Obama’s “jobs program”: Poverty wages and mass unemployment

[IndianaGreen]

Obama’s “jobs program”: Poverty wages and mass unemployment

10 July 2010

In a series of speeches and interviews this week, the Obama administration signaled a further shift to the right in its social and economic policy, abandoning even its minimal stimulus proposals under pressure from the financial-corporate elite.

On Wednesday, President Obama announced the formation of a panel, called the President’s Export Council, to coordinate the administration’s pledge to double US exports over the next five years. He touted the increase in exports as the key to reviving the economy and creating jobs.

He spoke before a White House gathering dominated by corporate executives, and packed the 19-member panel with the CEOs of some of the largest and most powerful US corporations, including Boeing, Ford, Xerox, UPS, ADM, Verizon and Walt Disney.

On Thursday, he spoke at a small Kansas City electric truck factory to promote his economic policy.

Obama made not a single reference in either speech to the failure of Congress to extend emergency jobless benefits, depriving millions of long-term unemployed workers of any income. Nor did he note Congress’ failure to approve additional federal Medicaid aid to the states, which will result in hundreds of thousands of new public employee and teacher layoffs and further cuts in education and other essential services.

In both speeches, Obama made repeated assertions that the economy is “headed in the right direction” and “moving forward,” in spite of mounting signs of an economic slowdown that negates any prospect of significant job growth.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/jul2010/pers-j10.shtml

[TheWraith]

1. Another babbling tankard of insanity and lies from WSWS.org. nt

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[izquierdista]

10. One of their 'lies'

Contains more factual accuracy than an hour of FOX's fair and balanced reportage.

[NJmaverick]

13. Did you actually use FAUX news as the bar for honest reporting?

[Robb]

17. If I have to agree with goddamn TheWraith one more time this year

...I'm gonna go nuts. :hi:

[JTFrog]

23. +1

[Zoeisright]

2. 'Congress's' failure???

It's those fucking repukes and their obstructionism that is 'failing'. Using the broad brush of 'Congress' is a total lie.

[IndianaGreen]

3. I'll bet that a Republican Congress won't be held back by the mythical 60-vote barrier!

They will pass everything with a simple majority! This begs the question as to why are the Democrats the only ones being intimidated and held back by the 60-vote barrier?

A plausible explanation is that all of the excuses about the failure to gather 60-votes are merely a pretext for not really caring to pass progressive legislation.

[treestar]

6. Yes they will

Unless the Democrats aren't such assholes as to use it on every single thing.

Maybe you'd prefer those "strong, tough" Republicans in office?

Or maybe the Green party can really beat them. Let's elect a Green President. Start working on it now.

[IndianaGreen]

8. Define Democrat! Are the anti-union, pro-privatization cabal in WH Democrats?

They are more in the mold of Rockefeller Republicans.

[Donnachaidh]

12. perhaps, but they won't have a problem using the nuclear option

:shrug:

[msongs]

9. last time I looked dems had a majority in both houses of congress nt

[faceit]

19. Actually, if Nelson voted for the benefits extension, it would have passed

The Democrats did this ALL by themselves. If they banded together (as they always seem to be able to do when selling out the American people to the corporate machine), the benefits would have been granted.

[treestar]

5. Let's see the Socialists win the election

If they can get the Presidency and 60 votes in Congress, maybe these things won't ever happen!

[IndianaGreen]

7. The 60-vote barrier is a myth!

Medicare is an existing program. A Socialist Administration would have opened Medicare to anyone that cared to enroll in it, and it would have only taken a simple majority to do so.

Wall Street would not have been bailed out, they would have been jailed in.

[NJmaverick]

14. The myth is the claim that the socialist wouldn't face the same rode blocks everyone else faces

[treestar]

21. Amen, even a Green President would still have to deal with Congress

And likely become a "disappointment."

[IndianaGreen]

25. An American version of the Bolivarian Revolution would have overcome all those obstacles

Obstacles created by a dying ruling class in a desperate effort to keep power and wealth at the expense of the working class. It wouldn't be a Green Administration, but a Red one that can smash the chains of oppression.

[Robb]

18. And Tinkerbelle would've given everyone free beer.

... a "socialist administration" is slightly less likely. Unless perhaps, like the most successful Green presidential candidate in US history, they are bankrolled by the GOP.

[treestar]

20. This thread has some discussion on the filibuster

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=8716779

It is not a myth.

[Newest Reality]

11. To me,

there is an obvious shift in the paradigm. We expect this all to be about reestablishing a consumer society here. If that is so, we have to suppose that the economic situation is by accident and not on purpose. In a sense we would then be looking at a decoy while something else is trending.

We cannot expect, (as per historical evidence) a direct and honest assessment and transparency concerning what is going on since part of the current job of government is to manage, rather than serve, the masses. The Iraq occupation was a most blatant illustration of that. In some cases, it is somewhat justifiable, (calling an economic collapse a "Depression" would worsen the impact and panic, though it might also incite more rapid adjustment and action) in other cases it crosses the line to propaganda and outright manipulation for special interests of all kinds.

It is up to us to parse and discern while keeping in mind that every word and phrase is carefully chosen and vetted prior to dissemination to the public.

I find it hard to refute these two paragraphs from that article. In fact, if this is the case, then it would be prudent to consider the far-reaching and even devastating impact on our own circumstances as we encounter and endure this massive shift. To expect otherwise might prove to be both naive and self-destructive.

"Obama called for a “new foundation” for the US economy based on a revival of manufacturing and expansion of factory exports. Hinting at how this is to be achieved, he called for an end to “bubbles of consumption.” His corporate audience welcomed the message: the wages and living standards of American workers will be driven down and their output driven up so as to make American factories a cheap labor platform for exports to the world market.

"Obama insinuated that the working class has been living beyond its means. In fact, working class living standards in the US have been stagnant or declining for the past 40 years. It is the financial aristocracy that has been on a consumption binge based on its plundering of the national wealth."

[nightrain]

15. has Obama completely erased his community organizer experience?

[Skittles]

29. he only needed it to get elected

[boomerbust]

16. You betcha

This would have never happened on Hilary's watch.:evilgrin:

[Grinchie]

30. You mean this isn't Hilary's watch?

Could have fooled me. DLC to the Left of me, DLC to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle again.

[Greyhound]

22. Always the same, no real argument so "it could be worse" and "where else you going to go?"

it's so very sad...

[suzie]

24. As opposed to, "If we only elected a socialist President". That's an argument?

[IndianaGreen]

26. Elections are fixed. The system is fixed.

You will see an increase in authoritarian measures, regardless of which of the 2-parties are nominally in power, in a desperate attempt to preserve the status quo.

[suzie]

27. Elections are fixed--that's why there won't be a socialist president--seriously?

[IndianaGreen]

28. Hear it from the prophet himself!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHd_jXtp4Rs

[Grinchie]

32. The Shakespeare of the Millenium - Long Live George Carlin

[Grinchie]

31. It's already started and is now accelerating.