Hello, Hello, Hello, Is There Anybody In There?
By Johnny Roosh
…Just nod if you can hear me. Is there anyone home?
Barack Obama is already deflecting…this is going to be a long four years for everyone if our fears of his emptysuitedness manifest themselves.
All Americans should hope that Obama grows some, and fast. What America needs now is not the rhetoric and campaign promises that landed Obama in the White House on the backs of millions of people that think he is going to save them from their rightful obligations.
Otherwise, the office of President will be of no more value to America than the mock, ego-driven farce that is the “Office of the President-Elect.”
Democrats are growing impatient with President-elect Barack Obama’s refusal to inject himself in the major economic crises confronting the country. Obama has sidestepped some policy questions by saying there is only one president at a time. But the dodge is wearing thin.
He’s going to have to be more assertive than he’s been,” House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., told consumer advocates Thursday.
Frank, who has been dealing with both the bailout of the financial industry and a proposed rescue of Detroit automakers, said Obama needs to play a more significant role on economic issues.
Could there be someone less qualified than Beans ‘n Frank to deal with this crisis? Yes. Barack Obama. At least Barney Frank knows how it happened on account of his personal culpability and corruption. Not only was he at ground zero, he lit the fuse.
Obama did stress that a significant component of the fund should be used to reduce the number of foreclosures. But he did not specify a particular remedy.
Not so fast, Mr. Jimmy. You might want to consider the effect of that on your soon-to-be-plummeting approval rating.
Many Americans are outraged that their money is being spent to rescue irresponsible mortgage borrowers. Still, that probably won’t stop government officials.
There are a lot of hard-working, responsible people out there, many of whom voted for you Mr. Oprah, who are dead set against bailing out those that took imprudent risk at the expense of those that saved and lived below their means.
Insert leadership here.
What America needs is a President that tells America the truth. Government can no longer cover your six if you make bad decisions. It can’t and it won’t. It’s the only intelligent thing Jesse Ventura ever said.
Based on some of BHO’s cabinet choices, I am guardedly optimistic that he in fact is weighing his options and that he truly wants to do what is best for America, within the limiting realm of his ideology; but the forces of opposition, Frank, Reid, Pelosi et al, are very strong.
And soon, may not even be on his team (which may be a good thing).
“That One” spent two years telling us “Yes We Can.” Now it’s time to tell us “No We Can’t.”
December 5th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Guys, there’s still a president in the White House. You voted for him, remember? Angryclown has little doubt that if the president-elect were acting any more aggressively, you kooks would be calling for him to be prosecuted for treason or something equally wingnutty.
Talk about an empty suit. Maybe the guy who has the job should do the job. Funny how blame the economic meltdown on the guy who doesn’t take office for six weeks, not the guy who’s been president for eight years.
But then you don’t belong to the reality-based community, do you?
December 5th, 2008 at 10:23 am
We’ve been looking to Bush for fiscal leadership for eight years and haven’t found it. Why do you think your guy won you
nimrodclown?December 5th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Gee, JDoosh (remember, that’s a respectful, German reference), descending to name-calling? That’s OK down here in the comment section purgatory, but Mitch always manages to stay above the fray. You’re supposed to be the adult supervision.
I really can’t help but conclude that your internship with SitD is a failure. I bet Mitch would write you a nice recommendation letter, if it meant he could unload you on Anti-Strib or whatever.
December 5th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Name calling? What name calling? You’re a clown, by self admission.
As for the rest, no one here really cares what you think. You’re probably use to hearing that so I’m sure it comes as no surprise.
As for Mitch’s discretion? He’s a better man than I. Everyone knows that too.
December 5th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Equally funny.
Mitch said, not long ago, that while Bush had made “SOME” mistakes, he generally had done a good job. I wonder if you still feel that way, Mitch.
Equally funny.
The Right is the group proclaiming all of the problems MUST be solved by Obama – this is the same group that says government IS the problem. I think it’s a purposeful attempt to create unreasonable expectations of Obama so that they can claim he’s a failure when he can’t solve virtually impossible problems to solve by himself, or even by the government.
Equally funny.
Just like the spin about Jimmy Carter – they are trying to spin unreality about Obama.
To wit..http://www.usatoday.com/_ads/interstitial/2008/page/interstitial.htm?http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2008-12-05-unemployment-nov_N.htm
Read that again folks, we’re seeing the largest cuts since the 70’s, but NOT cuts during Carter, NO, but during Ford, brought about by the recession caused by the oil crisis and the end of the Vietnam War. That fact, that the ecoonomy was already on the rocks in 76, was already suffering from run-away inflation in 76, that Carter was handed a bag of crap, you all LOVE to conveniently forget. Carter didn’t help himself by indicting his own party members under Arab-Scam, you know, showing integrity, and thereby alienating his party, but he was NOT responsible for the “misery index”, any more than Obama is responsible for the on-going collapse of our economy, that responsibility sat with OPEC in 74, and sits with ‘free marketeers’ now. Those ‘free marketeers’ who, working with Detroit automakers, convinced Washington to give a 100 PERCENT TAX BREAK for purshaces of vehicles with GVW over 6000 pounds for ANY small business. This aligned with Detroits over-focus on SUV’s, BIG SUV’s at that, and the wilfull ignorance of the risks of increased consumption, increased fuel prices, and the failure to address needs for good fuel efficient sedans and alternative fuel vehicles. This ‘free market’ was a short-sighted focus on immediate profits sold to conspicuous consumers unconcnerned about the wider world or it’s ability to sustain itself within it. It was a fascistic cooperation between corporate raiders of the public trust, and irresponsible political hacks who were all too happy to comply. This situation is FAR more indicative of the reality of government over the past 30 years than bitches about wasteful spending on snail darters. Indeed, even now, we bail out Citigroup and AIG without question or constraint, but save the Unions (like UAW), hell no. Instead, we make up BS like that each worker (on average) for salary and benefits receives $74/hour. Instead, it’s actually $28/hour, $38/hour with benefits. The spun $74/hour represents Detroits distortions of what it COSTS per hour worked to produce the cars, and they label it the way they do because they want to further bust their unions, and they want to disolve their pensions. If done, that cost will again be borne by, you guessed it, the tax payers, though the workers will receive FAR less from the public pension protection program than from Detroit’s commitments they were supposed to live up to.
J – you’re a good guy, please, please focus on what’s going on right now.
December 5th, 2008 at 10:42 am
J – I don’t know that, and I know Mitch. I would have said what you said a few years ago.. but, you spin MUCH less than he does. That matters. That isn’t to say I think Mitch is a bad person, or even that he’s not a good person. I know he’s a good person.
December 5th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Jeez Maligna, ever heard of a paragraph?
Anyone else want to take the time to wade through whatever he wrote?
Not I.
December 5th, 2008 at 10:51 am
I really can’t help but conclude that your internship with SitD is a failure.
I’m running out of promotions to give in response to these sorts of claims.
December 5th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Mitch said, not long ago, that while Bush had made “SOME” mistakes, he generally had done a good job. I wonder if you still feel that way, Mitch.
Yep.
He’s made plenty of mistakes – as, indeed, anyone who does something rather than passive-aggressively wait for other people to make mistakes for him is wont to do, myself included.
The biggest among them? He didn’t govern as a fiscal conservative. He didn’t use his bully pulpit to push a fiscal conservative agenda. He – like Congress’ GOP Caucus at large – didn’t rush to support McCain’s drive to un-fuzzle the gathering Fannie/Freddie meltdown before it got to the point it did. He squandered political capital on Harriet Myers that he could have used on something useful. As re Iraq – his biggest mistake according to any credible evidence was that he was not clairvoyant.
And, Peev, I’ve never said otherwise, lest you forget. As you do. Again and again and again.
December 5th, 2008 at 11:32 am
DaPeeve seems to think that Republicans support Bush. His losses in popularity came because he drove away Republicans, not because he drove off Dems. Other than the War, he’s been a very poor preseident.
Although the spending spree we’re on now makes anything the GOP Congress did look like parsimony. The present (and nearly installed) Democratic officeholders are managing to make even GWB look like a fiscal conservative, however.
Inflation, anyone? Prepare for an absolutely massive, massive blast of that in a year or two. The misery index will make the Nixon/Carter years look pleasant.
December 5th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
a point of order: Obama is not the president elect until certified by the Electoral college. Also if his supporters are upset with him for not getting anything done yet, GWB better ban tar and feathering since BHO’s first 100 days should be a lesson in futility.
December 5th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Carter may have been handed a bad hand by Ford, and really by “New Economic Plan” (socialism) Nixon and “War on the Poor” Johnson, but that didn’t force him to ignore the huge problems that the military had at the time, and it didn’t force him to pursue a relentlessly inflationary monetary policy, either. His name lives in infamy among thinking people for a good reason.
And while Obama isn’t President yet, are we to seriously argue that it’s not his prerogative to speak his mind and push for policies of his choosing? That he’s supposed to play the wallflower at the dance until Princess Charming steps up to him and asks him to step onto the floor?
December 5th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
“Funny how blame the economic meltdown on the guy who doesn’t take office for six weeks..”
Pay attention, AssClown. We put the blame where it belongs. Think Carter, Clinton, Pelosi and Frank.
Everyone is too busy trying to stay afloat to conduct the necessary autopsy of this disaster, but be patient; it’s coming.
When you stop and think about it, the fact that the world’s economy tanked before he took office might be the bright spot in the FPoBA’s (short) tenure as President.
Heh…”I didn’t do it” is a fairly underused genre in Presidential legacies….Nobama continues to “make history”.
December 5th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
God you’re dumb, Shittee. Even if anybody believed your loony theory that it was libruls (LIBRULS GODDAMN IT!) who ruined the economy under the noses of a Republican Congress and Administration, who you gonna get to investigate it?
The rightwingers who pretend to listen to kooks like you to get your vote aren’t in power anymore. Obama’s in charge. Hippies dropping acid and dancing everywhere – the Age of Aquarius baby! Meanwhile you’re stuck in your trailer park eating Slim Jims while you shave Mrs. Swiftee’s back.
Go yell at a PTA meeting. You’re nothing.
December 5th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
AC telling ANYONE they’re “nothing” is richly ironical.
December 5th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
One of the triggers of the Depression was a collapse of housing prices due to a proliferation of “easy” mortgages, 2nd & 3rd mortgages (which we now call home equity loans), and a relaxation of lending standards. Much of this was part of Hoover’s Better Homes initiative that promoted “creative financing.” See http://research.stlouisfed.org/wp/view/author/12/ for some interesting/terrifying comparisons between then an now.
Want something to scare the crap out of you? House prices peaked in 1926, then began to decline. The market tanked in ’29, and we began an inexorable ride downhill driven by progressive policy mistakes. No, I see no parallels to progressives pushing folks into taking on questionable debts when they’re financially illiterate and then reacting badly, no none at all.
December 5th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Clown, your ignorance is showing again. The dow was nearly 13,000 when dems took over congress in 2007. If owning control of both houses of congress couldn’t keep this from happening, why the Hell did you vote for them?
December 6th, 2008 at 9:39 am
You know about as much about macroeconomics as you do about law, Terry. Which, granted, is a little more than most of the wingnuts hereabouts. You have managed to pick up a couple of ideas, but aren’t able to judge whether they make sense, cause you clearly lack a training in either discipline.
December 6th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Here’s the larger question: Does Obama have the common street sense to know that federal intervention into a market down-turn is throwing gas on the fire? Or, has he inculcated himself with so much lefty hype on his path that he can only demonize the market?
If he chooses to go “Carter” on us he will achieve two ends. First, he will make certain he is a one-termer. Second, he will drag the market down in a fashion that may take 20 years to recover.
The good news is that the public will become painfully aware that the market is truly color blind and is not swayed by good intentions, equity, egalitarianism or federal programs.
For those of us planning on retiring at 65? Too bad, so sad. We’ll be reduced to waiting for the Federal Euthanasia Commission to make their annual ruling on our usefulness as taxpayers – or compost.
December 6th, 2008 at 11:20 am
AC, your last comment reads like it came from a chinese fortune cookie.
Is writing them things your day job?
December 7th, 2008 at 10:06 am
Penigma – just curious who do you blame for the erosion of union controlled pensions? Last time I looked at a MN union pension it was in deficit. I wouldn’t be surprised if the pensions have been or will be eroded or raided or both in Detroit.
December 7th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Even though angryclown is reputed to be a lawyer, I rarely see any indication of it. Well, unless being a lawyer is making stuff up and believing it. And snark.
And economics? Besides the “you don’t know [expletive] about [economic topic]” and “I heart Warren Buffett”, I really don’t know if angryclown has much to offer on the topic.