The world as Marco Rubio prefers to see it
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio may have had an awkward, amateurish moment in his rebuttal to the State of the Union last night — grace under pressure it was not — but it’s nothing that will do permanent damage to his career. The national spotlight is a difficult place, and you learn how to handle it by living in it. Sarah Palin, for example, never got the benefit of the learning curve that Rubio is now experiencing, and the lack of preparation ended her career.
With that in mind, let’s set aside talk of Rubio’s delivery and take a serious look at the message itself. (Transcript available here.) And let’s start with the fact that in most respects, his speech was a standard, rote recitation of Republican ideology, including a familiar condemnation of President Obama as an enemy of capitalism:
“Presidents in both parties – from John F. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan – have known that our free enterprise economy is the source of our middle class prosperity. But President Obama? He believes it’s the cause of our problems.”
“… the idea that more taxes and more government spending is the best way to help hardworking middle class taxpayers – that’s an old idea that’s failed every time it’s been tried. More government isn’t going to help you get ahead. It’s going to hold you back.”
That is an easily disprovable assertion. Medicare is not a failure; Social Security is not a failure; the GI Bill was not a failure; Head Start is not a failure; unemployment insurance is not a failure. The student loan and Pell Grant programs are not failures. Neither is Medicaid, which among other things insures two-thirds of Americans receiving long-term nursing home care in this country.
These and other programs — almost all of them opposed by Republicans since their inception — have been of immense service to “hardworking middle-class taxpayers” and other Americans. In fact, Rubio and his family have themselves benefited greatly from those programs. As he acknowledged later in his speech, his mother and late father have relied heavily on Medicare to deal with their declining health. Rubio attended a state-financed university, including a community college and the University of Florida, and financed that college education through federal loans and the Pell Grant program.
It is not an exaggeration to say that those taxpayer-funded programs — dismissed by Rubio as failures in helping the middle class — have made his entire life and career possible. College, for example, would have been much more difficult. And without Medicare and Social Security footing the bill, the cost of caring for his aging parents would have had to be paid from his own pocket, significantly shrinking his own economic and career options.
However, when Rubio recounts his personal history, such inconvenient facts seem to melt away. As he said in his speech last night:
“My parents immigrated here in pursuit of the opportunity to improve their life and give their children the chance at an even better one. They made it to the middle class, my dad working as a bartender and my mother as a cashier and a maid. I didn’t inherit any money from them. But I inherited something far better – the real opportunity to accomplish my dreams. This opportunity – to make it to the middle class or beyond no matter where you start out in life – it isn’t bestowed on us from Washington.”
It is a theme that he returned to in his closing, in which he talked of the dreams that parents of today have for their newborn children, just as his parents had for him:
“For many of these parents, life has not gone the way they had planned. Maybe they were born into circumstances they’ve found difficult to escape. Maybe they’ve made some mistakes along the way. Maybe they’re young mothers, all alone, the father of their child long gone.
But tonight, when they look into the eyes of their child for the first time, their lives will change forever. Because in those eyes, they will see what my parents saw in me, and what your parents saw in you. They will see all the hopes and dreams they once had for themselves. This dream – of a better life for their children – it’s the hope of parents everywhere. Politicians here and throughout the world have long promised that more government can make those dreams come true.
But we Americans have always known better. From our earliest days, we embraced economic liberty instead. And because we did, America remains one of the few places on earth where dreams like these even have a chance.”
It is moving stuff, but again, it is romanticized to the point of caricature. These parents “born into circumstances they’ve found difficult to escape” would no doubt welcome high-quality pre-K programs of the sort advocated Tuesday night by Obama, because without it their children would have a much tougher time excelling in school. The earned-income tax credit for working families having a hard time making ends meet would be invaluable to them. Parents working as bartenders and cashiers are highly unlikely to have employer-provided health insurance, so Medicaid would be essential if their children should become ill.
There’s one more very important factor to consider. Rubio’s parents came to this country in 1956, and over the next quarter century, as they tried to establish an economic foothold here, they did so in an era when economic prosperity was more broadly shared than it is today.
Here’s what income inequality looked like in America from 1956 to 1981:
Here’s what it has done since:
Here’s what employees’ share of the gross domestic product did from 1956 to 1981:
Here’s what it has done since:
Those and other profound, structural changes in the American economy have made it much more difficult for modern versions of Mario and Oria Rubio to look into their children’s eyes and dream of a better life for them. Yet, as their son explained to the American people Tuesday night, the Republican Party believes that government should take no account of those changed conditions. “More government isn’t going to help you get ahead,” as he told us. “It’s going to hold you back.”
In fact, we are told, the answer must be to shrink those government programs that — Rubio’s denials aside — have helped himself and countless millions more Americans achieve the dreams of their fathers and mothers. The American people are going to have a hard time swallowing that.
– Jay Bookman
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856 comments Add your comment
DownInAlbany
February 13th, 2013
4:26 pm
getalife
February 13th, 2013
4:18 pm
“I can’t think of one that did!”
I can but you need to learn on your own.
Google it.
I always get blasted on here when I tell people to “google” it. So, I tryed it….googled, “getalife says there are reputable polling sites” Google said, SAY WHAT?
rightwingextreme
February 13th, 2013
4:26 pm
Erwin’s cat
February 13th, 2013
4:01 pm
Let me be clear, the American people told you cons to shove your failed ideology in the last election.
well 53% of them did anyway
uhhh….i show skeeter/plugs received 50.6% of the popular vote in 2012…..where you getting 53%??
DownInAlbany
February 13th, 2013
4:28 pm
Joe Hussein Mama
February 13th, 2013
4:19 pm
DIA — “Just trying to have a balanced approach (now, where have I heard that recently?). Jay, cherry picks the good stuff, afterall…”
FWIW, I appreciate you posting the link so readily. Many of our con regulars will just say ‘google it yourself, tard,’ and then go sulk in a corner
getalife
February 13th, 2013
4:18 pm
“I can’t think of one that did!”
I can but you need to learn on your own.
Google it.
I don’t think getalife is a con!
moonbat betty
February 13th, 2013
4:28 pm
“It’s Pilsner time!!”
Stay out of the men’s bathroom, Debbie! j/k!
Don Abernethy
February 13th, 2013
4:29 pm
He who laughs last laughs best. Wait until 2016.
Joe Hussein Mama
February 13th, 2013
4:29 pm
E. Cat — “I once had a japanese colleague with an interest in American politics… in early Nov he e-mailed me asking how I thought the erection was going ”
When I was stationed in Hawaii, my section had an AJA (American of Japanese Ancestry) lieutenant, and before we went on a deployment to Japan, he took it upon himself to give some of us a quick course in Handy Phrases in Japanese. One of the phrases was (roughly) ‘Excuse me, where is the toilet? I have (George) Bush flu.’ This was, of course, shortly after President Bush the elder yacked into the Japanese Prime Minister’s lap.
Apparently, the Japanese ‘verbed’ that into ‘Bussush1ta,’ literally meaning ‘to do a Bush.”
FWIW, the Japanese soldiers we asked about that thought it was *hilarious.* And they kept asking us to *repeat it.*
Joe Hussein Mama
February 13th, 2013
4:29 pm
DIA — “I don’t think getalife is a con!
I LOLed.
pogo
February 13th, 2013
4:31 pm
One could also correlate (inversely) the results shown in Jaybird’s graph with the test scores for the products of the most expensive educational system in the world. The dumber that the America gets, the greater the divide in income. That is, in a nutshell, the legacy of liberal intervention into any governmental agency. Now we have a bunch dumb educated people who cannot compete with other economies that spend far less than us on education and that produce a better product and that don’t have to deal with teachers unions and meddling liberals in government.
Erwin's cat
February 13th, 2013
4:32 pm
where you getting 53%??
from an aged memory…was it 51% for Obama vs 47% for Mitt…my point was not all Americans rejected the “cons” agenda
skeeter/plugs??
TaxPayer
February 13th, 2013
4:34 pm
The dumber that the America gets, the greater the divide in income.
Paris Hilton say what!
moonbat betty
February 13th, 2013
4:37 pm
“Now we have a bunch dumb educated people who cannot compete with other economies that spend far less than us on education and that produce a better product”
But our dummies don’t want to work for $2 a day.
DownInAlbany
February 13th, 2013
4:39 pm
Joe Hussein Mama
February 13th, 2013
4:29 pm
It’s the BEST medicine!
Ken
February 13th, 2013
4:41 pm
Mr. Rubio has class and appeals to everyday people. He is from a middle class family and has the excellent work ethic of the Cuban people.
Jay, your attack dog mentality of Republicans stops at Marco. He is a class act and you know it.
Nobama
February 13th, 2013
4:43 pm
Stevie Ray – man where you been at ? I love you. All you bleeding heart liberals keep spending $ you don’t have and then watch what happens in a few more years. When they are coming over the walls to take your stuff, you will be wishing you had your assault rifle.
rightwingextreme
February 13th, 2013
4:44 pm
Erwin’s cat
February 13th, 2013
4:32 pm
where you getting 53%??
from an aged memory…was it 51% for Obama vs 47% for Mitt…my point was not all Americans rejected the “cons” agenda
skeeter/plugs??
Skeeter’s my nickname for obama because he “likes” to skeet shoot. plugs is for biden for his hair plugs.
UNCLE SAMANTHA
February 13th, 2013
4:45 pm
Social Security is not a failure….
CORRECT
IT IS A SUCCESS FOR ROBBING THE YOUNG OF MONEY TO RAISE YOUR STANDARD OF LIVING AND TRANSFERRING IT TO THE OLD
AND DON’T KID YOURSELVES…….. EMPLOYERS DO NOT PAY 6.2%……. THAT IS 6.2% COMPENSATION TO YOU THAT IS NOT PAID TO YOU NOR EVER SEEN………THUS THE GENIUS OF THE PAYROLL TAX……..
YOU WONT SCREAM FOR MONEY YOU NEVER SAW
Erwin's cat
February 13th, 2013
4:46 pm
FWIW..several companies are moving some mfg from China back to the US…believe it or not, the cost of power over there can easily offset the “benefits” of cheap labor
Doggone/GA
February 13th, 2013
4:51 pm
“believe it or not, the cost of power over there can easily offset the “benefits” of cheap labor”
that and the increased cost of fuel. When the “Eastern manufacturing revolution” took off, fuel and shipping costs were cheap enough that it was economically worth it to ship raw goods to the East and ship the finished products back. The rise in fuel costs is making that less and less attractive, when a company can manufacture closer to their market and save most of the shipping cost.
I would not be surprised if the “wave of the future” in manufacturing is smaller factories in more locations, to take advantage of that savings in shipping and distribution.
moonbat betty
February 13th, 2013
4:53 pm
“FWIW..several companies are moving some mfg from China back to the US”
That’s good to hear.
I believe a lot of jobs are going to come back home in the future as outsourcing overseas presents its own set of issues that make it (cheap labor) not worth it in the long run.
tireofit
February 13th, 2013
4:54 pm
Rubio is going no where!
Erwin's cat
February 13th, 2013
4:56 pm
Doggone…good point. I’ve heard that the cost of shipping a container has almost quadrupled in the past few years….also a growing middle class in China is demanding more in wage…some outfits are going deep into the countryside to keep labor costs down, but getting in and out of the countryside can be a bit challenging
josef
February 13th, 2013
4:58 pm
Just an observation as a fly-on-the-wall listening in to the Spanish speakers talking about Rubio, but however he may a played in Peoria, he got an overall and somewhat prideful “thumbs up” in Guadalajara del Norte.
Mr Right
February 13th, 2013
4:59 pm
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio may have had an awkward, amateurish moment in his rebuttal to the State of the Union last night — grace under pressure it was not — but it’s nothing that will do permanent damage to his career. The national spotlight is a difficult place, and you learn how to handle it by living in it. Sarah Palin, for example, never got the benefit of the learning curve that Rubio is now experiencing, and the lack of preparation ended her career Jay
So which would you rather have— a load of crap delivered in a fancy truck or a load of gold delivered in a not so fancy truck ? Obama is so good at speaking but what does he deliver?
Dekalb comments
February 13th, 2013
4:59 pm
@ Down in Albany
I quit reading when I saw you were from Albany. We know Georgia has different populations and suggest the Atlanta metro area has its own unique profile. So perhaps the Albany Gazette or whatever it is called is more appropriate.
Mr Right
February 13th, 2013
5:02 pm
Rubio is going no where!
Yep, he will be aroud for quite some time!
tireofit
February 13th, 2013
5:02 pm
Ken
February 13th, 2013
4:41 pmJay,
Mr. Rubio has class and appeals to everyday people. He is from a middle class family and has the excellent work ethic of the Cuban people.
.
++
Yes there are hard working Cuban’s and I have many Cuban friends, but that is a stupid, but feel good, statement. Obviously, you have never lived in South Florida.
Erwin's cat
February 13th, 2013
5:03 pm
Dekalb comments
might I suggest
http://championnewspaper.com/news/categories/dekalb-news-1.html
Doggone/GA
February 13th, 2013
5:04 pm
“Obama is so good at speaking but what does he deliver?”
Here’s an alternate question: what do YOU expect him to deliver, that is within his powers as President?
moonbat betty
February 13th, 2013
5:04 pm
DeKalb,
Someone in DeKalb making fun of Albany….too funny.
josef
February 13th, 2013
5:04 pm
Dekalb comments…
You quit reading when you saw he was from Albany? And why, pray tell, would anybody take you seriously after that? And, given the rest of you comment, it appears you didn’t quit reading. There’s urban and there’s urbane. As your post shows, you are the latter, but questionably not the former.
TBS
February 13th, 2013
5:05 pm
Dekalb
What does DIA being from Albany have to do with anything?
Are people automatically smarter in Dekalb?
Orange13
February 13th, 2013
5:05 pm
http://www.usdebtclock.org/
That Black Guy
February 13th, 2013
5:07 pm
the dog
February 13th, 2013
12:54 pm
Itchy-I take severe exception to your use of the word “fruit” unless referring to an apple, orange, etc.
As you know, that word has long been the bigotted name for homosexuals. Can you choose another word to express your disdain? Broaden your vocabulary?
_____________________________________________
WOW!
Considering the disgusting claim you made about Doom (and still have not proven (because it was a LIE)), I would think you would the last person to be offended.
josef
February 13th, 2013
5:07 pm
“As your post shows, you are the latter, but questionably not the former.”
Oops…
“you are the former but questionably not the latter…”
Two dip-sh*t points for me on that one…
indigo
February 13th, 2013
5:10 pm
rightwingextreme – 4:22 “and be allowed to invest it”
I’m guessing you’ve never heard of Enron.
barking frog
February 13th, 2013
5:11 pm
and then there is rurban……
Erwin's cat
February 13th, 2013
5:12 pm
Two dip-sh*t points for me on that one…
oh crap..are we keeping score?
Doggone/GA
February 13th, 2013
5:14 pm
“oh crap..are we keeping score?”
I certainly hope not!
Keep Up the Good Fight!
February 13th, 2013
5:15 pm
TBG, I would not be so quick to defend the scumdoom. He’s said a lot of disgusting garbage about a lot of people and a lot of his callous shallow comments meant to get the attention he desires because he is such a loser in life could be understood in a number of ways. Personally, if one were to call him a POS, that would be an insult to S**t.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
February 13th, 2013
5:16 pm
Is there a 3-point shot in dipshyte scores?
barking frog
February 13th, 2013
5:17 pm
Erwin’s cat
oh crap..are we keeping score?
………………………………………….
yep, and you are way ahead….
DownInAlbany
February 13th, 2013
5:17 pm
Dekalb comments
February 13th, 2013
4:59 pm
@ Down in Albany
I quit reading when I saw you were from Albany. We know Georgia has different populations and suggest the Atlanta metro area has its own unique profile. So perhaps the Albany Gazette or whatever it is called is more appropriate.
That’s almost humorous…someone from Dekalb County looking down their nose at someone (anyone, for that matter) Bawhahaha
Again, come back when you want to have an adult conversation…
Keep Up the Good Fight!
February 13th, 2013
5:18 pm
TBG, I should have added “IMHO, your mileage may vary”.
Erwin's cat
February 13th, 2013
5:19 pm
frog – yep, and you are way ahead
goes to show what you can do when you apply yourself
josef
February 13th, 2013
5:19 pm
ERWIN and DOGGONE
Well, it IS a contest I could compete in…
ad
February 13th, 2013
5:19 pm
Water bottle? No. Actually full of Republican Kool-Aid.
DownInAlbany
February 13th, 2013
5:20 pm
Well, damn, some of my lib friends coming to my defense! My work for the day is done! Always (well, usually…maybe, sometimes) fun guys. Gotta make the 7 minute commute to the homestead. We’ll pick it up later!
josef
February 13th, 2013
5:20 pm
FROG
And for some, there’s Tur*ban!
Stevie Ray
February 13th, 2013
5:21 pm
Nobama
February 13th, 2013
4:43 pm
HEY EVERYONE, THE APOCALYPE IS UPON US. I HAVE JUST BEEN NAMED BY THE ABOVE AS A “BLEEDING HEART LIBERAL”…
I HAVE NOW REACHED THE APEX (OR NADIR AS IT WERE) OF MY BLOGGING EXISTENCE.
Real Scootter
February 13th, 2013
5:21 pm
Personally, if one were to call him a POS, that would be an insult to S**t.
barking frog
February 13th, 2013
5:21 pm
Erwin’s cat
goes to show what you can do when you apply yourself
…………………………………………………………………..
or just spend more time in the litterbox
TaxPayer
February 13th, 2013
5:22 pm
Being in the North Georgia mountains, I do have a tendency to look down on most other Georgians. That and the fact that most other Georgians are apparently Republicans. Republicans like to be looked down on. It’s a natural consequence of their preference for trickle down and who am I to argue one’s preferences.
Erwin's cat
February 13th, 2013
5:23 pm
Congrats Stevie…you made faster than I did
barking frog
February 13th, 2013
5:24 pm
josef
And for some, there’s Tur*ban!
………………………………………………….
who live in the rurban desert…..
That Black Guy
February 13th, 2013
5:24 pm
Steve
February 13th, 2013
1:18 pm
40% of Republicans still think Iraq had WMDs, Jesus walked with the Dinosaurs, and Obama is a Muslim…so who cares what these people think.
________________________________________
Do you have a link or cite to support your claim?
Not saying that you are making stuff up (only a klown would do that on an anon blog), just would like to see it.
JamVet
February 13th, 2013
5:25 pm
Until the new age Whig Party can find someone with the moral courage to stand up to their 1950s ideology, they are dying a slow and humiliating death every fourth November.
Jindal’s.statement about the GOP being the stupid, insulting and backwards party is spot on, of course, and a damn good start, but there is no way in hell he will buck the fascist party’s leadership, as advanced by Rush Limbaugh and Fox News.
And until some brave Republican does, and then starts a sea change and return to right wing reason, pragmatism and statesmanship, that flushing sound you hear, will not go away…
Keep Up the Good Fight!
February 13th, 2013
5:26 pm
Scooter, you’re right. Typing scumdoom does leave a bad taste in my mouth.
josef
February 13th, 2013
5:28 pm
FROG
That Black Guy
February 13th, 2013
5:28 pm
Keep Up the Good Fight!
February 13th, 2013
5:15 pm
TBG, I would not be so quick to defend the scumdoom. He’s said a lot of disgusting garbage about a lot of people and a lot of his callous shallow comments meant to get the attention he desires because he is such a loser in life could be understood in a number of ways. Personally, if one were to call him a POS, that would be an insult to S**t.
_____________________________________________
I get what you are saying, but I was on that day, and Doom in no way, shape, or form was applauding the shooting of the children in Newtown, which is what the dog (the cat) accused him of.
Real Scootter
February 13th, 2013
5:29 pm
Scooter, you’re right. Typing scumdoom does leave a bad taste in my mouth.
ROFLMAO!!!!
barking frog
February 13th, 2013
5:30 pm
JamVet 5:25
I think you will see more Republican defectors to the
Democrats like Charlie Crist.
Mr Right
February 13th, 2013
5:33 pm
Here’s an alternate question: what do YOU expect him to deliver, that is within his powers as President?
Not much, maybe unemployment at about 8% or about a $1,000,000,000,000.00 debt aded every year, other than that, not much!
Stevie Ray
February 13th, 2013
5:35 pm
Erwin’s cat
February 13th, 2013
5:23 pm
Thanks. I knew you liked me…I knew you liked me!!
I guess I need to respond with an attempt to argue both sides? I’m game.
Madmax
February 13th, 2013
5:36 pm
Jay – you have lied about what Rubio said about Medicare, He did not say it failed, nor did he say it for the other programs you cite. To refresh your memory
“The biggest obstacles to balancing the budget are programs where spending is already locked in. One of these programs, Medicare, is especially important to me. It provided my father the care he needed to battle cancer and ultimately die with dignity. And it pays for the care my mother receives now.
I would never support any changes to Medicare that would hurt seniors like my mother. But anyone who is in favor of leaving Medicare exactly the way it is right now, is in favor of bankrupting it.
Republicans have offered a detailed and credible plan that helps save Medicare without hurting today’s retirees. Instead of playing politics with Medicare, when is the President going to offer his plan to save it? Tonight would have been a good time for him to do it.
”
Where is he calling it a failure? He is just recognizing the new reality that we cannot continue with the program in its current form without bankrupting the program and our country. He is calling for Obama to step up and face reality. That is not calling the program a failure but is pointing out the failure of leadership by Obama in dealing with the biggest challanges of his prsidency.
He did take on Obamacare as an overly intrusive expansion of the federal government. Time will tell but the basic premise that Obama can only think of federal solutions requiring more spending and taxation is an accurate portrayal.
Doggone/GA
February 13th, 2013
5:37 pm
“Not much, maybe unemployment at about 8% or about a $1,000,000,000,000.00 debt aded every year, other than that, not much!”
And how do you expect him to deliver that, within the limits of his powers as President?
Thulsa Doom
February 13th, 2013
5:40 pm
“I get what you are saying, but I was on that day, and Doom in no way, shape, or form was applauding the shooting of the children in Newtown, which is what the dog (the cat) accused him of.”
that black guy,
As you’ve said before you definitely don’t like my politics. But that’s cool with me since you’re at least fair and honest about what is and isn’t said. I can’t say the same for the kreep or the dog(the cat).
Stevie Ray
February 13th, 2013
5:42 pm
JamVet
February 13th, 2013
5:25 pm
The courage you speak to re the GOP has about as much likelihood of DEMS not wanting to raise taxes.
There no longer exists courage in DC. I can’t think of more that a few acts of courage in what is our system in quite some time. Courage doesn’t pay…
Thulsa Doom
February 13th, 2013
5:42 pm
“Sure Scumdoom, you the tough guy.”
Not nearly as tough as the northpoint mall starbucks internet tough guy. You just one badass dude you are. Why I’ll bet you could whup on any other sand flea in the sand flea circus you’re in.
Jay
February 13th, 2013
5:43 pm
Madmax, Rubio stated that:
“… the idea that more taxes and more government spending is the best way to help hardworking middle class taxpayers – that’s an old idea that’s failed every time it’s been tried. More government isn’t going to help you get ahead. It’s going to hold you back.”
“that’s an old idea that’s failed every time it’s been tried. I read that as a blanket condemnation of every government program to help the middle class.
How do YOU read that?
JamVet
February 13th, 2013
5:44 pm
frog, perhaps, but he strikes me as a very unique case.
This party can no longer hope to reach Hispanics, African Americans and other minority groups – we need to just do it. Embracing cultures and lifestyles will make us a better party and better leaders. This desire for inclusiveness is near and dear to my heart… ~Charlie Crist, November 2008
Obviously the Republicans want no part of that. Purity Tests and complete unquestioning obeisance are their greatest “strengths”. Just ask them.
So, as the modern GOP has NO need for inclusiveness, differing opinions and a multitude of varying voices, I believe it will prove to be their Lily White swan song…
Jay
February 13th, 2013
5:47 pm
Cease the insults.
barking frog
February 13th, 2013
5:48 pm
How does Rubio determine that anyone making $9.00 per hr.
is ‘middle class’ when he said that government mandating
$9.00 minimum wage would not help the middle class achieve
its goals ?
Keep Up the Good Fight!
February 13th, 2013
5:49 pm
Rubio: The government can’t change the weather. I said that in the speech. We can pass a bunch of laws that will destroy our economy, but it isn’t going to change the weather
Except China and India have cap and trade laws in place
Madmax
February 13th, 2013
5:49 pm
Jay, when taken in context with his other statements Jay, your statement is a blatent distortion to support your bias. You specifically stated Medicare when in fact, he praised the program and called for the President to actually lead the process to save it. ” Instead of playing politics with Medicare, when is the President going to offer his plan to save it? Tonight would have been a good time for him to do ” So Jay, if you want to cherry pick statements instead of listening to the message, your point is a good talking point but a total distortion of what was said.
Thulsa Doom
February 13th, 2013
5:50 pm
Jay,
Will do. Just keep in mind who started it.
Mr Right
February 13th, 2013
5:52 pm
How does Rubio determine that anyone making $9.00 per hr.
is ‘middle class’ when he said that government mandating
$9.00 minimum wage would not help the middle class achieve
its goals ?
$9.00 minimum wage don’t do unemployed people any good!
Jay
February 13th, 2013
5:53 pm
Max, I included that remark by Rubio as well:
“As he acknowledged later in his speech, his mother and late father have relied heavily on Medicare to deal with their declining health.”
SPC
February 13th, 2013
5:54 pm
The government programs you mentioned are currently successful, but they are on an unsustainable course. Significant fraud has been uncovered in many of them. Fraud that never should have occurred in the first place. The graphs are interesting, but do they include non-payroll benefits that have been increasing for low and middle income people? In other words have they been normalized to reflect the total benefit people receive from their employer and the government so there is an “apples to apples” comparison?
JamVet
February 13th, 2013
5:55 pm
SR, there is precious little moral courage in the Democratic Party, but there are some examples.
The most important one to me in the past 10 years was when 57% of the Dems voted NO to allow GWB to invade the wrong country.
The GOP? Less than 3%! Shameful with a capital S. As in wholesale cowardice.
Also, differing party factions have not been excised completely out of the Democratic party, as they have in the GOP.
Real Scootter
February 13th, 2013
5:55 pm
JamVet
February 13th, 2013
5:44 pm
Give the GOP a break man! I heard they invited a bunch of Hispanics to join them if they were willing to do an extention on their tent.
barking frog
February 13th, 2013
5:55 pm
I know you can be out insulted but can you be outsulted ?
Stevie Ray
February 13th, 2013
5:55 pm
Jay
February 13th, 2013
5:47 pm
DID YOU SEE IT JAY? I WAS CALLED A BLEEDING HEART LIBERAL NOT TOO LONG AGO ON THIS VERY FORUM. WHAT YOU GOT TO SAY ABOUT THAT?
комиссар (Occupation)
February 13th, 2013
5:56 pm
Just back from conferring with fellow comrades.
What’d I miss?
Thulsa Doom
February 13th, 2013
5:57 pm
Factcheck had some things to say about Obama’s speech. And they weren’t nice. Seems Obama was fast and loose with the truth. As usual.
Keep Up the Good Fight!
February 13th, 2013
5:57 pm
I WAS CALLED A BLEEDING HEART LIBERAL NOT TOO LONG AGO ON THIS VERY FORUM. WHAT YOU GOT TO SAY ABOUT THAT?
Bleeding heart liberal should be insulted?
Stevie Ray
February 13th, 2013
5:57 pm
JamVet
February 13th, 2013
5:55 pm
IMO, the ones who voted for that war are the ones who evidenced political courage. I’m referring to bucking party dogma and attempting to do the right thing.
Thulsa Doom
February 13th, 2013
5:58 pm
Occupation,
You missed factcheck’s breakdown of Obama’s lies.
Stevie Ray
February 13th, 2013
5:58 pm
Thulsa Doom
February 13th, 2013
5:50 pm
Incorrect. George Bush started it..at least that’s what is advertised you big silly.
barking frog
February 13th, 2013
5:59 pm
Mr Right
$9.00 minimum wage don’t do unemployed people any good!
………………………………………………………………………………
It will increase business where $9.00 per hr people shop thus
affecting the supply chain and creating jobs.
Madmax
February 13th, 2013
5:59 pm
Jay, but then you stated that he was calling Medicare a failure which he did not. He did call for restraint in expanding the role of government as a means of propping up our ailing economy because if we are to balance the budget, every dollar spent by Washington, must either be taken out of the economy or added to the deficit.
Stevie Ray
February 13th, 2013
6:00 pm
OCCUPATION
I agree with Thulsa, go to Wash Post and see preliminary fact checks for many of the key turds BO bestowed upon us folks last evening.
Stevie Ray
February 13th, 2013
6:02 pm
barking frog
February 13th, 2013
5:59 pm
Good point. Question for you is exactly how will pass thru of costs to consumers impact demand?
I”m all for wage increase but the timing couldn’t be worse..
Keep Up the Good Fight!
February 13th, 2013
6:04 pm
Raising the minimum wage to $9.00 by 2015 would affect approximately 21 million workers (the White House fact sheet on the minimum wage proposal notes that 15 million workers would directly benefit, the balance – approximately 6 million workers whose wages are currently slightly above $9.00 – would benefit indirectly, as their wages were incrementally increased). We have a pretty good idea who these workers would be, having analyzed the demographic impact of increasing the minimum wage to $9.80 in 2012, as proposed by the Fair Minimum Wage Act. That analysis showed that more than half of those who would be affected are women, more than four in five are 20 years of age or over, more than a quarter are parents, and over a third are married. Moreover, the average affected worker earns about half of his or her family’s total income.
barking frog
February 13th, 2013
6:05 pm
Stevie Ray
Good point. Question for you is exactly how will pass thru of costs to consumers impact demand?
…………………………………………………………………….
Just like the pass through of costs at current minimum wage
except a little more.
Stevie Ray
February 13th, 2013
6:05 pm
Thulsa Doom
February 13th, 2013
5:57 pm
I would argue that the most outrageous lie was the first line..”the state of the union is strong”. Really? IMO the state of the union is tenuous at best, dysfunctional, poorly managed and frightening. If I were unemployed, I’d have turned it off right then. At least before the human props were rolled out.
Real Scootter
February 13th, 2013
6:07 pm
Factcheck had some things to say about Obama’s speech. And they weren’t nice. Seems Obama was fast and loose with the truth. As usual
Hey Doom,someone here earlier said that and provided a link to fact check and of course got ridiculed as usual. But good luck anyway!
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
February 13th, 2013
6:07 pm
I would argue that the most outrageous lie was the first line.
The smoking gun is the mushroom cloud.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
February 13th, 2013
6:08 pm
I would argue that the most outrageous lie was the first line.
We will be greeted as liberators.
Stevie Ray
February 13th, 2013
6:08 pm
barking frog
February 13th, 2013
6:05 pm
Not sure I see that or not. Increasing prices with unemployment where it is on the surface seems a bad choice. I don’t see it changing demand but I do see BO guaranteeing that voting block for the DEMs for years to come.
комиссар (Occupation)
February 13th, 2013
6:10 pm
Stevie: “I agree with Thulsa, go to Wash Post and see preliminary fact checks for many of the key turds BO bestowed upon us folks last evening.”
Pretty weak brew, if you ask me.