It's all a game and Pres. Obama is playing the Repubs like fools.

[Drunken Irishman]

I'm surprised some here haven't picked it up.

Pres. Obama knows a good number of Republicans won't support his stimulus. Sure, he could tell them to screw off and go about his business, but he's smart and he's playing this exactly like you would on the basketball court.

When John Stockton played in the NBA, there was a move he did better than any player I've ever seen. As he drove to the lane, or shifted his position with the ball, he'd put out his arm in hopes the opposing point guard would grab onto it. The second that player did, their hands were caught in the cookie jar, as the saying goes, and they were called for the foul.

It was rather elementary if you think about it, but you'd be surprised at how many players took the bait and committed the foul.

Pres. Obama is doing a very similar thing with the Republicans right now. Like I said, he knows most aren't going to back his stimulus, but he's not going to make this partisan. Instead, he's putting out his arm, in hopes the GOP bites. And that's exactly what they are doing. The entire narrative that has been established is Pres. Obama asking the GOP for help and the GOP refusing unless they get unequivocally what they want. So Pres. Obama says he's open to ideas, but nothing really comes from those ideas. Sure, he might make slight adjustments here and there, but the overall foundation of his stimulus does not change. In the end, the Republicans will be seen as committing the foul here, not Pres. Obama. He'll get his stimulus package passed, the Republicans will complain about the spending and Americans will know who really stepped up when the country was burning.

He's playing it perfectly.

[NMDemDist2]

1. but why did he cave on the Women's health section?

:banghead:

[Uzybone]

4. it really shouldn't have been in an economic stimulus bill

in the first place.

[Clio the Leo]

5. Here's my theory......

... he puts progressive legislation it into the bill, thereby pleasing the far left. He knew that there was no way the GOP would accept the bill exactly as it was, there would have to be concessions. It's a hot button issue. He knew the right would balk. So he takes it out. He's done HIS part of the "compromise" and the right feels like they've made a small victory on an issue that's important to their base.

That's my thoughts anyway .... but I really have no idea what I'm talking about, so ignore me.

[Windy]

47. Agreed. nt

[northernlights]

20. because he can get it done in a more appropriate place

and in the meantime, gave the rethugs a pawn to take.

Now he can say he compromised, and they're still obstructing.

[anonymous171]

38. Maybe that should be in a Women's health bill?

[Clio the Leo]

2. Sounds good. I'll take it. NT

[Uzybone]

3. I love a good basketball analogy

And I think you are spot on. Just like in the debates, Obama is setting the narrative. the GOP lemmings are too stupid to avoid falling into the trap.

[FrenchieCat]

6. That's because the GOP are playing last season's game........

They have yet to notice that their is a new team in town, and new rules to play by. They are doing what they have always done, and that is why they will lose in the end.

Voters have not yet forgotten how we got here, even if the Pubs have.

[jazzjunkysue]

13. Repubs only have one game: Cheat and expect political cover.

Obama's not providing cover ,and so they're acting like the privileged children they are. Whining, carping, rationalizing, minimizing, "it's too soon,"....."It's too late..."

Every typical excuse in the book.

But they lack the votes and so boo whoo for them.

They've taught their constittuants to hate the democrats, and now, the democrats are saving their collective butts.

Their entire world is crashing down on them right now: Their precious market, their precious retirements, their safe seats are now threatened by democrats. Their party is all but shuttered. No money is coming in. They put in a pathetic showing at the election.

They have nothing left to protect and nothing to lose.

So they're whining.

They made this mess, and they're getting the blame, and they can't wiggle out this time.

[bdamomma]

51. repigs have very short memories, and they are still using the

ole playbook, they are totally in disarray.

[polichick]

7. That might be true if we weren't giving up infrastructure projects and adding tax cuts.

[Shiver]

10. Uh... we're not giving up infrastructure projects

Unless something has happened in the last ten minutes that I haven't heard about, the only cut item I've heard about was the family planning item yesterday.

[polichick]

14. Actually there was a whole list of things, including mass transit, Dems left out.

[Shiver]

17. Oh, my bad

I thought you were talking about new concessions. I remember those now - they were cut before the bill was put out there on Saturday.

Each of those items is getting funding, though, just not as much. I've heard that there's supposed to be another stimulus package around the end of the year - I'm hoping that one contains more mass-transit infrastructure.

[Rockholm]

44. they need to be added in on the Senate side.

[Windy]

48. They will be because at the last minute the repubs gave the excuse that there

was not enough infrastructure improvements... Obama gets what he wanted from the beginning by setting this trap.

[Rockholm]

50. I will call it brilliant when it happens.

[bdamomma]

52. who are the obstructionists in the Senate?

McConnell
Kyl
Cornyn
? Specter
?McCain

anymore to add to that list.

[Rockholm]

53. Hmmm. How many republicans ARE there?

My bet is that Snowe and Collins, the "moderates" will be against this. Sorry, those are the only ones in the Northeast.

[TTUBatfan2008]

8. I've said it from the very beginning...

He put hundreds of billions of dollars of tax cuts into that bill before the Republicans ever began complaining, yet what did they do? They complained anyway. They look like partisan, zero compromise, all-or-nothing hacks.

[polichick]

9. But now we're stuck with those tax cuts.

[Shiver]

11. Those are the tax cuts he campaigned on

The ones aimed at the middle class. And for the record, most of the tax items are not cuts, but relief - funding for essential services like law enforcement and education.

[polichick]

16. What about the business tax cuts - that was for the Republicans.

[FrenchieCat]

18. Can you name them? These Business tax cuts?

Much of that was taken out on the first round.
What's left are small business tax cuts.....
and again, that's something that Obama campaigned on.

[Shiver]

19. Those are small business tax cuts

Which he did campaign on.

[Abq_Sarah]

22. Unfortunately, there's not a lot there

To help the majority of small businesses.

Being able to write off purchases in the year you made them instead of being forced to depreciate them over years doesn't help if you don't have the money available to make those purchases. Most business owners I know are not planning on making any large investments because they just don't know if they'll have the revenue necessary to pay off those loans.

[Shiver]

23. I think the idea is that it's all tied together

The new jobs and projects will employ people and give them money to spend. The tax cuts are to help them keep more of that money for themselves to use. The relief items are so that essential services can continue without having to fund them directly with the tax dollars taken from the people. And the small business tax cuts are for when they have money coming in from the people being able to purchase goods and services again.

Not all of it will happen at once, of course - money is needed before the tax cuts can be useful.

I hope all of that made sense, because it did in my head....

[Abq_Sarah]

27. I understand the theory

But the reality is that many people are going to lose their jobs and their businesses waiting over the next few years for the stimulus to have an effect.

If I had the answers, I'd run for office. :D

[Shiver]

29. If I weren't a diagnosed kleptomaniac, I'd run too

But I'm pretty sure the years of uncontrolled theft would come back to haunt me (Five years clean next month!)

[Caretha]

49. Here's an example of how it will help

and is going to help the "small" business I work for. I work for a self storage company. It consists of the owner, 1 full time employee (me), and 2 part time employees. The owner has been putting off making capital improvements in his business for a few years. Now that he will receive the depreciation tax breaks, he plans to begin reinvesting in his business by putting in a new parking lot, paving the rest of the property with asphalt, improving and replacing fencing on 3/4 of the property (the property encompasses 10 acres), adding more security cameras and the computer technology to support them, adding & building additional outdoor storage, adding & improving on property signage, and I could go on, there is so much more. The money he spends on capital outlay will go to alot of other businesses that provide jobs for people in other industries.

If the small company I work for is planning this kind of capital outlay because of the change in the depreciation tax law, it makes me think there are alot of other small companies that will do the same thing. And remember, small business actually makes-up the majority of our economy.

[Abq_Sarah]

54. Most of items you listed

Can't be expensed and must be depreciated over time. The limits may have been raised but the categories of acceptable outlays pretty much remains the same. Believe me, no business owner makes any capital improvements without weighing the tax hit against any revenue increase. In an uncertain economy, very few people are willing to take a risk that can ruin them financially.

[Peacetrain]

21. Obama campaigned on cuts to small buisness.. small business

create around 70% of jobs, buy many of them are closing because they cannot get loans to make the payroll..much less insurance for employees.. they survive on revolving credit, much like the family farmers

Once again Obama is just being true to what he said he was going to do

Edit: misspelling in the header

[Abq_Sarah]

39. They need more than loans

They need people able to afford the goods and services they sell. My business, for example, doesn't operate on loans. If I had to use a line of credit to make payroll, pay the rent, etc.. with no guarantee of money coming in, I'd close my doors. No way am I going to default and leave someone else holding the bag. That's what got us into this mess.

[jenmito]

12. I agree 100%. And when "No Drama Obama" drops parts of the bill that shouldn't

have really been in there anyway, ones the Repubs. complain about, and they STILL oppose him, and then he meets with them and invites them to dinners or parties and they STILL oppose him, THEY end up looking like obstructionist fools and Obama ends up looking like the big man that he is, doing his best to reach out.

[Lugnut]

15. The Repubs are playing checkers.

President Obama is playing chess.

[PlanetBev]

24. The Irishman speaks the truth

We're talking about a man that defeated the Clinton Machine and The Rove Machine. He's playing the GOP like a violin, appealing to their delusional belief that they're still relevant. The more he appears to listen to them, the harder they're going to find it to hate him.

The biggest losers? Pigboy, Man Coulter, Hannity and all the other idiots who are working overtime, trying to figure out a way to demonize Obama.

[Enrique]

25. they have gotten significant concessions out of him

not that I don't understand that that's how things work...

[hulka38]

26. The stadium where the game is being played is falling apart pretty rapidly now.

When the roof caves in people aren't going to care who was called for the foul.

[elleng]

28. Thanks.

WaPo.com says this, with no follow up article that I can find:

'Regional transportation officials said today that they expect a windfall from the proposed federal stimulus program that would essentially double this year's federal spending on roads and rails in the region.'

[Honeycombe8]

30. So far, the Repubs have won. Obama knew that MOST wouldn't vote the bill?

Try NONE. Not one Repub. Zippo.

And yet, they got parts taken out, parts added in. And they didn't even have to vote for it! They win. If it doesn't turn out well, they'll say, "I didn't vote for it." If it does turn out well, they'll say, "The part that worked is the tax cut part that we insisted the liberal Dems put in the bill." It's a win-win for the Repubs.

And a big first lesson for Obama. He bent over backwards to fashion the bill the way the opposition wanted it. They kept insisting on this, on that. In the end, nothing but a Republican bill would do. So not one single Republican voted for it. Egg on Obama's face for total failure in reaching across the aisle.

Bet he won't bend that far the next time. He's learned a lesson, IMO. He'll still reach across the aisle, But he won't bend in order to do it.

And with 11 Dems voting against Obama, too????? With loyal Dems like that, who needs Repubs?

[SpartanDem]

31. you have no clue

The tax cuts in bill we're the Obama campaigned on and those he refused to touch.

Maybe you forgot this little story?

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama told Republican House leaders Tuesday he plans to stand firm on the part of his $825 billion economic recovery plan that calls for tax rebates for nearly all working Americans -- including those who make too little to owe income

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/27/obama.meetings/index.html

So to say the opposition fashioned this is load of crap. When all that was lost were thing like family planning money while nice has no place in a bill like this. Obama was able pass the package without compromising on the core parts. Do you and others complaining about this realize that Obama just every member of the GOP to vote against middle class tax cuts? Ya think we're gonna see ads about this 2010.

[Maven]

35. This is the correct answer.

However, it also gives Obama an out, a justification for ignoring their complaints from now on. After all, if they won't vote for the bill anyway, why bother?

[Raine]

32. Yup and they fell for it

hook, line and sinker! :rofl:

[Juche]

33. Obama is good at making his enemies destroy themselves

Remember how much damage Bill and Hillary Clinton's reputations endured during the primaries (people were saying Hillary wanted obama to get assassinated so she'd get the nod, or people saying Bill was racist)? Or how much McCain's reputation deteriorated and how Obama egged him on? Obama knows how to pressure people into destroying themselves, which is a great political skill. I admire the hell out of him as a politician.

[harun]

45. Reid and Pelosi know the game, and will assist him in destroying

the pukes.

[demokatgurrl]

34. You know, I thought that too but now it seems

they have played him. They let him go down to the Capitol and kiss up to them and what do they do? Spit in his face. I hope he has a long memory. And I hope PEOPLE FUCKING NOTICE.

[CakeGrrl]

36. I agree with the OP - Obama is playing *them*

He's seen what they've been capable of since they tried to bring Clinton down.

He's seen them enable Bush at every opportunity.

He's not expecting them to change - I think he was probably expecting them to behave like the asses they've been for so long, though it would've been easier if they were truly interested in meeting him partway.

Obama has made very public gestures of inclusion. The Repubs are smacking his hand, but they're screwed. They don't really want to help him; I'm sure some of them really DO want him to fail and can't stand the idea that he might be successful in any way. But if they don't help him, they're going to look like obstructionist jackasses who are trying to derail the president who has said repeatedly that he wants to get America back on track.

[Baltoman991]

37. How did

they play him? What did the get cut? The funding for women? Shouldn't have been in this bill in the first place.

They won nothing unless they were playing to see who looked like the biggest asshole and in that case, Republicans won hands down.

He showed the country that Republicans are still playing the "it's my way or the highway" game, the same game that's gotten them voted out of office in huge numbers the past two elections. He's shown that they're not going to change. Obama 1........Republicans 0.

[Jennicut]

40. Nah, no way was he "played". He did not think they would change

he just wanted to point out that the Rethugs are in fact, still a-holes. He offered the hand of bipartisan ship, he did not kiss up. There is a difference. He fudged a few things here and there but refused to totally change the stimulus package for them. They are coming off as a bunch of do-nothings in a time of great crisis.

[cooolandrew]

41. Yes, to kick them to the curb gives Republicans just what they want.

[underpants]

42. Another basketball analogy

you are right in that Obama IS a basketball player and there are a lot of different ways to play the game

I made this analogy a week ago

The key in basketball is footwork. Sure it looks like the game is played up at the rim but to get there you have to have solid footwork.
Obama appears to be not tripping them up but making them loose their footing (the cross over dribble) long enough to get his shoulders in front of theirs and from there they are just playing catch-up. When you chase and play catch-up you reach and foul.

great point DI

[MadHound]

43. So how many people are you willing to sacrifice while Obama plays petty political games?

How many frozen elderly are you willing to put up with? How many people are you willing to see tossed under the bus in some vain quest for bipartisanship?

We don't have either the time or the wiggle room to play these petty political games. The public weighed in on how much they value 'Pug's ideas and methods, and they were found wanting. Screw the bipartisanship bullshit and get down to helping out this country. FDR realized the gravity of his situation and didn't waste time or resources playing these political games, Obama needs to follow his lead.

[depakid]

46. It's always impressive to see politcal neophytes fall for the same scam

-and then write rationalizations as to why capitulation on various issues is a really GOOD thing- some sort of chess move.

All the while, poor public policy choices are made- and the objects of their reverence look ever weaker.

It's like a ponzi scheme- new suckers for the game.