Almost exactly a year ago, President Obama delivered a high-profile speech on the nation's fiscal future, and used the opportunity to condemn the House Republican budget plan in no uncertain terms. Republicans responded with apoplexy -- Obama hurt their feelings by rejecting their governing philosophy. They can accuse him of being a radical socialist, but if the president responds with a broadside against a plan that eliminates Medicare, he's a big meanie.
If last year's response chastened Obama, it certainly wasn't evident this afternoon. The president spoke for an hour at an Associated Press luncheon, and whatever your perspective, Obama's remarks are well worth watching.
If you can't watch clips online, the White House has posted a full transcript, but let's take a moment (or two) to highlight what made this speech important.
This was, as advertised, an aggressive, unapologetic condemnation of the Paul Ryan/Mitt Romney budget agenda, and the ideology that led to its creation. Indeed, Obama practically mocked Republicans for having tested their trickle-down philosophy, failing spectacularly, and then becoming even more right wing as a consequence.
"[Y]ou would think that after the results of this experiment in trickle-down economics, after the results were made painfully clear, that the proponents of this theory might show some humility, might moderate their views a bit. You'd think they'd say, you know what, maybe some rules and regulations are necessary to protect the economy and prevent people from being taken advantage of by insurance companies or credit card companies or mortgage lenders. Maybe, just maybe, at a time of growing debt and widening inequality, we should hold off on giving the wealthiest Americans another round of big tax cuts. Maybe when we know that most of today's middle-class jobs require more than a high school degree, we shouldn't gut education, or lay off thousands of teachers, or raise interest rates on college loans, or take away people's financial aid.
"But that's exactly the opposite of what they've done. Instead of moderating their views even slightly, the Republicans running Congress right now have doubled down, and proposed a budget so far to the right it makes the Contract with America look like the New Deal."
The GOP, in other words, tried to implement their vision during the Bush/Cheney era -- massive tax breaks for the wealthy, scaled-back regulations, giving Wall Street free rein -- but instead of learning from their failures, Republicans are intent on repeating them.
Of particular interest, though, was Obama's take, not only on the GOP's right-wing budget plan, but also on the GOP's right-wing trajectory in general.
It dovetails nicely with what we discussed yesterday -- the Republican Party in 2012 bears no resemblance to the Republican Party of years past. From today's speech:
"For generations, nearly all of these investments -- from transportation to education to retirement programs -- have been supported by people in both parties. As much as we might associate the G.I. Bill with Franklin Roosevelt, or Medicare with Lyndon Johnson, it was a Republican, Lincoln, who launched the Transcontinental Railroad, the National Academy of Sciences, land grant colleges. It was Eisenhower who launched the Interstate Highway System and new investment in scientific research. It was Richard Nixon who created the Environmental Protection Agency, Ronald Reagan who worked with Democrats to save Social Security. It was George W. Bush who added prescription drug coverage to Medicare.
"What leaders in both parties have traditionally understood is that these investments aren't part of some scheme to redistribute wealth from one group to another. They are expressions of the fact that we are one nation. These investments benefit us all. They contribute to genuine, durable economic growth."
Later, in response to a question from a reporter, Obama added:
"Ronald Reagan, who, as I recall, is not accused of being a tax-and-spend socialist, understood repeatedly that when the deficit started to get out of control, that for him to make a deal he would have to propose both spending cuts and tax increases. Did it multiple times. He could not get through a Republican primary today. [...]
Cap and trade was originally proposed by conservatives and Republicans as a market-based solution to solving environmental problems. The first President to talk about cap and trade was George H.W. Bush. Now you've got the other party essentially saying we shouldn't even be thinking about environmental protection; let's gut the EPA.
"Health care, which is in the news right now -- there's a reason why there's a little bit of confusion in the Republican primary about health care and the individual mandate since it originated as a conservative idea to preserve the private marketplace in health care while still assuring that everybody got covered, in contrast to a single-payer plan. Now, suddenly, this is some socialist overreach.
"So as all of you are doing your reporting, I think it's important to remember that the positions I'm taking now on the budget and a host of other issues, if we had been having this discussion 20 years ago, or even 15 years ago, would have been considered squarely centrist positions. What's changed is the center of the Republican Party."
Republican leaders issued some press releases this afternoon, complaining that the president's remarks were "tired" and "partisan." None, however, could point to anything Obama got wrong in this speech.
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They're "tired" because the GOP is exhausted from running so far right of where they were. They're "partisan" because someone else said them; the only "fair and balanced" party is the GOP, naturally. Do these guys ever get sick of their hypocrisy?
As long as you keep your head firmly in your ... bubble, you can remain blissfully unaware of it.
All this administration want to do is criticize what the Republicans are trying to do for long term debt. In the words of President Obama's Secretary of the Treasury:
This is the truth about where we are. As Ryan says, "leaders are suppose to fix problems" and this administration does not want to do that.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_f20ZDBj5k
Have you looked at the Ryan/Romney budget? Just what problems does the budget fix? I think Ryan would have some credibility if he proposed shared sacrifice, but instead he proposes massive cuts to the social safety net, and massive tax cuts for the wealthy and raises to defense contractors. Under the Ryan budget the deficit gets worse, much worse.
The rabble [1] are receiving too much of the pie and might get uppity ideas about being as good as the quality. If something isn't done, some of them might even become wealthy.
[1] i.e. poor and middle class
RobDon - your statement is more reflective of a low-information voter than it is of a person who's been paying attention this past decade to American history! Your comment betrays any intelligible thought on the issue of budget priorities and the American society! -Kevo
ROFL. oh yes, the GOP that has no plan other than to gut programs that would make people more educated, and thus less easy to lie to. The GOP has offered nothing, has refused to compromise, and are generally beign dogs in the manger.
RobDon: you are so lame, you need a crutch for your brain. No wonder you were able to pass the IQ test low enough to qualify as a Republican.
All I have to say is: look at all of the assumptions that the Ryan budget has to make, and look at all the disclaimers that non-partisan entities like the CBO have made so they're not held liable for how those assumptions were used later.
I still don't like the fact that my (favorite) President and his administration haven't been able to produce a good, working budget themselves... but I also recognize the role that the Right's hyper-partisan politics have played in that failure over the last 3 years.
Ryan can't have it both ways. He can't criticize everything Obama does because of accounting assumptions made, when he does it just as much- if not more so.
You can't fix budget deficits with more tax cuts. That fact must have escaped RobDon.
Will you all just take a look at the Progressive Budget put forth by the House Progressive caucus. It is excellent at fixing problems and filled with solutions. It's laughable that ANY attention is even being given to the so called Ryan budget because it is laughable and as Paul Krugman says no one should be taking Ryan seriously as a serious person when everything he says or does is a joke. An economic plan from fantasy land.
Insult me all you like if it makes you feel better. I didn't make up President Obama's secretary's quote. He's the one who said that President Obama's administration had not solution for the long term problem. Sorry if the truth makes you defensive and childish in your attacks.
Not sure why you continue to return, RobDon. Don't you get it yet that no one at all here buys from the same snake oil salesmen that you do? What truly, truly baffles me always about you is more a question: why does he identify so strongly with people who wouldn't let him use the front door either unless he was there to oil the hinges for them. That's not an insult, just an observation...and a mystery.
RobDon ... The administration is perfectly willing to work towards balanced and responsible solutions to budget problems. It is not willing to consider--even as a starting point--a proposal that advances social Darwinism, shreds the social safety net, and violates promises to older and middle-aged Americans.
Nor should it. The Republicans proposed this knowing that it has no chance of even being sent to committee in the Senate. Obama and the Dems need to stop allowing the conservatives to move the political center of gravity by even taking such nonsensical proposals seriously.
No Rob you did not make up the quote, but as you did earlier this morning you have allowed partisanship to blind you w/ the context. In fact you are so blinded by your partisanship that you completely ignored the part where Geitner states that he believes the solution the Obama Administration has put forward will address the issue of long term debt. He then goes on to say that there are many solutions, but that they don't like the one put forward by Ryan. This was included in the link you provided. Did you even watch the video RD?
Beyond this, Rob, Ryan's budget would nearly double the national debt and dramatically increase the deficit so pretending like Republicans are working towards a solution is a complete joke.
Once again people I reiterate: just because someone says they are going to do X does not automatically mean that they actually will do X.
That's because the truth is partisan [1] and they're tired of it.
[1] Thank you Stephen Colbert.
"The GOP, in other words, tried to implement their vision during the Bush/Cheney era -- massive tax breaks for the wealthy, scaled-back regulations, giving Wall Street free rein -- but instead of learning from their failures, Republicans are intent on repeating them."
Excuse me, but their "vision" wasn't a failure for the GOP -they and their 1% friends are doing VERY well - it was only a failure for the REST of us.
Excuse me..but, it was a big FAIL for our country and, yes, its patriots.
If your intent is to cause civil unrest by bankrupting the national treasury with tax cuts for the rich and pointless military spending then the plan is working wonderfully.
bets on how long it takes for some creationist idiot to lie about "social darwinism"?
President Obama has to do the coporatemedia's work for them. Lazy a$$ jackals.
It was a Rousing speech! I cracked up when PBO started talking(mocking) about willard's "marvelous" description of the ayn rand-paul ryan budget.
"And yet, this isn’t a budget supported by some small rump group in the Republican Party. This is now the party’s governing platform. This is what they’re running on. One of my potential opponents, Governor Romney, has said that he hoped a similar version of this plan from last year would be introduced as a bill on day one of his presidency. He said that he’s “very supportive” of this new budget, and he even called it "marvelous" -- which is a word you don’t often hear when it comes to describing a budget. (Laughter.) It’s a word you don’t often hear generally. (Laughter.)
So here’s what this "marvelous" budget does. Back in the summer, I came to an agreement with Republicans in Congress to cut roughly $1 trillion in annual spending. Some of these cuts were about getting rid of waste; others were about programs that we support but just can’t afford given our deficits and our debt. And part of the agreement was a guarantee of another trillion in savings, for a total of about $2 trillion in deficit reduction."
"Small rump group"..lol
I agree. The President was sensational (as usual) but exceptionally so today. LOVE YOU MR. PRESIDENT.
What I liked was when President Obama told that room of reporters....."If you don't believe ME....check it (meaning his facts) for yourself. I thought it was a terrific speech!
Here's the thing: they won't, but they'll treat the GOP bullpuckey as the next book of the Bible.
Me too It was fantastic, I watched it twice it was so good. The man is briliant
Our President was at his very best. He makes me so proud every day,
Are you also proud of his attempt to subvert checks and balances? Get your head out of the sand.
The reason Republican lying is becoming more extreme and obvious is because they lie all the time and cannot take their lies back. They cannot admit they made a mistake, they refuse to take responsibility for their lies.
Tax cuts for job creators! Exploding debt? Cut taxes more!
Bankrupt the treasury with military spending? More military spending!
Tens of millions of Americans without medical insurance? Stiff the bastards and give the money to the rich!
Deregulate! Explosion of crime? Deregulate more!
Exploding debt? No problem! Loot Social Security, give the money to the rich.
Totalitarian communists have a growing economy? Give them more money! Screw the American worker, what a bunch of bums.
Republican Party losing women's votes? Give the b!tches an transvaginal ultrasound.
Republican Party losing Hispanic vote? Send the wetbacks to Mexico.
Republican Party losing black vote? It's their fault for being racists.
Muslims? Every one a terrorist.
Catholics? Every one has the right to religious freedom!
http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/04/gender-gap-appears-in-senate-races.php
RobDon, you are under the impression that the Ryan budget cuts long term debt. You're under the WRONG impression, sir. It does none of that. Actually the Ryan budget will GROW our debt. ANY budget that keeps giving those unneeded tax breaks for the top 1% will do nothing BUT grow our debt. Experts from both sides of the aisle have said time and time again that cutting those taxes even further will mire us in more and more debt. It makes sense, actually. Funny thing, Republican politicians, ecspecially Mitt Romney, say that we should run our country's economy like a business. Okay, say, I agree with that....what company do you know of has all their money going out and almost NONE comming in and still grows and becomes successful? None that I know of. That's what they are doing with our economy. THey want to slash and slash spending but that will not do much unless you INCREASE the money you TAKE IN...if you DECREASE the money coming in, then you're not going to make much of a profit. Agreed?
Stop feeding the troll... who is always ready with the 1st comment. Anyone supporting or trying to justify Ryan's idiocy is just stupid or being paid to.
It is good to see Obama on the offensive. We needed some of that a long time ago. He will keep ripping into the Republicans and their failed policies. They should be flayed with the Ryan budget again and again and again. This is the Republican vision of the future and they don't like Obama painting that bleak future that it portends. The Republicans can try and sell this to the voters. They didn't buy it the last time it was proposed and they aren't going to buy it now.
"It is good to see Obama on the offensive. We needed some of that a long time ago."
Will the Left please get off this tired meme? President Obama has been calling them out for the last two and a half years, just not to the manichean satisfaction of the Naderite contingent of the party.
I agree. I am so sick of hearing the same b/s from emoprogs. Get off the b/s please
No. But thank you for asking so nicely.
Did anyone hear Santorum speaking at the Janesville Armory? He just stopped short of calling President Obama a ni**er.....Santorum said, "We all know the candidate Barack Obama....what he was like, the anti-war government nigg." umumum ....America was a source...
"The anti-war government nigg"
"The anti-war government nigg"
Santorum is a true tea-party republican racist pig....he and Mitt Romney are on the same page about president obam and women's health care rights...............
WOMEN WILL REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER.......................
Why can't these racist, Southern GOP ers just be honest and admit that they hate,
let me repeat, having a Black Man at the Helm of our once floundering ship of state.
What's next? A woman as president, Hispanics, An Asian? Nooooooooooooo!
He has to fail so the proof that only Anglo White Males can handle the important office of President of the United states.
Wait a second, didn't the Republican's try to get a woman elected as VP? And didn't the Democrat's eviscerate her as a woman? Funny, all of these standards only seem to apply to liberal women.
By the way, no one has to make him fail. He's doing a good enough job as it is. I mean how embarrassing is it that a constitutional professor from Harvard's crowning achievement is about to get struck down as unconstitutional. Fail.
The President was stellar today (as usual) but exceptionally so today. I watched the entire speech and question and answer session that followed (twice). Our President will kick ass in any debate with the empty suit.
Awww C'mon! This budget was clearly written by people smarter then us so we are supposed to just smile and say YAY! I mean I think I'll even try it myself. My new budget plan is to make major cuts in grocery and needs for the kids and put that money into lottery tickets because then ...I MIGHT be better off eventually...If I win it will trickle down to the kids right??? I suppose the kids will complain without food and shoes but HEYYY, tough decisions have to be made so we can prosper as a family! After all this is what being fiscally responsible is right?
Great point mom!
While the Republican platform essentially betters those who have made it, the Democratic platform essentially redistributes the property earnings of those who have made to those who have not to enable them to partially share in economic prosperity, though at the bottom levels of society.
People everywhere need to wake up to the fact that the economic system has shackled 99 percent of us to the powerlessness, propertylessness and hopelessness of economic slavery. The global economy—a power-concentrating, corrupt and baffling triad of monopoly capitalism, socialism and welfare statism––is burdened by unsustainable and non-productive debt, under-employment of people, under-utilization of advanced technologies, and under-funded entitlements.
To save America and other market economies from financial disaster, the economic system must change and be based on sustainable growth, economic liberty and justice by lifting artificial and unjust legal and institutional barriers to equal productive capital ownership opportunities for every person.
See http://foreconomicjustice.com/11/economic-justice/
Wow, does anyone actually believe the garbage coming from the White House? I know politicians spin stories to their benefit, but Obama has resorted to outright lies. Its embarrassing. Its a shame he's become this desperate and will do anything to get re-elected at the expense of the American people. I'm glad that won't be happening.
I'm an independent and voted for Obama in '08 and had really high hopes for him, but frankly his performance has been nothing short of pathetic. His policy are a disaster on all fronts. $5T in new debt, the slowest economic recovery EVER, unemployment over 8%, an energy policy that's killing jobs, growth and wealth, and a much diminished status overseas. I looked at him objectively in '08 and decided to vote for him, but now using the same objectivity, for the life of me I don't see how anyone can continue to support him. The only thing that makes sense is that you've become blinded by your ideology.
Don't get me wrong, the other side of the isle has its far share of problems, but at this stage I see Obama as a huge liability to the future of America. My vote will note be for the republicans, but rather to get rid of Obama.
Obama has been a huge success in the area of healthcare, and I would like to see his plan continue. It sickens me when I hear Republicans forward their Social Darwinist views that they don't want to pay for and support those who can't afford or who are denied health insurance.
Regarding energy policy, I wish Obama could go further. George W. Bush said, "We are addicted to oil," and it is high time we do something about it. Obama tried to get oil subsidies cut, but the Republicans filibustered. Oil is a dated technology that impoverishes us through its pollution. New oil speculation is reaping havoc on our environment, and it is getting harder and harder to get at oil easily as time passes, increasing the devastation.
Economic troubles? Thank you President Bush and the Republican party.
President Obama was elected during a most difficult time in American history, and I thank him for the good he has done for our country.
Real unemployment is well over ten percent.
Stewart, at what point does the president get to take responsibility for this economy? Year four, five, eight? Admit it, he's a failure.
And expecting someone to pay for their own healthcare is not Social Darwinism. Most of these people either choose to not have health insurance or would rather pay for cable and internet than their healthcare. You guys are willing to burn down the entire economy just so you don't have to take responsibility for your own well being. How long before you demand that everyone gets housing and everyone gets food stamps? Sickening.
Sometimes I really wonder if people understand where we were when George W Bush stepped into the White House (we had a budget surplus not a deficit) and how truly close we came to true financial depression when he left. This budget is just a more extreme version of the economic policies that nearly bankrupted this country. If you think this recovery is slow, imagine where we'd be if the auto industry would have gone under, instead of thriving as it is today.
The ACA requires that most of us purchase health insurance (The individual mandate), a Republican idea and policy that was a favorite for well over a decade until President Obama implemented it into a real reform. It is very hard to get much done by way of policy when the only consistency and answers coming from the other side of the isle is to disagree ...even when they actually agree, simply to stop any progress.
I do think some republicans have some great ideas in some things but they need to be willing to bring a sense of what is reasonable and not this extreme, no compromise, ideology. Until that happens we won't see much progress at all.
President Obama has done what he said he'd do. If you voted for him in 2008, you voted for him in ignorance. But I don't really believe you did vote for him in 2008. I believe you are pretending to be such an independent in order to influence true low-information independents to vote against the president, that you are really a typical right wing Republican who has nothing better to do than lie on the internet.
If I'm not right, perhaps you could point to some policy positions that caused you to prefer Obama to McCain in 2008.
Alas, when the liberal has lost the argument he turns to personal attacks. Typical.
The only tool a lib really has in his arsenal is emotional appeal and the expertise of others. In the land of reason he doesn't have a leg to stand on.
But since you lied, I'll correct you. The president promised to close Gitmo and he hasn't. He was against the individual mandate before he was for it. He said he wouldn't take superpac money and now he is. He said raising the debt ceiling was immoral and now he's raised it.
Wow, that's just off the top of my head. If he's not a liar, why don't you explain how any of those aren't lies? Oh let me guess. You're about to call me some name or attack me personally because you can't actually defend him.
The name calling thing..for the record is bad on both sides. I can't repeat the things I've been called for asking questions that apparently had no good answer. Ideological division.
I can't and won't defend the President on Gitmo. But to your point about the President being against the mandate until he was for it. This is how our government is supposed to work. Both sides bring ideas to the table and then compromise with ideas from both sides that work together as a whole. That statement only illustrates the Presidents willingness to implement bipartisan ideas..that to me is not a lie. And Republicans were for it until they were against it and their reasons are far less bipartisan.
As to the super pacs...well I guess if he stood on principle and let the other side spend billions on a campaign and fought with one hand tied behind his back that would make him more principled but also pretty stupid.
Samusx,
1. Gitmo: President Obama tried to close it down. This takes money, which the Congress refused to appropriate.
2. Individual mandate: he changed his mind on how to pay for it. The important thing is that it passed, that the parts that have gone into effect have worked quite well, that it covers millions of Americans and that it reduces the deficit
3. Raising the debt ceiling: all independent observers agree that not doing this would be absolutely catastrophic. It is the Republicans who should be ashamed over taking the American economy hostage
4. Superpac: the president never said he wouldn't take superpac money. He criticized the SC decision that created this monstrosity, but it would be political suicide to not take these funds.
The reason that I reasoned that "Patriot for Life" is a liar is that his talking points are indicative of extremely right wing thinking and it's hard to imagine someone with that ideology voting for Obama in 2008. I asked for a specific policy area in which he preferred Obama to McCain in 2008 and I did not get one. It is unreasonable to suppose that a voter would vote for a candidate who the voter totally disagreed with, hence my statement that I believed "Patriot for Life" to be a liar.
My comments about being a liar were not directed at you, Samusx. You did call me a liar which I don't understand as I did not make any statements in my previous comment that could properly be construed as a lie. If you look back at my comment, you will see that they were all statements of belief, not fact.