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Omg what are we going to do. Msnbc never cuts away from anything early. Lets have a fit over this.. I bet you cant watch it online
Yeah, the sky is falling, the sky is falling. I think Fox saw that the president's arrogant lip-smacking was a total waste of time, and that his big ears are less than useless.
Mathews must've gotten all types of tingles and sensations seeing this in action!
O,.., I mean Barry,.., ahem,.., our President Barack Hussein Obama really looked Presidential in his meeting with the GOP.
He answered all the questions thrown at him with control and ease using facts but at the same time he was energetic, strong with charisma and wit that even got some chuckles despite being in "enemy territory".
Now this is change I like to see. I must admit, I'm not used to seeing this kind of example for American masculinity.
When Clinton was around I didn't follow politics too closely so I can't use him as a model but given his "reputation" I would have imagined him to be a very charismatic chap.
Most of the examples of American masculinity that stick out in my mind have mostly been the most exaggerated cave men, Neanderthal type.
The shoot 1st, questions later like Eastwood, Bronson, and rappers who got shot 9 times and gun totting ball players.
The unwavering confidence of Dubya, Cheney and the Fox News crew which can be comforting but can be problematic if it leads to not acknowledging one can be wrong and there may be more sides to an issue than right or wrong.
There are aspects of the above that are necessary and admirable but regarding these types it seems the media and the public pays attention to them to the exclusive of other traits.
President Obama has a style that reminds me of a James Bond. He can be suave and sophisticated on one hand but can scrap with the best of them if need be. He knows the importance of strategy and foresight but can think on his feet and act decisively when the situation demands it. More Sun Tzu as opposed to the more common Genghis Khan, more Aikido than karate.
Its quite a refreshing change. If there was ever to be a black James Bond, I can think of no better man for the job.
The beginning was kinda funny and pretty telling of who (exactly) sounds like they're running for office...oh wait, some of those senators ARE running for office... THIS YEAR!
Quote:
REP. JEB HENSARLING (R-TEX.): I'm doing well.
Mr. President, a year ago I had an opportunity to speak to you about the national debt. And something that you and I have in common is we both have small children. And I left that conversation really feeling you're sincere commitment to ensuring that our children, our nation's children do not inherit an unconscionable debt.
We know that under current law that government -- the cost of government is due to grow from 20 percent of our economy to 40 percent of our economy right about the time our children are leaving college and getting that first job.
Mr. President, shortly after that conversation a year ago, the Republicans proposed a budget that ensured that government did not grow beyond the historical standard of 20 percent of GDP. It was a budget that actually froze immediately non-defense discretionary spending. It spent $5 trillion less than ultimately what was enacted into law.
And unfortunately, I believe that budget was ignored.
And since that budget was ignored, what were the old annual deficits under Republicans have now become the monthly deficits under Democrats. The national debt has increased 30 percent.
Now, Mr. President, I know you believe -- and I understand the argument; I respect the view -- that the spending is necessary due to the recession. Many of us believe, frankly, it's part of the problem, not part of the solution, but I understand and I respect your view.
But this is what I don't understand, Mr. President. After that discussion, your administration proposed a budget that would triple the national debt over the next 10 years. Surely you don't believe 10 years from now we will still be mired in this recession. It proposed new entitlement spending and moved the -- the cost of government to almost 24.5 percent of the economy.
Now, very soon, Mr. President, you're due to submit a new budget and my question . . .
OBAMA: Jim (sic), I know there's a question in there somewhere, because you're making a whole bunch of assertions, half of which I disagree with.
(LAUGHTER)
And I'm having to sit here listening to them. At some point, I know you're going to let me answer.
HENSARLING: That's . . .
OBAMA: All right.
HENSARLING: That's the question.
You are soon to submit a new budget, Mr. President. Will that new budget, like your old budget, triple the national debt and continue to take us down the path of increasing the cost of government to almost 25 percent of our economy? That's the question, Mr. President.
OBAMA: All right. Jim (sic), with all due respect, I've just got to take this last question as an example of how it's very hard to have the kind of bipartisan work that we're going to do, because the whole question was structured as a talking point for running -- running a campaign.
Now, look, let's talk about the budget, once again, because I'll go through it with you line by line.
The fact of the matter is, is that when we came into office, the deficit was $1.3 trillion. $1.3 trillion. So -- so when you say that suddenly I've got a monthly budget that is higher than the annual -- or a monthly deficit that's higher than the annual deficit left by Republicans, that's factually just not true, and you know it's not true.
And what is true is that we came in already with a $1.3 trillion deficit before I had passed any law. What is true is, we came in with $8 trillion worth of debt over the next decade.
Had nothing to do with anything that we had done. It had to do with the fact that in 2000, when there was a budget surplus of $200 billion, you had a Republican administration and a Republican Congress, and we had two tax cuts that weren't paid for, you had a prescription drug plan -- the biggest entitlement plan, by the way, in several decades -- that was passed, without it being paid for, you had two wars that were done through supplementals, and then you had $3 trillion projected because of the lost revenue of this recession.
That's $8 trillion. Now, we increased it by $1 trillion because of the spending that we had to make on the stimulus.
I am happy to have any independent factchecker out there take a look at your presentation versus mine in terms of the accuracy of what I just said.
I think the GOP really underestimated the President's debating skills, his intelligence and his sharp wit.
Perhaps spoon-feeding slogans to Tea Baggers and Social Conservatives has made them soft in the head?
At any rate, as I said before, I think they got an unexpected 'spanking' at their own summit.
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Mathews must've gotten all types of tingles and sensations seeing this in action!
