Elk County Forum

Updated January 06, 2010
Handwriting on the Wall for Democrats
By Bradley Blakeman
- FOXNews.com



The handwriting is on the wall for Democrats in 2010 and the message is clear, "you failed to lead." The Democrats had it all, the presidency, the House and Senate with high majorities, but, in spite of everything they failed to govern and lead America like they had promised.

For these and other reasons, Democrats like Dodd, Dorgan and Ritter are now dropping like flies, because they know what is in store for them and other Democrats come this November.

The American people are upset, they hoped for "change" and "transparency" and what they got was the best legislation money could buy in paying off Senators and members of Congress for their votes on bills that were written behind closed doors and were never read by those called upon to vote on them.

The "stimulus" was a failure; unemployment is still over 10% nationally. Democrats' health care reforms will bankrupt the nation and create massive amounts of debt. The deficit has ballooned to over $1.8 trillion dollars this year and is likely to be more  a trillion dollars per year for the next 10 years if Democrats continue on their course of massive spending.

The Democrats were so drunk with power that they squandered and abused their golden opportunity to lead. 2010 will no doubt be a year of "change" but not the "change" Democrats were hoping for.

Bradley A. Blakeman served as deputy assistant to President George W. Bush from 2001-04. He is currently a professor of Politics and Public Policy at Georgetown University and a frequent contributor to the Fox Forum.

the demorats had it all (except the supreme court) for a year and pushed through their biggest issue, health care.  Bush and the rebulicants had it all for 6+ years and they accomplished less.

Quote from: Anmar on January 06, 2010, 12:35:16 PM
the demorats had it all (except the supreme court) for a year and pushed through their biggest issue, health care.  Bush and the rebulicants had it all for 6+ years and they accomplished less.

You know what, I would take bush back in a new york second.  He did far less damage to this country in his 8 years than obama in his 1 year.  Hell i would take clinton back over obama.

Give me clinton over any of the presidents of my lifetime.  I agree with you there.  I don't think there's much difference between Bush and Obama on the major issues.  The only difference is that Obama is actually pursuing the things he talked about during his campaign while Bush did a complete 180 after being elected.

Quote from: Anmar on January 06, 2010, 03:45:24 PM
Give me clinton over any of the presidents of my lifetime.  I agree with you there.  I don't think there's much difference between Bush and Obama on the major issues.  The only difference is that Obama is actually pursuing the things he talked about during his campaign while Bush did a complete 180 after being elected.

Bush didn't destroy everything in his path.  Obama's hell bent on destroying this nation. you can't say bush bankrupted or even came close to bankrupting this country. 
Right now, Jimmy carter is estatic. He can now claim he isn't the worst president in US history anymore.

Bush doubled the national debt, what are you smoking?  Bush bailed out the banks and the auto industry, bush got us into 2 wars and destroyed our international relationships.  Bush made it easier for businesses to ship our jobs oversees. 

Quote from: Anmar on January 06, 2010, 04:10:01 PM
Bush doubled the national debt, what are you smoking?  Bush bailed out the banks and the auto industry, bush got us into 2 wars and destroyed our international relationships.  Bush made it easier for businesses to ship our jobs oversees. 

And obama's more than quadrupled the national debt just in one year.  SOrry but you can't lay this on bush. Its obamas mess.   
The last i checked, the muslims attacked us, and declared war on  us, not the other way around. What do you want us to do,lay down and surrender?  Not going to happen.
Jobs were going overseas LONG before bush took office. Nafta was in full force during clinton years.
Jobs didn't go overseas becuase of bush. JObs went overseas because of the consumer.  They voted their jobs out of the country with thier dollars. 
And international realtionships were fine.  We just didn't kiss the muslims ass is all.  Sorry but your going to have to do better than its bush's fault. Its all obamas baby now and he's created a whole lot worse mess than Bush. 
Interstingly enough, your railing about bush and war, and Obama's got his war to prosecute.  I don't hear you squeeling about that. 

Hey, speaking of doing what they said they would on the campagin trail...didn't obama say that the healthcare debates would be on C-Span??...do away with special interest groups?..."save or create" a bunch of jobs?...close GITMO within a year (bad idea by the way)?...

Quote from: srkruzich on January 06, 2010, 05:04:08 PM
And obama's more than quadrupled the national debt just in one year.  SOrry but you can't lay this on bush. Its obamas mess.   
The last i checked, the muslims attacked us, and declared war on  us, not the other way around. What do you want us to do,lay down and surrender?  Not going to happen.
Jobs were going overseas LONG before bush took office. Nafta was in full force during clinton years.
Jobs didn't go overseas becuase of bush. JObs went overseas because of the consumer.  They voted their jobs out of the country with thier dollars. 
And international realtionships were fine.  We just didn't kiss the muslims ass is all.  Sorry but your going to have to do better than its bush's fault. Its all obamas baby now and he's created a whole lot worse mess than Bush. 
Interstingly enough, your railing about bush and war, and Obama's got his war to prosecute.  I don't hear you squeeling about that. 

Obama hasn't even doubled the debt, he hasn't even increased it by 25%.  You are really showing your ignorance.

We attacked Muslims first.  Gulf war, Iran, Lebanon, second gulf war.

Bush facilitated the process, he even gave tax incentives and breaks to companies that went overseas.

If you think international relations were fine under bush, you need to broaden your horizons a bit.

I have problems with the way Obama is handling the wars, i'm more of a wait and see kinda guy.  I like to give people a chance before i start to discuss.   I've mentioned twice already on this forum that i believe he's starting to be a carbon copy of Bush.

Come on.... since Obama has taken office, our national deficit has more than tripled.  Earlier this year (2009), as part of the stimulus package, Congress set a statutory debt limit.  The limit was $12.104 trillion — and we've now exceeded it.  The latest calculation of the National Debt as posted by the Treasury Department has... at least numerically... exceeded the statutory Debt Limit approved by Congress last February as part of the Recovery Act stimulus bill.  The ceiling was set at $12.104 trillion dollars.  The latest posting by Treasury shows the National Debt at nearly $12.135 trillion.

A senior Treasury official told CBS News that the department has some "extraordinary accounting tools" it can use to give the government breathing room in the range of $150-billion when the Debt exceeds the Debt Ceiling.   Were it not for those "tools," the U.S. Government would not have the statutory authority to borrow any more money.  It might block issuance of Social Security checks and require a shutdown of some parts of the federal government.

Check: http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/12/16/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5987341.shtml

Well golly gee, it's a good thing the government has some breathing room, because I'm pretty sure there will be a lot of hyperventilating Americans reading this.  Meanwhile, Obama continues along his merry little way, signing a new spending bill. This one is going to cost us around $1.1 trillion.  So that brings our national debt up even more. And as always, it's in the name of stimulating the economy:


WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama has signed into law a $1.1 trillion bill that increases the budgets in many areas of the government by about 10 percent, including health, law enforcement and veterans' programs.
Obama signed the bill privately at the White House on Wednesday after receiving the bill from Congress on Sunday.
The bill lumps together six of the 12 annual appropriations bills for the 2010 budget year that began Oct. 1.
Most Republicans opposed the bill, citing runaway federal spending. They also pointed to an estimated $3.9 billion for more than 5,000 local projects sought by lawmakers from both parties.
Democrats said the spending would help the economy recover from the recession.


This is a dangerous game that Demorats clowns are playing.... and one that we have to stop in November.  The thing is, we can't afford to keep spending like there's no tomorrow.  At best, we can get rid of some of this debt by getting extremely fiscal politicians in office who want really small government. Those politicians could theoretically slash a lot of unneeded, wasteful government programs or the ones that have proven to be an abject failure.  So what are our choices?  We can't keep selling our debt to China, and China doesn't even want to keep buying it anyway.  So basically, we're saddling our grandchildren, and probably even generations after our grandchildren, with a mountain of debt that they didn't even create.  It's ridiculous.  If we keep this up, we'll bankrupt ourselves. You think the economy's bad now?  How will we fare when the government literally has no money anymore?  Everything will fall apart.  Everything.  We have become too reliant on big government to take care of us, and the only way to step back from this precipice is to stop this runaway spending train immediately.  Unfortunately, that's not likely to happen for at least a year.  But how much more damage can be done in a year?  Even if the entire Congress is voted out in next year's elections, the damage may already be done.  What have we done to our country in the name of "CHANGE"?

I have an honest question to all of the Obama voters out there.  Is this the America you want to leave to your children?  Are you happy with what you got?



Obama's Tripling of the National Debt in Pictures:
This Tuesday the White House released their Mid-Session Review admitting they made a $2 trillion miscalculation in the size of the federal deficit that President Barack Obama's borrow and spend policies would inflict on our nation. Heritage senior policy analyst Brian Riedl details the carnage:

* While President Obama claims to have inherited the 2009 budget deficit, it is important to note that the estimated 2009 budget deficit has increased by $400 billion since his inauguration, and the whole point of the "stimulus" was to increase deficit spending to nearly $2 trillion based on the unproven notion that would it alleviate the recession.
* The 22 percent spending increase projected for 2009 represents the largest government expansion since the 1952 height of the Korean War (adjusted for inflation). Federal spending is up 57 percent since 2001.
* In 2009, Washington will spend $30,958 per household–the highest level in American history–and under President Obama's budget, the figure will rise above $33,000 by 2019.
* The White House brags that it will cut the deficit in half by 2013. The President does not mention that the deficit has nearly quadrupled this year. Merely cutting it in half from that bloated level would still leave budget deficits twice as high as under President Bush.
* The public national debt–$5.8 trillion as of 2008–is projected to double by 2012 and nearly triple by 2019. Thus, America would accumulate more government debt under President Obama than under every President in American history from George Washington to George W. Bush combined.

Rest of story and graph at:
http://blog.heritage.org/2009/08/28/obama%E2%80%99s-tripling-of-the-national-debt-in-pictures/


Bush Deficit vs. Obama Deficit in Pictures:

President Barack Obama has repeatedly claimed that his budget would cut the deficit by half by the end of his term. But as Heritage analyst Brian Riedl has pointed out, given that Obama has already helped quadruple the deficit with his stimulus package, pledging to halve it by 2013 is hardly ambitious. The Washington Post has a great graphic which helps put President Obama's budget deficits in context of President Bush's.

What's driving Obama's unprecedented massive deficits? Spending. Riedl details:

* President Bush expanded the federal budget by a historic $700 billion through 2008. President Obama would add another $1 trillion.
President Bush began a string of expensive finan­cial bailouts. President Obama is accelerating that course.
* President Bush created a Medicare drug entitle­ment that will cost an estimated $800 billion in its first decade. President Obama has proposed a $634 billion down payment on a new govern­ment health care fund.
* President Bush increased federal education spending 58 percent faster than inflation. Presi­dent Obama would double it.
* President Bush became the first President to spend 3 percent of GDP on federal antipoverty programs. President Obama has already in­creased this spending by 20 percent.
* President Bush tilted the income tax burden more toward upper-income taxpayers. President Obama would continue that trend.

President Bush presided over a $2.5 trillion increase in the public debt through 2008. Setting aside 2009 (for which Presidents Bush and Obama share responsibility for an additional $2.6 trillion in public debt), President Obama's budget would add $4.9 trillion in public debt from the beginning of 2010 through 2016.

UPDATE: Many Obama defenders in the comments are claiming that the numbers above do not include spending on Iraq and Afghanistan during the Bush years. They most certainly do. While Bush did fund the wars through emergency supplementals (not the regular budget process), that spending did not simply vanish. It is included in the numbers above. Also, some Obama defenders are claiming the graphic above represents biased Heritage Foundation numbers. While we stand behind the numbers we put out 100%, the numbers, and the graphic itself, above are from the Washington Post. We originally left out the link to WaPo. It has been now been added.

CLARIFICATION: Of course, this Washington Post graphic does not perfectly delineate budget surpluses and deficits by administration. President Bush took office in January 2001, and therefore played a lead role in crafting the FY 2002-2008 budgets. Presidents Bush and Obama share responsibility for the FY 2009 budget deficit that overlaps their administrations, before President Obama assumes full budgetary responsibility beginning in FY 2010. Overall, President Obama's budget would add twice as much debt as President Bush over the same number of years.

Rest of story and graph at:
http://blog.heritage.org/2009/03/24/bush-deficit-vs-obama-deficit-in-pictures/

Who Is Going To Pay Off Obama's Debt? Our Kids
http://blog.heritage.org/2009/04/07/4994/

On Nov. 4th 2008. Obama was given power in the House in the Senate and in the Oval. Time to vote in 2012 for the "new" guy and kick these bastards out of my beloved country government...I'm an American and I want my country back!! We're getting ready for real Americans from both parties..to join together to save our nation from socialists.

Socialism: Communism without the gun in your face.

Ray Stevens version of it~~~~




Just a quick question...
Tell me what Obama's done that's good and use facts.
Don't use Bush to explain his bad behavior either. 

Teresa,
I'm afraid you're in for a long wait for an answer to your question

Quick answer--------------Obama has messed up so much that people of this country are beginning to wake up to what is going on instead of the usual non-complacent attitude we usually have towards government.  Just like my hero, Ray Stephens, put it in this video,.  Thanks.

Larryj

Larry, you are right on, I have never seen a President divide the country as bad as Obama.Unfortunately  I think the worst is yet to come .

I'm still waiting on an answer...............

Hello?? anyone of you Obama fans out there that still think he is "all that"?

My question stands................

chirp chirp chirp

Quote from: Teresa on January 10, 2010, 02:18:21 PM
I'm still waiting on an answer...............

Hello?? anyone of you Obama fans out there that still think he is "all that"?

My question stands................

From an email I received awhile back:


Signed executive orders to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within a year, ban torture and end the CIA's secret overseas prisons and define treatment of Detainees. (but, they are nowhere close to actually closing Gitmo and are still holding all those terrorists.)

Reversed restrictions on stem cell research. (typical Lib talking point. It was only in allowing federal money to be used for embryonic stem cell research. All other stem cell research was going on, and providing cures, something ESCs have yet to offer)

Signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Reducing discrimination based on gender, age, religion, or race. (which will create more lawsuits, so, a sop to the lawyers)

Signed an executive order reversing the ban that prohibits funding to international family planning groups that provide abortions. Gag rule revoked (Mexico City policy). (so, using American taxpayer money to fund abortions in other countries)

Creates the White House Council on Women "to provide a coordinated federal response to the challenges confronted by women and to ensure that all Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies consider how their policies and programs impact women and families." (It says something about a liberal controlled government, which tends to employ more liberal leaning people, that they have to protect females from their policies, eh?)

Signed a Presidental Memorandum extending federal benefits to same-sex partners of federal workers and announced support for the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009. (Which could raise insurance rates. I should say, I personally have no problem with extending benefits, though)

Reverses U.S. position on LGBT Issues at the UN: At the "Durban Review Conference," U.S. supports language condemning "all forms of discrimination and all other human rights violations based on sexual orientation." (The same UN conference which has voted to make criticism of Islam criminal)

Signed executive order requiring federal contractors to offer jobs to current workers when contracts change. (no big deal)

Reversed a Bush order requiring federal contractors to post notice that workers can limit financial support of unions serving as their exclusive bargaining representatives. (another sop to the unions Dems are beholden too)

Signed executive order preventing federal contractors from being reimbursed for expenses meant to influence workers deciding whether to form a union and engage in collective bargaining.

Created a foreclosure prevention fund for homeowners. (more union sops)

Expanded eligibility for the refinancing portion of the Making Home Affordable plan to help Americans struggling with distressed mortgages refinance at lower interest rates, even if they owe up to 25 percent more than their homes are now worth. (most of those people should live in apartments)

Established a credit card "bill of rights". (which will make it harder to get a credit card)

Expanded loan programs for small businesses. (but, it is damned near impossible for small businesses to actually get them)

Extended and index the 2007 Alternative Minimum Tax patch. (can't comment, know nothing about this one)

Expanded eligibility for State Children's Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP). (because every family making up to $85k needs someone else to pay for their health insurance for kids up to 25)

Expanded funding to train primary care providers and public health practitioners. (but, will reduce their medicare/medicaid payments, and make it so doctors become more specialized)

Created a new White House task force on the problems of middle-class Americans, and installed Vice President Joe Biden as its chairman. (Sheriff Joe has been doing a hell of a job, eh? Has anyone even heard of this task force?)

Appoints Vice President Joe Biden to Oversee Stimulus Plan Payouts. (How's that going?)

Granted a reprieve to Liberian immigrants facing imminent expulsion. (This one is a good thing)

Directed military leaders to end war in Iraq. (and holding to the exact same plan Bush had)

Allowing Caskets to be photographed when the return from Iraq with family approval. (interesting that, now that Obama is President, the media is now ignoring soldiers who come home in caskets, eh?)

Released nine previously secret internal Justice Department memos and opinions defining the legal limits of government power in combating terrorism. (which only told one side of the story, and he has blocked releasing the memo's that support the other side)

On Arab TV Network, Obama Urges Dialogue. (and apologized for America)

Gave a speech in Cairo engaging the Muslim and Arab world. (and apologized for America)

Bars independent contractors from conducting interrogations of terror suspects. (but, didn't ban all interrogations)

Granted Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send money to Cuba. (Great. Sending more money out of our economy)

Ordered the release of nearly a quarter of a million pages of records from the Reagan White House that were kept from the public during a lengthy review by President George W. Bush. (hey, where are Carter's and Clinton's papers?)

Restored funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program. (and guess where the funding is coming from? If you guessed Porkulus, have a cigar)

Released presidential records. (but not his own. I'm still trying to get the records of who was on the flight that scared the bejesus out of Manhattan. Keeps getting shuffled to different divisions)

Required new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliation or contributions. (more frigging paperwork for business)

Pushed for enactment of Matthew Shepard Act, which expands hate crime law to include sexual orientation and other factors. (gives yet another group more rights over others)

Invites gay families to the Easter Egg Roll as part of the Obama administration's outreach to diverse communities. (and blew off those who weren't gay)

Created a White House Office on Urban Policy. (how to create more grasshoppers in the hood)

Increased funding for the NEA. (because we all need more crosses in jars filled with urine and paintings made of elephant poop)

Appointed an assistant to the president for science and technology policy. (John Holdren thinks that population should be held in check, through forced abortions and other means)

Funded a major expansion of AmeriCorps. (creating more Obamazombies)

Banned lobbyist gifts to executive employees. (then he went and hire a bunch of lobbyists. I should point out, I do not think that most lobbyists are the problem. The politicians are the problem)

Investment in all types of alternative energy. (none of which are even within decades of being viable and deployable)

Enacted tax credit for consumers for plug-in hybrid cars. (meaning more problems with the energy grid)

Support for high-speed rail. (in the middle of the New Mexico desert, as a sop to Harry Reid)

Provided grants to encourage energy-efficient building codes. (I hope he has encouraged Al Gore, John Edwards, and John Kerry to make their homes more energy efficient)

Extended unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits. (apparently, he knew his Porkulus plan would never really create jobs)

Created the White House Council on Automotive Communities and Workers to help auto industry workers transition to new manufacturing opportunities, including jobs in alternative energy. (in other words, how to put the UAW in charge of GM and do away with the profitable car lines)

Stopped raids on medical marijuana dispensers. (eh. On this, I could care less. If smoking pot makes a terminally ill person feel OK, fine. However, if ObamaCare passes, pot may be all those folks have left to ease their pain)

Nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States. If confirmed, Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic to ever serve on the Supreme Court. (interesting how when it was Bush nominating and appointing minorities and women to first time ever positions, it was "yawn" from the left)

Appointed more than 60 openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons to positions in the executive branch. (but is still against gay marriage)

Issues Presidential Proclamation for Pride, proclaiming June 2009 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. (Obama's still against gay marriage)

Signed a mercury reduction pact with 140 other nations. (mercury reduction is a good thing. However, funny how he pushes the use of CFLs, which contain, yup, mercury!)

Signed the Weapons System Acquisition Reform Act to curb wasteful spending by the Pentagon. Intended to price contracts and budgets lower; may potentially save billions of dollars in defense. (getting rid of waste is a good thing, but, notice this is only done for the military, and not agencies and programs Democrats actually like?)

Signed the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009, which serves to protect two million acres of land and creates a new system of land conservation for the Bureau of Land Management. (but, is allowing logging in the Tongass National Forest)

Phase out government payments to crop producers making more than $500,000 a year and eliminates subsidies for cotton storage to help trim the U.S. budget deficit. (I guess we are all supposed to wear hemp)

Cut funding for a proposed U.S. nuclear storage facility at Yucca Mountain. (where are we supposed to store nuclear waste? Oh, I forgot, he wants to do away with nuclear plants, too)

Restored Endangered Species Act Provision requiring U.S. agencies consult with independent federal experts to determine if their actions might harm threatened and endangered species. (This was done with an anthropogenic global warming bent)

Orders The Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration "to protect and restore the health, heritage, natural resources, and social and economic value of the Nation's largest estuarine ecosystem and the natural sustainability of its watershed." (I like this one)

Signed the 2009 Omnibus Public Land Management Act designating two million additional acres of public wilderness areas the highest level of government protection from logging and other forms of commercial use and development. (back to that Tongass National Forest logging issue)

Signed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act which will expedite the search for cures and treatments for millions of Americans living with paralysis caused by spinal cord injury, stroke, MS, Parkinson's and many other diseases and disorders. (a sop to those embryonic stem cell researchers who couldn't get by without federal funds)

Established The Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record, a new system for updating medical records of servicemen and women both during and after their military careers. (On the surface, I would say this is good)

Established the White House Office of Health Reform (how to hose the nations health care system in 3 easy steps)

Created new and stronger safety standards to safeguard the country's food supply. (increases the cost of food)

Got his daughters a new puppy! (which gave the MSM a month long orgasm)

All this in just 6 months. What is it missing?

I notice we forgot to mention that fabulous Pork-ulus. Oh, and the capture of Osama Bin Laden. Didn't Obama say he would make it a priority to capture him? And, oh, hey, nothing about jobs actually being created, the economy being stimulated, and New Orleans being rebuilt, all as he promised.
He doesn't like America the way the country is and wants to change it into a country he likes – that's the change he referenced in his campaign.
He doesn't accept responsibility and likes to blame everyone else – it's either Bush's fault or, he underestimated the extent of the serious problems. Thought: if he knew what he was talking about he would have been thoroughly aware of the situation of the country when he ascended the presidency.
He chose Joe Biden for his veep – the guy who said that Obama didn't have the necessary experience to be president.
He chose Hillary to be Sec of State – showing he cared more about rewarding her for giving up her voters, than getting a solid professional in the job.
He has mouthpiece Gibbs to be snide and sarcastic on a daily basis, reflecting his disdain for the press (now he doesn't need them) and, the voters.
He makes everything about him, and don't even get me started on the Nobel thing. He hasn't earned it, doesn't deserve it.
He takes too long to make decisions – 11 months on and no job creation, no serious help for homeowners in distress, but plenty of money for the banking fatcats, General Motors and other giants deemed "too big to fail." Yeah right.
He has focused all of his energy on his healthcare insurance reform, conveniently forgetting that people need to feed their families – oh yeah he extended unemployment benefit – nothing like taking away a person's self respect and creating reliance on the government for fulfilling their needs.
Hired Van Jones, fired Van Jones.
He made an uninspiring speech to the Cadets at West Point regarding sending additional troops to Afghanistan. His performance was lackluster and his speech lacked heart.
He held his first state dinner for the Prime Minister of India and had a dish with curry sauce on the menu.
He has singled out Fox News for vilification – didn't work though.
He called a white cop stupid then had to have a beer summit in order to smooth the water over because he spoke without thinking.
He created "cash for clunkers" which was a resounding success for auto makers- just not the US ones.
And oops, I almost forgot ACORN. But we won't go there!


I could go on but, what the hell.