Everything about Obama's Stimulus Plan

[The Good]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/18500.html


I really agree with McCain's stand against Obama's stimulus bill. In fact, he is one of the few senators I actually agree with politically. What do you think about McCain's reaction to the stimulus?


McCain blasts Obama



By MANU RAJU | 2/6/09 11:38 AM EST Updated: 2/7/09 8:14 AM EST
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Sen. John McCain took his most direct shot at President Barack Obama since the presidential campaign on Friday morning, using a Senate floor speech to criticize the president for mocking the Republican concerns over the massive economic stimulus package.

In a fiery speech Thursday night before House Democrats, Obama rejected the GOP’s characterization that the stimulus package was merely another spending bill.

“What do you think a stimulus is? That’s the whole point. No, seriously, that’s the point,” Obama said at the retreat in Williamsburg, Va.

On Friday morning, McCain fought back.

“The whole point, Mr. President, is to enact tax cuts and spending measures that truly stimulate the economy,” McCain said. “There are billions and tens of billions of dollars in this bill which will have no effect within three, four, five or more years, or ever. Or ever.”

The back and forth is more reminiscent of the sharp attacks the two men exchanged on the campaign trail rather than Obama’s hope of moving past partisanship in Washington. And it comes as McCain has positioned himself to becoming a leading opponent of the Senate Democratic plan, which may cost more than $920 billion if major cuts are not made.

McCain’s criticism comes after a significant period of détente between the two campaign rivals and a direct effort by Obama to woo McCain and get him involved in policy negotiations. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), still a strong surrogate for McCain, told Politico that he believed Obama was "AWOL" on bipartisan negotiations on the stimulus, further showing the discontent on the GOP side of the aisle.
See Also

• Is today the day?
• Closing argument: Change in tone
• At Dem retreat, a partisan love fest

Obama and Democratic leaders say the GOP is pinpointing a handful of smaller items in the bill to undermine a large package designed to stimulate consumer spending and create jobs through an array of programs, including new infrastructure projects.

“Here’s the point I’m making. This package is not going to be absolutely perfect, and you can nit and you can pick,” Obama said Thursday. “That’s the game we all play here. What I’m saying is we can’t afford to play that game. We’ve got to pull together.”

But McCain targeted an array of programs that he said were not needed in an emergency economic recovery package.

“$50 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts — all of us are for the arts,” McCain said. “Tell me how that creates any significant number of jobs? After-school snack program is probably a good idea. Do we really want to spend $726 million on it?”

With Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) recovering from brain cancer and the Minnesota Senate race still unresolved, Democrats have 57 seats and need to keep their caucus unified while pulling support from three GOP senators to pass the bill as soon as Friday evening.

McCain rejected that strategy and said Democrats should not call the measure “bipartisan” if only a handful of Republicans support it.

“You can call it an agreement, but you cannot call it a bipartisan agreement,” McCain said.

[Barry Goldwater]

Good on McCain. That massive package will likely do us more trouble than it's worth.

[Jabberwock]

I see it like this:

Obama is thinking in the long term.

McCain is thinking in the short term.

McCain wants more jobs but also to keep the status quo.
Blue collars stay blue collars. Blue collar families to get their blue collar job back. This would only require short-term thinking.

Obama wants to change the status quo.
Blue collars can become white collars. Obama wants blue collar families to possibly become white collar folk. This requires long-term thinking.

I am with Obama on this. I believe Obama wants to do more than just "fix" the economy, he also wants to improve it. The government can't just make a recession vanish away, so there's no point in thinking short-term. I believe when our economy begins to stabilize we'll be better than before.

[Quadratus]

I see it like this:

Mccain is thinking in the long term.

Obama is thinking in the short term.

McCain wants more jobs but also to keep the status quo.
Blue collars stay blue collars. Blue collar families to get their blue collar job back. This would only require short-term thinking.

Obama wants to change the status quo.
Blue collars can become white collars. Obama wants blue collar families to possibly become white collar folk. This requires long-term thinking.

I am with Obama on this. I believe Obama wants to do more than just "fix" the economy, he also wants to improve it. The government can't just make a recession vanish away. I believe when our economy begins to stabilize we'll be better than before.

You have it the wrong way. The stimulus is just fixing things in the short term. If we let the economy fix itself we will all be good in the long term!

[boomheadshot45]

You have it the wrong way. The stimulus is just fixing things in the short term. If we let the economy fix itself we will all be good in the long term!

Yes but there won't be much of an economy if we let it fix itself. That will take years, and by then you US dollar won't have any value what so ever.

[Quadratus]

Yes but there won't be much of an economy if we let it fix itself. That will take years, and by then you US dollar won't have any value what so ever.

Well you could do that and save our kids from a economy that we created, or we take our problems that we created upon ourselves and spare our children.

[Justice and Mercy]

Yes but there won't be much of an economy if we let it fix itself. That will take years, and by then you US dollar won't have any value what so ever.

It wouldn't take years.

Stop spending, abolish the corporate tax and go from there.

I promise you'll have a growing economy in a matter of months.

[Oldgamer]

You have it the wrong way. The stimulus is just fixing things in the short term. If we let the economy fix itself we will all be good in the long term!

The last sentence was perfectly stated!

The only thing I would object to in what you said is that "the stimulus is just fixing things in the short term". It's not stimulis. It's primarily pork, and paying off those who made Odamna the temporary occupant of the Oval Office.

[MathiasOfAthens]

Reminds me of battlestar galactica.
________
Wendie 99

[The Good]

Reminds me of battlestar galactica.

I'm not too familiar with Battlestar Galactica, but could you explain to me how it reminds of such?

[MathiasOfAthens]

Sen. John McCain took his most direct shot at President Barack Obama since the presidential campaign on Friday morning, using a Senate floor speech to criticize the president for mocking the Republican concerns over the massive economic stimulus package.

Reminded me of last couple episodes when the VP and Gaeta led a coup because the President and Admiral Adama would not listen to their concerns about the alliance with the Cylons.

Harmless I assure you, sorry if I got off topic.
________
Having sex

[Zephyrus]

Reminded me of last couple episodes when the VP and Gaeta led a coup because the President and Admiral Adama would not listen to their concerns about the alliance with the Cylons.

Harmless I assure you, sorry if I got off topic.

See, when you start throwing around analogies that use Cylons as a major source of comparisonal hilarity, you know you NEED to take a step back, look at yourself in the mirror, and go, "I'm in the real world here. My country is in the middle of a recession. What am i doing to help my elected leaders achieve their goals? Will Battlestar Galactica get me ahead of the game here?" :hmmm:

[Quadratus]

I also agree w/ Mccain. He knows that it's adding another card to the card house, it's going to come down either way you look at it.

[Hunter Makoy]

stimulus can only be temporary anyway, its in the nature of the word. All it does it boost it up for now so that hopefully by the time it runs out the economy can run it self. That's way the more long term goals like the creation of jobs and improvement of regulations will be more important. Improvement of regulations does not mean adding any more either, it means going through what we have and reevaluating them. There are definitely alot of regulations that are needed, but there are many who do more harm then good, and some that don't do anything at all but discourage competition and maximization of profit.

The money in the bill which does not create jobs, or stimulate the economy needs to get out of that bill. As McCain, and others have said, it doesn't mean they are against them, but those programs don't belong in the bill.

As soon as the economy starts to straighten out we need to over look all the regulation we have on businesses, and get rid of anything that doesn't work, or causes more harm then good. That will be the ultimate long term solution to this problem.

[Captain Jin]

“$50 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts — all of us are for the arts,” McCain said. “Tell me how that creates any significant number of jobs? After-school snack program is probably a good idea. Do we really want to spend $726 million on it?”

How true. It's sad that people will blindly follow something just because it's Obama. McCain and the GOP are right to nit pick on the bill. How does an endowment to the arts help the economy? What's hard to understand here? If you want to save jobs and inject some life into the economy do it with industries and places that create jobs.

[Amadeus]

The economy should crash already
the quicker this happens the faster we can start rebuilding it
and throwing almost $1 trillion in foreign lent money at it won't change a single thing
it will only increase the US foreign debt

[Gaidin]

Ad hominem is the best you have?

[Quadratus]

Ad hominem is the best you have?

Yeah. Anything else?

[RVFVS]

Personally I dont MIND Obama's bill but there are major flaws. Namely the fact that it could backfire hugely. I Mind you I dont really like McCain that much but I dont like Obama either. The US needs to have a bill that affects the long term not the short term.

[Viking Prince]

If they call this bipartisan again -- well they are dupping the public. The news should just edit the word out of all stories until there is leadership support from both sides of the aisle on any bill.

For the record, the current bipartisan support consists of:

Senator Susan Collins, of Maine
Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine and
Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania

These three should just change party labels or develop a backbone.