Eight Pervasive Myths About The Obama Administration

[thoughtone]

source: PragPro

1) MYTH: President Obama tripled the deficit.

Reality: Bush's last budget had a $1.416 trillion deficit. Obama's first budget reduced that to $1.29 trillion.

2) MYTH: President Obama raised taxes, which hurt the economy.

Reality: Obama cut taxes. 40% of the "stimulus" was wasted on tax cuts which only create debt, which is why it was so much less effective than it could have been.

3) MYTH: President Obama bailed out the banks.

Reality: While many people conflate the "stimulus" with the bank bailouts, the bank bailouts were requested by President Bush and his Treasury Secretary, former Goldman Sachs CEO Henry Paulson. (Paulson also wanted the bailouts to be "non-reviewable by any court or any agency.") The bailouts passed and began before the 2008 election of President Obama.

4) MYTH: The stimulus didn't work.

Reality: The stimulus worked, but was not enough. In fact, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the stimulus raised employment by between 1.4 million and 3.3 million jobs.

5) MYTH: Businesses will hire if they get tax cuts.

Reality: A business hires the right number of employees to meet demand. Having extra cash does not cause a business to hire, but a business that has a demand for what it does will find the money to hire. Businesses want customers, not tax cuts.

6) MYTH: Health care reform costs $1 trillion.

Reality: The health care reform reduces government deficits by $138 billion.
7) MYTH: Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, is "going broke," people live longer, fewer workers per retiree, etc.

Reality: Social Security has run a surplus since it began, has a trust fund in the trillions, is completely sound for at least 25 more years and cannot legally borrow so cannot contribute to the deficit (compare that to the military budget!) Life expectancy is only longer because fewer babies die; people who reach 65 live about the same number of years as they used to.

8) MYTH: Government spending takes money out of the economy.

Reality: Government is We, the People and the money it spends is on We, the People. Many people do not know that it is government that builds the roads, airports, ports, courts, schools and other things that are the soil in which business thrives. Many people think that all government spending is on "welfare" and "foreign aid" when that is only a small part of the government's budget."

Tell Yo' Momma.

 

[spicykjun]

bump

1. Ordered all federal agencies to undertake a study and make recommendations for ways to cut spending
2. Ordered a review of all federal operations to identify and cut wasteful spending and practices
3. Instituted enforcement for equal pay for women
4. Beginning the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq
5. Families of fallen soldiers have expenses covered to be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB
6 Ended media blackout on war casualties; reporting full information
7. Ended media blackout on covering the return of fallen soldiers to Dover AFB; the media is now permitted to do so pending adherence to respectful rules and approval of fallen soldier’s family
8. The White House and federal government are respecting the Freedom of Information Act
9. Instructed all federal agencies to promote openness and transparency as much as possible
10. Limits on lobbyist’s access to the White House
11. Limits on White House aides working for lobbyists after their tenure in the administration
12. Ended the previous stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date
13. Phasing out the expensive F-22 war plane and other outdated weapons systems, which weren’t even used or needed in Iraq/Afghanistan
14. Removed restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research
15. Federal support for stem-cell and new biomedical research
16. New federal funding for science and research labs
17. States are permitted to enact federal fuel efficiency standards above federal standards
18. Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants) after years of neglect
19. Funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access to K-12 schools
20. New funds for school construction
21 The prison at Guantanamo Bay is being phased out
22. US Auto industry rescue plan
23. Housing rescue plan
24. $789 billion economic stimulus plan
25. The public can meet with federal housing insurers to refinance (the new plan can be completed in one day) a mortgage if they are having trouble paying
26. US financial and banking rescue plan
27. The secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere are being closed
28. Ended the previous policy; the US now has a no torture policy and is in compliance with theGeneva Convention standards
29. Better body armor is now being provided to our troops
30. The missile defense program is being cut by $1.4 billion in 2010
31. Restarted the nuclear nonproliferation talks and building back up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols
32. Reengaged in the treaties/agreements to protect the Antarctic
33. Reengaged in the agreements/talks on global warming and greenhouse gas emissions
34. Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office
35. Successful release of US captain held bySomali pirates; authorized the SEALS to do their job
36. US Navy increasing patrols off Somali coast
37. Attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles
38. Cash for clunkers program offers vouchers to trade in fuel inefficient, polluting old cars for new cars; stimulated auto sales
39. Announced plans to purchase fuel efficient American-made fleet for the federal government
40. Expanded the SCHIP program to cover health care for 4 million more children
41. Signed national service legislation; expandednational youth service program
42. Instituted a new policy on Cuba, allowing Cuban families to return home to visit loved ones
43. Ended the previous policy of not regulating and labeling carbon dioxide emissions
44. Expanding vaccination programs
45. Immediate and efficient response to the floods in North Dakota and other natural disasters
46. Closed offshore tax safe havens
47. Negotiated deal with Swiss banks to permit US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals
48. Ended the previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy is to promote in-sourcing to bring jobs back
49.. Ended the previous practice of protecting credit card companies; in place of it are new consumer protections from credit card industry’s predatory practices
50. Energy producing plants must begin preparing to produce 15% of their energy from renewable sources
51. Lower drug costs for seniors
52. Ended the previous practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug manufacturers for cheaper drugs; the federal government is now realizing hundreds of millions in savings
53. Increasing pay and benefits for military personnel
54. Improved housing for military personnel
55. Initiating a new policy to promote federal hiring of military spouses
56. Improved conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital and other military hospitals
57 Increasing student loans
58. Increasing opportunities in AmeriCorps program
59. Sent envoys to Middle East and other parts of the world that had been neglected for years; reengaging in multilateral and bilateral talks and diplomacy
60. Established a new cyber security office
61. Beginning the process of reforming and restructuring the military 20 years after the Cold War to a more modern fighting force; this includes new procurement policies, increasing size of military, new technology and cyber units and operations, etc.
62. Ended previous policy of awarding no-bid defense contracts
63. Ordered a review of hurricane and natural disaster preparedness
64. Established a National Performance Officer charged with saving the federal government money and making federal operations more efficient
65. Students struggling to make college loan payments can have their loans refinanced
66. Improving benefits for veterans
67. Many more press conferences and town halls and much more media access than previous administration
68. Instituted a new focus on mortgage fraud
69. The FDA is now regulating tobacco
70. Ended previous policy of cutting the FDA and circumventing FDA rules
71. Ended previous practice of having White House aides rewrite scientific and environmental rules, regulations, and reports
72. Authorized discussions with North Korea and private mission by Pres. Bill Clinton to secure the release of two Americans held in prisons
73. Authorized discussions with Myanmar and mission by Sen. Jim Web to secure the release of an American held captive
74. Making more loans available to small businesses
75. Established independent commission to make recommendations on slowing the costs of Medicare
76. Appointment of first Latina to the Supreme Court
77. Authorized construction/opening of additional health centers to care for veterans
78. Limited salaries of senior White House aides; cut to $100,000
79. Renewed loan guarantees for Israel
80. Changed the failing/status quo military command in Afghanistan
81. Deployed additional troops to Afghanistan
82. New Afghan War policy that limits aerial bombing and prioritizes aid, development of infrastructure, diplomacy, and good government practices by Afghans
83. Announced the long-term development of a national energy grid with renewable sources and cleaner, efficient energy production
84. Returned money authorized for refurbishment of White House offices and private living quarters
85. Paid for redecoration of White House living quarters out of his own pocket
86. Held first Seder in White House
87. Attempting to reform the nation’s healthcare system which is the most expensive in the world yet leaves almost 50 million without health insurance and millions more under insured
88. Has put the ball in play for comprehensive immigration reform
89. Has announced his intention to push for energy reform
90. Has announced his intention to push for education reform
91. The Matthew Shepard Act, officially the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, is an Act of Congress, passed on October 22, 2009
Oh, and he built a swing set for the girls outside the Oval Office.
Did I mention he passed health care reform?

There are policies that many of us disagree with or wish he would improve or facilitate more quickly, but come on, this is a pretty sweet list.

 

[muckraker10021]

Sad to say but President Obama is surrounded by a group of incompetent handlers. That fact notwithstanding the ‘final call’ on tactics & strategy ends with him.

At just about the halfway point of his presidency he still amazingly fails to realize that the RepubliKlans are at WAR with him, and are committed to POLITICALLY KILLING HIM.

Today’s (November 3rd 2010) press conference following last night’s mid-term election was a pathetic debacle. Obama still is talking about bi-partisanship and “reaching across the aisle” with a RepubliKlan opposition committed to Killing him.

A Lost Generation
Obama deserved to lose—but the country doesn't deserve the consequences.
<font face="trebuchet ms, verdana" size="3" color="#000000">
by John B. Judis http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/78890/a-lost-generation?page=0,0

November 3, 2010
<blockquote>...The damage was done soon after Obama took office, when he and his political aides decided to disband the huge locally-based political organization they had created...
</blockquote>
I commented about this a while ago HERE
I said: ....As far as the 16 million Obama campaign donors who gave time, and money (average less than $100) plus the 15 million Hillary supporters, who the White House now had ; all of these people accessible by email with the click of one button, what did Emanuel do with this 31 million person list?? NOTHING!! Did he ask the 31 million people - (millions who showed up in DC in person on Obama's inauguration day) - to do ANYTHING to help the Presidents agenda? No!

I’m on that donor list, all they ever do is ask for money. What a waste. Emanuel hates & ridicules the majority of people on these lists. He calls them “The Professional Left”, fucking idiots, morons, etc....
<blockquote>
.....The other telltale sign of Obama’s failure was the youth vote. Democratic victories in 2006 and 2008 very much depended upon increased support from and turnout among young voters. In 2008, Obama’s organization specifically targeted these voters. In this election, voters 18 to 29 again favored Democrats by a whopping 56 to 40 percent in House races. But they constituted only 11 percent of the electorate this year compared to 18 percent in 2008 House races and 12.5 percent in 2006. Obama and his political aides recognized that this was a problem, and in the last weeks of the election, tried to rouse these voters (hence all those campus rallies and the “Daily Show” appearance). But it was too late....

.....The election results amply illustrated Obama’s political failure.....

...Economic downturns invariably awaken the populist demon inside the American psyche. During the Great Depression, Roosevelt was able to direct Americans’ ire primarily at the “economic royalists.” But Obama, who was uncomfortable with the rhetoric of populism and apportioned blame on Main Street as well as Wall Street, left a political vacuum that the right-wing populists of the Tea Party filled. They even managed to portray Obama and the Democrats as the patrons of Wall Street. When asked who was most to blame for “current economic problems,” a plurality of voters yesterday said “Wall Street bankers” rather than George W. Bush or Barack Obama. But amazingly, these voters backed Republicans by 56 to 42 percent. That testifies to the utter failure of the Obama administration’s politics.....
</blockquote>
READ the entire article -http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/78890/a-lost-generation?page=0,0

</font>
<hr noshade color="#333333" size="8"></hr>


Eight False Things The Public “Knows” ABOUT PRESIDENT OBAMA

There are a number things the public &quot;knows&quot; about President Obama that are absolute lies. If people elect leaders based on false information, the things those leaders do in office will not be what the public expects or needs.

The Obama messaging machine has been a disaster.

Here are eight of the biggest lies that are out there:

1) President Obama tripled the deficit.

Reality: Bush's last budget had a $1.416 trillion deficit.
Obama's first budget reduced that to $1.29 trillion.


2) President Obama raised taxes, which hurt the economy.

Reality: Obama cut taxes. 40% of the &quot;stimulus&quot; was wasted on tax cuts which only create debt, which is why it was so much less effective than it could have been.


3) President Obama bailed out the banks.

Reality: While many people conflate the &quot;stimulus&quot; with the bank bailouts, the bank bailouts were requested by President Bush and his Treasury Secretary, former Goldman Sachs CEO Henry Paulson. Paulson also wanted the bailouts to be &quot;non-reviewable by any court or any agency.&quot The bailouts passed and began <i>before the 2008 election</i> of President Obama.


4) The stimulus didn't work.

Reality: The stimulus worked, but was not enough. In fact, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the stimulus raised employment by between 1.4 million and 3.3 million jobs.


5) Businesses will hire if they get tax cuts.

Reality: A business hires the right number of employees to meet demand. Having extra cash does not cause a business to hire, but a business that has a demand for what it does will find the money to hire. Businesses want customers, not tax cuts.


6) Health care reform costs $1 trillion.

Reality: The health care reform reduces government
deficits by $138 billion.


7) Social Security is a Ponzi scheme is &quot;going broke,&quot; people live longer, fewer workers per retiree, etc.

Reality: Social Security has run a surplus since it began, has a trust fund in the trillions, is completely sound for at least 25 more years and cannot legally borrow so cannot contribute to the deficit (compare that to the military budget!) Life expectancy is only longer because fewer babies die; people who reach 65 live about the same number of years as they used to.


8) Government spending takes money out of the economy.

Reality: Government is We the People and the money it spends is on We, the People. Many people do not know that it is government that builds the roads, airports, ports, courts, schools <b>and other things that are the soil in which business thrives</b>.Many people think that all government spending is on &quot;welfare&quot; and &quot;foreign aid&quot; when that is only a small part of the government's budget.

 

[actinanass]

I think what liberals get wrong with the "tripled the deficit" quote is the fact that conservatives are looking at the future cost of his programs. Same goes for raising taxes.

Letting the Bush Tax Cuts expire= raising taxes to the Clinton level.

Unlike the people that are attached to President Obama politically, the right looked at what he was all about, organized, and thus yesterday happened.

If you would of listened to what President Obama campaigned on, grab a calculator, make calculations, you would probably understand...

 

[Upgrade Dave]

At just about the halfway point of his presidency he still amazingly fails to realize that the RepubliKlans are at WAR with him, and are committed to POLITICALLY KILLING HIM.

I think he does know that but he can't say it out loud.

...Economic downturns invariably awaken the populist demon inside the American psyche. During the Great Depression, Roosevelt was able to direct Americans’ ire primarily at the “economic royalists.” But Obama, who was uncomfortable with the rhetoric of populism and apportioned blame on Main Street as well as Wall Street, left a political vacuum that the right-wing populists of the Tea Party filled. They even managed to portray Obama and the Democrats as the patrons of Wall Street. When asked who was most to blame for “current economic problems,” a plurality of voters yesterday said “Wall Street bankers” rather than George W. Bush or Barack Obama. But amazingly, these voters backed Republicans by 56 to 42 percent. That testifies to the utter failure of the Obama administration’s politics.....

I think that's true but I also think he was technically correct and it may have been a little too much truth.

I think what liberals get wrong with the "tripled the deficit" quote is the fact that conservatives are looking at the future cost of his programs. Same goes for raising taxes.

Letting the Bush Tax Cuts expire= raising taxes to the Clinton level.

Unlike the people that are attached to President Obama politically, the right looked at what he was all about, organized, and thus yesterday happened.

If you would of listened to what President Obama campaigned on, grab a calculator, make calculations, you would probably understand...

Take that same calculator and those people wouldn't vote for Republicans either. You can't promise to balance budgets and attack deficits but keep all the Bush tax cuts and leave entitlements and defense spending off the table and end the health care reform bill that actually lowers the deficit. That's that "voodoo economics" that Republicans love so much (shout out to George HW Bush for that term).

 

[thoughtone]

I think what liberals get wrong with the "tripled the deficit" quote is the fact that conservatives are looking at the future cost of his programs. Same goes for raising taxes.

Letting the Bush Tax Cuts expire= raising taxes to the Clinton level.

Unlike the people that are attached to President Obama politically, the right looked at what he was all about, organized, and thus yesterday happened.

If you would of listened to what President Obama campaigned on, grab a calculator, make calculations, you would probably understand...

Once again your post is totally unintelligible.

quote is the fact that conservatives are looking at the future cost of his programs. Same goes for raising taxes.

Why weren't they so forward thinking in 2003 when GW's economic policies would leave the world economy in such a devastating position. Economically, the right are involved in the here and now. Making policies based on quick profits and leaving the externalities to future generations.

If you would of listened to what President Obama campaigned on, grab a calculator, make calculations, you would probably understand...

The republicans will bury themselves in the next two years. Their main goal is to continue those tax cuts. The concern about the debt is just a talking point. They refuse to make any tough decisions or ask their wealthy benefactors to make any sacrifices in order to bring down the debt. This has been consistent since the Reagan era. The only sacrifices they demand is that the working class bear the brunt of the sacrifice.

 

[jeanzy5342]

Bump

 

[muckraker10021]

Guys despite the general media and the financial media's successsful attempt to make US financial data complicated; as a former 26 years, in the trenches, 'Wall Streeter' , I can tell you that it's really not that complicated. The mystique & language of Wall Street keeps most Americans befuddled.

The picture above - (a picture speaks a thousand words) - is from the Federal Reserve. The site is //alfred.stlouisfed.org
At this site you can pull up a chart on any US financial data going back to 1945. You can set your own chart parameters, like an electronic spread sheet.
What I did was K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid).

I told the computer to construct a chart consisting of just two simple parameters.

1) US Government Receipts
2) US Government Expenditures

The time frame was the last year of the Clinton Administration and the entire BuShit administration right up to Obama's inaguration on Jan. 2009

2000 thru 2009.

Look at the last year of Clinton and you will see the surplus - thr Green line (US Government Receipts) is above Red line (US Government Expenditures).

The BuShit takes over in Jan. 2001. On May 2001 the first BuShit multi-trillion dollar tax cuts are passed by congress.

You can see with your own eyes what happened in the ensuing years. Of course there were more massive tax cuts throughout the BuShit years...

which resulted in the US Government starving for receipts (MONEY)

As you can see starting in 2007 the US economy died and then collapsed going into 2008 and 2009. Meanwhile BuShit continued spending money like a convict released into a whore house with a stack of Benjamins.

When Obama was sworn in on Jan 2009

Look at the spread between the Red line (US Government Expenditures) and the Green line (US Government Receipts) !!!!!!

So simple a child can understand this picture.

 

[Lamarr]

The time frame was the last year of the Clinton Administration and the entire BuShit administration right up to Obama's inaguration on Jan. 2009

2000 thru 2009.

ok, the common sense approach should be to bring spending down to the levels during the Clinton admin & we can enjoy the fruits of the so-called "surplus". We all see what works, by the graph you shared, no sense to continue spending like Bush. I've always argued Bush wasn't conservative and your graph proves my point, thanx

 

[Upgrade Dave]

ok, the common sense approach should be to bring spending down to the levels during the Clinton admin & we can enjoy the fruits of the so-called "surplus". We all see what works, by the graph you shared, no sense to continue spending like Bush. I've always argued Bush wasn't conservative and your graph proves my point, thanx

I agree but few of the Republicans that claim to be "conservative" really are because they don't truly want to cut spending either. Any spending they cut, they make up for somewhere else.