The Obamanation

[TheMercenary]

Good question. I asked that question repeatedly during the promises made in the immediate post election period.

Well, I asked myself that anyways.

[classicman]

Obama repackages stimulus plans with old promises

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama assured the nation his recovery plan was on track Monday, scrambling to calm Americans unnerved by unemployment rates still persistently rising nearly four months after he signed the biggest economic stimulus in history.

Obama admitted his own dissatisfaction with the progress but said his administration would ramp up stimulus spending in the coming months. The White House acknowledged it has spent only $44 billion, or 5 percent, of the $787 billion stimulus, but that total has always been expected to rise sharply this summer.

He also repeated an earlier promise to create or save 600,000 jobs by the end of the summer.

Neither the acceleration nor the jobs goal are new. Both represent a White House repackaging of promises and projects to blunt criticism that the effects haven't been worth the historic price tag. And the job estimate is so murky, it can never be verified.

The economy has shed 1.6 million jobs since the stimulus measure was signed in February, far overshadowing White House announcements estimating the effort has saved 150,000 jobs. Public opinion of Obama's handling of the economy has declined along with the jobs data.

For the first time, the administration admitted the economic forecasts it used to sell the stimulus were overly optimistic.

"At the time, our forecast seemed reasonable," Vice President Joe Biden's top economic adviser, Jared Bernstein, said Monday, explaining that the White House underestimated the scope of the recession. "Now, looking back, it was clearly too optimistic."

By now, according to earlier White House economic models, the nation's unemployment rate should be on the decline. The forecasts used to drum up support for the plan projected today's unemployment would be about 8 percent. Instead, it sits at 9.4 percent, the highest in more than 25 years.

Some analysts believe the White House is still not being realistic, that Obama will be lucky if any real job creation from his recovery effort is seen by the end of the year, let alone the employment explosion he predicts.

"I think these estimates are overly optimistic," said Arpitha Bykere, a senior analyst with RGE Monitor.

Wow and some posters thought Reagan's deficits were a bad idea. Yikes!
Perhaps we should all invest in vaseline...

[TheMercenary]

No surprises there.

[Shawnee123]

Wow and some posters thought Reagan's deficits were a bad idea. Yikes!
Perhaps we should all invest in vaseline...

I stocked up during the Bushie years...rented a warehouse...it's almost empty but I have a couple jars left.

[classicman]

Ahhh - you financial types always hoarding stuff for yourselves. :P

[Shawnee123]

I should have sat on them (pun intended.) I could make a killing when the Vaseline industry fails.

[classicman]

Obama seeks fiscal responsibility mantle

President Barack Obama sought on Tuesday to show he was serious about improving the U.S. budget picture as he called on Congress to pass new limits on tax cuts and spending programs to avoid adding to deficits.

Obama urged passage of "pay-as-you-go" legislation that would require any new tax cut or automatic spending program to be paid for within the budget.

"The 'pay as you go' principle is very simple. Congress can only spend a dollar if it saves a dollar elsewhere," Obama said in a speech at the White House attended by several Democratic members of Congress.

"Entitlement increases and tax cuts need to be paid for. They are not free," said Obama, who has been criticized by Republicans for proposing a hefty domestic agenda that includes overhauling the health care system, bolstering education and tackling global climate change.

The White House has forecast a budget deficit for this year of $1.84 trillion, or 12.9 percent of gross domestic product.

Republicans have warned that programs such as the proposed health care plan would add to the budget deficit for years to come and have also criticized Obama's $787 billion stimulus plan, which was passed by Congress in February.

Wait Whaat?

[Shawnee123]

Headline:

Obama FARTS. Ruins OZONE. Spends 40 dollars on AIR FRESHENER. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

I never saw so much watchdogging, not during the years spent getting us into the whole mess.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

In other unsurprising findings: Rev. Wright still an unreconstructed A-hole.

A-holes should get their shit wiped slick.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by Urbane Guerrilla

A-holes should get their shit wiped slick.

I don't know what this means, exactly, but it sounds a little disgusting.

[Shawnee123]

Originally Posted by glatt

I don't know what this means, exactly, but it sounds a little disgusting.

And gave me a much needed giggle! I don't know what it means either, but I'm sure of two things:

1) It's disgusting AND
2) It's something about hating liberals

[classicman]

maybe he needed a comma in there as in...
A-holes should get their shit wiped, slick.
Perhaps ( just arguing here) he was referring to someone as "slick"
Ya know like "Hey Slick, let go bake some cookies."

[Shawnee123]

Hahahaha...I haven't used "slick" since I was maybe 16. Sometimes we'd change it up and say "Hey there, schlick."



Sorry, these laughs are coming in very handy right now.

[classicman]

Keep in mind we are talking about UG here

[ZenGum]

he's tryin' to be hip and groovy?