We're screwed

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by Tex

I realize that the death of Keynesian economics has made the Blame Bush meme all the more popular among the Left. If you think replacing windows in a permanently closed visitor center and a $2m study of exotic African ants is the economic equivalent of a timing belt, fuel pump, and tires, more power to you. I'm pretty sure that's not a car the American electorate will be interested in buying.

On that note, Quinnipiac released a new poll from Pennslyvania:

52/42% Obama does not deserve to be relected
54/43% Disapproval

Come on, Tex. Give just one intellectually honest argument. Just one. I don't know if you would even recognize one if you saw it.

Sure- there was undoubtedly money that could have been better spent in the stimulus. Of course, if I were to start identifying that money, I'd start with something that cost far more than .002% of the total stimulus bill. The tax cuts which Republicans demanded, for example, cost about a third of the total and have very low stimulative effect. They produce very little multiplier gain to GDP and don't do much to increase jobs either (at least the types of cuts which were included in the stimulus). Republicans have decided that tax cuts are always good and spending is always bad, despite the fact that oftentimes they are identical in nature, so you have people like McCain and Redstate pimping the waste of the stimulus by examples on studies about ants instead of looking at the aggregate.

I don't know much about ants. I don't know if the study is wasteful or not, nor do I know if that particular study resulted in any jobs being created. The sponsors of the study said that “[Ants] give us back the most data on the environment than any other group. Their life cycle is shorter, they change very quickly. Everyone has run into ants . . . now we need to listen to them." If true, do we get $2 million of value out of the study? I still don't know the answer- and I'm quite sure you don't either. What I do know is that you are focusing on a fraction of a fraction of the spending in the stimulus.

Is this all good politics for Obama and the Democrats? Nope. Governing requires tough choices, and sometimes they aren't popular choices, even if needed.

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by Tex

I realize that the death of Keynesian economics has made the Blame Bush meme all the more popular among the Left. If you think replacing windows in a permanently closed visitor center and a $2m study of exotic African ants is the economic equivalent of a timing belt, fuel pump, and tires, more power to you. I'm pretty sure that's not a car the American electorate will be interested in buying.

On that note, Quinnipiac released a new poll from Pennslyvania:

52/42% Obama does not deserve to be relected
54/43% Disapproval

By the way, go to RCP if you want to really understand the problems Republicans face right now. They have no ideas. No solutions. They are the party of obstacles at a time when there are already far too many. And their candidates reflect that fact.

When asked if a voter would support a generic Republican over Obama, the generic Republican has a 2.5% lead over Obama. But when asked about every single Republican which is running, Obama beats them all easily.

Voters are open to the idea that a Republican could have better ideas- they just recognize when given names that none of them actually do.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epo...andidates.html

[ute4ever]

Originally Posted by Cali Coug

Come on, Tex. Give just one intellectually honest argument. Just one.

When you wrestle with a pig, you both get muddy but the pig loves it.

You're asking too much of Tex. He has no opinion on any of this outside of simply relaying what FOX News informs him of what his opinion is.

I'm not a democrat, didn't vote for Obama and am not a left apologist. But I can't stand watching people like Tex who have loyally opposed to everything Obama has done since day one. On every political issue there are many possible solutions, and it's sickening to watch Boehner and Co. sit back and wait to see which solution Obama chooses, before telling their sheep which opposing position they have decided on. And sickening to watch them abandon any position that Obama agrees with, simply because they want to be in disagreement about absolutely everything.

As an independent moderate, the most sickening of all was watching the way the "conservatives" held hostage the economic livelihood of 310 million people, willing to default the debt and plunge the nation into the worst recession in 80 years, all in the name of pride. And I will remember that come election day, and know I am not alone.

Now here's where the muddy pig will reply with "heh heh" and a graph that he saw on FOX News, that is only mildly relevant to the conversation, which he doesn't fully comprehend.

[Tex]

Originally Posted by ute4ever

On every political issue there are many possible solutions, and it's sickening to watch Obama sit back and wait to see which solution Boehner and Co. chooses, before telling their sheep which opposing position they have decided on.

Fixed that paragraph for you.

Originally Posted by ute4ever

As an independent moderate, the most sickening of all was watching the way the "conservatives" held hostage the economic livelihood of 310 million people, willing to default the debt and plunge the nation into the worst recession in 80 years, all in the name of good economics. And I will remember that come election day, and know I am not alone.

Fixed that one too. Loved the "held hostage" metaphor too. Fits right in with the current liberal meme. And here I thought we were all going to use a new tone in the post-Tucson era.

Obama's not been that bad a president, really. I give him a solid AA+.

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by Tex

Fixed that paragraph for you.



Fixed that one too. Loved the "held hostage" metaphor too. Fits right in with the current liberal meme. And here I thought we were all going to use a new tone in the post-Tucson era.

Obama's not been that bad a president, really. I give him a solid AA+.

About what you had to expect, Ute4Ever. All spin. No substance. To be fair, he doesn't have much to work with.

[Tex]

Had a fun evening last night watching Wisconsin election returns. The Dems fell short of taking the WI Senate, snagging only two seats: one a traditionally Dem district (Obama +23), and the other a Republican with personal problems (cheated with a 25-year-old staffer). Most analysts agree that latter seat will be back in R hands in '12.

Other fun facts:

• Obama won all 6 districts in 2008, 53-46%
• Walker won all 6 districts in 2010, 56-43%
• R's won last night by an average of 53-47%
• In the 4 R wins, no margin was closer than 4%. No recounts. No Dem cheating.
• At least $31M was spent on the recalls, with roughly 2/3 of that in favor of the Dem candidates
• There are 2 more Dem recall elections next Tuesday, meaning it's hypothetically possible to be right back where we started (19-14 R control of Senate)
• Walker has already signed the state's redistricting bill. Dems, of course, have already sued.

The big takeaway from all this is the stunningly diminished powers of local unions. First Prosser, and now this election has made their GOTV efforts appear to be only a paper tiger. Add to that the new budget law stripping public employee bargainin rights, and it spells bad news for Obama in what is now essentially a red state.

Bizarrely, Nate Silver is encouraging the Dems to go ahead and recall Walker, despite the odds being no better than a toss-up. I guess the expense of trying to recall Walker in a Presidential election year, not to mention the negative optics of being 3 times a sore loser, is totally lost on him.

2012 is shaping up to be a very good year to be a Democrat. Perhaps the best year in decades.

EDIT: Love this from the WI AFL-CIO President:

"Let's be clear, anyway you slice it, this is an unprecedented victory," he said.

Heh, yeah. Anyway you slice it.

[Tex]

Pawlenty ad: "Experience Matters"



Brilliant.

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by Tex

Had a fun evening last night watching Wisconsin election returns. The Dems fell short of taking the WI Senate, snagging only two seats: one a traditionally Dem district (Obama +23), and the other a Republican with personal problems (cheated with a 25-year-old staffer). Most analysts agree that latter seat will be back in R hands in '12.

Other fun facts:

• Obama won all 6 districts in 2008, 53-46%
• Walker won all 6 districts in 2010, 56-43%
• R's won last night by an average of 53-47%
• In the 4 R wins, no margin was closer than 4%. No recounts. No Dem cheating.
• At least $31M was spent on the recalls, with roughly 2/3 of that in favor of the Dem candidates
• There are 2 more Dem recall elections next Tuesday, meaning it's hypothetically possible to be right back where we started (19-14 R control of Senate)
• Walker has already signed the state's redistricting bill. Dems, of course, have already sued.

The big takeaway from all this is the stunningly diminished powers of local unions. First Prosser, and now this election has made their GOTV efforts appear to be only a paper tiger. Add to that the new budget law stripping public employee bargainin rights, and it spells bad news for Obama in what is now essentially a red state.

Bizarrely, Nate Silver is encouraging the Dems to go ahead and recall Walker, despite the odds being no better than a toss-up. I guess the expense of trying to recall Walker in a Presidential election year, not to mention the negative optics of being 3 times a sore loser, is totally lost on him.

2012 is shaping up to be a very good year to be a Democrat. Perhaps the best year in decades.

EDIT: Love this from the WI AFL-CIO President:



Heh, yeah. Anyway you slice it.

Wow. With those kinds of numbers, it's no wonder Republicans won every recall election...

And no, I don't think 2012 will be the best year for Democrats in decades. That still belongs to 2010.

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by Tex

Pawlenty ad: "Experience Matters"



Brilliant.

Hm. Yeah, brilliant, I guess. Go after the guy you have repeatedly accused of being a hollywood president with... a hollywood type ad. It didn't even hold a candle to this fine production, though.



Instead of spending his time campaigning for a spot on the next Spielberg production, he should spend more time preparing for debates. It will spare him the total humiliation he suffered tonight.

[Tex]

Originally Posted by Tex

Recent CNN poll of adults

Support Balanced-budge amendment: 74/24%
Think a BBA is necessary to get fed spending under control: 60/38%
Support for "Cut, Cap, and Balance": 66/33%
- Among Dems: 63/35%
- Among Inds: 65/34%

...

The majority of economists surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics believe that the federal deficit should be reduced only or primarily through spending cuts.

The survey out Monday found that 56 percent of the NABE members surveyed felt that way, while 37 percent said they favor equal parts spending cuts and tax increases. The remaining 7 percent believe it should be done only or mostly through tax increases.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/44226011