President Obama said “progressive taxation,” compared Republicans to Gilded Age elites & John Carney probably just fainted
What on earth will Carperist Democrats like John Carney run on if President Obama starts sounding like a traditional Democrat?
President Obama offered one of his most detailed critiques yet of the GOP’s bedrock philosophy, likening them to a long line of discredited political movements who opposed taxes on the wealthy and regulations on business.
“I believe that this country succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, when everyone does their fair share, and when everyone plays by the same rules,” Obama told a crowd at a high school in Osawatomie, Kansas. “Those aren’t Democratic or Republican values; 1% values or 99% values. They’re American values, and we have to reclaim them.”
it was all part of the plan!
allow the Gop to feel so powerful that it nominates Newt “Fire-the-Union-janitors-and-make-the-poor-kids-clean-the-toilets” Gingrich. thus making to when people think “republican” they see PigPen from Peanuts cleaning up Linus’s inability to “aim”
i also like the re-hash of 2004’s “this isnt red state america or blue state america..”
know what? it IS the conservatives and the liberals. it IS the 1% and the 99% and the formers must be beaten…. made so small and powerless they can be… well… YOU KNOW .
Hmm… the reveal? I’ve been burned before. Let’s hear him say it twice.
In the meantime this might be an opening for John Carney. If he forgets about his love for Grover Norquist and hears more about FDR, he might be able to turn around his faltering campaign.
Q. How do you get Obama to stop talking like a Democrat?
A. Elect a Democratic Congress.
Talk is cheap (but I’ll take it). Obama never said anything like this when there was a chance someone might actually drop a real Democratic bill on his desk. Nancy Pelosi got the most important parts of the economic agenda to the Senate, where they came within a few votes of passage, but Obama and Biden let them die of neglect and even worked to defeat their own agenda, clearing the way for the new austerity agenda. This is the context John Carney was elected in.
Whoa, I see some history being rewritten here…
Let’s dissect this: Nancy Pelosi got the most important parts of the economic agenda to the Senate, where they came within a few votes of passage, but Obama and Biden let them die of neglect and even worked to defeat their own agenda
The House was Democratic. Republicans had no power. So of course Democratic bills made it to the Senate. But the error, one that is glibly expressed, is that it was the Democratic Executive Branch, who “let” it die of neglect.
The truth, is that there were not enough votes to overcome the filibuster in the Senate. They needed 60, and there was no way they could get it…
Andy Gibbs remarks that day: The President continues to believe that extending middle class tax cuts is the most important thing we can do for our economy right now and he applauds the House for passing a permanent extension. But, because Republicans have made it clear that they won’t pass a middle class extension without also extending tax cuts for the wealthy, the President has asked Director Lew and Secretary Geithner to work with Congress to find a way forward. Those discussions started just yesterday and are continuing this afternoon. The talks are ongoing and productive, but any reports that we are near a deal in the tax cuts negotiations are inaccurate and premature.”
The blame entirely lies with Republicans. Entirely.
I probably should have embolden this….
But, because Republicans have made it clear that they won’t pass a middle class extension without also extending tax cuts for the wealthy…
As for Obama’s speech, it’s about time someone told the honest truth to the American People…….
The record is clear: Obama has lied consistently and deliberately throughout his presidency as he did throughout his presidential campaign in 2008. He will say anything to get the money and votes of as many progressives as he can so he can get re-elected.
That is the honest truth.
Kavips, you are forgetting so much.
Why are Democrats so forgetful and willing to revise their own history, even very recent history? Do I really have to go show you links to all the news articles at the time?
If Democrats can’t reach consensus over what happened a year ago, how will we move forward together?
The House was Democratic. Republicans had no power. So of course Democratic bills made it to the Senate.
There is no “of course” about it. Remember the drama over Bart Stupak on ACA? Stupak got personal attention from Obama to win his vote. You probably even blogged about it.
But the error, one that is glibly expressed, is that it was the Democratic Executive Branch, who “let” it die of neglect. The truth, is that there were not enough votes to overcome the filibuster in the Senate.
When it comes to raising taxes on the rich, there are never enough votes to overcome a filibuster. You have to go out and fight for the votes. This fight is the signature of the real Democrat fighting for the people. I didn’t see Obama doing this. In fact he refused to do it, saying so in his remarkable Dec. 7 press conference one year ago today.
You forget this too: Nancy Pelosi delivered Obama’s signature tax reform package (expiration of Bush tax cuts over $250K) to a tough fight in the Senate. Obama refused to fight for it, instead flying to Afghanistan during the floor debate. There was no fight. There was no Stupak-style attention to individual Senators to win passage.
Oh wait – yes there was. Joe Biden made the rounds of the Senate to say “Pssst… don’t sweat the middle class tax cuts; we’ll be sending around a bill for a full extension next week.”
Obama never did the one thing that would have virtually assured passage: issue a veto threat on any extension of tax cuts for the rich.
Republicans were never forced to make the hard choice on middle-class tax cuts vs. tax cuts for the rich, which was the pressure point we all hoped Obama would hit. This was an epic political failure.
At any rate, on the tax cut extension, pointing at the filibuster is an enormous red herring: If you SIGN THE BILL you don’t get to complain about a filibuster.
Puck – Cowboy up. Anonone sounds less crybaby than you.
Anonone- So don’t vote for the guy.
Kavips – Spot on.
Jason – try to love the Bush tax cuts a little less.
They’re not really good for us, you know.
Nobody hates the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy more than me. I’m just about positive energy and not giving into Nihilism.
Poor John Carney. Just as he was moving into his office, he saw the indelible spectacle of his Democratic President signing tax cuts for the rich. What’s a freshman Congressman to think?
Carney isn’t the kind of guy to come home and say “Holy Crap, can you believe what I just saw? We have to straighten this guy out!”
And now Carney has Democratic Obama-supporting bloggers campaigning for Carney to RAISE taxes on the rich. No wonder the poor guy is as confused as he is.
You can’t change Carney’s mind now on taxes unless you are willing to point to the Bush tax cut extension and say “That was wrong.” And you might have to say it more than once. Remember who we are dealing with here.
Puck: Nice satire. I think.
The fact is Newt is going to be tough to beat. And anybody who thinks that there is no difference between Newt and Obama has potato salad for brains.
Why are Democrats so forgetful and willing to revise their own history, even very recent history?
This is plenty rich from someone who not only revises history as he sees fit, but pretty routinely demonstrates that he has no idea how his own government works.
So which thing I said didn’t really happen? Or did I omit something? Come on, out with it. Put up or shut up. We deal in facts here, not slurs. Although I am not above making a slur if I happen to think of a really good one. But your slur sucked. I demand either facts, or funnier slurs.
Jason – Clap any harder and you’ll be as much of an Obama tinkerbell as cassandra_m.
Puck – You must know by now that cassandra_m is the only person in the world who knows how government really works and that you have no credibility if you’re not running against Carper in a primary.
cassandra_m – When are you announcing your primary challenge to Carper?
Come on A1, even Cassandra posted something on Carney’s blue-dogginess recently. Good things are happening at DL. Give them a break. And the Obama progressive speech was welcome.
I cant wait to see how letting the payroll tax expire will help the middle class… as will letting the bush tax cuts expire, but only for households making less than 80K a year, will turn the economy around! you know it’s gonna happen. All John Kyl has to do is threaten to take Harry’s lunch and threaten to tell Obama’s secret crush that he likes her….. im not saying Obama is unfaithful to his wife…. the crush IS Michelle, he’s just that much of a weenie.
maybe it is the constant barrage of bullshit since ive been paying attention to politics that has made me so cynical. earliest memories in following this depressing crap was the GOP clowns cheating on their sick and dying wives while trying to impeach Clinton for … well you know how it goes…. since than i have seen a president selected by a politically corrupt group of judges who have ultimate power, our liberties stripped away in the name of “safety”, the people who actualy work in this country having their… our… standard of living lowered so a few people who makes more money in one day than i will ever make in a year could make MORE MONEY….
than Obama came. i thought it was a new era. and yes, there have been many successes and YES I UNDERSTAND…. people who are about to call me A1.2….. that the republicans have acted with the singular goal of screwing this administration with no regard to how it effects the country. Imy question is this. why did he wait until the re-election campaign to make this speech? why didnt he just do it when we needed it 3 years ago, or 2 years ago, or 1 year ago. why the hesitancy to say these words….. words he has used before in CAMPAIGN speeches, convention speeches, and even books.
It was a great speech to hear. i hope to hear more of it. I hope it works. I just cant help but think this guy can only be effective when he’s running for office. what happens in the final 2 years of his presidency when he is a lame duck?
I don’t see how Newt will be tough to beat. He’s the updated version of Bob Dole, only without the heroic past or decades of service — mean, cold and generally unlikeable. A debate between Obama and Newt will look like Frederick Douglass vs. a plantation overseer.
“A debate between Obama and Newt will look like Frederick Douglass vs. a plantation overseer.”
To you and me. Remember, Newt is a dumb man’s idea of how a smart man speaks. And Newt has Batshit Power(tm) behind him, which Dole never did.
Also, Dole was running against an economy made strong by Democratic policies. Newt will not have that problem.
geezer, something tells me if a lot of people are willing to boo a gay soldier, they dont care about heroic past. All these insufferable fools who hold office as a GOPEr were duly elected by other assholes who like what they have to say.
puck, do you remember all the wonderful “hope and change” speeches of 2008?
I need to really study that speech Obama made yesterday because it must have some super hypnotic words built-in to make liberals forget about how Obama has actually governed for the last 3 years.
Amazing.
Well, Obama is apparently asking for another chance. I’m inclined to give it to him, considering the alternatives.
I don’t have a whole laundry list of complaints against Obama like some. I just think Obama had some economic blunders, deliberate or not, that allowed the army of conservadems like John Carney to burst forth and freely preach austerity.
Had Obama set a different tone on compromise, bipartisansip, and austerity, John Carney would not be saying the galling things he is today.
Ben: I think you’re right. I also think that group of people is maybe 30% of the electorate — the Bush dead-enders. I don’t think their ranks are growing.