IF you voted for Obama, what concerns you most about his presidency?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every time he opens his mouth. I will not vote for him again.

why did you vote for him the first time? He's been saying the same thing since he started running and he's doing what he said he was going to do. I don't understand why people are so surprised. I voted for him and will vote for him again.

[Anonymous]

Democrats about jobs: "...."
Republicans about jobs: "CUT TAXES!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Democrats about jobs: "...."
Republicans about jobs: "CUT TAXES!"

you are an idiot. Even Greenspan said that the Bush tax cuts should be repealed, we have a 14 Trillion $ deficit, and you want the govt to cut taxes? do you know how to add and subtract?

[Anonymous]

That he is furthering the Bush agenda by keeping us in Afghanistan and Iraq.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Democrats about jobs: "...."
Republicans about jobs: "CUT TAXES!"

you are an idiot. Even Greenspan said that the Bush tax cuts should be repealed, we have a 14 Trillion $ deficit, and you want the govt to cut taxes? do you know how to add and subtract?

I am the poster to whom you're replying.

The GOP has been a Johnny One-Note. Tax cuts didn't work 8-10 years ago, they won't really work now. We're not talking 90% Eisenhower tax rates or 70% Swedish tax rates here.

OTOH, what is the Democratic plan? Stimulus 2.0 isn't going to fly and at what point are we going to wean the economy off government spending and the accompanying debt? So pick things that are popular and will work, or limit the unpopular stuff to things that won't be hot-button issues.

One idea: I'd just as soon replace long-term (over 52 weeks) UE benefits with a "you will work doing infrastructure building" program with maybe four months out of twelve for retraining/job searching in one's regular field. I'd rather pay folks 50% of their wages and have them do something as opposed to 25% and have them do nothing. Maybe set up a program to help folks relocate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reneging on the positions that we elected him to take. The failure to repeal (not just "allow to expire") the Bush tax cuts, the failure to withdraw troops from the two wars abroad, the failure to push for economic policies that would actually help the economy, the failure to stand firm on cap and trade, backing down on off-shore drilling, et cetera, ad nauseum. Whether or not these reversals are because of a misguided desire to work with people who will have nothing to do with any of it (Republicans) or because the leadership on which he depends to actually make the legislation happen has no spine (Reid, Durbin, Hoyer, I'm talking to you!) doesn't really matter to me. It's disappointing, and belittling the values of the people who elected you because you've been stymied in the political process is juvenile behavior.

Specifically what? Just curious, not threatening.

More focus on economic stimulus; current policies are being driven by a fear of the deficit, which is a (politically) conservative approach. Many economists agree that this fear will keep us from pulling out of the recession sooner and ensure a "lost decade" where there is no actual growth (in jobs or GDP). The sooner we can recover in real terms, the sooner we can address the deficit; the longer we stagnate, the more the deficit looms.

Agreed.

What concerns me most about Obama's presidency is that he's either incapable or unwilling to lay out the truth of the situation with 1/20th the clarity and concision that PP has here. "Austerity" measures are going to lead to a decade-long recession. Obama's failure to lead or replace a bunch of Bush-appointees is going to be responsible for most of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Democrats about jobs: "...."
Republicans about jobs: "CUT TAXES!"

you are an idiot. Even Greenspan said that the Bush tax cuts should be repealed, we have a 14 Trillion $ deficit, and you want the govt to cut taxes? do you know how to add and subtract?

I am the poster to whom you're replying.

The GOP has been a Johnny One-Note. Tax cuts didn't work 8-10 years ago, they won't really work now. We're not talking 90% Eisenhower tax rates or 70% Swedish tax rates here.

OTOH, what is the Democratic plan? Stimulus 2.0 isn't going to fly and at what point are we going to wean the economy off government spending and the accompanying debt? So pick things that are popular and will work, or limit the unpopular stuff to things that won't be hot-button issues.

One idea: I'd just as soon replace long-term (over 52 weeks) UE benefits with a "you will work doing infrastructure building" program with maybe four months out of twelve for retraining/job searching in one's regular field. I'd rather pay folks 50% of their wages and have them do something as opposed to 25% and have them do nothing. Maybe set up a program to help folks relocate.

You've just described a stimulus proposal. So is stimulus not going to fly? Or is it something Obama should be (stealthily) doing?

I happen to agree with your idea, and as many similar proposals as possible. Just saying you're living in a dreamworld if you think the GOP won't marshall fierce opposition to *any* plan to take effective action. There's a reason they want austerity, austerity, austerity: so long as the economy's in the shitter, their electoral prospects look bright.