With Obama doing little on jobs, allies grow frustrated

[JohnWxy]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110610/ts_yblog_thelookout/with-obama-doing-little-on-jobs-allies-grow-frustrated


In the wake of last week's disastrous jobs report, allies of the Obama administration are expressing extreme frustration at what they see as the White House's inaction on the issue. But there's little evidence that Team Obama is listening.

The economy added just 54,000 jobs in May, and long-term joblessness is at a record high. Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke admitted this week that the recovery has been "frustratingly slow."

That bleak news has prompted harsh criticism of the White House from many of the administration's friends, who view the focus on deficit reduction rather than job creation as badly misplaced, and who want more government stimulus to jolt the economy.

"here is no political will to do anything about the situation," New York Times columnist Paul Krugman wrote today. "Far from being ready to spend more on job creation, both parties agree that it's time to slash spending--destroying jobs in the process--with the only difference being one of degree."
(MORE)

[FirstLight]

1. "Allies" aren;t the only ones FRUSTRATED

FUUUUUUCK! you think?

Look, creating jobs 'should' be part of the govt plan, but it is apparent that war is the only 'job creator' anyone is interested in.
So as far as domestic "bootstrap-pulling" goes... we are really on our own. It's time to dig in - channel our community efforts, grow our own grass roots recovery in our own hometowns, and go AROUND the system, since it is determined to harm us...

it makes no difference anymore who is in office, the only difference is the amount of pain and suffering they are going to inflict on the ever growing lower class, and how fast it happens.
so truly, forget about 'revolution'...it's about ACTIVISM...LOCALLY

fuck 'em all...(Yes, Obama too for all i care.. his election hasn't changed MY world a bit).... nobody has thrown us a life preserver in the past 3 years... better learn how to swim or build a raft....


ya, frustrated doesn't even BEGIN to cover it

[earcandle]

22. We need to join David Swanson's Oct "Occupy Public Space" commitment to stay there until this

crap is over.  I think his main agenda is ending the wars,
which is really first up for releasing funds back to the
American people for their infrastructure, their educational
and health institutions and to get the housing industry back
from the liars and thieves.  

Prepare for staying ala Egypt and Wisconsin as role models. 
Be a real American.  Stand the fuck up. 

[iwishiwas]

26. +1..

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

2. I still don't understand how ANY Democrat--liberal or otherwise--could get a

spending bill through the House. Can someone explain this to me? How will anyone convince the Teabaggers and Republican thugs to go along with ANY spending measure?

[lfairban]

3. Simple, but not easy.

They should tell the truth and do the right thing.

That works well when Republicans overreach, like what Obama did with the Paul Ryan budget proposal. What doesn't work is to give up before you even try.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

5. Agreed. And we can hope that the Corporate Media airs these smackdowns when they take place?

Or, will they continue to push Republican talking points on the punditry shows? Will they continue to not ask follow-up questions to these Rethugs? Will they put together a more representative panel of guests rather than only invite Rethugs on the Sunday morning talk shows? And, when there are any Democrats at all, they are usually soft spoken or Blue Dogs/Corporatists?

Where's the liberal media in all of this? We need the liberal blogs and magazines to get out there yelling the truth on the mountain tops? I don't see that anywhere.

[roguevalley]

11. 2008 when we had majorities and the need was just as great. he

decided to compromise his way to a health care bill that won't take affect for most of it before 2014. some of that good old eleventh dimensional chess for ya.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

12. We had a majority, but we didn't have a *PROGRESSIVE* majority. That was and is the problem.

Blue Dogs need their asses kicked. And the remaining ones in the Senate just may very well get theirs kicked, just like what happened in the House.

[roguevalley]

14. Johnson didn't have one but he got Kennedy's agenda through by

kicking ass in his party. Obama will never do that so the little fucking satraps have us all over a barrel.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

15. What are you talking about? LBJ *DID* indeed have a majority. In fact, he had

a 67 vote majority in the Senate and took moderate and liberal Republicans along for the ride. Back then, there were Coastal Republicans who were more liberal. Southern Democrats were written off as the bigots they were. Eventually they broke off from the party and became Republicans.

Please do not compare Obama's situation with LBJ's. Two totally different politically realities.

[roguevalley]

24. he had to beat it through. he did so knowing the south would leave

forever and they did. He did what he did with leadership and unyielding strength of purpose. He did it by busting heads. Obama could be a great president if he busted heads. He's playing golf with boehner and KASICH. Makes me weak in the knees wondering what he's going to give away. Johnson's majority was a minority on his plans but he got them through anyway.

[Dawgs]

25. +1. A little ass kicking and we'd have medicare for everyone over 55.

or, a public option, a larger stimulus, the end of the filibuster, etc..

[JohnWxy]

16. It helps to be willing to 'take on' the Repugs, to identifiy the disinformation and Bullshit..

and to attack them for it --- to at least show the people you are fighting for them.

I have concluded Obama isn't doing this because he is actually a moderate Republican. He has shown more willingness to take issue with things Democrats say when they disagree with him (and to argue publicly with them) than with the Corporate Lobbyists (to the contrary, he seems to take great pains to ingratiate himself with them even though they would as soon push him off a cliff as say "hi" to him). He repeatedly makes statements that only encourage the Corporate Lobbyists' hypocrisy - and which gives credence to much of their bullshit. In my opinion his approach is nosensical. The Corporate Lobbyists never negotiate in good faith -- well, at least not until you fight them to show them you mean business.

His behavior has encouraged the Corporate Lobbyists and confused and disaffected many Democrats (perhaps half).


Frankly, I've given up hoping for Democrat-like behavior out of Obama because he's not a Democrat. At the very least he may be operating as if he thinks he is still a community organizer. A community organizer often has to function as the mediator between opposing factions - and in that role - not taking anybody's side in the disagreement. It may be Obama views his role in that way. If that is so, he is NOT functioning as the leader of the Democratic party. In which case we need one!

[emulatorloo]

18. News media does not show Obama's frequent critiques of Republican tactics and policies

If you want to see those parts of his statements, you will have to CSpan.

Corp media does not show critiques of Republicans, as Corp media is part of the GOP disinformation machine

[mazzarro]

29. +100% - Accurate!

He sees his role in the presidency as a community organizer and that has resulted in this nonsensical tendency to placate the corporatists and rethugs. I have long concluded that I will no longer worry about what he does or does not do because I do not expect him to be any different from who he has been since the beginning of his administration. I am not even interested in his re-election efforts because my focus is on working with local progressives - I don't give a damn about the national election anymore.

[pscot]

27. Yeah; Let's not even try

Dog forbid we should call the Republicans out. That wouldn't be bipartisan. I wonder how much bipartisanship we can expect from President Romney.

[FSogol]

4. With the GOP blocking everything including jobs, allies grow frustrated..

:shrug:

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

6. That's what I don't understand. Other than Obama making a speech,

how do these proposals get through a Rethuglican-dominated House?

[FSogol]

7. Simple. They Don't. n/t

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

8. Why is Krugman, then, acting as if something substantial can be done in this environment?

[JohnWxy]

21. because Krugman has more sense than you and realizes that leadership makes a difference. You aren't

going to move the Corporate Lobbyists unless you fight them for it.


Obama has shown a greater affinity for criticizing Dems who disagree with him than fighting those who would gladly throw him off a cliff.

[FSogol]

9. Dunno. Ask Krugmann. n/t

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

10. That was totally a rhetorical question. :) n/t

[JohnWxy]

20. there is no chance of that happening unless you have a democratic president williing to fight for it

[Chisox08]

28. The Republicons wouldn't have the House if there was more of a fight from the Dems in 09 and 10

All of the compromises and bi-partisanship turned off a lot of voters. Not fighting for a larger stimulus directed at creating jobs it wouldn't have given the Republicons the jobs jobs jobs mantra they spewed out in the 2010 elections.

[Butch350]

13. AH...New Jobs??

New jobs in what please! Jobs doing what?

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

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

[emulatorloo]

19. Lol. Is Rove's American Crossroads part of the Conspiracy too?

[Doctor_J]

23. Between this, assaulting Weiner, leaving Vitter & Slappy alone,

joining the "let's wreck social security" team, and the wars, I am pretty sure he's tired of being president and is trying to lose next year.