A Day in the Life of Barack Obama
Obama calls $18B in Wall St. bonuses 'shameful'
Putting the nation aside for a moment, what did the 2000-2008 republicans do to their party?
Here's Bush's 2000 electoral map:
Here's where the democrats stand today:
What did the democrats do to accomplish this? Outside of Barack Obama, arguably nothing. The republicans did it to themselves.
Who had the least question that Obama was the right choice?
There was nothing conciliatory or self-analytical about the Bush administration. They pushed their advantage and never looked back and almost never considered anyone else's viewpoint but their own. Maybe that's because they weren't concerned about governing. They were concerned about the business objectives of their business handlers. Iraq was enormously successful, for a defense contractor.
Several things led to the republican's fall, from abandoning fiscal conservatism to incompetence and the economic downturn.
During the Bush years I missed the republicans I knew growing up -- the ones that talked about limited government and fiscal conservatism (even environmentalism!) Parties change. Labels change. What does liberal and conservative mean these days? Is it really useful to continue to characterize everything on a two-left-right linear line? Are there really only two viewpoints on everything?
A tiny minority of republicans did speak up during the Bush administration but most of them were ridiculed or alienated. The democrats never stopped the administration either. They gave speeches stating, for instance, that they would never hand Bush a blank check on a war they were opposed to and then subsequently allocated to the Bush administration more money for Iraq than was asked for.
Criticism during the first six years of the administration was frowned upon in all quarters, from Congress, to the media to bulletin boards. Much of it was even ridiculed as conspiracy theory. The Obama administration has hopefully signaled a new era -- Obama himself has said that left-right linear politics are inadequate. He seems to be seeking pragmatists, not ideologues. Will our divided, divisive and party-centric nation be able to rise to the challenge? How significantly can one man manage a massive government?
Jobless numbers reach record high
States with the highest unemployment rates in December 2008:
1. Michigan, 10.6 percent
2. Rhode Island, 10 percent
3. South Carolina, 9.5 percent
4. California, 9.3 percent
5. Nevada, 9.1 percent
6. Oregon, 9 percent
7. District of Columbia, 8.8 percent
8. North Carolina, 8.7 percent
9. Indiana, 8.2 percent
10. Florida, 8.1 percent
States with the lowest unemployment rates in December 2008:
1. Wyoming, 3.4 percent
2. North Dakota, 3.5 percent
3. South Dakota, 3.9 percent
4. Nebraska, 4 percent
5. Utah, 4.3 percent
6. Iowa, 4.6 percent
7. New Hampshire, 4.6 percent
8. New Mexico, 4.9 percent
9. Oklahoma, 4.9 percent
10. West Virginia, 4.9 percent
Note that some of the states hit the hardest by unemployment voted most strongly for Obama while some of the states with the most job retention were less likely to vote for Obama.
The FBI was aware for years of "pervasive and growing" mortgage fraud but chose to do nothing to stop it.
China's Premier subtly pegs the global financial problem on us, stating that the problems arose from:
The bailouts are inadequate
Royal Caribbean Cruises Earnings Tumble 98 Percent
Hundreds of thousands workers strike in France.
Is this a correction, not a recession? Ariel Pic thinks so
Blackwater is being forced out of Iraq.
Remember the body armor the troops didn't have that they finally received? 16,000 sets of it don't work.
Former CIA and DIA NOC Susan Lindauer is speaking out now that charges against her have been dropped. She says she passed specific intelligence about planes being used to strike the World Trade Center to John Ashcroft's Office of Counter-Terrorism and was ultimately targeted by the FBI.
Reactions:
"This is a correction, not a recession" (Mark Nemeth)
"I’ve noticed something I find a bit disturbing about our new Treasury Secretary: He has not yet fully come to terms with his new job, role — and boss. Granted, he’s been in the job for only two days. But given the extraordinary circumstances the financial sector and the economy is in, it is important for the Treasury Secretary to get up to speed as soon as possible." (Barry Ritholtz) Read more.
Your Job:
A bit focus-group and a bit political therapy, today we get involved in driving BOTH (or more!) parties forward. Don't be afraid to praise the other side and criticize our own. Too often in politics we refuse to acknowledge faults within our own party and instead simply point to faults on the other side. I for one am a registered democrat, but have in the past believed that all politicians should be fiscally responsible and government should be as limited as possible. I appreciate republicans when they argue for real fiscal responsibility. I was very disappointed in the democrats for never stopping the Bush administration at anything, though I ask for kicks, if the democrats had impeached Bush, would Obama have been elected?
There was nothing conciliatory or self-analytical about the Bush administration. They pushed their advantage and never looked back and almost never considered anyone else's viewpoint but their own. Maybe that's because they weren't concerned about governing. They were concerned about the business objectives of their business handlers. Iraq was enormously successful, for a defense contractor.
Several things led to the republican's fall, from abandoning fiscal conservatism to incompetence and the economic downturn.
 |  |
During the Bush years I missed the republicans I knew growing up -- the ones that talked about limited government and fiscal conservatism (even environmentalism!) Parties change. Labels change. What does liberal and conservative mean these days? Is it really useful to continue to characterize everything on a two-left-right linear line? Are there really only two viewpoints on everything?
A tiny minority of republicans did speak up during the Bush administration but most of them were ridiculed or alienated. The democrats never stopped the administration either. They gave speeches stating, for instance, that they would never hand Bush a blank check on a war they were opposed to and then subsequently allocated to the Bush administration more money for Iraq than was asked for.
Criticism during the first six years of the administration was frowned upon in all quarters, from Congress, to the media to bulletin boards. Much of it was even ridiculed as conspiracy theory. The Obama administration has hopefully signaled a new era -- Obama himself has said that left-right linear politics are inadequate. He seems to be seeking pragmatists, not ideologues. Will our divided, divisive and party-centric nation be able to rise to the challenge? How significantly can one man manage a massive government?
Jobless numbers reach record high
States with the highest unemployment rates in December 2008:
1. Michigan, 10.6 percent
2. Rhode Island, 10 percent
3. South Carolina, 9.5 percent
4. California, 9.3 percent
5. Nevada, 9.1 percent
6. Oregon, 9 percent
7. District of Columbia, 8.8 percent
8. North Carolina, 8.7 percent
9. Indiana, 8.2 percent
10. Florida, 8.1 percent
States with the lowest unemployment rates in December 2008:
1. Wyoming, 3.4 percent
2. North Dakota, 3.5 percent
3. South Dakota, 3.9 percent
4. Nebraska, 4 percent
5. Utah, 4.3 percent
6. Iowa, 4.6 percent
7. New Hampshire, 4.6 percent
8. New Mexico, 4.9 percent
9. Oklahoma, 4.9 percent
10. West Virginia, 4.9 percent
Note that some of the states hit the hardest by unemployment voted most strongly for Obama while some of the states with the most job retention were less likely to vote for Obama.
The FBI was aware for years of "pervasive and growing" mortgage fraud but chose to do nothing to stop it.
China's Premier subtly pegs the global financial problem on us, stating that the problems arose from:
"inappropriate macroeconomic policies of some economies and their unsustainable model of development characterized by prolonged low savings and high consumption; excessive expansion of financial institutions in blind pursuit of profit; lack of self-discipline among financial institutions and rating agencies and the ensuing distortion of risk information and asset pricing; and the failure of financial supervision and regulation to keep up with financial innovations. In other words, we must strike a balance between savings and consumption, between financial innovation and regulation, and between the financial sector and real economy."Some people are concerned that the dollar is going to be replaced by a one-world currency or a one-region currency, such as an Amero. Putin doesn't seem to like that idea:
"Excessive dependence on a single reserve currency is dangerous for the global economy," Putin said, calling for multiple reserve currencies in addition to the dollar.Lawrence Summers decided who got what in the stimulus bill?
The bailouts are inadequate
Royal Caribbean Cruises Earnings Tumble 98 Percent
Hundreds of thousands workers strike in France.
Is this a correction, not a recession? Ariel Pic thinks so
Ordinary middle-class working people have been encouraged to buy obscenely oversized homes at 5% down, or even no down payment. They have been lured into buying cars the size of trucks, one for each driving-aged member of the family. They’ve installed individual back-yard swimming pools, unwilling to share the water with their neighbors in community pools. Boring faux ethnic restaurant franchises of all kinds have befouled the landscape, filling up with families too stressed out to cook, and willing to endure over-salted, over-priced and tasteless cuisine and tacky plastic décor night after night.Can we afford the to further inflate the dollar for this stimulus package? Can we afford not to do so? The situation challenges views on limited government and what exactly IS fiscally responsible.
Now this is all crashing down....
Over the last 20 years, America has degenerated into a nation of consumers, with 72 percent of the GDP now being accounted for by consumer spending—most of it going for things that are produced overseas and shipped here.
That is not an economic model that is sustainable, and it is a model that has just suffered what is certainly a mortal blow.
What we are now seeing is the beginning of an inevitable downward adjustment in American living standards to conform with our actual place in the world.
Blackwater is being forced out of Iraq.
Remember the body armor the troops didn't have that they finally received? 16,000 sets of it don't work.
Former CIA and DIA NOC Susan Lindauer is speaking out now that charges against her have been dropped. She says she passed specific intelligence about planes being used to strike the World Trade Center to John Ashcroft's Office of Counter-Terrorism and was ultimately targeted by the FBI.
Reactions:
"This is a correction, not a recession" (Mark Nemeth)
"I’ve noticed something I find a bit disturbing about our new Treasury Secretary: He has not yet fully come to terms with his new job, role — and boss. Granted, he’s been in the job for only two days. But given the extraordinary circumstances the financial sector and the economy is in, it is important for the Treasury Secretary to get up to speed as soon as possible." (Barry Ritholtz) Read more.
Your Job:
A bit focus-group and a bit political therapy, today we get involved in driving BOTH (or more!) parties forward. Don't be afraid to praise the other side and criticize our own. Too often in politics we refuse to acknowledge faults within our own party and instead simply point to faults on the other side. I for one am a registered democrat, but have in the past believed that all politicians should be fiscally responsible and government should be as limited as possible. I appreciate republicans when they argue for real fiscal responsibility. I was very disappointed in the democrats for never stopping the Bush administration at anything, though I ask for kicks, if the democrats had impeached Bush, would Obama have been elected?
To the democrats, don't abandon the 50-state strategy. I have read that you will with Howard Dean no longer running things and Rahm Emmanuel, an opponent to the 50-state strategy, gaining stature. That's a big mistake IMO.
To the republicans, regain your fiscal conservative credentials. When you put the "socially conservative" in front of your party, you look socially backwards and you lose the investor class.
How can your party be improved? Is there anything the other party(ies) is doing that is commendable? What should both parties be doing?
To the republicans, regain your fiscal conservative credentials. When you put the "socially conservative" in front of your party, you look socially backwards and you lose the investor class.
How can your party be improved? Is there anything the other party(ies) is doing that is commendable? What should both parties be doing?
Posts
I think the party can be improved by taking a cruise (at a significant discount)! LOL.
ReplyDeleteHa! So which company gets the cruise-line contract? That's one thing government could greatly improve on, the selection of, writing of and oversight of companies for contracts.
ReplyDeleteCorrection or Recession or Depression? What will define what is happening to our country 50 years from now?
ReplyDeleteWe have a three party system. Hard core Democrats. Hard core Republicans. And the swing vote or Independent. I don't have the numbers but I would guess over 90% of hard core voters voted for "their" party. What you saw were the Independents swinging from voting Republican in 2004 to voting Democrat in 2008. The Independent voters were disgruntled with Clinton in 2000 and guided by fear in 2004. In 2008 they saw the light of hope.
ReplyDeleteSeems to me to be some good truth is the article "The Ugly Truth". Though there are definitely some points I would take issue with if only it weren't so late and I so tired!
ReplyDeleteOh look, they did it again... NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Exxon Mobil reported the largest annual profit in U.S. history Friday, making $45.22 billion on the back of record oil prices.
ReplyDeleteWhile at the same time...WASHINGTON -- The economy shrank at a 3.8 percent pace at the end of 2008, the worst showing in a quarter-century, as the deepening recession forced consumers and businesses to throttle back spending.