Tuesday, July 26, 2011
The President asks the American people for help in solving the looming debt crisis.
Courtesy of MSNBC:
Decrying a "partisan three-ring circus" in the nation's capital, President Barack Obama criticized a newly minted Republican plan to avert an unprecedented government default Monday night and said congressional leaders must produce a compromise that can reach his desk before the Aug. 2 deadline.
"The American people may have voted for divided government, but they didn't vote for a dysfunctional government," the president said in a hastily arranged prime-time televised speech.
He appealed to the public to contact lawmakers and demand "a balanced approach" to reducing federal deficits.
In his call to action, Obama recalled former Republican commanders in chief. "In the past, raising the debt ceiling was routine ... Congress has always passed it, and every President has signed it. President Reagan did it 18 times. George W. Bush did it seven times. And we have to do it by next Tuesday, Aug. 2, or else we won't be able to pay all of our bills."
I thought the President sounded exasperated, and weary from fighting over every little thing. He has done just about everything imaginable to make this problem go away and has volunteered far deeper cuts than most Democrats are comfortable with, and STILL the Teabaggers are holding a gun to the Republicans head and refusing to let them negotiate in good faith.
I certainly hope that the voters are paying attention and realizing just WHO is acting like the responsible grownup and who is acting like the petulant child.
If you want to contact your elected officials and tell them to stop playing politics and do the right thing, just click here to find out who needs a piece of your mind.
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thanks, the link makes it easy to find the contact information for Senators and Representatives. Calling them is very quick and easy to do, most calls are taken by interns or volunteers who want to quickly know your position.
ReplyDeleteIf the phone lines are busy or you get a full voice mailbox and are unable to leave your comments, you could send a quick to the point fax to them instead.
Trust me, politicians do pay attention to the comments that people take the time to contact them on.
I think everyone was contacting their reps last night. I could not get on their websites to send my message.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I just sent off a message this morning to my congressman and senators. I think we can show that we are behind the president.
It feels great. I highly recommend it.
I hope the congress offices are flooded with calls and faxes today - like the letters to Santa Claus being delivered to the court house on Miracle on 34th street.
ReplyDeleteMy son tried to call Manzullo (R) Il. and the site was down. Lots of people in other parts of the country could not get through, either. Did they anticipate a large volume of calls, I wonder? Imagine $carah in the positioin the President is in, she would have quit long ago. The President looks tired, weary. Sad trying to negotiate with lunatics.
ReplyDeleteThank you thank you for putting this video up. We must speak up.
ReplyDeleteMy elected officials are firmly on the same side as I am (well, not too sure about Liebermann....). Instead I emailed Boehner and pointed out that as one of the American people, he does NOT speak for me (or for the majority, if national polls are correct).
ReplyDeleteYou want a visual aid to defend this pithy little debt ceiling raise compared to what happened under the Bush Administration?
ReplyDeleteTalk about the Titanic. Of all the disasters left behind by the Bush administration – two wars, a banking system that teetered on the edge of collapse, an economy in steep decline – the Bush tax cuts have proven to be a sleeper that may be the biggest disaster of all.
Job creating policy? Where are the jobs George and Boehner?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/obamas-and-bushs-effect-on-the-deficit-in-one-graph/2011/07/25/gIQAELOrYI_blog.html?fb_ref=NetworkNews&fb_source=home_multiline
Thank you Gryph - the link to our elected officials is a great service. I understand that many of the governmental websites have crashed, which must mean that people are responding to President Obama's appeal to voice our opinions. Great!
ReplyDeleteI think he is weary from it all, which is part of the reason why I cut him some slack. I don't agree with everything he does, but he's certainly has a huge uphill battle to fight. And I think that before he was elected, he had plenty of ideas of what to fix and how, but when he got in and reality set in, he soon learned that it wouldn't be easy.
ReplyDeleteI believe that his election is the beginning of real change, but we're not going to see a lot of change until we get corporations out of politics, the public gets active, and we vote for those who truly have the people's best interests at heart.
Everything out of Boehners mouth was a flat out lie...unreal. Rachel Maddow has been doing a spot that he is the worst speaker ever, and this congress is gonna go down as the worst too. At this point...I wish Obama would tell them he has had it. Give me a one page clean bill...or you will default the country. The government is the only hope of putting people back to work...which fixes most of everything.
ReplyDeleteHe needs to ask us to spank and discipline our elected leaders every three months, this is bullshit.
ReplyDeleteTake the gloves off Obama, show them we voted YOU in as boss, not them.
I wrote to my congressmen first thing this morning, and I especially enjoyed telling the one repug just how unhappy I am. I just read a post on Joe's site saying the computer systems crashed this morning. I sure hope it's because the people SPOKE!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to our reoresentives I was just trying to get the numbers again, before I came over here. The sad thing is it doesn't really matter what we think or what we want. I called befor and fell on deaf ears. They in Washington( both sides) have all ready sold us out and this is all a joke. At the last second they will give away everything and we will be told he had to do it, for the good of the country.( I just wish someone would stand up to these nuts but that is too much to wish for) It's sick that even the democrates are quiet.It's all because corporate ownes all in Washington and all government now and there is no one to stand up for the little person, because they are on the rich side and getting goodies from them. I have never been so disgusted and depressed. Wake up America these Corporations are global now they don't care about doing what is right for America they only care about their pockets and they are not going to make jobs for us in America it is going to the next 3rd world country Africa. These financials are maxing ppl out again with credit and they will want another bailout. A report that there have been secret bailouts that we are just finding out about.
ReplyDeletethankfully my elected official is someone whom i trust and agree with and can be proud of. maybe i will just write her to say "good job!" there are some others from other states that i might just write to as well....
ReplyDeletei am very proud of the prez for his role in this, though honestly i don't know where this is going. i know it is part of the job description for economists to worry, but many seem ready to pee their proverbial pants right about now, even the conservative ones.
Finally got through on the phone! Keep trying, everyone. The fact that the switchboard is overloaded is a good thing!
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime, use this link to easily send an email to your representaive:
http://action.ourfuture.org/p/dia/action/public/index.sjs?action_KEY=153
My moronic rep are all Republicans, my congressman has been in office for 23 years and the big fat cat won't budge on anything. His FB page makes me ick, being congratulated by the cons for voting with the tea partiers every time. Its useless to call his office I've gotten into it with his staff before over the health care bill. They are rude and unrelenting. I cannot move or I would, but due to severe health issues and finances I am stuck in the land of the cons. Blech.
ReplyDeleteI imagine the president must be very weary of knee-jerk emotional response by an unforgiving armchair-quarterbacking public that refuses to educate itself.
ReplyDeleteA public that doesn't actually know what the "debt ceiling" is, but wants the president to "do something."
A public that hires their congressional representation based on what church they go to and how many times a week.
Millions of citizens who have every resource to find out how these things work and understand both theory and process. There's no excuse. But no one will admit that they don't know - everyone just wants to pretend they do.
We're a bunch of citizens who can't do our own annual income taxes 'cause it's sooo complicated; can't calculate the interest on our truck loans and credit cards; don't know what 'amortization' is. So what the heck makes anyone think they know what the 'federal debt ceiling' is?!
Here in Alaska, we could have had an intelligent, competent, fired-up senator who _WANTED_ the job and promised to roll up his sleeves and get a little sweaty, as compared to a senator who expects to _KEEP_ a job inherited by dynastical privilege and party affiliation. A senator who openly pledged to work the GOP agenda.
A bunch of Undeclared/Non-partisan "unaffiliated" voters thought this was critically important.
Folks, it's your _civic_duty_ to do the homework and understand this stuff, instead of arguing what someone told ya in the break room.
It's your duty to influence those in your sphere, with informed irrefutable information. It does indeed make a difference.
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL31967_20100128.pdf
When you're writing your representatives, understand that the "debt ceiling" and the federal budget are two different things.
ReplyDeleteThe debt ceiling can be simply increased. Bam.
Then everyone gets back to their desks to continue to work out budget cuts.
NO INCUMBENT SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES IN 2012.
John Boehner needs to be fired. Today.
The lies of John Boehner:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-26/boehner-s-response-is-work-of-political-fiction-jonathan-alter.html
Just as when I watched SP give her speech to the RNC in 2008, I knew there was something dark and devious in his message last night; but I don't have the political acumen this author has to list it all so simply and directly. As he mentions, Boehner's performance was Orwellian in its untruths.
The Republicans are also taking credit for having a better 'advertising campaign' in support of their economic policies. Bragging about their effective use of fear and false promises to undermine the very faith and trust of the citizens of this country.
The hottest summer in living memory for many, combined with the job losses, the business closures, and now even many small communities are going to lose their post-office. These things, all together, create such pre-occupation with our daily lives, it is very hard to have the time and energy to put one's head up and consider the big picture.
But we must.
Like many of you, I found IM when I was looking for some reasonable explanation for the meteor like rise of a woman who seemed to me imminently unfit for ANY office, must less a national one. In coming to understand the forces that advocate for someone like her, we are learning things that, to me are dark and dangerous. In this, we may be similar to the insights of the Tea Party, for one.
But, it is in how we choose to act that will make all the difference, I think. We must, again, be willing to Speak Truth to Power, every day. To the small injustices we notice around us, and finding an effective way to join our voices together and convey our message to our elected officials.
(wow, yes indeed, I was an anti-war activist over 40 years ago. Guess the passion for social justice is still there...)
Aurora
Anon 6:40 -- thanks for the great link -- I just emailed my congressman (a nazi) and my senators. The emails went through smoothly. Hopefully all the contacting, emailing, calling, etc. will make a difference.
ReplyDeletesouthern virginia voter
Links to White House video, small audio file and text.
ReplyDeleteText -
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/07/25/address-president-nation
Audio -
http://www.whitehouse.gov/videos/2011/July/072511_PresidentialAddress.mp3
Video -
http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2011/07/25/president-obama-addresses-nation-dangers-default
Just do it!
ReplyDeleteWatching both men speak, I sensed the frustration in Our President's voice, but he seemed very focused and in command of what he wanted to convey. The call to act was a brilliant idea, and the fact that it took me seven seperate calls to finally get through this morning, shows that the people are clearly on his side.
I don't know what Boehner's message was, he was busy looking up at something above the camera, and kept saying "no, no, no, no, no"
Just ask yourself which man has put his own priciples on the table, only to have the other walk away? The debt cieling was, and always will be linked to the past, and the Budget was, and always will be linked to the future. Boehner and the gop clan are crazy gluing them, hoping to destroy this President.