Keith Olbermann's Special Comment destroys Barack Obama's argument for the Bush Tax Cuts (Video)

Barack Obama, we believed in "Change You Believe In", now if you want to keep your job, you are the one who needs to change.

Cross-posted @ Daily Kos

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President Obama's Press Conference on extending the Bush Tax Cuts (Video)

Well, many are angry at the President for doing this, another broken campaign promise. Oh, and how are we going to pay for this one, since the initial one was never paid for. Next cut, WATCH, Social Security.



Transcript

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King of Flip-Flops: Barack Obama

First, there was this and that secret deal the White House tried to deny with BIG PHaRMA:



Then, Senator Obama who was campaigning for President of the United States insisted that he does not support any mandates, but caved to the insurance companies that every American must purchase health care insurance. Meaning, giving the insurance companies up to or over 30 million new customers. Some change you can believe in!!

Though in 2008 then-Senator Barack Obama campaigned against requiring adults to buy insurance,[13] in July 2009 President Obama reportedly "changed his mind" and announced that he was "now in favor of some sort of individual mandate as long as there's a hardship exemption."[14] Supporting an individual mandate, Obama said, "I've been persuaded that there are enough young, uninsured people who are cheap to cover, but are opting out. To make sure that those folks are part of the overall pool is the best way to make sure that all of our premiums go down."[15] However, the Congressional Budget Office found that the effect of broadening insurance coverage "would probably be relatively small and would not directly produce net savings in national or federal spending on health care."[16]

Now the main premise of his campaign was repealing the Bush Tax Cuts. In fact, President Obama explained repeatedly that these tax cuts were never paid for and is part of the problem of the deficit. Informing the public that this money will be used for other programs and to help reduce the deficit. Well, the biggest flip/flop of all extending these rich folk tax cuts, along with reducing the estate tax for some of the most richest estates in this country. My question is always this, "there are more poor folk, middle class folk than rich folk..." That is a fact.

Now, the problem with the Obama White House is that they are incompetent when it comes to playing hardball and defending their policies. We saw this through the health care fiasco, financial regulation debate and now these tax cuts. President Obama's first duty should have been working on this economy, which includes getting ready to fight for the repealing of the Bush Tax Cuts and having ready his own tax cut plan. Unemployment Extension should never have been out there for the Republicans to hijack to get what they want. An up and down vote should have come out of congress for JUST EXTENDING UNEMPLOYMENT, a recorded vote for the public to view. The public would have been on the side of continuing the extension, with no games being played. Pressure could mount on incoming House members from the most hard hit states, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio to vote to keep the UI extensions going. This is not hard, but the dysfunctional Democrats in D.C. continues to let it be dysfunctional.

Now, Barack Obama can continue to be thin skinned and have selective memory on much of what he said, but the American Public remembers. The public is not stupid, does anyone think Barack Obama will fight to repeal the Bush Tax Cuts in 2012? After we just saw this flip-flop show from him? He has just allowed the can to be kicked further down the road and the longer it is kicked the more reality that these tax cuts will become permanent.

Lastly, I don't care if the President is angry at members in his own party, he has another issue to deal with. TRUST. You need all those people that brought you to the dance to become re-energized in 2012, right now many are losing trust in anything that you say. When you lose trust it is very hard to get it back. Remember that President Obama, while you are getting upset at the word, "public option".

Cross-posted @ Daily Kos

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President Obama announces deal cut with Republicans to extend Bush Tax Cuts (Video)

A bad move, POTUS.



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The Caver in Chief

Sigh, just writing that makes me feel bad, but I deal with reality not fantasy and this is how I see things from the White House along with how I feel.

Extending the current Bush Tax Cuts (the name alone should make many cringe) is one of the most horrible decisions Barack Obama will do.

We have sat and saw this White House repeatedly negotiate many things away before a fight, along with witnessing this White House repeatedly run after the Republicans for votes they never got.

Well, we are witnessing the White House again wave their retrieval flag for the most basic promise of the Obama Campaign, repealing the Bush Tax Cuts.

There are plenty of diaries, blogging, newspaper articles with much discussion about a deal to extend the tax cuts 2-3 years in lieu of keeping the current unemployment extensions in tact.

The reality is that no deal should be cut or should have ever been thought of. With the unemployment rate inching to 9.8% in November, extending the current extensions is a non-brainer. But this White House is gutless and don't know how to fight.

Calling the Republicans scrooges to block any unemployment extension, along with creating a Tier 5 is a good fight to have, why? The people of this country understand this and get it because many know family members, friends in this very dire straight. The people of this country also understand that no tax cuts should be extended for the richest millionaires and billionaires in this country. In fact, if we are negotiating to keep the current unemployment extensions, why not demand a tier 5? Especially with the unemployment number ticking UPWARD not DOWNWARD.

I mean are we going to get ANYTHING OUT OF THIS DEAL? Does this White House know or understand the art of negotiating? Everyone must ask this because the way things are going my outlook on the White House is a bunch of dumb asses who are totally clueless.

Lastly, I agree with the former Reagan Budget Director, David Stockman who was on Countdown with Keith Olbermann, this past Friday. He very directly stated that extending the tax cuts to the richest individuals in this country so they can continue to shop at Tiffany's is damaging. He was not in agreement in 2001 for these tax cuts and is not in agreement now. Stating that Barack Obama should find a veto pen is correct. The argument is and was winnable to extend unemployment benefits, create a tier 5 with the unemployment rate expanding, and allowing the Bush Tax Cuts to expire. But, yet again, we have a White House which is always behind the 8 ball, not knowing how to frame a message and fight, and are a bunch of spineless politicians.



Many of us worked very hard for Barack Obama, but never imagined the continual caves. Sure, some will say they expected it but the majority did not. Fighting for basic democratic principles and moral obligations should not be difficult, but this White House makes it more difficult as the days pass on. And getting tough with Democrats is congress is laughable when you can't even get tough or call out the hypocritical Republicans.

So, in the end of this deal is no deal. We are not getting anything new on the table, but empowering the Republicans that they can punk this White House whenever they want to. And from the looks of it, the Republicans will continue to have it their way.

Cross-posted @ Daily Kos

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Unemployment's ugly number rose to 9.8%, bad news all around

Well, if the Obama Administration did not know that JOBS, JOBS, JOBS is what this country wanted and put them in charge to head, they know now.

This economy is not getting better and no amount of spin will help. Oh, U.S. just added 39K jobs last month and that is pathetic.

And extending unemployment is a non-brainer, including adding another tier. If congress, on both sides of the aisle, fail to do this, there will be hell to pay down the road.

Employers added fewer jobs than forecast in November and the unemployment rate unexpectedly increased, underscoring the Federal Reserve’s decision to pump more money into the economy to spur growth.

Payrolls increased 39,000, less than the most pessimistic projection of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News, after a revised 172,000 increase the prior month, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. The jobless rate rose to 9.8 percent, the highest since April, while hours worked and earnings stagnated.

Read more here
Bloomberg News

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