Stimulus Porkulus: What the Hell HaveWe Got Ourselves Intous?
PT 12: OP-EDus
PT 12: OP-EDus
Over the couple of weeks leading to Tax Day (April 15), I'm going to be dissecting the economy and the stimulus, budget and the various other issues that have unfolded between banks to AIG to tea parties all over the country! I had bookmarked a lot of articles since the end of January and it's interesting to read them with perspective and "read between the lines."
Quotes By Noted Columnists on the
Economy, The Big O, and the
Stimulus Porkulus:
Economy, The Big O, and the
Stimulus Porkulus:
Charles Krauthammer, 2-06-09, Washington Post:
On Hope & Change: "And so much for the promise to banish the money changers and influence peddlers from the temple. An ostentatious executive order banning lobbyists was immediately followed by the nomination of at least a dozen current or former lobbyists to high position. Followed by a Treasury secretary who allegedly couldn't understand the payroll tax provisions in his 1040. Followed by Tom Daschle, who had to fall on his sword according to the new Washington rule that no Cabinet can have more than one tax delinquent."
On The Stimulus: "The product, which inevitably carries Obama's name, was not just bad, not just flawed, but a legislative abomination."
On The Messiah: "After Obama's miraculous 2008 presidential campaign, it was clear that at some point the magical mystery tour would have to end. The nation would rub its eyes and begin to emerge from its reverie. The hallucinatory Obama would give way to the mere mortal. The great ethical transformations promised would be seen as a fairy tale that all presidents tell -- and that this president told better than anyone...I thought the awakening would take six months. It took two and a half weeks."
Bradley Schiller, 2-13-09, Wall Street Journal:
"President Barack Obama has turned fearmongering into an art form. He has repeatedly raised the specter of another Great Depression. First, he did so to win votes in the November election. He has done so again recently to sway congressional votes for his stimulus package."
"It is bad history because our current economic woes don't come close to those of the 1930s. At worst, a comparison to the 1981-82 recession might be appropriate."
"Fearmongering can trigger a political stampede to embrace a "recovery" package that delivers a lot less than it promises. A more cool-headed assessment of the economy's woes might produce better policies."
Karl Rove, 2-18-09, Wall Street Journal:
As to all the vetting mistakes, campaign promises being rebuked, stating they have a plan but no exact means to carry it out, Rove adds in this insightful piece:
"Team Obama has been living off its campaign reputation for planning and execution. That reputation is now frayed, and all the bumbling and unforced errors will have an impact. Such things don't go unnoticed on Capitol Hill or in foreign capitals.
The president, a bright and skilled politician, has plenty of time to recover. The danger is that what we have seen is not an aberration, but the early indications of his governing style. Barack Obama won the job he craved, now he must demonstrate that he and his team are up to its requirements. The signs are worrisome. The world is a dangerous place. The days of winging it need to end."
Politico Chick
On Hope & Change: "And so much for the promise to banish the money changers and influence peddlers from the temple. An ostentatious executive order banning lobbyists was immediately followed by the nomination of at least a dozen current or former lobbyists to high position. Followed by a Treasury secretary who allegedly couldn't understand the payroll tax provisions in his 1040. Followed by Tom Daschle, who had to fall on his sword according to the new Washington rule that no Cabinet can have more than one tax delinquent."
On The Stimulus: "The product, which inevitably carries Obama's name, was not just bad, not just flawed, but a legislative abomination."
On The Messiah: "After Obama's miraculous 2008 presidential campaign, it was clear that at some point the magical mystery tour would have to end. The nation would rub its eyes and begin to emerge from its reverie. The hallucinatory Obama would give way to the mere mortal. The great ethical transformations promised would be seen as a fairy tale that all presidents tell -- and that this president told better than anyone...I thought the awakening would take six months. It took two and a half weeks."
Bradley Schiller, 2-13-09, Wall Street Journal:
"President Barack Obama has turned fearmongering into an art form. He has repeatedly raised the specter of another Great Depression. First, he did so to win votes in the November election. He has done so again recently to sway congressional votes for his stimulus package."
"It is bad history because our current economic woes don't come close to those of the 1930s. At worst, a comparison to the 1981-82 recession might be appropriate."
"Fearmongering can trigger a political stampede to embrace a "recovery" package that delivers a lot less than it promises. A more cool-headed assessment of the economy's woes might produce better policies."
Karl Rove, 2-18-09, Wall Street Journal:
As to all the vetting mistakes, campaign promises being rebuked, stating they have a plan but no exact means to carry it out, Rove adds in this insightful piece:
"Team Obama has been living off its campaign reputation for planning and execution. That reputation is now frayed, and all the bumbling and unforced errors will have an impact. Such things don't go unnoticed on Capitol Hill or in foreign capitals.
The president, a bright and skilled politician, has plenty of time to recover. The danger is that what we have seen is not an aberration, but the early indications of his governing style. Barack Obama won the job he craved, now he must demonstrate that he and his team are up to its requirements. The signs are worrisome. The world is a dangerous place. The days of winging it need to end."
0 comments:
Post a Comment