December 17, 2010

"Obama Closes In on Big Wins in Lame-Duck Congress" — says the New York Times.

The home page looks like this:




At the link
, the headline tones down the pro-Obama spin:
Could Lame Duck Be a Big Win for Obama Agenda?

Is President Obama on the verge of one of his most productive months in office?...

In the early hours of Friday morning, the president won passage of the $858 billion tax deal he reached with Republicans and he appears close to achieving approval of the landmark nuclear treaty he negotiated with the Russians. Both political parties have grudgingly agreed to do whatever is necessary to keep the federal government operating by approving an extension of the current budget authority into early next year.

And in something of a surprise, it appears there may be enough Republican support to provide Mr. Obama with a victory on a key promise: to repeal the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that bars gay people from serving opening in the armed forces.
AND: By contrast, Politico:
Democrats concede budget fight to Republicans.

Senate Democrats abruptly abandoned an omnibus budget bill for the coming year, pushing major spending decisions into the next Congress and giving Republicans immense new leverage to confront President Barack Obama priorities.
But see Krauthammer:
Remember the question after Election Day: Can Obama move to the center to win back the independents who had abandoned the party in November? And if so, how long would it take? Answer: Five weeks. An indoor record, although an asterisk should denote that he had help - Republicans clearing his path and sprinkling it with rose petals.

The conservative gloaters were simply fooled again by the flapping and squawking that liberals ritually engage in before folding at Obama's feet....

And Obama pulled this off at his lowest political ebb...

66 comments:

Lincolntf said...

"...from serving opening in the armed forces."


Repeal DADT and your openings will be served!

I'm Full of Soup said...

The NYT aka the official cheerleaders for the Democrat Party.

The Ghost said...

Once again a reporter makes the false claim that DADT is a military policy. It is a federal law, passed by Congress and signed by a President.

The Dude said...

As Insty points out, DADT is federal law, not military policy. But, as with most liberals and liberal institutions, facts are not important at the NYT.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Wow, what a victory on the tax package. He campaigned on those tax cuts, didn't he?

Oh, wait...

David said...

You will need a new tag for 2011.

The Supposed Obama Comeback.

The drumbeat has already started.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

And in something of a surprise, it appears there may be enough Republican support to provide Mr. Obama with a victory on a key promise: to repeal the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that bars gay people from serving opening in the armed forces.

Hogwash.. I've suspected that a majority for repeal of DADT was there... it couldnt be done before because there was no political will in the executive.

Anonymous said...

That's some ace Texas sharpshooting! OK, DADT I'll give 'em.

Lincolntf said...

Think of all of Obama's great accomplishemnts thus far:

He has expanded and extended the Patriot Act, he has spread the War on Terror to Yemen, he continues to hold "suspects" without trial or due process, he has increased the use of unmanned drone strikes, etc. etc. etc.
Add on to that the fact that he's managed to extend the Bush economic policies for another year and it really does sound like a winner. Not for him, but for Americans.

traditionalguy said...

That is a great Journolist spam job. All of the media are simultaneously printing and talking about the same Fairy Tale of Obama triumphing, although the GOP was victorious. they are acting like the badly losing attorney in on a court ruling confidently thanking "His Honor" for siding with him. Weasels is the only word for Obama and associates.

garage mahal said...

Finally going to get a simple up or down vote on DADT Saturday. We'll have a crystal clear picture where Democrats and Republicans stand on the issue.

X said...

Democrats are scary smart. They made the Bush tax cuts temporary so they could say they didn't raise taxes. Then they let the impending tax hikes hang over the economy like the Sword of Damocles for the last 2 years, lost Congress, and capitulated. But they were smart this time. This time they made the tax cuts temporary...

Anonymous said...

Obama fiddles while Rome burns, and the NY Times gives a concert review.

DADT, START, tax package - bah.

We have a combined public/private debt load that can only be fixed by intentional inflation.

And when the world's money managers grow tired of us paying them nominal interest rates now AND a devalued dollar later, they'll be gone in a heartbeat and China will work hard to not be the last one out.

Then how are we going to fund Obama's "Big Wins?"

My advice, if you don't have a wheelbarrow you may want to pick one up in the near future so you can carry your money to buy a six pack of beer.

Scott M said...

@Comrade X

Well crafted, sir.

Lincolntf said...

The next budget will originate in a Tea Party-infused Republican controlled House.
I can wait a year for that.

Hoosier Daddy said...

Finally going to get a simple up or down vote on DADT Saturday. We'll have a crystal clear picture where Democrats and Republicans stand on the issue.

Yes because Lord knows the country and the economy can never move forward until this vital issue is resolved once and for all!

Scott M said...

I'm sure those in the know have it all figured out, but what's going to really be fun with DADT is on-base housing, chaplains required to marry gay couples, desegregated enlisted barracks, communal showers, hot bunking, etc, etc.

X said...

Finally going to get a simple up or down vote on DADT Saturday


At long last Ivy League schools will allow be able to allow Congress and the government's filty lucre on campus again.

traditionalguy said...

The DADT repeal will go through , and Obama will not stop it although he never supported it. The rest is hogwash, much like Hitler reporting on a great German victory at Stalingrad.

Larry J said...

Once again a reporter makes the false claim that DADT is a military policy. It is a federal law, passed by Congress and signed by a President.

Not only that, but DADT was passed in 1993 by a solidly Democrat controlled Congress and signed into law by Democrat Bill Clinton.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Then how are we going to fund Obama's "Big Wins?"

Obama is betting that we're too big to fail.

Hagar said...

"200 Luftwaffe planes bombed London last night....

.... 225 planes returned unharmed, once again showing the ineffectiveness of British defenses and presaging the inevitable defeat of "perfidious Albion!"

The Dude said...

There are no US tanks in Baghdad.

Unknown said...

So far, the Lame Duck has been a big victory for the Republicans, not The Zero.

Last night was a lousy night for the Demos and the Lefties, but a great night for America.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Educther said:
"Last night was a lousy night for the Demos and the Lefties, but a great night for America."

I felt gratified that the blogosphere [IMO] had caused the Reps to abandon the Omnibus bill. The senators saw their political lives flash before their eyes and were scared to death.

wv =therot [in Congress must be removed]

garage mahal said...

Republicans voted for extending many of the provisions in the dreaded PORKULUS, from a closed meeting with Obama, costing hundreds of billions of dollars. Don't recall them running on that. Don't recall seeing Tea Party signs saying "TREAD ON ME! MORE STIMULUS!"

Hoosier Daddy said...

Republicans voted for extending many of the provisions in the dreaded PORKULUS

LOL!

MadisonMan said...

The senators saw their political lives flash before their eyes and were scared to death.

Agreed. And good. It was enjoyable listening to Pork-inserters talking about why the bill was killed.

Cedarford said...

Lincolntf - "Add on to that the fact that he's managed to extend the Bush economic policies for another year and it really does sound like a winner. Not for him, but for Americans."

Oh yes, those winning Bush economic policies that we saw at work with job creation flourishing, debt reduction, US trade and industries prospering! And the very rich taking their tax cuts and unleashing their creative genius on Wall Street, as more moolah ignited their entrepreneurial fires from AIG all the way to GM!

And along the way, two wars and the biggest expansion of US government since LBJ all funded by loans from our friends the Chinese.

Of course, Obama is worse, though that doesn't make what Bush did any better than it was as he gutted America's economy and good faith and credit to enrich "his" crowd.

Hoosier Daddy said...

Oh yes, those winning Bush economic policies...

Help me out but did Bush actually have an economic policy? Seems to me other than the tax cuts, he didn't have much of a policy at all.

Cedarford said...

Anyone anticipating a flood of effeminant homos (vs. gays who are "fit-in" types) rushing to the military...or their prime backers ..liberals, progressive Jews, gay-adoring women..is going to see little if any joining up happening.

That was never the point with the gay agenda.
It is a step in the path to make homosexuality a "normal, fully morally accepted" practice. The idea is that if you legally allow gays to "openly fight and die for their country" though most will not volunteer along with their backers..the "willing to fight and die" claim can be leveraged. As a rationale for gay marriage, full rights to participate in the Boy Scouts and get the craved access to boys they seek, teaching in school that gay sex is just another normal accepted choice and perhaps students should "experiment a bit".

Oppose gay marriage and you know what the instant comeback will be "At this very moment a gay or transgendered man or two is prepared to shed his blood on some nameless Afghan hill" HOW DARE YOU OPPOSE GAY MARRIAGE! Gay marriage is patriotic, and the NY Times says so!"

Unknown said...

AJ Lynch said...

Educther said:
"Last night was a lousy night for the Demos and the Lefties, but a great night for America."

I felt gratified that the blogosphere [IMO] had caused the Reps to abandon the Omnibus bill. The senators saw their political lives flash before their eyes and were scared to death.


Now the same is needed for START (especially), DADT, and DREAM.

WV "precons" Lefties who haven't been laid off yet.

bagoh20 said...

They all need to continue to face the voters, and that's who wins or loses.

I think the pressure will continue. This is just the first wave, weak but cumulative...I hope.

traditionalguy said...

The Kraut, like the Nobel Committee ,has awarded Obama a prize that he has not actually won. And then he says that it is Obama who will come back and win in 2012.That should make Boehner cry. But I cannot see that reasoning. Repeal of ObamaCare and defunding of the EPA Carbon Rules lies ahead. That should do Obama in when he vetoes that legislation.

bagoh20 said...

"Seems to me other than the tax cuts, he didn't have much of a policy at all."

That is half of all the policy that's needed. Add spending cuts across the board and we have a nearly complete policy that will work. What is so hard about this, that isn't manufactured from emotional bullshit.

Every successful business, and family does this continually. Set your people free and control your spending - it's not new and it's not complicated.

ricpic said...

Uh...Obama's EPA, Department of the Interior and Justice Department continue attacking the mining industry, the fishing industry, the logging industry, the oil and gas drilling industry and continue to lock up valuable land, while he talks a centrist game. The very determined effort to bring down America continues apace under the heartless ruthless hypocrite supreme.

Anonymous said...

Ha!

With his vote-count dwindling, a “sorry and disappointed” Reid took to the Senate floor to announce that he would pull his spending bill, caving to McConnell’s push to pass a simple, one-page resolution to continue government funding over the holiday recess. For full effect, in a move reminiscent of the health-care debates earlier this year, Republicans had hauled the entire 1,924-page cinder block of a bill onto the Senate floor. They’d come prepared for a showdown.


Giving credit to Obama is silly. He's riding sidecar...

I'm Full of Soup said...

Congress should devote 100% of 2011 to fixing social security insolvency and 100% of 2012 to fixing Medicare and health insurance. That's it - put aside all other issues until they fix those two things.

Oh and get the hell out of Afganistan asap.

holdfast said...

Apparently the Bush Tax Cuts are now a major part of the Oabama Agenda, so this is a win. Huh.

Scott M said...

It's been how long since those cuts have been a fact of life in this country? Would it be fair to call them tax rates now?

holdfast said...

OK, the Bush Tax Rates.

Works for me.


Bonus: Harry Reid is now essentially at war with the Dem White House. I think I found the Republicans' missing civil war - the Dems stole it.

Larry J said...

Giving credit to Obama is silly. He's riding sidecar...

Sidecar or sidesaddle? Just askin'

Unknown said...

Krauthammer forgets they're still known as the Bush Tax Cuts.

The Zero voted, "Present", on this from the start. What little he gets out of this is going to be all MSM spin.

Hoosier Daddy said...

Alan Blinder has a op-ed in today's WSJ claiming that our massive deficts are from the Reagan-Bush tax cuts.

Notice that the 60% increase in government spending is never, ever, once, mentioned.

traditionalguy said...

Obama's Magnificent Tax Deal just allowed Estate tax shelter for married couple's estates up to 10 million instead of up to 2 million, and cut the rate on the overage being taxed by 46%. Is that a victory for a redistributionist? Hmmm.

Cedarford said...

Hoosier Daddy said...
Alan Blinder has a op-ed in today's WSJ claiming that our massive deficts are from the Reagan-Bush tax cuts.

Notice that the 60% increase in government spending is never, ever, once, mentioned.

==================
Perhaps because "growing the Federal Government" is a bipartisan activity, Hoosier.
Reagan, Bush I, Bush II all greatly incresed the size and spending of the Fed Government. The Republicans "own" a big chunk of that 60% growth, and pretty much own supply side Voodoo economics as their baby.

Of course, the consolation is for conservatives to say well, they set up this fiscal debacle too..."but not as bad as Obama!!".

Scott M said...

Is that a victory for a redistributionist? Hmmm.

Hmmm. Since Japan just changed is corp tax rate, leaving the US the highest in the world, possibly. Just possibly. I'm not sure how that makes us competitive on the world stage, but it certainly sounds redistributive.

Scott M said...

Of course, the consolation is for conservatives to say well, they set up this fiscal debacle too..."but not as bad as Obama!!".

Wrong. The consolation is to say, "Enough", hold the GOP as accountable as the Democrats, and get on with the process of shrinking the government. Start with an across the board 5% reduction (military included) and work strenuously to remove ALL bureaucratic overlap.

Saying, "enough" seems to have achieved it's first big Congressional victory.

jr565 said...

Lincolntf wrote:
Add on to that the fact that he's managed to extend the Bush economic policies for another year and it really does sound like a winner. Not for him, but for Americans.


Obama is essentially a reluctant Bush. He wants to be his own man, yet time after time keeps getting pulled into supporting Bush's default positions.
I guess instead of talking about hope and change he should have said "Four more years!"

jr565 said...

Ann wrote:
Can Obama move to the center to win back the independents who had abandoned the party in November? And if so, how long would it take? Answer: Five weeks. An indoor record, although an asterisk should denote that he had help - Republicans clearing his path and sprinkling it with rose petals.

The conservative gloaters were simply fooled again by the flapping and squawking that liberals ritually engage in before folding at Obama's feet....

And Obama pulled this off at his lowest political ebb...


Ann's arguing as if this was a sign of Obama's strenght. he HAS to go to the center because he has little power. And he has to throw the dems under the bus.
And why is Althouse assuming that he is winning back the independents? If they are liberal independents they will be outraged at all the ways in which Obama has gone back on his word. If they are conservative independents they already know where Obama wants to take us, if he actually had the ability to do so and is only going to the center out of desparation.

Fen said...

Obama is weak. This is just the beginning.

jr565 said...

As Mickey Kaus said:
"If you suggest, as the president did, that the seemingly moderate plan you agreed to is awful and you’ll try to rescind it in two years, you won’t leave the center thinking, “He’s our guy!” You’ll leave them thinking, “Note to self: Remove Obama in two years.”
His triangulation isn't very convincing to anybody.

Scott M said...

Unfortunately, Fen, one of the side effects of the President being/looking weak is that it directly affects the country's strength across a wide spectrum.

Phil 314 said...

I'm generally satisfied with the lame duck session:
1) no increase in taxes
2) possible repeal of DADDT
3)failed (temporarily) pork-filled Omnibus bill

I'm glad the President did an end run around congressional Democrats. I doubt it will last.

Now lets see if anyone in congress has the cajones to actually address Medicare and SS.

I anticipate a growing divide between those Republicans with ambitions for 2012 and the rest "trying to get the job done". If that divide/conflict gets "loud" it will provide cover for the Democratic Divide unfortunately

Trooper York said...

Barry Obama taking credit for this tax bill is like Brian Cashman taking credit for the Phillies signing Cliff Lee.

I just hope it works out better for us than it will for those dog ass Phillies.

Anonymous said...

As I have said N-times. Yes, so many times. Obama will win re-election so easily that it will be easiest election in US and World History.

Obama/Biden defeat the GOP everywhere. The GOP ticket is not relevant at all.

What is the proof? The two-years + of excellence. The tax-bill. The omnibus, etc. Even the GOP columnist (Kraut) says so. BUT, he just said it. I have been saying it since Nov. 2010 election.

You see, I am the best political analyst in the country. This is why my clients pay me.

MadisonMan said...

How can anyone say this is Obama's lowest ebb?

Scott M said...

How can anyone say this is Obama's lowest ebb?

Agreed. The lowest ebb will come right before an insurgent nomination campaign is announced.

The Dude said...

America's Politico said...

As I have said N-times


RACIST!!!

BJM said...

Oops there's one of those darned "unexpected" consequences again as the IRS announces that 13.4 million taxpayers may receive a clawback tax bill for Obama's "Make Work Pay" tax credit

Obama giveth, Obama taketh away.

Terrye said...

I am getting kind of annoyed with Krauthammer. The other day he was complaining about "tax cut religionists" who seemed to think that all that mattered was extending the tax cuts...well, that was what this bill was about..it was not a budget, it was not entitlement reform, it was about continuing the Bush tax cuts. Charles seemed to think that the Republicans were supposed to go back on a campaign promise just so they could put the screws to Obama and the American tax payers at the same time.

Anonymous said...

Sixty-Grit, One reason why our country is behind China is because of what you represent: Cluelessness. Do you know what "n" refers to in mathematics? N is means more than one, many, etc., n-times. Well, may be you do not have a degree. May be you are delivering my pizzas. Don't worry. Our economy is fine. Obama and is a great (actually, the BEST) captain of our ship in troubled waters. We will prevail, eventhough likes of you create false hurdles. You will always lose to us.

The Dude said...

Aw, look at cute little basement-dwelling America's ******* explaining math to me. Isn't that precious. What next, are you going to explain English?

But thanks for the heads up - be sure to use some math in your self-admitted pathetic polling models next time someone is stupid enough to "hire" you. Then maybe your "girlfriend" won't dump you. Maybe your "in-laws" will not shun you. Maybe you will not have to continue to make such patently false statements such as "I won't comment here again until January 2012" and other totally inoperative lies you have made here, repeatedly.

Now take your N-bombs somewhere else, you racist bastard.

Fen said...

AP: May be you are delivering my pizzas.

You're a manager at Dominoes AND a political consultant for the Dems? That explains much.

BTW, you forgot my 20oz coke.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

AP was much more interesting before the November elections. Some sock puppets just don't age well.

garage mahal said...

LOL. There is absolutely no fucking way America's Politico is for real. Doesn't mean I don't enjoy "it" being taken to woodshed, but hard. Still think it's Titus.