Speaks For Itself
As we come up to the great day of teabagging parties, rebellion against the "most polarizing president in recent times," as Fox News does all it can to stir up dissent, Gallup releases data on how the American people feel about our leaders' approaches to the economy.
Republican leaders earned more than half as much confidence as President Obama - 53.5 percent, and nearly three-fourths as much confidence as Democratic leaders.
Talk among yourselves.
Republican leaders earned more than half as much confidence as President Obama - 53.5 percent, and nearly three-fourths as much confidence as Democratic leaders.
Talk among yourselves.
posted by JimK at 6:00 AM
30 Comments:
More good news.
Three-judge panel: Franken wins Minnesota Senate seatSalon just got a news alert from the Democratic National Committee announcing that the three-judge panel that has been supervising the Minnesota Senate race recount has declared Democrat Al Franken the winner.
"Franken received the highest number of lawfully cast ballots in the Nov. 4, 2008 general election," the ruling stated. With recently added absentee ballots counted, Franken upped his lead over incumbent Norm Coleman to 312 votes. The panel determined that Franken is entitled to receive the certificate of election.
Coleman's lawyer Ben Ginsberg insists he'll appeal the ruling to the Minnesota Supreme Court. But the state's Democratic Secretary of State Mark Ritchie insists he welcomes that appeal, because it has to come within 10 days of this ruling, and could provide bipartisan closure.
It may be too early to say "Welcome Sen. Franken," but it looks like we're roughly 10 days away from being able to say exactly that. We'll keep you posted.
-- Joan Walsh
One of our Anonymous commenters had posted part of that Gerson piece a few days ago. Of course a former speechwriter for Bush, the so-called uniter who admitted "I'll reach out to everyone who shares our goals," would consider someone who reaches out to both sides of the aisle with regularity to be a divider. (eye roll)
I disagree with Gerson and agree with Mr. McCloud of Reston who wrote the following Letter to the Editor in yesterday's Washington Post:
It's the Republicans Who Are Polarizing
Monday, April 13, 2009; A14
The delusions of the Bush administration, it seems, know no end. Michael Gerson ["The Most Polarizing President," op-ed, April 8] made the preposterous claim that President Obama is the most polarizing of recent presidents. Such thinking is not just delusional, it's downright weird, and it may account for the Republicans' abysmal ratings in the latest polls.
The gap cited by Mr. Gerson between the president and his loyal opposition is not because of Mr. Obama's policies but because Republicans have hunkered down behind the conservative right's effete bromide of more tax cuts. Support for the president has averaged 62 percent for the past month, according to Gallup.
It's astounding that President George W. Bush's former speechwriter, who witnessed the slash-and-burn, demonizing and polarizing strategies of the Republican Party, would attack a president who supports policies for the benefit of all Americans and not just the wealthiest. The president's outreach extends even to the Europeans, as both the leaders and people of Europe welcome his inclusive foreign policies. Mr. Bush had his chance to be the Great Uniter but instead became the Great Divider.
Despite such blatant rants, Mr. Obama still holds a place at his table for his political critics to present their ideas to advance the American agenda. But so long as spokesmen for the Republican Party continue making mindless accusations that affront common sense, the party will continue to lose credibility and fail in its rightful role of the loyal opposition.
RICHARD L. McCLOUD
RestonAnd Gerson is not the only GOP spokesman making this claim. Rove wrote a similar piece over at the WSJournal last week, where the architect is still trying to rebuild his house of cards.
Glub glub glub
What are teabagging parties?
Here's some info to explain it.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/13/pub-moveon/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-talk-tea-partyapr14,0,7631345.storyhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-filipowicz/glenn-beck-gets-ready-to_b_186446.htmlToo bad whoever started this idea didn't check the Urban Dictionary for the current meaning of the term.
The protests are to voice "populist" disapproval that the top 2% of US wage earners (those making $250K and up) will have their tax rates returned to the 39.6% tax rate they paid under Bill Clinton. They apparently don't remember that same bracket paid 50% tax rate once Reagan cut it.
I don't know what up with Blogger today, but there are 3 links above. Roll your mouse over them to see each one.
"Glub glub glub"
I guess when you make four out of five comments on one post within a half of the morning, it's hard to take a break between swigs.
Crazy old Aunt Bea apparently isn't aware that taxpayers with the top 20% of income pay 90% of income taxes in America. Yes, why not just take it all?
Meanwhile, thanks to tax reforms by Republicans over the last quarter century, most low income citizens pay no tax at all.
It's hardly gratuitous polarization to maintain sanity and mention that the debt our friend Sir B.O. is planning will necessitate huge tax increases on the middle class, harm our national security and cause Latin American style hyperinflation.
Republicans will look pretty good soon enough.
It'll be the shortest nostalgia interval in history.
"I don't know what up with Blogger today"
I don't know what up with Bea today.
Maybe she needs she head checked out.
yes, maybe
Oh, AnonBigot.
You continue to be a complete mess!
Just admit it, people approve of Obama much more than your pal, Bush.
I think we did a great thing for the environment by planting a "bush" back in Texas. :-)
Obama promised (positive) change and we are getting change and all you can do it moan and groan about it. Wake up!
¡Qué te pongas al día!
All you can do... IS moan and groan about it. Oooooopssssiieee.
Fue error del dedo. :-)
Derrick should get he head checked.
On every issue Sir B.O. campaigned on, he has acted like Bush. Except deficits, where he's plaaning to spend more.
Bush was pretty popular at this point in his presidency too.
Anonymous makes a comment about Bea for blogging too much. Is this self-ignorance, or self-irony?
I looked up teabagging on UrbanDictionary. Are there really conservatives all over the country telling people their doing this? Too funny. It's like the "National Organization for Marriage" calling their movement 2M4M. I looked that one up on Urban Dictionary too. These people are losing their collective minds.
Did y'all see the two odd anti-marriage letters in the Post today? I don't have time to link before lunch is over, but it struck me that the connections made were kind of obtuse. It's worth noting that those two letters against DC's Council's vote half-recognizing same-gender marriage came not from DC but from the Virginia exurbs.
Robert, NOM launched their "2M4M" campaign but forgot to register the domain name - and now www.2m4m.org is up and running as a pro-equality website.
taxpayers with the top 20% of income pay 90% of income taxes in America.And those top 20% of wage earners earn approximately 50% of all income in the US, while the bottom 20% of wage earners earn only 3.4% of all income in the US. See Table 2 at the top of Page 9 in this Census Bureau report issued last year.
As of 2004, the median income was $44,389. The low end of the top 20% of US wage earners had incomes of $88,030 and above. The low end of the top 5% of wage earners had incomes of $157,176. It is only the very top 2% of wage earners, who make more than $250,000 a year that will see their tax rate increase from the current 35% to 39.6%.
That's what this protest is about, a 4.6% income tax hike for the top 2% of wage earners.
So how many CEOs who make over $250,000 a year will show up to protest Obama's tax hike and defend the status quo?
Bea, you crazy old bat, if you'll read up a little, you'll find no economist of any persuasion who doesn't believe that the deficits being envisioned by Sir B.O. will necessitate hefty tax increases on the middle class.
The relatively restrained tax increase you speak of is only restrained because of the current year's need for stimulus.
Mr. Hussein Obama has nefarious plans. His plans won't work any other way. The Republicans who have spoken out are profiles in courage.
History is only an election away.
This post has been removed by the author.
This post has been removed by the author.
improv is heading up the U.S. chapter of Priya's new group:
Ditzo Comment Deleters
they have fascinating conventions
the programs are full of blank pages
the servers bring lunch and then take it back while you're still eating
the exhibits are taken down as soon as the hall opens
Anon, if you don't have anything to say, please try to stifle yourself.
So I don't have to.
JimK
Mr. Hussein Obama has nefarious plans. His plans won't work any other way.
And what plans would those be? Let's hear them.
History is only an election away.
You should probably refrain from making political predictions. They don't work out so well for you, for example President Huckabee.
There's nothing wrong with thinking better about posting a comment. In fact, I strongly recommend you try it sometime. You might find thinking more than once before you comment here would make you look more knowledgeable and less snarky.
"And what plans would those be? Let's hear them."
Oh, OK. He's planning to run enormous deficits and then make a massive increase in the tax burden of most Americans.
He's also planning to reduce our influence internationally.
Basically, he wants America to be Western Europe.
"History is only an election away.
You should probably refrain from making political predictions. They don't work out so well for you, for example President Huckabee."
Why? It's a national pasttime.
President Huckabee was an attempt to scare you guys. It looked like it worked.
"There's nothing wrong with thinking better about posting a comment."
I definitely not. Pushing the button before you do that says something about your emotional stability though.
Especially when you do it twice or thrice and on to inifinity.
"In fact, I strongly recommend you try it sometime. You might find thinking more than once before you comment here would make you look more knowledgeable and less snarky."
Oh, I think I look smarter than the average bear and snarkery is part of the fun.
Anonymous thinks he looks smarter than the average bear.
Isn't self-aggrandizement a sin of some sort?
Oh, yeah, Pride. One of the 7 deadly ones.
We should have an "Anonymous Pride" Festival. Everyone could wear ski masks and be rude to everyone else, and feel smarter than eveyone else there. It would be awesome!!
News alert: Robert finally got a sense of humor!
make a massive increase in the tax burden of most Americans.
That's a nice general, non-answer. Which specific taxes will do you think Obama is planning to increase for "most Americans?" Find a quote from Obama saying he has such plans and post it lest Vigilance readers realize you've provided nothing but fictional musings out of nowhere, again.
He's also planning to reduce our influence internationally.
With which nations do you imagine he's planning to end our influence? Again, provide Obama quotes confirming your imagination.
President Huckabee was an attempt to scare you guys
Let me correct that misconception for you from my perspective anyway. It made me wonder if all that self-medicating you do may have done some damage to your ability to grasp reality.
"That's a nice general, non-answer. Which specific taxes will do you think Obama is planning to increase for "most Americans?""
That would be income taxes although I'm sure he's open to increasing other taxes. He has already mentioned increasing estate taxes and FICA.
The deficits being projected by the CBO aren't sustainable by borrowing and printing money alone. Unless he scales back his domestic agenda, you will be paying more.
"With which nations do you imagine he's planning to end our influence?"
Virtually all of them.
Think North Korea, who tested a long-range missile that could strike Sarah Palin's back door and Sir B.O., in response, decided to cut spending on missile defense.
That should scare the heck out of 'em!
Maybe the strategy is to distract them with laughter.
"Let me correct that misconception for you from my perspective anyway."
Of course, I didn't mean you.
Crazy people never know enough to pull their hand out of the fire.
That's why you get burned so much.
"Which specific taxes will do you think Obama is planning to increase for "most Americans?""
That would be income taxes although I'm sure he's open to increasing other taxes. He has already mentioned increasing estate taxes and FICA.
LOL You are a piece of work. Uh, you didn't name the tax increase Congress passed and President Obama signed into law. I'll give you a hint, he signed the bill in February of this year. Oh heck, I'll give you two hints: the tax took effect the first of this month. This tax is not an "income" tax and it does not effect "most Americans," but it does effect those who make a dangerous choice.
Talk about getting burned! You are in way over your head!
Do you think 5% of the population is "most Americans" because that's whose income tax Obama said he's going to raise -- the top 5% of wage earners who make over $250,000 a year. The other 95% of Americans will not see income tax increases.
I think there will be an income tax increase on middle income Americans in the next four years unless Congress changes hands in 2010.
If you ever got out of the belfry, you'd know that political analysts and economists believe that too- just about unanimously.
You have a lonely position, you crazy old bat.
Keep with it.
You'll continue to be the TTF parody figure.
So finally we get to the truth: "Mr. Hussein Obama has nefarious plans. His plans won't work any other way" has now been corrected to "I think there will be an income tax increase on middle income Americans"
You have a lonely position, you crazy old bat.
Actually I don't have a lonely position, you do. I stand with the majority of Americans who approve of the job President Obama is doing, with the majority of Americans who feel we pay either the right amount or not enough income taxes, with the majority of Americans who feel corporations and the very rich do not pay enough taxes, and with the majority of Americans who have confidence in President Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress to do or recommend the right thing to clean up the economic mess Bush/Cheney left for all of us.
Actually, Batwoman, your lonely position is believing that middle class taxes won't go up.
Ludicrous.
Nice moves with the shifting rhetoric though.
"So finally we get to the truth"
You did get it finally. You also got it initially.
Since you apparently missed some parts the first time, here it is again:
Bea, you crazy old bat, if you'll read up a little, you'll find no economist of any persuasion who doesn't believe that the deficits being envisioned by Sir B.O. will necessitate hefty tax increases on the middle class.
The relatively restrained tax increase you speak of is only restrained because of the current year's need for stimulus.
Mr. Hussein Obama has nefarious plans. His plans won't work any other way. The Republicans who have spoken out are profiles in courage.
History is only an election away.
You see, your craziness, these taxes are like drugs. You never get the amount you project because the taxes themselves dampen productivity. So you raise them again and a vicious cycle begins.
Actually, Batwoman, your lonely position is believing that middle class taxes won't go up.
Actually, barryo, you are mistaken, again. Once again, my view is the majority view.
Rasmussen reportsOne-third of U.S. voters (33%) continue to believe their taxes will rise under President Obama despite his promise of a middle-class tax cut for 95% of Americans. This number has been largely the same since Obama was inaugurated on January 20 but is down slightly from voter expectations just after Election Day. (see Trends)
Eighteen percent (18%) of voters think their taxes will go down under the new president, while 41% expect their taxes to stay the same.
That's a 59% majority who believe their taxes will either stay the same or go down.
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