Is Pres. Obama exaggerating the crisis to force Congress to act?
President Barack Obama arrives on Capitol Hill to meet with House Republican Conference on the economic stimulas package on January 27, 2009. He is followed by US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. (PHOTO CREDIT: JIM WATSON/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
From CNN's Jack Cafferty:
South Carolina Senator, Jim DeMint, said in a speech this week that the Obama administration is creating crisis and widespread panic to push the economic stimulus package. He likens the air of urgency to previous tactics used by the Bush administration to get the people and Congress to go along with whatever they wanted.
Senator James Inhofe, from Oklahoma, said this was the same tactic used by the Bush administration to get the $700-billion TARP bill passed in October, which has left some Republican lawmakers with buyers remorse. The Senators admit that it's hard to know how things would have played out if the bill had not passed, but that's not the point. DeMint is pointing his finger, not at his colleagues on the Hill, but at Bush and former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson for saying the world economy will collapse if you don't do this.
Sounding somewhat parental, DeMint said, "I've been around long enough to know whenever someone tells me I have to make a decision right now, my response is no."
But DeMint's real point in all this was to say the stimulus plan that's on the table won't stimulate the economy at all, rather, it's filled with big-government wasteful spending projects. Only time will tell if that's the case.
Here’s my question to you: Is President Obama exaggerating the crisis in order to get Congress to act?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Tax rebates for people who earn too little to pay income tax?
From CNN's Jack Cafferty:
In meetings to hammer out an economic stimulus package acceptable enough to pass an anticipated House vote, President Obama told Republicans he's not willing to compromise on tax rebates for nearly every working American.
Should Americans who don't pay income tax receive one of these stimulus checks?
According to an aide, the President said, "Feel free to whack me over the head because I probably will not compromise on that part."
Every working American includes people who don't make enough to pay income taxes. The President justifies his support because these people do pay payroll taxes, Social Security and Medicare and therefore, they are taxpayers.
No matter how you look at it, the economy is bad and that's true for everyone, whether you pay income taxes or not.
Jobs are disappearing by the millions and people are scared.
The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index fell to 37.7 this month, which is an all-time low dating back to 1967.
There's no light at the end of the tunnel, at least not yet. And President Obama might be giving a glimmer of hope to the least fortunate among us by standing his ground.
Here’s my question to you: Should people who earn too little to pay income tax be given tax rebates?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Would Pres. Obama’s life be easier without Pelosi as House Speaker?
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been the subject of criticism from Republicans and some Democrats. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
From CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Politico calls it the love affair that wasn't meant to be. They are talking about President Obama and Congressional Republicans.
Republicans are still whining about being shut out of the crafting of the stimulus bill. Just like they shut the Democrats out when they controlled Congress.
The President has been trying to smooth things over behind closed doors and even said late yesterday that he'd be willing to make changes in order to address some Republican concerns. For one thing he told Democrats to remove the money for contraception that was part of the package, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defended just the day before.
The GOP has been careful not to criticize the new President who everybody is in love with at the moment. Perhaps they know where to draw the line. But that doesn't mean they can't complain about Pelosi, and they are. This is not first time Madame Speaker has been the subject of criticism, and not just from Republicans. Some in her own party are less than thrilled with her. There is a quality about Nancy Pelosi that, for want of a better word, is just plain annoying.
Here’s my question to you: Would President Obama's life be easier without Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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