Obama Frustration Continues Ever On

So, Obama announced a discretionary spending freeze that doesn't really apply to anything that will save very much money. (Relatively speaking.)

Why?

Why is Obama caving in to deficit hawks when he doesn't have to?

If you want to save billions and billions of dollars a year, here's three things we can do: stop spending more money on defense than even Ronald Reagan did by ending our involvement in two wars that we will not win; stop funding our own agricultural collapse through factory farming; and give us universal health care.

If you want to save something like 1 percent over the next three years, you have a discretionary spending freeze on everything else.

Does Obama realize that he won the election by a majority? Why is he still sucking up to the Right? Doesn't he realize that they're never going to like him? Like, ever? This isn't going to appease them. Just do the job we elected you to do, already. By trying to grab more support, you're losing what you already had.

We elected Democrats to do more, not less.

Is Obama suddenly buying the right wing lie that government spending caused the recession?

Does he not realize that FDR tried to do the same thing in 1937 and it was a disaster which might even have extended the Great Depression by two or three years? Doesn't he realize you need to spend money to stimulate the economy? Is he unaware that the unemployment rate (as reported, not the "hidden" rate, which is higher) is at 10 percent while states cut funding and slash jobs?

The economy is actually improving; jobs always come after the economy recovers, but if you look at the numbers, the economy actually is recovering (slowly but surely) and the job loss rate has notably slowed. The bailout money is being recovered too. As much of a naysayer as I was, I have to admit, the stimulus worked. From a political viewpoint, it's been a Democratic victory that the economy didn't collapse and a further victory that the Republicans have been forced, in their attempts at obstructionism, to take stands against consumer protection and against middle class tax cuts.

So why give up ground that you don't have to? This is an enormous mistake. Especially when you consider that Obama the Candidate was against a spending freeze.

Jesus Christ, Barry; we want a healthy economy. Why don't you?

Personally, I was disappointed in Obama's SOTU speech. Yeah, he did say that because of the stimulus (or, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009), there were 2 million jobs saved that are, I think, essential to America: teachers, construction workers, police, firefighters, first responders, etc. He did point out that the middle class tax cuts helped American families. But I wish he'd taken more credit for it.

Only three Republicans voted for the Recovery Act; after all of those concessions to the Republicans in the name of Obama's pipe dream of bipartisanship, the Republicans still refused to vote for the bill. They dealt with Obama in bad faith after he tried and tried and tried to deal with them honestly. They voted against it, and the bill worked.

He should've said to the American people, in no uncertain terms, they had Obama and the Democrats and three Republicans to thank, and that the vast majority of the Republican Party had tried to stand in their way.

Instead, he just sort of pleaded with the Republican side to just, come on, already, play nice and be all bipartisan and I'll be your best friend, guys. He looked like a weakling. I think he must be the only person who gives a shit about bipartisanship at this point, and it makes him look like a fool.

The Republicans don't give a shit. And you know what? Politically they have practically no power, anyway. So quit handing them their petty victories and letting them play obstruction games when you can just ignore them.

Do the right thing because it's the right thing to do.

My God, champion something and god damn fight for it.

Results, not good intentions.

Stop playing it so safe.

You can't please everyone all the time. Stop trying and do your damn job. Lead already.

(Oh, and no points for mentioning how we need to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell. This is the second time he's mentioned it, and there's zero action happening there. If he wanted to end it, he could just end it right now.)