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Obama Comes Out Swinging On Stimulus
Boy, did Barack Obama ever make good use of his first Air Force One trip.
Enjoy this video of Obama's remarks earlier tonight to House Democrats at their retreat. (God, I love C-SPAN. Nobody else has the full video right now.) The really good stuff starts around 4:55.
All I can say is, it's about damn time. I'll take another helping or ten of whoop-ass for Republicans, please.
(Here's the Politico piece on Obama's speech. Not the full video of Obama's remarks, but some juicy excerpts in embedded video, and a pretty accurate article.)
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Thanks a lot for the video, Boyd. I saw bits and pieces of it, but it was great to see it all together...
Watching the Repubs talk about fiscal responsibility at this point in time makes me scream at my t.v. For the last 8 years they've been spending money like drunken sailors, and now when it is really important that we get some money out there, they are worried about spending. Hypocrites...I can't believe they think anyone is buying this.
February 6, 2009 5:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm with you. In fact I stopped watching news on tv because I can't afford to buy another one.
This morning I woke up to Maverick McCain proposing a payroll tax holiday as an alternative.
And they say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing but expecting a different result.
February 6, 2009 7:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
Boyd, Josh has it on the front page and I just saw it. I am so pumped up. That is the man fired up and ready to go. Okay folks, we preened and puffed and chatted and ranted for the MSM, now get to ffing work. Makes me proud to be a democrat!
I am using all the mind control I can muster to force MSM to show this all over. I have the flu so I'm a little weak this morning, but dang it is worth a try.
Someone holler at Dickday, he needs to see this.
February 6, 2009 6:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
Our President looks good with swagger and assurance.
I know this new legislation will pass.
February 6, 2009 7:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, I think Josh got the video up just before I woke up this morning. (Not bad for an operation like TPM, though!) At the time of the post, no one had the whole thing but C-SPAN.
Now I hear he's headed on the road early next week to build public support for the stimulus. I had to stop myself from going to look for phonebank info. :-)
February 6, 2009 2:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks, Boyd. I have my moments of doubt as most of us do. But too many of his opponents underestimate Obama's political skills.
It seems like playtime is over. Op-ed in the Post, retreat speech to rally the House troops. Look for him to keep pouring it on.
If there weren't so damn much at stake this would be fun.
February 6, 2009 8:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
I do believe the President just took the bully pulpit for a spin. I think he likes it. :-)
Obama the peacemaker gets put away for a while. What they get now is Obama the campaigner. Watch all the Republican Congresscritters scurry for cover.
February 6, 2009 2:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
But is it too late? What's left of the bill? Sounds like the latest round is trying to take out a lot of stimulating stuff like food stamp funds. I'm disgusted with the lot of them, Obama included.
February 6, 2009 4:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's important to remember that the real point of the current flurry is to get 60 votes in the Senate to suspend the budget rules.
Should that happen, the House and the Senate will meet yet again to hammer out a final version.
The final bill will probably not look exactly like the version that came out of either part of Congress.
February 6, 2009 6:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Awesome. (Sorry Cville!)
February 6, 2009 8:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
Man, I love it when he keeps making my points for me. He is speaking to the republicans at home and not the recalcitrant children in Congress. They are the ones who will really matter to the long-term stability of our Republic come the primary elections of 2010. Great find, Boyd!
February 6, 2009 1:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
PS: Favorite quote: "I don't care if you are driving a hybrid or an SUV, if you're headed for a cliff, you've got to change direction."
February 6, 2009 1:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
My favorite quote too! :)
February 6, 2009 3:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks.
Oh, and the "whoop-ass for Republicans" thing? Present company excepted, natch. :-)
February 6, 2009 2:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Natch. I like that he is still playing to the home audience and only tangentially to his republican opponents in Congress.
Tells me he is still going with his own plan rather than capitulating to the democratic base. May seem a small distinction now, but I still believe it will pay huge dividends over the long term.
February 6, 2009 2:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great speech by Obama - scare Americans by saying this crisis will turn into a catastrophe. Just a few weeks ago he said "we have chosen hope over fear". What's changed?
February 6, 2009 3:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Your inability to engage with reality because superior in fake-maturity-cynicism -- er, sophistication -- hasn't changed.
February 6, 2009 4:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
He is finally offering the truth and you want to go back to comfortable lies? Come on, Bill, I have a feeling you aren't that much of a sucker. How about we start to find solutions to our actual problems?
February 6, 2009 7:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am all for finding solutions. I just find it ironic that his tune has now changed. Now the sky is falling where before he embraced hope.
February 6, 2009 8:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Realism and hope are not mutually exclusive ideas. We can look at the situation and analyze it truthfully, even if the news is bad, as well as be optimistic about our ability to meet and overcome the challenge.
February 6, 2009 8:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think Obama is employing the "sky is falling" approach to encourage the public to approve this spending bill.
February 6, 2009 9:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Come on. If that is true, explain the last 28 years of republican politics? The sky was always falling in GOP land. Give me a break. It is called reality.
February 6, 2009 9:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why was Obama all about "hope over fear" and now it's a crisis that turns into a catastrophe if we don't act quickly.
There are already signs that the credit marks are beginning to thaw. And the stimulus package hasn't even been passed yet.
What's the rush?
February 6, 2009 9:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'll agree that we should be taking more time to ensure this bill does what we need it to, but still don't see his urgency as being some sort of political tactic.
Many economists of all political stripes say this package (actually a bigger package) like this is necessary to jump start our recovery. I am not nearly smart enough to understand the hows and why of that position.
I am not afraid of deficit spending. We've been doing it for decades under both parties. If we can waste trillions of dollars on unaccountable defense spending and big agricultural subsidies and every other thing under the sun, we should be able to finance an upgrade of our power grid and education benefits and help fir people at the lower end of the ladder.
We've been giving those at the top all the breaks since at least 1980. It hasn't worked. We need a strong foundation, meaning all those scared and desperate people at the bottom, if we are going to build a functional society on top of it.
February 7, 2009 10:32 AM | Reply | Permalink
He was speaking to several audiences in several different areas of the speech. The SUV-hybrid line was a good one.
February 6, 2009 6:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
I sometimes watch brief segments on Fox News to see what the latest Republican talking points are. I happened to be watching O'Reilly last night when they cut into his show to show Obama's whole speech. It was/is a thing of beuaty and the fact that it knocked O'Reilly off the air for 30 minuites or so was even better.
February 6, 2009 6:53 PM | Reply | Permalink