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Over at RedState, Cantor pulls a Boehner.
Is there any doubt that President Obama’s economic policies have failed to generate the jobs and healthier economy that they were sold on? Ask the unemployed worker in Canton, Ohio, who is left wondering where their stimulus job is. Ask the worker in Danville, Virginia, wondering if they may lose their job because of the Democrats’ cap-and-trade bill. … Every job lost is an economic free fall for a family. They weren’t promised a job in two or three years, they were promised immediate results when the Administration asked to borrow your money to pay for its stimulus.
Where are the jobs, Cantor asks? They’re in Virginia.
Asked about his support of the high-speed rail [funded by the Obama stimulus bill], Cantor said the rail system could provide 185,000 jobs in Virginia.
"I don’t see any inconsistency there with supporting something that creates 185,000 jobs and being against a bill that has spent almost $800 billion, only maybe 12 percent that could arguably be proven to have any job-creating potential," he said.
So he’s show-me-the-money when it comes to his state, but he’s a Club for Growth concern troll everywhere else. No hypocrisy there.
And for the record, Obama said the stimulus bill would create 3.3 million jobs over 2 years, so Cantor’s just full of shit with that "promised immediate results" stuff.
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Eric Cantor creeps me out. Take a look at him the next time he’s standing behind Boehner at one of their many photo ops. Total Creep Vibe…
A Republican Congressman full of shit? Who could have anticipated…?
I’m shocked! Shocked, I say.
Rs seem likely to win this argument since employment will probably continue to decline. That would put Obama in the position of saying that it would have declined even more without the stim, not a good place to be politically.
The GOP has nothing to run on but Hope. Hope the economy fails but do they really think that if the economy gets worse that Americans will want more tax cuts for the rich and not More Stimulus which is what we Lefties have been pushing for this entire time.
The GOP is hoping for another 9/11 so they can run on Fear again. But the GOP will also be running on a record of moving troops away from the hunt to get Ossama so that they could invade Iraq before the Job was Done.
Ok BT explain the logic behind this kind of thinking. Because I’m trying my best to put myself in the GOPs place and think like them…and all I get is an Empty Screen.
Is this the best they got?
Believe me when I say I am so proud that Eric Cantor is a representative from the state in which I live.
So proud. So fucking goddamn proud… whatta dick.
The GOP has cornered the market on Hypocrisy. Can we change his name to Congressman Tool? I suggest that from this point on Cantor will always be referred to as Representative Tool.
I agree it is not a position of strength. I think it is important to keep pointing out that the failed policies of the last 8 years created this economic meltdown and it is going to take longer than 6 months to repair all of the damage.
TPM points out that Cantor’s PAC is called Every Republican Is Crucial, aka ERIC.
Krugman and DeLong have been doing tag team on rebutting this nonsense, which amounts to childish “are we there yet?” One of his responses:
http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/…..wrong.html
Jared Bernstein and Christy Romer constructed extremely crude estimates of the delta-effect of the stimulus package on the economy by taking when they thought the different components of the $787 billion would be spent and how long it would then take for the government spending to have an impact on the economy. Their estimate is that we saw the effect of $0 (zero) (none) (nada) dollars of the stimulus package on the economy in the first quarter, that we saw the effects of only $14.5 billion in the second quarter, and that we are about to see the effects of $38.6 billion now in the third quarter as the effects of the ackage ramp up to their peak in the fall of 2010, when we will see $82.1 billion of stimulus spending hit the economy.
To say that what happened in the second quarter means that “the last few hundred billion dollars have had virtually no effect” is like sticking your toe into the ocean and pointing out that your hair is still dry…
The stoopid – it hurts.
He can point that out all he wants, and it’s true, but with every passing month, he owns the economy more & more.
I wonder if Cantor likes to hold the thigh of male journalists during dinner parties? Or is he a different sort of creepy?
One termer.
Here’s the argument.
They’ll have to do it quickly, while Cheney’s B team is still on the payroll.
Only if the Rs can find someone to run against him, which seems unlikely at the moment. The Rs are dropping like flies, and deservedly so.
for Bluetoe2
Yeah – lets hear it for Willard. /s
Actually the stimulus package is just going to be throwing good money after bad. It was the wrong thing to do but you know politicians…they always feel like they have to do something. Unfortunately it usually involves lots of money and little to show for it. So it shall be once more. It will also tip the scale in favor of putting us in a position we can never dig ourselves out of.
They just can’t stand the thought of anyone suffering. In truth if an individual makes a mistake (buying too much house, etc) they should learn. Of course if there is no pain the learning process is short circuited and bad behavior persists.
When Obama leaves office we will be some $20 trillion in debt!!!!!!
His jobs figures are fictional. What jobs are “created” will soon vanish…just like the glory days of the US of A.
At that point our socialist comrades will take over and we can live in eternal peace and harmony.
Only poor people learn by making mistakes. Rich people who make mistakes get bailed out.
Ok Virginia folks, we took Allen out of office, let’s get to work on this guy.
They’ll find someone and then it’s merely packaging. A half-assed recovery and half-assed healthcare “reform” will do in Obama and many Dems. It’s going to have to get a lot worse before there is a glimmer or real change, you know the kind that is more than rhetoric.
I sure can’t argue there.
I am very disappointed Obama has continued the bailouts. I don’t understand that.
As far as “too big to fail” it’s a profanity.
The economy is going to look pretty bad for awhile. Krugman is right, we needed a bigger stimulus and we still need more.
If all the money being spent on these wasteful wars and bank bailouts was redirected to projects that benefit everyone and not just the financial capitalists and war profiteers maybe things would start to look better.
I think what we’re confronted with is Obama’s backing away from just about everything he promised on the campaign trail. There is no accountability for the criminals who came before him, transparency to him means something totally different from what it means to most of us, he’s expanding the fighting in Afghanistan into Pakistan, and he seems to support some chimera called “clean” coal, whatever that is.
I’m still waiting for a reason to believe.
Retrofit America for a Green Economy, killing three birds with one stone.
1) putting Americans to work
2) protecting the planet
3) paying for it by restoring fairness to the tax code
Easiest way to ensure that Stim Three: The Enjobbening has more jobs?
Eliminate the stupid tax cuts next time.
that would be a reason to believe
Much too soon to get exercised over 2012. There will be plenty of time starting around 2011.
Does Sotomayor’s defense of Kelo (sp?) seem tortured?
ew
Sotomayor Liveblog Part III up
I voted for Obama and I’ve been quite disappointed…especially with the bailouts.
The GOP is calling the Stimulus a failure already why? The when the choices are another Stimulus, do Nothing or Tax Cuts for the Rich?
Yeah I’m sure that will win them votes.
I’m predicating that Obama will fire Geithner and Summers and blame them for the economy before unemployment gets to 15%.
I’m thinking 12-13% and their gone.
If he waits for 15% then the Communist Party might start making a come back. The Tea Baggers/Minute Men of course will have gone on several shooting sprees by then.
I’ve worked with the tax code for thirty years. It’s never been fair in my career and I doubt if it ever will be.
Too bad.
Democrats nominated and elected the con-man and compulsive liar Barack Obama, and now… complaining about second-string Republicans like Eric Cantor is just a distraction.
“Democrats are better than Republicans!”
Yeah, and so what?
Both those parties are happily flushing what’s left of the environment down the nearest K Street toilet, and the rest of us are just waiting for the next big flush to kiss our jobs and houses and the whole dying planet goodbye.
Harharharhar!!!
“Looky looky looky look at Eric Cantor! Forget about the con-man and compulsive liar Barack Obama! Democrats are better than Republicans!”
And so on ad nauseam… except that this lame excuse for Democrats was already nauseating 20 years ago.
Funny seeing GOPers attack the bailout of Corporations (they are the ProBusiness Party) and then attack home owners as if the banks were not as free of Government or Fed regulation during the Bush/Greenspan years as at any other time in history did not choose to make those loans.
Just like the banks are now choosing not to refinance homes.
But attacking the Stimulus bill? putting people to work worked in the Great Depression if anything we need another Stimulus bill because bailing out corporations is not working.
The pendulum has swung a long way from the Eisenhower years when the top rate was 91% for incomes over $400,000. If unemployment does reach the 15% mentioned above, it may start its reverse swing.
OT – We haz no liveblogging III on Sotomayor hearings? just askin’.
One notation from me – Grassley making himself look like an a–hole. Love the crossed arms while listening to the nominee.
As far as I’m concerned, these R questions are ridiculous.
re: my OT: never mind! Just found it at EW’s place.
Now, you should know better than that as Marcy has picked it up from Christy
EW is handling III.
http://emptywheel.firedoglake……-part-iii/
Undone, Really not suprising that the right would be against bailouts if you knew anything about their positions at all. Free markets dictate bankruptcy for companies that can’t compete. Conservatives, which Bush is not, would be against bailouts across the board. Conservatives also recognize social engineering mandated by requiring loans to be made to people that have no chance of paying them back is wrong. Barney the banking queen is a disaster. Lastly, please tell me one country that got out of a depression or recession, your pick, by increasing the size of gov’t. BTW, the correct answer is that it has never happened and won’t now.
What would be fair?
Actually putting people to work did not work in the Great Depression. Only World War II saved the day.
Conventional fairness goes something like this:
“Don’t you….don’t tax me….tax that fella behind the tree.”
Actually before tacking the tax code we would be well advised to get a handle on spending. Obviously the less we spend the less we need to tax. As always, the power to tax is the power to destroy. We’ve done a good job in that area.
Eric Cantor is nothing but “Santorum” – lite. (using the Urban Dictionary’s definition, btw)
I’ve had it up to HERE with the lying, evil bastards today. Grand Wizard Sessions was on my teevee all morning. I’m cleaning the screen as soon as I finish this…
That should be “Don’t tax you…don’t tax me….etc
As a Republic Leader, Eric Cantor cannot resist his first impulse, which is to lie.
Sweden. US, Canada, UK, Do you want more? I guess your idealogy has infinged upon your critical thinking abilities.
I don’t believe you.
Conservativism is really more like a religion than anything else. It requires a suspension of critical thinking in order to recite the dogma.
I like the idea of a flat tax. Wouldn’t that be fairer? I agree about spending. Barry has spent more in a couple of months then all other presidents combined. The increase taxes and inflation are right around the corner—-Great.
Yes, there are undesired consequences for having Bush and the Republics in power for so long.
Yes there sure are. Stupid wars and studid spending.
Here Here. Exactly.
I must have forgotten about the great depressions of sweden, canada and the UK! Really IrismJim, would you rather have our economy and standard of living based on free market capitalism or the nanny states you mentioned above.
Cantor and the Republicans are nuts, no idea how to fix the economy that 8 years of Bush did so much to destroy. But if Cantor is playing with the numbers so is Obama. The job hole by the end of 2010 looks to be a minimum 13 million and could be considerably higher. In his stimulus, he promised to save or create 3.5 million jobs over the 2 year course of the stimulus. That barely scratches the surface of what is needed and jobs saved is an out that you could drive a Mack truck through.
The Republicans remain psychotic but the Democrats and Obama really have no effective plan either.
Where are all these trolls coming from? Did the bridges they were living under all fall down?
Note the false equivalency logical fallacy. I rest my case about a failed idealogy infringing upon critical thinking abilities.
I can’t believe you honestly believe that we need another stimulus. This is the third one already and it still has not worked. Don’t stand behind the defense that it hasn’t had time because the other two have already had plenty of time. Doesn’t anyone know the truth about the Japanese “lost years” when they did the same exact thing we are doing now? They spent billions of dollars, compared to our trillions, and they are still screwed! Do you want to be owned by the Chinese for the rest of your life? Oh and the whole it worked in the Great Depression defense doesn’t work anymore either man. Times are completely different and they spent a fraction of what we are spending even after modern day time conversion ratios. Why don’t you quit regurgitating everything you hear on CNN buddy and form your own opinion Get your facts straight before you go running your mouth next time.
Yeah, all those tax cuts were a wonderful stimulus for the folks who don’t have jobs.
My choice was Cynthia McKinney but I let my 13 year old son pull the lever and he went with Obama.
I would hardly say that these wars are a waste of time Elliot. Did you forget that Al-Queda and terrorist organizations do in fact exist and that the military that is over there fighting those wars is providing the blanket of freedom which your butt sleeps under every night? Did we not go into Afghanistan after 9/11 to wipe out terrorist cells. Did the Taliban not just enter into Pakistan a few weeks back, the same Taliban that harbors terrorist? Everybody these days is so ignorant to think that what the boys are doing over seas is a waste of time. Even the ones in Iraq are there for a reason. This whole thing about there not being any WMD’s in Iraq is even a bogus claim. Jordanian intelligence confirmed that there were WMD’s and that they were simply moved out and hid in mosques in which UN weapons inspectors and Coalition military would not look out of respect for the Muslim way of life. Did Saddam Hussein not have top advisers named Chemical Ali and Dr. Germ? What about the 1000’s of hours of video footage found by coalition forces in which Saddam and his advisers taped strategic meetings about the topic of acquiring and manufacturing more biological and chemical weapons? Get your head out of all this mainstream media, pop culture bull crap and form an opinion based on facts, not just because it sounds cool on a blog comment.
The reason we are “owned by the Chinese” and other countries is because after World War II we decided to grow our economy through rampant consumerism while other countries paid for it. Our big trouble began during the great Reagan Revolution which saw us become the world’s biggest debtor nation and still no one called for putting on the brakes.
This time might seem completely different than the great depression, but one thing has remained the same – the banks are being rescued with no strings attached just like they were after the savings and loan bailout. We need another stimulus but one targeted to getting people back to work, stimulating the working and middle classes instead of JPMorgan/Chase and Bank of America.
The jobs that were created that helped end the depression aren’t going to come back to this country as long as the bottom line remains keeping shareholders happy and competing in a race to the bottom as far as wages paid to labor is concerned. This scheme of BUSH’s (yes, Virginia, the bank bailout belongs to the cretin from Crawford) was nothing more than a final looting of the Treasury by Bush’s cronies, the ones who’ve supported the GOP since 1964, hell, the ones who supported overthrowing FDR back in 1933 (but that’s another story entirely).
Obama had a chance to signal he was going to make changes but instead he hired Geithner and Summers, two of the people directly responsible for the fiasco of fall 2008’s great heist, basically, at the point of a threat of martial law if the system collapsed.
We belong to the Chinese and the Japanese and the Saudis and every other country that holds our debt because we chose, as a nation, to be over-consuming pigs and we are now confronted with ourselves in the mirror…and it ain’t a pretty sight.
So your are arguing that there were WMD’s and that Saddam hid them? Interesting, does George Bush know about this? Because he confirmed that there were in fact failures in the intelligence gathering and that there in fact were not any WMD’s. In fact here is a youtube video were he admits it.
He also went on to admit that the Iraq war had nothing to do with 9/11. But please never ever let reality or the truth impinge upon your warped failed idealogy.
Had I read that post about the WMDs before I bothered writing my last one I wouldn’t have bothered.
Awesome. That means we can’t leave Iraq before destroying all of the Mosques. Otherwise we’ll just have to invade again.
The only failed idealogy here is taking money out of the private sector, and hopeing the gov’t will spend it more wisely. The gov’t never spends money more efficiently than the private sector. Do you trust them to? We are trillions in the hole. The only way out is to cut costs and increase the money comming in. We are doing neither now, which is a failure.
So we better just get rid of the Military, right? Since you know they are taking money away from the private sector and not spending it efficiently and all. Also, better get rid of the police and fire protection and all the roads and infrastructure. There will somehow be a magical private corporation that could perform better right? How about you start up a company that can deliver my mail to anywhere in the United States for .44 per letter. Until then, please keep your failed idealogies to yourself. I have witnessed and lived through your ilks failures and will persistently and consistently call out the failures of the conservative idealogy.
I bet hopalopa67 bought that whole freedom agenda thing hook line and sinker. huh?
Rep. Cantor is just another worthless lying Republican partisan prick.
America got out of the Great Depression by increasing the Size of Government. As far as Conservatives being against bailouts Where were you when the bank bailout was done, The airline bailout after 9/11 ? The S @L bailout? The Chrysler bailout?
As far as banks being forced to make loans to poor people funny how Las Vegas and Florida are suffering from the housing boom gone bust more than lets say the South Side of Chicago.
WW2 saved the day how what revenue did the war create? Did we ever get paid back for the expense of WW2 by anyone other than Finland?
Besides whats the difference between make work for job Stimulus and war spending?
Build a road in America we benefit we get a return on the expense. War spending is necessary to stay alive but killing Germans does not produce dollars at home.
Main job of the president and our reps, protect the people. Organizationally, the military is gov’t run. It has to be that way given who the commander in chief is. However, private companies bid on just about everything else thank god. As for the rest of your examples, they would be more efficient if they were run like private business. For example, there is not a single public transportation system in this country that pays for itself. Generally, taxes provide 85% of the operating budets. Boston’s system is the closest. Another black hole of money waste. As far as the gov’ts monopoly on the post office. Yes, if it didn’t exist, a “magical” private company would exist that would deliver your tax payment for less than .44 cents. I have faith in the American people to solve problems for themselves, why don’t you? Plus, I don’t want the nanny state taking care of us from cradle to grave. I’ll take care of myself, thanks. Calling conservatism or liberalism a failure doesn’t help anyone. There is good and bad to everything.
Fail.
They swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, not the people.
Yeah those private companies did such a wonderful job supporting the troops in Iraq by mis-wiring things and causing electrocutions of the troops they were supporting.
Fail fail fail.
The Japanese lost decade resulted from a bank bailout they kept the banks afloat with bad loans their job stimulus was puny in comparison so the Japanese Consumer did not spend again like they used to.
Nope its a waste of time Ossama is in PAKISTAN not Iraq not Afghanistan. Pakistan that country Bush gave billions in
aidTribute to.Get Ossama or stop wasting my time.
America got out of the GD by increasing the size of Gov’t. No it didn’t. Study the timeline of unemployment, GDP etc. Bailouts, I have been consistantly against them all. Vegas and Florida=overbuilding and greed in my opinion. I grew up in Chicago and there is nothing good to say about the south side. Vegas and Florida will always be better economically. Nothing good ever comes out of the South Side except the Sox, the International Ampitheater in the ’70s and ’80s and community organization for you.
The government can’t spend cash as wisely as the private sector so when has the government ever lent a hedge fund cash at 30 to 1 leverage for every dollar of collateral the hedgefund had?
Banks gave the hedges loans in exchange the hedges bought home loan paper from the banks they then used this as collateral 30 and more to 1 to buy companies like Home Depot right before the housing boom ended or Clear Channel which after being bought gave Rush Limbaugh a raise and started laying off people.
I assume the banks asked Bain Capital Mitt Romney’s hedge fund what he planned to use the cash for?
Mitt was in the news recently he is selling 2 of his mansions. I wonder if the banks told him they wanted more collateral for the loans and forced him to sell.
The WPA my grandpa worked for was imaginary? War spending did give Americans a return on their investment besides keeping us alive a real money return like a new road does?
Show me the Money! Where is the return on investment?
Yep Banks made more loans to speculators NOT poor people thats what inflated those housing markets more and thats why those housing markets dropped more.
Going out for a walk. Sotomayor has the trolls out in force today. They only appear like this when the GOP is afraid I think this is a good but annoying sign.
Al Gore winning an Oscar was a worse troll fest.
To protect the Constitution. That’s right. And the Constitution says:
Article I
Section 8: Referring to Congress, “provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States”
I saw the story about the faulty wireing that contributed to the electrocution of some soldiers. What a shame! First of all, I’m on the record as believing we shouldn’t be there in the first place. However, thats one product of millions that didn’t go as planned. I have no stat’s but I would be willing to bet the U.S.private military products stand up better than say, Frances military products. I know, France buys their stuff on the open market too, I just couldn’t come up with an example.
Wanna bet that if it appears to be recovering very quickly that Republicans will refuse to give Obama & team credit? Something about normal recovery, Capitalism, Patriotism and apple pie, or somethin’.
It just isn’t in their playbook to give Dems any credit for anything, even at today’s low interest rates.
I think they’re doing everything they believe might work.
Do you have any suggestions for something different or new?