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January 29, 2009
The Lily Ledbetter Equal Pay Act
Here is President Obama, speaking this morning at the signing of the Lily Ledbetter Equal Pay Act. The remarks are about ten minutes long, but every word is beautiful. We have a President now who, to a great degree, understands women's issues.
Many thanks to FireDogLake for posting the clip.
Posted by jnfr at 02:40 PM | Comments (0)
Targeting Republicans
Americans United for Change has created a series of 30-second ads targeting a number of Republican Senators who might be persuaded to support Obama's economic recovery plan. The ads are a joint project of Americans United for Change, MoveOn.org, and two large unions: AFSCME and SEIU. See the national ad below.
There are versions specifically calling out Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Charles Grassley of Iowa, and Judd Gregg of New Hampshire.
Posted by jnfr at 08:58 AM | Comments (0)
January 28, 2009
Not One Vote
In this time of great crisis, not one Republican voted for the economic stimulus bill. Not one, even after multiple changes made to address their concerns.
I'm listening to MSNBC, and the Republicans think this is a clear victory. ("We held together and changed the bill. Our leadership is more effective than anyone thought. We made the Democrats back down on things they wanted.") Shameless.
Posted by jnfr at 05:34 PM | Comments (0)
More on Tax Cuts
Elana Schor, writing for TPM-DC, a new Talking Points Memo blog, gathers evidence of why tax cuts are ineffective as economic stimulus.
...Mark Zandi, a Republican economist who advised John McCain's presidential campaign, has been stressing this point for months. Zandi's research showed a corporate tax cut delivering $0.30 in real GDP growth for every $1 invested, an alternative minimum tax patch delivering $0.48 for every $1 invested, and a regular tax rebate delivering anywhere from $1.02 to $1.28 for every $1.
Compare that to aid to state governments, which Republicans have roundly criticized: $1.36 for every $1 invested. Infrastructure spending delivers a whopping $1.59 in GDP for every $1.
But it's not just Zandi making this point. The Congressional Budget Office -- you know, the guys with the incomplete stimulus report that Republicans absolutely loved last week -- deemed last year that corporate tax cuts are "not a particularly cost-effective method of stimulating business spending."...
Really, Obama and the Congressional Dems need to respond to all this Republican whining about tax cuts by re-focusing the stimulus bill on truly effective economic measures, not by letting the bill go under because of attempts to be "bipartisan".
Addition: What Balloon Juice said.
Addition: What Sadly No! said.
Posted by jnfr at 09:53 AM | Comments (0)
January 27, 2009
Tax Cuts = Failure
Krugman's response today to the Republican Congressional obstructionism:
The truth, of course, is that the country is hemorrhaging jobs and Americans are heading to the poorhouse by the millions. The stock markets and the value of the family home have collapsed, and there is virtual across-the-board agreement that the country is caught up in the worst economic disaster since at least World War II.
The Republican answer to this turmoil?
Tax cuts.
They need to go into rehab.
The question that I would like answered is why anyone listens to this crowd anymore. G.O.P. policies have been an absolute backbreaker for the middle class. (Forget the poor. Nobody talks about them anymore, not even the Democrats.) The G.O.P. has successfully engineered a wholesale redistribution of wealth to those already at the top of the income ladder and then, in a remarkable display of chutzpah, dared anyone to talk about class warfare.
Krugman goes on to give some examples, if you're not convinced. I've understood for years that the Republicans were waging class warfare. They have no real concern for the middle class and the poor. The state of our economy today is the direct result of their efforts. No one on the Democratic side should be afraid to state that truth front and center throughout this stimulus discussion.
There is no reason to accommodate the failed policies of the Republican Party. That's another truth we need to state out loud, over and over again.
Posted by jnfr at 01:50 PM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2009
Bipartisanship
Someone needs to remind the media that when Obama says he wants to change the tone in Washington and relieve some of the bickering, that doesn't mean he's going to change his own ideas about policy, and give the Republicans what they want just because they stamp their little feet.
He has said, clearly and more than once, that he wants ideas that will work. And he will make the judgment about what works based on his own criteria. The reason the Republicans don't have a lot of input into this stimulus bill is that they have no good, workable ideas. The results of their thinking is right in front of us, played out over the past four years. It has been a tremendous, complete, failure.
I don't think this bill is perfect - I'd like more emphasis on mass transit, for one thing - but I do believe it will be the best that can be had on such short notice. Perhaps the Republicans can control their urge to be obstructionist, though after what I've seen the past couple of years, I am not hopeful.
Posted by jnfr at 10:38 AM | Comments (0)
January 22, 2009
The Right to Choose
Statement of President Obama on the 36th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women's health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman's right to choose.
While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services.
On this anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons: the chance to attain a world-class education; to have fulfilling careers in any industry; to be treated fairly and paid equally for their work; and to have no limits on their dreams. That is what I want for women everywhere.
Posted by jnfr at 03:33 PM | Comments (0)
January 21, 2009
Getting Down to Business
This is good stuff, from Obama's remarks today.
I will also hold myself as President to a new standard of openness. Going forward, anytime the American people want to know something that I or a former President wants to withhold, we will have to consult with the Attorney General and the White House Counsel, whose business it is to ensure compliance with the rule of law. Information will not be withheld just because I say so. It will be withheld because a separate authority believes my request is well grounded in the Constitution.
Let me say it as simply as I can: Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency.
That said, the new White House web site still says that the President hasn't issued any executive orders, and I know from news sources that he has. I hope they start getting info up faster than this once they're rolling.
Posted by jnfr at 02:26 PM | Comments (0)
January 20, 2009
Grace
Posted by jnfr at 10:14 PM | Comments (0)
Openness
From BoingBoing:Yesterday, the robots.txt file for whitehouse.gov had ca. 2400 lines worth of files and directories that search engines were not allowed to index. Today, the file is two lines long: "User-agent: *" and "Disallow: /includes/"
Score one for transparency and accountability.
Posted by jnfr at 05:26 PM | Comments (0)
Pwned!
Posted by jnfr at 11:38 AM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2009
Change Gonna Come
Frakking HBO.
Posted by jnfr at 08:23 PM | Comments (0)
January 17, 2009
I hear that train a comin'
From Obama's speech in Philadelphia, before boarding the train to Washington.
...we should never forget that we are the heirs of that first band of patriots, ordinary men and women who refused to give up when it all seemed so improbable; and who somehow believed that they had the power to make the world anew. That is the spirit that we must reclaim today.
For the American Revolution did not end when British guns fell silent. It was never something to be won only on a battlefield or fulfilled only in our founding documents. It was not simply a struggle to break free from empire and declare independence. The American Revolution was - and remains - an ongoing struggle "in the minds and hearts of the people" to live up to our founding creed.
Starting now, let's take up in our own lives the work of perfecting our union.
Let's build a government that is responsible to the people, and accept our own responsibilities as citizens to hold our government accountable.
Let's all of us do our part to rebuild this country.
Let's make sure this election is not the end of what we do to change America, but the beginning.
Posted by jnfr at 12:53 PM | Comments (0)
Eight Years in Eight Minutes
Keith Olbermann reviews the Bush years.
Posted by jnfr at 10:20 AM | Comments (0)
Moving On
I'm watching the Train Ride to the Inauguration on TV this morning. Feels good. In the meantime, my friend Skip pointed me to this gem.
Posted by jnfr at 09:15 AM | Comments (0)
January 15, 2009
Basta!
We've already said 'Goodbye'.
Since you've got to go
Oh you better go now.
Posted by jnfr at 07:49 PM | Comments (0)