Underground WPA

[loyalsister]

John Kerry has had an infrastructure proposal and legislation for this:

"President Barack Obama has pledged to create a national infrastructure bank since first running for the highest office three years ago. Obama renewed his push with the budget he proposed in February by requesting that Congress put $5 billion a year for six years into establishing a bank."

http://kerry.senate.gov/press/in_the_news/article/?id=01f37e59-5056-a032-5211-495b0accf2d6

http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=74257

These kinds of projects would create jobs, open job markets, and stimulate tourism. How about we get behind it and call our elected officials. Talk to people in the community especially organized groups. Let's organize in favor of something.

[Armstead]

1. The stimulus is bringing rural Internet broadband access to my state

which is also Kerry's state.

That's the kind of stimulus that could really help the economy and do a lot of good.

I just wish the Democratic Party would push such things, and stop echoing the GOP on the manufactured "deficit crisis."

[loyalsister]

2. What good is just talking about it....

If no one else talks about it or outwardly supports it? It's possible that local leaders don't even know it is there. Not because congress members don't talk about it (John Kerry actually did in a recent interview) but because we don't talk about it.

Why don't we as citizens back him up on this instead of focusing on what we don't like or what isn't happening?
Cities, counties, and states have an interest and may not even be aware of it. I think we should lobby leadership in every part of government as well as any boards or commissions. I have seen this in action. We need to show some leadership ourselves and work from the ground up.

[Armstead]

3. It's not talking about it. And it's not just about Obama.

I will tell you that this is a Big Deal where I live and transcends political identification. The lack of high-speed Internet and even cable TV in some communities has been a big issue here for over a decade, and this goal is supported by business conservatives as well as liberals.

The stimulus finally made it possible. Just the results will make a huge economic difference, both in the short run jobs and customer it will provide during construction, and the long range benefits to the region's economy after it is up and running.

Politically, if results like this had been consistently highlighted by Obama and national Democrats as successful examples of the stimulus, that would have made a big difference in generating widespread support for the important role of Keynesian Liberal Economics. And it would have helped to suppress GOP bullshit.

Instead Obama was almost apologetic about the stimulus -- and characterized it as a temporary necessary evil. And then, he and other Democratic leaders sacrificed both the principle and ability to do that more and actually "sell" the role of government in the economic crisis. Instead, he and they started echoing the GOP CONservative line that long-range deficits were the crisis, and that positive action like the stimulus were harmful and irrelevant and unnecessary.

That's what is so frustrating about lost opportunities. And it's not just about Obama. It is a classic example of the sell-outs and surrenders that characterize the Democratic Centrist Leadership.

[loyalsister]

4. So the leadership rhetoric has more impact than action on the ground?

Smart politicians know that they are not there to change people's minds. That is what elections are about, but the job itself is very different.
It is up to us to take advantage of the good stuff. There is a sign in the bus station here that credits Kit Bond for bringing home the pork for upgrades. He didn't campaign on it, but people know he did it. Why not have the city and citizen boards credit whoever deserves it for what they did to make it happen.

[Armstead]

5. That is the opposite of what I said

The stimulus did good things on the ground, many of which would be popular across the ideological spectrum.

But instead of capitalizing on that -- and yes using it in rhetoric -- Obama and other Democratic politicians deflected and allow the GOP to hijack the debate with lies ablout how the stimulus was a failure.

The coreect answer is (in slightly nicer words) : "You Republicans are lying when you call the stimulus a failure. Here are real tangible examples of how is is improving both the lives of people, and direct benefits to the business community and economy. We need more of it."

[loyalsister]

6. When\what was the question posed?

I have not seen one on one conversations where this specific question came up. Is there video\transcript?
I would speculate that what you are talking about is part of the list that gets so much ridicule.

[Armstead]

7. The general Public Dialogue is what I'm referring to

This project has been able to get support from a broad consensus around here.

I'll bet there are similar projects and programs that have similar support in their localities.

Democrats should have been these trotting these out to illustrate how the stimulus was successful.

I'm just saying it was an example of a missed opportunity to counter the GOP Teabaggers.