Those were also times when Americans bought almost exclusively American made stuff. There was probably only one high tech device in the household, a TV, and odds are you were wearing your brothers hand-me-down clothes and playing with his old toys. There very well may have been only one car, dad took it to work all week and mom took it to the grocery store on Saturdays. People ate in. Eating out was a special occasion not a way of life. Cable, internet and cell phone bills non-existent. These are the descendants of those that weathered the great depression.
It wasn't just the income that was different back then, it was the lifestyle.
That's an excellent point. It isn't JUST the taxes; it isn't even mostly the taxes. We've shifted to a two-earner family unit because there is more stuff available and we want more of it.
Wait, now you're complaining that he moved quickly? How long should he have waited to pass a bill?
Ah, the proggie view. Obama passed one giveaway, and if it didn't do what he said it would do, it's because of the Republicans.
Stimulus rex did what a stimulus can do - give the economy a breather to break the free-fall as employers lay off people trying to get ahead of the falling economy. You'll never build a health economy giving away money.
Here is where I would start. Never take a vacation, every single day at a set time head to an obvious location and state you are there to fix x problem and wait for representatives show up. If I were in congress I would have stayed in the house or senate waiting to take a vote about ISIS actions. State your intentions and visibly wait or follow up. Speak to press or citizens whenever possible about what you want to accomplish and reiterate when & where you would like to meet up about discussions.
You've got some very good points in this thread. Were Obama as good as Reagan at going directly to the public, he'd be much more able to get his way in Congress. Part of that is Obama being a mediocre public speaker in spite of the press' many accolades, but much of it is that the things he wants passed are not very popular. The Pubbies have the same problem - they have things they'd like to get passed, but while they may be popular with some people they are unpopular with others. Thus for both parties it's much more effective to criticize the other party's proposals (both real and imagined) than to push one's own.
As far as Obama not taking vacations, that might be dangerous. A President needs to be as relaxed and recharged as one can be in that position, since many of his decisions are literally life and death.
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