A Closer Look At CASTLE STATEMENT ON THE ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE CONFERENCE REPORT
It is a long rationalization and Castle spins a great many plates, so let’s take a closer look, shall we?
Washington,DC – “Today the House passed the conference report of HR 1, the $789 billion economic stimulus package, negotiated between the House and Senate. I agree with many leading economists who suggest that such a package,
There is no denying that the economy has been screwed sideways by 8 years of Bushonomics, so Castle want’s everyone to know that he is in touch with reality. Not one of those ivory tower DC types…not him…..no siree.
Delaware will certainly benefit from this assistance and I truly hope the funding will ease economic challenges facing our state, and the nation.
Look at me – I’m all about “hope.” Also I’m all about Delaware…from now on…I promise!
I opposed HR 1 because the contents of the bill reflect more than such an attempt at economic stabilization. By extending the funds to projects outside job creation and protecting people in need, the authors demonstrated a failure to recognize that every dollar in this bill is borrowed.
Well golly. Suddenly deficits matter. That is kinda funny coming from a guy who spent the past 8 years signing off on blank check after blank check for Iraq. Maybe the stroke killed off the memory section of his brain? Certainly the irony section of his brain is long gone.
In fact, with interest, this stimulus package will add far more than $1trillion to our already trillion dollar deficit.
Thanks for (sorta) admitting that your party’s stewardship of the economy sucked ass.
“So many stated goals of the bill have long been priorities that I support, which made this vote very difficult for me. Energy independence, reducing taxes on the middle class, expanding Amtrak and improving education opportunities for both children and adults, are goals that I have worked consistently to advance.
I love this part, because here Castle slips up and shows that he actually reads this blog. He is directly addressing the complete smackdown that was laid on his staffer just this morning. Thanks for the shout out Mike!
Unfortunately, this bill is not limited to improving our economic health and advancing these goals. Instead, it has become another example of how Congress fails to show restraint or follow a transparent process, when spending taxpayer dollars.
Castle is so sad that bad old Congress will not listen to his mighty moderate greatness. So sad. Psst…Mike…you are in Congress. You’ve been there for like 70 years.
A major reflection of this greed is the inclusion of more than 100 federal programs, either newly created or expanded in this bill. It is unclear when and how these and other new federal funding streams will end and I am concerned that this bill has not been adequately vetted to reflect the magnitude of its long-term fiscal impact.
Again. Compare this concern with the concern he showed over the “vetting” of the Iraq war. Either pouring money into Bush’s idiotic war was a no brainer that did not require “vetting” or Castle just concocted a lame justification for taking Boehner in the kaboos. Hmmm…?
There have not been hearings or public review of these programs, many of which may have merit but should be moved through the regular legislative process, not hidden in a $789 billion bill. In fact, these costs are simply unsustainable and add to our already bloated budget. The habit of adding new programs to our rosters without reviewing the possible restructuring of similar or duplicative existing federal efforts must end.
I guess Castle never got the memo that this was an economic stimulus bill?
“I have listened to President Obama describe his vision of creating new jobs in this nation and feel strongly that this objective was over-shadowed by the real contents of the bill.
All due respect Sir, but you did not listen to President Obama describe shit. Maybe because you were listening to John Boehner lube up. It is probably difficult to listen to the President while Boehner is yelling at you to remove your pants.
The original House measure failed to shift, in negotiations with the Senate, enough to truly meet the changing demands of the American workforce. There is simply not enough encouragement for small business growth and far too few incentives for private innovation.
Can you say “more tax cuts bitches!” They don’t stimulate the economy, but they uh…excite Castle’s CEO buddies.
Instead, pet projects are riddled throughout this bill in hopes of going un-noticed.
When all else fails throw in a wingunt talking point while giving no example or supporting evidence.
Now that the stimulus is set to become law, our focus in Congress should be on American long-term productivity growth– which must translate to research and development to drive innovation to create new, permanent jobs and industries.
Mike – I know you are reading this and I know that you, like me are saying, “what is up this this passage?” Oh… I know…your staff was just in a kind of political scat singing kind of vibe. In that light, this next rambling blah blah blah makes a bit of sense.
“Experts have convinced me that biomedical research and new energy technologies can help lay a foundation for the strong, steady economic growth we need. Driving American innovation to ensure our technological leadership in the world will not come from a stimulus package. Temporary relief is important but our economy requires a commitment to research and innovation capable of rebuilding our economy. Dozens of nations are racing to develop our next energy technologies and solve our dependency on fossil fuels. Without a long-term plan on our part, the United States will remain reliant on others. Our only chance to digging ourselves out of this magnitude of debt is to chart a course back to leading the world in innovation.
Phew. I’m glad that BS section is over. Let’s bring this sucker home with a some more empty GOP crap Boehner told you to say.
“I was hopeful that the negotiations surrounding this bill would result in a much cleaner and transparent product. Instead, the bill contains too much unrelated, unfocused spending that does more to burden Americans than it does to help change our current course. A sustainable path towards economic growth demands much more than a short-sighted stimulus bill. I do hope this stimulus bill will meet many of our short-term needs, but a roadmap for driving our nation’s long-term economic success remains overdue.”
A long-term solution to your lame-i-tude is long overdue.
“kinda funny coming from a guy who spent the past 8 years signing off on blank check after blank check for Iraq”
Who can forget that most of those checks were requested OUTSIDE of the budgetary process.
Year after year of supplimentals and every dime on credit, Mike.
More mush from the wimp.
That was pretty nonsensical. He supports the need for a bill and the provisions in the bill but there are unspecified spending he doesn’t support. Well, I expect now to see him introducing legislation to increase spending on programs that he does support, including funding science research. (There is some good increases in research spending in the current bill, BTW).
Will anyone ask Castle why he voted against the largest middle class tax cut in history? The whole GOP (ex. Collins, Specter and Snowe) voted against tax cuts for the middle class. Isn’t that ironic? Their hero, Ronald Reagan, gave us the largest tax increase in history. Which party likes taxes again?
I hope I’m not spamming this thread. I just had another thought because Castle used that false $200K/job talking point. Has anyone figured the $/job from Bush’s tax cut. His tax cut was $1.35T IIRC and <3 million jobs were created over his presidency.
Castle actually does have a point. The bill is a mix of stimulus spending, tax cuts, relief payments, and other structural changes (like the AMT fix). Personally, I would have broken it out into separate bills and dared the Republicans to vote against each of them. Then the Republicans would have four or more massive fails instead of just one.
The hodgepodge approach gives the Republicans the opportunity to pick out a few things and lie about the whole bill. But I’m a dummy and Obama is smarter than me, so what do I know.
The $200K/ or whatever per job is also a lie, because most of the bill is not targeted directly at job creation, so they are dividing against the wrong $ amount. The actual cost per job is much lower.
Obama screwed Dems by selling this as stimulus spending rather than tax cuts.
To make matters worse, spineless incompetent Dem candidates will fail to produce swarms of the obvious campaign ads: “My opponent voted against middle class tax cuts…”
Instead, Dems will spend the next two years defending against GOP attack ads on spending.
That sounds like Republican wishful thinking. Obama won this round. My beef is with the fake moderate.
I’m not sure I agree anon. Democrats definitely let Republicans get the jump on them, but I see signs that they’re fighting back. I’ve seen several smackdowns of Republican talking points (Frank, Gibbs, Obama, Wasserman-Schultz) so I think Democrats may have learned something (finally). I know we’ve been telling Democrats all along that Republicans don’t care about bipartisan ship but they held out their hand anyway and got smacked.
UI, I think Obama already knew what to expect from Republicans. He gave them, shall we say, enough rope…
Now what has happened?
1. Stimulus passes – Obama wins
2. Republicans vote in lockstep/shun bipartisanship – Obama wins
For their “unity” gambit to work they will have to keep it up for the next two years. Otherwise they are going to look like a party in disarray.
Does anybody think that they’ll be able to maintain this level of disciplined obnoxiousness? I know we are talking Republicans here, but still…
GOP Lawmakers Tout Projects in the Stimulus Bill They Opposed
Not news especially (bet Castle will want to take credit for some aspects of this shortly), but a reminder that they are as we always thought them to be — dishonest, craven and hypocritical.
Castle had better not show up arm in arm with Carper at the ribbon cutting for any of the stimulus projects.
And ambitious Dem candidates should call a press conference at each project site and point out that Castle voted against the project and the jobs it created.
I am glad you liberals want a balanced budget, where are we going to cut the spending?
You guys are simply angry Castle did not do what you told him to do and all liberals think they know more than anyone else.
Sorry, you guys and Obama own this one and it will be the downfall of the Democrats.
I can’t wait till Geithner opens his mouth again and we will see how low the market goes.
Yes, Mike, Democrats “own this one.”
Now, what do the Republicans own, or have ever admitted owning? The deficit? The Iraq War? The Economy before Obama took office? Bush?
Cheering for economic catastrophe is all Mike has left.
And that is some platform for a man wants to be elected to something someday.
Jason,
I think the Republicans can stay together. Saying “no” to everything is pretty easy to remember. All they need is their fax from Rush Limbaugh for their day’s talking points and they’re good to go.
“but a roadmap for driving our nation’s long-term economic success remains overdue.”
I am about to throw up !
Anon “Castle had better not show up arm in arm with Carper at the ribbon cutting for any of the stimulus projects.”
You hit the nail on the head
For the third straight year, against all odds, a national grassroots No Nukes campaign has stripped out of the federal budget a proposed $50 billion boondoggle for new atomic reactors.
This latest victory came Wednesday, February 11, as a top-level Congressional conference committee ironed out the last details of the Obama stimulus package. The loan guarantee scam was slipped into the Senate version by Republican Bob Bennett (R-UT) in cooperation with Democrat Tom Carper (D-DE).
The loan guarantees would have backed a Department of Energy program supporting new reactor construction, despite a report from the Government Accountability Office warning that such projects would bankrupt more than half the utilities that might undertake them.
Carper and Castle, which one should change his party affiliation so we know what we are votingf for. You guessed it !
What is Tom Carper thinking ?
I’m beginning to dispise Carper more than Castle. We know who Castle represents….the bankster/gangsters and has done so the whole of his career. Carper on the other hand is a dirty little sneak, who works behind the scenes to muck up anything centurist or progressive. He is definately a republican and a neo con repuke at that. Check his record he voted for the Iraq War, for every dollar that supported it, FISA ad nauseum. Frieda is right if Castle shows up at any of these “ground breaking ceremonies”
Castle should be greeted with some some tomatoes.
Carper doesnt think, doesnt support democratic ideals, cuz he isnt a democrat. But he controls the democratic party in Delaware which is why Castle got elected. If Carper wanted a democrat to beat Castle he would have pushed the party to endorse KHN.
I believe Carper told the Party not to get behind any candidate who had a chance of winning, that seat is taken, thank you very much.