Congratulations, Mr. President

[BDBoop]

Ah, but you must remember, he has been President all of two minutes now, so it is all his fault, and has absolutely nothing to do with the policies put in place by the previous administration.

Policies like:
(1) the Community Reinvestment Act,
(2) Propelling China in the WTO,
(3) NAFTA,
(4) GLB,
(5) Making student loan nondischargable and federalizing student loans which both skyrocketed college tuition to unaffordable levels and
(6) the winner - giving Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac the power they never had before, to create a secondary mortgage market, where loan originators could originate toxic loans and immediately sell them at no rish to FM/FM at a nice profit (Note: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have produced the largest loses of any company in World history 5 years in a row starting in 2007 and sure to add to the trend in 2012)!

Oh wait all those snowballing events where starting under Clinton (yet ignored by Bush)! The bad policies choices you mentioned were of the Democrats doing!

There are plenty of threads for you to kneejerk react in, you don't need to stay here.

 

[BluePhantom]

Focused like a laser on the economy, I hope.

Stimulus applied correctly, workable solution for auto industry, attention to those hurt in the mortgage crisis with follow-through I hope.

Not saying "I get how much the nation is concerned about jobs" and then 2 seconds later following my own agenda which suggested that I didn't get it at all.




Communicate regularly and try to inspire confidence. Try to avoid the perils of both insularity and excessive exposure.

The thing about that is? I don't think any President knows going in what the actual situation is. I really don't. Prior presidents can tell you, but until you occupy the "buck stops here" chair, you don't know all the intricacies of what takes place behind closed doors in Washington. And I'm betting even the most educated of the educated on politics in America only know 40-50% of said intricacies.

If this is true, then why do any of us bother discussing issues on here or anywhere else? It is pointless (not that it isn't anyway)

Oh to give us a reason to bitch maybe. We like to talk. We like to debate. You know....it is mostly pointless, but you know, if you look at the plan offered by Old Rocks it's a pretty typical plan that you would expect from a fiscal liberal. My plan is pretty much what you would expect from a fiscal conservative. Who is right? Well me of course.

 

[BDBoop]

The thing about that is? I don't think any President knows going in what the actual situation is. I really don't. Prior presidents can tell you, but until you occupy the "buck stops here" chair, you don't know all the intricacies of what takes place behind closed doors in Washington. And I'm betting even the most educated of the educated on politics in America only know 40-50% of said intricacies.

If this is true, then why do any of us bother discussing issues on here or anywhere else? It is pointless (not that it isn't anyway)

Oh to give us a reason to bitch maybe. We like to talk. We like to debate. You know....it is mostly pointless, but you know, if you look at the plan offered by Old Rocks it's a pretty typical plan that you would expect from a fiscal liberal. My plan is pretty much what you would expect from a fiscal conservative. Who is right? Well me of course.

And as always, the truth is somewhere in the middle.

 

[Amelia]

The thing about that is? I don't think any President knows going in what the actual situation is. I really don't. Prior presidents can tell you, but until you occupy the "buck stops here" chair, you don't know all the intricacies of what takes place behind closed doors in Washington. And I'm betting even the most educated of the educated on politics in America only know 40-50% of said intricacies.

I don't get your "the thing about it is".

In 2009, it was obvious what the situation was. The country was in panic over the economy. And what does Obama do? ACA.

That's not the only thing he did, but that's what he spent his political capital on. If he had put his actions where his mouth was and where the national angst was (he SAID he got the intensity of the economic crisis and the concern people had about jobs) then he might have followed-through on the theoretically good economic programs he put into place.

HAMP for example might not have been the incredible dud that it was.

He could have led on infrastructure instead of just paying lip service to it with photo ops at bridges.

The multiplier his stimulus was supposed to have had might have happened if he had paid attention to it. We might have had that summer of recovery.

Instead we had the year of paralysis waiting to see how much new regulation Obama intended for us.


And the stimulus fizzled out.




If Obama's priorities were correct -- if Obama actually paid attention to what he said he understood -- then we could have had a solid and undeniable recovery and Republicans would be in the corner whimpering because of his great successes on the domestic front.



And if Republicans priorities were correct then we should be a shoe-in for the presidency in 2012.

But Republicans also keep paying lip service to things the country cares about (jobs, jobs, jobs) while pursuing their own social agendas.




However in 2008, if a Republican had been in the presidency and the Democrats had both houses of congress, then the agendas wouldn't have been pursuable. Not by the Democrats. Not by the Republicans. The ideologies would have been kept in check and we would have had to focus on the economy.

And actually, we're both off-topic because what I am hoping to see is what OldRocks and Blue did. Not an attack on the man who did land in the office, but what YOU would have done differently.

I believe I was on topic. I answered your question about what I would have done differently. You came back with a critique of what I said. I responded to that.

Whatever.

Bottom line: What I would have done differently is to focus on the economy -- not claim to be focusing on the economy while pursuing a counterproductive agenda. At least that is what I hope I would have done. And I think that having Dems in the Congress would have helped keep me from straying too far off target.





And with that I will leave the thread.

 

[Dick Tuck]

If it weren't for the congress who have no problem with doing all they can to put millions out of work, so they can fire one person, we'd have quite a few more teachers in our classrooms.

Grass Roots - Let's Live For Today - YouTube

OE: BluePhantom neg repped this post.

 

[ladyliberal]

I would probably have done much what Obama did. Where I differ from him I have the benefit of hindsight, of course.

- I would have managed expectations better about the stimulus.

- I would have pushed financial regulation harder.

- I would have attached more strings to the bank bailouts so that banks were actually required to lend money and therefor stimulate the economy.

- I would have pushed harder to get rid of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

- I probably would not have pursued the ACA.

And yes, I'm aware that not all of those measures are stimulative.

Also, I would definitely use the title "Madam President" or "Ms. President" rather than "Mr. President" as in your thread title.

 

[ladyliberal]

And as always, the truth is somewhere in the middle.

I have to disagree with you there. To the extent that there is objective truth pr a moral imperative, it often does not lie very near to the political median. A popular position is not necessarily the correct one. In this particular instance, of course, a position between Old Rock's and BluePhantom's is entirely defensible, of course.

 

[BluePhantom]

Well let's go through this one.

What would I have done? The auto bailout for sure.

I would have let them go broke. The idea that massive numbers of people would have lost jobs is total crap. Someone would have bought them and kept the plants open. Now sure perhaps GM is suddenly owned by Toyota but it's not like they will shut down existing facilities. Additionally, it's a good lesson to American manufacturing not to build crap products that no one wants to buy.

I would have reached across the aisle twice, the second time my hand was slapped away, I would have gone into the fighting mode. Instead of trying to reach out to the Republicans, the President should have concentrated on keeping the Democrats in line, using the Johnson arm twisting method, and got us a real Health Care System.

Define "real".

He should have ended the Bush tax cuts. All of them.

So you want to raise taxes on the poor and middle class too in the middle of a recession, huh? You forget...the rich get a benefit from those tax cuts....so does everyone else.

And he should have then, and should now, hit hard on how the wealth of this nation is increasingly being taken at the top, with the people creating it getting a smaller share every day.

Why bother creating a business if it's just going to get raped by the government? If I have the capital to start a massive corporation or expand an existing corporation and I know the United States government is going to pinch 65% of it but the government of Taiwan will only pinch 21% I know where I am expanding and basing my operations. If I have a ton of cash and I know it's going to get raided I will be funneling that money offshore faster than shit through a goose.

He needs to come out strong on the scientific evidence for the changing climate, and what it means to the citizens of this nation. And the preperations we need to make for the consequences that are already in the pipeline.

So do the scientists that keep pounding it.

While he has emphasized the importance of education, he needs to hammer on the GOP on their lack of support for the education of our populace, at the very time that other industrial naitons are investing far more of their wealth into the education of their citizenry.

I will agree with this but it's not money that is the problem with education. It's how we go about education systematically, legal liability, political power, and shifting social norms that are the issue.

We need to drastically reduce the amount we spend on defense. There is no reason that we should be spending more than the next 14 nations combined on defense. Half that would be adaquete.

Depends on what is going on in the world. Thomas Jefferson felt the exact same way....and lived to regret it.

Social Security can easily be fixed in several ways. One, made the 6.2% that we pay apply to all income. Then the system is adaquetly funded forever.

More taxes, huh?

A Universal Health Care system paid for through an income tax, would eliminate both Medicare and Mediaid. And save the nation a good deal of money. We have the example from all the other industrial nations. Less costly per individual with better results.

More taxes, huh?

Increase the federal gas tax, and repair our Interstates. That wonderful system of highways should not be allowed to fall into the disrepair that is it's condition today.

More taxes huh?

Rebuild our nations electrical grid, using the same method that we did for the Interstate System. Users pay x amount per watt they put on the grid to the customer. And take that grid into the places where the wind, solar, and geo-thermal is plentiful.

Just a few things off the top of my head.

So energy becomes an exclusive government business? Tax, tax, tax, tax, tax.

 

[BDBoop]

Focused like a laser on the economy, I hope.

Stimulus applied correctly, workable solution for auto industry, attention to those hurt in the mortgage crisis with follow-through I hope.

Not saying "I get how much the nation is concerned about jobs" and then 2 seconds later following my own agenda which suggested that I didn't get it at all.




Communicate regularly and try to inspire confidence. Try to avoid the perils of both insularity and excessive exposure.

So you weren't talking about Obama in the red, bolded above?

I don't get your "the thing about it is".

In 2009, it was obvious what the situation was. The country was in panic over the economy. And what does Obama do? ACA.

That's not the only thing he did, but that's what he spent his political capital on. If he had put his actions where his mouth was and where the national angst was (he SAID he got the intensity of the economic crisis and the concern people had about jobs) then he might have followed-through on the theoretically good economic programs he put into place.

HAMP for example might not have been the incredible dud that it was.

He could have led on infrastructure instead of just paying lip service to it with photo ops at bridges.

The multiplier his stimulus was supposed to have had might have happened if he had paid attention to it. We might have had that summer of recovery.

Instead we had the year of paralysis waiting to see how much new regulation Obama intended for us.


And the stimulus fizzled out.




If Obama's priorities were correct -- if Obama actually paid attention to what he said he understood -- then we could have had a solid and undeniable recovery and Republicans would be in the corner whimpering because of his great successes on the domestic front.



And if Republicans priorities were correct then we should be a shoe-in for the presidency in 2012.

But Republicans also keep paying lip service to things the country cares about (jobs, jobs, jobs) while pursuing their own social agendas.




However in 2008, if a Republican had been in the presidency and the Democrats had both houses of congress, then the agendas wouldn't have been pursuable. Not by the Democrats. Not by the Republicans. The ideologies would have been kept in check and we would have had to focus on the economy.

 

[BDBoop]

I would probably have done much what Obama did. Where I differ from him I have the benefit of hindsight, of course.

- I would have managed expectations better about the stimulus.

- I would have pushed financial regulation harder.

- I would have attached more strings to the bank bailouts so that banks were actually required to lend money and therefor stimulate the economy.

- I would have pushed harder to get rid of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

- I probably would not have pursued the ACA.

And yes, I'm aware that not all of those measures are stimulative.

Also, I would definitely use the title "Madam President" or "Ms. President" rather than "Mr. President" as in your thread title.

I stand corrected.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

I wouldn't have have handed the very entities that played a huge role in causing the crash - $trillions of taxpayer dollars so it would improve the economy for a couple years.
Which is what he did.
Bush did it first.
Obama dis it second.
Now - will he do it again before November if the market sours?
My bet - is yes.
And if he does - what will you think of it?

 

[BDBoop]

I wouldn't have have handed the very entities that played a huge role in causing the crash - $trillions of taxpayer dollars so it would improve the economy for a couple years.
Which is what he did.
Bush did it first.
Obama dis it second.
Now - will he do it again before November if the market sours?
My bet - is yes.
And if he does - what will you think of it?

Obama wasn't elected.

You were.

What would you do.

 

[Warrior102]

He didn't inherit a disaster; he asked for it.

Exactly. He wanted the turd. He campaigned for it. He won. The turd is larger now. The buck stops with the Turd Maker in Charge.

 

[Sallow]

It's January 20th, 2009. You have just been sworn in as President of the USA.

You have inherited a disaster. Keep in mind that you are whatever candidate you voted for, and you have the House and Senate he had on that date.

Hopefully you know enough about what was going on at that time that I don't need to refresh your memory. Unemployment was 7.8%, the big banks had just come undone, and the auto industry was one step from the tank.

What would you do.

This should help refresh your memory.

Banking Collapse of 2008: Three weeks that changed the world | Business | The Observer

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_56ox_Zw9w]Time Square party for Osama Bin Laden death - New York 10 - YouTube[/ame]

That's how liberals reacted to the death of a terrorist.

 

[BluePhantom]

I would probably have done much what Obama did. Where I differ from him I have the benefit of hindsight, of course.

- I would have pushed financial regulation harder.

In what regard? I mean specific to what and how? Using what model or plan?

- I would have attached more strings to the bank bailouts so that banks were actually required to lend money and therefor stimulate the economy.

Let me just play Devil's advocate here for a second. Yes I agree that the problem is not that "there is no money" it's that "the money isn't moving" and the failure of banks to lend is a big part of that. But...when you boil it all down the banks failed because they had no assets. If they start lending and people cannot repay those loans (i.e housing market), they have used their stimulus funds and still have no assets. Yes they may have properties that represent an asset, but that does them no good as those properties are generating no revenue and can't be easily converted into cash.

So how would you deal with that?

 

[BDBoop]

He didn't inherit a disaster; he asked for it.

Exactly. He wanted the turd. He campaigned for it. He won. The turd is larger now. The buck stops with the Turd Maker in Charge.

And what would you have done?

Or are you saying you would not wish to be president.

 

[Dick Tuck]

Well let's go through this one.

What would I have done? The auto bailout for sure.

I would have let them go broke. The idea that massive numbers of people would have lost jobs is total crap. Someone would have bought them and kept the plants open. Now sure perhaps GM is suddenly owned by Toyota but it's not like they will shut down existing facilities. Additionally, it's a good lesson to American manufacturing not to build crap products that no one wants to buy.

You're a moron. If anyone were interested in buying up GM, they would have done so when their stock was down to chump change.

 

[Warrior102]

Or are you saying you would not wish to be president.

No way in hell I'd want that job.

 

[BDBoop]

Well let's go through this one.

What would I have done? The auto bailout for sure.

I would have let them go broke. The idea that massive numbers of people would have lost jobs is total crap. Someone would have bought them and kept the plants open. Now sure perhaps GM is suddenly owned by Toyota but it's not like they will shut down existing facilities. Additionally, it's a good lesson to American manufacturing not to build crap products that no one wants to buy.

You're a moron. If anyone were interested in buying up GM, they would have done so when their stock was down to chump change.

DT, please. I am seriously making an effort to keep this thread free of personal attacks.

 

[Dick Tuck]

He didn't inherit a disaster; he asked for it.

Exactly. He wanted the turd. He campaigned for it. He won. The turd is larger now. The buck stops with the Turd Maker in Charge.

"Our economy is fundamentally sound" - Bush in the summer of 2008

Wasn't that just before he bailed out 5 of our largest banks?