by Frank James
In an effort to boost pressure on congressional Republicans, President Barack Obama appealed to them to stop sniping at his budget proposals and to offer their own constructive ideas, saying that the current difficult times call for more than negativity.
In appearing to reach out to Republicans in brief remarks after meeting at the White House with the Democrats who head the House and Senate budget committees, Rep. John Spratt (S.C.) and Sen. Kent Conrad (N.D.), respectively, the president also tried to score some political points. He lobbed one of the most famous phrases from the most popular Republican Administration of recent times at the opposite party.
" 'Just say No' " is the right advice to give your teenagers about drugs," Obama said, using words made famous by then First Lady Nancy Reagan during the 1980s. "It is not an acceptable response to whatever economic policy is proposed by the other party."
Democrats have worked hard in recent weeks to portray Republicans as the "party of no" because of GOP lawmakers' opposition to Obama's recently released budget proposal which they say spends too much taxpayer money and imposes new taxes, the latter, they say, being counterproductive during a recession.
"With the magnitude of the challenges we face right now, what we need in Washington are not more political tactics; we need more good ideas. We don't need more point scoring; we need more problem solving," he said, ostensibly to Republicans.
The president also defended himself against critics who've said the administration is taking on too many agenda items in its budget proposal and that it should focus exclusively on fixing the economy, in particular, the banking system.
Obama's budget proposal would spend billions of dollars toward his plans to reform health care and to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases, for instance.
"Well, we're spending a lot of time focusing on this banking crisis, and we will continue to do so because, until we get liquidity flowing again, we will not fully recover," Obama said. "But the American people don't have the luxury of just focusing on Wall Street. They don't have the luxury of choosing to pay either their mortgage or their medical bills."
Comments
But, Barack O'Baby, when you're spending wildly on nonsense, running up $2 TRILLION deficits, then we have to say NO! Polls show MOST Americans are not wild about the wild spending. MOST Americans DO NOT LIKE the multi-trillion dollar deficits. Come to Republicans with something that is reasonable and then you might get some yeses!
Posted by: John D | March 17, 2009 12:13 PM
Come to Republicans with something that is reasonable and then you might get some yeses!
Posted by: John D | March 17, 2009 12:13 PM
Like tax breaks for the rich? Seems we have gone down that road. It led us here. By all means....wash your hands as you had nothing to do with this mess. Trouble is most Americans remember your reign of terror.
Posted by: bill r. | March 17, 2009 12:47 PM
Pres. Obama, maybe you have forgotten. There is the Executive Branch, Congress and the Supremes.
It's the job of Congress, and especially the job of the "Minority", to question bills. And yes to say NO.
The number one job of the Exec' Branch in the Constitution, is to protect the people. All the rest is just gravy for votes.
Posted by: PG | March 17, 2009 1:02 PM
Excuse me comrade Obama, but what the hell do you think they've been trying to do??? I believe your and Pelosi's response up to this point has been, "We won, so we write the legislation. Sit down and shut up." You arrogant, treasonous, fraud.
Posted by: Vast Right Wing Conspirator | March 17, 2009 1:07 PM
It's amazing how all the Republicans atre suddenly deficit hawks and against spending, isn't it? The same folks who cheered every deficit raising Bush budget. They were happpy running up huge deficits durring the good times, when we didn't need to, but now that their policies have forced us into a devastating recession, they want to cut spending at the very time we shouldn't for the good of the economy. They really do want America to fail like their leader Rush.
Posted by: Mel | March 17, 2009 1:21 PM
Here's the RNC's latest political ad.
It outlines their economic recovery policy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTQfGd3G6dg
Posted by: C.Morrisā | March 17, 2009 1:24 PM
Vast....Keep wrapping it up in your McCarthy style. That is why the republican party now equals dog poo in favorability. good work comrade!
Posted by: bill r. | March 17, 2009 1:36 PM
What a joke.
The newpapers, reporters, tv are not giving any press to what the republicans are proposing.
Yellow headlines online.
Pack of dogs eating of the same bowl.
Posted by: Nedra | March 17, 2009 2:41 PM
Vast, are you one of those people that Chuck Norris was talking about, who have organized themselves into terrorist cells in order to overthrow the government? Is that the treason you are refering to?
Posted by: Mel | March 17, 2009 2:44 PM
Excuse me...We had eight years in a row of no, no, and more no, from your party. Your in the big league now, so there's no whinning in the White House.
Posted by: Paul | March 17, 2009 3:54 PM
Nice decorum among your cohorts, Jeff. John D and Vast Right lunatic add a lot to the discussion, eh?
Posted by: Flo | March 17, 2009 4:18 PM
From the same group of people that were bemoaning the deficits that President Bush ran up and the increasing of the debt, the libs are doing this in spades.
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When it comes to gov't spending and taxing, the democrats are the '27 Yankees. They just can't be beaten. Nobody spends your tax money faster than them.
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Saying No is a great start. The GOP should lay out an alternative Budget, with approriate cuts and growth at the rate of inflation. they should include tax cuts that would actually grow rthe economy at 4% rate that BO's budget assumes. So what if Speaker DimWit won't allow it for a floor vote - present this on the internet, use talk radio, get the message out.
Posted by: Terry | March 17, 2009 9:27 PM
Posted by: Terry | March 17, 2009 9:27 PM
Terry, you just don't get it do you? The Republicans don't believe in that stuff, they never have. They play people like you who can't see through the charade. They pay lip service to fiscal discipline when out of office, but the minute they come to power that all goes out the window. Look at the historical record. Look at how the deficits and debt exploded under Reagan, Bush 1 and Bush 2. Yet you're still believing that if the Republicans were to come to power again, that somehow it would be different this time. Bush 2 hands Obama a hugelly imbalanced budget, 2 wars, an economy in deep recesssion and still going downward, and you find a way to place all the blame for deficits on Obama, and think that the Republicans , who created this fiscal nightmare, are going to have a solution to it? Open your eyes man. Stop listening to the talk radio fools who are selling that nonsense and think.
Posted by: Mel | March 18, 2009 7:45 AM
They can't help it, President Obama !! At the moment, that is the extent of their vocabulary. They are still trying to recover from the Moronic Presidency and after years of saying Yes, Yes, Yes, to the Moronic President, they now have found a new word and a new President !! Isn't it wonderful, what change can do !!?? For one thing we know it changed the Republican's vocabulary from, a irresponsible and repetitious " Yes ", to an anti-American, churlish, " No " !! I'm sure they will come to their senses, sooner, rather than, later, because, they don't want to lose any more members of Congress, due to their ideological fanaticism !! I would think, that would be the case, but you never know. They have lost two significant elections and they are still mouthing that Bush-McCain claptrap !! Will Republicans ever learn, a new word, to broaden their vocabulary !!??
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, America | March 18, 2009 9:31 AM
Don't just say no! Start a Civil War!
Posted by: Harold Reimann | March 18, 2009 3:09 PM
Mel,
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I get it plenty. The GOP Congress under George Bush was not the thriftiest bunch, unless you are comparing them to the Pelosi-Reid-Obama; then the GOP Congress of 2001-06 is Scrooge.
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The deficits under Reagan was the defense build-up that had been decimated under Carter and also help win the cold war.
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It wasn't Clinton that curbed spending in the 90's, it was Gingrich and the GOP. Remember, the last time we had controlled spending with a democratic president, that president was following a Republican budget.
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Bush43 handed huge deficits to Obama and he procedes only to make them larger.
Posted by: Terry | March 18, 2009 9:40 PM
Terry, I'm sure thay'll have some excuse the next ttime why they can't bring about smaller government and fiscal responsibility too, and once again, you'll buy it lock, stock and barrel.
Oh, and Terry, you do realize that when you compare the Bush deficits and the Obama deficits, that the Bush deficits numbers are lies don't you?
Bush kept the hundreds of billions of dollars sent in Iraq and Afghanistan "off budget". He pretended like that money was never spent. If a corporation failed to account for major known expenses on their books, that would be known as "fraud". Obama stopped that deciet. His figures include estimated costs for those wars.
Bush lied to you, and everyone else, about his budgets and his deficits. He cooked the books. Madoff couldn't have done it better. How do you still manage to believe anything the Republicans say about fiscal responsibility? How many times do they have to lie to you, and do the opposite of what they preach, before you finally understand that they have been playing you for a fool?
Posted by: Mel | March 19, 2009 3:31 PM
Mel,
.
He kept them "off books" during the budget. But his actual numbers do reflect them
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http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9957/Historicaltables09-web.XLS
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The CBO even says BO's deficits will be four times larger than what Bush had.
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090320/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_budget
Posted by: Terry | March 21, 2009 8:40 PM