I don't know, it may be totally "delusional" and all, but perhaps Mr. Obama, and the congress could take action of the tax issue. I"m for extending them all, but if that not to be the case, I'd rather them act, so at least we know what to expect. Why won't they act? The leader of the House only need to call for a vote. Same with the Senate. Neither have or will. I guess they don't care about business planning.

It's fall. I need to start planning for next year. One of the top things to base all of my business plans is what my marginal tax rate will be next year. Guess it's just gonna be a mystery. Gee, how fun.

So is it delusional to want at least that amount of certainty? If it is, then I guess I'm delusional.

A man is withdrawing money from an ATM when a thief comes up from behind, knocks him over the head, takes his money and runs. The police find and catch the thief and throw him in jail.

So why doesn't the victim feel any better? Because he's still missing all his money and has a nasty bump on his head.

The recession ended in June 2009 - folks just need to remember who the thief was!

Well, Spanky ... you are whining, but if you truly anticipate a tax increase, then you are in the top 2 or 3%. So I won't be breaking out any violins for you.

Feisty Red Head! agree 100%

Spanky- #1.1,

You have plenty of company !

[World] (worst?) economic crisis since the Great Depression? Based on what criteria?

So who are you calling a thief? The guy who stole my $100 ATM withdraw or the Police who are are now learning have very nice salaries, pensions and benefits. Oh, and if you are California CHP you max all that out then go on disability at age 48.5, for life at you highest pay and benefit rate.

Unfortunately Bell is but one example. I'll take the bump. I just want to keep some of that money going for taxes.

@Spanky- So you're for adding $800b to our deficit. How conservative and delusional of you.

This rightwing conservatism is nothing but a hoax.

Spanky, - you are right, the decision to repeal or not repeal any or all of the Bush tax cuts is best made quickly, so that all know their tax situation. But expecting that of a Congress on the eve of the 2010 congressional elections is not realistic.

No, it is not delusional to want some certainty; it is human. But to expect certainty is unrealistic. Nobody knows for certain which way the economy is heading. I still believe it is recovering, slowly. But I could be wrong. By this time next year we'll all probably know.

You know what they say, Spanky, "Hope for the best and plan for the worst." Sounds like you need to plan for the worst case scenario in your business - that way you're covered. But did you really need a stranger to tell you that?

We are in a "bad economy" and we have Obama to thank for it. If it wasn't for his pragmatic leadership we would be further down the tail-spin Bush left us in. I'll take 10% unemployment over the complete destruction of the American Economy. Had McCain won his heart would have exploded from the pressure and we would all be living in Palinville shanty towns eating shoe leather. (OK, maybe that last one was a bit excessive)

Did anyone notice in the article that it says the number of people thinking he inherited it is dropping. I'll give him the fact that the economy wasn't good when he entered office, but that's where I place a huge period. In 20 months the democrats in office have looked the other way when it comes to our national debt. We are watching a president that has effectively wasted 1.6 Trillion dollars in his guessing game. Does anyone realze that our government spends 18 billion dollars a day? A DAY! EVERY DAY! When is THAT going to stop? When are the democrats going to take responsibility for all that waste?

One thing Obama worshippers fail to remember - Obama wanted the job, he campaigned for the job, the people who elected him believed in him and now he is falling WAY short of utilizing any leadership skills to eliminate our debt. He flys around the nation on Air Force One... takes mega vacations... throws us under the bus to socialist dictatorships... and his ratings are plummeting.. finally! America is waking up to this snake oil salesman that has zero executive experience.

Now all you democrats... I don't care if you think I am bashing him. He deserves it. HE LIED to YOU! He promised change you can believe in... and I don't believe a single thing that comes out of his mouth.

AtomicZeppelinMan: Make that boiled shoe leather. LOL!

The tax cut werent permanent by design. Everyone is looking for a government handout. I guess fair is fair

Feisty Redhead Roselle, IL

Well... FINALLY some good news for a change...

Good news? For who? The unemployed/under-employed? I'm sure they are just delighted with it.

It is the first good news in months for the Democrats. The Democrats can be sure to take this poll, wave it around during their town halls and their debates and say "See, people don't think this is Obama's or our fault". With this new information, I'm sure the voters will just Forgive and Forget how inept the Democrats have been at creating any kind of reasonable economy with all the money they have been wasting, and vote them all back into office.

Sure. That will happen.

I agree Feisty! The man has been in office for just over 1.5 years!! In that time he has proven that he is working on behalf of America. Do I agree with everything he says? Of course not, but I agree with enough! And HE IS WORKING AND WORKING HARD!! Today I read that the Repubs knocked a bill from the Senate floor that would place penalties on companies that ship jobs overseas. Reason "It is a Dem political ploy". Nothing on the right or wrong of it. If we allow Repubs to seize control of the House this fall, then it will be virtually impossible for anything to get done!

I would not mind if I heard a positive position from the candidates. They all have the same song, "Obama policies are wrong (blanket stmt). We must return to the Bush tax cuts, less regulations and less government". ARE THEY NUTS!! Correct me if I am wrong, but isnt that is what got us into this mess.

People wake up a grow a brain!! Especially those that supported Obama in his campaign. Unless they can present us with a positive, intelligent plan that is better, don't repeal or possibly stop the progress that has been made over the last 18 months. Slow yes, but at least the decline has slowed (maybe even stopped) and the rise could be on the way. Have some faith and some backbone.

Feisty and I have our shovels, you get one too!

What a stupid poll. I would have been one of those who said he wasn't responsible based entirely on the fact I blame CONGRESS for it. The spending in the last 3 1/2 years has been irresponsible and hasn't worked for anyone other than the corporate execs they gave our tax $$ to.

I tell you what - when the official unemployment rate is back down around 4%, I'll believe the recession is over. Until then, it's double-speak at its worst.

He did get the problem when he became President. It is now his problem despite what the articles headline says. If he didn't want the problem, he shouldn't have run for President. He said during his campaign that he could fix the economy and he would start on it immediately if he was elected. He did start even before he took office which I thought showed real strength. They passed the stimulus he wanted soon after he took office and that stimulus failed. He did start gaining ground on the economy but made the fatal mistake of passing healthcare with backroom deals and scare tactics. The general public was scared about the economy and the economy was fragile. He scared a lot of folks with healthcare that were already scared of the economy. People again started to not spend money. He needs to build confidence in this country and so far he has failed at it.

They say the recession is over but I don't believe that it is. Businesses continue to fold up, people are still losing their jobs, etc. Just because the Government meddled in the economy and bailed out the big corporations doesn't mean the recession is over. This problem didn't begin with Bush - it's been a long time in the making. Look at your Congress people and all the "perks" they have today - didn't have that 100 years ago or all the taxes. This has been coming for a very long time and they are all to blame. At least Bush gave the money to the taxpayers - and that's who Obama should have bailed out - the people but he can't control us and we aren't in his pocket. The government is run by big business - has been for a long time.

$18 billion, you say. I wonder how much of that is spent on the war in Iraq/Afghanistan - you know, the one that Bush and Cheney got us into.

It makes me laugh (or is it disgusted) when Republicans talk about the democrats lying. Perhaps they haven't been listening to all the claptrap coming from the mouths of Palin, Beck, Limbaugh, O'Donnell and others - not to mention that Bush and Cheney set the bar where it is now in terms of lying. (WMDs - not interested in Iraq's oil - right)

Jo Ann-666954: Someone said that Obama doesn't have a magic wand. Well he sure did sound like he had one when he was campaigning. How soon we forget. Obama said that our insurance premiums will not increase. Our taxes will not rise, blah, blah, blah

Oh, we all remember the Obama speeches on the campaign trail. Pure poetry. Beautiful prose. The nation swooned. Turns out it was all bs. Here Jo Ann, do this. When your tax bills come and your health cost premiums go up, print out an Obama speech and staple it to the bill and send it back with a note saying "Obama will take care of this". That should work.

to: Spanky, Let me get this straight; if you set to make $350K this year and your employee's make $50K, if the tax cuts are not extended, it will cost you $4,400 in additional taxes. You would rather reduce the pay of all of your workers or lay one off to offset the $4,400 than take the loss. You said they would feel the impact, not you. Trust me you would eventually feel the impact.

to: JoAnn, so Obama is to blame for state property taxes going up too? Since when have your insurance premiums not gone up, what did the GOP do to address the situation? Seems you are follow the conservative philosophy: Don't blame me... it is always someone elses fault.

to: AtomicZeppelinMan, I would hate to think what would happen to this country if a spineless Republican had won office last time. Obama inherited a mess, and the enlightened conservatives wanted nothing more than it be his fault, they really don't like accountability.

ok Robone 1. You are wrong and I shall correct. The Congress continues to play Santa and overspend what the American people can afford (and did so under Bush as well) and add more regulations as to what can be done with what they "allow" you to keep. And they pressured Banks to give loans which would not have been given before, using Fannie and Freddie to do so still (this was more the reason for the housing bubble than greed). It isn't their money or job, so it doesn't matter as much to them, they just say they have the answers and go for re-election hoping not to have to work in the private sector under the rules they have exempted themselved from. I trust neither the Dems nor Repubs to do the right thing for anyone but themselves and their Friends or relatives. Just another reason to reduce the size and growth of the government and what it can tell us to do. They prove again and again that they are willing to govern against our will on our dime. I disagree with this. And I disagree that the change which empowers the Government even more is "progress".

But that may just be me, you may be less unnerved by less freedom and a more powerful Central authority (at least until those who you disagree with weild that power).

You are correct on almost every point Angry. I disagree when you say he showed strength. He started his agenda over 3 years ago. The stimulus was 3 years in the making by the group that put it together. Never disallusion yourself that congress can whip together more than 2 pages in less than a month. They are the biggest bunch of do nothings this nation has ever seen.

Since I am underemployed, I can't spend money.. so there goes my contribution to the economy. Why am I underemployed? I'm working at a minimal job because my career choice has fallen completely flat. I've been doing the same type of work for years.. and up until 2006 I was increasing in the ranks... no so much today. I'm actually very lucky to have the position I have... and I don't see a better position coming along for a couple more years... And I do look. The job market is in the doldrums... and will be as long as we have morons and cheats running the government.

When, exactly, is it to become Obama's failures that have kept the economy in the tank? Between him and his cronies all they've done is spend with no real permanet jobs being created. The increase in gov't jobs means that we will pay more taxes to support the gov't. Anyone that really believes only the top wage earners will see an increase are only fooling themselves.

I realize he took on a big job but he campaigned for it and he's still having to campaign, trying to convince many people that have lost that "hopey/changey" feeling that's it's better. There's been no change in DC, it's still business as usual, playing politics while the citizens wait to see what will happen next. Sometimes I think he only wanted to be elected to get HC passed and to he!! with the rest of the problems. He seems to have only one answer for everything, throw money (we don't have) at it.

Thank You or your comment....It's good to know there is someone logical and intellegent out there in webb world

I'll agree that Bush was an awful President and spent money like he grew up with it or something. But as a person that owns a small business manufacturing facility, I can tell you that I put the economic demise of our country squarely on both parties.

The day we started exporting our wealth started with Clinton signing NAFTA (Bush Sr. tried it), with the Rep. Congress promoting it. Job loss is job loss and Free Trade forces manufactures like myself to compete against products without costs such as health care, unemployment insurance, workman's comp, SS, medicare, OSHA, EPA.

The dollars need to be churning in this country and not working for other governments. I would implement a tariff to support Obama social agenda, which in turn would penalize companies that ship jobs overseas, and promote local job growth.

And on a side note to Dallas EAS, I am in that 2-3% of small businesses that would be "hurt" by not extending the tax cuts to small businesses. It will "cost" us a proposed $110,000 next year leaving us less to use for hiring, expansion or inventory investment. I really don't care if they extend the cuts or not, but I often wonder why the Democrats don't carve out the earnings by small business that are left in the company to promote economic growth. Especially, when according to Democrats it is such a minuscule amount???

The headline should read : "Majority of NBC moonbat deniers believe Obama not responsible for the economy." ......So, when will he be responsible for his "leadership"?

Dman.....You say: By this time next year we'll all probably know.

That's what we were saying last fall. A whole year has gone by and we're saying the same thing because a whole year has gone by and we haven't had any gain. Just by your comment shows we have not gained a thing in a year!

Dallas Eas - Didn't you get the memo? Obama is not to be blamed for anything. He's responsible for nothing. He's just an innocent bystander.

Ever notice more and more Obama spends tons of time defending his failed actions. Excuse stacked on top of excuse. Watch, he'll do the same tonight at his little get together in Madison WI. The template for Obama is always the same 1) Explain what he wants to do (which has no relationship to what happens), 2) blame the Republicans (who have blocked no legislation, not that they didn't try), 3) blame Bush, 4) lecture the voters why they should vote for Democrats, even though they have accomplished nothing, even with their huge majorities.

See the problem for Obama is this, in 2008 Obama could talk the big talk because he had no record to dispute or defend. Now in 2010 (and 2012), Obama has a record he has to defend, a record of total failure. Pretty hard sell to make for The Choosen One.

Jo Ann-666954

Just received word that the county that I live in is increasing the property taxes. It's going to affect everyone. My family also received the renewal of our medical insurance. We have to pay $200.00 more a month starting in October.

Someone said that Obama doesn't have a magic wand. Well he sure did sound like he had one when he was campaigning. How soon we forget. Obama said that our insurance premiums will not increase. Our taxes will not rise, blah, blah, blah.

Obama is not responsible for your local property taxes or the fact the insurance companies are ripping you off, but he IS responsible for the tax cuts most people got from the stimulus bill. Either you didn't know it because the corporate media doesn't mention it much, or you're suffering from Obama Derangement Syndrome and just can't acknowledge any of the accomplishments of this administration.

It's people like Spanky who create jobs. If you think that trickle-down economics doesn't work then try the reverse. Go ahead and allow the Bush Tax Cuts to expire and watch the jobs that are left go away too. How can any business entrepreneur keep jobs open when he or she doesn't know if the money will be there next year to pay the emplyees? Believe it or not, successful businesses that are small, medium, or large are not founded by middle-class or lower income people.

On another note: Robin Hood is well known in fictional history as one who "stole from the rich and gave to the poor." Fine and dandy except, the rich he stole from were the tax collectors working for the government and the ones who governed. Guess where they got all the money?

Johanna 460722 - Yes 18 Billion. The war cost includes military spending that we have to spend anyway. There may be a 9% increase in the military budget for war expenditures... but you are missing one point. You say Bush started it.. so how come you aren't complaining that Obama keeps it going. He's sending more troops to Afghanistan... bet you didn't know that, did you? Where's your outrage? Or.... is it just Bush you can't stand, no matter what.

Another thing. Obama wants put in place internet surveyllance and cell phone surveyllance by next year... do I hear any outrage from the left? Talk about BIG BROTHER standing on your head. All we heard about the Patriot Act, when it was implemented is how much Bush wanted to listen in on Aunt Mables apple pie receipe. How come there was no outrage when Obama extended the act? I have one word.... hypocrite!

Of course, he inherited the economy and he claimed full well he understood the situation and how to fix it.

And, he did fix it for his biggest backers, the banks and wall street, as to fixin' it he choose to do everything wrong...starting with his choices as to who was going to guide this repair...all they accomplished was to throw gasoline on the situation...their choice of action was probably exactly the same one the previous admin. would have chosen.

Now all he does is whine and point fingers, he took a bad situation and made it a heck of a lot worse.

And, basically he has chosen NOT to do what he said he was going to do on any level. I am still trying to figure out what did he mean with the word "HOPE" is it just some clever acronym with sinister hidden meaning. Trump is right both of the last two admin. are just plain STUPID in dealing with the concept of global economy.

"Also in the poll, a whopping 70 percent believe the nation is still in a recession, despite the National Bureau of Economic Research's determination that the recession officially ended last year."

Yeah, good news..................... the people no longer believe the government's lies.

The headline should read : "Majority of NBC moonbats believe Obama not responsible for the economy." So, when will he be responsible for his "leadership"?

Presumably when we start looking at things objectively instead of relying on polls (let alone those based on a biased demographic) to draw intelligible conclusions.

Duh, of course he inherited a bad economy everybody knows that.....everybody also knows that he has made the situation far worse. Where are the poll results for that question?

Stop trying to spin the obvious into something meaningful.

If congress doesn't act, everyone is getting a tax increase. Not just the top 2-3%.

The tax cuts for the rich are responisible for much of the deficit and for the increase in the "wealth gap" reported today. Letting them lapse only takes the rich back to where they were under Clinton, not to where they were before Reagan. We're talking a few percent, not a great stangling weight. I am surprised how often I hear this delusion that the president need only direct or ask and it will happen. This is not a dictatorship, and our democracy allows the minority to stop even a vote in the senate, let alone action. Mitch McConnel is counting on people who will interpret his successful "no to all" campaign as incompetence by the administration who is trying to help us all. Your Great Grandfathers can tell you how Republican policies created the Great Depression.

Then think back on how Reagan was able to get us out of the Recession with the highest interest rates and hightest unemployment that Carter got us in....Obama's policies with higher debt, a healthcare for all that is suppose to make our premiums go down, and stimulus that only showed us "how government" can run things by throwing millions of taxpayer money into union jobs...and then take a break without extending the Bush cuts for "all" Americans....including business people! Don't kid yourself, the middle class will be hit with higher taxes, which only keep this recession growing!

Spanky, why don't you just plan your business as though the bill were going to sunset as it was written to do? Why assume that an extension is going to be made? At worst, you have extra money in your coffers should all of the tax cuts be extended.

How many months should it take? If the recession ended 15 months ago and your Boy Wonder is so great,how come the number of unmployed Americans has increased every month since the recession "ended?"

@Jemma77

It was a disaster that became publicly obvious in September of 2008,

Couldn't agree with you more. Of course, from my perspective I will also agree that the Democrats had control of the House and Senate for nearly 2 years, Sepember 2008. Why did you omit that?

how can this gov. bail every corp. w/billions of dollars,while our ppl struggle to pay bills,on top of that dems put a lot more burden on us(we the ppl) w/obama-care and the ppl of this great nation keeps struggling...... Gov. is not to tells us what we need.......WE THE PPL DECIDE WHAT'S BEST..... DEMS ARE A JOKE !!!!! BUNCH OF LIBERAL IDIOTS !!!!

That's a drop from January of this year (when 65 percent said Obama inherited the economy), and from Feb. 2009 (when 84 percent said that).

I suppose the propaganda from the right wing TV, radio, and blogosphere is working. Next poll results "Majority of Americans believe every bad thing that has ever happened to america occured on January 20th 2009"

If Reagan could do the job in getting out of a recession then their is no excuse for Obama or anyone for that matter. It's the matter of stopping the spending spree and stick to a budget like the rest of us Americans. I am tired of the blame game and Obama needs to grow up and take some of the responsibilities. I feel both parties created this mess and pointing the finger is not going to solve the problem. Obama said that the Obamacare will lower cost "THATS FALSE", The stimulus was to create jobs well "THATS FALSE", cash for clunkers was to help"THATS FALSE", BAILOUTS AND PORK SPENDING ,BRIBES,BACKROOM DEALS is all Obama's doing. Bush is out of the picture so for Obama to keep blaming Bush is a cop out excuse because OBAMA is not man enough to take some of the blame for the problems in this country.

Hey Dallas....Spanky and all the rest of the Big Business fat-cats out there don't give a rat's a$$ whether they cut their employees' pay, benefits (what's left of them, anyway) or even lay a worker off or not, pending a decision on extending the Bush tax cuts. To them, it's "not personal, it's just business".

All you business owners out there who callously and cold-heartedly cut your workforce's compensation or even cut waves of your workers loose altogether need to get a clue....you say it's not personal....ask that worker you just laid off whether it's personal or not! They bend over backwards to make your company profitable, and most likely, get little in compensation for it. But, when something like a couple of thousand dollars in additional taxes hits your budget, you have the knee-jerk reaction of hacking and slashing the rank-and-file workers. But I'm willing to bet you don't feel the pain in your wallet every other week, do you? "Nope, 'cause I'm the boss and as long as I'm making mine, too bad about the other saps out there"

Nothing personal......that pretty much explains today's employer/employee relationships....it ISN'T personal! Bring back the days when company loyalty and tenure meant something to employers. In today's corporate environment, it's "what have you done for me lately?". And that's the real shame of it all!

Factofthematter - Take the hat off.. it's too tight. Obama and the democrats SPEND TOO MUCH MONEY!!! I'll repeat that for you. They spend too much money. Our problem lies with the national debt. We can't even begin to pay down that debt and we are lucky to just be making the minimum payments. You try that with a credit card company. Your finances will end up in the tank.

Why don't democrats/liberals/progressives see the problem? It must be genitic. When the government spends too much money, they put the entire country at risk. Did I say that Bush didn't spend too much money? Not at all. He authorized way too much spending too.

BUT!!!!!!!!!!

The problem is evident! Our debt is gynormous!!! and we aren't paying it down. The democrats refuse to address the problem... If the republicans don't address it... I will be the first one in line with the tar and pitchforks, if they win control.

I agree with 1.64.

Yet our financial woes are due to real issues that need to be solved. You can't pay it off until the economy recovers. Catch 22. They don't have ideas (either) becasue it isn't up to them it is up to the free market to recover. Soon the rich will be hit even harder and then you might see change. We will never feel the fall that they will. Then the ones who decide the laws (lobbyists) will be pulling their heads out of their emptying wallets.

One thing I can agree with is the federal government is notoriously slow with a trickle effect atmosphere.

We need a real grass roots movement.

It is going to take time to dig our way out of the ditch... but I'm ready to grab a shovel!

When you find yourself in a deep hole you should quit digging.

When was the last time anyone was able to spend their way out of debt?

Feisty,

Well... FINALLY some good news for a change...

He's the Current President but the man only has a pen and not a magic wand to turn the world economic crisis since the Great Depression around...

Anyone who thinks that WOULD be accomplished in 20months is at best 'delusional'!

This instant gratification 'thingy' is growing ever SO iresome!

It is going to take time to dig our way out of the ditch... but I'm ready to grab a shovel!

It's very telling that you consider this good news. Remember that congress has been controlled by Democrats for the last four years.

Your last comment demonstrates the problem with the current regime and it's followers. A complete lack of rational thought. Most reasonable people, when they discover they are in a ditch, would climb out of the ditch. You and Obama and the Democrats would do just as you suggest. Grab a shovel and keep digging deeper.

Devils advocate,

You are wrong with your misplaced anger. As a small business owner the only reason one lays off an employee is because the small business is unprofitable without it. Under our old banking covenants at times we were threatened with our loans being "called" unless we laid off people.

What will happen if the tax cuts to small businesses end, or more of the profits go to pay taxes, is have less to work with to hire new people. The ones left will be left if the company can afford it, and possible flat pay could be the result depending on profitability.

Every sane business owner understands the value that the employee brings to the table, the consistence in the work, craftsmanship, dedication etc. No one is so heartless as to simple cut people simply because they disagree the current administration, Dem or Rep.

Feisty redhead said nothing offensive, untrue, insensetive, offensive or anything else like that. why was she collapsed- right wing conspiracy? probably- actually, make that absoutely.

for all complaining about the president being a socalist commander- all the best things in america are socialist programs- roads, post office, military, social security, medicare, medicade, public libraries, public schools... you name it- if it is good, it is part of a socialist program. i would love to interview somebody like boehner after giving him some truth serum- it would go something like this:

do you like the president?

no

do you think he is doing a good job?

no

do you have any better ideas?

no

are you a christian?

no

do you want the working class to have a good life?

no

would you pay a dollar to end world hunger?

no

would sarah palin make a good president?

no

do you like dogs?

no

did you guys tell the truth about why the current wars were started?

hell no!

it would go on and on like that for days or until the truth serum wore off.

Brian B-999431

And What Feisty posted was in no way rude or disrespectful of the so-called code of honor. What is going on with all this collapsing.

Democrats are willing to roll up their sleeves to get out of the ditch...

Feisty, you had almost 20 months now to get your sleeves rolled up, many weren't expecting to be out of the ditch by now, but we can certianly be dissapointed to actually be deeper in that ditch.

right wingers like to just say NO

Where were you in 2004 when the dems said "No" to more oversight of those toxic loans forced on banks by the CRA that helped cause the collapse?

Who would you say are "superstars" of the left?

Joi, I acually agree with you and Brianb, collapsing someones post should be because it is considered crude and in violation of N.V. COH, not just because you don't like the poster on a personal level. Both sides are guilty of this.

Pretty simple, what Feisty likes to post has "No Value".

Joi, I don't know. I never vote to collapse anyone's comments unless it's a solicitation. Everyone here has a right to their opinion. I may totally disagree with what they say, but they have the right to say it. People who collapse other peoples posts are infantile. Those that collapse because they disagree, simply don't know how to debate.

I noticed my first post 1.14 was collapsed. I get tickled when that happens because I know I got under someone's skin and they don't know how to articulate a response.

Fiesty,

One issue I have with the left is that I don't see any ideas about how to control costs in any of the arguments. Nothing really discuss. So when you state:

Sorry righties... Democrats are willing to roll up their sleeves to get out of the ditch...

Honestly, what exactly do you mean by this? What steps are you considering? I just haven't heard anything that I trust, as an independent voter.

And you are correct. It is not only pathetic to collapse an opposing, but it actually supports the opposite of what people are trying to accomplish.

Of course Obama inherited the mess. Then, he reappointed Bernanke. He asked (Countrywide) Dodd and (Fannie) Frank to fix the mess they helped create. And this only after he focused on healthcare (another financial hole in the making) as his primary concern instead of the economy. He inherited it alright, then promptly made it worse. This is the same tired childish tactic of blame Bush and man up to nothing. The Dems should heed Bidens advice and "stop whining".

cdahl....thanks for your level-headed response to my post. It's refreshing to see that bloggers can disagree with me without resorting to name-calling and nasty rhetoric. Just letting you know I hear you and I can see your point.

While I do have a little more sympathy for the plight of the small business owner (my wife works for a small 5-person business), my gripes are aimed more at the mega-conglomerates, with the top-heavy corporate offices. I am currently employed by one of those employers. Most employers of that size have no interest in keeping experienced people on their payrolls, when they can get fresh-faced college grads with absolutely no working experience for half the payout. Tenure and company loyalty means nothing to these corporations. It's all about the "bottom line" for them....and their employees are just numbers to them. But, if these companies go south in earnings, these CEO's and corporate fat-cats are the ones getting out scot free with their multi-million dollar "golden parachutes", while thousands of their employees lose their incomes altogether. It's sickening to me how the abuses of a few can have such an effect on so many.

But, thanks for your comments, cdahl!

Heres my take on it:

A man (Bush) takes a drill and makes a hole in a dike (the economy). Water (jobs,homes,etc) start flowing out. A few days later another man(obama) buys the dike and looks at the hole and says "You know the water would flow a little faster if i made the hole bigger."

Bush started it but Obama hasnt done much to help it.

This is the ObamaNation of America is it not.

He who is in charge must take responsibility for everything not just those things of his choosing

Hey Spanky,

What the heck are you doing screwing around on the internet and posting comments if you're running a business. Shouldn't you be working, supervising employees, meeting with your accountant or something productive. S#$&, no wonder businesses are doing so poorly.

Brianb,

Why is it when the GOP spend money, no one shouts about the deficit at all, then when the Dems try to spend money to help people who are hurting, we're the enemies?

The GOP suddenly rediscover their faith fiscal conservatism just now? Fancy how they rejoined the church once they weren't in power. But going against the grain of this school of thought is the overall cost of extending all tax cuts for Americans. The tax cuts had a deadline because even when they were passed there were enough in the GOP to realize that we couldn't afford to do it indefinitely, otherwise they would have made the measure permanent. Continuing the tax cuts for everyone will amount to trillions in lost revenue.

Cut spending you say? Sure, that sounds great. What programs you going to cut? Maybe we should choose one of the big ones, like defense? No. Oh, I know then, social security? No. Medicare? No.

Let's get real here about spending and taxes. Taxes are pretty much the one way the government gets money. Say for a second we freeze spending at 2008 levels and keep the tax cuts. There will not be enough revenue coming in to even finance all the spending at the 2008 levels AND take out some of the debt. So, if you want to pay down the debt, your only choices are to increase taxes or to start burning programs, your choice.

Devils adv.

Boy, can't disagree with you there. I continue to hammer the Free Trade bit because one of the reasons we have outsourcing is because the CEO's in this country could get a quick stock lift by cutting thousands of jobs, thereby enriching their own lives, financially. And I agree, it is sickening.

But instead of blaming the CEO's I blame Congress. I would hope that if faced with making $250M or so but to do so I would have to devastate lives, I would choose to maintain my 7M per year and move on. I believe that Congress sold out the American people by allowing those CEO's to bring product in from overseas without tariffs. ie outsourcing. And it got even worse when we started to outsource our services. And honestly, I blame both parties. And now mostly the Democrats because I voted for them in hopes that the Union support would put pressure on them to do something about it. Yet, nothing.

Coodos (sp?) to you and your wife. Because of the different views of employment you two must have a solid and rounded grasp of the difference that people employed by both are going through. Sorry if my earlier post was too harsh, I could have softened it.

Good luck and take care.

@ factofthematter.

Most of us hated Bush and the free spending ways. Most of us will support you on freezing social programs, and cutting the crap out of the military budget. But please consider this. Just because the republicans were irresonsible spenders does not give the Democrats permission to take their turn at ruining the country by spending us into oblivion. It would have been heartening to hear the Democrats talk about curbing spending when they took over in 2006, during at the time what seemed like good economic times.

Maybe you should get a shovel for EVERY one od the Democrats that have been in power since the economy started its downturn and get them to help. OH Please forgive me, those arrogant individuals are TOO DAMN good to work like common folks. They would rather sit in Washington and STEAL than do their job.

Decrease the size of government and quit paying out funds to illegals that contribute nothing to our economy since they send their money to Mexico.

It took me 7 years to dig out of the financial mess my ex left me in... it wasn't us who labeled Obama a miracle worker, it was his opponents.

And yes I had to 'spend' money I didn't have to repair my infrastructure and that paid off when I sold the house. And I had to spend money I didn't have to better educate myself into a better job. My credit is still not where I want it thanks to my predecessor (AKA ex husband)

PRESIDENT Obama inherited these debts and 2 wars which needed to be ended so as not to create another bin Laden and leave the area more stabile after we leave

The opposition wants everyone to forget this economy is their fault...The Dems came in too late to fix all the damage, leaving PRESIDENT Obama to clean up. OH and don't forget how many of the opposition stated in public how much they wanted him to fail!

Right swmoman because I'm sure the GOP work harder than the Dems do.

Also, I'm entirely sure that this entire economic situation was caused by the illegals. Stealing our jobs like picking fruit, a job that every American wants. Stealing all the taxpayer money (they sure are smart for being uneducated to steal trillions of dollars right from under our noses). Contributing nothing to our economy (I'm sure you see many illegals on the street corner begging for money).

Yes swmoman, if we stop the illegals everything will be fixed!

So, if you want to pay down the debt, your only choices are to increase taxes or to start burning programs, your choice.

Burn programs. The list is long. Start with the new health care law and keep going. Department of Education, EPA, reform the tax code and get rid of the IRS, then keep going. So many to choose from, so little time...

Take a big burden off of blue states. Red states are parasite, welfare states living off blue states.

I'm, by no stretch of the imagination, not an Obama fan. I will agree, he did not cause the problems our economy had when he took office. However, he was voted into office on the pretense he could solve problems. He has proven he's not capable of doing that. And, at least in my mind, one of the reasons is that the people he listens to have no "practical experience" in the economy and, which is the biggest problem, how to create jobs. Obama spent his first 15months in office worrying about healthcare instead of getting the economy moving. He was, and I think still is, worried about being able to stand up and say "I satisfied one of my campaign problems", rather than solving the "real world problems. Right now, THIS IS OBAMA'S ECONOMY. ITS TIME HE SOLVES THE PROBLEM!!!!!!

The day the Democrats took over was not January 22nd 2009,
it was actually January 3rd 2007.

The day the Democrats took over the House of Representatives & Senate, the start of the 110th Congress.

Actually the Democratic Party controlled a majority in both chambers since the end of the 103rd Congress in 1995.

"For those of you who are listening to the liberals propagating the fallacy that everything is "Bush's Fault," just think about this:

January 3rd, 2007 was the day the Democrats took over the Senate and the Congress:

At the time:
The DOW Jones closed at 12,621.77
The GDP for the previous quarter was 3.5%
The Unemployment rate was 4.6%

George Bush's Economic policies SET A RECORD of 52 STRAIGHT MONTHS of JOB CREATION!

Remember the day.

January 3rd, 2007 was the day that Barney Frank took over the House Financial Services Committee and Chris Dodd took over the Senate Banking Committee.

The economic meltdown that happened 15 months later was in what part of the economy?

BANKING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES!

THANK YOU DEMOCRATS for taking us from a 13,000 DOW, 3.5 GDP and 4.6% Unemployment to this CRISIS by (among MANY other things) dumping 5-6 TRILLION Dollars of toxic loans on the economy from YOUR Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac FIASCOS!

(BTW: George Bush asked Congress 17 TIMES to stop Fannie & Freddie - starting in 2001 because it was financially too risky for the US economy).

And who took the THIRD highest pay-off from Fannie Mae AND Freddie Mac?

OBAMA

And who fought against reform of Fannie and Freddie?

OBAMA & the Democratic Congress

So when someone tries to blame Bush:

REMEMBER JANUARY 3rd, 2007 THE DAY THE DEMOCRATS TOOK OVER!

Bush may have b een in the car but the Democrats were in charge of the gas pedal and steering wheel and they were driving.

John Galt,

You realize that the government programs you spouted off to eliminate, including the new health care law (using the estimate that it will cost a trillion over ten years), will only remove about 1.28 trillion dollars from the deficit over the next ten years?

And then we won't be able to service any more of it because the IRS is gone.

I am really curious about the level of censorship that has been present out of the "community" in this discussion. None of the comments collapsed by the "community" were in any way offensive. Most of them were from Democrats, there was at least one from a Republican worried about his business planning for the new year. Why would we need to be "protected" from ANY of the collapsed comments. This is America, where free speech is one of our rights.

Anyone who elected the Democrats to power knew that we were already in a huge financial disaster, and many areas of the country had been in serious recession for several years BEFORE Obama took office. What was the original cause of the disaster that destroyed trillions of Dollars of our retirement savings and our home equity, well before Obama took office? As I recall, the main issue was a few secretive Wall St types who had offered phony Grade-A securities all over the world which as it turned-out way too late to do anything about it were worthless junk debt based on high-risk real estate. This happened well before the 2008 election, as did the $200 billion initial bailout of Fannie and Freddie, the $200 billion bailout of AIG, and the $700 billion bailout of affected banks. Every bit of these bailouts, plus as much as several trillion Dollars of lost retirement savings and as much as $10 billion of lost home equity occurred during the reign of King George Bush II. Another big problem that has occurred because of this fraud is that our Dollar is down heavily against foreign currencies. Of course, if you were a big foreign investor, would you be just a little wary after falling victim to the US junk debt fraud? One of the biggest problems restraining our economic recovery is the lost confidence of our foreign investment partners, which has been made worse by the Do Nothing Republicans in Congress. Another problem is that so much equity has been destroyed under the Bush Jr-led collapse that there is no money sitting on the sidelines waiting to get back into the equity markets. We will have to grow our own recovery I am afraid.

What have the Democrats long stood for that the Republicans have always tried to take away when they have been in power? The Democrats have long stood for social programs and for social and economic equality for the masses. I am sure that almost everyone that voted for the Democrats in 2008 did so because they felt that the American masses had been taking it on the chin long enough. Many of us had high hopes for a restoration of many gutted social programs and another war on poverty. How many of us are aware that the US poverty rate almost doubled under the Bush Jr Presidency? Many of us who voted for President Obama and the Democrats had really hoped for socialized medicine, and the healthcare reform that we ended-up with will fix a number of problems that our original healthcare plans were not addressing or were making worse over time. My own healthcare insurance went up by a whole $13 per month in July, which is a small fraction of what my annual increases had been over the last 5 years. In fact, just in the 8 years of President Bush Jr, my healthcare premiums increased by about 350%, while first copays then an annual deductible were imposed. In 2008 Anthem wanted to increase our premiums by another 25%, on top of the 2007 25% increase, on top of the 25% 2006 increase, which is when my boss switched us to Kaiser.

Slightly more than half of the entire Federal budget is spent on our military, and another 18% just on debt service. At least our involvement in the war that Bush Jr and Cheney started on false pretenses is nearly over. Don't forget that we could have had Bin Laden early on in the Afghan conflict, but it was Bush and Cheney that missed that opportunity too, most likely to attempt to continue the war indefinitely to ensure military contracting profits. Anyone remember the secret, no-bid, behind closed doors contract with Dick Cheney's own company Haliburton to supply our troops in Iraq and to rebuild Iraq's oil industry? Anyone remember how much fraud has been committed during the course of this contract that us taxpayers have been expected to pony-up for? Is that what all of us want, a return to the back-room conspiracies and graft that was so common under Bush Jr and Cheney?

Quite a bit of the economy of our nation has improved under President Obama's leadership. Any of us remember how long it took to bring the US economy out of the Great Depression, which started with the stock market crash of late 1929? We weren't out of the Great Depression until World War II, 12 years later, which my guess was FDR's fault too. If we hadn't bailed-out GM and Chrysler, what had been 35% unemployment in Detroit and 25% unemployment in Cleveland already under Bush Jr would have quickly risen to 50% unemployment all over the southern Great Lakes region. How many of you know that home prices in Detroit under Bush Jr were down by 75% between 2003 and 2008, before President Obama took office???

I am a liberal Democrat and proud of the job that President Obama has tried hard to do under very difficult circumstances. I strongly believe that companies that take our jobs overseas should be penalized for doing so. I strongly believe in eventual socialized healthcare coverage for all Americans. I strongly believe in a war on poverty that floats all of our boats. I am very opposed to the economic runaway free-for-all of the recent Republican Presidencies, which has had some big winners and some very big losers too. So many Republicans regard Reagan as some sort of God, when in my neck of the woods he is regarded as a tyrant who destroyed our economy. The simple fact of every Republican President since Nixon has been a regionalized economy that mainly benefits close supporters, while areas that have voted Democrat twist in the wind. That is another reason that I will be voting Democrat again this Fall, is that I do not want to see another economy where only some of us do well. Either we all make economic progress together, or we all share the pain of the long history of corruption under Bush and Cheney.

Yeah, so this man we have to call our President, Obama, didn't create the snowball effect that left us in the worst economic state since the Great Depression, but it is his job to FIX this. Obama, in fact, has made it worst. Remember, all you morons who voted for this joke, he was preaching 'CHANGE'. Well it's to bad that he didn't for the good. He changed us for the bad. I hope you feel dumb as hell.

Then get your shovel because Obummer is spewing some mighty big sh*t.

Step one to crawling out of the hole is stop spending.

How?

If it is a government program created in the last _____years KILL IT TODAY! That means some people are off the payroll. Sorry.

Create jobs. Start by putting the drilling rigs back to work in the gulf. Get the job strangling EPA out of states business .

Set a date certain for unemployment benefits to expire. It is flat wrong for jobs to go begging while people sit on their butt getting paid forever. 1 in 8 in California are unemployed while tomatoes rot in the fields. Want a check? Pick tomatoes.

State and local governments with unsustainable pension plans need to make even tougher decisions. But make a decision they must or someone will do it for them.

WE COULD JUST WAIT FOR THE CHECKS TO START BOUNCING, and they will.

Remember when the dimorats took control of congress in Jan. 2007? Remember when Obama preached in 2007-2008 that if he was elected about all the bad things he would do? Remember how the housing and financial markets when it was apparent that Obama was going to win the election? Remember how once he was elected and his party controlled both houses of congress? Remember how now Obama and his crowd are now trying to blame everyone and their dog about how "he and his dimocrat leaders leading congress have run the country into the ground? Remember how his party lost control of congress in Nov. 2010 and Obama was stopped in his path of destruction and the country started heading in the right direction? Yes, remember when??? Oh yes remember when?

Maggie..... so very well said , just a matter of time and they will collapse you but :

NOV 2, WE TAKE OUT THE TRASH PHASE ONE !

I do not blame Obama for the current economy. I do blame the Democrat controlled congress for the sub prime housing loans that caused the housing bubble and this economy. I do blame Obama for extending this economic disaster by pushing health care on a nation that is facing economic disaster and a congress that passes 2000 page plans without reading it. I do blame the Democrats and Obama for the failed stimulus. I think it would have been more stimulating to mail a 10 grand check to every family. All that has happen with the current stimulus is to enrich the rich. I also feel the total disregard towards sealing the borders and allowing illegal aliens to continue to reside here taking away construction jobs from American citizens needs to be addressed. Besides that I do blame Obama for being on TV to damn much. The guy never stopped running for office. I also as an American feel that the constant half truths spewed out by the current government and the attacks on dissenting opinions is getting quite old. Freedom of speech is not only for one side.

By the way the 700 billion dollar tax cut one political party keeps spouting that number includes the middle class amount. Which amounts to the majority of the tax cut. I got to wonder about a party that lied since Bush gave us the tax cut. The party that announced it was for the rich only... Now all of a sudden they want to keep the majority of the tax cut for those under 200 k a year... What an amazing lie we have been sold for years.

Fiesty Redhead :

It is good news more and more people every month realize that Obama and the democratic congress that was in charge during the bush years is responsible. Boy can this lib news agency put a spin on things. When he 1st took office 84% said it was not his falt after the 1st year 65% said it was not his falt and 8 months later 54% still do not think it is his falt. But now 46% realize the truth about trying to stimulate the economy with a socalist eletist agenda. It failed and failed bad by next month the majority will realize (over 50%) that he has perpetuated this failure of the barnie frank and chris dodd colapse of the real estate market and the fisical policies created by the democratic congress that were in power during the Bush years. JUST IN TIME FOR THE ELECTION!

The only thing is though, Fiesty, BO SAID he was going to turn it around. He SAID unemployment was not going to go above 8.5%. He's SAID all these things that are pure, bald-face lies. Everytime he opens his mouth, he's lying. You libs want it both ways. The dems are at least 80% responsible for this financial mess, yet you keep on blaming Bush. Not going to be able to do that much longer.......

YOU are the one who is delusional!After every recession there is rapid economic growth.Because of the absurd policies of this administration and Congress,we have nothing but the most anemic growth.Obama doesn't have a clue how to get us moving again.But change is coming on Nov.2,2010.We can not afford "Obama's Folly" any longer.....

"According to the brand-new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, 56 percent think Obama inherited the economic situation"

I'm surprised that 90% say Obama didn't 'inherit' a recession.

The REAL question is "Has Obama HELPED get us out of the recession, or has he made it WORSE"?

How you suppose to fix our economy whne you got 40 jerks up there tring to undermind everything you do. I said whne he was elected and i still believe it now. The republicans new from history they didnt want the precidency during a resession. They threw the election and set them selves up to take extremely dominate control of our governemnt in 2012. People it way past time to get rid of them both . the democrats and republicans.

Listen people we need to stop all the blame game crap. President Bush was'nt the only one in office threwout his 2 terms. If I recall the Dems had the majority his second term. Even with that said, I heard no complaints about the economy until 9/11 (case solved) now fix this !#@?

Granted, Obama inherited a mess - Time moves on!

It is Obama's Bailout, Obama's Entitlements, Obama's economic policies that are shaping the future! Obama's Healthcare!

Government is not a cure all! Growing government, entitling people, raising taxes, is not the answers.

Unemployment, no end in sight, new industries, none, new jobs created, none, false campaign promises, lots.

Obama had a chance, and, he failed!

This is for all of you who buy this so call poll. Keep drinkin the Cool-Aide.

The "MAJORITY", OK NBC, give us the statistics from which you drew this conclusion! How many participated in your Poll, what regions of our Country were covered, what economic strata did you draw from. What questions did you ask to determine such a rediculious headline. Come on!! The American people are not STUPID!! Who pushed through the $750 Billion Dollar Bail Out? How about 'Cars For Cash" tell us who was behind that one? How about the Recovery Act? Lets talk about "O'Bama Care". O'Bama not responsible? He was behind every single one of these spendthrift efforts that pushed Billions of our tax payer dollars out to rescue Chrysler and GM, save Wall Street, give away thousands to people buying new cars, where is the pay-back? Now he's pushing to segregate the Bush Tax cuts between the rich or poor!! Whoever you interviewd or whatever poll you took, you are so far out to lunch with your headline you ought to be ashamed of yourself. Talk to those who now are out in the street due to forclosures, without jobs, on the brink of bankruptcy.

Feisty Rehead: Very well put. You were very bi-partisan and realistic. Would be that the rest of America would be as rational. The man inherited the situation, and it seems that everyone blames him for not having a magic wand. For the record I am an independent with no azes to grind..

he don't have a pen, (problem is (he has to many )no magic wand....hmmm then why and how does he give all that money to his big money friends, trillions given away......and for SS no COLA, this year and next, so far, cutting medicare, and he wants to give more to the people who jump over the border.....amazing. Read more in Bob's comment, no use me continuing. It would only be a re-run

He needs to be sent back with his Islam friends and stop apologizing for us or back to Ill. somewhere out of office.

Yes, i agree. And while we have the shovel let's see if we burry a lot of these ppl come november.

Let's just quit blaming and start exterminating across the board. The big boy needs to go back to where he is appreciated: Chicago, maybe..

Exceptionally good news! Maybe United States citizens finally realize how far the Republican controlled Congresses from 1996 through 2006 coupled with a Republican President from 2001 -2009 crippled this economy. It is definitely a challenge to curb spending when two major wars were in full stride crippling the the budget with over $50 trillion per month. Plus the Department of Defense had so much money coming in - they lost track of Billions more that Secretary of Defense Robert gates still doesn't know where it went. The Recession is over as of last June, 2009. But it is typical of economic recoveries and unemployment to take years to fully recover to pre-recession levels. As an example, during President Bush's first recession starting in March 2001 that lasted until November 2001, unemployment did not regain full recovery for 19 months past November 2001 ... that is June 2003. In President Bush's second recession that he passed on to President Obama, the recession ended June 2009. It is reasonable to expect this will take beyond January 2011 before we start to pull out of this quagmire.

Meanwhile, I'm following President Obama. His vision to be budget neutral by the end of his first term is laudable. Considerable spending has been enacted to prop up the United States while health care, financial reform, drawing down Iraq, surging in Afghanistan with a measurable signpost ahead in Aug 2011 to start drawing down. This President has been more for the people than any we've had before. Too bad some people just don't get it.

I conducted extensive research comparing Democrat and Republican economic policies from 1960 through the present and as a FORMER Republican, I was shocked how poorly the Republicans managaed not only economic policy but domestic and foriegn policy as well. I had mistakenly believed Republicans were pro-business; deficit reducing but what I discovered is Republicans were pro-Republican Special Interest; pro Defense Spending on any major defense spending initiative; but definitely not frugal, or small government minded.

I hardly believe the Plege to America. I just do not trust Republicans to formulate and lead any viable change to improve our fiscal position in the United States. President Clinton DID formulate and changed our fiscal position for the better but that was shattered by the Republican Congress that took office in 1997 then accelerated with a Republican Executive Branch that took office in 2001. By the time the Democrats regained the Congress in 2007, our country was headed toward economic recession that started December 2007! The Bush administration and Republican congresses were responsible for a NET JOB LOSS from 2001 - 2009 of over 843,000 jobs and rising plus the deepest recession experienced since the great depression. Republicans who continue to sip the kool-aid that they can fix it with the same old reduce taxes mantra are misguided. Republicans who continue to insist the government is getting too big fail to understand our Federal Government is smaller in size compared to the general population than at any other time in our history. One place to start trimming is to cut Defense and Increase Homeland security. You would think Republicans would make that statement given the conservative nature Republicans espouse. But Republicans want BOTH a large standing military and large homeland security and massive fence at our southern border - but Republicans fail to state how to pay for it much less commit funds for appropriate funding.

I'm taking an active stand to keep the Republicans out of office until the Democrats finish fixing the Republican mistakes. In my opinion, the Republican party will have to change significantly before regaining the status once held.

@ FeistyRedHead...Thank you! Its so refreshing to read a POSITIVE comment about this much maligned President, who has done more in two years (almost) than Bushee did in his 8 yr reigh of terror!

Alex CA

You call red states parasites isn't CA broke from all your welfare I mean parasites programs? Isn't CA looking for a bailout from the federal government?

Please don't talk about Blue states - Blue states taxpayers are suckers. We're taxed to death because of social programs and broke - CA, NY, NJ, MA

Yes I'm one of those suckers from MA waiting to sell my house so I can move to one of those red states hopefully TX

He still has not figured out that he needs to lead by example, not lecture.

Sorry redhead, but it is impossible to dig your way out of a ditch. You have to climb out of a ditch. If you're in a ditch and you keep digging, you only get deeper and deeper the more you dig. In the same way, you can't spend your way out of debt. This is exactly what Obama has done. He inherited an economy on a downward slope into a ditch, dug out the bottom till it resembled the Grand Canyon, and greased the sides so all the hard-working Americans would be sure to fall into it. When Obama took office, the National debt was $9 trillion. It took some 227 years, from the time America formed till 2009 to get to $9 trillion. Now, 20 months later, the National debt is $13 trillion, a 45% increase. If Obama continues on this path, the $9 trillion National Debt that took 227 years to reach, will DOUBLE in 4 years!! Face it, with Obamacare, healthcare costs will go up, and unless Bush tax cuts are extended, taxes will go up. So if you do get to keep your job, expect to bring home less money. Insurance companies now can't exclude for pre-existing conditions, and they have to keep dependents on parents insurance til age 26. That's going to cost insurance companies more money, so you can bet they are going to charge more. So we get taxed more and get to pay more for insurance. Do you think that's going to meet Obama's "goal" of everyone having insurance?? No, there is going to be many more people without insurance. And many more people unemployed as well. Don't start thinking I'm defending Bush, but Obama has exponentially multiplied any problems he inherited.

If you would read the artice and not just the inevitably slanted MSNBC headline, you would notice that the news it conveys is not good at all -- but REALLY BAD for liberals and The One. Those voters who have so far given the O a pass on economic matters are INCREASINGLY holding him accountable. That means his popularity is DECREASING. That means people are crashing off the Kool-Aid in droves. That means his chances for re-election are growing slimmer, not better. Which is good news for America, but not for Obama or his idolators.

"Obumma has dug a hole so deep that this country will most likely never get out of. And his vice prez needs to quit dumping on Pres. Bush. Get over it Biden, It's Your bosse's screw-ups now, Not Pres. Bush's! When all else fails, blame it on Bush. Obumma's whole gang needs to get their a**es and their heads wired together and get on board, because all they have going is a big cluster-flop!"

I came to this country in 1983 and found a job right a way, and have been employed without interruption until last July of last year.

Since the recession was over in June of 2009, I WANT to know where is MY job?!

He may have inherited the situation, but his $800 billion pork bill which created not a single job is his fault, the tax burdens hanging over the heads of business because of the health care fiasco and the expiration of the Bush tax cutes with no word from him on what he's going to do about them puts a pall on the business climate. All that is his fault, therefore the current state of the economy is his fault, the sluggish job market is his fault, the poor housing market is his fault. His problem is that he is so arrogant he isn't willing to take responsibility for anything. Bush has beeen gone almost two years and nothing has changed. That's Obama's, Pelosi's and Reid's fault. They own it and in November they will pay for their stupidity.

Guess it's only Obama's economy if it recovers from 4 YEARS of Democrat congress programs. If it doesn't it's Bush's. Who do you think you are fooling?

Was it JFK that said that it takes 10 years to destroy the economy and 10 years to restore it? If things started down in 2002, then who was controlling Congress and who was the Prez the previous 10 years? Who demanded that sub-standard loans be made, or else?

Just thinking out loud.

Well pick up your shovel then. When he inherited the economy we were 3 trillion in debt, now two years later we are 13 trillion in debt. His policies keep costing more and more money we don't have, and he keeps wanting to spend more and more. If you like his idea of taxing the wealthy more to pay down the debt, chew on this. According to Forbes magazine the net worth of the top 400 wealthiest in America is only 1.37 trillion, even if they liquidated all their assets and put it towards our deficit, we would still be over 11 trillion in debt. Which do you think they will be more willing to do. be taxed more than everyone else, or move to another country where Obama and his greedy bunch can't touch their money.

The question what has he done to help turn it around? Nobody expects a miracle worker, but I've not seen any real focus on the economy. All I've seen is his push for his ideological agenda. All the things HE wanted done and to be done before November. I'm really disappointed.

The entire congress needs to go, period. Time for the current bunch to be flushed. A great big Democrat and Republican enema.

Bush was bad, but Obama is much worse. It's time to elect the lesser evil. The World is cheering Obama because he is bringing The US down to the same level of Third World Countries.

kevin-1944820
Well pick up your shovel then. When he inherited the economy we were 3 trillion in debt, now two years later we are 13 trillion in debt. His policies keep costing more and more money we don't have, and he keeps wanting to spend more and more. If you like his idea of taxing the wealthy more to pay down the debt, chew on this. According to Forbes magazine the net worth of the top 400 wealthiest in America is only 1.37 trillion, even if they liquidated all their assets and put it towards our deficit, we would still be over 11 trillion in debt. Which do you think they will be more willing to do. be taxed more than everyone else, or move to another country where Obama and his greedy bunch can't touch their money.

Why are you lying???

US National debt history

http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1DVCA_enUS322US326&aq=f&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=us+national+debt+history

Alex, Ca

Why would you think I'm lying did you even look over the information you posted for me to look at?

here try this link as well

http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/

Anyone who thinks this idiot is not responsible, is irresponsible as well, as you have no political clue! PAY ATTN!

If you're grabbing a shovel to dig and follow these current leaders of our country--what should we put on your tombstone?

Sure there was a problem when Obama took over, however the problem has gotten worse since he took over. All of his stimulas packeges have not helped the middle class o0t the poor. The only people that has benifited has been big cooperations. We may have saved the banks and the auto companies, however the people are still going down the pipe. Better and cheaper insurance, not, my insurance just went up 14% and covers less. We can not keep giving to those who choose not to work and milk the system. What happens if we all get feed up with this system and quite our jobs just to milk the system. I realize alot of people want to work, however there is no jobs. Thank the Democrats for that. They thought the NAFTA Treaty would be good for us. Yea, give our jobs to someone else in another country and watch the USA suffer, real smart. Our government needs to worry about the US of A first. We just keep printing money and forcing the value of the dollar down. If big government was worried about us unstead of every other country, we could make it through this, however the way we are doing things you better have a life raft close. We need the old USA back, where our leaders were conserned about us, not some radical group of Muslems. We as a notion have gotten to liberal, we are afraid we will hurt somebodies feelings. Get real, we are killing ourselves. It is time to say good-bye to the liberal democrats and claim our nation back. We need to send Obama, Pelosi and Harry Reid packing.

Actually Obama inherited the economy from Bush. BUT, Bush inherited the loosened lending laws from BILL CLINTON who started the problem. Clinton created the housing debacle, -don't get all freaky, just read the historical data.

In 1994, Under Clinton, he implemented The Riegle Neal Act, and had the banking laws changed. A segment was to accommodate President Carters program with the Community Reinvestment Act from 1977. Part of the Riegle Neal Act was a requirement for Banks to lend to unqualified borrowers and to meet certain lending quotas. See FDIC, Law Regulations.

In 1995, Clinton started a program with HUD called the National Homeownership Strategy. This pretty much directed an increase of homeownership in the US by adjusting qualifications on mortgages. It was to increase homeownership to a certain percent by the year 2000.

Please Google the NATIONAL HOMEOWNERSHIP STRATEGY.

Clinton also directed HUD, Cisneros and Cuomo, to push Fannie Mae and Freddy to buy up subprime notes from the other banks and private lenders to meet the quota required from the CRA, (Comm. Reinvestment act), all this superficial lending got out of hand.

Remember the senate hearing in '04 as Bush warned Franks, Dodds, Waters and other Dems dozens of times that the lending was out of hand, (he still contributed by funding an additional program!, but the problem had been created by Clinton. and HUD with directing the subprime notes thru Fannie and Freddy mac. both Government Sponsored Entities. GSE's

Another great article to Google is: The Affordable Mortgage Depression. So you-all quit putting your heads in the sand for one party or another and just read the facts. Thanks,,,

Feisty Redhead --

"Instant gratification"?

"... the man only has a pen...." ?

I hardly think almost two years can be considered instant. Besides, I thought he indicated virtually instant "change"?

I seem to remember that FDR used "only a pen" to get us out a depression and into the greatest war the world has seen -- at least so far.

It's nice for someone to think well of others, but I should think some people might spend a little more time examining what has and hasn't happened before giving complete and absolute faith to the capabilities of some people.

Just sayin'

To Beingone

Thank you, there was a lot of information in your statement I was not aware of.

I don't side with either party. I believe the whole party affiliation bs has done more harm than good for our country.

Obamma has done NOTHING to make the economy better. In fact, it seems like he is TRYING to make it collapse!!

Extending the tax breaks is criminal. If you take the original idea it just tells me the Republicans wish to continue to take all power away from We The People. Destruction of the Middle & Lower Classes allows them to build their Empires. Take a look at the Mafia. Government could not control them so they put them in Federal Prisons. There would be no headbanging when they took over the economy. Monopolies are full blown cancers to control world economy. And how wasit being done under the Neocons? It was a duplication of the same Mafia they put in jail.

Feisty & robone1, I totally agree! Now I'm not in the top 2% or nor am I anywhere close to 250,000 a yr, but I need no tax cut I will make due as me and my family has done since our current economy crisis has come about, and hope for a better day. If the top 2% pay their rightful tax I would be more than glad to pay my rightful tax. Ask what I can do for my country. I believe our President has done a great job, he said our economy will take time to fix and it has, many forget. We have made great gains while at the sametime battling two corrupt aristocracies on two fronts here at home. Time to get that second wind! Finally you'd think the top 2% would put back or gladly pay thier fair share instead of taking....taking a crap in our economy!

Here's the problem of perception vs. reality. I see it on every political post and after speeding through all the comments here I see it AGAIN, so I'll address it. Firstly there is this vast misconception on who bailed out whom and when and why.

George Bush "bailed out" the banks- Bush passed the "Bail-Out". Remember it was all over the MSM; Paulson, George Bush's Czar of the Economy stepped in to "bail out" the banks: it was inelegant, rudimentary and obviously an emergency. It was months before Barack Obama would take the helm as POTUS- the economy was in shambles (even more serious than we suspected)- it was dire and the 'Banks' were in debt for more money than they had. Not since the run on banks in the 1930's had we seen the likes. The WHY is what is now referred to as the housing crisis, but remember it was much more complicated than that, but for this discussion suffice it to say that it was happening...churning...ruining the US Economy for years unchecked by Bush and his administration the congress...anyone. So Bush passed the TARP or the Troubled Assets Relief Program and it missed the mark fairly badly. Those 'troubled' or toxic assets were bigger than Paulson and his team of Bush cronies had estimated by 100X- taking down Goldman Sachs, AIG etc..but worse it wasn't used correctly and had no stipulations (or very ineffective) to be paid back or even how to be used.

The other misconception that is driving me crazy is the one I've basically had an epiphany and now recognize and this recognition has been validated by partisan and non-partisan friends alike is that Americans now perceive the Deficit (known widely as America's debt) as the reason for or the catalyst for unemployment/lack of jobs/the recession OR= the Economy. Nope wrong again. It was years of greed, incompetence and fraud.

NOT ONLY was Obama not President for the years of this churning, financial disaster which he had warned of in many speeches as Senator, but he wasn't even President after the disaster peaked and banks were FAILING everywhere, even other countries- Bush was.

Is it now the Obama administration's responsibility to solve, fix, mend, make better, YES. Should it have been solved already? Let me put it this way; it is amazing to me how far we've come since the Banks failed, the Auto Manufactureres failed, we were OUT of money and disaster of untold scope had struck and it has amazed economists the world over how well the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (better known as "The Stimulus") has worked to shore up the WORLD'S economy thus far. And not only was it a very complex and elegant and effective Act, but it's mostly been paid back by every bank and auto company, and not only that but the TARP? Bush's TARP; Obama has collected about 90% of Bush's "bail-out" as well.

Blame whoever you want for the recession, but Obama and the dems made it much worse. He is an idiot. Those who voted for him are as bad.

While I don't believe Obama has kept his promises, I also don't think that the economic crisis was his fault. Am I blaming the previous administration...absolutely...you have to! He inherited a massive debt, a war and deregulation of the oil industry (thanks to Bush and Cheney...yes, they did this). I'm tired of hearing everyone complain that things are not getting better. WAKE UP!!! Do you really think our problems can be fixed...even in one term??? If so, you need to educate yourself. Also, keep in mind that Congress hasn't been super supportive. Would I vote for Obama...I'm tired of people who run for any office that make promises and then don't follow through. We need to put an end to lies people use to win any office...if you don't keep your word you get kicked out.

That said, I also don't believe that the Republicans have our best interest at heart. Companies are still allowed to outsource without any taxes, alternative energy is talked about but not pushed as it needs to be, corporations will still get increased tax breaks (if you think this helps us IT DOESN'T), the wealthy will still get tax breaks...NO, IT DOESN'T ENSURE THE MONEY GOES BACK IN OUR SYSTEM TO HELP LOWER INCOME FAMILIES, deregulation will continue, the R's still support corporate donations and influence (guess what...when this happens IT'S NO LONGER A DEMOCRACY...BUT A CORPOCRACY), and if you think voting someone in like Palin will make things better you need a lobotomy.

By the way...someone stated that the recession ended in 2009. I don't know what planet you come from, but you need to go back because you have clearly missed the facts.

Bob, if you really think the dems made things worse you need to educate yourself on the facts!! Personally, I think both parties need an enema!! We need to fire everyone and start over from scratch with people that don't lie, love corporate money or make big money off of a war that we are involved in! It's all unethical and pathetic!!

Placing blame NEVER resolves a situation.

Who cares who is responsible? What are we going to do ? Sue? I don't think so.

It does not matter who is responsible, Obama is in charge and he's not doing a good job.

The unemployment rate is HIGHER than it was when Bush Jr left office and his Administration's stupid policies of spending to create jobs and pay welfare aka healthcare is not generating capital. It is a simple fact.

It is also a simple fact that well-managed capital generates revenue. We need to hire new managers in November.

We also need to keep Republicans in check because rich people DO NOT need tax breaks.

Actually Obama inherited the economy from Bush. BUT, Bush inherited the loosened lending laws from BILL CLINTON who started the problem. Clinton created the housing debacle, -don't get all freaky, just read the historical data.

The person who wrote this is young. There WERE Presidents before Clinton you know. Before Clinton was Bush Sr. Before him, it was Reagan. Before Reagan it was Jimmy Carter. Before Carter, there was Ford who assumed the Presidency because Nixon resigned, and so on and so on.

How in the world can you make this determination? You can't.

Suffice it to say that placing blame does not resolve it. Obama has not resolved it. It's time to hire new managers.

The DOW was at 6,400 when President Obama took over.

http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/index/INDU

/marketstate/country/us
Dow Jones Industrial Average

DJIA 10,844

10,844

Day high 10,871

52 week high 11,258

To Brianb-999431,

I have a problem with ur synopsis, it's basically a fallacy to say the least and delusional. As I have stated and as so many are aware of...the president does not make all of the final decisions when it comes to many of the policies. You are just elaborating on the same illogical rhetoric which can be described in one word...NONSENSE!...these excerpts from your statement clarify a bit of truth on the lack of clarity on your part...

Did anyone notice in the article that it says the number of people thinking he inherited it is dropping. I'll give him the fact that the economy wasn't good when he entered office, but that's where I place a huge period.

Rather than using common sense by determining why this is a major factor, u rather not see that in order for things to become better, sacrifices have to be made. Some of us prefer to stroke the ego of ignorance and claim it as a reward for downplaying a person who is diligently trying to better a bad situation. This next excerpt is baseless...

Now all you democrats... I don't care if you think I am bashing him. He deserves it. HE LIED to YOU! He promised change you can believe in... and I don't believe a single thing that comes out of his mouth.

The first thing that comes to mind in relation to this part of your statement is the lack of PATIENCE flourishing in our society due to mindless thinking. There is no cure that will quell the predicament that this nation is facing currently, u know this! In order to solve issues such as the fragile economy of this nation, decisions have to be made and acted upon methodically, not magically like some of us would like to imagine as possible. And as for us democrats, do you think it matters that "bashing" him really matters! I am concerned with the lies coming from articles written by you and those who agree with you. Still though the primary reason for such condemnation is based on, yes, I will state it, FEAR! First off this man, who is a black president, has done more, maybe too much, within the last 20 months than any other has done within a full term! Secondly, he is direct and confident about the decisions that are being made that will hopefully not just benefit the nation today...but in the future. The problem is that when it comes to being critical, many like yourself are quick to respond...but why not acknowledge his achievements, well that is because it doesn't provide the type of contentious behavior that those like yourself desire. The reason why this nation is in the dilemma that it is in, is because "good old folks" like you, just want to revert to the old way of thinking. Keeping FEAR moving forward and offer it as a deterrent to identifying the brighter side of the bigger picture...which is the agenda for making this nation great!

Alex CA

Where did you get the number for when Obama took office? I do not recall the Dow being as low as 6400. Please cite your source. My source of unemployment rate is the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Let's say for a moment that your fact is correct. Do you have a conclusion? It is NOT evident from your post.

If the conclusion is that Wall Street investors are making all the money, then that is a conclusion. But what is your point?

Alex CA

I looked it up myself because I am very annoyed when people post misinformation.

While the Dow Jones was low on the day Obama took office, it was about 1500 points hire than you cite.

The link below cites the Dow Jones index. The Dow Jones industrial average closed at 7949.09 on 1/20/09.

http://daytradingstockblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/dow-jones-close-12009-stock-market.html

In fact, even the lowest number is 2008 IS NOT the number you cite.

http://dowjonesclose.com/2008.html

Be careful when posting information. You are only as credible as your information.

The lowest point was in March 2009.

When people continue to blame President Obama because jobs are not coming back faster need to realize that CEO's from mostly large companies are still OUTSOURCING our jobs. Before the end of this year hundreds of our jobs will be gone. Those companies need to taxed up the yeng yang. Congress should be passing laws to stop this madness. How can we ever restore jobs when we are losing them? I read one statement here that the President Obama is still blaming the Bush administration. Well, the Republicans as well as Bush have distroyed this economy. Since President Obama has been in office, what have the Republicans done? They have been on a temper tantrum, acting like two year olds and showing no respect for this President. Also, jobs are the last thing to come rouring back after a recession and because this recession almost sent us over a cliff it will take time. We are so used to getting everything fast that we have no patience for waiting. Well voters, you don't put TEA BAGGERS and Republicans into office when they will only take us back to 2008-2009. Please be patient. Things are getting better and will continue to get better.

Curious, was Obama present when the Senate voted to approve the budget or was he not available to vote. He was a US Senator before he moved to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He was far from blind sided, oh, wait, maybe he was. I just checked his voting history as a member of the US Senate...he cast only about 15 percent of the votes that came before that august body while he was a member. As Flip Wilson use to say, the devil made me do it...

Our government works very SLOW!!!

It took Bush and Cheney 8 years to almost totally screw up our whole country! They did 8 years worth of horrible deep wound damage to the U.S. Deep wounds take a long time to heal.

It should take Obama approximately 8 years to fix everything. and get us back to the peace, prosperity and good times we had when Clinton was in office.

Bush and Cheney should be criminally prosecuted and sued for all the horrendous devastating damage they did to our country!!!

1. Bush and Cheney were both in the oil and gas business before they got elected!

2. Bush and Cheney were both in the oil and gas business while they were in office!

3. Bush and Cheney are both in the oil and gas business presently!................

..............They are both multi-billionaires now! Alot of that money is kept hidden. Bush and Cheney's company, Halliburton, got a no-bid contract for all the oil and gas in Iraq even before the first shot was fired!!!....................

.....................................................YOU FIGURE THE REST OUT!!!

Smitty, you had a filibuster proof Senate majority all of 2009. You couldn't get legislation passed your own party! The name Ben Nelson ring a bell? You also have a LARGE majority in the House. Quit blaming republicans for your legislative failures. Even your successes (health care primarily) has been met with much angst among us common folks. You don't seem to get it. Folks want change but not the far left progressive variety. Maybe you and your president should actually LISTEN to the people who are telling you to STOP with the agenda and maybe think about getting out of the way and let us people drive the bus not the government.

The Dems has a fillbuster proof Senate for over a year and a large majority in the house. They got nothing accomplished. Now all you left wingers are blaming he republicans.

what we need is a filibuster proof Senate and some backbone in the House....maybe we could get something done

That sounds familiar. Oh yeah, that's right, you DID have filibuster proof supermajority. Things are going so great now because of it too.

maybe we could get something done to the level we ask for it.

You don't pay much attention to polls or non liberal media, do you?

I wouldn't call the accomplishments of the last two years nothing. they just could have been a lot better (especially with a GOP that had real ideas and not just ideology --- ) Given the diverse tent Democrats operate under it is no wonder the Blue dogs and right leaning Dems were so prominent but if the only alternative is to let the repubs have leadership of anything besides my sewer system -I will have to vote no on that. I doubt they couldn't wreck the sewer system in the first 48 hours.

Aren't elections where you need to get the consent of the governed a pain? It would be so much easier if "we" just had unlimited power. Just like the Emperor in Star Wars. Or Fidel.

So inconvenient.

Geez, smitty.

Need a 100% dominant policy of a house and filibuster proof senate to pass ideas that only 53% of the country voted for in order to "play fair"?

As a voter for both of my Democrat Senators, I would rather force the discussions between Dems and Reps because they have to vs. cram ideology down one party's throat the way Pelosi and Reid have done. I certainly would not want the Republicans having 60 votes in the Senate, majority in the House and hold the WH.

How about those in Washington actually working for both sides for a change, and representing all of the people back home, not just those that voted for them.

Obama Zombies...I like that....

Brains.....let me eat your brains.....

YUCK! Tastes like elephant poop and old tea bags.

Patooie, yuck, eieewwwww.

Wow. Did you people only read the title of the article??? Notice how it said that fewer and fewer Americans are saying Obama inherited this mess:

According to the brand-new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, 56 percent think Obama inherited the economic situation, versus 32 percent who say his policies are responsible for it.

That's a drop from January of this year (when 65 percent said Obama inherited the economy), and from Feb. 2009 (when 84 percent said that).

The title of the article should be: "Fewer Americans are believing Obama Inherited the Economic Woes". However, because the liberal media has to try to put a biased spin on everything, they put the title as is to try to control public opinion.

Sorry "Progressives" and left-wing extremists, November 2nd is around the corner whether you like it or not. It is time for the American people to speak. Although I don't like recent Republican policies much either, I would take that anyday over this "Progressivism agenda" that is being dished out against the will of most Americans. I studied Progressivism and Marxism over the summer, it is very difficult to see the difference between the two ideologies.

By the way, I love how they post these articles after it has been sitting on a Liberal Media based website for an hour and already had all the Liberals comment, then they throw it onto MSN where more people will see it in hopes of swaying public opinion.

Smitty, you had a filibuster proof Senate majority all of 2009

that's not true. The Dems had a filibuster proof majority in the senate for less than TWO MONTHS, factually speaking.

Al Franken was not seated until July 2009, due to an 8 month recount effort in Minnesota (or have you forgotten about Norm Coleman), and Ted Kennedy died August 25th, 2009.

So from July 7th, 2009 until Aug 25th, 2009 the D's had 60 senators. At no other time did they have 60. And that's assuming Lieberman voted with the D's, which he NEVER does. So the best case scenario was 59 with Sanders. They essentially NEVER held a filibuster proof majority, that's just the facts.

Here, check the Wiki page on the 111th congress and look at the breakdown:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/111th_United_States_Congress

filibuster proof senate

yep, never happened. Not that I'm excusing the Dems for weakness...

Factofthematter - Take the hat off.. it's too tight. Obama and the democrats SPEND TOO MUCH MONEY!!! I'll repeat that for you. They spend too much money. Our problem lies with the national debt. We can't even begin to pay down that debt and we are lucky to just be making the minimum payments. You try that with a credit card company. Your finances will end up in the tank.

Why don't democrats/liberals/progressives see the problem? It must be genitic. When the government spends too much money, they put the entire country at risk. Did I say that Bush didn't spend too much money? Not at all. He authorized way too much spending too.

BUT!!!!!!!!!!

The problem is evident! Our debt is gynormous!!! and we aren't paying it down. The democrats refuse to address the problem... If the republicans don't address it... I will be the first one in line with the tar and pitchforks, if they win control.

RondoSlade
If the Dems were left to do what they wanted, we'd be in even worse shape.

And if the repubs were left to do what they wanted, we'd be in even worse shape.

Trouble is - you cant prove a negative.

Backbone! The Democrats are a party of the weird, not the strong!

as far as a filibuster proof Senate - I almost forget about seating Al - what it appears we have is a Right Side Party that thinks what they did before was absolutely the best thing for the country but ignores the last 10 years some of which they were actually in charge. In order to have a discussion about compromise with the repubs - they must be willing to compromise, they aren't - they have a win or die philosophy - in which case maybe they should just go the way ofthe Dodo bird - extinct. but unfortunately the TeaBaggers would replace them which is maybe worse... so I guess we can keep them but not in power.

No, the Democrats DID NOT have a filibuster-proof majority -- where have you people been? They held 60 seats, and needed one more to prevent filibusters. Iy was the Republicans who took oaths to support their party first and their country second, and thus hold the filibuster threat over every singler legislative issue. To my mind, this means these Republican senators were at best hypocrites, because they did not keep to their senate oath. It has given rise to an extremem right because the centrist Republicans could find NO way to pass even the things their party wanted, and so they and their constituents were driven further to the right in desperation. By the way, Karl Marx Rove is still behind all this, and Fig Newton Gingrich is driving the party into disgrace.

Ayers, Axelrod, Emanuel, Holder, Jarrett, Jones, Kagan, Napolitano, Reid, Resko,Stern, Sebelius, Sotomayor, Sunnstein, Wright, ACORN, SEIU, etc. And of course we can't forget all his buddies in the House and Senate Polosi, Reid, Dodd, Frank, etc. (damn it's difficult to remember there is so many of them). With friends like these who needs enemies? And people wonder why Obama has economic issues!

Blowhards on the Right? I'm sorry, but the Left has been in control of congress for 4 years and the white house for 2 years. And ever since, the economy has gone down the tubes. And the lefties wanna continue to blame Bush. Go figure. November is coming folks, enjoy the majority while you have it.

RondoSlade........agree with you about smaller government, but the republicans only expanded the government during their last 8 years. Dems have not done enough either, but republican way is not going to solve anything.

#2.16

And people wonder why Obama has economic issues!

I need to correct myself; and people wonder why Americans have economic issues!

Here are the three main factors that caused the recession. The Republican controlled congress mastminded, wrote and passed the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 and it restrictions against "too big to let fail" and traditional greedy speculation. In 2000, Republicans masterminded, wrote and passed the Modernization of Commodities and Futures Act. It served as a huge loophole for the derivatives generated white collar crimes that caused the collapse of the economy in 2007-2008. It also contained the infamous "Enron Loophole" that enabled the California electricity scandal to happen. Any random accident that the master mind behind the legislation was Republican Banking Committee Chairman, Phil Gramm - an ex Enron lobbyist. It is true that Bill Clinton signed off on both bills, but that does not indicate approval (think of all of those bill Bush signed off on in disagreement with all of those signing statements). Last but not least, economists predicted the ultimate housing bubble bursting for five years with Alan Greenspan and the Fed refusing to intervene and prevent this from happening citing "the market takes care of itself."

That is a phrase borrowed from the class capitalism of Adam Smith. We do not have the classic capitalism of Adam Smith or 1700's England. We have the predatory capitalism of Goldman Sachs. White collar criminals take care of their own profits. Republicans go back over 80 years to the three Republican presidents in a row who helped to cause the Great Depression with their non regulation (Harding Coolidge and Hoover). The deregulation/non regulation pro Wall Street Republicans clearly caused the re-emergence of too big to let fail Wall Street giants and a white collar crime wave / greedy speculation recession.

RondoSlade...plans would kill business growth and investing. In the end there would be business decline, economic decline and no wealth to supposedly redistribute. The only wealthy and business owners would be elected officials, their family and friends, while the rest of us work and pay for it all...

seems to me that is what we have already, why not give change a chance?

You are the perfect reason everybody shouldn't have the right to vote. And you back those special comments up with what?!@! As I recall the economy had started falling be fore Bill Clinton left office. Took a massive dive after 9/11, started back on an upward trend until the Democrats got control of the house and the real stab in the chest was the HOUSING MARKET! Now, remember back to when and who decided that the housing finance should be loosen up so that more minorities and lower income people could get into a home? Bill Clinton, that's who.

No the GOP will not vote for bills that cannot be afforded or when deals are cut behind closed doors, or when a bunch of dum@ss democrats put together a bill that is 2,500 pages long and to damn stupid to even read it. And to top if off they still don't know the real effect it will have on the U.S. but they are going to say what a wonder thing this is that we have put together and stupid sh!ts like yourself will believe every word of it. What a joke.

Do you know how really stupid people get into office? When they can tell you what they stand for and are going to do and their past shows us what they really are and you still choose to believe the lies.

I have to agree with the masses here. The Dems *DO* have a filibuster proof majority. They haven't been able to get all democratic senators to vote the same way on just about anything ( DODT comes to mind ).

What's evident is that the Dems are a collection of representatives who have their own opinions and thoughts and have to be persuaded to vote a particular way. Some of them seem to really be focused on what is best for their local constiuents ( imagine that ! )

The Republicans are lock-step. I expect that if all of the Republicians went to Baskin Robbins for ice cream, they would all order the ~very same ~ flavor . It may sound sad...but it's effective.

This election will help show which strategy is more effective and I think 'lockstep' obedience will win out. Boy, are those tea-partiers in for a wake-up call once they win their seats. Just like Obama who thought he could change Washington, they will figure out who is really in charge.

You are absolutely clueless.

When was it, as a country that we started blaming the other 1/2 for our woes? Everybody in America wants the same thing, economic prosperity, which in turn leads to opportunity for all who want to work for it. If you want to fix the economy, start with these 2 things.

1. Match taxation / revenue to spending
2. Stop exporting our wealth by adding tariffs to imports until imports = exports, and add a tariff system for service goods such as the travelocity help desk or mortgage people from India qualifying US homeowners during the night.

We don't have a problem with "cheap" goods coming from Germany. We have similar costs structures, which include the hidden costs that manufacturers put into their products such as unemployment insurance, workman's comp, OSHA, EPA, SS, Medicare, health care, 401K, etc. Chinese goods do not have these burdens to overcome, and Chinese gross margins (not net) are historically hovering around 2-3%

It' all about Fair Trade vs. Free Trade. The jobs didn't disappear, they simple went overseas. It's time to tip the job scale back to the US and bring about Fair competition.

The Republican "Pledge (Plague) To America" has reminded the majority of voters Republican “trickle down” economic policies were responsible for the financial meltdown and Great Recession.

Smitty, good start to this discussion. There have been a lot of structural accomplishments to several long running problems in this administration. Not sure, a super majority should be required. Having a 'healthy tension' between oppositions can get a better overall answer. That is, in theory, how a democracy should work. It's not always pretty nor fast. The problem has been that there has been very little constructive engagement from the GOP. Instead, what we've had is pure obstruction. So, the problems remain. Politically this has played well for the minority party. They can always say, see, the problems are still there; nothing is getting done; so much for all those new fangled socialist ideas....(sorry, got carried away). As a result, the American people get caught up in this rhetoric, they want their lot improved, aren't really interested in digging below the sound bites. And, they take their anger out in the polls. So, we see the pendulum of our society swing back and forth with every election cycle. And, the problems remain... Because, no political party structure/philosophy has the time to tackle these long running problems. This is like a kid trying to learn how to drive a car, gas then break, gas then break. The sad thing is that the GOP/Tea Party, will have no more success at solving the problems of our society and will be themselves "punished" in the next election cycle. But, I guess that is how the game is played.

you dumbasscrats had a 60 vote margin in the Senate and still dingy harry had to bride some of his party to pass obamacare! The three stooges (obama, reid, & and pelosi) have done nothing more than pour gasoline on the fire that began during the last year of the Bush administration and predictably made things much worse!

Agreed. We have NOT had a filibuster-proof Senate. That body has been a source of consternation where the minority has controlled and, along with the House, has become a Party of No.

Why would anyone blame President Obama for this economic disaster? It occurred under Bush and took 8 years to develop into a full-fledged storm. It cannot be corrected in a year or two. That is barely enough time to launch a start in a recovery plan.

If people wish to return to the Bush era for more tax cuts for the wealthy and more spending on the military to fight useless and senseless wars without an end, and who wish to punish every single member of the poor and middle classes (the gap twixt the rich and poor is now the largest in our history... gee, thanks Wall Street) by not providing them with health care and good jobs that earn decent wages.

BTW, since when are the loudest the majority? We are a majority rule country and the US IS NOT made up of the right-wing religious.

And, we've had socialism for a long time... it's been called "farm subsidies", corporate welfare (by using protectionistic policies to prevail), and what about Social Security and every other program which benefits society? You believe Social Security is bad? Are you prepared to live in retirement without one penny from it?

I've seen and heard Right Wingers (TP'ers) refer to President Obama as a Socialist and then in the same breath, use that word with him being a Nazi. How can the two be the same? They're not. Hitler was a Nazi (Facism, very right-wing, exclusionary of everyone not just like them) which was erroneously referred to as National Socialism, brutally in-control; and Stalin and the rest of the USSR were Communists who were not true Socialists, but used their power to be more dictatorial than socialistic and were also brutal in their control.

Lessee... the US is a Democratic Republic which means it is a one person, one vote system without a king or royal hierarchy. It was meant to embody the best of what it meant to be free from tyranny and have self-rule, combining it with the belief to honor state's rights but have a common goal, a common purpose, a common direction. The McCarthy Era of "Commie" spies taking over the US (an unfounded paranoia as we always had what Communism in the USSR promised) is the actual beginning of how paranoid we have become over the idea of socialism.

It is good we have diversity in our culture, from religion to politics to racial. Without respect for our diverse society, we would be no better than any third world country, struggling to exist under a tyrant. Without the ability of the US to have accepted our ancestors into this country, we would still be in Ireland, China, Japan, former Eastern Europe, India, and any of the other 300 or so countries in the world. So, who would be here then? The Native Americans... peacefully living off of the land in a responsible fashion. Now that we're here, let's make our country a place to emulate, a place to emigrate from the squalor conditions many in the world find themselves in.

I've been unemployed for almost 2.5 years now from a great high-tech job where I worked my tail off to make a positive difference. I am in the 50% of the unemployed who are over the age of 55 and still more than willing to work hard. I am well-educated. Why can't I find a position? Besides my age and people believing I would be too expensive (not true), I am stymied by companies not willing to put up the money from the cash reserves they've accumulated in the past 3 years to hire more employees that can help them introduce new products and maintain the older ones without completely stressing-out their current reduced staff. Doing more with less is the buzz phrase and while it is a good idea and makes some business sense, it cannot be sustained without incurring major issues with quality of the product, sales of the product and the health of the work force.

So, is President Obama making progress to fix our economy? Absolutely. It will take time, take the support of everyone of us, and it won't be without some pain. I don't agree with everything he says, but for what he's faced with, I am sure he is doing the best possible job. Want to make a difference? Join in the attainment of the solution. Debate intelligently. Be clear that answers need not be from one side or another, as long as they are solid ideas. Ideas that have never worked will be met with question and concern. As always, it should be up to the idea holder to prove their points, showing fact to support their claims. As I said above... majority controls with a respect for the opinions of the minority. We cannot have a government with a majority of Congress representing a minority of the populace. It's been done before, but it is just not correct.

I have to agree with the masses here. The Dems *DO* have a filibuster proof majority

well then, you, and the masses, are wrong.

The Dems NEVER had a filibuster proof majority. The most senators they ever had at one point was 58, for a two month span in the summer of 2009. The media claims they had 60 because they count Lieberman as a D vote, which is laughable.

you dumbasscrats had a 60 vote margin in the Senate

again, NO they did not. Not ever. The most they ever had was 58, 59 if you count Sanders (which is a good bet). That is NOT a filibuster proof majority.

I wish this false talking point would go away, it's quite simply not true.

Obama inherited the economy crushed by the Democratic controlled Senate. Look at the facts, what laws, passed by who, and when before you jump to the inane conclusions promoted by the liberal press...

Since when has one party needed 60 votes to run a country? I would argue that it would be run better with 52 so that every one has to work hard, and together to get something accomplished. 60+ votes is simple giving the thief the key to the vault and an 8 hour head start in a country without police. Regardless of which party would have the 60 votes.

Quite frankly, it is a little pathetic to hear people complain that the Dems aren't getting anything accomplished with just a paltry 59, or 58, or 57 votes, depending on whom caucuses with whom.

Of course Obama inherited the mess. Then, he reappointed Bernanke. He asked (Countrywide) Dodd and (Fannie) Frank to fix the mess they helped create. And this only after he focused on healthcare (another financial hole in the making) as his primary concern instead of the economy. He inherited it alright, then promptly made it worse. This is the same tired childish tactic of blame Bush and man up to nothing. The Dems should heed Bidens advice and "stop whining".

With the policies put forth by Obama and the democratic Congress, I'm GLAD the republicans have been so "obstructing".

Everyone in this country should be thankful for the "obstructionism".

I shutter to think what MAY have been, if not for those damn republicans!

The progressives are not blaming the Republicans party of no the people are. Wake up it is not a poll of progressives or knuckle draggers its the people talking but we know you right wingnuts pa no attention to the public unless they are rich so go soak your useless heads. Few days ago you were proud to be the party of no what happened?

While I won't call this Obama's economy yet, I sure as hell think Harry and Nancy need to start taking responsibility for THEIR actions !!

As far as filibuster proof majorities go, I don't want EITHER party to EVER have one again !! Nothing good will come if either of our parties is allowed to press their agenda with no opposition !!

As far as Harry and Nancy go, I think that their policies have done little to improve the economy and in some cases made it worse and what really bothers me is they have no intention of ever accepting any responsibility for their actions !!

There goes the idiotic righties collapsing again. When will people get it. Everyone in this country has the right to an opinion, a voice and a vote.

Strange how the liberal posts seem to be the ones getting collapsed.

Wouldn't that imply a serious lack of support for our "leadership"?

How can that be?

Since when has one party needed 60 votes to run a country?

Quite frankly, it is a little pathetic to hear people complain that the Dems aren't getting anything accomplished with just a paltry 59, or 58, or 57 votes, depending on whom caucuses with whom.

Well, considering how often the Republicans are filibustering these days, one just about needs 60 votes to get anything done in the senate. In theory, 51 should rule the day, but in practice it hasn't been that way for awhile (at least since 2007).

That being said, I am not necessarily excusing the Dems of their inherent weakness, merely pointing out that at NO POINT did the Dems have a "filibuster proof" majority as many on this vine (particularly rightwingers) are saying. That is simply not true.

And Finally, this sophomoric comment collapsing has got to stop. It's ridiculous.

@ drowning,

At least we can agree on siding with the anti-collapsing establishment. And I actually enjoy your posting that points out the actual numbers when adding the Frankin/Coleman fiasco and independents. It tells me that there is actually someone out there no only with a little education, but some willing to use it and put thought behind the message. Two things I get from your posts.

1. I don't have to agree with your positions to appreciate them. Heck, I may even admit someday that I've learned something by reading one.
2. I will never honestly be able to call you a Sheeple.

Take care man, and post on.

cdahl, completely agree on us disagreeing, but agreeing to disagree respectfully :)

Take care man, and post on.

same to you.

Smitty, Obama and the lefties control the White House, The Senate, The House, The Media, The Unions, and still can't make things work.

So it's time to take our country back in November and vote out the bench warmers....

Someone said earlier that we just need to go along with what the President is doing and things will get better.

Sounds a little bit like a dictatorship there.

"Just go along with what I say and everything will be better." Who's to say if that is better? That's why we have debates. That is why we vote. That is why there are checks and balances. Anyone that just says to go along with what anybody says and not question it is someone that I am afraid for.

dont forget this is the same guy who said he needed a civilian army that was as well armed as the real army what would he need that for? go along with what i say or.....

I'm gonna collapse naomi. Very offensive, very, very offensive..........

Heres my take on it:

A man (Bush) takes a drill and makes a hole in a dike (the economy). Water (jobs,homes,etc) start flowing out. A few days later another man(Obama) buys the dike and looks at the hole and says "You know the water would flow a little faster if i made the hole bigger."

Bush started it but Obama hasnt done much to help it

We can thank Obama and the Dems when they took over Congress in 2006. Anytime we have Dems controlling Congress our economy takes a nose dive. When Congress is controlled by Republicans the economy rights itself and stays strong.

Do some homework and see who controlled Congress during the downturns and upturns in the economy over the years.

President is only face of the nation. Congress runs it.

All this poll does is show that 56% of those polled haven't bother to keep themselves informed, or are allowing themselves to be fooled by honey tongues politicians that tell them what they want to hear or are just lacking a brain in which to think.

Maybe these people will change their minds after BO and his democratic lap dogs put us in a depression or worse with all their borrow and spend policies.

Like heck Obama has nothing to do with the economy, he was a Senator before he became a President. Or have we forgotten that this economy is a Bush and Congress product.

It's time to get rid of all incumbants and take our country back!

While is true that the President is only one person --and Congress really runs the show -- the Presisent's policy positons tended to move Congress in a given direction. To borrow the "holes in the dike" example -- Bush and his policies made small and then bigger holes in the dike over the course of eight years -- giving the material taken out of the holes to his friends to sell for quicj profit. Obama "buys' the dike and the water is starting to really run out -- aand the holes are geting bigger -- he has to "buy" suff to plug the holes as fast as he can in only a few months. Patches cost money -- especially when the last guy took the stuff "taken out ofthe dike with him. Some one always has to pay for repairs. I for one am willing to give the "new guy: a litle longer (as the polls showed) -- befor calling the dike all his fault. By the way --i k=have a real job (and don't make over $300K a year) -- so I am not so worries about this "big tax increases" -- unlike Rush and Glenn Beck -- How can these guys be talking for the average American -- who have real jobs too!

who are you taking it back from ? that statementwe need to take our country back . what in the hell are you talkingb about .? it is as if the ones in congress are not of this country . you people are crazy . do you think that the republicans are the only onesw that live in this country . there are others that live in this country that don't believe the way you do. as for as the Dems being the ons causing the recessions you had better look at the past history ,I don't have to look it up i lived it . every time we had a recession was at the very end of a republican administration about the time their policies stared to take effect .as for this time we had a republican controlled congress for 12yrs. in 2005 we reelected a republican president the ecconomy started the downturn slowly but started anyway.2yrs later in 2007 in DEc. it continued its downturn . all through 2008 then in oct. 2008 we had the wall street meltdown. when we saw the dow hit 6500 we elected a new president and he went to work and we went from losing 750000a quarter to the last 54,000 of laid off . the dow is up to 10,880. plus last last quarter we also added 67, 000to theworkers to the ecconomy now what ever you call it I call it groth in the ecconomy. al of this was done without the help of the republicans . the party of no . who should not be paid for the last 2 yrs because they have not done anything . even if they thought the Democrats were wrong then to be doing something they would have to give their 2 cents worths.

I'll stop thinking we are in a recession when my mom, Brother, brother-in-law all have jobs and myself, my father, my in-laws and wife get back the pay cuts we lost due to the recession.

They can say "we are not in a recession" that doesnt make it true. To use an example many people here use - President Bush said "There were WMD's", that didnt make it true. So we are just suppose to ignore reality and say - by golly, im so glad the recession is over - and it will be?

Just because someone is telling you something doesnt make it true- Just because its democrats telling me instead of republicans doesnt mean that it is true. My friends & Family are still living in a recession. When we stop living in a recession - then it will be true.

Ya think a class on what "recession" means is in order? I would have thought most college grads took micro or macro economics is college. Ya think perhaps the "bubble" had anything to do with it? There are fewer people taking money out of their homes to splurge on "stuff" that supported the 5% of americans unemployed, like cars, big trucks, a second home perhaps ( I'm figuring 4.5% of americans don't want to work in any economy). If you all would look up the sky is not falling, it is just filled with fear mongers from both the far left and farther right.

Bwahahahahaha Bobo, our clever plan is working. We're STARVING you conservatives to death. Soon you'll be too weak to go to the polls and vote. BWAHAHAHAAHHAH

If the plan is to starve Americans to death I like it because we all know the left will go first. You can't keep stealing from the right to keep the poor left alive unless you ask nice. And the left hasn't been asking nice.

If the recession ended last year then this years economy belongs to this administration. Period. Get to work and fix what you clowns said you would fix if we elected you!!!!!!

Definitions

Recession- when your friends and neighbers start to lose their jobs

Depression- when you lose your job, your house and you have a family to take care of.

Recovery- change the folks in congresss

Expansion- you get a job

My friends & Family are still living in a recession. When we stop living in a recession - then it will be true (over).

Well said BoBo......Skip, what do you have against clowns? The world loves a clown....

Back awhile ago they said when your neighbor loses his job its a recession when you lose yours its a depression. Lets face it Obama took you to where the private sector should have clicked in. They did not and in fact more layoffs are coming. Until they decide to hire people we will remain in a recession as far as people are concerned. Jobs are thelast thing to recover and this one was wider and deeper than any since 29 so hang on to your hat.

Log Dump

The actual Quote is from Ronald Reagan

"When your neighbor loses his job it is a recession

When you lose your job it is a depression and

when Jimmy Carter loses his job it is economic recovery'

This statement was also stolen and NO credit given to the original speaker by Obama. The only "change" that was made was "Jimmy Carter" was taken out and Republicans was inserted!

The only "CHANGE" I can see that has come from OBAMANOMICS is more unemployment, More debt, more Czars, and more magazines trying to convince us that Michelle Obama is the new Jackie Kennedy and a fashon icon! Pardon me I just threw up in my mouth~!

Obama has no idea how to fix anything and his Czars are a clueless as him. Hopefully another cantidate will emerge who has a plan and the support of his party and are not trotted out because they are "THE ONE"

You, like everyone else in this country "ARE" the problem. All you know how to do is listen to one side of the story and trash the other side. When life is good, its the republicans to take credit. When life is bad, its the democrats fault. Have you ever read articles are research from both sides of the fence and not from only one source...i.e. Fox News?

I was raised as a conservative republican and stood my ground up through my twenties. I voted for Bush Jr twice. You know what....I voted for Obama. Do you know why? Because with my advanced education, time abroad, and personal experience, I learned that they did nothing to help me or my generation. When I graduated college, the only companies hiring were small companies that could not afford to offer decent medical insurance. I had to go 4 years without normal insurance until I received a job at the largest bank in America. On top of that, wonderful Bush stopped supporting student loans which continues to hurt my wallet every month.

My point is, is that you like so many others in this discussion are very narrow minded. You have lived in the same town or region for your whole life and will only believe what your friends and family tell you. How about voting for the individual and not the party for once? How about spending time researching the issues, bills being passed etc, and then making your own decision?

If we call ourselves the greatest nation in the world, then why do we have fellow citizens without healthcare? Why should going to the doctor be a luxury? We are all hippocrits when we say...go work for a company that supplies heath insurance. Guess what...the companies that do are all huge corporations, not the small companies that the republican party says they support.

Why is it that most americans don't have secondary education, yet the majority of adults in Russia, Ethiopia, etc do? Explain that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This type of ignorance will kill our country and we are slowly seeing the effects. Demanding instant results, when there were 8 years of neglect before is ludacris. Lack of patience is the problem and no one is willing to admit it.

I am probably wasting my time posting this. When s**t hits the fan in this country, I'm moving to Germany with my German wife. At least she knows the value of taking care of her fellow citizens, the value of education and saving for the future.

Most companies cut expenses by reducing full time employees. If the government was to cut spending the only way they could succeed is by cutting programs and eliminating full time employees. Outsourcing of government work use to be an efficient method of reducing expenses, but today government outsourcing is a gold mind for private enterprise and is no longer a cost effective method. Unlike some people claim, government run programs can be accomplished at a reduced overhead cost. When the government gives out no bid or restricts bidding the cost of the outsourced work escalates. One good example was the no bid KRB contract to support the Iraq ground war. Government could have done the same task at a much lower cost. KBR was paying people over 100,000.00 just to work in an army kitchen. After KBR lost the contract Halliburton decided to spin off KBR as a stand-alone company. Halliburton realized that without the big fat government contract, KBR was no longer a good profit center.

ChitownMatt, If nobody thinks Obama is responsible for the economy. Then why are the Medias' saying that the Gop will take over in Nov. because of Obamas handling of the economy ? I agree that he is not responsible. But, the media is trying to persuade the voters to vote Republican.

If nobody thinks Obama is responsible for the economy. Then why are the Medias' saying that the Gop will take over in Nov. because of Obamas handling of the economy ?

If a congressman wrecks a car & brings it to you for repair, is it your fault it's wrecked if you do a poor job fixing it? Congress did this. Obama took over promising "change" to the way things were being handled in Washington (hint - that's Congress, Senate, and lobbyists). He not only continued business-as-usual, he pushed for Pelosi and Reid to accelerate it. It's not media trying to get people to vote Republican. Vote independent or for a new Democrat to unseat an incumbent if you like. Just don't complain if you vote for the incumbent and things don't change.

I don't think Obama is responsible for the economy, nor do I think he is responsible for creating jobs, standing up to enemies of this nation, presiding over this nation, maintaining national security, or doing his job. Ostensibly, his only responsibilities are vacationing, taking credit for anything that accidentally goes well, and assigning blame to Bush/Palin/Republicans/the Tea Party/The Tea pot if anything goes awry.

You got it Swampcat! Everyone complained when Bush took a vacation. This guy should take a permanent vacation, and that is coming Thank God. By the way Mr. President, I'm still waiting for my hope and change.

President Roosevelt spent government money to expand roads bridges, hover damn manuf etc. that lead to the middle class. Today it"s harder one guy can pick up garbage versus three or four, manuf the same the more advanced we get the viewer laborer jobs we have, if you don"t have an education it's very hard to compete.

BenHunYa

So it is some vast right wing conspiracy to remove Obama from office. What nonsence!!!

The media have been in the tank for obama since before the election!

With their readers making statements like "I get chills down my leg when i hear him speak" And Katie Crack Head on GMA Asking a question about the Bush Doctrine of Sarah Palin and then not being specific about the question! The the liberals jumped on that like she did not know what Crack Head was talking about when she did.

Throughout the interview she got treated like a hick from the sticks and i never once saw obama treated like that!

Makes you the biggest idiot on the planet.

I think that you have the timing confused.

The stock market began to tank in November 2007 and dropped steadily until March 2009, about two months after President Obama was sworn in. Since that time the Dow has gone up about 60 percent.

The consumer spending and employment levels plummented in 2008, the last year of the Bush presidency, and began to stabilize and recover slowly in the first year of the Obama presidency. There is much more that needs to be done, but that will require a cooperative Congress.

This guy dows not know where of he speaks. A true repubicocrat.

By the time Obama took office, Bush had bailed out every bank on Wall Street (without restricting pay or bonuses);started TARP with a lie to Congress (he claimed it would be used to buy up toxic assets; instead he just gave the money to the big banks);socialized the auto industry; and submitted the budget for Obama's first year in office: a $ 1.1 trillion dollar DEFICIT; and unemployment was 7% and climbing on Obama's inauguration date.

Fantasy and delusions are so much fun, and reality stinks, but that's the way ti was, folks!

Chuck,

How did they "screw America"? and exactly how did that affect the economy?

Please explain.

u gota b crazy

January 3rd, 2007 was the day the Democrats took over the Senate and the Congress:
At the time:
The DOW Jones closed at 12,621.77
The GDP for the previous quarter was 3.5%
The Unemployment rate was 4.6%
George Bush's Economic policies SET A RECORD of 52 STRAIGHT MONTHS of JOB CREATION!

Remember the day...
January 3rd, 2007 was the day that Barney Frank took over the House Financial Services Committee and Chris Dodd took over the Senate Banking Committee.
The economic meltdown that happened 15 months later was in what part of the economy? BANKING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES!
Thank the democratic Congress for taking us from 13,000 DOW, 3.5 GDP and 4.6% Unemployment to this CRISIS by dumping 5-6 TRILLION Dollars of toxic loans on the economy from YOUR Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fiasco's!

(BTW: Bush asked Congress 17 TIMES to stop Fannie & Freddie - starting in 2001, because it was financially risky for the U.S. economy, but no one was listening).
And who took the THIRD highest pay-off from Fannie Mae AND Freddie Mac? OBAMA.

And who fought against reform of Fannie and Freddie???
OBAMA and the Democratic Congress.

So when someone tries to blame Bush...
REMEMBER JANUARY 3rd, 2007.... THE DAY THE DEMOCRATS TOOK OVER!" Bush may have been in the car, but the Democrats were in charge of the gas pedal and steering wheel they were driving. Set the record straight on Bush!

So, as you listen to all the commercials and media from the Democrats who are now distancing themselves from their voting record and their party, remember how they didn't listen to you when you said you didn't want all the bailouts, you didn't want the health care bill, you didn't
want cap and trade, you didn't want them to continue spending money we don't have.

Gosh Chuck, you need to put that crack pipe down, probably needed to put it down a long time ago! Nobody had a job in 2006, 2007, or 2008. Now the highway is full every morning, these folks are not going on vacation, they are going to work. I can tell a big difference because of the traffic. Truth be told, we would have had an even higher unemployment rate but for all those joining the military which kep the numbers lower. Folks are not joining the military as quickly now because more jobs are available. There are jobs out there, unfortunately, some of those think they are too good to work them - but they are not.

facts just get in the way of blame

(BTW: Bush asked Congress 17 TIMES to stop Fannie & Freddie - starting in 2001, because it was financially risky for the U.S. economy, but no one was listening).

If this were true, then I guess the GOP is to blame, since they controlled both houses of congress and the white house.

Obama Free - you are utterly misrepresenting the events that brought on the global economic crisis, and in particular, the absolute failure of 25 years' worth of Republican - Libertarian economic and regulatory policies. Your propaganda does not was.

Conservatives attacking the Barack Obama Administration claim that "blaming Bush" for the present economic crisis is evading responsbility - and to some extent, the critics are correct: This problem was the product of Ronald Reagan's Administration.

Conservatives who do blame any other President for the economic collapse of 2008 point to President Bill Clinton's effort to get two major Federal agencies, Fannie Mae and Freddie mac, to major more financing available for lower-income buyers. However, it is incorrect to say that that initiative was the trigger for the present global economic crisis.

The "GLBA," an acronym for Pres. Clinton's initiative, had an effect on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which took over the risky mortgages from the banks - and while this led to a large number of foreclosures and affected relative housing prices, it was not a specific cause of the financial collapse of 2008. THAT began with Lehman Brothers and was related to speculative "derivatives" based partly on the real estate market but also came from other financing improprieties and false reporting of assets and risks. It was a "domino effect" long in the building.

The global economic distress we find ourselves in today is the end game of a process launched by Ronald Reagan's "free market reforms" of the early 1980's. Reagan "deregulated" interstate commerce, transportation, banking, finance, insurance, and energy.

Almost immediately thereafter, in a foreshadowing of the results that would follow in EVERY deregulated industry, one after another, the trucking industry suffered major problems, as did rail transportation. Owner-operators were ruined - those that did survive found themselves no longer in a reasonably-decent income bracket. The "drive to the bottom" had begun (check Steven Brill's "Sweatshops on Wheels" for the grisly details).

Soon thereafter came the savings and loan crisis, caused by precisely the same kind of unethical, dishonest operations that deregulation had made possible in the banking and finance sectors. That was followed by the energy sector - delay of about 10 years in implementation of some of the "reforms," began taking place in the late 1990's. This was the foundation of the Enron scandal, as well as the manipulation of energy resources that just about turned out the lights in California and sent consumer energy prices soaring all over the nation.

Helping drive some of these earlier collapses was another factor of the Reagan "reforms" - changes in tax laws that encouraged investors to engage in day trading and rapid turnover of stock investments for short-term capital gains. Basically, Reagan converted capital investment from a long-term asset marketplace to an arbitrage marketplace.

In so doing, he set up the massive division between workplace and executive suite, with base wages for executives soaring to many hundreds of times the median employee wage, and stimulating executives to focus on short-term quarterly results that justified huge, bloated bonuses (a problem still afflicting business today).

The result was the Great American Sell-Off, as business wwere broken up, employees replaced with long-term "temporary" workers, and massive outsourcing or wholesale movement of American industry overseas. (NAFTA, under Clinton, just made matters worse, but the movement had been long underway.) This new environment of course spurred the kinds of false accounting that undid Enron, Worldcom, and many other companies.

While the dotcom and telecom boom of the 1990's fueled an over-inflated marketplace, Clinton's Administration did very little to exercise retraint on out-of-control practices in banking, finance, and securities. As the "bubble" burst in 2000 and 2001, he was gone, laying that particular problem in George W. Bush's lap. And that was entirely the wrong lap to cradle major issues of the distressed markets, for Bush sought to out-Reagan Reagan.

Deregulation? Already done - but Bush could, and did, choose to entirely suppress what little regulatory authority remained.

In the economic distress following the dotcom collapse and then the 9/11 attacks, Bush in 2002 chose to use the Federal Reserve as a tool for economic stimulus. Then Fed chairman Hank Greenspan was perfectly willing to go along with a series of interest rate cuts intended to use debt as a means of prodding consumer spending. Bush himself went on speaking tours urging Americans to spend, spend, spend.

As a short-term tool, steering money out of savings and capital investment and into sales of housing, luxury goods and stocks was not too bad an idea. But it was unsustainable - and because of the Reagan reforms (compounded by the GLBA), too tempting. By 2004, the Bush tactic needed to be reined in, but was not. By 2006, the collapse had actually begun, with job losses starting to happen again, early defaults on some mortgages, and a steady decline in the consumer spending that had kept the entire squirrel cage turning. By 2008, the economy, burdened by debt and unable to supply any more money to fuel spending, fell in on itself.

Bush's massive deficits, indifference to appropriate market oversight, and frankly general incompetence in office, ultimately caused the problems that today Obama is attempting to resolve. But they were born in the Reagan reforms.

You can blame Bush you can blame Obama the truth is look in the mirror, It's the American people for re-electing the same morons over and over, neither President can get anything done without the congress

me-2013484
If this were true, then I guess the GOP is to blame, since they controlled both houses of congress and the white house.

Both parties were to blame, however, Greenspan and his crew were the ones telling them there was no problem. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/warning/

Chuck and O free

You of course realise what you right-wingers have been calling "Carters recession" for about 30 years now didnt begin until 1980....after Ronald Regan took office. In fact, the economy was so bad in 1982 that the Dems took over the house. If the arguement you are attempting to make proves that "It's Obamas fault", then it proves the same of the Regan administration.....sounds like you owe either Jimmy, or Barack an appoligy!

And you Greasemonkey need to learn how to spell!

George Bush's Economic policies SET A RECORD of 52 STRAIGHT MONTHS of JOB CREATION!

Biggest lie ever. Bush "created" 3 million jobs in 8 years a far cry from Clinton who's watch created 21 million.

Lets see should we offer this poster a second whopper for 49 cents after this major league lie?

You are the biggest idiot I have heard on here. The recession started in 2008.

Wow, another No No response on this blog. I think MSNBC is running 5 pro No NO responses on this blog right now. Propanagada (what ever that is) job, well done.

wall of separation between the church and the state" was originally coined by Thomas Jefferson

You must work for fox news.. they re-write history the way they want to

Oh so true... aren't the right wingers the frugal ones? lol

Spare NO expense (and keep it OFF the budget while we're at it) to invade & destroy sovereign countries bases on BS) but now they're all worried about spending!

Where the hell was the outrage THEN?

Feisty, you can only imagine my outrage at the repugnants in my county. Repugnants claim they hate lawyers and wasteful spending, but the repugnants on the election commission want the county tax payers to pay for their attorney (they needed because they fired the election administrator who did nothing wrong in order to give their pupet a job). They expect us to pay for their mistake, and have openly said it is to pay for the legal protection of their 3 members! Now if that isn't a joke I never heard one. So, no one will ever make me believe that repugnants are really for tort reform of any kind (these folks are willing to sue our county) or want to check wasteful spending.

feisty redhead must agree with Iran's prez that 9/11 was an American plot and that Saddam H was a good leader of Iraq and that what happened in Kuwait was made up??????

The vote in the Senate was 77-23 to give W. authority to go after Saddam. Hillary stood up on the Senate floor & said she knew Saddam had WMD because she saw the intel when she was 1st Lady. You Liberals sure like to have it both ways huh.

What a crock!

1. She never said it...

http://earthhopenetwork.net/forum/showthread.php?tid=147

2. As First Lady she would not have had access to see such intelligence if it existed.

3. If she did have access and the statement was true...that she saw it...there would have been hell to pay for letting her see it.

If you're going to make this stuff up at least TRY and make it plausible!

feisty redhead must agree with Iran's prez that 9/11 was an American plot and that Saddam H was a good leader of Iraq and that what happened in Kuwait was made up??????

Reality: do you live in it, or are ad hominem attacks about all you can muster?

Feisty Redhead said

Where the hell was the outrage THEN?

Good question... Back when this whole thing started the Democrats were agreeing with Bush.......... No outrage all.................

Reality: do you live in it, or are ad hominem attacks about all you can muster?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4phNuwx8Hs

It's pretty much saying the same thing fiery said. Besides, "spare no expense" - well Dems voted for it. "keep it off the budget" - this has been disproved many times as it definitely IS included in there. "no outrage then" - only someone who listens to liberal only media or disregards Bush's approval ratings dropping could think such a thing.

"And than he proceeded to instituted a federal tax cut."

Since the average American's IQ is 100, let me explain this simply. The economy is driven by the citizens not the government. The government gets it's money from taxes. The economy gets it's money from the citizens.

Higher taxes: the government has more money, the citizens have less, the economy has less.

Lower taxes: the government has less money, the citizens have more, the economy has more.

I don't understand how you people can't get that the government has little to do in influencing the economy, as proven by Obama. We the citizens are the ones fixing the economy, not the government. This would have happened with or with out Obama's actions, its called economics 101, I took it in college, you should check it out.

All of you lefties out there go read President Clintons December 16, 1998 adress to us regarding his attack on Iraq.

Online News Hour president Clinton December 16, 1998 transcipt. You'll have to google it. I couldn't get it to post.

If you can read that and come back and say that Bush lied about WMD's then you deserve to lose at the polls for the rest of your lives. He talked about nuclear weapons and the threat to the United States. He also mentioned that he had the full support of most everybody in his administration.

I wish the people on the left could actually be honest once in a while so this country could move forward. But you guys spent eight years demonizing a man who I feel had great respect for this country. Now you worship a man who I feel doesn't respect the majority of Americans.

"Hillary stood up on the Senate floor & said she knew Saddam had WMD because she saw the intel when she was 1st Lady"

What a crock of consertive, hypocritical, republican bullsh!t!

"If you can read that and come back and say that Bush lied about WMD's"

He did lie, WMD were NEVER found.

Key phrase! WERE NEVER FOUND!

With an approval rating of almost 90% people didn't dare speak out against him ask the Dixie Chicks...

Patriotism was at an all time high and even everyday people were afraid of being called a traitor. Fear was what he used against the democrats none of them want to be called disloyal. It wasn’t a good time to speak up against the government after the 911 attack and in a time of concern you have to show a united front to help calm people’s fear and I commend the Democrats for doing that. But now we have another concern that is ripping our country apart and the republicans are not showing a united stand and are causing fear among us again. A party of do nothing and fear mongers…

Bush aproval rating went from 80% to 28%

The vote in the Senate was 77-23 to give W. authority to go after Saddam. Hillary stood up on the Senate floor & said she knew Saddam had WMD because she saw the intel when she was 1st Lady. You Liberals sure like to have it both ways huh.

Duhh he did whenher husband was President but not when Bush had intel that he got rid of them. You can beat that dead horse all you want. Nobody gave Bush the autority to do anything without proof that Saddam was a threat to this country. He Knew better and still acted knowing the intel was a lie. Get off that crap. Saddam had WMD's because the Republicans gave them to him but he comlied and got rid of them most of which were useleless anyway because of age.

No, No, No,

We are blaming him FOR DOING SOMETHING about it. If the government would just stop meddling with the economy, the ship will right itself...

Doing nothing worked so great for Hoover - maybe we could have gotten to 25% unemployment this time too! Economies are created and maintained by government - every single one in history above the level of barter.

@ChitownMatt: Would you have had the thousands of mid- and low-level workers in the employ of Goldman Sachs, GM and so forth lose their livelihoods over the amoral decisions made by higher management? Would you have had so many extra raised hands looking for a freebie?

Many of the "amoral decisions" were enforced by gov't regulations. Remember when racism was claimed in mortgage applications and they were told to accept anyway? http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_n47_v11/ai_17839400/

Relax.. people. That was meant to be sarcastic. I am getting terribly tired of everybody on the right blaming Obama for the all the rain one day and blaming him for the drought the next. The fact is, many people on the right are perfectly happy with the state of the economy as November gets closer. I would not be the slightest bit surprised if many corps. are purposefully holding off on new hires until after the election just to help the GOP.

Ok Genius what should he have done. When he got in office we were headed for a depression and came very close to that. He did some marvelous things to right the ship while the financial sector got back on its feet. He got legislation through a rogie congress with 40% of it hell bent for delaying or destroying anything they thought might hurt their cause. If you step back and look at it without the obvious slant the guy did one hell of a job. I shudder to think what McCain Palin would have done. Now we stand where? Where every President who has fought a recession has stood waiting for the private sector to create those jobs you say they create. Do nothing Please thats just total BS. You people should be standing in line to kiss his....

Is he a great orator or a great reader? He is only good when he has a telepromter. When he doesn't have it he sounds ordinary.

it didn't bother you when Bush used one and still managed to f' up the message.

bckrd1 - good come back, and so true! Bush never even got out of bed without a teleprompter, and even using it he could not read it or pronounce the words correctly - now that's a hoot, a true hoot none the less, but a hoot!

Sick'n'Tired #11,

Let us not forget that at least one person saw this coming, in time to prevent it, and she (Brooksley Born) was totally sidelined by our government financial gurus. This was during the WJC administration. If you want to look at this in more detail, obtain and watch the DVD "The Warning", produced by Frontline.

And this was aggravated by those in Congress who forced Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac to provide loans to people who couldn't qualify for them.

So, if you review this information, you'll see that it started on WJC's watch, since that was when Brooksley Born was completely sidelined.

unionbaby does corpsman ring a bell

Obama promised "change you can believe in". He was right about that. I do believe a runaway train will crash. I also believe a runaway government will crash as well.

Oh hell here we go with this same telepromter right wing blog bs give it a rest nobody is affected one way or another at that sub grade school bs.

Why do you blame President Bush for the problems? You said yourself he had a democrat congress! But when someone blames President Obama you say "the President has no real power to control anything; the senate and congress are the real power"!! Stupid little hypocritical A$$HOLES!

My, my how illuminating and educational it is to absorb these First Read comments.

Thanks, not new, before reading your message today, I never realized that one of our founding fathers was none other than ol' George W. Bush. Had to be. Who else could have developed "failed policies."

How 'bout that? I am going back to my elementary school teacher and I am going to punch her right square in the mouth for not mentioning that juicy morsel.

I believe the economy is the result of corporate america twisting the policies of the founding fathers...

I believe the economy is the result of of the failed policies of the Republican party. And 9 out of 10 economists agree.

So skip only one got it right

wlee, that's GOP logic for you.

I believe the economy is the result of of the failed policies of the Republican party. And 9 out of 10 economists agree.

cite source for 90% and which policies in particular.

I'm going to be really disappointed if 90% of "economic experts" (who keep getting "unexpected downturns" lately) believe that everyone spending more $$ than anyone in history and going deeper into debt will help us and future generations. The latest bill proposed is a great example. Making more loans available to small business isn't going to get 3rd party consumers to buy more of their product to increase demand. That's just rediculous. They'll just be more in debt and more prone to failure. Is this the Democrat "logic" you speak of?

I believe the economy is the result of the failed policies of the founding fathers.

Nobody is forcing you to live here. There are those who believe in these principals and can make it work. Bigger gov't, overtaxing, and gov't interfering with daily lives are exactly what they were fighting to get away from.

Rich S 1900127

If you are going to do a historical comparison, at least get your facts straight. According to a book written by a former FDR aide, during the lame duck period between the election of 1932 and Mar. 4, 1933, Hoover submitted legislation to the congress that would have helped pull the U.S. out of the recession. The incoming president, FDR, went to the congressional leaders and told them to let the bills lie until after Mar. 4, 1933, inaugration day for FDR. Roosevelt proceeded to rename those bills and they were enacted in 1933. Additionally, if you check back to 1929, the entity responsible for the Stock Market was NOT the federal government. It was the state of New York. The governors name.....Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Sorry Skip but I'm not a Repub. lots of people thought the world was flat

thepushisher-2054749,

It's your ignorance that is scary.

Yes Punisher, it is a scary number. I beleive it represents the number of Americans who want to believe that our President is to blame because they want our President to fail. Do they not realize that if he fails we all fail?

Punisher....the plural of Sheep...is also Sheep. Sheeps is NOT a word.

You have placed yourself squarely in the percentage of the morons you talk about.

That having been said , Obama cannot possibly have done everything that everyone expects himself to do in the short time that he has been in office. The man has had alot on his plate. I would definitely not want that job..and the Tea Party Jerks could not have done any better either. All they do is complain and have no real way of turning this economy around. We are in another great depression and the worst is probably yet to come. As long as Wall Street continues to give millions in bonuses to their top executives after our tax money bailed those ba5tards out, nothing is going to change. They are the ones that caused this mess to begin with.........they should all have been facing a firing squad.

It's you the people who are to blame, you follow your party blindly voting in the same morons over and over thinking you will get a different result. What president hasn't made mistakes, if you think the president you supported hasn't you need some therapy.

I beleive it represents the number of Americans who want to believe that our President is to blame because they want our President to fail.

I only hear that from the left. If that's really what people on the left think, doesn't that mean you were trying to get the country to fail for 8 yrs under Bush? It's a pretty lame talking point. If I wanted the country to fail I'd just keep voting for the biggest spender politicians.

Or Bigots like you

The best comment yet - It's an NBC poll. What do you expect. When the real poll comes out on Nov 2nd I think we will see who the American people are blaming.

Yep. Right-wing nutbags and Republicans

Yep. Right-wing nutbags and Republicans

You're blaming the party that isn't in control and hasn't been for 4 years? Interesting. If that's a valid option then I blame the Libertarian and Green party.

I too believe it's the fault of the Libertarian and Green party.

They're not getting enough people on the ballot, all we have to vote for are evil Republicans and cowardly Democrats.

lol i love the fact that politics have turned into a 2 team game...with morons sitting on both sides of the field...good job American sheep...way to show how stupid you are

Just curious what has Obama done to hold back the private sector. Because all I here about is the private sector taking jobs overseas and downsizing to protect profits. I'll be honest I didnt take econ 101, I studied engineering. But I would like to know from anyone want policy has Obama inacted that deters growth in the private sector?

HCR act has created uncertainty in the cost to implement it and what type of costs businesses have to make adjustments for. Especially true since full implimentation isn't until after 2014. To soon to say about the small business stimulus. Have to wait for the business owners to comment yea or nay.

Another item of concern is obamas attitude and perceived lack of leadership, think of it as Heisenberg's uncertainty principle as applied to economics. BTW Econ 101 was a required course when I took engineering, you must be lucky.

Jobs going overseas is a result of NAFTA as well as Americans insatiable desire to have the latest and greatest toys and other consumables at minimal cost. Since the American company can't compete with foreign labor cost it has to outsource to foreign lands to be competitive with price in the US or the american consumer has to be willing to pay more for made in the USA goods. That is as basic as I can explain it, as there really are other factors to be considered.

Nonsense

So the question is when does it ACTUALLY become his economy?

He's taken credit every time there's a hiccup that looks like we're about to have a "summer of recovery". They would still accept it as theirs even if a recovery is done with all 3 branches under control of Republicans citing the bailouts long term effect or something like that. Remember, they are taking credit for the success in Afghanistan even though during the last election it was a "lost war".

"This is ALL Obama's fault and he is ENTIRELY to blame!!"

In actuality it has only become "his" budget for one year since govt budget cycles are a year behind.

To right the disaster the republicans created... will take more than two years. The S&P is already up 35% percent since he took office. So perhaps its his economy already. It will take longer for people to stop feeling the pain of the Bush recession as republicans have done everything they can to give tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas. No wonder Americans feel the economic pain... republicans have made sure to break unions and keep wages low.

The truth does not matter to most. I truly believe their hatred for Obama comes from a different place. It will eventually lead to Repubs back in control in 2010 and in 2012 and then who knows where we will be headed. Brace yourselves.

"To right the disaster the republicans created... will take more than two years. The S&P is already up 35% percent since he took office. So perhaps its his economy already. It will take longer for people to stop feeling the pain of the Bush recession as republicans have done everything they can to give tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas. No wonder Americans feel the economic pain... republicans have made sure to break unions and keep wages low."

Pat...fail

"This administration has done EVERYTHING IT COULD to hold down the private sector in the last two years so it is expected to show economic stagnation."

Wait a second here, didn't Bush AND Obama keep the entire financial sector (the heart of the entire private sector of business) alive through the TARP rather than let it go under and decimate our economy? Then he tried to setup some rules so that it wouldn't happen again and Wall Street cried out even though the Federal government saved their collective butts. Private sector always talks about the greatest virtue of the free market is the ability to thin out the weak from the strong, survival of the fittest. Then when they're dying they come to the government with hat in hand and a tin cup while spitting on them for trying to prevent it from happening again.

Like in 'Boardwalk Empire' all I have to say is 'this is America, what's stopping you?'

"Waaah, the big bad Obama administration is stopping my business from hiring more people."

Right, if you believe that then you also believe that the healthcare insurance companies care more about you than the Federal government. The reason why people aren't hiring is because the economy is screwed over by the (ungrateful) financial sector. Oh, and while you're looking for people to blame, the banks are doing just fine.

please post the links backing up your remarks.

How do all of the people who don't understand the purpose of Congress & Senate always migrate to vote Democrat? Seriously? I want to know.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised with the other poll linked at the top of the page. Only 6 in 10 know who the VP is. The other 40% vote...*shudder*

how many yrs were the dembos in control of the house and senate??? 8 ??or was it more ?? so who is dumbs?? evidently YOU are...my god man wake up these fools are leading us as fast as they can into communism wont that be fun?? ye gads how can anyone think it would be after living in a free coun try and having the way of life we have been lucky enough to have had, oooo but maybe YOU are a commie huh seems to be a lot of those fools now days, something I NEVER thought to see happen to this country..I PRAY GOD will protect us and have mercy on us as HE has in the past, but since idiots in this coun try have kicked HIM out we will see!!!

Voting democrat in the upcoming election would be the final nail in our coffin.

No, voting Rebublican will be the final nail that Bush started hammering in with his presidential orders (circumventing congress and the constitution).

We cannot afford another single term of Republican rule! Tate has it right.

I'm all for voting every, single Republican out of office

They betrayed us all

Why not vote for who you think the best candidate is for the people they will represent, whether it be Dem., Rep., or Green or Ind.? Believe it or not, you can mix and match.

I'm with you there.

go git em, how right you are.

If you must vote Democrat, I wish you had voted against the incumbents in the primaries if the incumbent did not represent their constituents. Political ads against those people are going to be like shooting fish in a barrel. "My opponent voted for HCR and both bailouts. The end."

By that thinking we need to get rid of all the politicians from 2006 on who were looking after their own interest and pocketbooks. Let us start with the 2006 junior senator from illinois!

If I would get what he got when he walked in to the White House, I wouldn't only cry I probably would look for the rope and a chandelier.

What are you talking about? President Obama is not even quoted in the story.

You do realize that nearly every modern presidency has had people leave a year or two into the Administration don't you? They have a tough job, one that is full of long hours, short pay and plenty of critics. Why, in the world, anyone would want such a job is beyond me. But short memories seem to be pervasive amongst those who hate and want to spew vitriol for the sake of it.

Hey, Mr. O has all the answers, or he thinks he has. Isn't strange that the O is making everything worst?? Obama still doesn't know how to put a fire out. He keeps on throwing gas on the flames!!

But, he has all the answers!! Biden, Pelosi, Reid, Obama!! Not much there to cheer about!!

That's a lot of baloney you served-up on that crap sandwich, jerry

Obama's done a great job and you should be thanking him for it

Hey, words are cheap!! Thank him for what???

Not standing up to Iran.

Making us pay back billions and billions of dollars over how many years?

Letting the enemy know when we will pull out of war, so they can go back in and rule

Positioning our country so there is no incentive to be successful because he's just gonna take it away and give it to an under acheiver

Making it harder for small businesses to survive by increasing the health care costs and taxes.

Where have you been Don??

Need I go on!!

Start saving Don. If your young your head will never get above the waterline. You'll be paying for years!!!

Don Smith would cheer on Obama even if he came out waving the Iranian flag while wearing a turban. Obama could say the United States is now the property of China and Don Smith would still say Obama is a great President and the best person on the planet. He probably vacations with Obama at Martha's Vineyard every other week!

Missingcali68, You might look at your own timetable, and ask yourself "What changed in 2006?" Oh now I remember! The 110th. Congress took office! Who was in charge of that group? I believe it was the same two nit-wits that still pretend to be the leaders, pelosi , and reid! By the Constitution, the congress holds the national purse strings!

You, clearly, have made it clear who is truly responsible for the current problems!!