Obama: "If I don't have this done in 3 years"

[Ausm]

... and that's exactly what they had, a super majority and full control of both houses of congress and an adoring throng of main stream media supporters. And yet, they managed to do nothing positive to help get the economy on track, they just managed to pass a horrible health care bill that's going to damage our economy even further. Nice going.

Your in the same boat as that other guy...you really don't understand the dichotomy of the Democratic Party do you...

 

[Jhhnn]

^ please....

The economy of the 1970s was FAR worse than the economy of the last decade.
The economy of 1981-82 was nearly as bad as the 2009 economy.

And it only took Reagan 2 years to turn it around and make HUGE progress.

Apples and Aardvarks, plus blatant sloganeering on your part.

High unemployment of the early 1980's was largely a result of the FRB efforts to tame inflation by raising interest rates-

http://www.fusioninvesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/usa-unemployment-vs-interest-rates.png

The current situation is nothing of the kind, obviously. Unlike earlier recessions, interest rates & unemployment have moved in opposite directions. Like the 1930's & the japanese experience in the wake of their own housing bubble, this is a balance sheet recession, created by the over extension of credit, an exercise in reckless greed by lenders. The enormity of it makes it extremely dangerous.

Normal monetary controls, the tools of the FRB, have very little effect because they can't reduce rates below zero. Bernanke has done all he can, and his impatience with Congress is obvious.

Obama? He can't act without Congress, and the party of No! has hobbled any honest efforts. Expect the situation to get worse. Well, unless you're a member of the financial elite, in which case it'll get better.

 

[fskimospy]

^ please....

The economy of 1981-82 was nearly as bad as the 2009 economy.

Wait, do you actually believe this? Tell me you aren't this dumb.

 

[umbrella39]

No, Obama had 2 years of unobstructed power and has proven to be a complete fuck up.

Reinventing history should be left up to those who can pull it off.

 

[Jhhnn]

No, it's not. When you cloud someone's mind with rage, there's little chance reason will triumph. You seem smart enough to understand that, which makes me wonder why you continue to represent your side as a complete @$$hole. Sometimes I wonder if you're not a Hannity/Limbaugh disciple trying to parody a liberal. That certainly seems to be the aim.

I didn't cloud his mind with rage- his inability to reconcile his own conflicting beliefs does that, along with a smug rejection of reality.

Reason cannot triumph in that sort of belief structure, regardless of what I might say. Nor will it be affected by reason of any sort.

I'm the Asshole? That's some mighty fine blame shifting denial on your part. Might want to examine your own belief structure.

 

[Jaepheth]

I think presidents should get a single 7 - 10 year term. No reelection.

Too many decisions are being made based on what looks good, or what will boost numbers in the short term for the sake of getting reelected. And Obama is not the only politician at fault in that respect.

 

[werepossum]

I'll pay anyone 1000 dollars who can punch this guy in the face.

1) Do it
2) Post the proof
3) I'll paypal you the money.

Not nice to promote violence against the, um, challenged.

Hey Jhhnn... you and i live close to each other....

i'll split the money with ya.

Gotta love the entrepreneurial spirit.

I'm no fan of Obama, and diametrically opposed to him on many issues, but honestly I doubt any other Democrat would have accomplished much more. I also doubt that things would be materially better or worse had McCain been elected, other than no Obamacare and better SCOTUS justices. The Presidency doesn't have nearly the power that people seem to think it does.

 

[werepossum]

Wait, do you actually believe this? Tell me you aren't this dumb.

Are you too young to remember '81 - '82? It wasn't this bad, but it wasn't that much different either.

 

[ProfJohn]

Eight months is hardly enough time to fix eight years of fuck ups. Probably should have focused more on jobs during that time. His theory was for long term economic health health care needed to be dealt with.

Maybe better strategy to get jobs looking better and have healthcare for 2nd term.

But they weren't even working on fixing the 'fuck ups' as you say.

The Democrats had the largest congressional majorities in 50 years and they used it to pass a very unpopular healthcare bill.

If Obama gets kicked out of office then it will be HIS fault and his alone.

They could have done ANYTHING they wanted and they choose to focus on Obamacare and thus they lost the right to bitch about Republican obstructionism.

They had the chance to 'fix' anything they wanted and they wasted that chance. Why the hell should the American people give them another chance?

 

[ProfJohn]

Anyone who's seen my posts knows I'm not a fan of Obama, but to pin everything we're going through economically on him simply isn't logical or fair. Much of what's going on is beyond his control, and with a country as big as the US -- much like a big ship -- it takes a long time to change course. Not that I think he's the guy to get us on the right course, but lets not go crazy pinning everything on him either.

How long does it take?

 

[mchammer187]

^ please....

The economy of the 1970s was FAR worse than the economy of the last decade.
The economy of 1981-82 was nearly as bad as the 2009 economy.

And it only took Reagan 2 years to turn it around and make HUGE progress.

The economy of today is much different than that of the 1970's. Today's economy is global one and while the US is a major player we are still at the mercy of external factors which were never present 30-40 years ago.

We are in a global recession.

 

[ProfJohn]

Wait, do you actually believe this? Tell me you aren't this dumb.

Unemployment rate by year:
Carter + Reagan's 1st term
1976 7.7
1977 7
1978 6
1979 5.8
1980 7.1
1981 7.6
1982 9.7
1983 9.6
1984 7.5

vs
Bush's 2nd and Obama
2005 5
2006 4.6
2007 4.6
2008 5.7
2009 9.2
2010 9.6
2011 9+ (so far)
2012 9+ according to economic forecasts

Reagan took an economy that had been in bad shape since the end of Vietnam and the oil crisis and turned it around in just a couple of years.

Here:
http://www.miseryindex.us/urbymonth.asp

Go look at unemployment figures by month and explain to me how Reagan went from 10.1 to 7.2 in less than a year.

And why Obama has gone from 10.1 to 9.1 in two years.

 

[fskimospy]

Unemployment rate by year:
Carter + Reagan's 1st term
1976 7.7
1977 7
1978 6
1979 5.8
1980 7.1
1981 7.6
1982 9.7
1983 9.6
1984 7.5

vs
Bush's 2nd and Obama
2005 5
2006 4.6
2007 4.6
2008 5.7
2009 9.2
2010 9.6
2011 9+ (so far)
2012 9+ according to economic forecasts

Reagan took an economy that had been in bad shape since the end of Vietnam and the oil crisis and turned it around in just a couple of years.

Here:
http://www.miseryindex.us/urbymonth.asp

Go look at unemployment figures by month and explain to me how Reagan went from 10.1 to 7.2 in less than a year.

And why Obama has gone from 10.1 to 9.1 in two years.

Oh my god you actually do believe this. I want you to go find me a credible source that says the early 80's recession was:
1.) as bad as this one.
2.) was as difficult to fix as this one.

 

[dank69]

60 Democratic senators would have been unobstructed power. He didn't have it.

Yes he did, for about eight months and you know what they did with that power??

Passed a healthcare bill that most Americans opposed.

Was Lieberman a 'D' at that point?

 

[airdata]

The Bush legacy continues in the men who followed. Nothing has changed.

^

He's done everything Bush would have done w\ 4 more years. Democrats defend things that if bush were doing they'd oppose and republicans oppose stuff obama does that if bush did they would approve of..

The last couple of years has just shown how messed up politics is.

 

[Budmantom]

the great american/kenyan/FoodStamp president......

Fixed

 

[dank69]

^

He's done everything Bush would have done w\ 4 more years. Democrats defend things that if bush were doing they'd oppose and republicans oppose stuff obama does that if bush did they would approve of..

The last couple of years has just shown how messed up politics is.

Maybe you weren't paying attention when Congressional Republicans blocked his attempt to let Bush tax cuts expire for the highest tax bracket.

 

[Jhhnn]

Oh my god you actually do believe this. I want you to go find me a credible source that says the early 80's recession was:
1.) as bad as this one.
2.) was as difficult to fix as this one.

He's just sloganeering, apparently shilling for his "cause", such as it is.

Witness the fact that he completely ignores my post, above, showing how & why the recession of the early 80's is entirely different than the one of today.

 

[Craig234]

^

He's done everything Bush would have done w\ 4 more years. Democrats defend things that if bush were doing they'd oppose and republicans oppose stuff obama does that if bush did they would approve of..

The last couple of years has just shown how messed up politics is.

No, he hasn't. That sort of falsehood is a big problem with many voters today.

Is there some truth to it? Yes. But it's still quite false.

McCain/Bush very likely wouldnt' have passed any 'healthcare reform', any 'Wall Stret reform', any 'stimulus bill', far worse Supreme Court justices, any unemployment extension, and likely would have passed all kinds of bad things that didn't pass under Obama. Tax cuts under Obama were more for the middle class than the rich compared to Bush/McCain.

 

[ProfJohn]

Oh my god you actually do believe this. I want you to go find me a credible source that says the early 80's recession was:
1.) as bad as this one.
2.) was as difficult to fix as this one.

I just showed you the unemployment numbers.
From September 1982 till June 1983 unemployment was above 10%
22 months later unemployment was 7.2%

Obama had ONE month above 10%.
22 months later and unemployment is now 9.1%

Why was Reagan able to go from 10.8% unemployment to 7.4% in 22 months and the best Obama can do is go from 10.1 to 9.1 in the same period?

And don't forget that economists expect unemployment to stay at or above 9% for another year which means we will have had 9% unemployment for 40 months by time Obama leaves office. That is double what we experienced in the 80s and the worst unemployment record since the great depression.

 

[Craig234]

He's just sloganeering, apparently shilling for his "cause", such as it is.

Witness the fact that he completely ignores my post, above, showing how & why the recession of the early 80's is entirely different than the one of today.

1981 was far different. It needed Volker's inflation reduction, which was quite doable.

Then, the national debt was a tiny fraction before being exploded by Reagan; there were under 1,000 lobbyists rather than 36,000; the government was less owned by big business, with business donations a tiny fraction of now (the presidential candidates did not take donations!), America made things without the bad parts of 'free trade agreements', workers were better off with stronger labor rights and numbers, it was pre-finance deregulatin etc.

Reagan was where the country took a wrong turn, beginning the big debt, the polices to make the rich richer far more, the allowing of the finance sector to rape the country.

There's no comparison in the situations.

 

[ProfJohn]

There's no comparison in the situations.

True... Reagan's policies worked and Obama's don't.

 

[PokerGuy]

True... Reagan's policies worked and Obama's don't.

That's because one was a great leader and the other.... well.... a community organizer with a nice teleprompter.

 

[Jhhnn]

True... Reagan's policies worked and Obama's don't.

Still cherry pickin', still shillin'...

 

[ProfJohn]

Still cherry pickin', still shillin'...

still makin' excuses...