Democrats versus Republicans

[PBzeer]

sck, would that be as opposed to Bambi's tax cuts, PLUS increased spending? What happened to your concern about the deficit?

[wind_magic]

Originally Posted by PBzeer

After telling Congressional GOP leaders, "I won", Obama has shown his much hearlded talk of a new bi-partisanship, is just that, talk. It's my way, or the highway. Funny how not so long ago we were hearing how terrible that attitude is.

Originally Posted by sck5

When you lose as big as the repubs have, and STILL can only think of tax cuts as the reponse to any and every problem, and have run the economy into the ground, you shouldnt expect people to care much what you have to say.

I think you're both wrong.

You guys are just poking sticks at each other. So far Obama has been pretty good as far as Presidents go at staying above the fray, I suspect he will continue with that strategy because it's been working for him. He's made a few unlikely choices that angered is own party, has been willing to change his mind on a number of key issues, and even the fact he's entertaining the Republicans at all is proof enough he's trying to maintain a certain amount of order and even, dare we say it, friendliness. Party faithful on both sides won't have many nice things to say about that, and maybe there's not much good to say about it, but it does seem to work for him. I think he'll continue to let his parties Sck5's fight with the Republican parties Pbz's, and he'll try to at least appear to be listening to both. Does that make him a Republican ? No, of course not, he's obviously a Democrat to the core and no doubt his choices will go that way, but I do think he will try to make concessions along the way and even work with moderates for consensus when it's possible.

[PBzeer]

If this supposed congeniality proves to be any more than window dressing, I'll be surprised. They have the votes. They don't need the GOP. For anything but cover.

[sck5]

when a depression threatens or is actually here then deficits have to take a back seat to stimulating the economy. Herbert Hoover showed what happens when you try to balance the budget as the economy shrinks - you just accelerate the downward spiral. We shouldnt have run deficits during the good years from 2002 onward as the economy expanded. We SHOULD run them now to prevent a depression. Once we are on an upward track again we should then get some fiscal sanity.

Hey, if Obama does what he says and it doesnt work then I will definitely say so. Bush has led us into a disaster in my opinion and we need a change to get out of the hole. Neither I nor most Americans thought doing the same thing even harder (as repubs seem to want) is the answer. Actually, it is worth noting that there arent only two positions on what to do. There is what Bush did, there is what Obama says he will do, and there are about a thousand other possibilities.

Lets hope they get it right. As for me, congeniality is an obsession of the media. Bush didnt go for it after he got elected because he didnt have to. He got elected and reelected to do what he did whether the dems liked it or not. Fair enough but now the shoe is on the other foot. We will see which way works better.

[sailaway21]

Originally Posted by wind_magic

I think you're both wrong.

You guys are just poking sticks at each other. So far Obama has been pretty good as far as Presidents go at staying above the fray, I suspect he will continue with that strategy because it's been working for him. He's made a few unlikely choices that angered is own party, has been willing to change his mind on a number of key issues, and even the fact he's entertaining the Republicans at all is proof enough he's trying to maintain a certain amount of order and even, dare we say it, friendliness. Party faithful on both sides won't have many nice things to say about that, and maybe there's not much good to say about it, but it does seem to work for him. I think he'll continue to let his parties Sck5's fight with the Republican parties Pbz's, and he'll try to at least appear to be listening to both. Does that make him a Republican ? No, of course not, he's obviously a Democrat to the core and no doubt his choices will go that way, but I do think he will try to make concessions along the way and even work with moderates for consensus when it's possible.

The normally reliable Windy has missed this one big time. How he reconciles his above statements with the article below escapes objective analysis.
PREZ ZINGS GOP FOE IN A $TIMULATING TALK - New York Post

[poopdeckpappy]

hey, why is this still here,

[sailaway21]

Originally Posted by poopdeckpappy

hey, why is this still here,

Because the creation of a new forum changed everything. The problem has been solved. Now there is no problem. Feel the difference? It's lonely over here because all the bleeding hearts who didn't like off topic are over in politics, religion, and war explaining how they don't like that either. This is a very complicated matter. See, some people who see a thread titled Republican just freeze right up and become transfixed. They cannot then find the thread on shackles. It's kind of like going to the newsstand for your Weekly Reader and getting distracted by Penthouse.

[poopdeckpappy]

Oh ok, that I understand...............

[erps]

when a depression threatens or is actually here then deficits have to take a back seat to stimulating the economy. Herbert Hoover showed what happens when you try to balance the budget as the economy shrinks - you just accelerate the downward spiral. We shouldnt have run deficits during the good years from 2002 onward as the economy expanded. We SHOULD run them now to prevent a depression. Once we are on an upward track again we should then get some fiscal sanity.

We had good years during the Bush administration?

I don't have education in financial systems. This strategy you mention wouldn't work well for our household or for a small business though. The first thing they tell you when you find yourself in a hole is to quit digging. As far as this working for a national strategy, Sck5, I hope you're right, because it looks like that's what they are going to do whether I agree with it or not.

I personally think "spending" our way out of recessions just keeps putting off the pain. We'll see.

[sailaway21]

Originally Posted by sck5

when a depression threatens or is actually here then deficits have to take a back seat to stimulating the economy. Herbert Hoover showed what happens when you try to balance the budget as the economy shrinks - you just accelerate the downward spiral. We shouldnt have run deficits during the good years from 2002 onward as the economy expanded. We SHOULD run them now to prevent a depression. Once we are on an upward track again we should then get some fiscal sanity.

The lunacy of the above position is that it ignores the fact that, since 2002, we've been engaged in the war on terror as well as the war in Iraq. We were going to run deficits during those years due to those factors alone.

If there is a criticism of those years it is that domestic spending expanded greatly and in dubious ways. That is why the deficit in unconscionable. The irony of course is that, sck5's candidate, and now our President, wants to continue exactly that type of spending that got us this deficit in the first place. Actually, he wants to increase it.

Another case of Obama being merely, more Bush.