July 27, 2011

His Jello-Ness, The President

In The Debate Over Our Debt, Obama Has Stood For Nothing And Fallen For Anything Politically Convenient
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When It Comes To Deficit Reduction And Entitlement Reform, President Barack Obama Has Been A Master Of Mixed Signals. (Carol Budoff Brown, Glenn Thrush and David Nather, Showtime For President Ambivalent
About Deficit, Politico, 4/12/11)

WHEN IT COMES TO LEADING ON FISCAL MATTERS, OBAMA HAS BEEN QUICK TO ENDORSE PLANS AND EVEN QUICKER TO SPLIT
Obama Set Up And Then Ditched His Own Fiscal Commission
Obama Appointed A Fiscal Commission [W]ith Congressional Democrats Due To Face Voters In November, Obama Punted The [Deficit] Problem To The Bipartisan Panel [W]ith congressional Democrats due to face voters in November, Obama punted the problem to the bipartisan panel, formally known as the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, and ordered it to deliver a solution by Dec. 1, well after the fall elections. (Lori
Montgomery, GOP Leaders Agree To Panel On Federal Deficit, The Washington Post, 2/19/10)

And Then Tabled Their Recommendations The New York Times: "With the budget he is to unveil Monday, President Obama has not opted for the bold, comprehensive approach to reining in the fast-growing federal debt that his own fiscal commission has said is needed, now." (Jackie Calmes, "A Cautious Approach Seeking Bipartisan Appeal," The New York Times, 2/13/11) CNNs Jessica Yellin: The president ordered a deficit commission forum. They recommended overhauling entitlements, and then the budget doesn't touch it. What was the point having a debt commission then? (CNNs The Situation Room 2/14/11)

Obama Released A Remarkably Timid Budget And Then Disavowed It

Obama Released A Budget That Was Remarkably Tame Los Angeles Times: "The proposal was a remarkably tame response to Washington's fiscal problems, not the bold statement about belt-tightening that the White House had suggested was coming." (Editorial, "Obama's
Overly Tame Budget," Los Angeles Times, 2/15/11)

And Then Abandoned It

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After The CBO Totaled The Red Ink In Obamas Budget, The President Choose To Replace It With A Speech In April Too Vague To Be Scored. In February, President Obama submitted his budget. The CBO reported that it would steeply boost the national debt. In April, the president released a revised deficitreduction plan so short on detail that the CBO deemed it too vague to evaluate. (Editorial, This Is Not A Poker Game, The
Post And Courier (Charleston, SC), 6/17/11)

Obama Gave A Budget Speech And Then Put Biden In Charge Of The Details
Obama Gave Americans A Combative Outline Of His Fiscal Beliefs The Atlantics Clive Crook: The Speech Was More Notable For Its Militant--Though Ineffectual-Hostility To Republican Proposals Than For Any Fresh Thinking Of Its Own. It Was A Waste Of Breath. (Clive Crook, Obamas Speech Was A Waste Of Breath, The Atlantic, 4/13/11) Crook: There Was No Sign Of Anything Worth Calling A Plan To Curb Borrowing Faster Than In The Budget. (Clive Crook, Obamas Speech Was A Waste Of Breath, The Atlantic, 4/13/11) Crook: He Spent More Of His Time Stressing What He Would Not Agree To Than Describing Clear Proposals Of His Own. (Clive Crook, Obamas Speech Was A Waste Of Breath, The Atlantic, 4/13/11)

But Left The Details To Biden Obama Tasked Biden With Negotiating A Deficit-Reduction Package. [W]hen Obama needed someone to forge a deal with Congress, he summoned his second- in-command. Biden, who directed the White House campaign to reach an accord on this years budget and avoid a government shutdown, will now head negotiations between Republican and Democratic lawmakers to come up with a plan by the end of June for comprehensive debt reduction. (Kate Andersen Brower, Biden Emerges To Lead Deficit Talks With Obamas Full-Accord, Bloomberg, 4/19/11)

IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS, OBAMA HAS BOUNCED BETWEEN PLANS, INCLUDING ONE WHICH DOESNT SATISFY HIS CORE DEMAND FOR MORE TAXES
Obama Came To An Agreement With Speaker Boehner Before Deciding He Wanted More Taxes
Obama Reached An Agreement With Boehner To Cut $3 Trillion Obama Came To A Tentative Agreement With Speaker Boehner. Mr. Obama and Mr. Boehner did tentatively agree to more than $3 trillion in savings over 10 years at least hundreds of billions more than is called for in the fallback plans now bandied about in Congress to clear the way for a vote to increase the $14.3 trillion borrowing ceiling by next Tuesday. (Jackie Calmes, A Unique Opportunity On The Debt Ceiling, Lost, The New York Times,
7/26/11)

But Then Obama Moved The Goalposts In Favor Of Higher Taxes But Obama Sabotaged The Agreement When New Tax Increases Caught His Eye. But taxes were the rub: Mr. Boehner has said he quit when Mr. Obama insisted on $400 billion more in revenues above the $800 billion they had agreed to. Mr. Obama sought $400 billion more after the so-called Gang of Six senators, including three of the Senates most conservative Republicans, proposed a debt-reduction plan calling for more new revenues than Mr. Obama and Mr. Boehner had been discussing leaving the president more vulnerable to rebellion from within his own party. (Jackie Calmes, A Unique Opportunity On The Debt Ceiling,
Lost, The New York Times, 7/26/11)

Obama Then Endorsed The Gang Of Six Plan, Before Saying Hed Take The McConnell-Reid Fallback If He Had To
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Obama Hailed The Gang Of Six Plan Obama Then Endorsed The Gang Of Six Plan. President Obama on Tuesday hailed as good news a deficit-reduction package announced by the Senates Gang of Six. Obama, making his third appearance in eight days in the White House briefing room, appeared to endorse the plan, which would reduce the deficit by $3.7 trillion over the next decade and eliminate $1 million in tax loopholes. (Sam Youngman, Obama Endorses Gang
Plan As Good News, The Hill, 7/19/11)

Then Said Hed Take On The Responsibility Of Raising The Ceiling Himself Obama Said He Would Take The McConnell-Reid Plan If That Is What He Could Get. But as Ive said before, Republican Leader McConnell in the Senate put forward a plan that said hes going to go ahead and give me the responsibility to raise the debt ceiling. That way folks in Congress can vote against it, but at least it gets done. Im willing to take the responsibility. Thats my job. So if they want to give me the responsibility to do it, Im happy to do it. (President Barack Obama, Remarks By The President, Washington, D.C., 7/22/11)

Now He Has Latched On To Reids Proposal, Despite It Lacking The Tax Increases He Repeatedly Says That He Wants
Obama Endorsed The Reid Plan As A Reasonable Approach White House Statement Calls Reid Plan A Reasonable Approach That Should Receive The Support Of Both Parties. Senator Senator Reids plan is a reasonable approach that should receive the support of both parties, and we hope the House Republicans will agree to this plan so that America can avoid defaulting on our obligations for the first time in our history. (Office Of The Press Secretary, Statement By The Press Secretary,
WhiteHouse.gov, 7/25/11)

Even Though It Lacks The Taxes He Has Repeatedly Demanded In A Notable Retreat, Obama Supports Reids Plan Despite Its Lack Of Tax Increases. Obama reiterated his call for achieving lower deficits though spending cuts and new tax revenues. But in a notable retreat, he voiced support for a Senate Democratic plan that would reduce deficits by about $2.7 trillion over 10 years only with spending cuts, not with additional revenue. (Jim Kuhnenn, Rival Plans Ensnarl Congress Over Debt Ceiling,
The Associated Press, 7/26/11)

NOW OBAMA STANDS ALONE AS THE ONLY PLAYER STILL DEMANDING TAX INCREASES
CNNs Gloria Borger: "At least in the short term, nobody today is talking about tax increases except Barack Obama. Who still talked about that tonight in his speech. The plan by Harry Reid contains no tax increases, in the short term. The plan by John Boehner contains no tax increases." (CNNs Piers Morgan Tonight, 7/25/11)

Click To Watch

The Wall Street Journal: One Irony Is That Mr. Obamas Demands For Tax Increases Have Already Been Abandoned By Members Of His Own Party In The Senate. One irony is that Mr. Obama's demands for tax increases have already been abandoned by Members of his own party in the Senate. Majority Leader Harry Reid knows that Democrats running for re-election next year don't want to vote to raise taxes, so he's fashioning a bill to raise the debt ceiling that includes only reductions in spending. But Mr. Obama never mentioned that rather large fact about Mr. Reid's effort. (Editorial, A Leadership Default, The Wall Street Journal, 7/26/11) Roll Call: Obama Reiterated His Push For Revenues, Even Though Senate Democrats Caved On That Issue. The president reiterated his push for revenues, even though Senate Democrats caved on that issue when Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) offered his alternative debt ceiling proposal Monday. (Steven T. Dennis,
Obama And Boehner Trade Blame For Stalemate, Roll Call, 7/25/11)

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