What will come of Obama's bus tour?

[The Vorlon]

Apparently, the current economic mess is the result of "Bad luck" and has nothing to do with Obama and his policies...

So says the president......

http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/obama-i-reversed-recession-until-bad-luck-hit

[The Vorlon]

Apparently, the current economic mess is the result of "Bad luck" and has nothing to do with Obama and his policies...

So says the president......

http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/obama-i-reversed-recession-until-bad-luck-hit

Unwilling to take responsibility, heh? Sounds like a song sung by most every person in Washington, Democrat or Republican. "It's the other guy's fault".

Hey, Mr. President, I don't care whose fault it is, I just want something productive done about it and you are the leader America has chosen for herself, YOU need to step up. Don't wait on Boehner and Reid to act, DO IT YOURSELF.  LEAD BY EXAMPLE.

I know what I'm saying is falling on deaf ears where they count, but, hey, it feels good to get it out.

Obama does, of course, have a point that Bush was a total cluster F%&K economically.

But at some point he has to man up and take responsibility.

If I am not feeling well and I go to the Doctor, I certainly don't "blame" the Doctor, but I do expect him/her to prescribe for me a course of treatment that makes me feel better...

The Dems controlled both house from 2007 to 2011.  From 2009 to 2011 that has 60 votes in the Senate, control of the House, and the Presidency....  at some point "It ain't my fault" starts to wear a bit thin, and I think we are getting pretty close to the point where Obama needs a new song.....

[The Vorlon]

He can do what his predecessors have done.  LEAD.  He can say to Congress, both parties, "This is what we're doing, like it or not, now give me ideas on how to implement this and figure out how much it costs, and we're not leaving here until this done."

He can also stop scurrying under the bed everytime Speaker Boehner or Minority Leader McConnell (or Leader Reid and Minority Leader Pelosi, for that matter) balk or bats an eyelash at what he's proposing.

He can stop with this rhetoric of "it's the Republicans fault" and step up and take leadership and ownership of one issue at a time and do something about it.  I will reiterate what I said before, "I don't care whose fault it is, you have the opportunity to fix it, so fix it.  I'll deal with the ones at fault at the ballot box.  If you don't fix it, I'll deal with you at the ballot box."

Bottom line, he needs to work with Congress and lead Congress.  He can lead Congress, because the Vice President is the boss of the Senate and the President is the boss of the Vice President.  That's how I look at it.  The President is also the boss of the Speaker of the House.  I know their job status is determined by the voters, but in the hierarchy, the President needs to be a LEADER, not a BLAMER.

So what you are suggesting is that he, well, act like the President?

[The Vorlon]

What exactly can Obama do without congress?

See "Bill Clinton, 1994-2000 - Working with a GOP Congress to Balance Budgets and achieve 4% unemployment rate"

Of course it was easier then because Newt was just a joy to work with

[The Vorlon]

Let me know when this congress is ready to return to Clinton's tax rates and I'll let you know when deficits are ready to start shrinking.

President Obama - January 2009-January 2013
Senate - 58 + 2 Democrats 2009-2011
House of Representatives - 2009 - 2011: - 256 Democrats - 178 Republicans.

The only think standing in the way of the Democrats was, well, the Democrats.  

2009 was the most concentration of power in one party since FDR.

[The Vorlon]

(And I think Dems under LBJ had larger majorities.)

I "think" the filibuster rule was 67 back then though? (Yup - changed in 1975)

If you can blame it all on Bush when he had smaller majorities than Obama, it's fair to put some of the blame on Obama when his party had larger majorities, is all I am saying...

And.. the democrates envoked cloture more than nay time in history...



They invoked cloture more than 100 times... if raising taxes was so important, why not use one of those 100+ times to push us to the wrong side of the Laffer curve?