspur]

36. The Repukes are playing poker

not chess.

Obama needs to play poker and call the Repukes bluff.

[HughMoran]

37. No, Obama doesn't have to play the Republicans game

That's your problem, you think we have to play their game - we don't.

This is OUR GAME - the Republicans can come to our table and play or they can beckon Obama to theirs.

Obama will NOT take the bait, no matter how many "instant result" thinkers scream otherwise.

[Larkspur]

46. That's why Obama is losing

He's playing the game of chess in a poker match. Politics is more like poker than chess. Both use emotiono and bluffing as part of their game plan. Chess is a logical match. There is nothing logical about what the Repukes are doing but they are masters of the PR game.

[HughMoran]

49. That's why he won?

He got exactly what he wanted. He asked for more and let them "think" they won concessions when he took the extras out. We'll get all the other stuff later anyway.

Obama 1, Republicans 0

[Larkspur]

51. Krugman disagrees

What the centrists have wrought

Per Krugman's analysis and number crunching, the original stimulus package was too small and the centrists have made it worse. Getting a 2nd stimulus package through Congress will be more difficult because Obama still will not have Republican support. If the current bill goes into affect and the economy does not recover or just limps along, the Republicans will blame the spending parts of the bill for the cause of the economic recovery failure and Obama's popularity will take another big hit.

[mzmolly]

41. Good point.

:hi:

[Larkspur]

45. We already know what the Republicans are

That's why they lost the 2008 elections.

Krugman has known what the Republicans are long before Obama came to Washington. He was one of the lone voices of dissent against Bush starting in 2001.

[AlinPA]

5. Reid said that he is "confident" that there will be a vote tonight around 5-7 PM. That vote

would be a cloture vote which will fail. This way, the republicans will act like they have the upper hand (broadcast media will support them 100%). It will also demonstrate that Limbaugh controls the republican in the senate as well as the house. Sorry to be so negative, but they are setting up Harry Reid by promising him a vote.

[closeupready]

6. "shove them aside" - yes, this is what I have been saying.

He needs to stop modeling his strategy on failed wimps like Reid and Pelosi and more along the lines of FDR, JFK and even Tip O'Neill. I do think he can do it.

[Radical Activist]

26. you need to go back

and study how those leaders operated. JFK never got much passed anyway, and the others frequently worked out compromises to get things done.

[Winterblues]

7. Rush Limbaugh and Republican Law Makers have "theirs"

They are not the slightest worried about struggling, losing their homes, or lacking food. They really could care less, all they want is the Power to Bully. Does anyone , even Republicans think Rush Limbaugh gives a rat's ass about the Average American? They have theirs and screw everyone else..They literally reek with that attitude..I don't know any way Democrats can combat that attitude either. The only thing would be for the American People to pull the plug on them and America is just not a very bright country any more. What other explanation is there for Republicans still holding sway over the country as they do?

[seafan]

10. Americans are very bright people. Republicans have gutted education for nearly 30 years.

That is the real outrage. By consistently shortchanging education for our country's people, Republicans ensured that they stayed in power for 20 of the last 28 years.

This is why they are fighting tooth and nail to stop Obama from reversing their decades-long assault on education.


Americans are smart people. We will not cringe in the face of these abusers.


And we will not stop until they are brought to justice. Every last stinking one of them.

[n2doc]

31. And you notice the DINOS are going along with it

Cutting NSF, NASA, DOE, EPA, etc., etc. from the bill. As if spending on the sciences won't do anything for stimulating productivity and ideas that we need to get us out of this mess.


If the Internet hadn't been supported in the 80's and early-mid 90's, Clinton's "Boom" would have been a "pffft"

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

8. not only that, but if the hate spewers have enough sway to influence

their audience to mass call congress, and that carries enough sway to influence policy, and the hater spewers audience represents a small minority of the american populace, wouldn't that fact alone be enough to bring back the fairness doctrine? :shrug: :shrug: :shrug: :shrug:

[midnight]

9. I really don't know what to think, but a theory is forming.

President Obama, while trying to work for everyone interests, is also allowing those who work against him, their voice. Hopefully they tire of their wining and stop their interference, and begin to listen to reasonableness.

[KoKo]

13. Better Obama learn early than put us through what we went through in the Clinton years

with the McCorporate Media dogging his every step, the Repugs accusing him of all evil deeds until he finally did commit one with Lewinsky.

If it's Rahm who's is giving him this advice about coziness with Repugs then Rahm needs to be marginalized and more progressive voices brought in closer to him.

[Pastiche423]

44. rahm needs to be marginalized. Period!

[PM Martin]

55. I do worry that Obama is going to end up like Clinton did.

[Larkspur]

14. Republicans will never quit whining

They know that if government spending works, the Republican Party is dead for good and headed to the dustbin of history.

[KoKo]

11. Krugman who used to be very centrist is turning into a firebrand for

Progressives! Excellent! Thanks for posting and your comments. :thumbsup:

[amborin]

47. Krugman was always left of center

[rudy23]

16. Republicans are selfish by nature. They're never going to be satisfied w/ compromise.

They don't believe things because they are "right", they believe in things that help them survive. They are survivalists, first and foremost.

[wroberts189]

20. Yes ..shove them all aside and make the bill bigger! K&R

Let them filibuster ...MAKE THEM

Call their bluff for one god damn time.

[seafan]

28. Yes, force the Republicans to filibuster. Let them expose their destructiveness even more.

Thom Hartmann is on a rampage over this.

[wroberts189]

30. good link ..thx nt

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

27. It's a shame they can't bottle and sell back-seat driving.

Krugman would single-handedly fix the economy.

[Greyhound]

32. Still waiting to see how this pans out. We're coming up on a month in office

and Obama is making a B-, IMO.

The problem as I see it is that so few really understand just how huge this is. Krugman is a very moderate person that does get it and when people like him are saying "this is not enough", we should all be very concerned. He wrote a piece a couple months ago stating that radical, drastic measures are needed immediately, to do otherwise will bring real disaster on us that will last for decades.

[kiranon]

39. Congressional Republicans won't change until people take to the streets

with their pots and pans a la Iceland and Argentina. The only change they will take then it to hide. The only way to change the climate in Washington is to defeat the Republicans and put Democrats in their place. If the Republicans prevent the stimulus package from passing in an acceptable form, the people in their home states will throw them out of office provided the Democrats can get the message out that the Republicans are out to push the country over the ledge as Krugman so accurately writes.

[ShortnFiery]

40. Krugman, if he truly cares about this country, needs to stop spewing BILE and consult with

those who are within the Obama Administration.

IMNSHO, he's as big of asshole as Limbaugh is now because he's just "stirring the pot."

Again, due to his past and continuing sniping Obama at every turn, Krugman is NOW becoming part of the problem.

Paul Krugman: a brilliant man tripping-up himself (and perhaps our nation) by allowing his infantile ego to rule his behavior. :puke:

[Larkspur]

52. Politico reported a while back that Krugman is advising the Obama Admin

but he would not tell Politico the details.

Krugman is right, just as he had been right about how bad Bush would be for this nation when his peers were praising Bush. Obama has way too many Clintonistas on his team and most of those Clintonistas helped the Repukes deregulate the banks and financial sector and usher in this economic disaster. Obama needs to be more like FDR and less like Bill Clinton.

[paulk]

54. what a thunderously stupid post

since you've got no real argument with what Krugman says

your only recourse is to try to smear him in a most personal way

over and over and over and over

where have we seen this sort of tactic before?

ps-

I hear the RNC is hiring

[GeorgeGist]

42. If economics was science ...

there would be a Nobel Prize for the first economist to discover that Profitus monsterous is devouring the economy.

But since it isn't, quacks who believe in the profit fairy are taken seriously.

The Pie isn't High Enough

Claims Nobel Prize Winning Economist, Paul Krugman

[hfojvt]

43. "those who stand in the way of his plan

in the name of a discredited economic philosophy, are putting the nation's future at risk."

nicely said, Prof. Krugman

[2Design]

48. wake up obama - these guys don't play for the good of the whole and you are being naive n/t

[G_j]

50. Republicans desperately want the country to fail

and they will fight for that..


Does anyone really think they want a successful president to contrast the failure of the Bush reign?

[BlooInBloo]

53. I disagree on Obama's attempt being a mistake, but yah to the rest.

[progressivebydesign]

56. What part of MANDATE don't those fuckers get???

I mean.. seriously. That POS Bush claimed a mandate and he didn't even win, and the second time, barely squeaked through President Obama convincingly kicked their ass back to Crawford, and they STILL act like they have a fucking say in this. This has been pissing me off lately.

It's a mandate. Screw that pastey faced drug addicted tool.

They don't deserve say in this. Considering how many republicans voted for President Obama, these idiots are NOT serving their constituents at all.