State of the Union Live Discussion

[The Idiot]

Here are some statistics that occured during Obama's Presidency which I posted from the WSJ dated 9/08/11.

1. U.S. sovereign debt downgrade: first in American history

2. Federal spending (25% of GDP): highest since World War II

3. Budget deficit (10% of GDP): highest since World War II

4. Federal debt (67% of GDP): highest since just after World War II

5. Employment (58.1% of population working): lowest since 1983

6. Long-term unemployment (45.9% of total): highest since 1930s

7. Increase in nonfarm payroll employment (0.5%) since recovery began 26 months ago: slowest job growth 26 months after a severe recession since World War II

8. Home-ownership rate (59.7%): lowest since 1965

9. Percentage of taxpayers paying income tax (49%): lowest in modern era

10. Government dependency (47%). defined as the percentage of persons receiving one or more federal benefit payments: highest in American history.

Sources: Standard & Poor's, Office of Management and Budget, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Morgan Stanley, Joint Committee on Taxation,and the U.S. Census

But if this is a Pro-Obama only forum then let me know and I will take this down so nobody else sees the truth.

 

[Slyfox696]

Here are some statistics that occured during Obama's Presidency which I posted from the WSJ dated 9/08/11.

1. U.S. sovereign debt downgrade: first in American history

2. Federal spending (25% of GDP): highest since World War II

3. Budget deficit (10% of GDP): highest since World War II

4. Federal debt (67% of GDP): highest since just after World War II

5. Employment (58.1% of population working): lowest since 1983

6. Long-term unemployment (45.9% of total): highest since 1930s

7. Increase in nonfarm payroll employment (0.5%) since recovery began 26 months ago: slowest job growth 26 months after a severe recession since World War II

8. Home-ownership rate (59.7%): lowest since 1965

9. Percentage of taxpayers paying income tax (49%): lowest in modern era

10. Government dependency (47%). defined as the percentage of persons receiving one or more federal benefit payments: highest in American history.

Sources: Standard & Poor's, Office of Management and Budget, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Morgan Stanley, Joint Committee on Taxation,and the U.S. Census

But if this is a Pro-Obama only forum then let me know and I will take this down so nobody else sees the truth.

I'm sure all of that is accurate. However, those statements are the results of years of policy before Obama got in office, from Clinton and Bush. I mean, I could go through and pick each apart and blame Republicans, but the fact is they're both equally to blame.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I think I want to bang Elizabeth Warren and I think my wife would be ok with it.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Here are some statistics that occured during Obama's Presidency which I posted from the WSJ dated 9/08/11.

1. U.S. sovereign debt downgrade: first in American history

2. Federal spending (25% of GDP): highest since World War II

3. Budget deficit (10% of GDP): highest since World War II

4. Federal debt (67% of GDP): highest since just after World War II

5. Employment (58.1% of population working): lowest since 1983

6. Long-term unemployment (45.9% of total): highest since 1930s

7. Increase in nonfarm payroll employment (0.5%) since recovery began 26 months ago: slowest job growth 26 months after a severe recession since World War II

8. Home-ownership rate (59.7%): lowest since 1965

9. Percentage of taxpayers paying income tax (49%): lowest in modern era

10. Government dependency (47%). defined as the percentage of persons receiving one or more federal benefit payments: highest in American history.

Sources: Standard & Poor's, Office of Management and Budget, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Morgan Stanley, Joint Committee on Taxation,and the U.S. Census

But if this is a Pro-Obama only forum then let me know and I will take this down so nobody else sees the truth.

True or not, all this proves is that you know how to copy and paste. Do you really believe that Obama caused all of these things to happen? If so, how?

 

[JJYanks121]

I love listening to you guys talk politics. It's funny how idealistic the younger generation (which I'm a part of but don't believe) can be. This is a speech and a response where the stuff said is forgot in a day. Take it for the two steaming piles of dog crap that they are and don't think it's representative of anything.

 

[Gelgarin]

If political nihilism is a sign of maturity then I'll cling on tight to my rapidly departing youth.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Saw this, thought it was relevant. My political contribution for the day.

 

[klunderbunker]

Another graph for you all:

 

[Tiger Chaos Theory]

I wasn't here for it, but did Obama really launch an investigation on lending practices?

 

[JJYanks121]

Another graph for you all:

Not to bust balls.........ok that's exactly what I'm doing, but the timeframe you are pointing out basically proves perhaps a deeper problem. It was the last two years of Bush's presidency that Congress turned over to a Democratic majority. That's when your timeline starts. And when things go into the positive? Why, that's 2010, the year the Republicans took back Congress! It's also when the stimulus crap was repealed.

We're living through a time where we have a president that's very much in over his head. Shit happens. The problem is that the alternatives aren't great either so this coming election will be "vote for shit or turds". The key though is keeping the president and congress of separate party affiliation. Then a president can't just push shit through. When there's a difference of opinion there, shit runs a little more smoothly.

What I'd like come November is a new president and a Democratic Congress. Keep that balance.

 

[Slyfox696]

I love listening to you guys talk politics. It's funny how idealistic the younger generation (which I'm a part of but don't believe) can be.

It's idealism tempered with realism. We understand the only things which get done in Washington are the things which get people re-elected. We know most politicians, regardless of the letter behind their name, care about positions primarily because of the money behind it.

That doesn't change the fact it's wrong.

Saw this, thought it was relevant. My political contribution for the day.

Another graph for you all:

Shh...

How dare you insinuate Republicans don't want small government or balanced budgets!

Not to bust balls.........ok that's exactly what I'm doing, but the timeframe you are pointing out basically proves perhaps a deeper problem. It was the last two years of Bush's presidency that Congress turned over to a Democratic majority.That's when your timeline starts. And when things go into the positive? Why, that's 2010, the year the Republicans took back Congress! It's also when the stimulus crap was repealed.

It's not like things just started going downhill the moment Democrats gained certain powers.

When Bush took over in 2000, the government was operating on a balanced budget, or even with a surplus. George W. Bush said it was irresponsible for government to do such a thing, so he signed legislation to reverse that. Since we seem to be about posting charts right now, here's one of my favorites:

It's kind of old, but it's still good. At the end of the day, there's an old saying, "Lies, damned lies and statistics". We can make statistics say anything we want to prove anything we want, but we can also make general observations. But at the end of the day, as someone who doesn't make bucketloads of money as a public schoolteacher and still pays the same tax rate as Mitt Romney, I feel better about a Democrat leading the way forward than a Republican. I'd feel better about a goldfish leading the country than a Republican.

We're living through a time where we have a president that's very much in over his head.

I disagree. I don't think Obama is over his head. I think Obama has yet to show a backbone in standing up for what he believes in. And I think that primarily came about because he was genuinely shocked that so many Americans did not like his healthcare bill, considering he got elected with it as one of his major campaign platforms. I think since the Democrats forced through the healthcare bill and it received such a negative response, he hasn't wanted to do anything to rock the boat.

Which is not a good attribute for a leader.

The problem is that the alternatives aren't great either so this coming election will be "vote for shit or turds". The key though is keeping the president and congress of separate party affiliation.

I agree completely.

Then a president can't just push shit through. When there's a difference of opinion there, shit runs a little more smoothly.

Actually, I think it runs less smoothly, and that's why it works.

What I'd like come November is a new president and a Democratic Congress. Keep that balance.

I think if Obama wins, he'll be a different President, not so willing to cower to Republicans. I expect since he won't have to run again, he'll be more willing to stand up and make sure Republicans understand he is still the President, a position which deserves respect.

At least I hope so. I'd rather have a Democrat control the White House than Congress, because if Democrats have shown anything over the years, it's that they have no idea how to not screw things up for themselves.

I'm not a Democrat, probably never will be one. I'm an independent person, whose opinions on subjects do not follow a D or an R. However, I AM anti-Republican, so it kind of makes it hard to root for people other than Democrats.

 

[klunderbunker]

Yeah what Sly said about the pay as you go legislation being repealed makes sense. Here's what Bush basically did: spend a bunch of money on two major wars and cut off a bunch of the funding to the federal government. Then in 2003, cut off even more funding.

Translation: let's spend a lot more money and stop bringing in as much money. In short, that does not work long term. Combine that with the mortgage/housing issues/credit card issues and it's no wonder the economy collapsed.

 

[SalvIsWin]

Obama's state of the union address clearly showed him coming back to his campaigning form. Once again, Obama looked like a strong leader, only time will tell if any of that carries over to his presidency if he is elected again (which I think he will be).

Obama's first term has been marred by Republican opposition that Obama has been way too fucking hesitant to challenge. Whenever he is challenged or forced to negotiate, his default position seems to be to give in until the other side is happy. There's been many opportunities for Obama to latch onto public opinion and use it to beat the Republicans over the head, like when the Republicans were facing tremendous opposition to their suggestions of cutting medicaid and medicare. However Obama didn't do that, he instead tried to negotiate on it.

Think about the debt ceiling fiasco, it's been raised many, many times - Bush did it plenty of times with no problem, however when Obama went to do it, it was a nightmare. They come up with a group to negotiate on the debt ceiling and the Republicans will only do it if the Bush tax cuts are extended, so Obama agrees, and also says, "How about cuts to medicare or medicaid too?" He threw that in even though they weren't asking - to say Obama hasn't had a backbone is an understatement, he's been borderline conservative on some issues.

I'm not American and thus not a Democrat, but I am a liberal person and I would very much enjoy seeing Obama win this next election and then realize that the Republicans will try to fuck up his presidency no matter what. It's not worth trying to play bipartisan politics, it's not going to work. There's many examples where Obama gave Republicans exactly what they wanted and they shit all over him for it. That's not to suggest Democrats wouldn't do the same thing, but the fact is a president has to push through policies where he can and hope for the best. Hopefully Obama recognizes that now.