Hanging the dead albatross around Obama’s neck
Today, 42 days after Barack Obama took the oath of office as president, the Wall Street Journal published an editorial that begins as follows:
“As 2009 opened, three weeks before Barack Obama took office, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 9034 on January 2, its highest level since the autumn panic. Yesterday the Dow fell another 4.24% to 6763, for an overall decline of 25% in two months and to its lowest level since 1997. The dismaying message here is that President Obama’s policies have become part of the economy’s problem.
Americans have welcomed the Obama era in the same spirit of hope the President campaigned on. But after five weeks in office, it’s become clear that Mr. Obama’s policies are slowing, if not stopping, what would otherwise be the normal process of economic recovery. From punishing business to squandering scarce national public resources, Team Obama is creating more uncertainty and less confidence — and thus a longer period of recession or subpar growth.
The Democrats who now run Washington don’t want to hear this, because they benefit from blaming all bad economic news on President Bush. And Mr. Obama has inherited an unusual recession deepened by credit problems, both of which will take time to climb out of. But it’s also true that the economy has fallen far enough, and long enough, that much of the excess that led to recession is being worked off. Already 15 months old, the current recession will soon match the average length — and average job loss — of the last three postwar downturns. What goes down will come up — unless destructive policies interfere with the sources of potential recovery….”
For weeks now, rightwing bloggers and pundits have been trying to work themselves into enough of a lather to dare such a claim, to lay the dead economy at Obama’s feet and cry murder. The attempt by the Wall Street Journal editorial page — arbitrarily calling the bottom on the Bush Recession at Jan. 1 and blaming any subsequent decline on Obama — now marks the official mainstreaming of that effort within conservative thought.
The idea that a president of 42 days should be blamed for not reversing or halting a historic decline that began 17 months ago, and whose roots go much farther back in time — well, it gives new meaning to the term “audacity of hope.” It is stunning in its dishonesty. It is revealing in its naked desperation. And it is insulting in its belief that the American people would be such fools as to believe that nonsense.
The decline began in October 2007, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average peaked above 14,000. The DJIA fell from 11,000 to below 8,000 in barely one week in October ‘08. It is declining now in response to news such as a 6.2 percent decline in GDP and AIG’s record loss of more than $60 billion, shocking numbers that both date back to the last quarter of ‘08.
I do not claim to know for certain whether Obama’s approach will eventually reverse such trends. I acknowledge a chance that it may not, that in the final analysis it could make things worse rather than better. But I do know that the final or even extremely preliminary analysis is not conducted 42 days into a presidency.
I also know that those who claim to know for sure what must be done in this madness are fools or liars. Our elected and appointed leaders are taking their best guess and acting on it, as they should. In two or three or four years, if Obama’s approach has failed, he will and should pay the political price for that failure.
But insisting that the new president should already take the blame for mistakes not his own is more than a little much, particularly when those crying foul and pointing fingers in his direction have red-soaked hands and bloody knives ill-concealed in their robes.
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© 2009 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
242 comments Add your comment
getalife
March 3rd, 2009
5:33 pm
The honeymoon is over from the gop corprate hacks.
I found some competition for Redneck:
“LIMBAUGH: Make no mistake, my friends. This so-called tax cut that President Obama is selling is a sham. It is a sham because I am not getting one, and if I am not getting one then America is not getting one. And so I am calling today on all true patriots to tear up your tax rebate checks. Rip them up and throw them in the fire. These tax cuts are un-American and it is time we sent a message to the Democrats in Washington about where Republicans stand on tax cuts. Go to your window, throw it open, and shout, “I’m mad as hell, and you’re not going to cut my [redacted] taxes!”
From Free Republic:
Sic ‘em, Rush! That was awesome. Stupid Muzzies in the Demo-Rat Party think they can cut MY taxes? I’m with Rush. As soon as I get my tax check I’m going to use it to wipe my bottom.
posted by whitepride
I heard from a reliable source today that Bill Ayers is getting a tax cut. That was all I needed to hear. Tax cuts are for terrorists and lazy coloreds. Increase my taxes or I’m going to plan a coup!
posted by billyxbox
You know, Rhonda and I are home schooling six kids and we’ve got triplets on the way and the bank is threatening to foreclose on our doublewide, but dammit, if Rush says I ortn’t take the Oboombi tax cut then by God, I’m sending it back to Warshinton where it comed from. I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck yesterday. I see through their cheap tricks.
posted by cleetusawlreetusawlrightus
Uh, I’m confused. I thought Republicans were FOR tax cuts.
posted by USER BANNED”
Hilarious.
CommunistAJC
March 3rd, 2009
5:39 pm
Bookman, you’re headline is racist.
GayGrayGeek
March 3rd, 2009
5:42 pm
The Wall Street Journal, the house print organ of the RightWingNut Murdoch empire, is like his other properties – as “fair” as Simon Legree and as “balanced” as Blanche DuBois.
Paul
March 3rd, 2009
5:43 pm
Second time today I’ve been dumbfounded.
[[ it’s become clear that Mr. Obama’s policies are slowing, if not stopping, what would otherwise be the normal process of economic recovery.]] followed by [[it’s also true that the economy has fallen far enough, and long enough, that much of the excess that led to recession is being worked off.]] and an assertion that this recession fits the historical average time frame.
Wow. What about this recession is ‘normal?’ The frozen credit markets and bank crisis? The collapse of investment houses, largely though their own malfeasance? The pending bankruptcy of two of three car companies? The loss of housing values? All happening at the same time?
The WSJ pronounces the economy has fallen far enough so let’s get the recovery underway? Is this the ultimate sports analogy, with the WSJ as the umpire? I must have missed the part where they substantiate their claim that ‘much of the excess is being worked off.’
News flash on recession averages; each one is different and changes the preceeding average. From here on out, the ‘average’ cited will appear significantly longer than in the past. And more destructive. So the next recession, even if bad, will be touted as ‘not as bad as the historical average.’
I’m still dumbfounded.
gttim
March 3rd, 2009
5:48 pm
I know wingnuts at work who for 8 years said Clinton was the problem with the economy during Bush’s presidency, because a president really couldn’t turn around an economy quickly. They said Clinton’s economy looked good because of what Reagan/Bush did. But suddenly, Obama owns this POS left to him by Bush? The cleanup is going to take years and years, The GOP destroyed this economy.
radiowxman
March 3rd, 2009
5:48 pm
Bush inherits downturn in the economy = Bush’s fault.
Obama inherits recession = Bush’s fault.
RW-(the original)
March 3rd, 2009
5:54 pm
It’s also absurd to say the markets have only been affected by Obama policy for 42 days. I think it was in all the newspapers back in November that the next President would be Obama.It was also well known that he was naming Geithner to be Treasury secretary and Geithner was already working hand in glove with Paulson.
Seems to me like I’ve been reading for several years that GWB will be judged the worst President in history so when did you libs decide there was a need to wait and see?
Dave R
March 3rd, 2009
5:58 pm
Wow! Never would I have thought to have read an editorial with the words “stunning in it’s dishonesty” coming FROM Bookman.
Those words are usually (and accurately) used to describe Bookman’s screed.
GayGrayGeek
March 3rd, 2009
6:00 pm
RW, along the same lines as Every Single Bad Thing that’s occurred to or in the U.S. for the past 30-plus years is All Carter’s Fault?
Don’t throw stones when you’re living in a glass McMansion.
Paul
March 3rd, 2009
6:01 pm
My first comment addressed what I saw as weaknesses in the WSJ article.
Now, I will offer that Pres Obama has inserted himself, and our government, forcefully as part of the recovery solution. It is obvious he will not let the situation ‘work itself out.’ I do not think many Americans would be happy with the Executive and Congress taking a ’sit back and watch’ approach. But the scope of the intervention (and the add-ons to the interventions) have been breathtaking.
And in a couple key areas, including the banking system, people have been awaiting the grand plan that will lead to stability and recovery (this is separate from the previously announced stimulus package or TARP). Much has been piecemeal. And since Pres Obama has made gov’t an essential part, if not the driving force, of the recovery, the markets wait. And wait. And wait. And get ever more nervous.
When expectations are raised, they need to be addressed.
I Report/ You Whine
March 3rd, 2009
6:06 pm
Oh yeah, all those people selling off in the stock market are too stupid to know how great president One Term’s ideas are.
A sell off that started the day he won the democrat primary.
ok sure thing.
Tom
March 3rd, 2009
6:07 pm
Given their proven insectile mentalities, looks like Dave and RW are stuck on the same piece of flypaper – and can’t/won’t escape the Land of The Little People.
Chad Harris
March 3rd, 2009
6:07 pm
Obama inherited every clusterfook he is tasked with fixing including the economic one.
The good news is that the Wingnuts and Rush the drigu addicted clown, and the individuals who advance the fiction that Obama made this economic mess are analagous to untreated schizophrenics thown into a hole in the 17th century whaling at the walls with no consequence whatsoever on events on planet earth.
Chad Harris
March 3rd, 2009
6:09 pm
All polls now show Arlin Specter who did a great thing in brokering $40 billion for NIH in the stimulus bill that was signed into law getting killed by any dem in 2010 in Pennsylvania which is strongling moving blue.
Frankin will make 59>and Specter’s defeat will make 60 with some of the retirements pushing the Senate into the low 60’s in 2010.
RW-(the original)
March 3rd, 2009
6:11 pm
Triple G,
At least we’ve had enough time between the end of Carter’s Presidency and today to have a fairly clear picture.
getalife
March 3rd, 2009
6:13 pm
I am pretty sure more gop will retire with rush as their leader.
They have to cower to an entertainer .
Man up.
Geez,
RW-(the original)
March 3rd, 2009
6:15 pm
Tom,
Where have you been buddy? You should know or will soon find out that your act won’t last around here. The only way you can get away with nonstop insults here is if you also toe the Democrat party line.
Taxpayer
March 3rd, 2009
6:20 pm
Bravo, Jay
It takes a genuine dumbass to make such a claim that Obama’s administration is somehow responsible for negatively altering the depth and/or breadth of this recession. This crap coming from the mouths of those that deny global climate change, for example, on the basis of incomplete, inadequate, faulty, etc., data and/or analysis. I say call the idiots out and tell them to put up the facts and analysis to back up their “claims” or shut up and get out of the way. Absolute dumbasses.
Sam
March 3rd, 2009
6:22 pm
OBAMA’S Economy!!!
Dow Jones on morning of 1-20-09, 8281
Today (day 43 of America’s journey in the wilderness), 6726 or an 18.8% decline since “Change” reared its ugly head
Will do my best to DAILY report OBAMA’s great misadventure
BTW Jay, nice liberal like you should be a bit more politically correct when choosing headlines…..tsk, tsk
DB, Gwinnettian
March 3rd, 2009
6:29 pm
“It is stunning in its dishonesty. It is revealing in its naked desperation.”
It is the WSJ opinion page. Par for the course.
Observer
March 3rd, 2009
6:31 pm
Jay – I find it curious that you find fault with the WSJ for condemning Obama after only 42 days yet you, yourself, stated yesterday that clearly, Obama “gets it”. You declared his policies a success.
So, it’s ok for you to declare a positive opinion after only 41 days but it’s wrong for the WSJ to take a contrary position a day later?
I’m still amazed by your statement a few days ago that you don’t consider yourself a liberal. You sir, are a liberal on steroids.
@@
March 3rd, 2009
6:31 pm
This column is most unbecoming to you, jay.
Obama’s a big boy playing in the big leagues now. His grandmother passed recently — are you trying to take her place?
Also, I saw downstairs where you’re impressed with Obama’s ability to juggle “ONE ball”. A normal guy would be looking for two, North Korea and Syria. Somethin’s up between the two of them and it appears to ambitiously nuclear. Iran was inspired by North Korea’s recent launch.
While Putin’s implementing stimulus measures to boost his defense sector, Obama’s using ours to boost what, exactly?
Sam
March 3rd, 2009
6:32 pm
Barry crafted his latest budget with forcasts for the economy to shrink by only 1.2% this year and GROW at a robust 3.2% in 2010…..is he smoking that funny stuff again???
So much for governmental transparency or, maybe he’s bought into GWB “fuzzy math” concept
OWN IT, Barry!
I Report/ You Whine
March 3rd, 2009
6:33 pm
I Report/ You Whine March 3rd, 2009 8:14 am So who do you believe, a goony, mindless liberal or the Wall Street Journal? {{{{Americans have welcomed the Obama era in the same spirit of hope the President campaigned on. But after five weeks in office, it’s become clear that Mr. Obama’s policies are slowing, if not stopping, what would otherwise be the normal process of economic recovery. From punishing business to squandering scarce national public resources, Team Obama is creating more uncertainty and less confidence — and thus a longer period of recession or subpar growth.}}}}
You know, this is about the tenth time in the last few months that I post some solid information and half a day later, it pops up as a Bookman column.
Am I a research assistant at the Wall Mounted Restroom Fixture now?
When do I get my gift certificate?
Greg Mendel
March 3rd, 2009
6:34 pm
In addition to military quagmires and economic collapse, delusion and lying are part of the Bush Legacy. How do you like it so far?
Chad Harris
March 3rd, 2009
6:37 pm
The clear picture is if you are in the Rethug party, you’re confined to whining on blogs with no impact whatsoever on events.
Chad Harris
March 3rd, 2009
6:44 pm
Only a pith brained moron would believe the WSJ’s editorial page. This is a paper that refused to print a nanomicrodrop of ink reporting thet Libby was on trial, convicted, or that his appeal was affirmed by a D.C. Circuit composed of 18/21 Bush martinets. Instead it published 3 editorials whining that Libby was being picked on.
There is a huge difference between the news and financial sections of WSJ and it’s whacky wingnutter preaching to the 15% of voters who are the loser base in their opinion section.
There is no “normal process of economic recovery” in the train wreck that Greenspan, Gramm, Paulson and the Bush teams drove.
One means of recovering trillions of dollars being wasted is to get the hell out of Iraq completely, scrap plans for that boondoggle of an unneeded 2 billion dollar embasy, and to have the insight to realize you’re not going to defeat the Taliban who give refuge to AQ with a troop build up to 17,000 or 170,000. It’s not about troops.
Class of '98
March 3rd, 2009
6:45 pm
Jay, why is it “stunning in its dishonesty”???
The DOW is continuing to drop BECAUSE of this spending plan, not in spite of it.
Pull you head out of the sand.
DB, Gwinnettian
March 3rd, 2009
7:03 pm
c’ajc @ 5.39, I was going to comment on your comment, but I find President Obama’s already spoken for me, here.
moonbat betty
March 3rd, 2009
7:05 pm
hey, it’s not obama’s fault!
he’s just a face man for the dimocrat congress now
blame it on bush and pull out the blank checks and pork sandwiches
now that’s change you can believe in
AmVet
March 3rd, 2009
7:05 pm
“…are slowing, if not stopping, what would otherwise be the normal process of economic recovery.”
It is one thing for utterly uninformed bloggers to say this. But a major US newspaper’s op-ed contributor?
Man oh man oh man!
Just this morning I chastised one of the regular suspects for thinking this very thing – that this was something normal and that this market would just bounce right back like nothing happened in a few weeks.
The disease of stupidity and blindness runs very deep in our nation, I fear…
I Report/ You Whine
March 3rd, 2009
7:09 pm
Po wittle one termers-
NBC’s Tom Costello, on duty at the White House today, asked press secretary Robert Gibbs about some comments made by his CNBC colleague Jim Cramer. On the Today show this morning, Cramer called Pres. Obama’s budget a “radical agenda,” adding, “This is the greatest wealth destruction I’ve seen by a President.”
“I’m not entirely sure what he’s pointing to to make some of the statements,” said Gibbs. “And you can go back and look at any number of statements he’s made in the past about the economy and wonder where some of the back-up for those are too.”
Sniff, sniff.
Boo hoo hoo.
The Whiny Administration.
mike
March 3rd, 2009
7:09 pm
There Jay goes again. Anyone who criticizes Obama is “rigthwing”. Jay of course denies emphatically that he is not “leftwing”. The hypocrisy is laughable.
RW-(the original)
March 3rd, 2009
7:13 pm
Good gawd y’all. Could we at least get a NSFW warning on that 7:03.
AmVet
March 3rd, 2009
7:19 pm
BTW, JB, thank you. I’m sure you hear that way too seldom.
Many (most?) of us agree with your generally very well-thought out and superbly written analysis on a wide and varying range of topics.
That the “conservatives”, ofttimes with their fists clenched”, show up here, is a GOOD thing. You are helping this community by providing this forum.
And even that odd analysis by the WSJ never keeps people from making up their own minds regarding these maters.
Though it is derided endlessly, Gawd I love our free press…
mike
March 3rd, 2009
7:20 pm
AmVet -
Stop your chickenhawk yammering. It’s tedious.
CommunistAJC
March 3rd, 2009
7:23 pm
Chad Harris,
the WSJ has more credibility than just about any newspaper on the planet. No one cares about the Valerie Plame NON SCANDAL! She outed herself when she and her nitwit husband did a full spread in Vanity Fair.
CommunistAJC
March 3rd, 2009
7:24 pm
Chad Harris,
by the way, you are on the same blogs whining everyday.
Chad Harris
March 3rd, 2009
7:26 pm
Who are you wingnuts delusionally thinking is going to take the White House in 2012? Any idiot can scream poor little one termers and has—but which dead clutz walking to you think can get more than 15% of the electorate’s votes.
What’s going to happen is that susbstantially increased gains will be made in the House and Senate starting 2012 and during Obama’s 2nd term.
The part of Rush and cacophonic idiots at CPAC are going to continue to whine on blogs but will get no one elected.
mike
March 3rd, 2009
7:28 pm
Yes Chad Harris. Your pathetic rambling is having “an impact on events”. LOL
You, AmVet, Taxpayer, Trash and Jay need to gain some self-awareness. You guys are the biggest bunch of hypocrites I have ever seen.
mike
March 3rd, 2009
7:29 pm
Chad –
“Any idiot can scream ”
Well you are certainly proof of that.
RW-(the original)
March 3rd, 2009
7:29 pm
I wonder what it would look like if somebody came here typing with their fists clenched. Let’s give it a shot.
mkjmimc ,lc z, xzyjh xzjcxkclxc cxkj
I guess they really don’t.
Tank
March 3rd, 2009
7:30 pm
Hanging Chad,
So what impact on events has your whining on blogs accomplished lately?
I continue to be impressed with your ability to apply your extensive educational background to your blogs: “clusterfook”, “strongling”, “driglu”, “whaling”.
Of course, you’ll just piss and moan because I’m not contributing anything of substance to the discussion. Again; exposing you as the maniacal, liberal hack you are is contribution enough for me.
TnGelding
March 3rd, 2009
7:32 pm
Thanks for telling it like it is, Jay. There is nothing normal about the current situation. Notice they didn’t even mention the housing collapse and the banks teetering on bankruptcy worldwide.
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=a_different_recession
AmVet
March 3rd, 2009
7:36 pm
Hi Mikey!
I thought that was you! Your scintillating and elucidating input gives ya away, donchaknow?
Dropped the capital M, eh?
Even so, this is decidedly not the new and improved Mikey. Tis a shame.
Gawd, man we could have used you during the debates downstairs earlier today!
It would have been an even bigger laugh riot to read your “contributions”…
mike
March 3rd, 2009
7:37 pm
TnGelding –
Did you read the whole article? If you did. maybe you wouldn’t think Jay’s predictable blaming of Bush for all of the problems was not “telling it like it is”.
“When it comes to reining in Wall Street, however, the Democrats have been AWOL almost as much as the Republicans have been not least because their presidential candidates get so much money from Wall Street. By refusing to take on the Street, however, they forfeit what could be a potent issue this fall and lay the groundwork for yet another recession.”
Meyerson is as big a mindless partisan as Rush or Jay, so you can bet that if he is pinning some blame on Democrats, there is some truth to it.
mike
March 3rd, 2009
7:38 pm
AmVet -
Yawn. Your wacky chickenhawk yammering is too boring to read. How much time do you have before they put the AJC’s #1 chickenhawk back in your padded cell?
Chad Harris
March 3rd, 2009
7:42 pm
I heard the same old crap during September thru November until wham bam your butts were slamemd, and you aren’t coming back. You’re doing exactly what I predicted; completely powerless secondary to stupidity but mommy buys the wingnut an internet connection and mommy buys the wingnut some kind of box and they do the only thing they know how to do–scream epithets on comment sections of the blogs that won’t boot ‘em–quality conservative blogs will. Wingnuts continue to fantacize about their perception of the banana republic that Bush, Yoo, Addington and Cheney tried to make now being taken apart by Team Obama.
On their worst day, the Obama administration is exponentially better than the trash that was booted out of the West Wing.
The wingnuts here are consistently incapapble of analyzing any ideas, and perpetually stuck in flinging their diaper contents.
Mommy needs to change you.
5/41 OLC Memos released to reveal the Banana Republic dictatorship Bush was weaving; 36 to go.
Mukasey doesn’t have much to say about it.
AmVet
March 3rd, 2009
7:44 pm
Hey cool Mikey. (or is it mikey?)
I was just gonna say lay off the opiates. They seem to make you irritable!
There’s this entire new generation of drugs (M)mikey. (I’m going to need some clarification on this “new” persona. The one that finally has altogether dropped the pretense of being decent and lucid).
Check out some selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). They may calm your nerves a tad…
mike
March 3rd, 2009
7:45 pm
Chad said –
Blah, blah, blah, Republicans bad, blah, blah, blah
Some crap. Different day. But what do you expect from a wingnut like Chad.
danjonglee
March 3rd, 2009
7:46 pm
Was Obama in the Senate two years ago voting on spending bills and budgets? Or was he still a community agitator? I cant remember….
@@
March 3rd, 2009
7:46 pm
Good grief! Now all the liberal (men I presume) are jumping in to soothe and comfort jay.
Jockey up, fellas. You’re treating jay as if he’s your stable pony.
Eeewww
don
March 3rd, 2009
7:47 pm
It would be nice to read an intelligent post here. But, alas I live in the reddest of red states and intelligence is hard to come by. Think Republican control of the Georgia Legislature, billions of dollars in the hole and Georgia Power.
@@
March 3rd, 2009
7:48 pm
On second thought, you’re acting like jay’s stable ponies.
AmVet
March 3rd, 2009
7:51 pm
And you, girlfriend? An unstable pony? LOL…
mike
March 3rd, 2009
7:52 pm
AmVet -
Are those the drugs they give you in the nuthouse? Is it some kind of special medication for developed especially for wingnut chickenhawks like you?
DB, Gwinnettian
March 3rd, 2009
7:53 pm
RW’s right. My post @ 7.03 is NSFW.
However, in my defense, I thought I was linking one of the mp3 files directly (which would’ve given you a NSFW bit of audio, but very short.) instead it opens the blog page whence it came, which I didn’t expect. Mea culpa.
mike
March 3rd, 2009
7:54 pm
don -
Yes, because if you lived in a liberal state, you would only get intelligent posts like those from AmVet and GodHatesTrash.
rcs
March 3rd, 2009
7:56 pm
regardless of who is to blame, the statement “Team Obama is creating more uncertainty and less confidence — and thus a longer period of recession or subpar growth.” holds true.
Bill Clinton suggested that Obama stop the negative talk, not exactly a right winger.
Geithner is clearly lost — where’s this bank bailout plan he’s supposed to have?
It’s been said that the stock market reflects where it thinks we will be in 6 months. Clearly not a lot of confidence out there for the short term.
Joe Matarotz
March 3rd, 2009
7:56 pm
Jay
Not only are you at sea when it comes to Foreign Policy; you are equally lost when it comes to economics. Maybe journalism isn’t your true calling. I think you’d make an outstanding pastry chef.
@@
March 3rd, 2009
7:58 pm
And you, girlfriend? An unstable pony?
Steady as she goes, always, AmVet.
Interesting you would respond to my post.
Having feelings of inadequacy, are ‘ya?
Chad Harris
March 3rd, 2009
8:03 pm
There are several shrieking wingnut and one wingnutess who have zero ideas; read zero of substance; know that they will die not seeing one more rethug idiot in the West Wing–that freaks ‘em out and instead of reading and getting the education they didn’t get in highschool let alone anywhere else all they can do is fling meaningless epithets.
I find it hilarious that they think flinging the epithets is going to get anyone elected even if they had an electable candidate.
If you want to stop a wingnuter or the one wingnutess cold, ask them who the hell they plan to run in 2012.
Ask them who they think will beat the Dem running for Seante in Pennsylvania in 2010.
Ask them who they think will beat Senator Franken in the next 3 weeks.
They have no answers for those 3 questions/
Taxpayer
March 3rd, 2009
8:03 pm
Basically, what that WSJ opinion piece is trying to say is that the Republicans are in need of someone to hold their hand and tell them that everything will be OK and that they need not worry about the stock market and that they can blame all what ails them on that big bad president if it makes them feel better. No hugs though. I don’t care what Mrs. G says. Sorry, Mrs. G.
AmVet
March 3rd, 2009
8:05 pm
(M)mikey , you think I belong in the nut house???
You say you don’t read my posts, but you respond to each and every one. Without fail.
Fellow bloggers of the AJC, I give you Mikey – the psychotic psychic!
OK, time for me to do my “conservative” blogger imitation.
JAY! Why don’t you ban Mikey? He’s being very naughty.
What a freaking hoot these crybabies are…
AmVet
March 3rd, 2009
8:08 pm
Chad, I am still awaiting the day when Thee Oracle of Faux News, Bill O’Reilly (sorry Pretty Boy Sean, you come in second) asks US Senator Al Franken on his show!
They’ll need extra security!!!
Chad Harris
March 3rd, 2009
8:09 pm
The party that ran 4 elections on the premise they were tough kick butts is afraid to say “No” to fat drug adict Rush.
LOL –this’ll get your wingnut elected.
Ye’re either for Limbaugh or ye’re against him. That’s the slogan for 2010 and 2012–that’s a winner. This is going on as Obama’s approval figures are now polling in the 80%. Rethug Wingnuts between anger and denial heading toward the guilf phase of grief.
AmVet
March 3rd, 2009
8:11 pm
Oh yeah, girlfriend, you got me, alright. Yes indeedy.
You are such a coquette…
rcs
March 3rd, 2009
8:11 pm
Chad, I have no idea who will run in 2012, the GOP party is in disarray right now. No clear leader has yet emerged.
Who are the Dems planning on running?
Fred
March 3rd, 2009
8:14 pm
Once again Jay, nice column. As you stated, our President may or may not halt this decline, but it is NOT of his making. One thing though that you neglected to say is that we should ALL pull together or we will ALL drown together. We have no time for republicans or democrats. We HAVE to come together as Americans. Who cares who is at fault right now dammit, let’s fix the problem. Can’t the radio talkheads grasp that simple fact?
BDAtlanta
March 3rd, 2009
8:14 pm
We have to listen to the death sighs..we do….Now…LETS ROLL!
Chad Harris
March 3rd, 2009
8:15 pm
Chad, I have no idea who will run in 2012, the GOP party is in disarray right now. No clear leader has yet emerged.
Who are the Dems planning on running?
Obama/Dean
BTW the argument “We want Obama to fail but we want the economy to recover from Bush’s wrecking it” is the oxymoron of all oxymorons.
RW-(the original)
March 3rd, 2009
8:16 pm
Joe Matarotz,
The things you outline about Jay B are precisely why he has the right job. He can pretend to be an expert on everything and take none of the responsibility for being wrong about it all. If you push him into being a chef it endangers all of us.
Chadly,
The first of your three questions is downright foolish and anybody that would give you an answer is clueless.
The second question is either nobody or just about anybody as long as it isn’t Specter. In 2010 you’ll be beyond the stage where whining about Bush helps and BO will finally have to own the economy. (Even Jay B will have to stop covering for him by then) If things are good then nobody, but if they are heading where it looks you’ll be hard pressed to find anybody claiming to be a Democratic much less electing more of them.
The third question is meaningless in that there is no Senator Franken nor is there an election in the next three weeks. There’s a decent chance they may end up needing a runoff though and in that case I would say Coleman.
BDAtlanta
March 3rd, 2009
8:16 pm
OBAMA IS ROLLING
@@
March 3rd, 2009
8:26 pm
I love a Brit’s snarky sense of humor.
“Stimulus”, in Mr Brown’s version, involves pumping trillions of pounds, dollars and euros into a banking system that has become a sponge. The transfer of public funds into private hands is without precedent since feudalism was in vogue. Yet the Prime Minister, risking Britain’s entire GDP (and then some), seeks solidarity with an American President who can barely name the trillions he is spending.
Ouweeee!
ChaddyWick:
I have no idea who we’ll run in 2012. I can attest to the fact that as a conservative, patience is at the top of my short list of virtues.
Patience is something that liberals have always lacked. It’s why their decisions are always hastily made.
End result? Unintended consequences of a tumbling stock market.
Heck! the community isn’t even organized around Obama’s fiasco.
Paul
March 3rd, 2009
8:26 pm
RW-(the original)
Hey there! Just received an email, thought I’d pass on something I knew even YOU would find great about Pres Obama!
Quote of the Day:
“I did not vote for Obama but he is remarkable. In less than three weeks in office he has collected more than $450,000 in back taxes.”
jon
March 3rd, 2009
8:27 pm
OK. Let’s a take a poll on the best laugh of the day:
1) From Fox News: Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, who was forced to fork up $34,000 in unpaid back taxes, told the House Ways and Means Committee Tuesday that the Obama administration will be going after people who avoid and evade taxes.
(Well they won’t be hard to find. Maybe that’s The O-Man’s Plan – get them all together in Washington so the IRS can collect on their arses,)
or
2) From AP: “The stock market is story of like a tracking poll in politics. It bobs up and down day-to-day,” Obama said.
I vote for #2. The O-man sure isn’t watching the market from day to day, cause there ain’t been no up bobs, just down bobs. Then he dispenses investment advice, saying it’s time to buy. Maybe he is bothered by the plunging Dow and wants to give it an up bob.
Paul
March 3rd, 2009
8:28 pm
@@
Didn’t know you were still here. That 8:26 was for you, too.
I just had my SECOND ephinany of the day. Your moniker. You said ‘eyes’ you sly one, you. I, on the other hand, know what they really are.
Stiletto imprints.
Man, who’da thought we could get this much mileage outta one of your comments…
RW-(the original)
March 3rd, 2009
8:29 pm
Paul,
You could actually go to the archives here and find me complementing the new President for that very thing. I did say I wish he would quit offering them jobs when they handed over the check though.
AmVet
March 3rd, 2009
8:30 pm
@@, I haven’t follow thew.
Are the blokes doing the essentially the same as us? (whatever the hell that is.)
dave
March 3rd, 2009
8:30 pm
Jay, for a monent there I thought you’d missed the daily memo on the “party” line, but I see I was wrong. Did you use todays phrase “the stock market is a real opportunity?” People are talking with their money, and this “change” thing isn’t working out too well… welcome back Carter..
Chad Harris
March 3rd, 2009
8:32 pm
There isn’t the chance of an ice cube in hell (your definition of “decent” that there will be a runoff in Franken’s victory, (the election court isn’t going to grant that motion)and the election trial will be over in about 3 weeks. The Senate is not about to wait for Coleman to play out the federal appellate process for years–maybe you need help counting. The Senate will seat Franken while Coleman jerks himself in the appeals process.
Specter is dead in the water in Penn in 2012–he’s running way behind all potential dem opponents. Great to see you backing the Dem in Penn.
GodHatesTrash, Superstar
March 3rd, 2009
8:33 pm
Let’s face it. The American corporation, which used to create wealth, has become a wealth-transfer scheme. The 20th century economy was built by engineers, architects, inventors, innovators, and people that grew things and made things. Since the 1980s, the economy has been little more than a giant con game, flimflammers with fancy degrees from fancy business schools like Wharton, Stanford, Duke, etc. moving numbers around on balance sheets, not creating a single good or service, yet stuffing their pockets with other people’s money.
They are essentially a criminal element. They are arrogant and feel entitled to take your money. But really, as we can see by some of the Bookman RightWingnutterbutters, they are the scum of the earth, and only fools will invest with them. The problem is not people selling stocks – it is people are finally too smart to buy them – why invest with people whose main motivation is to line their pockets with exorbitant fees, bonuses, and golden parachutes?
The fantasy economy these jackals and hyenas created is vanishing – quickly. The wolves will be at their McMansion doors, if they aren’t already.
B. Steal
March 3rd, 2009
8:41 pm
Jay, the tone of your column seems to relflect surprise. Why? The WSJ op-ed page has laways been a tool of the wingnut constituency. It’s too bad. The rest of the paper is 1st class. The op-ed section has been frothing at the mouth ready to pounce in concert with the CPAC mob rally. The WSJ op-ed editors are part of the AM radio crowd. They are as shrill as Anne Colter and as myopic as Rush. But they are probably not as fat as Limbaugh or as manley as Anne Coulter.
RW-(the original)
March 3rd, 2009
8:44 pm
Paul,
Check that whole idea I had about the job deal at 8:29. Normally I would wait for April 15th to send my return/extension and my quarterly check, but I’ve had one of those epiphanies that keep hitting you. I’m going to file tonight and short them a few grand. When I come clean and take my job that comes with paying up I’d like to go to the Forestry service since I have experience in the forest, but here’s where you come in since you seem to have a good working knowledge of government structure.
I’d like a job with a big enough title to have plenty of perks, but not enough responsibility to have to really bust it since I’d kind of like to keep my current schedule. Is there a government rank that would mirror the position George Costanza had with the Yankees?
moonbat betty
March 3rd, 2009
8:46 pm
yeah, ght is a pure vermont country boy.
self sufficient.
take off those dockers and izods ght. getanewbowtie
stop supporting those corporate sweat shops.
RW-(the original)
March 3rd, 2009
8:47 pm
Chadly,
Calm down my man. The PA thing is in 2010 and unless I relocate I have no say. My favorite grocery store in all the world is in PA so it’s a possibility though if I can convince my wife that global warming means it’s warm up there while you freeze your buns off down here.
Chad Harris
March 3rd, 2009
8:53 pm
The fact that it snowed and melted Sunday night and the vast majority Jaw Jaws were dumb enough and lazy enough to take off work and school long after the snow melted in Metro Atlanta except for patches on decks and cars has zero to do with global warming.
rcs
March 3rd, 2009
8:56 pm
“Specter is dead in the water in Penn in 2012–he’s running way behind all potential dem opponents.”
You think his vote for the stimulus has anything to do with his electability?
rcs
March 3rd, 2009
8:57 pm
RW, what’s you favorite grocery store?
RW-(the original)
March 3rd, 2009
8:59 pm
I guess it’s free for all posting since the Refresh Gremlins are in concert (hat tip DB) tonight, but I saw a few shots being taken at Jay B’s headline even though they missed the mark. There really is a problem with it though. If the economy has been hung or is being hanged around Obama’s neck how does anybody feel about the writer telling us the US economy is nothing but a dead albatross?
Yikes! Is that what bobbing up and down means???
duh
March 3rd, 2009
9:01 pm
I dont know how many of you, including this Bookman guy, own over, lets say, $200,000 worth of stock but I did own over that much and let me educate you people. The reason for the sell off is because of the election of Hussein Obama. When a man who preaches that when he gets elected, he will increase capital gains tax, what does the SMART money do the day after election??? SELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RW-(the original)
March 3rd, 2009
9:01 pm
rcs,
The Wegmans in Wilkes-Barre, although I really like Betty’s IGA up in Helen too.
David C
March 3rd, 2009
9:01 pm
Obama welcomes this collapse. Communists aren’t happy until everyone is miserable.
Frederick Douglass
March 3rd, 2009
9:03 pm
Are we to expect the very people that elected George W. Bush president twice, to understand a recession of global proportions? Sure, Obama’s
to blame for something that people in the know saw coming as far back
as 2006, at a time when we were pumping billions into a trumped up war.
rcs
March 3rd, 2009
9:04 pm
RW, been to Wegmans several times. My niece used to work there.
Are you from that area?
Chad Harris
March 3rd, 2009
9:04 pm
I don’t think Specter’s vote for the stim has anything to do with the way he’s running in the polls because he was running far behind the dems in the polls months before the stim was a gleam in any eye and months before the Bush administration hatched the imbecilic bailouts for AIG and TARP which McCain seems to have forgotten he wholehartedly supported and lol told Letterman he was heading to straighten TARP out while he lied and cuddled up to Katie Couric after she finished off his candidacy.
Constructive Feedback
March 3rd, 2009
9:08 pm
[quote]I do not claim to know for certain whether Obama’s approach will eventually reverse such trends[/quote]
Mr Bookman:
I have little doubt that IF Obama’s actions lead to even the slightest amount of recovery – YOU will be heralding any sign of life in this economy.
BUT IF the economy remains anemic or in decline after 4 years you will be telling us how much George Bush and the Republican had damaged the economy and thus there is a need for 4 more years to repair it.
WHY DON’T YOU SIGN UP AS THE NEW “CONSERVATIVE” COLUMNIST FOR THE AJC? YOU SEEM TO DO A GOOD JOB MAKING THINGS UP TO FIT YOUR AGENDA. A REAL CHARACTER ACTOR LIKE YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO PLAY A NEW ROLE PRETTY EASILY.
I think that you’d have a Pulitzer waiting for you if you can pull it off.
RW-(the original)
March 3rd, 2009
9:09 pm
rcs,
My wife is from Western Mass and a drive from here takes us right through there. That particular Wegmans is so well run that if you move an apple from a display you can turn around and by the time you look back the display will be perfect again. I haven’t been to any of their other stores so I don’t know if the whole chain is like that. There’s also a Bob Evans at the same exit so it’s a little slice of Heaven.
rcs
March 3rd, 2009
9:12 pm
“the Bush administration hatched the imbecilic bailouts for AIG and TARP”
Couldn’t agree with you more Chad. I wish the current administration would put a stop to it. But since the same Democrats currently in Congress overwhelmingly passed the TARP bailout, there’s little chance the old bailout policy will change.
I Report/ You Whine
March 3rd, 2009
9:16 pm
Alright, so after all of the Grand Blabbering and Magnificent Pronouncements about how Wonderful hopeandchange was gonna be for all of us, now we have Bookman confessing that president One Term is not in control of anything.
I believe you can say we have come full circle.
And we are stuck with a dimwit.
Nice job, Jay.