Tag: President Obama

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Politics

This Is A Leader – Watch President Obama At F.E.M.A Headquarters

Remember Hurricane Katrina and the Bush disaster that was created when his FEMA organization sat back and watch people suffer while others died? Well that was a complete failure in leadership, starting at the FEMA level and moving all the way up to President Bush himself.

“This is not a FEMA operation. I haven’t seen a single FEMA guy”, said New Orleans’s emergency operations chief Terry Ebbert. “FEMA has been here three days, yet there is no command and control. We can send massive amounts of aid to tsunami victims, but we can’t bail out the city of New Orleans.”

Contrast that to the new head of FEMA, W. Craig Fugate and his boss, President Obama. Before Hurricane Irene touched land in North Carolina, President Obama cancelled the last day of his vacation and headed back to Washington. The President and Mr. Fugate spoke with the various govornors along the states in Irene’s way, and already began placing FEMA relief efforts in place.

The video below prompted the following twitter comment, comparing the two Presidents response to these disasters. This comment was retweeted multiple times, as other twitter users agreed with what was said;

See the video of a true Commander in action.

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Climate change Politics republican candidate

Why Chris Christie Cannot Be President If He Runs

Simple answer: Chris Christie, the Republican darling governor of New Jersey,  believes in global warming. And what’s even more unheard of in today’s Republican party is this; Christie believes that humans play a major role in the warming of the planet! This from NJ.com:

In case anyone had any doubts on where Gov. Chris Christie stands on climate change, he made his position crystal clear this afternoon: It’s real and it’s a problem.

In vetoing a bill (S2946) that would have required New Jersey to stay in a regional program intended to curb greenhouse gases — a program Christie plans to leave by the end of the year — the governor said “climate change is real.”

He added that “human activity plays a role in these changes” and that climate change is “impacting our state.”

This position by Christie seems a reasonable one, and is supported by a majority of scientists worldwide. But Republicans in this country will go to the grave holding onto their naive, irresponsible stance that global warming does not exist. So Christie’s coming out and agreeing with science and the thermometer, is in itself, enough to disqualify him from any presidential consideration for 2012.

After Christie made his statement, Doug Powers wrote on the conservative website that this is probably Christie’s way of telling Republicans that he’s tired of them asking him to run, so admitting to global warming is his way of saying move on to someone else. Doug wrote;

Ann Coulter says Christie is the only Republican who can defeat President Obama next November, but if he’s going to keep talking like this, I beg to differ (I beg to differ anyway, but especially now).

Of course, there’s always a chance that Christie’s just tired of Republicans wondering if he’s going to run for president and this is his way of getting them to stop asking.

Move on folks, there’s nothing more to see here.

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Politics

The Official Framework of The Deal To Avoid Default

The White House released the following information on the framework for a deal that would prevent America from defaulting on paying its bills. The deadline to get this voted on by both the House and Senate and sent to the President for his signature is August 2nd.
Bipartisan Debt Deal: A Win for the Economy and Budget Discipline
  • Removes the cloud of uncertainty over our economy at this critical time, by ensuring that no one will be able to use the threat of the nation’s first default now, or in only a few months, for political gain;
  • Locks in a down payment on significant deficit reduction, with savings from both domestic and Pentagon spending, and is designed to protect crucial investments like aid for college students;
  • Establishes a bipartisan process to seek a balanced approach to larger deficit reduction through entitlement and tax reform;
  • Deploys an enforcement mechanism that gives all sides an incentive to reach bipartisan compromise on historic deficit reduction, while protecting Social Security, Medicare beneficiaries and low-income programs;
  • Stays true to the President’s commitment to shared sacrifice by preventing the middle class, seniors and those who are most vulnerable from shouldering the burden of deficit reduction. The President did not agree to any entitlement reforms outside of the context of a bipartisan committee process where tax reform will be on the table and the President will insist on shared sacrifice from the most well-off and those with the most indefensible tax breaks.
Mechanics of the Debt Deal
  • Immediately enacted 10-year discretionary spending caps generating nearly $1 trillion in deficit reduction; balanced between defense and non-defense spending.
  • President authorized to increase the debt limit by at least $2.1 trillion, eliminating the need for further increases until 2013.
  • Bipartisan committee process tasked with identifying an additional $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction, including from entitlement and tax reform. Committee is required to report legislation by November 23, 2011, which receives fast-track protections. Congress is required to vote on Committee recommendations by December 23, 2011.
  • Enforcement mechanism established to force all parties – Republican and Democrat – to agree to balanced deficit reduction. If Committee fails, enforcement mechanism will trigger spending reductions beginning in 2013 – split 50/50 between domestic and defense spending. Enforcement protects Social Security, Medicare beneficiaries, and low-income programs from any cuts.
1. REMOVING UNCERTAINTY TO SUPPORT THE AMERICAN ECONOMY
  • Deal Removes Cloud of Uncertainty Until 2013, Eliminating Key Headwind on the Economy: Independent analysts, economists, and ratings agencies have all made clear that a short-term debt limit increase would create unacceptable economic uncertainty by risking default again within only a matter of months and as S&P stated, increase the chance of a downgrade. By ensuring a debt limit increase of at least $2.1 trillion, this deal removes the specter of default, providing important certainty to our economy at a fragile moment.
  • Mechanism to Ensure Further Deficit Reduction is Designed to Phase-In Beginning in 2013 to Avoid Harming the Recovery: The deal includes a mechanism to ensure additional deficit reduction, consistent with the economic recovery. The enforcement mechanism would not be made effective until 2013, avoiding any immediate contraction that could harm the recovery. And savings from the down payment will be enacted over 10 years, consistent with supporting the economic recovery.
2. A DOWNPAYMENT ON DEFICIT REDUCTION BY LOCKING IN HISTORIC SPENDING DISCIPLINE – BALANCED BETWEEN DOMESTIC AND PENTAGON SPENDING
  • More than $900 Billion in Savings over 10 Years By Capping Discretionary Spending: The deal includes caps on discretionary spending that will produce more than $900 billion in savings over the next 10 years compared to the CBO March baseline, even as it protects core investments from deep and economically damaging cuts.
  • Includes Savings of $350 Billion from the Base Defense Budget – the First Defense Cut Since the 1990s: The deal puts us on track to cut $350 billion from the defense budget over 10 years. These reductions will be implemented based on the outcome of a review of our missions, roles, and capabilities that will reflect the President’s commitment to protecting our national security.
  • Reduces Domestic Discretionary Spending to the Lowest Level Since Eisenhower: These discretionary caps will put us on track to reduce non-defense discretionary spending to its lowest level since Dwight Eisenhower was President.
  • Includes Funding to Protect the President’s Historic Investment in Pell Grants: Since taking office, the President has increased the maximum Pell award by $819 to a maximum award $5,550, helping over 9 million students pay for college tuition bills. The deal provides specific protection in the discretionary budget to ensure that the there will be sufficient funding for the President’s historic investment in Pell Grants without undermining other critical investments.
3. ESTABLISHING A BIPARTISAN PROCESS TO ACHIEVE $1.5 TRILLION IN ADDITIONAL BALANCED DEFICIT REDUCTION BY THE END OF 2011
  • The Deal Locks in a Process to Enact $1.5 Trillion in Additional Deficit Reduction Through a Bipartisan, Bicameral Congressional Committee: The deal creates a bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Committee that is charged with enacting $1.5 trillion in additional deficit reduction by the end of the year. This Committee will work without the looming specter of default, ensuring time to carefully consider essential reforms without the disruption and brinksmanship of the past few months.
  • This Committee is Empowered Beyond Previous Bipartisan Attempts at Deficit Reduction: Any recommendation of the Committee would be given fast-track privilege in the House and Senate, assuring it of an up or down vote and preventing some from using procedural gimmicks to block action.
  • To Meet This Target, the Committee Will Consider Responsible Entitlement and Tax Reform. This means putting all the priorities of both parties on the table – including both entitlement reform and revenue-raising tax reform.
4. A STRONG ENFORCEMENT MECHANISM TO MAKE ALL SIDES COME TOGETHER
  • The Deal Includes An Automatic Sequester to Ensure That At Least $1.2 Trillion in Deficit Reduction Is Achieved By 2013 Beyond the Discretionary Caps: The deal includes an automatic sequester on certain spending programs to ensure that—between the Committee and the trigger—we at least put in place an additional $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction by 2013.
  • Consistent With Past Practice, Sequester Would Be Divided Equally Between Defense and Non-Defense Programs and Exempt Social Security, Medicaid, and Low-Income Programs: Consistent with the bipartisan precedents established in the 1980s and 1990s, the sequester would be divided equally between defense and non-defense program, and it would exempt Social Security, Medicaid, unemployment insurance, programs for low-income families, and civilian and military retirement. Likewise, any cuts to Medicare would be capped and limited to the provider side.
  • Sequester Would Provide a Strong Incentive for Both Sides to Come to the Table:  If the fiscal committee took no action, the deal would automatically add nearly $500 billion in defense cuts on top of cuts already made, and, at the same time, it would cut critical programs like infrastructure or education.  That outcome would be unacceptable to many Republicans and Democrats alike – creating pressure for a bipartisan agreement without requiring the threat of a default with unthinkable consequences for our economy.
5. A BALANCED DEAL CONSISTENT WITH THE PRESIDENT’S COMMITMENT TO SHARED SACRIFICE
  • The Deal Sets the Stage for Balanced Deficit Reduction, Consistent with the President’s Values: The deal is designed to achieve balanced deficit reduction, consistent with the values the President articulated in his April Fiscal Framework. The discretionary savings are spread between both domestic and defense spending. And the President will demand that the Committee pursue a balanced deficit reduction package, where any entitlement reforms are coupled with revenue-raising tax reform that asks for the most fortunate Americans to sacrifice.
  • The Enforcement Mechanism Complements the Forcing Event Already In Law – the Expiration of the Bush Tax Cuts – To Create Pressure for a Balanced Deal: The Bush tax cuts expire as of 1/1/2013, the same date that the spending sequester would go into effect. These two events together will force balanced deficit reduction. Absent a balanced deal, it would enable the President to use his veto pen to ensure nearly $1 trillion in additional deficit reduction by not extending the high-income tax cuts.
  • In Securing this Bipartisan Deal, the President Rejected Proposals that Would Have Placed the Sole Burden of Deficit Reduction on Low-Income or Middle-Class Families: The President stood firmly against proposals that would have placed the sole burden of deficit reduction on lower-income and middle-class families. This includes not only proposals in the House Republican Budget that would have undermined the core commitments of Medicare to our seniors and forced tens of millions of low-income Americans to go without health insurance, but also enforcement mechanisms that would have forced automatic cuts to low-income programs. The enforcement mechanism in the deal exempts Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare benefits, unemployment insurance, programs for low-income families, and civilian and military retirement.
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Democratic Mitch McConnell Politics Republican

McConnell Signals President Will Give Up More For A Deal

We’ll hope not, but hearing McConnell’s statement today, and seeing his jubilant mannerism is telling. The message I gather from his and Boehner’s press conference is that the President and Democratic Congressional members are beginning to give up even more to the Republican minority.

The press conference happened about 3:45PM today, and it featured Boehner and McConnell making a brief statement about their commitment on ‘no compromise’. But when McConnell took the podium, he broke the news that he’d been talking to President Obama “within the past hour.”

Of course, that could be a  good thing, but when McConnell, in the midst of telling reporters how strongly he feels about holding his ground and criticizing the plan the Democrats have brought forward, then says he has spoken to the President and is “optimistic” that a deal is going to happen real soon, it is hard not to think the President is again, going to yield to the minority demands.

Meanwhile, news broke that the President summoned Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid and Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to the White House for a private meeting.

With 3 days left before a deal is reached, we will find out exactly what McConnell knows about this “deal” that’s making him so happy.

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Politics

Democrats To Obama – Use The 14th Amendment

With the Republican induced stalemate going down in Washington about whether or not to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, Democrat are slowly beginning to familiarize themselves with the Constitution, specifically the 14th Amendment. And although President Obama and his White House lawyers seem to think that option is off the table, even former president Bill Clinton has weighed in, advising Mr. Obama to invoke the 14th Amendment and worry about the consequences later.

And now, other congressional Democrats are making their voices heard. John Larson, Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, told reporters, “We’re getting down to decision time. We have to have a fail-safe mechanism. We believe that fail-safe mechanism is the 14th Amendment and the president of the United States.”

Larson and others explained that they only think Obama should invoke the 14th Amendment if he’s presented with an unacceptable debt-ceiling plan–one that includes a short-term hike in the debt ceiling and that will extend the economic uncertainty now hanging over the country.

“The Republicans have taken us into the twilight zone,” said Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif, the caucus vice chairman. “We’ve never been here before.

“What we’re saying to the president is… ‘The Republicans, through their failure, have given you license to do whatever it takes to not let the American family go down into that abyss,” he added.

The House Democrats’ decision to highlight the constitutional option comes as the gridlock in Congress seemed to intensify over the last 24 hours.

The 14th amendment states that “validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payments of pensions and bounties in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.”

With the present gridlock in Washington between Democrats and Republicans, with Democrats trying to raise the debt ceiling to pay the nation’s debts and Republicans apparently pretending that there is no debt, the choice seems clear – if we claim to follow the Constitution, then we must realize that it states that Congress is required to authorize the public debt. Why then, do we question its validity?

Pay the bills, and move on something more important, like job creation for the millions of unemployed!

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Donald Trump Donald Trump Politics Republican

Trump To Republicans – Let The Nation Go Into Default

Donald Trump just wont go away quietly. In order to make himself seem relevant still, The Donald had a little advice for the Republicans in Congress trying to negotiate a plan with the President to raise the debt ceiling. What was Mr. Hairpiece’s advice? Don’t compromise, do not make any deals. Let the nation go into default!

Donald Trump is willing to watch America lose its triple A ratings, to allow our economy and possibly the world’s economy to spiral out of control. Why? Because that way, President Obama would not be re-elected. The Donald had this to say on Fox and Friends;

“Frankly the Republicans would be crazy unless they get 100 percent of the deal that they want right now to make any deal. If this happens, for instance if this stuff is going on prior to an election, he can’t get reelected. He possibly can’t get elected anyway … The fact is, unless the Republicans get 100% of what they want, and that may include getting rid of Obamacare, which is a total disaster, then they should not make a deal other than a minor extension which would take you before the election which would ensure Obama doesn’t get elected, which would be a great thing.”

When the show’s host told him of a poll that shows Americans would blame Republicans if the nation defaults, Trump added this little nugget;

“I don’t care about polls! When it comes time to default, they’re not going to remember any of the Republicans’ names. They are going to remember in history books one name, and that’s Obama.”

They just don’t know when to stop the politics and do what’s best for the country.

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Politics Repeal

President Obama Supports Defense Of Marriage Act.

President Obama will support a recent bill to repeal DOMA – Defense Of Marriage Act. In so doing, the President is signalling his acceptance of marriage as between two people, not necessarily a man and a woman. In answering a question today from Metro Weekly, the White House Press Secretary Jay Carney had this to say about the President’s support of the repeal bill called Respect of Marriage Act.

 I can tell you that the President has long called for a legislative repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, which continues to have a real impact on the lives of real people — our families, friends and neighbors. He is proud to support the Respect for Marriage Act, introduced by Sen. Feinstein and Congressman [Jerrold] Nadler [(D-N.Y.)], which would take DOMA off the books once and for all. This legislation would uphold the principle that the federal government should not deny gay and lesbian couples the same rights and legal protections as straight couples.

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Elizabeth Warren Politics

Elizabeth Warren Out As Head Of Consumer Protection Agency

Elizabeth Warren, the favored candidate Progressives have pushed over the last few months to head the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, just confirmed that she would not be the nominee. Reports indicates that President Obama has decided to go with Richard Cordray instead, and will make that announcement as early as Monday.

Mrs. Warren explained to The Huffington Post:

“Rich has always had my strong support because he is tough and he is smart-and that’s exactly the combination this new agency needs. He was one of the first senior leaders I recruited for the agency, and his work and commitment have made it clear that he will make a stellar director.”

One of the most vocal voices for Warren’s nomination voiced their disappointment. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee said;

“With her track record of standing up to Wall Street and fighting for consumers, Elizabeth Warren was the best qualified to lead this bureau that she conceived — and we imagine Richard Cordray would agree,” PCCC co-founder Stephanie Taylor said in a statement. “That said, Rich Cordray has been a strong ally of Elizabeth Warren’s and we hope he will continue her legacy of holding Wall Street accountable.”

Mrs. Warren was originally chosen by the Obama Administration to set up the mechanism need for the new agency. The Consumer Financial Protection Agency is scheduled to begin its duties on July 21st.

Because of her liberal stance, it is said that Elizabeth Warren would have never gained the Republican votes in congress necessary for confirmation if the President nominated her.

Richard Cordray is the former Attorney General of Ohio.

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Politics United States

Moody’s Place America’s Triple A Ratings On Notice For Downgrade

And so it begins. The triple A(Aaa) ratings that America has enjoyed since 1917 was put on notice for a downgrade today by Moody’s Investors Service.

Bloomberg reports that Moody’s took this initial move to lower America’s credit ratings over “concern(s) the debt threshold will not be raised in time to prevent a missed payment of interest or principal on outstanding bonds and notes even though the risk remains low”.  Additionally, the report stated that Moody’s  “…rating would likely be reduced to the Aa range…”  and  that ” …that there is no assurance that Moody’s would return its top rating even if a default is quickly cured.”

Meanwhile, Republicans continue protecting the tax loopholes for the rich.

Categories
Politics

President Obama – No Guaranteed Social Security Checks If G.O.P. Wins Debt Debate

In an interview with CBS today, President Obama laid it all on the line and explained the grave seriousness of the political game the Republicans are playing by not allowing the debt ceiling to be raised. The President explained that if the August 2nd deadline passes and no deal is met, then the 20 million Social Security checks scheduled to go out on August 3rd, might not.

I cannot guarantee that these checks go out on august 3rd if we haven’t resolved this issue.

The President is trying to get the rich to bear some of the weight of an economy that has benefited them tremendously. He has already suggested social spending cuts to programs that benefited the poor and middle class, and is asking Republicans to end some of the tax loopholes enjoyed by the rich. Republicans however, are not budging, and maintains that those tax loopholes stay off the table.

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Democrat Democratic hypocrites Politics Republican washington

Bill Clinton Blames Republicans For Present Economic Woes

Former President Bill Clinton blamed Republicans in Congress for the state of the economy. Mr. Clinton called out the  GOP as hypocrites for implementing massive tax cuts and increased spending during the Bush administration, policies that directly contributed to the present recession.

Speaking to a group of liberal group activists in Washington, Clinton said, “”Partly because the Republicans who control the House and have a lot of pull in the Senate have now decided, having quadrupled the debt in 12 years before I took office and doubled it after I left, that it’s all of a sudden the biggest problem in the world.”

The former President, who opposes spending cuts in a downward economy, again expressed his concerns with the present budget talks, and he referenced the United Kingdom and their mistake of cutting spending at a time when spending should have been increased. Clinton continued;

“In the current budget debate, there’s all this discussion about how much will come from spending cuts, how much will come from tax increases, and almost nobody is talking about one of the central points – that everyone who’s analyzed the situation makes, including the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles commission, which said you shouldn’t do any of this until the economy is clearly recovering.

“Because if you do things that dampen economic growth, and the U.K. is finding this out now, they adopted this big austerity budget, and there’s a good chance that economic activity will go down so much that tax revenues will be reduced even more than spending is cut, and their deficit will increase.”

President Obama meets today with both Republican and Democratic leaders to discuss the debt ceiling. Democrats have offered about $3 trillion in defense and other spending cuts and they have asked Republicans to agree on closing some tax loopholes that benefits millionaires and billionaires. Republicans have so far, dismissed this proposal and have demanded Democrats leave these loopholes alone.

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Politics South Carolina United States

Republican Suggests Impeaching President Obama For Maybe Invoking The 14th Amendment

Section 4 of the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution says:

The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned.

Because of this amendment, many suggests that Congressional authorization to raise the debt ceiling is not necessary, as not doing so would mean that America defaults on its obligation to pay its debt, thus, going against the 14th amendment of the constitution.

Republicans – who have stood their ground in insisting that raising the debt ceiling is not going to happen – are now scrambling to find a way to defeat section 4 of the 14th amendment. Some have suggested an amendment to the 14th amendment and others like Rep. Tim Scott of South Carolina, went even further. He wants to impeach President Obama if the President even thinks about trying to raise the debt ceiling without congress. The South Carolina representative recently told a teaparty audience;

“This president is looking to usurp congressional oversight to find a way to get it done without us. My position is that is an impeachable act from my perspective.”

There are a lot of things people say, ‘Are you going to impeach the president over that?’ — No. But this? This is catastrophic. This jeopardizes the credibility of our nation if one man can usurp the entire system set up by our founding fathers over something this significant.”

It should be noted that President Obama has never mentioned an intent to “usurp the entire system.” As a matter of fact, this president has gone the extra mile trying to bring both Republicans and Democrats to the table, in an effort to get the Congressional authorization necessary for allowing America to pay her bills.

But then again, Republicans like Tim Scott would like to impeach President Obama just for being president.

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