Obama Tells Democrats He Wants a ‘Big Deal’ to Trim Deficit

[No Elephants]

Obama Tells Democrats He Wants a ‘Big Deal’ to Trim Deficit
By Hans Nichols - Feb 7, 2013 5:33 PM ET

President Barack Obama said he wants to reach a “big deal” on the budget that will cut the nation’s deficit without slashing spending on education and research that is needed to ensure future growth.

Obama said negotiations with congressional Republicans over avoiding the $1.2 trillion in automatic, across-the-board spending reductions set to begin March 1 shouldn’t push aside the effort for a broader plan to cut government debt.

“I am prepared, eager and anxious to do a big deal, a big package that ends this governance by crisis,” Obama said at the annual House Democratic retreat at Lansdowne Resort in Virginia, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) northwest of Washington.

Earlier this week, Obama called on Congress to postpone the automatic cuts and for now work on a short-term package that would combine increased revenue as well as trimming federal outlays. Obama has said he wants to curb tax breaks for top earners and change the treatment of profits in buyout deals, known as carried interest.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-07/obama-tells-democrats-he-wants-a-big-deal-to-trim-deficit.html

[Enthusiast]

1. I get the impression

that we the people will take another hit.

[Enthusiast]

2. Why is the President allowing the Republicans to frame the discussion?

Once again, the Republicans are wrong to focus on deficit reduction during a recession.

But the President is feeding their misinformation by not challenging their basic assertions. Why do we see the President repeatedly doing this?

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/01/paul-krugman-economics-keynes

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/opinion/krugman-the-austerity-agenda.html?_r=0

http://www.bloomberg.com/video/74342284-stiglitz-says-germany-wrong-to-focus-on-austerity.html

[No Elephants]

3. Because a Democrat's pretending to be a victim of the Reublicans makes

almost anything O.K. with a lot of Democrats?

[No Elephants]

4. We just loves us the "red team, blue team" game, though, don't we?

Hoover said, "Government should not step in, but, hey, I don't say that because I am totally heartless, soul-less and shameful. I can say that with impunity from that kind of stigma because I profess to believe that Americans will help each other out (or so the Bush-stocked PBS will say in 2012)."


FDR said:


EMERGENCY BANK ACT

GLASS STEAGALL ACT

FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION

FEDERAL EMERGENCY RELIEF ADMINISTRATION

ECONOMY ACT (considered conservative)

PUBLIC WORKS ADMINISTRATION (PWA)

CIVIL WORKS ADMINISTRATION (CWA)

WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION (WPA )

CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CO (CCC)

NATIONAL RECOVERY ACT (NRA)

ECUURITIES ACT OF 1933

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

BANKRUPTCY ACT OF 1933

BANKRUPTCY ACT OF 1934

CHANDLER ACT OF 1938

INDIAN REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1934

1935 WAGNER ACT (unions)

NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS ACT

FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT OF 1938

FEDERAL CROP INSURANCE CORPORATION

FARM SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

AGRICULTURAL ADJUSTMENT ACT (AAA) (not my personal favorite)

SURPLUS COMMODITIES ACT OF 1936 (has been changed to food stamps)

RESETTLEMENT ADMINISTRATION (RA)

HOME OWNERS LOAN CORPORATION (HOLC)

THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT 1935

RURAL ELECTRIFICATION ADMINISTRATION

TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY

UNITED STATES HOUSING AUTHORITY

PUBLIC WORKS OF ART PROJECT

WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION

TREASURY RELIEF ART PROJECT

FEDERAL ARTS PROJECT



I may have missed some.


Not all of these programs were successful. Conservatives in Congress (both major political parties) made quick work of some prograqms, as did the Supreme Court, until FDR threatened to enlarge the Court by appointing Justices sympathetic to the New Deal. The SCOTUS then re-interpreted the interstate commerce to give the federal government great power, which the federal government has used ever since for all kinds of things. And, FDR certainly did some extremely shameful things, notably internment of Japanese Americans (and some German Americans and Italian Americans, too, but nothing like Japanese Americans).

But, the point is, we saw a marked difference between the approach of a Republican President and the approach of a Democratic President. Ditto LBJ's domestic policies. And I've made obvious how I feel about Truman's domestic policies.

We no longer see those kinds of difference--and, IMO, the American people and the nation are much the worse for not seeing them.

Obama, on the other hand, like Clinton, wanted Republican policies and Democratic votes. (Shame on Democratic voters for giving them both.)

Ergo, Obama, while Democrats controlled both Houses of Congress and he sat in the Oval Office, pretended he had to make a deal with Republicans in order to get one measly extension of unemployment benefits. Just a poor helpless victim of the Republicans, who, at that point, controlled nothing.

So, we got the Obama tax cuts, which Democrats dishonestly insist on calling the Bush tax cuts, even though said Bush tax cuts expired on December 31, 2010 and Bush had zero power to do anything about them.

And the Democrats, being good blue team fans, either bought it or pretended to buy it, blaming the mean old Republicans. LOL!

[Enthusiast]

5. Beautifully said.

It's kabuki theater. Millions of us now recognize this. More every day. Despite the efforts to prop up the illusion.