“President Barack Obama can finally chalk up a win when he signs financial reform legislation into law this week. The trick now is to spin that victory into electoral gains this November, and both the White House and Democratic leaders are coordinating on a strategy they hope will make that happen,” Roll Call writes.
In fact, The Hill reports, “President Obama will take to the White House Rose Garden on Monday morning to excoriate Republicans for blocking unemployment insurance, a White House official said.”
An administration official emails: “The President will call on Congress to extend unemployment insurance in a Rose Garden statement Monday morning. Republicans have blocked the extension of emergency relief for the unemployed three times in the last few weeks, denying millions of people who are out work and trying to find a job the needed relief. The president will tell the stories of Americans in need of the extension and he will have strong words for Republicans who have previously supported unemployment extensions under Republican presidents but refuse to offer relief to middle class families today. And he will point out that they are calling for hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while telling working families that we can’t afford to help them when they need it most.”
“The Tea Party movement is not racist, Vice President Joe Biden said yesterday, though he believes that some Tea Partiers have expressed racist views,” AP writes. Biden on ABC: “Very conservative, very different views on government and a whole lot of things. But it is not a racist organization.”
(Also: “The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People approved a resolution last week calling on Tea Party activists and others to ‘repudiate the racist element and activities’ within the political movement. In defending the National Tea Party Federation, spokesman David Webb said yesterday [on CBS] the coalition of local and regional Tea Party groups has expelled the Tea Party Express from its ranks for refusing to remove its spokesman, conservative talk radio host Mark Williams, after he posted a blog that satirized the NAACP and referred to its president, Benjamin Jealous, as ‘Tom’s nephew and NAACP head colored person.’ The blog post was ‘clearly offensive,’ Webb said.”)
Biden also said: "I don't think the [Democratic] losses are going to be bad at all. I think we're going to shock the heck out of everybody.”
“After promising for a year and a half to take the witness stand, former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich is likely to testify at his federal corruption trial this week,” AP writes and points out: “Unlike in his TV interviews, Blagojevich is going to be under oath.”


The Repubs are totally clueless about the travails of the unemployed, most of them have NEVER had to have a 'real' job let alone face unemployment themselves. If they keep trying to give the richest of us unneeded tax breaks and continue to refuse to extend Unemployment benefits they will just put themselves out of a job!
While the Used Teabaggers may not be a racist group (according to their supposed leaders) there is a large number of them that are, judging by their signs and rhetoric. They also appear to be totally clueless about how Government works and on the particulars of our Constitution and it's guaranteed freedoms and restrictions. Electing them to office would be electing the farthest right wing fringe possible, even though they Claim to be Centrist. I do not believe them nor do I trust them to govern responsibly. At the best, they are helping to remove solid Repub seats by fracturing the Repub vote, much like Ralph Nader did with the Dems years ago.
B.Honest,
If you have a strong stomach the Huffington Post over the weekend posted 10 pictures of the most offending signs at Tea Party rallies in 2009. They are very upsetting indeed. Fox claims these to be from the Tea Clash group (???). Problem Keith O. said that group was active only in March of 2010 and died out. The Tea Party has expelled the Tea Party Express so lets watch the next rallies and see if the signs are still there.
"10 pictures of the most offending signs at Tea Party rallies in 2009." Proof there are a few Dems with brains out there! Some even have a sense of humor. Oh did you think those were real? If you did I have a community organizer from Chicago that's not very corrupt. I think you would love him for President and if your a racist you can vote for him because he is half black! Disabled Veteran yeah mentally!
Art,
DO NOT INSULT THOSE OF US WHO HAVE SERVED AND WERE INJURED DOING OUR DUTY FOR OUR COUNTRY, I take it that you never served because you didn't have the balls to put your life on the line??
Sounds like you are a mental case yourself, and could use some treatment!
I'm glad that President Obama will excoriate the repugnant ones for kicking the unemployed when they're down on their employment luck in our Bushwhacked economy which saw 8 million jobs lost thanks to Clueless George Bush and the repugnant one's redistribution of wealth upwards that didn't create the jobs they promised us. Typical conservative christian compassion as they kick the unemployed when they're down instead of extending a helping hand.
The immoral christian conservatives just want to keep our Bushwhacked economy from recovering under Obama and the democrat's watch because all they're concerned about is stealing political power back so they can redistribute even more wealth upwards to the very unproductive people who don't need it or deserve and who won't spend it pumping up the economy. The conservative christians just want to spend another $80 billion killing Muslims on the Red Commie Chinese credit card rather than invest $34 billion to help our fellow citizens when they need our help most.
So wonderful to watch the infighting as the main tea bagging organization has expelled the racist tea party sexpress and their Facist Racist leader Mark Williams. I was disgusted last week when Tamron Hall had Racist Mark Williams on MSNBC tv and he said that it wasn't the tea baggers who were carrying those racist anti-Obama signs but NAACP plants were doing it as a Liberal Media Conspiracy to paint the tea baggers as racists. Hopefully MSNBC tv will never allow this well known racist to ever disgrace it's tv airwaves again, let him go to Fox and Freaks - the Racist News Channel.
Despite the claiming words of Biden and Obama the tea baggers organization and the party of sore losers and liars is rife with racists. As long as both embrace the well known racist groups like the John Birch Society, the Neo-Nazi White Supremacists and the Birthers they are palling around with racists. Let's not forget that at their recent cattle call earlier this year the repugnant ones allowed the racist John Birch Society to host it.
Tell it like it is Mr. President, call them out and this time the Senate should actually make the republicans filibuster not just threaten to, make them stand up and tell us how lazy unemployed Americans should be ignored. Then let them defend the trillions in tax cuts for the wealthy. Kill the tax cuts, cut the defense budget by 35% to 50% to pay for real infrastructure projects and promote the middle class. The real terror for millions of Americans is trying to feed their families, and keep a roof over their heads. Anybody that works for a living and votes republican is suicidal.
By the way it is not just union manufacturing jobs that were lost at a rate of 750,000 a month for nearly the last two tears of the Bush administration, the white collar jobs went as well. There are tons of college graduates with all manner of degrees, but they have been outsourced as well, and they can not compete with the low wages any better than the factory workers could. Tech support, the accounting department, and the engineering department are now in places like India, where a college educated person with an electrical engineering degree can make 15,000 a year. As the factory moves abroad and the plant workers lose their jobs, so does most of the office staff.
Do not blame Bush for jobs going over seas, blame the American public as our so called "rules and laws" have made the US a place very difficult for any American company to compeit with companies that do not have to meet these same laws, such as environmental or employee benefits. I am just as upset with this issue, but it is our issue that we created and not just one mans. What many do not remember is when Bush came to power, the economy was just starting to take a downward turn in 2001. We then saw a boom in 2003 until it busted in 2007, but much of the issue with the bust comes from banks and investment firms, which started back in 1980 when we started to become lack on the banks and then again in 1999, when Clinton signed GLBA allowing the banks to become "too big to fail" (which had both Democrat and Republician support).
Obama is saying that we should not make this political on extending the benefits, but it already is as the Democrats are holding it up as these people would hurt the economy if they did not spend. Well, the Democrats are holding the Bush Tax extension up as hostage saying that it only benefits the rich. Well, I disagree with that statement as its basic economics. All this bs right now is just to make the other side look like they are the bad guy for the November elections. The Democrats are going to pass the extension, but is effort alone going to help these people get a job so they can get off welfare???
Anytime taxes are decrease, the Treasury actually is able to collect more taxes, because people have more disposable income that they can spend on goods and services, meaning more taxes collected on these goods. Additionally, if we extend these benefits, they are not helping the individuals from finding a job, which Obama says is the goal. Tax incentives however do help create jobs. The so called 250k rich people are the ones that are small business owners. I know several that make this kind of money, but I would not call them rich as much of this income goes back into their company to help pay for their employees and grow their company. If we gave them tax cuts to help grow and expand their companies, then they would have the option to hopefully hire new employees. This is the only way we can move on and allow these unfortunate souls a chance of finding a job.
We need to give employers confidence in the economy first to create the jobs needed in the private sector. I would rather see tax cuts go to the so called “rich” that help them hire my unemployed neighbor than for them still being supported by “welfare” in the hopes that the economy will turn around and provided them with a job, which maybe several years.
Come on, Obama has no clue on economics as it’s apparent by him wanting to tax the rich (250k) more, but he also want to help the small business to be able to create jobs, since they employee most Americans than the big corporations. This just does not make sense as you can’t stimulate growth with these types of policies.
We need to give employers confidence in the economy first to create the jobs needed in the private sector. I would rather see tax cuts go to the so called “rich” that help them hire my unemployed neighbor than for them still being supported by “welfare” in the hopes that the economy will turn around and provided them with a job, which maybe several years.
Come on, Obama has no clue on economics as it’s apparent by him wanting to tax the rich (250k) more, but he also want to help the small business to be able to create jobs, since they employee most Americans than the big corporations. This just does not make sense as you can’t stimulate growth with these types of policies.
No American worker can compete with slave wages paid overseas. It has nothing to do with the business climate, they make ridiculous profits by paying less than 200 a month to Chinese workers make I-phones foe one example. The tax cut does not stimulate the economy, giveing 100 dollars to a million people will stimulate some business giving 100 million to one person does nothing for the economy. Trickle down economics has been a complete failure we are in worse shape than ever. The wealthy don't create jobs in this country, it does not maximize profits.
Taking the tax cut away will also not stimulate the economy as your taxes will also be affected meaning less take home pay to stimulate growth. People do not realize that the Bush tax cut affected everyone as the rates will go from being 10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 33% and 35% to 15%, 28%, 31%, 36% and 39.6%. It's a increase of 3% to 5% for everyone, unless Congress can keep the existing rate for the low and middle class. Additionally, the marriage penalty will return as the penalty can force a married couple to pay more in taxes than when they were single.
So anyone that makes 250k is wealthy? Then take away any growth to any small privately owned businesses who do not create jobs in this country. And maximizing profits is wrong? If so, then the American dream is gone as why would anyone want to start their own business?
Saying that tax cuts cause more taxes to be collected, is like saying a pay cut will put more money in your wallet. It is complete nonsense. No economist beleives that, no third grade math student believes that subtracting will give you more than you started with. Small business providing great jobs is another myth, they create jobs but not many of the quality jobs that can sustain a family. The vast bulk of the jobs created by small business are part time, no benefits, no security.
If the Dictator/Traitor/Liar/Idiot in Chief would actually try to do anything to help the economy we would see jobs opening up and less need for unemployment. A good definition for insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results - raising taxes, making bailouts, taking government control of private companies will NOT encourage any business people to try to expand their businesses and increase jobs. As Winston Churchill said. "A nation cannot spend its way into prosperity!!!!" That's just as true today as when he said it. This Bozo and all of his cronies have to be removed!!! They are destroying this country just as fast as they can!!!!!!!!
Dave,
It sounds more like you are talking about BUSH aside from the raising taxes. Everything that Bush SAID he was doing to increase the job market actually only shipped the jobs overseas. Remember: it was during his Decidership's Reign that our economy was LOSING 700K jobs/month. Get a clue and stop listening to Rush/Beck/Palin/Hannity etc and turn off Faux Neuz, they have been lying to you and you fell for it hook, line and sinker. Repubs are Toast in Nov!
Your lies and hate do not wash here, go back to the Faux Neuz blog, I am sure that you will be Much happier there!
You seem to know so much about greating jobs Dave. Please give us your cure for joblessness, we'll be waiting for you and the teabaggers solution. Really we won't we know you don't have any solutions to anything. All you teabaggers know is how to say no, unless it's for more tax cuts for the wealthy that aren't paid for.
It took Reagan 24 months in the 80s with a less deep recession to get to positive jobs numbers. Obama turned his inherited 774,000 a month job losses on January 2009 to positive job numbers roughly 13 months later!!!
These things take time you know, not hate-motivated, unintelligent talking points not backed by any statistics, history, or research. Meanwhile on the facts of it Obama has actually cut taxes and most Americans and coporations paid less taxes in 2009 as a percentage of their income or earnings than in 2008.
Honest - you are just as full of crap as the rest of the Dimocrats (spelling intended)!!!! Bush wasn't a great president, but on his worst day he beat the crap out of Odumbo. As all liberal fools when someone complains about the job this administration and congress are doing you pull out the race card . . . the most racial tensions we've seen have come from acts/statements from Odumbo, Holder and their ilk. Why don't you just join the Odumbos and move to a muslim country where you'll be happy!! This total idiot has already spent more money than all of our past presidents put together . . . and shown no results!!! The only jobs he's created are more federal jobs - nothing to help the private sector and the unemployed!!!!!
Dave,
Your Bullsh!t rants just show how uneducated you are about FACTS. YOU are the one pulling out the racist card and just refuse to see all of the damage that Bush DID leave us. Calling the President names like that just proves my point. President Obama has spent a LOT less than Bush did, and he has gotten a LOT more for it. Remember all of the Off Budget war budget requests, how about the unfunded Medicare Prescription giveaway for the Pharmecutical Corps, How about all of the unfunded tax breaks during war time for the overly wealthy. THOSE add up to a LOT more than President Obama has spent, and we got damn little for them.
Go back and hide under your rock until you can actually deal with reality!
Just let him rant B. Honest, he has absolutely nothing to say. You can tell by his rants all he listens to is Beck, it's the same stupid nonsense beck spews every day. And the name calling shows just how stupid he really is. He depicts the sane "it's better to be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt". He removed all doubt after the first sentence.
Both sides should call each other names, and never back down...That will fix everything. Republicans: Everything they say about you is true...accept it. Democrats: Everything they say about you is true...accept it. Now when you two kids are done...We have a country to live in and lives to lead. Liberals: Stop giving away the store, and be respectful, some people believe in God. Conservatives Stop being so stingy, You live with the good side of socialism every day.(Police, Fire dept, highways...etc.)your children already had a huge debt to pay, and let's be honest, you helped rack it up, So quit making it sound like it's some brand new thing only one side is responsible for also, not everyone believes in God, so be respectful. See where this is going?, you're both right, and both wrong, and we are in the middle. Get over yourselves and govern us damnit!
Boehner, McConnell, Kyl, other representatives, with the likes of Limbaugh, Beck, Palin and Steele and including the Tea Partiers, all scream about the evils of socialism, big government and the need to repeal everything Obama does. With all of the current aggressive, biased and self-serving talk it is difficult to see the truth. Is Obama, socialism and big government really the cause of the problems or is that a picture being painted to excite emotions and manipulate public opinion to the determent of the country and to serve only the interests of the few? We know that Obama actually inherited the drastic problems and when the time is taken to be rational it is clear that socialism and big government didn’t precede the problems but rather that the placating and patronizing of Special Interests and the select few, the powerful, influential and extremely wealthy few who benefit from and strongly support what has been rationalized as being conservative, are the real contributing factors. It is obvious that a self-serving aggressive con is being perpetrated to convict Obama, socialism and big government in the minds of the people.
Of course there is another question and that simply is, who can solve the problems? To ever return to ‘more of the same’, which is the obvious goal of the aforementioned con, could only result in continuing the catastrophe. The mentality constantly demonstrated actually supports John Dean’s (a self proclaimed Goldwater conservative) theory, detailed in his book ‘Broken Government’, that the Republicans’ current mindset makes it impossible for them to responsibly govern as their focus is totally fixated on their political ambitions at all costs and without conscience. Then can we trust Obama and the Democrats to do it? First, throw out the stereotyped terms (liberal v conservative, big v small government, etc) as they are just used to excite emotions and channel peoples’ thinking; second, realize that we have actually gone a long way to the ‘right’ and now desperately need to come back to a much needed and neglected balance; and third, know that history clearly shows that the overall economy has been better under Democratic rule, never perfect but always better. Lastly, when people do refuse to be conned and manipulated by either their own biases, prejudices and attachments or by others using scare tactics and emotional appeals to manipulate them, the current efforts by Obama can be seen as reasonable, conscientious and while not perfect (could use fine tuning with bipartisan cooperation which is stubbornly being withheld) they offer promise. Regrettably it is totally true that everything takes time but without the current efforts all would definitely be worse.
It isn’t a perfect world with politics quite near the bottom yet, with it being so important and significantly impacting everyone, to allow ourselves to be blindly conned is being co-responsible for results that literally are against our own best interests. What is a real pity and totally disgusting is that there are those politicians who strongly support benefiting only the few while boldly aiming to deceive their own constituents. When there are those loudly screaming that others need to be thrown out, quite likely calmness is really called for and just maybe the screamers are who need to be firmly rejected!
Brad, while I agree that name calling does not solve any of today's concerns, know this: the Republicans' main arsenal for winning control the past few election cycles have been a campaign of fear, half-truths and outright lies. I, for one, will not stand pat and let the overwhelmingly higher volume of Republican lies and ignorance espoused by the likes of moron Dave here go unanswered. Dave is the example of what happens when an already fickle electorate becomes poisoned by Republican fabrications and sheer nonsense and their numbers are growing. Put me in the Christian camp that believes the Old Testament retribution policy of an eye for an eye. Hell, for people like Dave I actually choose the more effective approach of two eyes for one eye! That way we accelerate their demise. These people have to understand that we will no longer tolerate their BS, fearmongering or "Swiftboating". So, Dave, you're an idiot who is already hard wired to reject truth and reason. Go back to your Vacation Bible School, aka, Klan camp and relearn the Constitution and recent history. However, before embarking on such a complex read I'd suggest "My Dog Spot" for starters.
By the way Brad, not sure which rock you've called a residence the past few years but one of the premises in your post above is fundamentally flawed. While Democrats have spoken untruths about the Republicans, the volume and frequency of those untruths pale in comparison to that lobbed at the Democrats by Republicans. So, I refuse to accept the notion that everything Republicans say about Democrats is true. Republicans for all their Christian posturing have shown a remarkable ability to apply pagan methods and remain unified on a singular strategy to win at all costs by twisting, denying, or creating facts from whole cloth while all the time claiming that they are a God-loving, God-fearing, compassionate conservative group. As outlandish as it seems, at this point, I'd have more faith and credibility in a Martian's rather than a Republican's assessment of Democrats, their philosophy and ideology.
You're right, More of the same is EXACTLY what we need. This country is doomed. You and other people who think like you are the reason why. Apparently you don't understand that of course everything the parties say about each other isn't true, but if both sides just accepted that they are both flawed, then we could move forward. Our country and goverment used to function, because our leaders were at the very least somewhat civil, and knew the meaning of the word compromise. They cared about their constituents and their country. Instead extremists and their lobbyists and lawyers have taken over our country, social mood, press and pocketbook/wallet. Everyone wants to fight. No one wants to say, "My outlook may be wrong, what's your Idea?" If anyone here lives under a rock, it's your outdated thinking. Welcome to the future.
People are now losing their apartments and homes because of these Republican idiots. Family's are now homeless because if this foolishness..Children are sleeping out side because of this !!! Take back America for the people.. VOTE ALL THESE BUMS OUT !! If you reelect them you get what you deserve !
REMEMBER THEY THE " REPUBLICANS " BROUGHT US TO HOMELESSNESS.. BANK FAILURES AND OIL SPILLS .
It is criminal to keep the press away. The worst oil spill in our history and it is being treated as a minor event by the press. It is clear to see the press is not interested in the truth anymore just what makes their guy look good. Love the first dog had his own plane to go to Maine. What happen to a carbon footprint? What are the oil workers to do? They want to work and not be dependant on the government. Truly a sad response by the government and the press. Obama is a racist and a liar. Your religion is politics and your God is Obama. You Socialist make me sick. Just keep your mouth shut and cling to your religion and your God!
How're the police treating you? How about the fire dept? You enjoying that highway? How about that huge military we have keeping us safe, you like them too? All heroes right? Not so Hasty! All pure socialism man. You fear a word. Stop being afraid before more words start to scare you like "The" "truck", and/or "Parakeet". People who voted for Obama have the excuse that he was at least saying something different at the time...What do the people who voted for Bush a second time have for an excuse? I worship the one true God who art in heaven, not Washington D.C., and since you're so afraid of words, maybe if you pray to him and trust his plan, he'll alieviate your worries.
Art, I guess that cling to their religion and guns thing kind of struck a nerve, did it? I can just feel the anger in your words. I guess that religious thing goes out the door if someone hits a nerve, huh? Just askin'.
Brad, my assessment of our country's prognosis is nowhere near as gloomy as you predict. And the fact that I or like-minded people are unwilling to let this country's future hinge on Republican lies and demagoguery does not doom this country to failure. If anything, the zealous exercise of my Constitutional voice and vote, which is comparable in every way to the Tea-Toting crowd, is being done to ensure that my country succeeds in years to come. I am certain that policies of moderation, reason and common sense on just about any topic is more effective, sustainable and beneficial than the rambling "no", far-right drivel that passes for Republican ideas today. Civility and compromise, repeatedly requested by this President at every turn, has been rebuffed with lies, disrespect and vitriol. Clearly we must now move to Plan "B" which requires a more forceful agenda. In short, a finer tuned version of the Republican MO. You lie, we call you on it! You take out one of mine, we metaphorically send two of yours to the morgue! You take my eye, I take two of yours! Call my thinking outdated if you will but our future requires a different proactive approach if Independents and Democrats are to be successful. Noone, including the passive media, seemed willing to push back at the fearmongering and lies from the Republican Party years ago when their agenda was being rammed down our throat to our collective detriment. Enough of that. Turning the other cheek and worshipping the one true God works for you. The rest of us want to kick some Republican ass and keep them in line!
Yeah you just keep on keeping on man. Let me know how that works out for you. Enjoy the past.