Solid economic growth will help the federal budget deficit shrink this year to its lowest level since President Barack Obama took office, according to congressional estimates released Monday.
The Congressional Budget Office also projects a 14 percent drop in the number of U.S. residents without health insurance, largely because of Obama's health law.
In a report released Monday, CBO says the deficit will be $468 billion for the budget year that ends in September. That's slightly less than last year's $483 billion deficit.
The official scorekeeper of Congress projects solid economic growth for the next few years, with unemployment dropping slightly.
"In CBO's estimation, increases in consumer spending, business investment and residential investment will drive the economic expansion this year and over the next few years," the report said.
CBO also cited wage increases, rising wealth and the recent decline in oil prices.
Gee thanks Obama.
No seriously, thanks Mr. President.
Off topic but did you see this Gryphen? http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/28/you-betcha-i-was-wrong-about-sarah-palin.html
ReplyDeleteKathleen Parker weighs in (get your crying towel out!):
Deletehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/kathleen-parker-the-sacrifice-of-sarah-palin/2015/01/27/cfa46cc0-a65e-11e4-a7c2-03d37af98440_story.html
That's pretty bang on. Sarah takes as much blame as the GOP though. It seems she would have not taken the advice had it been given nor does she have a history of doing dedicated work for very long. The kind of work that would be needed to prepare her for national office. Or even a presidential
Deletebid.
From the article, a comment:
Deletelisab2595 30 minutes ago
As someone who lived in Alaska from 2002 to 2007, I can tell you that you were always wrong about Palin: she was never more than a paper-thin populist with skin even thinner. When my husband called to tell me McCain had picked Palin, the first words out of my mouth were, "he's lost the election." I knew she couldn't stand up to national scrutiny. People in Alaska had already started to realize what a mistake she was. I'd never voted anything but Republican for president. How could McCain do this?
I could have voted for her for governor. (Hint: I didn't.) I can give you a personal example from her gubernatorial campaign where she acted like a child: how dare they ask me questions that I don't know the answer to? I just won't show up to their forums anymore! Her answers during debates never seemed to answer the question, but instead veered off into what Andrew Halcro termed "glittering generalities." Bumper sticker and refrigerator magnet phrases were all she ever had. She knew nothing about the oil industry in Alaska (no, having a two week on/two week off operator husband does not qualify one as an expert.) I firmly believe the reason she left Juneau was because people expected her to show up and know things; they expect access to the governor. Governing meant knowing things and doing things other than showing up and waving.
Palin has always been a show up and wave type as opposed to a meet and get things done type. If she isn't getting applause, she is building her castle of victimhood. Once Alaskans slowed down enough to compare notes, they realized they'd elected a perpetual 7th grade Mean Girl for whom no slight was too small to ignore. Troopergate is a classic example of what happens when you give her power. As for the "Trig-truthers"--there was a very quick and easy way to nip all that in the bud, wasn't there? But Palin wasn't interested in the silencing her critics; she *needs* her critics too much. Without her attackers, she is nothing.
Has Palin deserved all the shade thrown her way? No. Like you, I felt those drawing the line between her PAC's graphic and Gabby Gifford's shooting to be over-zealous. But even if criticism is out of bounds, Palin's response has always, always, been immature and petty. The correct response to those critics was, "We are deeply saddened by the tragedy in Arizona and in hindsight, we regret the imagery." That's all. But she can't do that. All she can do is entrench herself even further into victim bunker and play the "stoopid libruls hate me" card. That's all she's got.
She has great charisma, and if she had the ability to think about anything other than herself, she might have had a good career. She is not without talent. After her 2009 resignation, she could have seen her hosting a true Alaskan travel show or been a real advocate for special needs kids. But then it couldn't be about her. I do believe she is a narcissist in the classic sense. Everything is about her.
It's always been mystifying to me how long people have held onto the idea that Palin was anything electable on a national scale. She was only electable as governor in Alaska. You have to have lived there to understand what an incredibly small pond that huge state is. In no other state in the union does someone whose only prior office was being the mayor of a town of 5,000 get elected governor. She had quit her only statewide office (a patronage position she had no qualifications for.) You had to have been there to understand how hated Murkowski was, how the VECO sting made her look all shiny and new. She was the Republican nominee in a red state. It was like the planets were aligning to punish Alaska. Had McCain spent any time properly vetting her, this would have all been discovered and maybe he might have chosen a smart women like Kay Bailey Hutchison.
Reliving Sarah Palin's 'Painful,' 'Petty,' 'Incoherent' Speech
Deletehttp://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-01-26/video-reliving-sarah-palin-s-painful-petty-incoherent-speech
The Palin speech was supposed to inspire the media to wonder about a possible Palin 2016 presidential run, but it did not do that. To put it lightly, Palin delivered an incredibly disjointed speech. More to the point, it was the kind of speech that made me wonder if Palin is suffering from some sort of debilitating ailment. Palin can't seem to form a coherent sentence anymore. Or could she ever? In any case, this speech crosses the line from funny to sad very quickly.
...Let's be clear about this: Sarah Palin is not running for president. Donald Trump is not running for president. Let's not pretend that they're actual contenders. They're walking jokes, sideshow freaks. They feed on attention and then they go away when it comes time for the actual politicians to do their thing.
http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2015/01/26/sarah-palin-serves-up-thirty-solid-minutes-of-word-salad-at-iowa-republican-candidate-summit
5 of Sarah Palin’s most insane and incoherent moments
Delete...It was precisely the sort of aggrieved, quasi-populist, and scatterbrained performance we’ve come to expect from the Thrilla from Wasilla. Below, Salon looks at some of the other moments that have captured the essence of Palin’s brief public career:
http://www.salon.com/2015/01/26/5_of_sarah_palins_most_insane_and_incoherent_moments/
The Sarah Palin Ad for 2016
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Lgu_M7pDtM&feature=youtu.be
Let the pee pond have their wet dreams about 2016. It will be short-lived; she is NOT running for president. She can't and she knows it.
DeleteI thought all these were felled policies? Right Sarah, you Category 5 Moron.
ReplyDeleteM.
Sarah blames the Prez for getting us here and I agree.
DeleteSpeaking of the media being unfair to people - they have always been unfair to the President - Palin - given a pass again and again. She turns every criticism (and she deserves much more than she gets - into poor little me - the President carries on working for the American people.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about the media and President Obama. He had what was apparently a very fruitful and productive visit to India. Our paper's headline was that he and the prime minister were in a glass box (the viewing stand) making it sound unusual. Both the US and India have seen too many leaders assassinated. And then the accompanying article was all about how getting along with India would upset China. Good grief. Imagine how distressed the media would be if the president never did anything because China might be upset!
DeleteBeaglemom
In Defense of Obama
DeleteThe Nobel Prize-winning economist, once one of the president’s most notable critics, on why Obama is a historic success
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/in-defense-of-obama-20141008#ixzz3Q85uy8IK
Several questions:
ReplyDeleteOne.) Wasn't it the CBO who wrote a report that clearly stated trickle down economics didn't work?
Two.) Wasn't it the Congress who ordered them to rewrite what they saw as a flaw report?
Three.) What makes anyone believe they won't try to order this report changed?
Without an Obama we are screwed.
ReplyDeleteDems Warn They Can't Counter The Koch Brothers' $1 Billion In 2016
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/democrats-koch-brothers-1-billion-2016
Sen. Rubio Wins Straw Poll Of Koch Brothers Donors
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/marco-rubio-koch-brothers-donors
Scarborough's 'Liberal' Co-Host Becomes A Sudden Koch Bros. Convert (VIDEO)
Deletehttp://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mika-brzezinski-koch-bros-convert
Scarborough's morning show is the least one watched among his competition. When will MSNBC drop the show? Their particular cable channel is in big trouble - except for the show of Dr. Rachel Maddow!
DeleteAnd I liked Mika, as long as she';s not in front of me in line writing a check or the ATM trying to remember her pin number. I only tune MJ a few times to see if Mika's roots are showing, other than that, it's like cheap toilet paper except for reading the paper's headlines. Hey Joe, how did that girl's corpse show up in your office again??
DeleteComments are priceless. Everywhere people are saying 'I told you so' about how fucking clueless, and mean, and stupid Sarah is and always was:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/sean-hannity-sarah-palin-speech-iowa-114675.html
What he's been up to:
ReplyDeletehttp://theobamadiary.com/
President Obama has remained committed, stalwart, hard working, focused and future thinking in everything he does. He has borne the most disgusting disrespect, racism, hate and vile words with a stunning grace and dignity. I deeply admire and love this man who is our president and I shudder to think how this country will be without him at the helm.
ReplyDeleteAmen! The man is a rock. Bless him and his beautiful family.
DeleteI just LOVE that picture of him!
ReplyDeletePresident Obama's outstanding results and his 50% approval rating are assuredly making the Republicans cream their pants and it's a riot to watch. Especially that of the asshole Boehner (he needs to go to jail!) and the Alaska bitch, Lisa Murkowski. She sure shut up quickly about the newest rulings President Obama put out there regarding oil drilling and the Arctic Ocean in and near Alaska!
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm sure the now Republican majority congress will take credit for that, simply by being elected.
ReplyDeleteNo one is going to credit this president with anything while he's in office. It will grow in his legacy as the history books are written just as George Bush's legacy will show him for the fascist doofus he was.
As much as I love our POTUS and what he's done for our country, I loathe that photo of him. Looks like he's doing a Bill Cosby imitation and it gives me the heebie geebies.
ReplyDelete