Political Punch

The Bloom is Off the Rose!
The Wheels are Falling Off the Bus!
The more people find out about Obama and his policy statements the less
they like about him!
No You Can't and Won't!

maybe everyone was more anxious for him to beat hillary and assumes the mccain battle is his to lose. plus, everyone's broke.

No Jobs?

The Liberals have been downplaying the economy for 7 years in spite of the real numbers showing a very robust economy between 2003-2007. In fact, in spite of the slumping housing market and rising energy costs, there was a net gain of 1,137,000 jobs in 2007 -- the slowest growth since 2003. According to the December 2007 statistics, there were 138,100,000 people employed even though unemployment rose from 4.7% to 5.0%. The AVERAGE monthly unemployment for all of 2007 was 4.64%. That is evidence of a very good economy.

Now as for 2008, the sub-prime mortgage fiasco has resulted in hundreds of thousands of home foreclosures. That along with the continued slumping housing market and now skyrocketing energy costs, has certainly hurt the economy. Yet is spite of these negatives, the unemployment figures are:
Jan 2008 - 4.9%;
Feb 2008 - 4.8%;
Mar 2008 - 5.1%;
Apr 2008 - 5.0%;
May 2008 - 5.5%.

A 5.5% unemployment rate is actually a fairly good number, historically.

GOP are thieves?
Trickle down economics don't work, huh? Bush cut taxes early into is presidency and we have had economic boom years for the first seven years of his term and that was with THE WAR AGAINST TERRORISM GOING ON!! You talk about the evils of big business, but the truth is without big business and business in general we would be a third or fourth world country. BUSINSESS CREATES ECONOMIC WEALTH - BIG GOVERNMENT, ESPECIALLY OBAMA'S KIND OF BIG GOVERNMENT, SUCKS IT UP!!!! Again this is from a retired Catholic school teacher, NOT A FAT CAT!! BUT I DO UNDERSTAND ECONOMICS 101. NEITHER YOU NOR OBAMA UNDERSTANDS THE BASICS OF HOW OUR ECONOMIC SYSTEM WORKS.

GOP are thieves,

1. "Don't be so gullible."

Not gullible, just read the 2002 Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq, passed by Congress.

2. "The president cannot arbitrarily fire U.S. Attorneys because they are not indicting people in the opposing political party just because it's what he wants."

If the U. S. Attorneys refuse to prosecute criminal acts they CAN be fired.

3. Don Siegelman's appeal is still pending. We shall see.

4. "Do you truly believe the federal government responded in a timely fashion? Also it has been over two years since katrina yet New Orleans still looks devastated like parts of Iraq."

Absolutely! They were right there but could not get in to help those in the Superdome and the Convention Center due to the reports of shootings and assaults -- -- which was NOT within their purview. Like I said, FEMA is NOT a first line responder. There were few cops and no Nation Guardsmen to protect FEMA agents during the first couple of days. Just one year before Katrina, the city of New Orleans performed a drill using the Superdome as an evacuation center. Guess what...it failed. Yet, in spite of this failure, Mayor Nagin still used the cite as an evacuation center. But worse yet, he didn't even learn from the mistakes made during the drill. So there was Mayor Nagin holed up in his posh hotel room as tens of thousands of his contituents were left to fend for themselves.

Now then it is important to note that the federal government cannot just step into and take control within local and state jurisdictions WITHOUT those local and state authorities requesting federal help. That was one of the original problems. The feds demanded that Mayor Nagin order a mandatory evacuation on Friday and again on Saturday. He did NOT declare a state of emergency or order mandatory evacuations until Sunday. That gave 454,000 people just 24 hours to evacuate. Gov. Blanco refused to hand over the control to the feds until several days AFTER Katrina hit landfall, in spite of President Bush asking to be given authority to take control of the situation two days before Katrina hit landfall.

We are just a couple of months away from the third anniversary of Katrina. One of the main reasons that so much of New Orleans still looks devastated is because much of the devastation is private property. It is estimated that the current population of New Orleans is around 300,000. Prior to Katrina the population was 454,000. That means around 154,000 individuals have not returned. A large portion of these individuals have also failed to sell their land -- in which case the purchaser, whether the government or a private individual, can begin repairing/rebuilding the home or business.

5. "The profits primarily benefit CEOs and shareholders. Their employees and consumers might benefit is some small way as a after thought."

These companies are PRIVATE companies. While I, personally, may not like the idea of the CEOs receiving such huge salaries, perks, buyout packages when they depart or pensions upon retirement, that is between the shareholders and board of directors. The federal government has no business telling these companies what they can or cannot due, except when it comes to enforcing federal laws (i.e., anti-discrimination laws and OSHA requirements).

6. "Trickle down economics didn't work..." "Yet you try and convince us that it works."

There was a report a while back on how that people in tourist related fields were losing their jobs because the wealthy were not traveling as much! THAT is a clear case of where trickle down economics HAD BEEN working. IF jobs are lost because the wealthy are not traveling, then the reverse is true: When the wealthy travel, jobs are created.

GOP are thieves, I am a strong believer in personal responsibility and self-reliance. Not a reliance on the federal, or even state, government. When it comes to the poor and needy, I believe they should be cared for by the private sector (i.e., charities, churches and direct assistance by individuals, organizations, corporations and small businesses) through voluntary contributions NOT forced wealth redistribution. The federal and state governments treat these individuals as numbers. Whereas the private sector is much better able to treat these individuals on a personal level. Thus they get more than just food, lodging and some spending money, they also get counseling, encouragement and occasionally friendship.

Posted by: James Danley | Jun 22, 2008 3:58:39 PM

GOP are thieves,

1. The invasion of Iraq was NOT under false pretenses. Saddam Hussein failed to comply with every one of the conditions of the 1991 cease fire for 12 years. Just ONE of the conditions was if he no longer had WMDs he had to prove that he had destroyed them. Instead he wanted his neighbors to continue to believe that he still had WMDs. So President Bush ended the 12 year cease fire. Only after we invaded Iraq did we prove that he no longer had WMDs.
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I have some swamp land in FL to sell you if you believe that was the true reason we invaded Iraq. Don't be so gullible.
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Posted by: James Danley | Jun 22, 2008 3:58:39 PM

2. The U. S. Attorneys are at the beck-and-call of the President. He can fire them at any time for ANY reason. Yes, even for political reasons.
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The president cannot arbitrarily fire U.S. Attorneys because they are not indicting people in the opposing political party just because it's what he wants.
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Posted by: James Danley | Jun 22, 2008 3:58:39 PM

3. Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman was prosecuted for, and CONVICTED OF, bribery and conspiracy charges.
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52 former U.S. Attorneys comprised of both republican and democrats petetioned congress and took up the democratic govenors case. He is now free thanks their intervention.
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Posted by: James Danley | Jun 22, 2008 3:58:39 PM

4. It was the local officials who failed to help the Katrina victims. Mayor Nagin ordered both the Superdome and the Convention Center to be evacuation centers but left the evacuees WITHOUT SECURITY, WITHOUT FOOD and WITHOUT WATER knowing they could be there for at least 48-72 hours. Louisiana Gov. Blanco refused to deploy the National Guard until at least 24 hours AFTER Katrina made landfall. She should have had them driving the 2,000 New Orleans' school buses to help evacuate people before Katrina hit. New Orleans was not the only place that was hit by Katrina. Florida, Alabama and Mississippi were also hit vert hard. FEMA was stretched to its limit. While the local officials in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi did their jobs before FEMA arrived on the scene, the Louisiana and New Orleans officials DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. So when FEMA arrived on the scene they were expected to be the first responders. FEMA is NOT a first responder and so it was caught off guard and in a position that it was NEVER intended to be in AND for a position in which the employees were NEVER trained.
---------------

Do you truly believe the federal government responded in a timely fashion? Also it has been over two years since katrina yet New Orleans still looks devastated like parts of Iraq. Speaking of Iraq Bush has no problem asking for billions and billion for Iraq but he has continually ignored New Orleans.
---------------

Posted by: James Danley | Jun 22, 2008 3:58:39 PM

5. Corporations, the rich and small businesses are the ones who create jobs. The more profits that they make the more jobs that are created. Raising taxes on corporations and the rich, and small businesses cuts into their profits. That causes layoffs.
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The profits primarily benefit CEOs and shareholders. Their employees and consumers might benefit is some small way as a after thought.
----------------------

Posted by: James Danley | Jun 22, 2008 3:58:39 PM

6. In spite of the War on Terror, in spite of the Battle of Iraq, and in spite of the rise in the cost of energy, our economy was quite robust between 2003-2007. We had 54 months of continued job growth -- the longest continous stretch in American history. We actually had about 6 months of more revenue than spending towards the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007. Then the effects of the housing slump and the further rise in energy began to affect the economy, but we were still doing quite well. That is until the sub-prime mortgage fiasco caused hundreds of thousands of home foreclosures. That and the cost of energy skyrocketing even more resulted in layoffs. The unemployment rate shot up from 4.7% in Nov 2007 to its current 5.5% by May 2008. 5.5% unemployment is still quite good historically. This is just a bump in the road for our economy. Eventually the median price for homes will drop to a point that it will spark a new boom.

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Trickle down economics didn't work for Hoover, Reagan, Bush 1 or Bush 2. Yet you try and convince us that it works.
Typical republican dogma.

GOP are thieves.
You don't help the poor by throwing entitlement programs at them. President Johnson (Great Society) did that in the 60's and all it did was to make the poor slaves to entitlements! IT IS FAR BETTER TO TEACH A MAN HOW TO FISH RATHER THAN JUST HANDING HIM FOOD!

Posted by: Jimbo | Jun 22, 2008 5:17:56 PM
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You showed your hand when you left out any mention of corporate bail out entitlements.Help and protect corporations but screw the average america. Typical republican fend for yourself greed is good dogma.

annfurthurmore...So Obama supporters want to put a democrat back into office no matter what the cost? Obama is a socialist do you know that is communism?
That is not for me? You?

Posted by: carolyn | Jun 22, 2008 8:01:59 PM
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Please define socialism and communism. I'm sure I could plant a tree and watch it grow before you answer. But prove me wrong.

Nikita Khrushchev in indeed smiling!!

annfurthurmore...So Obama supporters want to put a democrat back into office no matter what the cost? Obama is a socialist do you know that is communism?
That is not for me? You?

Jimbo, you wrote: "...all it did was to make the poor slaves to entitlements!"

I believe it would be more accurate to say that it makes the poor slaves of the federal government.

First the Democrats made the poor slaves of the federal government, and now with their socialist ideology they want to enslaven the rest of us. And, sadly, it appears that the majority of the electorate is now willing to trade our unalienable Rights (Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness) for universal health care.

GOP are thieves.
I wish the Amish could have read your last post about empathy for the poor. They would be LOL. Were you aware that the the Amish actually lobbied Congress (successfully) to become exempt from the social security system?

GOP are thieves.
You don't help the poor by throwing entitlement programs at them. President Johnson (Great Society) did that in the 60's and all it did was to make the poor slaves to entitlements! IT IS FAR BETTER TO TEACH A MAN HOW TO FISH RATHER THAN JUST HANDING HIM FOOD!

GOP are thieves,

1. The invasion of Iraq was NOT under false pretenses. Saddam Hussein failed to comply with every one of the conditions of the 1991 cease fire for 12 years. Just ONE of the conditions was if he no longer had WMDs he had to prove that he had destroyed them. Instead he wanted his neighbors to continue to believe that he still had WMDs. So President Bush ended the 12 year cease fire. Only after we invaded Iraq did we prove that he no longer had WMDs.

2. The U. S. Attorneys are at the beck-and-call of the President. He can fire them at any time for ANY reason. Yes, even for political reasons.

3. Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman was prosecuted for, and CONVICTED OF, bribery and conspiracy charges.

4. It was the local officials who failed to help the Katrina victims. Mayor Nagin ordered both the Superdome and the Convention Center to be evacuation centers but left the evacuees WITHOUT SECURITY, WITHOUT FOOD and WITHOUT WATER knowing they could be there for at least 48-72 hours. Louisiana Gov. Blanco refused to deploy the National Guard until at least 24 hours AFTER Katrina made landfall. She should have had them driving the 2,000 New Orleans' school buses to help evacuate people before Katrina hit. New Orleans was not the only place that was hit by Katrina. Florida, Alabama and Mississippi were also hit vert hard. FEMA was stretched to its limit. While the local officials in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi did their jobs before FEMA arrived on the scene, the Louisiana and New Orleans officials DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. So when FEMA arrived on the scene they were expected to be the first responders. FEMA is NOT a first responder and so it was caught off guard and in a position that it was NEVER intended to be in AND for a position in which the employees were NEVER trained.

5. Corporations, the rich and small businesses are the ones who create jobs. The more profits that they make the more jobs that are created. Raising taxes on corporations and the rich, and small businesses cuts into their profits. That causes layoffs.

6. In spite of the War on Terror, in spite of the Battle of Iraq, and in spite of the rise in the cost of energy, our economy was quite robust between 2003-2007. We had 54 months of continued job growth -- the longest continous stretch in American history. We actually had about 6 months of more revenue than spending towards the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007. Then the effects of the housing slump and the further rise in energy began to affect the economy, but we were still doing quite well. That is until the sub-prime mortgage fiasco caused hundreds of thousands of home foreclosures. That and the cost of energy skyrocketing even more resulted in layoffs. The unemployment rate shot up from 4.7% in Nov 2007 to its current 5.5% by May 2008. 5.5% unemployment is still quite good historically. This is just a bump in the road for our economy. Eventually the median price for homes will drop to a point that it will spark a new boom.

riley said: Obama has a lot of money--but no integrity.

And the Republicans/Conservatives/John McCain have the greatest integrity in the world? Don't throw stones when you live in a very thin glass house.

Obama 08

Jake Tapper when are you going to do a story about Mccain's flop flop on use of public private campaign money?

GOP ARE THIEVES?
I am a retired Catholic schoolteacher. My taxes were lowered under Bush. The Dems want to raise them back up. They also think that by taxing the rich more it will increase revenues. Dems are fools....the rich will just put their money offshore or into tax free munis. AND THEN WHO WILL GET STUCK WITH OBAMA'S BILL FOR HIS DUMB SOCIALISM...THE REST OF US!!!

Posted by: Jimbo | Jun 22, 2008 12:21:10 PM

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As a former catholic school teacher one would think you would have more empathy for the average american and the poor. However, I guess your desire to continue the status quo supersedes traditional catholic teachings of standing up for and helping the poor. Typical republican greed is good dogma.

WOW democrats want to tax the rich company's that employee the American workers. Driving the Employers out of the Country. WHat is wrong with this picture

Obama has a lot of money--but no integrity.