Stimulus Bill Negotiations

[ltmurdoch.livejournal.com]

This is the best cartoon I've seen regarding the Stimulus Bill.

Comments

[blueduck37.livejournal.com]

Obama wasn't being bipartisan enough... I mean he didn't create a fully 100% conservative bill, and obviously that was just mean of him. It's almost as if there was some sort of referendum/election recently, with the economy as the main deciding factor, and Obama won it! Tsk tsk.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

I wish he would have just kept in the family planning stuff and left out the tax cuts. Its not like it did him any good winning over republicans.

[squidb0i.livejournal.com]

Now now, nothing wrong with tax cuts.

[dwer.livejournal.com]

and at the bottom, with open arms... Rush!

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Icon luv!

[jlc20thmaine.livejournal.com]

Obama was never going to listen to the republican plan or ideas anyway. He said so in two little words, "I won."

[yndi-halda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that whole "bi-partisan" thing that's been coming out of his mouth practically every other sentence must just be some kind of ruse. Along with the Lincoln idolism. I get it.

I really don't think that he's the one who is not listening. It's pretty obvious that the Republicans knew they would oppose his plans before they were even introduced.

So who is really failing to be bipartisan here?

[blueduck37.livejournal.com]

So who is really failing to be bipartisan here?

You tell me (http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/01/30/bipartisanship/).

You FAIL Again!

[ltmurdoch.livejournal.com]

You must like the way I spank you, 'cause I spanked you on this earlier today and yet you keep repeating the same BS. Here we go again:

Couple of quotes for you. First, Obama listened and took the GOP ideas very seriously:

"At the meeting, Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the No. 2 House Republican, passed out copies of the Republicans’ five-point stimulus plan. At first blush, Obama said, “Nothing on here looks outlandish or crazy to me,” Obama said, according to a source familiar with the conversation. He seemed particularly receptive to some Republican ideas about increasing benefits to small businesses."

The "I won" line was in regard to one specific item in the negotiations. In a light-hearted but direct way, he indicated that there was one part where he was not willing to budge. Even Cantor, the target of the comment, said it was not disrespectful:

Yet in a polite but pointed exchange with the No. 2 House Republican, Eric Cantor of Virginia, Mr. Obama took note of the parties’ fundamental differences on tax policy toward low-wage workers, and insisted that his view would prevail.

At issue is Mr. Obama’s proposal that his tax breaks for low- and middle-income workers, including his centerpiece “Making Work Pay” tax credit, be refundable — that is, that the benefits also go to workers who earn too little to pay income taxes but who pay Social Security and Medicare taxes. Republicans generally oppose giving such refunds to people who pay no income taxes.

“We just have a difference here, and I’m president,” Mr. Obama said to Mr. Cantor, according to Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, who was at the meeting.

Mr. Emanuel said that Mr. Obama was being lighthearted and that lawmakers of both parties had laughed.

Mr. Cantor, in an interview later, had a similar recollection. He said the president had told him, “You’re correct, there’s a philosophical difference, but I won, so we’re going to prevail on that.”

“He was very straightforward,” Mr. Cantor added. “There was no disrespect, but it was very matter-of-fact.”

You are wrong again. (I should be tired of saying that by now...)

Re: You FAIL Again!

[jlc20thmaine.livejournal.com]

In an exchange with Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) about the proposal, the president shot back: “I won,” according to aides briefed on the meeting. “I will trump you on that.”

Jonathan Martin and Carol Lee confirm the comment for Politico.

President Obama listened to Republican gripes about his stimulus package during a meeting with congressional leaders Friday morning - but he also left no doubt about who’s in charge of these negotiations. “I won,” Obama noted matter-of-factly, according to sources familiar with the conversation.

It's so easy to bitch slap you.

Once again, Obama was not about to seriouisly negotiate. If he was he would have taken into account the two bills the republicans tried to get passed.

Re: You FAIL Again!

[ltmurdoch.livejournal.com]

Quote from you:
"Obama was never going to listen to the republican plan..."

Evidence you present to back up your claim:
"President Obama listened to Republican gripes..."

So, even your source says he listened! Thanks for proving yourself wrong.

And you completely ignore the fact that the guy to whom Obama "shot back" a comment (nice word choice) said it was not disrespectful.

You know, I don't even know why I bother proving things beyond a reasonable doubt to you. Because I know you just really, really want to hold on to every unreasonable doubt you can. That's what's called being "thick-headed."

So, you go ahead and keep hating. Insist on seeing more than half the country as your opponent. And keep insisting that nothing your opponent does is worthwhile and that they cannot have a single good idea. Don't give an inch. As long as you enjoy it, keep it up.

Because as you stand your ground and shake your fist, the rest of us are going to try to exchange ideas and try to solve some problems (we have plenty). And each of us can decide to be part of the problem or part of the solution. And from my perspective cheering things like "I hope he fails" or insisting, beyond reason, that "he'll never listen to our ideas" is not being part of the solution.

[zombiesmustdie.livejournal.com]

Why should he listen to the republican way or ideas? we had 8 years of that and it's landed us in a world of shit. I've had enough republican fuck ups this decade.

Re: You FAIL Again!

[squidb0i.livejournal.com]

Amen.

[blueduck37.livejournal.com]

I wrote this in a previous entry, but you didn't respond, so....

Okay, in reality Obama watered down the bill (taking out LOTS of spending that Democrats wanted... transit spending, some infrastructure repair, etc) at the request of GOP leaders, adding in tax cuts and other things like that to make the bill more to their liking. And then he literally wined and dined them. And then Boehner gave down the word, and they all voted no anyway... and then (!) many GOP congressman complained they hated the bill because there wasn't enough infrastructure spending (example (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydaE1s9E5uU)).

In 2007, Mitch McConnell admitted (http://politics4geekz.blogspot.com/2007/03/ladies-and-gentlemen-your-republican_10.html) he blocked the minimum wage increase simply as "a good early lesson for [Dems] as to how things will work," and then chuckled. And that's all this was too. They're putting Obama in his place.

In addition, part of their calculus is: 1) They get Obama to water down the bil in exchange for votes, 2) they vote against it anyway (because if it succeeds, it helps Dems), 3) hope the watered-down stimulus fails and the economy stays bad, and 4) run in 2010 midterms by saying "see, we told you Obama stank, and we tried to stop him!"

It's not only shameless, it's incredibly transparent.

[blueduck37.livejournal.com]

PS- "Bipartisanship (http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/01/30/bipartisanship/)".

[desidono.livejournal.com]

He earned a lot of political capital in the last election... maybe he intends to use it.

Then again, he didn't say that at a press conference he called with a much much much smaller electoral vote majority, he said it in a room with a bunch of other politicians, one of whom had basically told his entire caucus beforehand not to support the results of that meeting.

Change!

(You, on the other hand, are still a socialist douche)

[caerfrli.livejournal.com]

so Obama went whoring after the Repuglicans for nothing. Maybe he'll know better next time.