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it doesn't turn around on a dime.
There is absolutely no doubt that Obama was left with a hell of a mess. I almost suspect that the Republicans knew there was no chance of winning the Presidential election or gaining control of Congress, so they let the economy go into free fall. They probably planned for the recession to occur just after Obama took office. Unfortunately for them, it happened on Bush's watch.
There MAY be some advantages to capitalism, but unregulated capitalism has proven to be a failure in past and current history. Regulations are something that Republicans absolutely hate. For some strange reason, they feel that corporate America is interested in making our country a better place to live and that the noble intentions of corporations will overcome greed. Corporations are interested in the bottom line and the next quarter. Period!
Still many of the economic measures passed by the Obama administration have failed to increase jobs. Better planning and different economic advisers may solve this problem. There is no doubt that business hates uncertainty. Not being certain of the cost of Obama's heathcare program and the possible increase in taxes are causing many smaller businesses to hesitate before hiring new workers.
I can't claim to have solutions to the problem, as that is far above my pay grade. But to me, there appears little doubt that if the economy isn't showing strong signs of recovery after Obama has four years in office, he will be a one term President like Jimmy Carter. (The economy SHOULD turn around by 2012, and I firmly believe that it will.)
One thing that has irritated a lot of voters is the fact that 2000 page bills are forced through Congress without our representatives having a chance to have the time to read them. On top of that, they don't seem to work. We appear to many voters as a party that is only interested in pushing an agenda that ignores their views and input. To many, Democrats come across as elitist and capable of ignoring the views of those who send us to office. Republicans can take advantage of this and accuse us of attempting to change our country from a representative democracy to a socialist form of government. Glen Beck can present a case for this with his three black boards. He's a buffoon, but many people listen to his hour long lessons and agree with his view. The fact that the White House fears him so much as to force Shirley Sherrod to resign because he might mention her on his 5 PM program only adds to his allure.
I realize that the Republican party has little interest in bi-partisan cooperation with Democrats. Still many people in this country want to see both parties working together to solve serious problems. We need to offer a chance for Republicans to offer serious solutions and to honestly consider them. If all they can say is, "No" and totally lack ideas, we win. If all they can come up with is failed ideas that have proven not to work, we can win. If, by chance, they actually have some good ideas, we can consider, debate and compromise.
One big danger is that if both parties continue to fight like the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns on a football field, the voters will give up in total frustration and vote everybody out.
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