The Obama Presidency - 2008 & 2012

[molson]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

So which bill are you proposing that Ryan vote for that would be functionally equivalent of what he's asking? Some sort of salaried professionals negotiation bill?

How about a law giving us the right not to take a job if you don't like the terms of the job? (Wait, the constitution already gives us that right)

[flere-imsaho]

As I've previously described, work/life balance is accomplished in a number of different ways. Sometimes the worker has the negotiating power to accomplish it, but more often, for Americans, it's something where you have to work around your employer's demands.

Therefore I'm not cherry-picking any particular bill Ryan should have supported as opposed to voting against. I'm, again, pointing out that his actions of the past week, compared to the entirety of his voting record, indicate a disconnect between what he wants for himself and the situation he believes his constituents should have.

You want me to pick a bill so you can nit and pick, but I'm making a broader argument, and one you seem disinclined to engage.

[flere-imsaho]

Speaking of work/life balance, guys, this has been super-fun and all, but I have to leave in a bit to pick up my kids, make dinner, and put them to bed. We'll have to continue at a later date.

For your comfort, however, all the time I will be thinking of Paul Ryan and his exhaustive efforts to improve my work/life balance.

[AENeuman]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

Speaking of work/life balance, guys, this has been super-fun and all, but I have to leave in a bit to pick up my kids, make dinner, and put them to bed. We'll have to continue at a later date.

False equivalence

[Edward64]

Specific details aren't out yet but I'm glad there's some sort of deal. Nice way to send off Boehner and have the new speaker not worry about a budget crisis for the next 2 years.

Congressional leaders, White House reach two-year budget deal - The Washington Post

The 144-page bill, which is the result of weeks of negotiations between the White House and Congressional leaders, would increase spending by $80 billion over two years and would increase the federal borrowing limit through March 15, 2017. A Wednesday vote all but ensures the budget deal will be one of the last acts for House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) who intends to step down from the speakership by Friday.
:
:
The agreement includes about $80 billion in additional spending over two years, divided equally between defense and domestic programs. Those spending increases would be offset by savings from changes to the Social Security disability insurance fund and Medicare payments to doctors and other health care providers. New revenue would be raised by auctioning off portions of government owned broadcast spectrum, selling oil from the Strategic Oil Reserve and by cracking down on audits of large business partnerships.

It also includes an additional $16 billion over two years from off-budget spending increases from the Overseas Contingency Operations Fund. That portion would not need to be offset, but Democrats previously opposed using the money for defense-only spending. In addition, a premium increase for Medicare Part B recipients would be prevented from going into effect.

[Marc Vaughan]

I'm really glad they managed to find another $40bn for defense spending as I was concerned that the country wasn't spending enough on its military and might have to resort to investing in infrastructure or something constructive for a change ...

(end sarcasm)

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

He clearly believes in the value of work/life balance. Decades of experience indicate the current legislative regime vis-a-vis work/life balance hasn't done much to actually improve work/life balance, mainly because most employees have very little to no negotiating power in relation to this. Yet, he's highly resistant to revisiting his view on related legislation.

I'm not his biggest fan as a politician because I disagree with his policies - but I respect that he has the guts to stand up and negotiate to try and ensure he has work/life balance at the risk of having to take a different position.

PS - Don't get me wrong I'd love there to be some sort of sensible standard worker protection in Florida, I find it frankly amazing how biased towards corporations the employment laws are here ... its frankly farcical and I think its amazing that so many people are able to tolerate and thrive in a situation which causes them a lot of undue stress.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Specific details aren't out yet but I'm glad there's some sort of deal. Nice way to send off Boehner and have the new speaker not worry about a budget crisis for the next 2 years.

Congressional leaders, White House reach two-year budget deal - The Washington Post

I'm glad that Boehner was able to get this done (also seems to indicate that he had absolutely no desire to engage in those pointless shutdown stareoffs his crazy base wanted). Also, this way, Ryan can jump in for a couple years and not have to worry about dealing with the Tea Party on the budget for a few years.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

I'm really glad they managed to find another $40bn for defense spending as I was concerned that the country wasn't spending enough on its military and might have to resort to investing in infrastructure or something constructive for a change ...

(end sarcasm)

My Way News - AP-GfK Poll: Use default, shutdown threats to cut spending

Fifty percent in the poll said Congress should only increase federal borrowing authority if government spending is substantially cut — a trade-off Republicans frequently demand but last won in a 2011 showdown with Obama ... Eleven percent opposed boosting the ceiling under any circumstances.

That's over 60 percent who want a cut. Even 44% of Ds are willing to close federal agencies to get that spending reduction.

Even WITH the defense component -- which is the only justifiable reason for any increased spending afaic -- it's still an iffy play in terms of doing what voters actually want.

[JPhillips]

But everyone with sense understands the terrible consequences of default. Voters don't want another great recession, this time without their Social Security and Medicare.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

But everyone with sense understands the terrible consequences of default. Voters don't want another great recession, this time without their Social Security and Medicare.

Voters don't want to continue down the same path that Congress chose either.

And I'm not particularly a budget hawk in the real sense of the word. I mean, you haven't heard me screaming about this particular deal have you?
(I haven't screamed horribly about some of the previous ones either).

I think that short-term increases in the debt ceiling are probably inevitable but I do oppose them occurring without spending cuts, I do oppose extending them for this length of time, and I would have been near foaming at the mouth if the latest deal hadn't offered the military component some relief.

edit to add: Didn't really finish my thought there so ... my thing about not being a true budget hawk is that at least I allow for an increase (or the ceiling to be suspended, whatever chicanery is used to render it ineffective) in some fashion & under certain circumstances. The real hawks on the issue won't give that much.

[flere-imsaho]

Relief? For the military budget?

There is no part of the overall budget with more fat than the military.

Yes, I know more could be done for the rank-and-file, but that's not a problem with the budget, that's a problem with the prioritization of the money put into the budget.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

Relief? For the military budget?

There is no part of the overall budget with more fat than the military.

It could stand reorganization, most definitely.

Ultimately however it's also the only "agency" that I'd like to see remain recognizably intact when all is said & done. Ideally -- and we probably can't ever get to this ideal, I realize that -- it should be the last one standing when they turn out the lights & close the doors on the large majority of DC.

I want their money spent wisely, I want it spent well, I have no problem with the existence of its budget nor even the size of its budget. There's no other entity I can say that about.

[EagleFan]

Military should be the bulk of a federal budget, that doesn't mean it shouldn't be audited so the money is being spent wisely. Most of the other fat should be trimmed and the states should take over many programs.

The country was founded on the ideal that it was a collection of states ruling themselves together to avoid an overgrown out control beast of a government.

[larrymcg421]

That's a more accurate description of the Articles of Confederation, which was a complete disaster and led to the Constitutional Convention giving more power to the central government.

[JonInMiddleGA]

One of the more surprising bits of that poll is right here

A surprisingly significant minority of Democrats, 44 percent, were willing to close government to force spending cuts.

We may be getting close to the one thing both sides can agree on: it's time to cut government spending.

If only where those cuts should be made could be agreed upon as easily. Perhaps that's why we can't get the cuts.

(Yes, you can thank me for the bit of enlightenment later, just send 'em in care of Captain Obvious)

[flere-imsaho]

Hey, Democrats can be idiots too, Jon.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

Military should be the bulk of a federal budget, that doesn't mean it shouldn't be audited so the money is being spent wisely. Most of the other fat should be trimmed and the states should take over many programs.

The country was founded on the ideal that it was a collection of states ruling themselves together to avoid an overgrown out control beast of a government.

If anything it was about putting a check on an overgrown, out of control federal military.

[molson]

Targeted, scattered, and temporary full or partial agency shut-downs can save a lot of money really quickly. But you don't get your best value savings when it happens involuntarily as a result of threats and stand-offs.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by molson

Targeted, scattered, and temporary full or partial agency shut-downs can save a lot of money really quickly. But you don't get your best value savings when it happens involuntarily as a result of threats and stand-offs.

If that's the only way to bring the issue to a head ...

[Edward64]

Not that I disagree with the concept but timing is screwed up. It looks as if he was willing to do this, it should have been done before Russia joined the party.

Pentagon weighs ground strategy against ISIS - CNNPolitics.com

The U.S. is considering increasing its attacks on ISIS through more ground action and airstrikes, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Tuesday.

Carter told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the U.S. "won't hold back" from supporting partners carrying out such attacks or from "conducting such missions directly, whether by strikes from the air or direct action on the ground."

The White House, however, has yet to make a decision on the options for upping the campaign against ISIS, according to defense and administration sources. They said that further involvement on the ground was one of the possibilities being presented.

The ground option Carter mentioned to the committee was part of a three-prong effort -- which he dubbed the "three Rs" -- to adapt the U.S. policy on countering ISIS.

In addition to increased ground action and airstrikes, or "raids," Carter also spoke of the need to increase pressure around the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa in Syria, where "we will support moderate Syrian forces" fighting the terror organization there.

The last "R" is Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's Anbar province, where Carter said the U.S. would do more in terms of providing assistance and fire support to local Iraqi forces to take on ISIS.

[flere-imsaho]

Ah, Ramadi.

[JPhillips]

The airline company in Russia is now saying that the Russian plane that crashed in Egypt was brought down by an "external impact."

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

The airline company in Russia is now saying that the Russian plane that crashed in Egypt was brought down by an "external impact."

Flight recorders show crashed Russian jet not struck from outside - investigator - Yahoo News

My gut said bombed when I heard how wide the debris field was. It just reminded me of Lockerbie.

[bhlloy]

The precious tail strike incident plus how quickly they denied that was the cause and the stellar safety record of Russian airlines that popped up in the 90s makes me think it wasn't a bomb, but the timing with Russia going into Syria is mighty suspicious. I'm not sure if it's a good thing for Putin or not if it turns out to be a bomb. It's almost certainly terrible new for Egypt who really need the tourism dollars.

[Thomkal]

Business as usual:

White House Calls Ryan's Immigration Remarks 'Preposterous' - ABC News

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Business as usual:

White House Calls Ryan's Immigration Remarks 'Preposterous' - ABC News

Yep, GOP leadership will use any means necessary to avoid working with the other side on legislation.

[JPhillips]

Will anyone call out Ryan for the faulty logic of, the President is lawless regarding immigration, therefore, we won't write any laws about immigration.

[JPhillips]

Is Bevin really going to take away Medicaid from almost ten percent of the KY population?

[PilotMan]

Fuck Bevin. I can't believe that mf got elected.

[cartman]

Drew Curtis is an internet friend of mine. It seems like he did really well in the first KY governor's debate, but afterwards got zero press coverage and was then excluded from subsequent debates.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Fuck Bevin. I can't believe that mf got elected.

Oh now, "got elected" understates it a bit, don't you think?

With 100 percent of the vote counted, Bevin led Conway with 53 percent of the vote compared to the Democrat's 44 percent - a near landslide. Independent Drew Curtis got almost 4 percent.

And more tellingly ...

The victory was near complete with Bevin winning all but 14 of Kentucky's 120 counties, including stalwart Democratic counties like Pike and Woodford.

And joined by the first black ever elected to statewide office, Republican Lt. Gov elect Jenean Hampton.

[PilotMan]

Yep, just goes to show you how fucked up the state is. Kentucky is one of the best states for social services around. Something that we've had to use over the years, and I can see this going like the Iranian revolution where years and years of progress are rolled back to the stone age.

The current Gov had been very good for the state and a leader in the push for the expansion of medicare. The state was a shining star during the rollout of ACA because we had our own well functioning site. So now what, all that's going away?

It's hard to understate the level of poverty in some areas of this state. That's only going to get much worse under Bevin.

[Dutch]

If it gets any worse, then people should move like they did when Detroit got much worse.

[JPhillips]

The UK is saying a bomb set by ISIS was the cause of the Russian crash.

That seems like a potentially really big deal. Will flights to the mid-East end? Will Egypt do anything? And of course the big question, what will Putin do?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

The UK is saying a bomb set by ISIS was the cause of the Russian crash.

I thought the Brits were simply saying that a bomb was the likely cause. I haven't seen anything that mentioned them commenting on the source of the bomb. (not saying that isn't out there somewhere, I just haven't seen it)

[Dutch]

I saw a headline that said "US Intel thinks it was ISIS" or something along those lines.

There's a storm comin, ISIS.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I thought the Brits were simply saying that a bomb was the likely cause. I haven't seen anything that mentioned them commenting on the source of the bomb. (not saying that isn't out there somewhere, I just haven't seen it)

I'm watching CNN. It certainly wouldn't be the first time they got ahead of facts.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

I'm watching CNN. It certainly wouldn't be the first time they got ahead of facts.

CNN is whipping up a frenzy. Either they feel they've got some really strong sources, or they're taking a huge risk right now.

[Edward64]

Not an Obama item but I guess related since he is dealing with the ramifications.

Bush 41 hits 43's aides in new biography - CNNPolitics.com

An upcoming biography of former President George H.W. Bush contains harsh critical assessments by the 41st president of some of the top officials from his son's presidency.

The former president knocked former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to his biographer, Jon Meacham in interviews for "Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush," calling Cheney an "iron-ass" and labeling Rumsfeld "an arrogant fellow."
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"The reaction to (the 9/11 terrorist attacks), what to do about the Middle East," Bush told his biographer. "Just iron-ass. His seeming under to the real hard-charging guys who want to fight about everything, use force to get our way in the Middle East."

Bush attributed some of that hard-right turn to Cheney's wife, Lynne Cheney, a historian and conservative thinker, according to Meacham.

"You know, I've concluded that Lynne Cheney is a lot of the eminence grise here -- iron-ass, tough as nails, driving," he told Meacham.

But Bush also told his biographer that Cheney was "a good man" and that President George W. Bush had made a mistake by allowing him to "bring in kind of his own State Department."
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The 41st president was decidedly more critical of Rumsfeld in his conversations with Meacham. Bush charged that the former defense secretary "served the president badly" and was an "arrogant fellow." He also said of Rumsfeld in interviews for the biography:

"I don't like what he did, an I think it hurt the President, having his iron-ass view of everything, Bush told Meacham. "There's a lack of humility, a lack of seeing what the other guy thinks. He's more kick ass and take names, take numbers. I think he paid a price for that."
:
Despite his father's dim assessment of how Cheney and Rumsfeld served him, former President George W. Bush was supportive of his team in a statement issued in response to the book.

"I am proud to have served with Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld," he said in a statement. "Dick Cheney did a superb job as vice president, and I was fortunate to have him by my side throughout my presidency. Don Rumsfeld ably led the Pentagon and was an effective secretary of defense. I am grateful to both men for their good advice, selfless service to our country, and friendship."

Rumsfeld fired back at George H.W. Bush in a statement Thursday.

"Bush 41 is getting up in years and misjudges Bush 43, who I found made his own decisions. There are hundreds of memos on Rumsfeld's Rules that represent advice the Department of Defense gave the President," Rumsfeld said.

[lighthousekeeper]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Bush 41 is getting up in years and misjudges Bush 43

classy

[stevew]

They're claiming to have killed that Jihadi John guy via a drone strike.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by stevew

They're claiming to have killed that Jihadi John guy via a drone strike.

awesome! well as much awesome as it can be to kill a person...

[stevew]

I'm guessing someone sold him as he had a 6 million pounds bounty on him. Circumstances seem to suggest that amyways

[Dutch]

Maybe. We'll never know, I guess.

[RainMaker]

Sounds like they've been tracking him for awhile and just waiting for an opportunity to hit. I guess he likes to surround himself with civilians to avoid being hit with a drone strike.

[Ben E Lou]

That moment when the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee goes on the most liberal of the major networks right after you've said "ISIL is contained" and says "I've never been more concerned. I read the intelligence faithfully. ISIL is not contained. ISIL is expanding."

Feinstein: ‘I’ve never been more concerned’ | MSNBC

[flere-imsaho]

Message Control, thy name is not Democrat.

[bob]

Wait, Turkey shot down a Russian plane? This isn't going to end well.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/24/middle...der/index.html

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by bob

Wait, Turkey shot down a Russian plane? This isn't going to end well.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/24/middle...der/index.html

With today's NATO air-defense technology, it's highly unlikely that the Russian plane was NOT in Turkish air space if the result was the Turks shooting it down.

The Russians are known for shooting down anything for trespassing. I'm sure the Russians won't be overly upset by this...they at least know the game. They need to be more vigilant in their flight paths though.