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Now that President Obama has encountered some political turbulence in just the first 3 weeks of his presidency, it will be interesting to see how he crafts his message this week as he takes his stimulus message on the road for the first time.
Anyone with any sense knows the ovations he receives in Indiana, Florida and Illinois this week will be thunderous. And that is only right. Outside of missteps regarding the suitability of a few of his appointments, Obama has done what he promised. He has attempted to get the country back on solid economic ground.
But now that Obama has suffered resistance from Republicans opposed to his spending plan, will Obama continue to court the opposition in an attempt to coax them to his thinking? Or will he use his greatest strength, his connection with people, to ratchet up the rhetoric and demand that the GOP stand aside and let him do the job he was elected to do in the manner he sees fit?
The president may have offered a little hint of how he will speak to the crowds this week during his weekly address. He said that while national employment figures continue to disappoint, he was pleased the Senate Democrats and Republicans reached agreement on key portions of his spending proposal.
So the president may continue to offer an olive branch to Republicans. But the question remains how long will his patience last and he turns that branch into a whipping switch.
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Paul Shepard blogs the Democrat side of politics for Black Voices. He has been a journalist for 16 years: on the national urban/minority affairs beat for The Cleveland Plain Dealer and for AP in Washington, D.C. He now runs his own public affairs firm, Shepard Strategic Communications
Comments: (28)
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By: NA'TALYAH on 2/09/2009 1:59PM
I THINK THAT THE REPUBLICANS SHOULD JUST LET OBAMA DO WHAT HE WAS ELECTED TO DO, & THAT'S GET US BACK IN ORDER, GET THE ECONMY BACK ON ITS FEET. HELL IF THEY GAVE BUSH 8YRS TO MESS UP, OBAMA CANT POSSIBLY TAKE US FURTHER DOWN--WHAT GOES DOWN MUST EVENTUALLY COME BACK UP, WITH HARD WORK,DETERMINATION & PLENTY OF FAITH. THAT'S WHAT I DO HAVE IN OBAMA "STRONG FAITH".
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By: Jessie on 2/09/2009 2:17PM
That would be all nice if it were true. At least you called it what it is a "spending bill". The problem is, as most economists have said, this bill is a lot of spending and very few jobs. Obama has made more than a few mistakes and not only in vetting. He says he wants a stimulus bill with no earmarks and then lauds and even laughs when he's speaking of all the earmarks it contains. This when he's supposed to be selling this bill to America. That's just ignnorant and the epitome of elitism. If Obama truely wants public support of this pork bill he would ask congress to pospone the raises they got in January. This bill is less effective than the last democrat bailout the media labeled as the Bush bailout and filled with much more pork. No, Obama has done little of what he promised other than push for a bill that pays off favors to mayors, governors, and unions that supported his campaign. This is not the time for doing that. Other than bad picks for his cabinet Obama's first act was to worry with other countries abortions. This is important in today's economy??? Second act is to brown nose the Arabs?? And how can the man say the country can't afford to do anything with healthcare or stimulus checks but we can afford raises for the do nothing congress? As far as promises Obama is batting about 0-30.
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By: MERRY BAKER on 2/09/2009 2:31PM
As I see it the Republicans use of collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward radicals or liberals in favor of social programs to help the underprivileged, to be receive train, the disadvantaged, economically, those who are not regarded as members of the conservative political parties’ disposition to preserve or restore what is established tickled down economics(cut taxes across the board allows the rich to horde more and continue to feed off the poor), traditionally,(cut funding to social-educational programs that level the playing field) the only way to keep the playing field unleveled is to keep the public ignorant that limits change. Therefore, the United States’ history of the principles of possessing and the practices of maintaining the political conservatives are free of worry, unlike, mostly, African-American, many, are first fired, last hired, minorities, many, dreams deferred more often than not, by negativity built-in bureaucratic acts in, most, United States’ governing systems. The oversight of injustice, daily, goes unaddressed and impacts, depressingly, mostly, the cost of health care, not to mention, the blow, unconstructively, to education and the setback to welfare. Where does the money go? It doesn’t go to people that need it but instead goes to the greedy governing money management. An administration that plays god with direction characterized by excessive red tape and routine that screens out the deprived and cuts off the poor that means a greedy system stays a gluttonous, bureaucratic process that dumps disapproval on the disfranchised, and evokes statements from the haves that the low income persons mustn’t attempt to own a home since ownership of property indicates ability to maintain a level of income that the haves can cut the legs off the low income persons, with the labor process last hired, first fired since the rich, generally, in control of government and market aren’t going to allow low income persons to maintain high enough pay to save and to make mortgage payments unlike the free of worries the conservative herd that always had a head start.
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By: Nan on 2/09/2009 2:57PM
Yeah - he's hot in the welfare states that got him elected! Uneducated people who didn't know anything but the lies they were spoonfed by the media. This man will destroy America and the idiots who elected him are the only ones pleased with him so far.
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By: childpl on 2/09/2009 8:57PM
I voted for President Obama. I will always back him. Does it appear that he is leaving out black Americans? If I am wrong, please talk me down.
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By: tn1206 on 2/09/2009 10:24PM
im a black farmer has there been talk of black farmers in the us
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By: vincent on 2/09/2009 11:02PM
PRESANT OBAMA I TRUST HIM AND THE AMERICAN TRUST HIM TOO AND BY THE HELP OF GOD HE WILL TAKE US OUT OF THE WORST STAGE OF OUR LIFE GOD BLESS AMERACA AND MAY GOD BLESS HIM AND HIS FIMILEY
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By: Cathy C. on 2/10/2009 12:37PM
If Obama truly wants to get to the root of this mess, he need look no further than one single subject, which happens to be a two headed snake. First of all there's all this outsourcing, then comes the second part insourcing of millions upon millions of these H1B Visa high technology workers into this country from India And if you think these greedy corporations are stopping here guess again. All these H1B Visa workers will not be leaving the states anytime soon; not returning home after their two-year contracts either. A good portions of them are simply biding their time in obtain their citizenship papers these corporations are helping them obtain. Think it stop here, Oh, Hell no! Corporations like Disco Systems are even handing them cards for free transportation on our bus and rail systems, discounts on rental cars and all sorts of other benefits as well. (I now refer to this Co. by this name, because they are currently dancing our jobs out of this country) Paying them less than the American worker they claim? Their getting all these giving side benefits these corporations are simply writing all this off their taxes.
So basically we’re allowing these big corporations to tell us, how far to bend over so they can xrewing us with a toilet plunger. Enough is enough!
If anyone thinks what I'm saying is one big lie, Well you can come on out here to visit Silicon Valley, CA sometimes, and you take a good long look at what you see coming and going from all these corporations out here...Believe me when I tell you, “Your eyes are going to pop out of your head.
A friend of mine said, just the other day, he and a friend decided to ride the city bus, and much to their shock as they looked around, they were the only Non East Indians on the bus… “And he happens to be Japanese American”. Said he thought he was on a bus over in New Delhi.
So when you keep hearing about all our jobs that are being lost to outsourcing, you go and watch Lou Dobbs on CNN and get the real truth as to why our country is going to hell. Obama can keep tossing money at this problem until the cows come home, but it’s not going to solve anything in the end. He’s got to address this IMMIGRATION mess
NO 1, and start making it mandatory these corporations hire American workers first, and send all these foreign high technology workers packing back to wherever.
Can’t find American workers they claim…Well, just maybe they need to be looking in all the unemployment lines that are heading around the block.
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By: Cathy C. on 2/10/2009 12:46PM
Love Obama, he's got the guts to tell the American people like it is. All he needs to do to help set things right is rid himself of that no-good Nancy Pelosi. While she's saying she wants to help the American worker, while at the same time stabbing them in the back by helping that no-good #%*@~ Bill Gate obtain a higher quota of these H1B Visa workers.
This is help none of us need.
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By: Jessie on 2/10/2009 2:27PM
Stay tuned for Pelosi near trillion dollar pork filled bailout number 3!
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