Next six months may redefine Washington
Maybe I’m wrong — it has certainly been known to happen — but I’m thinking that these next six months could prove to be the most interesting and consequential six months of political theater seen in Washington in a long time. In fact, in terms of melodrama and conflict, it may rival or even exceed the 1995 standoff between President Bill Clinton and the Gingrich Republicans.
The recently concluded 112th Congress resolved nothing. As rough as it seemed at times, it proved to be two years of posturing between partners who weren’t quite confident enough to push things to conclusion. Members of both parties lacked both the courage to cut a big deal and the guts to have a knock-down, drag-out fight about it.
But the 113th Congress may be different. Explosive issues that have been put off time and time again — including immigration reform and entitlement spending — can’t be postponed much longer. Partisan and personal resentments that have long simmered seem ready to come to full boil. Confrontation is in the air — between Republicans and Democrats, between the House and Senate, between Congress and the president, between red state and blue state and even within the two political parties.
For example, I’d give House Speaker John Boehner a 50/50 chance of still holding that position come July, and that may be optimistic. His departure could come in any number of ways, from an internal caucus rebellion to a voluntary resignation in frustration. That’s because the man has been handed an impossible job, trapped between his constitutional obligation as speaker to make government work, at least at some basic level, and a Republican caucus that believes it has much to gain politically and in policy by ensuring that government falters.
As events play out, you may begin to see fractures emerge within the Democratic Party as well. For years, the antics and extremism of their Republican colleagues have united Democrats and allowed them to paper over divisions within their own ranks. They haven’t had to make any hard decisions as a party, and that may change in the months ahead, particularly if President Obama reaches some kind of deal with Republicans on the budget. Because as any student of political history knows, unity has always been a rare and temporary phenomenon with Democrats.
This all sounds a bit dangerous, and it is. Conventional wisdom holds that bitter confrontation is something best avoided in politics, and that compromise and bipartisanship are better models for good governance. Most of the time, that conventional wisdom is probably correct. But I’m not sure that’s the case under current circumstances.
At its most basic, politics is a process by which theories are tested and realities are sifted from illusions. It is disciplined by failure. Politics is also a crudely Darwinian process. At some point, you win or you lose. Decisions get made and problems get solved — one way or the other — when you have clear lines of authority and power. Once those things have been established, you have the ground rules that make bipartisanship and compromise possible.
Such lines do not exist within the rambunctious House Republican caucus. They do not exist in the relationship between House Republicans and the rest of the constitutional structure in Washington, and that explains a lot about the system’s dysfunction. But given the important battles that loom, and the apparently growing hunger for confrontation in some quarters, they may become a lot more clear.
– Jay Bookman
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569 comments Add your comment
Christian Conservative
January 7th, 2013
12:16 pm
Paul
We have spent almost $7 trillion. Yes thats the best I’ve got… Nothing for spending like that….
That’s the best you got? That’s how you assess the overall health of the economy to make the case the economy is the same or worse now than it was when Pres Obama was sworn in?
Really? Really?
You offer average job creation? O-kaaay…… What was the private sector job creation in the eight years before Obama? How ’bout the last three or four months? Unemployment was 4.5% the 8 years previous to Oblama… I would take that… Its hard to show job creation with numbers that low….
You DO know the main driver of the decline in personal wealth, don’t you? You didn’t just do a googly and pull out something that sounded good, did you? Sure its home and land prices along with the overall decline in take home pay because of higher health costs and taxes. Health costs will be even more now thanks to Obamacare…
(HInt: it has to do with these buildings people buy to live it. Once you get that answer, then you can figure out when the values declined and why. THEN you can tell us how that answer from when Obama took office compares to now).
Hint: My home value dropped from May 2009 $55,000 compared to right now… hint, hint.. Its because of Oblama’s fiscal policies….
RB from Gwinnett
January 7th, 2013
12:17 pm
USinUK, “we ARE talking about cuts”
Yea, right! We’ve been “talking” about alot of stuff, but until I see a real cut in a real bill, we’re just “talking”. You obviously haven’t notice the enormous disconnect between Obama flapping his gums on camera about cuts and there actually being any. Maybe you should stop listening to what Obama is telling you (basically what you want to hear), and start paying attention to what is actually being done.
Beg for another cookie, USinUK. Obama promises it won’t make you fatter.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
January 7th, 2013
12:19 pm
” O-kaaay…… What was the private sector job creation in the eight years before Obama?”
The Goog is your friend
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jobs_created_during_U.S._presidential_terms
tom gambeski
January 7th, 2013
12:20 pm
14 % real unemployment, 20 million looking for a job,47 million on food stamps,taxes being raised,spending increased,and no sign Obama wants to compromise on any of these.
Jay’s solution is to give Obama additional power ,he says that will will allow him to be more compromising with the Republicans.
Jay and anyone who agrees with that dribble are truly mindless dupes and are without one clue of how the economic pie is increased.
Her’s a clue Jay,it can’t be done by increasing the power of government, taking more money out of the system,or buying votes Europe tried it and we all know how that turned out.Someone said,
“The trouble with socialism is you eventually run out of other peoples money” we have and that’s the problem.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
January 7th, 2013
12:20 pm
RB – “Yea, right! We’ve been “talking” about alot of stuff, but until I see a real cut in a real bill, we’re just “talking””
bloviate … bloviate … bloviate.
indigo
January 7th, 2013
12:21 pm
Towncrier – 11:36
We do not know who the writers of The New Testament were.
The originals are long since lost. All we have is copies of copies.
Therefore, why does it matter what The New Testament says about anything since we don’t have the slightest idea who the authors are?
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
January 7th, 2013
12:22 pm
Europe tried it and we all know how that turned out.
Actually, Europe is trying out the austerity thingie and it’s not turning out so well.
Thomas
January 7th, 2013
12:23 pm
I said this two weeks ago- prescription drugs and the correlation to violent crime. Hey why not- let’s ignore it, focus 100% on guns, that will cure it.
simple minds simple answers
http://www.wnd.com/2013/01/the-giant-gaping-hole-in-sandy-hook-reporting/
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
January 7th, 2013
12:23 pm
“Actually, Europe is trying out the austerity thingie and it’s not turning out so well.”
word.
Redneck Convert (R--and proud of it)
January 7th, 2013
12:24 pm
Looks like Kyle installed a selective moderation policy next door. Sorta like he is choosing who can post there. Multiple identities seems to be verboten there. Interesting to note the absences and finding them a JG’s today.
Well, good for him. I think people ought to be made to post under their real names, like I do. Except Redneck is a nickname. I don’t want people to know my first name is Elbert.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
January 7th, 2013
12:24 pm
world nutcases daily???
really???
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
January 7th, 2013
12:25 pm
Whirled Nut Daily is for simple minds.
Birther central.
Joe Hussein Mama
January 7th, 2013
12:28 pm
C. Conservative — “You offer average job creation? O-kaaay…… What was the private sector job creation in the eight years before Obama? How ’bout the last three or four months? Unemployment was 4.5% the 8 years previous to Oblama… I would take that… Its hard to show job creation with numbers that low….”
See, this is how I know that you’re absolutely ignorant about what the job creation numbers mean. If you’re going to look solely at unemployment percentages and not at the tremendous job losses suffered under President Bush, then you’ve already fooled yourself.
Job creation under President Bush failed to keep pace with natural *population growth* for 3/4 of his entire administration. That’s to say that for 72 months out of the 96 months he was in office, there weren’t enough jobs created to keep pace with high school and college grads looking for work — much less to put longer-term unemployed people back to work.
The reason those unemployment figures stayed so low under Bush is because of how the numbers are calculated. Over time, long-term unemployed people fall off the unemployment rolls and thus are no longer counted. Oh, they still don’t have jobs, and they’re still ‘unemployed,’ but for purposes of calculating the U3, they simply no longer count. This is the key fact that you’re missing. A low unemployment number is great, but not when it masks a slow bleed of workers from the American labor force — and then gets pointed to as a *positive thing* by people like you.
Welcome to the Occupation
January 7th, 2013
12:29 pm
tom gambeski
You’ve swallowed the con, tom, hook, line, and wanker.
With the latest round of bipartisan austerity, Barack Obama the Democratic president will have presided over a contraction in the size of government to the smallest it has been since the Eisenhower era.
What say you to that, tom? Don’t have an answer, do you? Perhaps that’s because you have other psychological needs to construe the problem as one of “government” growing apace, of moochers among minorities, etc., and to ignore the real problem which is a vicious predatory oligarchic elite with tentacles that reach throughout the entire political system.
So, tell me, tom, why are you bothered by “government” growing too large and not by the trillions of our money handed to the banks to continue lavish profitability?
Welcome to the Occupation
January 7th, 2013
12:31 pm
Kamchak: “Actually, Europe is trying out the austerity thingie and it’s not turning out so well.”
With us now set to follow them.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
January 7th, 2013
12:31 pm
“So, tell me, tom, why are you bothered by “government” growing too large and not by the trillions of our money handed to the banks to continue lavish profitability?”
and you are not allowed to use the words “makers” and “takers” in your answer.
Living With Open Eyes
January 7th, 2013
12:33 pm
I think Jay is right about how long us Democrats can stay united. I know a lot of people like me who vote Democrat because we’re afraid of corporate America running the country, but do NOT want amnesty for illegal immigrants.I was alive and working when Reagan granted amnesty to the illegals-and I know for a fact that the direct results were more illegal immigrants came and took our jobs and kept manual labor and skilled jobs at 1986 wages.
Drive By
January 7th, 2013
12:35 pm
JamVet @ 8:33 a.m.:
It smells of napalm in the morning… They love it.
Christian Conservative
January 7th, 2013
12:35 pm
USinUK – not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
” O-kaaay…… What was the private sector job creation in the eight years before Obama?”
Yes Google is your friend
Bush 43 administration: 1.95 million
Oblama administration: 28,000
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2013/01/net_job_gain_under_obama_28000.html
And the unemployment explosion thats not even being reported…
http://portalseven.com/employment/unemployment_rate_u6.jsp
Oscar
January 7th, 2013
12:38 pm
Nothin seems to be working in Greece, Italy and Spain, and has not for a long time. Going to be a longroad ahead.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
January 7th, 2013
12:39 pm
“And the unemployment explosion thats not even being reported…”
explosion??? it’s decreasing!
Oscar
January 7th, 2013
12:41 pm
LetEnter your comments here
Let the spending cuts kick in. We can afford to since taxes have been raised some.
Oscar
January 7th, 2013
12:44 pm
Defense should be cut 20 per cent instead of just ten. Plenty of waste there.
And bring the troops home now, that would save a lot of money.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
January 7th, 2013
12:44 pm
I was alive and working when Reagan granted amnesty to the illegals-and I know for a fact that the direct results were more illegal immigrants came and took our jobs and kept manual labor and skilled jobs at 1986 wages.
Yep, I saw it too.
It happened because the 1986 amnesty had no teeth in the law to back it up. If we start making business owners and property owners start doing the perp walk to prisons like The Atl. Penitentiary or Reidsville, and not minimum security facilities, then maybe people will stop hiring illegals and they will make sure that illegals are not working on their property.
Oscar
January 7th, 2013
12:46 pm
Don’t see what’s wrong with hiring Mexicians who want to work. They do jpbs that locals will not do. People willing to work should be allowed to work.
Corbin Sharpe. Baby Boomer...and Ban the Gun Thug!
January 7th, 2013
12:47 pm
I suppose this is another “victory’ for the budget crisis, but come on folks…these are our kids.
Veterans Vow Continued Fight to Fix VA
Supreme Court Denies Hearing on Suicidal Veterans Turned Away from VA
For Immediate Release
January 7, 2013
Contact: 202-558-4553
Washington, DC – On Friday, January 4, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the landmark case brought by Veterans for Common Sense (VCS) and Veterans United for Truth VUFT on behalf of Veterans delayed and denied medical care and benefits by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Originally filed in July 2007, the VCS – VUFT lawsuit highlighted the chronic delays and denials for specific conditions associated with the tidal wave of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) casualties resulting from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. In response to the Court’s decision, VCS issued the following statement.
VA remains mired in crisis, and Veterans will continue fighting to reform VA so that no veteran waits for VA healthcare or benefits. We are deeply disappointed the Court did not hear the urgent plea of suicidal Veterans who face delays of months, and often years, seeking VA assistance. Although significant improvements were made in some areas within VA, such as a suicide hotline set up after our lawsuit that rescued 23,000 distraught Veterans, the nation’s second largest department remains in deep crisis due to decades of underfunding and a lack of significant Congressional oversight of VA’s $140 billion per year budget.
Although Veterans lost on a technicality, no one disputes the number of preventable Veteran deaths associated with VA’s negligence. Last year, the families of nearly 20,000 Veterans were paid disability benefits after the Veterans died. A shocking 18 Veterans commit suicide every day. More than 12,000 veterans call VA for suicide prevention each month. During our nation’s worst economic disaster in 80 years, more than 1.1 million Veterans still await VA disability claim decisions. Of those, 900,000 cases wait an average of nine months for a new or re-opened claim decision, plus an additional 250,000 cases wait four more years for an appealed claim decision. VA’s Inspector General reported in 2012 that VA makes errors in approximately 30 percent of VA’s claim decisions. While our Veterans wait, they remain unable to pay their mortgage or rent, and face great challenges feeding their families.
Let us hope VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and Congressional leaders make sure VA has the funding, staffing, laws, regulations, training, and oversight urgently needed so no more Veterans die while waiting.
Originally filed in July 2007, Veterans for Common Sense v. Shinseki went to trial in April 2008 before Senior Federal District Court Judge Samuel Conti. Despite finding that “the VA may not be meeting all of the needs of the nation’s Veterans,” Judge Conti concluded that the power to remedy the crisis facing Veterans lies with the other branches of government, including Congress and the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. In May 2011, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the District Court’s decision, and berated VA for the staggering 18 Veteran suicides each day. However, in May 2012, an en banc panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of VA.
On September 5, 2012, Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth, represented pro bono by Morrison & Foerster LLP and Disability Rights Advocates, submitted a petition for writ of certiorari requesting the Supreme Court to review the Ninth Circuit’s en banc decision. The issue presented to the Supreme Court was whether the Veterans Judicial Review Act allows Veterans to challenge in federal court the systemic delays in the VA’s provision of mental health care and death and disability compensation. On January 7, the Supreme Court announced that it denied the petition for writ of certiorari, thereby bringing an end to this landmark case.
The issue of prompt PTSD care is vital for recently returning veterans. Up to 30 percent of returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans may return home with PTSD, according to a recent Stanford University Study, or as many as 750,000 of the 2.5 million deployed to war in the past 11 years. A new 2008 law, advocated by VCS, provides up to five years of free VA care after deployment to a war zone. A new 2010 VA regulation, prompted by a VCS petition to VA, provides streamlined PTSD claims processing based on scientific research.
Suicidal Veterans and Veterans who don’t know where to get help for PTSD can call VA’s Crisis Line at 800-273-TALK.
###
Please visit our website for the latest news and developments: http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org
Ayn Rand was right
January 7th, 2013
12:48 pm
Two things will change Washington, and neither will be liked by either party. Term limits and transparency. There should be a list of all pork projects along with who sponsored the pork and who voted for it. This list should be printed in every newspaper and posted to every news organizations web page. If the people saw the pork going into all of these bills, I think our congress persons would be a bit more judicious in what they find necessary to tack onto important pieces of legislation.
Then again, it may be more effective to make each piece of legislation stand alone. If most of the pork currently being passed, had to stand alone, it would not receive any funding…that is unless the sponsors of late night television wanted to pay for the laughs.
Brosephus™: "Team Gump will prevail over Team Rudy"
January 7th, 2013
12:48 pm
USinner
Maybe this one will help out a bit…
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/08/zero-10-year-us-job-creation/
“For the first time since the Depression, the American economy has added virtually no jobs in the private sector over a 10-year period. The total number of jobs has grown a bit, but that is only because of government hiring.
The accompanying charts show the job performance from July 1999, when the economy was booming and companies were complaining about how hard it was to find workers, through July of this year, when the economy was mired in the deepest and longest recession since World War II. For the decade, there was a net gain of 121,000 private sector jobs, according to the survey of employers conducted each month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In an economy with 109 million such jobs, that indicated an annual growth rate for the 10 years of 0.01 percent.”
That was published on Aug 8, 2009.
Christian Conservative
January 7th, 2013
12:50 pm
USinUK – not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout):
That’s because they are cooking the books. A record # of people have dropped out of the workforce since Oblama has taken office.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employment-to-population_ratio
Towncrier
January 7th, 2013
12:51 pm
“I think he probably wasn’t too happy with my personae, either.”
Confirmed. I just tried to post on Kyle’s blog and my comment is “awaiting moderation.” Wow. That’s nuts. I didn’t use any profanity (never do) in my posts, I didn’t call anyone a name, I didn’t jack anyone’s name and I probably strove to engage in debate as much as anyone online. I did, however, use a few personae for satiric purposes. And that, apparently, is verboten. Well, if I’m going to post on a local blog, it’s Jay or the highway. Man, that is amazing. Kyle is driving off people who probably agree with much he has to say. Perhaps I’ll send an email off to Mr. Riley.
Oscar
January 7th, 2013
12:52 pm
Plenty of cuts can be made in medicare and medicaid. People are putting their money in trusts so they can qualify. That should be stopped.
Also, stop spening hundreds of thouands of dollars to keep 90 year old terminally ill patients alive for a few more weeks of pain. They have earned their reward, lrt them go.
Brosephus™: "Team Gump will prevail over Team Rudy"
January 7th, 2013
12:53 pm
Not sure where Christian Conservative got his job creation numbers, but here’s a 2010 piece from the National Review, and even they don’t give Bush as much credit as CC does.
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/249516/job-creation-bush-vs-obama-veronique-de-rugy#
Let’s look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
During the Bush presidency, net total employment went up by 1.08 million jobs. So far, during the Obama presidency, total employment has been reduced by 3.3 million jobs.
Under Bush, private employment shrank by 673,000 jobs, federal employment grew by 50,000 jobs, and government employment grew by 1,753,000 jobs.
Seems as though even the National Review states that private sector jobs shrank under Bush over his 8 years.
Granny Godzilla
January 7th, 2013
12:54 pm
Cooking the books….
Romney will win a landslide
Mental Recession
Greeted as liberators
WMD’s
The 47%
.
.
.
.
Stooopid right wing lies.
The gift that just keeps on giving.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
January 7th, 2013
12:54 pm
“That’s because they are cooking the books.”
The BLS is using the same method of counting unemployment they’ve used for 30 years.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
January 7th, 2013
12:55 pm
Don’t see what’s wrong with hiring Mexicians who want to work.
I do.
They do jpbs[sic] that locals will not do.
Plenty of locals in the building trades that have been pushed out of jobs they were willing to do. Been going on for nearly a generation.
People willing to work should be allowed to work.
Tell that to builders and developers that use illegals over U.S. citizens.
Oscar
January 7th, 2013
12:57 pm
No jobs are being created they can’t sell.t because there is little demand. Consumers have to have money to buy. No one is going to make things they can not sell.
The things that are bought, come from China. Cozts to much to hire loals.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
January 7th, 2013
12:57 pm
Term limits and transparency.
We already have term limits.
They’re called elections.
And Ayn Rand was a drug addled methamphetamine addict.
Towncrier
January 7th, 2013
12:58 pm
“We do not know who the writers of The New Testament were.”
We do, in fact, know who wrote many of not most of the NT. The authorship of some “books” (or letters) is not known with certainty.
“The originals are long since lost. All we have is copies of copies.”
As with all ancient manuscripts. We have many, many more copies of the NT (in bits and pieces) and much closer to the date of their assumed composition than any other ancient literature by far.
“Therefore, why does it matter what The New Testament says about anything since we don’t have the slightest idea who the authors are?”
If that is what you think, then throw it in the garbage and do as Paul recommends to nonbelievers: “eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”
Oscar
January 7th, 2013
12:59 pm
The builders and developers know that already. They use the people that sre willing to work. Mexicians.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
January 7th, 2013
12:59 pm
“And Ayn Rand was a drug addled methamphetamine addict.”
bless her heart.
Thulsa Doom
January 7th, 2013
1:01 pm
USinUK – not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
January 7th, 2013
12:39 pm
“And the unemployment explosion thats not even being reported…”
explosion??? it’s decreasing!
Not really. The unemployment rate is falling. But the main reason its falling is because so many people have dropped out of the work force.
The number of new jobs being created is averaging around 150k a month which is really just barely enough to keep up with the number of new entrants into the workforce.
Joe mama explains it well in his 12:28 post. What he’s not able to explain in that post is why things would be any better under Obama in terms of employment than they were in much of the W presidency. Any which way you look at it employment was better under much of the W presidency. And to prove it we can look at the labor force participation rate which as of September last year was the lowest rate in 30 years and amongst men was the lowest rate of all time. And this comes straight from that bastion of conservatism the Huffington post.
You and Joe Mama need to work on your economics knowledge and your critical thinking skills.
D
O
O
M
S
T
R
I
K
E
!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-gongloff/labor-force-participation-rate_b_1865027.html
Christian Conservative
January 7th, 2013
1:01 pm
Brosephus™: “Team Gump will prevail over Team Rudy”:
You act as though the National Review showed Oblama in a good light. Did you read it… It points out how pathetic he has been just like most sane economists have.. Plus its two years old
Al Galore
January 7th, 2013
1:01 pm
Hope the government does shut down…maybe then those Democrats won’t be able to give away all that borrrowed money!
Brosephus™: "Team Gump will prevail over Team Rudy"
January 7th, 2013
1:02 pm
“Term Limits”…
Whoooo hoooo… Democracy for the lazy. Nothing but the best for the Honey Boo Boo society.
Oscar
January 7th, 2013
1:02 pm
We also know who wrote about King David and his successors. From David forward, records are accurate. David’s story was the first history recorded by someone who witnessed the evets that occured and wrote the down.
Thulsa Doom
January 7th, 2013
1:03 pm
And another thing. Don’t forget.
Respect Saban!
Towncrier
January 7th, 2013
1:05 pm
“We already have term limits. They’re called elections.”
And that, of course, is why the 22nd Amendment was passed. Wait…that doesn’t make logical sense.
Oscar
January 7th, 2013
1:07 pm
If the government shuts down a lot of people will miss their SS checks,and a lot of retired and disabled veterans will suffer. And people who depend on medicare and medicaid.
Not tomention the farmers who wanr their checks for not growing things.
St Simons - aboriginal BOOTAKOOK 2014
January 7th, 2013
1:07 pm
oh damn, ‘cook the books’ – if i had a nickel…
i prefer ‘book the kooks’
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
January 7th, 2013
1:07 pm
Thulsa – 1:01 – before you start peeing on the tree, you might want to actually check out the link. This was for ALL unemployed – including those who had “dropped off”
http://portalseven.com/employment/unemployment_rate_u6.jsp
doomstrike?
more like dump that needs to be flushed.
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
January 7th, 2013
1:08 pm
“And that, of course, is why the 22nd Amendment was passed. Wait…that doesn’t make logical sense.”
because a president /= a congress critter
Brosephus™: "Team Gump will prevail over Team Rudy"
January 7th, 2013
1:09 pm
Christian Conservative
You act as though I claimed the National Review showed Obama in a good light. Do you care to show where I ever claimed as such, or is that yet another fact nugget from pulledoutofmyass.com?
I simply posted that to show the PRIVATE SECTOR job creation under Bush. You claimed a much better number than that GOP cheerleading site claimed.
Christian Conservative
January 7th, 2013
12:35 pm
USinUK – not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
” O-kaaay…… What was the private sector job creation in the eight years before Obama?”
Yes Google is your friend
Bush 43 administration: 1.95 million
Oblama administration: 28,000
You were asked about private sector job creation, and you posted that Bush created 1.95 million. The National Review took information from the BLS and stated he lost over 673,000 jobs.
I thought that based on the previous thread that td was the only person who got the Capt. Picard goalposts with enhanced warp drive, but your goalposts move just as fast.
Granny Godzilla
January 7th, 2013
1:09 pm
Cookin the books…..ya’ know if the crack GOP leadership can’t find proof….haven’t even suggested
another major scandal investigation….one would have to think that CHristian Conservative must have some other aganda.
Wonder what that could be?
USinUK - not very ladylike (and former Girl Scout)
January 7th, 2013
1:11 pm
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand with that … I’m outtie …
SB, ALT
January 7th, 2013
1:11 pm
Morality?
Are you on drugs or something?
Towncrier
January 7th, 2013
1:11 pm
“Not to mention the farmers who want their checks for not growing things.”
Catch-22 is, I think, the antidote for the kind of liberalism that places undue faith in government. I wonder how many people here have even read it?
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
January 7th, 2013
1:11 pm
Capt. Picard goalposts with enhanced warp drive
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
January 7th, 2013
1:15 pm
Would be fun for Obama to nominate Mitt Romney to replace Geithner at Treasury just to watch the GOP oppose him.
Heh, heh, heh.
Towncrier
January 7th, 2013
1:15 pm
“because a president /= a congress critter”
ROFL. Does he or she come to power through an election?
Brosephus™: "Team Gump will prevail over Team Rudy"
January 7th, 2013
1:15 pm
Kamchak
Check out the last page of the previous thread. I commented on something td said about billionaires. He responded to my comment about billionaires with an example using thousandaires. Epic hyperdrive on the goalposts.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
January 7th, 2013
1:16 pm
SoCo/Bro
Yeah I saw that and I’ve been waiting for you to use that again.
Regnad Kcin
January 7th, 2013
1:16 pm
“Catch-22 is, I think, the antidote for the kind of liberalism that places undue faith in government.”
This American classic is an indictment of the military hierarchy, not government. I’m not saying some of the issues don’t “cross over.” But to claim the book is about government is just wrong.
Joe Hussein Mama
January 7th, 2013
1:16 pm
Doom — “Joe mama explains it well in his 12:28 post. What he’s not able to explain in that post is why things would be any better under Obama in terms of employment than they were in much of the W presidency.”
It’s not a matter of me not being able to do it — it’s a matter of me being honest about it. I’ve clearly said on several occasions that employment sucks under *both* Bush and Obama.
“Any which way you look at it employment was better under much of the W presidency.”
Depends on how you look at it, as there are pros and cons to the records of both Presidents. Bush had a much longer negative job growth period than Obama, had much deeper job loss months than Obama and took much longer to have a sustained growth period than Obama did. However, Obama’s up months haven’t been as good as Bush’s in terms of raw numbers. But once again, *neither* President has a good job creation record, so talking about which one is ‘better’ is like talking out whether Hardee’s or Krystal deserves more Michelin stars. Neither one does, IMO.
“And to prove it we can look at the labor force participation rate which as of September last year was the lowest rate in 30 years and amongst men was the lowest rate of all time. And this comes straight from that bastion of conservatism the Huffington post.”
Relying on any one statistic — such as you have long done with the unemployment rate — is pretty much proof of dishonesty. Anyone can pick a single good stat on either side and dishonestly ignore the boatload of negative ones.
“You and Joe Mama need to work on your economics knowledge and your critical thinking skills.”
Just as soon as you work on your honesty skills.
Christian Conservative
January 7th, 2013
1:17 pm
Look at the the work force participation rate under Oblama. Yes the economy is booming…
http://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet
Peadawg
January 7th, 2013
1:20 pm
“Look at the the work force participation rate under Oblama.”
I would but linky no worky.
Christian Conservative
January 7th, 2013
1:21 pm
Look how the work force participation rate has fallen under Oblama… Yes the economy is booming.. LOL…
http://data.bls.gov/pdq/SurveyOutputServlet
Peadawg
January 7th, 2013
1:22 pm
Maybe 3rd time is a charm…
Brosephus™: "Team Gump will prevail over Team Rudy"
January 7th, 2013
1:22 pm
Christian Conservative
Your link says:
Notice
Monday, January 7, 2013 1:21 PM
The database is currently unavailable.
Your request was invalid for this Data Access Service. Please attempt other data requests. Thank you for using LABSTAT.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
January 7th, 2013
1:23 pm
Yes the economy is booming.. LOL…
No, the link still doesn’t work.. ROFLMAO…
Christian Conservative
January 7th, 2013
1:23 pm
The work force ration under Oblama… This is sad.. really sad.. but the media tells us the economy is booming…..
65.7 to 63.6
Peadawg
January 7th, 2013
1:24 pm
Christian Conservative
January 7th, 2013
1:23 pm
Got a link to back up your claim?
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
January 7th, 2013
1:25 pm
Just going to throw this out there: Maybe if Repubicans wanted to pick the SecofDef, they should have picked a better presidential candidate
Heh, heh, heh.
RB from Gwinnett
January 7th, 2013
1:25 pm
“Let’s see how your Bushmaster works against the resources of the US Military, let alone the local police.”
I’ll take a bunch of rednecks in Realtree with at 30-06 and the half of the military who would be on their side against the other half any day of the week.
Your mistake, libs, is assuming all of the military are mind dumb robots who only do what their told. That would be a big mistake of an assumption.
Brosephus™: "Team Gump will prevail over Team Rudy"
January 7th, 2013
1:26 pm
To quote Dan Patrick….
“He gets… da whiff!”
Joe Hussein Mama
January 7th, 2013
1:27 pm
I like how the data ran away when CC tried to link to it.
Brosephus™: "Team Gump will prevail over Team Rudy"
January 7th, 2013
1:27 pm
The work force ration under Oblama…
We’re already rationing people??? OMG!!!! I’m going to unplug myself from the Matrix right now!!!
Towncrier
January 7th, 2013
1:29 pm
“This American classic is an indictment of the military hierarchy, not government. I’m not saying some of the issues don’t “cross over.” But to claim the book is about government is just wrong.”
I think you are splitting hairs. The military is a part of the government – period. And the book, despite its military context, satirizes the inanities and inefficiencies of bureaucracy generally. And that, I would say, does “cross over” to government in general (unless, of course, you think an incomprehensibly large tax code or paying farmers when they don’t grow crops or an attempt to impeach a president not for having sex in his office on the job but because of his definition of “is and so on – the list is endless – are all signs of wisdom and efficiency).
Thulsa Doom
January 7th, 2013
1:29 pm
“Just as soon as you work on your honesty skills”
There goes Joe being all ironical again.
“Relying on any one statistic — such as you have long done with the unemployment rate — is pretty much proof of dishonesty”
Couldn’t agree with you more Joe. Reminds me of all the livlibs who proudly talk about the unemployment rate falling while all the time dishonestly or ignorantly(pick your choice) ignoring the reason why it is falling- because so many people gave up looking and no longer count in the unemployment numbers. Talk about dishonesty. Jeez.
And while you may not like it because you have no real counter argument against it the cold, hard fact remains- the labor force participation rate is the lowest in 30 years. Those are the facts. And they are not in dispute.
Joe Hussein Mama
January 7th, 2013
1:32 pm
RB — “I’ll take a bunch of rednecks in Realtree with at 30-06 and the half of the military who would be on their side against the other half any day of the week.”
Just like Waco and Ruby Ridge, huh?
“Your mistake, libs, is assuming all of the military are mind dumb robots who only do what their told. That would be a big mistake of an assumption.”
And your mistake is in dreaming up revolutionary porn in which the military comes a-runnin’ to follow your “leadership.”
Towncrier
January 7th, 2013
1:32 pm
BBL
Z
January 7th, 2013
1:32 pm
Let’s face it, you can’t work with extremist’s. The Republican party has always had its extremist faction but they were kept in the background for the most part. Now they are at the forefront of the party and run the show. Until these Extremist’s in the party are beaten down or sent back to their seats in the back of the room or removed from their seats at election time the GOP will continue to flounder.
getalfe
January 7th, 2013
1:33 pm
The gop will pass the immigration reform to try to get the Latino vote.
The cuts are triggered for when our economy can take them and not fall back to a recession.
Our country is on the right track but the job reports sux and we can do better if the gop stop the obstruction.
stands for decibels
January 7th, 2013
1:36 pm
a bunch of rednecks in Realtree with [a] 30-06
Reminds me–Anyone watch last night’s Simpsons? I was, actually, a bit surprised that they aired it quite so soon after Newtown, but kudos to Fox for allowing it.
http://www.tvequals.com/2013/01/06/the-simpsons-season-24-episode-9-homer-goes-to-prep-school/
(maybe they just figured nobody would connect the “preppers” in the cartoon, and the prepper-mom who supplied the weaponry last month.)
0311/8541/5811/1811/1801
January 7th, 2013
1:37 pm
I said years ago this would be the next big push ……… when you can’t draw the line somewhere (and you normalize perversion) you can’t draw it anywhere.
Just a matter of time ……………….. this is the battle our kids and grandkids will fight.
http://www.nationalreview.com/human-exceptionalism/337010/normalizing-pedophilia
Brosephus™: "Team Gump will prevail over Team Rudy"
January 7th, 2013
1:38 pm
http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300000
Christian Conservative
That’s the link you wanted to post. When you manipulate the time frame, the link becomes useless. If you look long term, you’ll notice that labor force participation peaked around 1998 and has been decreasing every since then. So, the fact that it is still decreasing under Obama is nothing new.
Joe Hussein Mama
January 7th, 2013
1:38 pm
Doom — “There goes Joe being all ironical again.”
Maybe it will inspire some honesty in you. Then again, I’m not holding my breath.
“Couldn’t agree with you more Joe. Reminds me of all the livlibs who proudly talk about the unemployment rate falling while all the time dishonestly or ignorantly(pick your choice) ignoring the reason why it is falling- because so many people gave up looking and no longer count in the unemployment numbers. Talk about dishonesty. Jeez.”
You can blame them all you like, because *I’ve* never said that, your dishonest attempt to misrepresent my position (yet again) notwithstanding.
I’ve been quite clear with you over the last year-plus; the employment records of both Bush and Obama are crap. Neither one can be cogently argued to be better than the other, your repeated attempts notwithstanding.
“And while you may not like it because you have no real counter argument against it the cold, hard fact remains- the labor force participation rate is the lowest in 30 years.”
Don’t need a counter-argument since — as you repeatedly fail to understand — I’m not arguing against it. However, the use of a single data point = dishonesty on your part, which you just agreed with above. Remember?
Couldn’t agree with you more Joe.
“Those are the facts. And they are not in dispute.”
Neither is the fact that use of a single data point = dishonesty.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
January 7th, 2013
1:40 pm
And your mistake is in dreaming up revolutionary porn in which the military comes a-runnin’ to follow your “leadership.”
“If you build it, they will
comefight.”– Thomas “Red Dawn” Jefferson
Granny Godzilla
January 7th, 2013
1:40 pm
What goes on at the National Review?
Why do they spend so much time dreaming about pedopilia?
Shantel
January 7th, 2013
1:41 pm
“Our country is on the right track but the job reports sux and we can do better if the gop stop the obstruction.”
Well they went along with a one year extension of long-term unemployment benefits, which I’m not convinced was such a great idea. No one wants to turn their backs on the unemployed, but it sems fair to ask at what point do never ending benefits become welfare.
Brosephus™: "Team Gump will prevail over Team Rudy"
January 7th, 2013
1:42 pm
you’ll notice that labor force participation peaked
around 1998between Jan 2000 and April 2000 at 67.3%…moonbat betty
January 7th, 2013
1:46 pm
The liberals are going to be like Romney’s dog on top of a car for the next 6 months.
Mick
January 7th, 2013
1:47 pm
brosephus
It pains me to admit it, but I’m feeling a tide blowout tonite…let’s hope I’m wrong and it’s a great game…
RB from Gwinnett
January 7th, 2013
1:48 pm
“I said years ago this would be the next big push ……… when you can’t draw the line somewhere (and you normalize perversion) you can’t draw it anywhere.”
I wonder if the left will defend them for being “born that way” too?
Or if they’ll lobby to have them removed from the sexual predators list so they know when they move in next door to their own family?
Keep Up the Good Fight!
January 7th, 2013
1:49 pm
stands, loved it. Especially the shout out to Red Dawn.
RB from Gwinnett
January 7th, 2013
1:51 pm
“No one wants to turn their backs on the unemployed, but it sems fair to ask at what point do never ending benefits become welfare.”
Here’s a novel idea…If you end their unemployment benefits, they might be willing to do the jobs the illegals are here doing in order to feed their families. The double bonus of them being taxpaying citizens is the illegals will have no more need to be here and go home.
stands for decibels
January 7th, 2013
1:52 pm
Especially the shout out to Red Dawn.
I’m continually amazed at how good that show can be, still, after 22 years on the air. I think it probably helps that it’s a writing credit just about anyone in the biz would kill to have.
Mick
January 7th, 2013
1:52 pm
rb
I think you and the cookies make better sense, but not much…
Brosephus™: "Team Gump will prevail over Team Rudy"
January 7th, 2013
1:53 pm
Mick
I don’t see a blowout. It’s going to be 60 minutes of great football that’s likely to come down to the last 5 minutes on the clock. The ultimate decider will be if ND’s defense can avoid running out of gas in the 4th quarter. Bama’s gonna run the ball until the wheels come off the bus. Then, they’re going to run it some more.
Both teams are similar in style, so I think it’s going to come down to endurance, and I give the Tide a slight edge as those kids have been there before.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
January 7th, 2013
1:57 pm
Here’s a novel idea…
No, not so much.
There’s your sign.
Mick
January 7th, 2013
1:57 pm
brosephus
What made me think of a blowout was that satan err.. saban has so much more experience with big game prep. Also, ND really could have very easily lost three games this year. The tide is a proven known, but the irish? Pretenders or contenders? We shall see, but a blowout is not out of the question imho…