Grade the executive

[92bDad]

Being a French-American, I must laugh when I see a French President who is a stronger leader and a tougher individual than our own American President. Then after I'm done laughing, I realize how sad it is.

[dude1394]

It's tough to have a frenchman having to worry about America going wobbly. But when we elect an inexperienced left-wing community organizer as our prez...that's what we get.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/art...for_obama.html

Nicolas Sarkozy was furious with Barack Obama for his adolescent warbling about a world without nuclear weapons at a meeting Mr. Obama chaired of the United Nations Security Council last Thursday (9/24).

"We must never stop until we see the day when nuclear arms have been banished from the face of the earth," President Obama said.

What infuriated President Sarkozy was that at the time Mr. Obama said those words, Mr. Obama knew the mullahs in Iran had a secret nuclear weapons development site, and he didn't call them on it.

‘President Obama dreams of a world without weapons...but right in front of us two countries are doing the exact opposite," Mr. Sarkozy said.

"Iran since 2005 has flouted five Security Council resolutions," Mr. Sarkozy said. "North Korea has been defying Council resolutions since 1993."

"What good has proposals for dialogue brought the international community?" he asked rhetorically. "More uranium enrichment and declarations by the leaders of Iran to wipe out a UN member state off the map."

[Mavdog]

rather than rely on the interpertation's of sarkozy's speech ("furious"? "infuriated"?), read the speech itself. sure doesn't read like how the above is depicting it, especially when sarkozy says he is "in complete support" of obama.
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64th United Nations General Assembly – United Nations Security Council Summit on Nuclear Non-Proliferation – Speech by Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the Republic, to the United Nations Security Council
New York, 24 September 2009

France fully supports your initiative to organize this meeting and the efforts you undertook with Russia to reduce nuclear arsenals. But let us speak frankly – we are here to guarantee peace.

We are right to speak of the future, but before the future there is the present, and at present we have two nuclear crises.

The people of the entire world are listening to what we’re saying, to our promises, our commitments and our speeches, but we live in a real world, not a virtual world.

We say: reductions must be made. And President Obama has even said, “I dream of a world without [nuclear weapons].” Yet before our very eyes, two countries are currently doing the exact opposite. Since 2005, Iran has violated five Security Council resolutions. Since 2005, Secretary-General, the international community has called on Iran to engage in dialogue. An offer of dialogue was made in 2005, an offer of dialogue was made in 2006, an offer of dialogue was made in 2007, an offer of dialogue was made in 2008, and another one was made in 2009. President Obama, I support the Americans’ outstretched hand. But what did the international community gain from these offers of dialogue? Nothing. More enriched uranium, more centrifuges, and on top of that, a statement by Iranian leaders proposing to wipe a UN member State off the map.

What are we doing? What conclusions are we drawing? There comes a time when facts are stubborn and decisions must be made.

If we want in the end to have a world without nuclear weapons, let us not accept the violation of international rules.

I understand perfectly well the various positions of the different parties, but all of us may one day be threatened by a neighbour who has obtained a nuclear weapon.

Second, North Korea. It gets even better: they have violated all Security Council deliberations since 1993, and they disregard everything that the international community says, everything. What’s more, they are continuing their ballistic tests.

How can we accept this? What conclusions can we draw from it? I say that at some point, all of us – regardless of our positions in other respects – will have to work together to adopt sanctions and to ensure that the UN Security Council’s decisions are effective.

Finally, I share the opinion expressed by the President of Uganda and the Chinese President with respect to access to civil nuclear energy. We, the nuclear powers, must agree to technology transfers so that everyone can have access to this clean energy. I would add that this will make it possible to avoid deliberate confusion on the part of those who claim to be carrying out nuclear research for civilian purposes while they’re doing it for military purposes.

So, ladies and gentlemen, my dear colleagues, this is what I believe, in full support of what was decided in the resolution and in full support of President Obama’s initiative. What I believe is that by having the courage to strengthen sanctions, together, against countries that violate Security Council resolutions, we will give credibility to our commitment to a world whose future holds fewer nuclear weapons and perhaps, one day, no nuclear weapons.

[dude1394]

Barry had better get his game one...another "opportunity" as in crisis is quickly coming.
http://fabiusmaximus.wordpress.com/2...01/solvency-2/

I'm thinking of going all-in on international investments, this country is starting to look screwed.

(1) Monthly cash flow of the US Social Security Administration
Month Cash in Outgo Surplus/Deficit YoY $ YoY %
Jan-09 $71,854 $55,290 $16,564 -$2,906 -15%
Feb-09 $54,413 $55,760 -$1,347 -$3,863 -154%
Mar-09 $58,669 $56,135 $2,534 -$4,935 -66%
Apr-09 $77,081 $56,596 $20,485 -$3,827 -16%
May-09 $54,408 $56,330 -$1,922 -$5,068 -161%
Jun-09 $61,156 $61,383 -$227 -$6,553 -104%
Jul-09 $56,345 $56,890 -$545 -$4,207 -115%
Aug-09 $50,657 $56,490 -$5,833 -$5,642 -2954%
Notes:

• In millions of dollars. Big money — aprox 5% of US GDP.
• YoY means Year-over-Year (e.g, August vs. August).
• This does not include the Medicare Trust Fund, for which I see only annual data. It contributions probably show the same trend.
• Quarterly contributions arrive in March, June, etc. April, of course, is a big month for contributions.
• Does not include “interest” paid by the government to itself, which is just another journal on the the government’s books.
• For more information see the source.

See the trend! The year-over-year change in the surplus was -$15.3B in the first four months of 2009, and -$21.5B in the second four months. Cash in was down 15%; cash out was up 3%. The latest forecasts were for the system to go cash-flow negative in 2016 (Medicare went into the red in 2004). August looks esp ugly, as Bruce Krasting warned us at his blog on 8 September 2009.


This does not mean that social security will go broke. Social security contributions are just taxes. Social security benefits are promises by the US government, and can be changed at will. Instead this marks an inflection point for the government’s solvency. For decades the taxes for Medicare and social security exceeded expenditures on those programs. The government spent this money.


This is the end of an era. As the boomers retire, expenditures for our social retirement programs begin their inexorable rise. Instead of funding the rest of the government, these programs become burdens. For the next few decades the government will find the deficit growing each year (all other things being equal). For more on this see “The biggest bailout yet“, Fortune, 17 August 2009). The coming wave of deficits are too large for any feasible tax increases to cover it. For more on the effects of various proposals, see these reports by the Chief Actuary.

[dude1394]

Ms. Noonan nails it.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...713762884.html

The problem isn't his personality, it's his policies. His problem isn't what George W. Bush left but what he himself has done. It is a problem of political judgment, of putting forward bills that were deeply flawed or off-point. Bailouts, the stimulus package, cap-and-trade; turning to health care at the exact moment in history when his countrymen were turning their concerns to the economy, joblessness, debt and deficits—all of these reflect a misreading of the political terrain. They are matters of political judgment, not personality. (Republicans would best heed this as they gear up for 2010: Don't hit him, hit his policies. That's where the break with the people is occurring.)
The result of all this is flagging public support, a drop in the polls, and independents peeling off.
In this atmosphere, with these dynamics, Mr. Obama's excuse-begging and defensiveness won't work.
Everyone knows he was handed horror. They want him to fix it.
At some point, you own your presidency. At some point it's your rubble. At some point the American people tell you it's yours. The polls now, with the presidential approval numbers going down and the disapproval numbers going up: That's the American people telling him.

[Mavdog]

According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Goldman Sachs’ Chief U.S. Economist says that President Obama’s economic stimulus package is beginning to boost U.S. economic performance. ”Many forecasters say stimulus spending is adding two to three percentage points to economic growth in the second and third quarters, when measured at an annual rate. The impact in the second quarter, calculated by analyzing how the extra funds flowing into the economy boost consumption, investment and spending, helped slow the rate of decline and will lay the groundwork for positive growth in the third quarter — something that seemed almost implausible just a few months ago.
And not skipping a beat on the good news, the White House issued statements reinforcing its view when the program went into effect last Spring that it would take several months for the stimulus effects on the economy to kick-in. Meanwhile, Vice President Joe Biden also went on the offensive, saying the administration’s sweeping stimulus effort “is in fact working” despite public skepticism driven largely by steady Republican criticism. The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act was passed in January without a single Republican vote, despite President Obama’s bipartisan efforts. Biden noted, “The recovery act has played a significant role in changing the trajectory of our economy, and changing the conversation in this country. Instead of talking about the beginning of a depression, we are talking about the end of a recession.”

‘The recovery act isin fact working and has played a significant role in changing the trajectory of our economy, and changing the conversation in this country. Instead of talking about the beginning of a depression, we are talking about the end of a recession.’



Nearly 200 days into the effort, Biden delivered an upbeat report card about the $787 billion rescue effort that President Barack Obama pushed through Congress. He quoted estimates by private sector economists and independent analysts that the plan has created or saved 500,000 to 750,000 jobs so far. The White House is eager to promote signs of progress as the economy lumbers out of recession. Many economists warn that the unemployment rate will keep rising until at least 2Q 2010. Unemployent tends to be a lagging economic indicator, yet, it is by that measure — the loss or creation of jobs — by which many Americans decide whether economic life is getting better or not.
Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers on Sept. 10 will report an updated projection of the number of jobs created or saved because of the stimulus plan. Biden said he expected it will back up his predictions of 150,000 jobs in the first 100 days and another 600,000 formed or saved over the second 100 days of the act

Some economists say the 1% contraction in the second quarter would have been far worse, possibly as much as 3.2%, if not for the stimulus. “For the third quarter, economists at Goldman Sachs predict the U.S. economy will grow by 3.3%. ‘Without that extra stimulus, we would be somewhere around zero,’ said Jan Hatzius, chief U.S. economist for Goldman.”

[dude1394]

Well...we've never really judged barry by his mentors and confidants, so this is also non-sequitor I guess.
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnal...aspx?id=511113

Leadership: What are we to make of a White House visitors list that includes 22 swiftly scheduled appointments with a union boss at a time when Gen. Stanley McChrystal can't get face time with the commander in chief?

[fizarrek73]

Princess what does it read on that gazeebo type structure?

Cute cat BTW.

[fizarrek73]

Princess what does it read on that gazeebo type structure?

Cute cat BTW.

[Dirkadirkastan]

Can we ban the random word generator already?

[dude1394]

Ughh...What would I expect from an inexperienced community organizer. Yuck.. And I was griping that only Barry had no experience.

http://blog.american.com/?p=7572
.

[dude1394]

The market gives our radical left-wing inexperienced community organizer another failing grade.

Ford Motor Company’s December 2009 sales were up 33 percent from December 2008. By comparison, Chrysler’s sales were down 4 percent. GM has yet to report. One factor is almost certainly the quality of Ford’s product — my wife certainly loves her Ford Edge and hopes we’ll get another when the lease runs out — but I suspect Ford’s position as the only major U.S. automaker to neither go bankrupt nor take bailout money is another.
UPDATE: GM December sales were down 6 percent. Most foreign automakers posted December gains. Honda, for instance, reported a 24 percent increase in December sales; Nissan an 18 percent gain.

[mcsluggo]

uh... you have an direction of causality problem here... no?

[dude1394]

Not really. I expect many (myself) and others in the comments thread would not consider buying a chrysler or gm product because of the bailouts and the UAW ownership of the company.

Those companies imo are pretty much doomed, only the UAW democrat voters will remain.

[mcsluggo]

well, first the obvious: FORD WASN'T BAILED OUT BECAUSE IT DIDN'T HAVE TO BE.

is it even POSSIBLE for thereto be a more clear indication of starting health/competitiveness in this horesrace...? c'mon now.




second. I find your piss-and-moan-and-whine-and-pout....

"I will never buy a crysler car because of that meany pants Obama..."

as the rationale for

"THE MARKET gives our radical left-wing inexperienced community organizer another failing grade."

...pretty humorous. Oh well.

[dude1394]

You would...Correct Ford didn't have to be bailed out and the UAW does not own most of the company either, so customers would look at that and think better of buying a car from the UAW.

[dude1394]

The guy throws billions at his union supporters and what does he actually cut?

The highly touted intelligence fusion center at the heart of the nation’s counterterrorism establishment was preparing for deep budget cuts across 2010, senior intelligence officials said. According to one official, who asked not to be identified because intelligence budget matters are classified, the administration and Congress slashed the budget for the National Counterterrorism Center by at least $25 million. Those affected, the official said, included employees responsible for maintaining the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE) system, which contains the list of about 550,000 known or suspected terrorists.
…
Both the Director of National Intelligence, Adm. Dennis Blair, and the head of the NCTC, Mike Leiter, pressed to have the funding restored well before the Christmas Day attack exposed potential problems.

[dude1394]

I think we should grade him criminal.

Labor's $60 Billion Payoff

A health tax that hits everyone except the Democratic base.
Democrats seem impervious to embarrassment as they buy votes for ObamaCare, but their latest move makes even Nebraska's Ben Nelson look cheap: The 87% of Americans who don't belong to a union will now foot the bill for a $60 billion giveaway to those who do.

I'll try to make this a bit more clear. You live at 123 Main Street. Your neighbor lives at 125 Main street. You're big pals. You drive a truck for one trucking company, your pal drives a similar truck for another company. Your families vacation together. Your kids play together every afternoon. Both of you earn pretty much the same salary and live in houses that are worth the same. You drive cars of equal value. You have similar dreams and aspirations for your two families. Both of you earn some pretty good bucks and you both have comprehensive health care plans - health care plans that the Democrats would call "Cadillac" plans. There is only one difference between you and your bud. The company you work for is not unionized. Your pal is a member of the Teamster's Union. So ... if Obama has his way with his so-called health insurance reform you will end up paying a tax on your health care plan. Your pal won't.

I thought being taxed just for being alive was pretty egregious, but now being taxed for not being a democrat supporter is something else.

Just when I thought this bozo couldn't get worse, he does.

[dude1394]

Continues to just FAIL. The dude is clueless. Our inexperienced radical left wing community organizer now has decided if he can just find another bogey-man, the people will love him again. Fat chance, that bus is gone.

How delusional do you have to be to state in the wake of getting your a** kicked in Mass. no less that the voters are just angry at bush and that's why they elected....wait for it..... A republican who campaigned against just about everything he is trying to pull over on the US. wow..

The scary thing is that many of us believe the President hardly knows much of anything, certainly not economics, and is surrounded by an increasingly paranoid and defensive group of advisers. It’s shades of Nixon, but worse. Tricky Dick, at least, knew what he was doing and could accomplish things. Obama is the biggest windbag to ever ascend to the presidency. He has no idea what he is doing and now things are getting rough. Frankly, I’m worried for our country because this man doesn’t really understand what the public is telling him. He just thinks we’re “angry.” He’s wrong – we’re furious and we’re furious because he blames everyone but himself and seems psychologically incapable of taking responsibility. One can imagine a ninety-year old Obama stumbling around in some rest home shaking his walking stick at George Bush. But forthe moment Bush is being replaced boy. Now evidently it’s the banks fault. The evil bankers are to blame. It’s capitalism, stupid

[dude1394]

No s*** sherlock.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20...g/a8uii1bcrdmy

Obama Seen as Anti-Business by 77% of U.S. Investors

[dude1394]

I'm so happy that Bahama talked down the market and lost everyone in the country all of the profits that have been made this year.

First tenet is do no harm.

[mcsluggo]

Dude. You seriously need to get out of your cabin more often... the manifesto can wait.

[rabbitproof]

Economy in U.S. Grew at 5.7% Pace, Most in Six Years (Update2)

By Timothy R. Homan

Jan. 29 (Bloomberg) -- The economy in the U.S. expanded in the fourth quarter at the fastest pace in six years as factories cranked up assembly lines and companies increased investment in equipment and software.

The 5.7 percent increase in gross domestic product, which exceeded the median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News, marked the best performance since the third quarter of 2003, figures from the Commerce Department showed today in Washington. Efforts to rebuild depleted inventories contributed 3.4 percentage points to GDP, the most in two decades.


---

the restovit: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...D1MDQQ8g&pos=1

[mcsluggo]

The Obama admin didn't cause the growth surge last quarter any more than he caused the global crash....

.... but the very same people that are in this thread BLAMING Obama (essentially) for the current global slowdown are going to bitch moan and complain when he gets credit for the economy picking back up.

::shrug