MTP's David Gregory left unchallenged Lindsay Graham's charge the stimulus was a failure

[flpoljunkie]

It took CNBC's Erin Burnett to disabuse The National Review's Rich Lowry who repeated the same lie. Burnett reminded Lowry this is the fastest recovery in 25 years and that the stimulus was indeed, a success. The camera, of course, panned to the smarmy Rich Lowry shaking his head no.

[dkf]

1. If 8% unemployment was the goal then we did fail.

Depends how you measure success.

[flpoljunkie]

2. Is that you, Rich? Seriously, most economists say it worked, just not as well as it could have.

But, a failure? Absolutely not!

[dkf]

6. I would agree that it improved the situation, but it did not fulfill the promise made.

We needed more to spur jobs. I guess Rich Lowry and I come to the same conclusion but our solutions are opposite. Unfortunately I don't think what I want is politically feasible anymore.

[Dawgs]

12. Bullshit. The promise was to save or create 2-3 million jobs.

The 8% number was mentioned only a few times to help get the votes. The only thing the administration did wrong was underestimating how bad the Bush recession would be.

Your wish of a bigger stimulus would have never had the votes. It was NEVER feasible.

[dkf]

17. It wasn't feasible after we did HCR.

If we had concentrated on creating the new economy and THAT was Obamas goal for his Presidency it would have happened.

[Dawgs]

11. The goal was always to create or save 2-3 million jobs.

It's a right-wing talking point to claim that the goal was to keep it at 8%.

If the stimulus didn't pass it would be closer to 12%.

Is that what you wanted?

[wisteria]

3. The talk now is all about Republicans and their resurgance.

Democrats need more enthusiasm and clearer talking points. Maybe the President should take a page out of the Clinton playbook, and ask the American people for more time after explaining issues such as a bad economy don't change over night. To many people are falling for the Repub talking points.

But, The Dem on the show today wasn'ttoo bad. And, Graham was just mouthing Repub talking points-very rehearsed, imo.

[butterfly77]

4. Lindsay says..

we are safer. Are we?

[Faygo Kid]

5. David Gregory is David Broder's successor: Inside-the-Beltway and clueless

Gregory is a wasteland all by himself.

[asjr]

7. David must know where the bodies

are buried. How else is he maintaining his job at NBC?

[Phx_Dem]

8. Gregory left everything Graham said unchallenged, but Erin Burnett

said, during the rountable, the stimulus absolutey helped and without it we would be much much worse off. She also said this is the fastest recovery from a recession we've seen in 25 years. Gregory, of course, sat there with his thumb up his ass and his mouth closed.

[Billy Burnett]

9. Never forget.

[totodeinhere]

10. "This is the fastest recovery in 25 years?" That's just laughable.

Maybe for the big boys on Wall Street there has been a recovery. But the little guy on Main Street has felt no recovery.
The real unemployment rate is hovering at at least 17%. Just because there is a Democrat in the White House doesn't mean that we should not tell the truth about what is really happening.

[wisteria]

13. There are numbers to prove this is the fastest recovery, where are yours to prove otherwise.

Unfortunately, you can not help Main Street without first creating a stable and fair Wall Street. What would have been your suggestions for the economy? And, for the record, I am one of those unemployed Main Streeters.

[totodeinhere]

14. I disagree with your premise. Wall Street needs to be dismantled and economic power needs to rest

with average people, not the crowd from Wall Street that kills unions, outsources jobs, and blindly leads us through one boom and bust cycle after another. And each time the bust is deeper and lasts longer. I don't dispute that there has been a recovery on paper for Wall Street, but I reject your trickle down theory. That's a classic GOP talking point that has been discredited time and again.

BTW, I'm sorry that you are unemployed. I hope you know that if Wall Street and their buddies in the GOP and Blue Dog Democrats get their way, extended unemployment benefits will be cut off. Then where will you be? Meanwhile, Wall Street will continue to enjoy it's "recovery" while you and others like you will suffer.

[Inuca]

20. What exactly does "dismantling Wall St." mean?

Not as a slogan, but in practical down to earth terms. Reigning in (i.e., regulation) I understand and support, but DISMANTLING in this day and age... honestly I do not know what it means.

[flpoljunkie]

21. CNN Money: Jobs growth has started earlier than in past recession.

Strongest jobs recovery in decades. Seriously.



By Chris Isidore, senior writer
September 2, 2010: 6:26 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A jobless recovery? Hardly.

By historical standards, the labor market is recovering nicely -- job growth has started earlier than in past recessions.

But the unemployment problem isn't going away. An especially tough recession has raised the bar on the amount of job growth needed to recover, magnifying the pain of the struggling labor market.

"If you had a severe recession, you tend to have a strong recovery," said Robert Brusca of FAO Economics. "So far that hasn't happened."

The unemployment rate hit a high-water mark of 10.1% in October 2009 and has since fallen to 9.5%. Payrolls began growing in November and, excluding the impact of temporary census jobs, the economy has added jobs every month since January.

That's a much quicker peak than previous job market recoveries.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/09/02/news/economy/jobs_recovery/index.htm

And, this Recession Graph shows the deep 'job loss' hole we are trying to climb out of...

[sallyseven]

25. You don't know the truth.

Neither do the rest of the Obama bashers. Your all repuks and learned to lie at a very young age.

[quiller4]

27. Maybe little guys in your area are feeling no recovery but sales

have really rebounded in my region where our unemployment rate has dropped from over 12 to just under 8%. Restaurants are full again. Home prices are rising albeit slowly and major employers are higher and this recovery is coming about faster than it did in previous recessions.

I'm not saying the situation is rosey. It isn't. But we shouldn't portray the situation as worse than it is, either.

[totodeinhere]

28. The real unemployment rate in your region is really higher than that. Remember that they don't

count the thousands of people who have given up even looking for work.

The nationwide unemployment rate rose in August, it did not decline. And the "underemployment" rate rose to 16.7 percent from 16.5 percent. 16.7% is just pathetic, and it's more realistic than the 8% you quoted.

http://www.seattlepi.com/business/1311ap_us_economy.html

[IndianaGreen]

15. Are people still watching Meet the Press?

It was bad enough before. Now with David Gregory it has sunk to the kindergarten level.

[flpoljunkie]

19. Are Democrats still reading firedoglake?

Jane Hamsher is John Boehner's best friend.

[IndianaGreen]

23. I don't read it. Do you?

Anyone that allows the Catfood commission to put Social Security and Medicare on the table is neither a Democrat, nor a friend of ours.

[FrenchieCat]

16. The media is there on disinformed.

so no suprise there.

[JamesA1102]

18. Burnett is great

She also likes to point out that CEOs tell her they are not hiring because of low consumer spending and not the GOP talking point that they are uncertain about the effects of the President's policies.

[annabanana]

22. Gregory actually SAID that challenging politicians wasn't his job..

(anyone got that quote from a couple years ago?)

[Diamonique]

26. I remember Tim Russert saying that.

He said it was his job to ask the questions and get the politicians to talk and let the viewers decide whether they like what they said, or whether they're lying, etc.

[davidwparker]

24. "left unchallenged" - Not really. This is how you become

host of a prestigious show when you lack talent. Just carry the water.