This is like celebrating a successful trip when one hasn’t pulled out of the driveway yet.

They need Obama to fail in order for them to succeed. They’ll do their best.

It’s as refreshing as an iceberg in the North Atlantic.

As usual, epu’d below – if anyone is interested in comments on credit cards by a former credit card employee, they’re at the bottom of the last thread.

Now to read BT’s post.

Denial is very powerful. People can get stuck in denial forever.

Evidently Republicans think America going over a cliff is the best thing that could happen for them. Nice that they’ve managed to keep their priorities in order.

They “don’t read polls,” don’cha know, like their “unpopular” ex-president.

They still live in that self-created “reality” that Ron Suskind found out about a few years ago.

And don’t you love the way the “trad media” keeps framing current events as Obama failing his first “test”? If you read the headlines, let alone the articles, you would think his appproval ratings had dropped to Repub levels.
I hear the lines to get in to hear the (current) President in Elkhart this morning stretched to the lenght of a football field.

Yeah, the Repubs are on the way back, h’ray!/s

Right. “Being popular” doesn’t matter. As long as Rushbo’s on board, that’s all that matters.

Rinse, repeat.

Evidently Republicans think America going over a cliff is the best thing that could happen for them. Nice that they’ve managed to keep their priorities in order.

that’s exactly it.

but let’s be clear – that was also the Democrats’ strategy during the 110th congress. by giving bush everything he wanted and never providing any real constraint (just the occasion bit of kabuki to placate the DFHs) their plan was to give bushco the rope to hang himself and the republican party. who cared if that meant disaster for the country?

Obstructionism!!!! yay!!!! What fun!!!!!

OT
Head of SEC stepping down. “Led an era of historic enforcement.” Heckuva job, Linda Thompson.

It is easy to be successful when you’re entire agenda is comprised of obstruction. Much harder to govern effectively.

“Led an era of historic enforcement.”

Is that an actual quote? Undoubtedly spoken without a hint of irony.

Close paraphrase, assuming her statement was read accurately on cnbc. I believe the statement cited something like 4000 enforcements.

The biggest gooper delusion is that Obama & the Dems are going to be blamed for any failure of the stimulus.

The Republican Party is on the hook for this mess no matter what happens.

SEC director of enforcement, i think. she testified re the madoff matter before the house financial services committee last week. did not look good.

The three most influential Republicans today are Rush, Sam the (non)Plumber, and Bible Spice.

That tells you all you need to know right there.

disagree. obama is on record saying the stimulus bill is great – or at least that’s what think he was saying earlier to day. but i got the blah, blah, blahs (ecahn can explain) so i’m not really sure.

if the obama’s plan fails, it will be on the him and the dems.

Yeah, I thought it was the same person. Another “dumb blond.” (demi & I are allowed to use that as an emplitive).

LOL.

not. going. there. *g*

‘GOP retreat’ I wish they would.

My Republic friend was really estatic last week because he was sure that Obama’s poll numbers were crashing. He’s already counting the days until Obama resigns. I can’t help laughing when he tells me this stuff.

The Republicans are happy because they’ve succeeded in reframing many of the debates in classical (Milton) Friedmanesque terms that the public has become used to. For example, a constant Republican drumbeat since Reagan has been to make the phrase “wasteful government spending” redundant. The public has been conditioned to think that all government spending is inherently wasteful. The Republicans will be happy as long as that framing goes unchallenged.

Obama is striking the right note in his recent public comments (such as today in Elkhart, IN), showing how government spending is needed and helpful.

Bob in HI

GOP = Holier Than Thou Crap Heads

Goopers are stunting for the base. They apparently promised many gooper house members that if they’d vote “no” on the first vote, they’d be free to vote in favor of the bill in it’s final form. It was all show no go.

Bottom line is that nothing has happened yet- it’s like the first few seconds of the first round and the crowd is reacting a haymaker that missed.

It wasn’t just Madoff. From my scandals list (I cut out the middle section of a long entry)

324. In 2004-2005 Gary Aguirre led a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation into insider trading involving hedge funds and investment banks. Basically, the investment banks made large profits from commissions from hedge funds and in return tipped off these funds ahead of ordinary investors on lucrative deals about to be announced to the markets. Specifically, Aguirre was looking into Pequot Capital Management run by Arthur Samberg which made $18 million in one such deal in 2001 when it received information that General Electric Capital Corporation intended to buy Heller Financial. In mid-June 2005, Aguirre sought to subpoena John Mack, chief investment executive at Morgan Stanley, an investor in Pequot, and friend of Samberg, together with emails exchanged between the two. In this he was initially backed by his boss Robert Hanson but Hanson soon backtracked warning that Mack had powerful political connections. He wasn’t kidding. Mack was a 2004 Bush Ranger, an elite group of political fundraisers who collected $200,000 or more in bundled donations. Enter at this point Mary Jo White a corporate fixer at the law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton (see item 229) representing Morgan Stanley. She went over Aguirre’s head directly to the Enforcement Director at the SEC Linda Thomsen and the subpoenas that Aguirre had sought were blocked. Aguirre protested, announced his intention to resign, but then withdrew it. Meanwhile his supervisors had decided to fire him and orchestrated a special negative evaluation to justify their action. On September 1, 2005, Aguirre was fired at the end of his one year probationary period. On his last day, he wrote a letter to SEC Chairman Christopher Cox outlining the preferential treatment John Mack had been given.

An October 6, 2008 New York Times story reports that the current SEC Inspector General David Kotz issued a follow up report which substantiated Gary Aguirre’s account of events and recommended disciplinary action against his superiors Linda Thomsen, Robert Hanson and Mark Kreitman. The Pequot investigation remains closed.

Head of SEC stepping down. “Led an era of historic enforcement.”

Hahahahahaha!

Oh, wait. That’s not really funny, is it?

GOP = Goofy, Obstructionist, Poison

Thanks again for keeping track. I’m sure there were several more that we don’t yet know about.

Goopers in the house actually have nothing to do but to show up and vainly vote “no” on nearly everything. They will have no legislative initiatives, no impact on policy, no nothing. They don’t even have enough votes to mount a succesful obstruction. It’s a lonely fuckin life.

In Elkhart, IN this am, at the President’s appearance::

the audience chanted “Obama, Obama” when the president entered and some shouted, “We love you.” When he opened it to questions from the floor, some sounded almost worshipful, with one declaring that he was “very thrilled to be in the presence of you.” The only person who got up and asked a question that challenged Mr. Obama’s actions was booed. Mr. Obama quieted the crowd and said her question was legitimate.
The woman asked how Americans could trust him if “those you have appointed to your cabinet are not trustworthy,” referring to his nomination of several officials who did not pay all of their taxes until the prospect of working in his administration. She also suggested that he sit down for a beer with Sean Hannity, the conservative Fox News Channel host.

Now, can anyone imagine the highlighted portion having happened during ANY Bush appearance, before or after his campaigns?

If nothing else, I am proud of our President for supporting truly free speech for citizens, not just his own partisans.

Oh, and the 1st para tells me the Washington media and talking heads are still completely out of touch with the people.

Bush had an advance group who hand selected the audience- forcing out any opposition.

Either Obama doesn’t mind opposition, or his advance team isn’t as good as Bush’s. Hard to tell which at this point.

Seems like Gibbs and Axelrod are taking on the Cable news and DC Media
http://theplumline.whorunsgov……cal-elite/

I would have like the Q more if she had asked why Obama appointed people to his economic team who had caused the problems to begin with.

Obama’s being the non-W. He announced at the beginning of Q&A that the Qs had not been preselected.

OT
A Rod admits to using performance enhancing drugs. Yawn.

You are now returned to your regular program.

I move we change their name to the GOD Party. Grand Old Dickheads or Douchebags.

-G

Tiger Woods is a father again- to a son this time- whose net worth at birth has more digits than his hands

Ooh, I saw part of that. You are right, she didn’t come off well at all.

Suppose that has anything to do with her decision to step down a week later?/s

I think that professional athletes should be sponsored by the drugs they use and wear the logos proudly on their jerseys- or whatever. If we’re going to have competition- let em bulk up as much as they like. We’ll just have to make the doors a little wider and put the outfield fences at 450 feet.

Just FYI, from someone who is in Elkhart, IN right now. This is a VERY Republican county. I know people with fairly progressive leanings who consider themselves Republicans because “there’s no point in even voting in the Democratic primaries around here.”

So for Obama to be so popular in this county is not the same as it would be in some “liberal enclave.”

The free tickets to today’s town hall meeting were snapped up in less than an hour.

2010 and 2012 are a long way off still, but the ball’s in the Democrats’ court right now.

Sean Hannity for a beer? What a rare treat. Of course there are people nearly as stupid as Sean at most any bar- so there’s no point in makin the poor guy travel.

He’s already counting the days until Obama resigns

He’s still living in that self-created reality, too, huh?

Resigns. Unbelievable.
After all, it’s so common in our history that Presidents who feel they’ve failed promptly resign, right? Right? Sheeeeeee….

If the public would just see performance enhancing drugs the same way they see innovative golf equipment- a new industry might be born.

Hi eCAHN,

now we know what the A in A-Rod really stands for.

Asterisk *g*

Yea. And after less than a month in office. geeeeez.

Thanks, I love that. No surprise to hear that it’s super-Republican.
I grew up in Indianapolis – hardly knew any Democrats till I went to college. (IU – soooo liberal my best friend wasn’t allowed to even apply there. LOL)
Can you imagine Bush having spoken in a Democratic county to push for one of his programs?

202-225-3601 Call Lois Capps tell her to get pro active it is time for cems to shout out the message…voting is not enough…
call your critters get the stimulus rstores for states, food stamps, medical and other essential cut bt Neocons in the senate.

Yep. If they want to ruin their health for fame, it’s OK with me. And all you folks who go to games can work up a chant about “tiny nuts.”

Heh.

Here is one rethug that has already drawn a very interesting oponent
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/….._0209.html

Bush had an advance group who hand selected the audience- forcing out any opposition

Yeah, that was kind of my point.

I really think Obama does NOT do that sh-t. It wasn’t a job for an advance team before Bush, even Nixon didn’t think of it.

Torture upstairs.

My lack of high expectations for the integrity of all politicians knows no natural limits.

Hi, Mary!
And can you imagie what that guy’s response would have been to a suggestion that Bush resign after, say, Katrina, or – for that matter — after 9/11?

Yeah, I’ve noticed that. *g*.
No offense meant.

Obama hasn’t guaranteed success.

This is a crisis of the Republican’s making, and the American people will give Obama an “A” for effort in an impossible situation even if the stimulus fails.

Which is why his approval rating is twice as high on the stimulus than Congressional goopers.

Filet de Penis thread runnin upstairs

Those who like that sort of thing will find this to be the sort of thing they like.

Sorry I just signed on…My stomach churns at the cheers that it is just so great to tear things down…celebrate failure, as they call it. How about pulling for the good ol’ Homeland. Sounds like a good ol’ Laura Ingraham rant with a chorus.

the Republicans didn’t lose they just sub-contracted out to the Dems for 4 yrs. The rich are still getting richer on the backs of the middle class and poor. What a joke.