Obama's naive class warfare

[busenbust]

http://www.salon.com/technology/how_the_world_works/2011/06/29/obama_naive_class_warfare/index.html

Three years into his presidency, Barack Obama is still hoping that Republican legislators will change their colors and start acting in what he sees as the best interests of the nation. In a press conference on Wednesday, while discussing the need to include both spending cuts and revenue increases as part of a "balanced approach" toward debt reduction, he repeated a long-standing theme.


"Leaders rise to the occasion and do the right thing," said President Obama in a press conference on Wednesday. "Call me naive, but my expectation is that leaders are going to lead."


All right then, Mr. President. You're naive.

In his opening statement, Obama made a case for cutting tax breaks for some of the most privileged Americans. He specified "millionaires and billionaires, oil companies, hedge fund owners, and corporate jet owners," a kind of murderer's row of top-hatted icons that average Americans are likely to have little sympathy for. Class warfare, to be sure, but completely justified class warfare. These are exactly the people who have benefited the most from structural changes in the U.S. economy over the last three decades while everyone else has stagnated or fallen back.

Obama needs to look in the mirror and repeat to himself his own mantra about how "leaders are going to lead." If he wants a debt ceiling deal that includes revenue increases he's going to have to take a hard line in negotiations that matches Republican intransigence. That will mean brinkmanship, it will mean upsetting the bond market, and it will mean risking a financial disaster. My own belief is that the majority of Americans will understand pretty clearly that Republican resistance to higher taxes on the richest Americans will be the real guilty party culpable for a meltdown. But there's no question it's a hell of a risk to take.

But that's what leaders do.

 

[Will E Worm]

Just more "spread the wealth" from him. Which is known as theft by sane people.

 

[PJpenny]

Liberals have had a disdain for the rich for many decades, which is the main raeson they want to tax them to the heavens. Even if you taxed the rich 100% it still would do nothing for our defecits and you would discourage alot of business in the process. Obama's number of $250,000 as a classification for being rich is just silly. i wonder if he knows that would affect small business owners big time if he taxed them as he wants to, i also wonder if he knows that it costs ALOT MORE than 250k to run even a small business, so if his vision of taxes came true, he would be destroying alot of business (but thats what you get from someone whos never been involved in a corporate setting i guess) The Class Warfare thing has never worked for Democrats, theyre illusional if they think 06 and 08 was a sign it worked, that was more voting against the republicans than it was voting for them...it didnt work in 2000 when Al Gore promoted Class Warfare and it didnt work in 04 when John Kerry repeated Al Gores words and got slaughtered in the election. When youer in a slumping economy, doing Rich Vs. Poor economics is the worst idea.

 

[StanScratch]

Yeah, I know...if he had it his way, the tax rates would go all the way up to the level they were during the Reagan's years! The fucking nerve!

 

[georges]

this is what happens when people voted for an irresponsible dink who screwed up his own state as senator

 

[Zolf J. Kimbly]

this is what happens when people voted for an irresponsible dink who screwed up his own state as senator

what does Sarah Palin have to do with any of this?

besides she was a governor not a senator silly

 

[Trident1]

this is what happens when people voted for an irresponsible dink who screwed up his own state as senator

He was their god once.

 

[Hot Mega]

3 years into his term?

Obama took office 1-20-09. It is 6-30-11.

 

[Ike Stain]

The reality is W. Bush came into office with a balance-able budget. Instead of using the surplus, he gave it back, went into two wars (one definitely a non-necessary war) and instead of levying taxes to pay for it, he brought taxes to historically low levels.

Debt in 2000: 5.6 trillion (0.2% of GDP)
Debt in 2008: 10 trillion (7.1% of GDP)

There's a big disconnect with the Right's espousal of "personal responsibility" and the refusal to pay for the wars they led the drumbeat for. :2 cents:

 

[D-rock]

Class warfare has been going on a long time. It's reality. For some reason there are people out there, people among the normal every day ones of us, people that aren't elite, rich, or have political clout, that for some reason can't grasp the fact that in the class warfare that is going on...THEY ARE LOSING.

They will complain about people bringing up the subject of class warfare because it might create divisions among us (which really exist anyhow) all the while they are getting their asses handed to them in that very thing.

 

[Straight Shooter]

this is what happens when people voted for an irresponsible dink who screwed up his own state as senator

I live in Illinois, what are you talking about?

 

[Hot Mega]

I live in Illinois, what are you talking about?

Answer: He lives in France. Don't understand what he's talking about? Please excuse his French.:1orglaugh

 

[Legzman]

why hasn't he been assassinated yet???

 

[bostonkid9]

why hasn't he been assassinated yet???

Look. You can dislike the President all you want. It's your right to do so. But, seriously? Assassination? Come on, man. That ain't cool. :wtf: 2012 is coming up. If you dislike him, just vote for his opponent. Calling for an assassination is just gonna get you in hot water. Besides, don't deprive his kids of having a father for the rest of their childhood.

 

[monicasilver]

Who cares. People want to hear Obama say he "owns" the economy. It is a little game they are playing try pin all the problems on him.
Obama should just say that, but instead I listen to his people play games too on the Today show instead of saying - I didn't cause the meltdown, but I'm responsible for how we're doing now.

I'm a broken record. I just want to hear how we are going to cut spending and close the loopholes in the take codes to increase revenue.

 

[Hot Mega]

Who cares. People want to hear Obama say he "owns" the economy. It is a little game they are playing try pin all the problems on him.
Obama should just say that, but instead I listen to his people play games too on the Today show instead of saying - I didn't cause the meltdown, but I'm responsible for how we're doing now.

I'm a broken record. I just want to hear how we are going to cut spending and close the loopholes in the take codes to increase revenue.

The sad reality is the economy will have recovered as it will do naturally (with some g'mental influences) and by the time it does Americans won't bother or care about the fiscal necessities we need to undertake. Hence, the can will be just kicked down the road again.

What Obama has in the way of ideas, eloquence, hope and good intentions, he lacks in leadership IMO.

His agenda coming into office was to not renew the tax cuts for the top 2 pct. He had a Demo congress and failed to get that done because of a trifecta of failed leadership among Pelosi, Reid and himself....He and Demos bear all the blame since they could have done what he's seeking when they had the power.

(Sorta like GOPers being in power for over 10 years then all of the sudden start whining about lifting bans on domestic drilling when Demos are in control.)

The fact of that matter is while Republicans just generally have bad ideas..the Democrats just tend to be plain old incompetent in getting worthwhile things done.

Talk about a broken record, Demos do the same thing over and over again... Buckle under superior fear-mongering by GOPers and either half-ass something or don't do what they should at all. Then they get what they feared in the first place, turned out because after all people if given the unconscious choice will choose some leadership (even if unsure of the direction) over no leadership.

So in the end you're usually stuck with GOPers having all the brains to push through bad ideas and Demos being too incompetent to push through theirs.

 

[Legzman]

Look. You can dislike the President all you want. It's your right to do so. But, seriously? Assassination? Come on, man. That ain't cool. :wtf: 2012 is coming up. If you dislike him, just vote for his opponent. Calling for an assassination is just gonna get you in hot water. Besides, don't deprive his kids of having a father for the rest of their childhood.

No, no You Misunderstand. I'm just saying, you know the KKK are pissed the fuck off!

 

[bostonkid9]

No, no you misunderstand. I'm just saying, you know the KKK are pissed the fuck off!

Well, okay. Now I understand the context. It wasn't clear to me before.

 

[LukeEl]

B25....oh Naive class warfare, I thought he meant "Naval" class warfare.

 

[El Perro Mayor]

I find it puzzling, almost mind boggling, how many in the middle class chomp at the bit to defend the top 2%. I really don't think anyone here is a 2 per center. Do you think any one at the top of Morgan Stanley, BP Oil, Goldman Sachs or any of the Rothchilds lose any sleep when they hear of the high unemployment rate or how many people are losing there houses or folks without medical insurance. Maybe it might be that some of those who defend the 2 per centers think, hope, dream one day they might rub elbows with a Rockerfellow or a Rothchild or hang out with Roger Ailes at his summer home.....maybe.