Corrente on the Stimulus

So we all, rightly, hate TARP and endless funding for war and invasion and other costly programs that reward the rich and failing at the expense of the working class and poor. But what about the Stimulus Bill? I can't claim to have read all of the damn thing (it's over 600 pages long) but I did research the parts that seemed most likely to have an impact on my life. Insurance for the poorest, funding to struggling states, increased education spending...none of these will directly impact my life, but there's a good chance some of the money will trickle down in a way that makes things at least a little bit better for me and mine. What about you?

Despite inaction from most of the rest of his party, I'm getting not a few emails and calls to "take action" and show support for the stimulus bill from groups and offices that are 'tight' with Obama, most specifically by expressing my support for it to Congresscritters. Apparently the Republican push-back against it is a well-funded and so far very effective campaign to scare those poor, helpless Dems in Congress who can't seem to figure out the difference between a dittohead phone campaign and the wishes of their actual constituents. Have you been asked to make any similar pro-stimulus calls, and if so, are you?

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Yes, I got the email

Since I never joined Obama's campaign site, I can only assume that he got my email address from Clinton's campaign.
And, no, I am not making any phone calls for it nor am I hosting any house parties.
He split the party. He'll have to do the heavy lifting with half strength.
And I'd better not be asked to make a single damn sacrifice. No one I know is responsible for what happened to our 401Ks.

Come together at The Confluence

Don't know about this:

Since I never joined Obama's campaign site, I can only assume that he got my email address from Clinton's campaign.

I was definitely on Clinton's email list, but have never gotten a thing from Obama.

Very depressing to read about the fate of an effective stimulus bill today. Obama and the dems are going to lose this huge battle if they don't show some leadership.

Sad, but hardly surprising, given the characters we're stuck with. :(

"riding this bucket all the way down"

Dear FSM, can he get any gloomier? Yesterday was very dour, --

as he was the day before. Indeed, he seems to have lost all hope.

Now, to go read today's installment of "The Gloomy Days of Our Lives."

The Nooner today lamented how messed up Obama's Stimulus bill is

in that inimitable manner she has, more in sorrow than in anger, with the lightly wafting hands and slightly bemused side to side shakes of her head. Alas. (Saw it while clicking past Morning Joe--which was a very confusing program for awhile, as Joe and Mika kept talking at the same time. What was with that unprofessional behavior?)

So, the decontruction of Obama has begun in the MCM--and bringing Obama down will not help the people in the nation who need help. Nor will it most likely cause any change in Obama's approach.

Unless Axelrod gets going with a new script--ASAP.

I then wondered how a diminished Obama would be referred to--and I came across a commenter who referred to him as a "tyro" and called him "Bam Bam." Oooof.

It was a double take moment--had to go back and read that a couple times. It might fit. Something will, something which will work to erode his authority. Which won't be tha difficult for a new politcian, untested, unproven, with no real track record, not much to refer back to. Bill Clinton could point to numerous times in his life when he had been counted out and came back. What can Obama draw on to reassure a disappointed public? Hope and Change?

Stirling says even the rep for "uber-competence" has now been undermined. IMO, it's has been unraveling over the past few days. And he just began Week 3 of his administration!

In the last 24 hours, that golden halo that was over Barack Obama, is over. The Senate is about to gut his version of the stimulus bill, creating a bill that is "all tax cuts, all the time" and far too small to deal with the economic crisis. Obama has been out Reaganed, and America is set to go on a downward spiral because of it. The stimulus gutting of at least 100 billion and perhaps as much as 200 billion in spending to get just three votes: Snowe, Collins, and Ben Nelson, will mean that these Senators will get to control between 33 billion and 70 billion of spending each. 200 billion essentially ends the "spending" part, and leaves us with a bill that will be about 400 billion tax cuts, and 300 billion spending. So much for unity and bi-partisanship.

The withdrawal of Daschle destroyed another precious Obama asset: namely the uber-competence image that they had cultivated. Cool, competent, collected. Then on one day two nominees withdrew for tax problems.

(Now, thinking eleven dimension chess, did the Obama people wait for get Geithner approved before letting the Daschle tax problems come out? Did Daschle really not tell anyone he'd amended his tax filings? Or, knowing about their Golden Wall Street savior's tax problems, did Obama and his advisers decide Daschl's dastardly deeds couldn't become public earlier as it might kill the Geithner nomination? Just a foily thought.)

Bowers takes this from the other angle

Where's the mobilization from the famous Obama email list? Zip. I got one mail to go see some fucking video at a house party. No thanks, but you'd expect others to bite. *** crickets ***

Again, I don't accept the "Dems got rolled" view at all. They are moral agents; the outcomes are what they are in favor of, affirmatively. No, they're not insane, but with honorable exceptions, they are here to consolidate what the Republicans did, not reverse it. This is their vision for the country.

So, inadequate tax-cut heavy stimulus, health care postponed, Afghanistan heating up -- remind me again why I didn't vote for McCain?

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi

Yes, lots of e-mail; no, didn't do it

I'm willing to take to the phones, email, snail mail, et al. to call for a real economic bill but not for this thing. Even though I think that in the short run, this so-called stimulus bill is better than nothing, I'm not willing to frame my own response to it as the Democratic vision vs. the Republican version. It's a Village courtier fight. As things continue to deteriorate, I don't want spin that "we tried the Democratic vision, and it doesn't work" used to allow increasing suffering.

Yep, got emails

Nope, not making calls.

calls

Nope, and would not make calls if I did

wrensis
Disturb the comfortable and comfort the distrubed

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