Obama: Forget Deficit for the Next 2 years

Obama says aiding economy trumps budget deficit

By Jeff Mason Reuters Link

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The United States government should not worry about deficits over the next two years while spending money to jumpstart the ailing economy, President-elect Barack Obama said in a television interview that aired on Sunday.

Obama, a Democrat who takes over from President George W. Bush, a Republican, on January 20, said consensus had emerged between economists in both major U.S. political parties that expensive measures were necessary to avoid a deep recession.

"The consensus is this, that we have to do whatever it takes to get this economy moving again, that we have to -- we're going to have to spend money now to stimulate the economy," he told the CBS television network's 60 Minutes news program.

"And (consensus is) that we shouldn't worry about the deficit next year or even the year after; that short term, the most important thing is that we avoid a deepening recession."

Funny and I thought his main beef against Bush and McCain since they are 1 in the same was the deficit. I guess this is the change he was talking about. Change in policy. One could argue this a change out of necessity but I personally believe this was his intent all along. And you only have to look at his Puppetmasters other protege's to atest to it.

David Axelrod, the man behind the man, has helped the campaigns of numerous liberals, including Deval Patrick, current governor of Massachusetts; John Edwards, Senator Chris Dodd, Rep. Rahm Emanuel and our very own Lee Brown. His most recent before Obama was Deval Patrick. In this article from the Boston Globe you get more than a glimpse at Axelrods footprint in both campaigns.

Patrick, Obama campaigns share language of 'hope'

Of all the things Deval Patrick's Republican opponent threw at him in last year's governor's race, one charge that stuck in his craw was that his speeches were more fluff than substance -- that they were, in Patrick's telling, "just words." So he devised an artful response.

" 'We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal' -- just words," Patrick said at a rally in Roxbury right before Election Day. " 'We have nothing to fear but fear itself' -- just words. . . . 'I have a dream' -- just words. They're all just words."

Not five months later, Obama, his presidential campaign gaining steam, had this to say about legendary Chicago organizer Saul Alinsky in The New Republic: "Sometimes the tendency in community organizing of the sort done by Alinsky was to downplay the power of words and of ideas when in fact ideas and words are pretty powerful. 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, all men are created equal.' Those are just words. 'I have a dream.' Just words."

It's debatable who first came up with the YES WE CAN slogan but it was definitely heard at Patricks Rallies. When Axelrod is confronted at the similarities almost identical platforms and rallying cries he unashamedly embraces it. He says of course they are the same they have a "shared belief in the power of aspirations... "It's not happenstance that there's a similar feel to the [Obama] campaign," he said. "Both of these guys have a sense that the sort of politics as it's evolved has not lived up to the challenges that we face. And the only way to really change it is to get citizens involved, to make them the engine of the campaign. I am attracted to both those guys because I feel that way, too."

If that's the case as Axelrod has clearly stated than if you want the best inside look and likely Preview of what to expect from the Obama Administration you only need look at Deval Patrick's early history as Governor of Taxachussetts.

Let's see, since stepping in office, he devoted himself to spending taxpayer money on $23,000 drapes, a Cadillac DTS, and an assistant for his wife. Meanwhile, his state is plunging toward insolvency: This year's state budget included a whopping $16 billion in new debt — that's more than half the state's entire annual budget. And that's just the new debt. Massachusetts taxpayers were already carrying the highest debt burden per capita in the nation. But that hasn't slowed down Gov. Patrick.

The Boston Herald recently reported, Gov. Patrick has added nearly 2,000 new state employees to the payroll after 18 months in office. He's also raised his own office's budget by 80 percent in one year. This is all public knowledge that anyone can verify. And this past summer Patrick puts pen to $1B Life Sciences Law. One of his pet projects, using $1 billion in tax dollars to to benefit multi-billion dollar drug companies like Wyeth and Genzyme who just so happen to be Patrick supporters. Not to be all negative he did write a bill that would legalize gambling in Massachussetts which should generate new jobs and tax money. Of course he named himself head control of a seven member gaming authority that distributes the licenses and regulates the casinos. Can you spell Political corruption.

In all fairness our country is in dire straits and perhaps more bailouts are in order. But throwing fiscal responsibility out the window for 2 years is not the message I wanted to hear from Mr. President Elect today. Let's see if he at least postpone tax increases for a year since he is not worried about the deficit.

 

I don't get this board. If McCain had said such words everyone would be screaming.

What if Obama isn't who he says he is. What if his ideas or worst than socialism. What if "Spread the Wealth" means spread it to him. What would it take for you to see that. If in 4 years from now some of us on this board are standing in food lines fighting for milk, bread and butter would you have some buyer's remorse then.

Obama hasn't shown anything to indicate to me he really wants to help. Certainly politically, outside of getting elected, he hasn't accomplished anything. And if you look at his Community Organizing you only need to look at his days on the Annenburg board and Woodlawn to see he used those millions of dollars to fund those people who could serve him in future Organizing to the senate and White House. Chicago still has the worst inner city school system in the country and when Obama had a 150 million bucks to help them he did nothing.

People look at Ayers and worry about that connection. Ayers is nothing. Their connection is Alinsky and Ayers was a stupid follower of Alinsky for most of his years. That is not true of Obama. He mastered Alinsky's methods. It's no coicidence Obama wrote this chapter in the book "After Alinsky".

Alinsky said that the point of Community Organizing was not to help people but rather to gain power. To degree one could organize power was the degree they could create change. Only IMO Obama seems to part ways there. Alinsky seemed to really want to help people. If you want to get a better idea of Alinskys views you can read his 1972 Playboy Interview. But be careful by the time you finish you'll be seduced by Alinsky's charm. Don't let it fool you. Alinsky open's his Rules for Radicals with this...

Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical from all our legends, mythology, and history (and who is to know where mythology leaves off and history begins -- or which is which), the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom -- Lucifer.

A dedication to Lucifer, how quaint. If you read that interview you may be seduced by his words but lest you forget who the man is let me quote from his interview... "if there is an afterlife, and I have anything to say about it, I will unreservedly choose to go to hell."

"ALINSKY: Hell would be heaven for me. All my life I've been with the have-nots. Over here, if you're a have-not, you're short of dough. If you're a have-not in hell, you're short of virtue. Once I get into hell, I'll start organizing the have-nots over there."

Certainly one could question to what extent he agreed with Alinsky. But there is no doubt he was a student of Alinsky's methods and later a teacher. And you only have to read Rules for Radicals to see how much a part of those rules were used in Obama's campaign. Obama's already elected. he is your President and mine. But doesn't just make sense to watch him. If he turns out to be the President he says he would be than more power to him. I will be grateful. There was a Communist candidate who ran 6 times for president around the forties and 1956 finally quit running because he felt "the Democratic liberals are leading this country to Socialism much faster than we could ever hope to." He said, "The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But under the name of 'liberalism' they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day America will be a Socialist nation, without knowing how it happened."