“every man cannot have his way in all things”

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President Obama speaks in a prime-time address to the nation on July 25 from the East Room of the White House

Thomas Jefferson: “Every man cannot have his way in all things…Without this mutual disposition, we are disjointed individuals, but not a society.”

Text of President’s remarks here

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Contact details for members of Congress here

John Boehner: 202-225-6205

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Earlier today:

Statement by White House press secretary Jay Carney:

“The President has been advocating a balanced plan that would reduce our deficit by $4 trillion by making large cuts in domestic and Pentagon spending, reforming entitlement programs, and closing tax loopholes for corporations, millionaires and billionaires. This sort of approach won support from Democrats and Republicans in the Senate, but the House Republicans walked away after insisting that the budget be balanced on the backs of seniors and the middle class.

“Now, faced with the ‘my way or the highway,’ short-term approach of the House Republicans, Senator Reid has put forward a responsible compromise that cuts spending in a way that protects critical investments and does not harm the economic recovery. All the cuts put forward in this approach were previously agreed to by both parties through the process led by the Vice President. Senator Reid’s plan also reduces the deficit more than enough to meet the contrived dollar-for-dollar criteria called for by House Republicans, and, most importantly, it removes the cloud of a possible default from our economy through 2012. The plan would make a meaningful down payment in addressing our fiscal challenge, and we could continue to work together to build on it with a balanced approach to deficit reduction that includes additional spending reforms and closing tax loopholes for corporations, millionaires and billionaires.



”Senator Reid’s plan is a reasonable approach that should receive the support of both parties, and we hope the House Republicans will agree to this plan so that America can avoid defaulting on our obligations for the first time in our history. The ball is in their court.”

the aarp interview

Interview with AARP – extracts:

……. Q: The attacks set off the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Did either of you have an inkling that the mission that killed him was in the works?

MO: I knew something was happening, but when it gets down to that level of secrecy, there’s just a small number of people who know anything.

Q: So when did you find out?

MO: I was actually out to dinner with girlfriends, and I didn’t know until I walked in the door. It was later in the evening, and Barack had his suit on, because he was going to the press conference. And I said, “What’s going on?”

Q: And your reaction?

MO: I was, like, “Wow.” Then I wanted to know the details: “How did it happen? Then what? And then what happened?” I was probably like every media person.

Q: Was he too hurried to explain?

MO: No, he sat down. And then I sat down and talked to Malia to make sure she was aware, because the crowds [outside the White House] were starting to form…….

Full interview here

Thanks Symmetry

they might be giants

President Obama receives a team jersey from the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants. Flanking the President are Hall of Fame player Willie Mays and General Manager Brian Sabean

San Francisco Giants’ Brian Wilson

President Barack Obama talks with Willie Mays and manager Bruce Bochy in the Blue Room of the White House before an event honoring the 2010 Major League Baseball champion San Francisco Giants, July 25, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

“stop obama”

Steve Benen: What a terrific quote from House Speaker John Boehner:

“Boehner – now liberated from the need to be sit politely across from Obama in the Cabinet Room – is framing the debt battle in the starkest anti-Obama terms to rally his troops. “Here’s the challenge,” he told his rank-and-file on a Sunday afternoon conference call, “To stop [Obama], we need a vehicle that can pass in both houses.”

I’ve read it a few times, and I can’t stop marveling at it.

As the House Speaker sees it, the principal goal here isn’t just to prevent a crisis of his caucus’ own making; it’s also to “stop” the president. Stop the president from doing what? It’s not entirely clear, but it probably has something to do with claiming any kind of political victory……

More here

‘the chart that should accompany all discussions of the debt ceiling’

James Fallows (The Atlantic): … (The chart) demonstrates the utter incoherence of being very concerned about a structural federal deficit but ruling out of consideration the policy that was largest single contributor to that deficit, namely the Bush-era tax cuts.

…. it identifies policy changes, the things over which Congress and Administration have some control, as opposed to largely external shocks – like the repercussions of the 9/11 attacks or the deep worldwide recession following the 2008 financial crisis. Those external events make a big difference in the deficit, and they are the major reason why deficits have increased faster in absolute terms during Obama’s first two years that during the last two under Bush. (In a recession, tax revenues plunge, and government spending goes up – partly because of automatic programs like unemployment insurance, and partly in a deliberate attempt to keep the recession from getting worse.)….

…. the policy that did the most to magnify future deficits is the Bush-era tax cuts. You could argue that the stimulative effect of those cuts is worth it (“deficits don’t matter” etc). But you cannot logically argue that we absolutely must reduce deficits, but that we absolutely must also preserve every penny of those tax cuts. Which I believe precisely describes the House Republican position…..

More here

Thanks Hachikō

nclr

NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguia greets President Obama during the National Council of La Raza annual conference luncheon at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, July 25

The audience applauded when President Obama said some people want him to bypass Congress and sign an executive order on immigration. “And believe me, right now, dealing with Congress …. the idea,” he smiled as the crowd started chanting, “Yes, you can.”

“Believe me, the idea of doing things on my own is very tempting,” he repeated as the crowd laughed.

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Will post video later

‘compromise’

This brilliant Balloon Juice post calls to mind this March 2011 video again

Dennis G (Balloon Juice): Compromise. That word in the title is a dirty word to many. It seems to put teabaggers and firebaggers in a suicidal rage and can make partisans of all stripes a wee bit queasy. And yet, compromise is at the heart of our system of government. All progressive progress since 1776 has come through a series of hard and often bitter compromises. To reject the very idea of compromise is to reject the idea that Government by the people, of the people and for the people is a good thing. Because there are a lot of us with many different views and ideas of how to move forward. Some of these ideas are good. Some bad. Quite a few are horrible. Some only improve when tested against other ideas. The best ideas are tested by compromise and improve over the years.

Of course everything I just wrote is heresy if you view compromise as an evil in and of itself.

This is especially true if you’ve narrowed your political world view to the lens of a favorite single issue (or two) and force all of your thinking and reactions through the force rigidity that their talking points demand. If that is how you view the world then the notion of compromise is simply vile. Now, some would argue that this view of compromise as the great evil is evenly distributed between the left and the right or between Democrats and Republicans. That is, of course, pure bullshit. Yes, the Left/Democrats have their Firebaggers, but these folks are a tiny grifter minority whose main function seems to be to lighten the wallets of the gullible. Most Democrats view compromise the way Teddy Kennedy viewed it – as the best way (and the only way) to get things done….

Full post here

Thank you gobrooklyn

monday

Live here

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Morning everyone, hope you’re all doing well.

I haven’t had a chance to read all the comments the last few days, but having looked through a few …. just a small request: please be civil to each other!

I know this is a miserably tense time, but let’s try to keep our heads and stay united through it all. That doesn’t – needless to say – mean we won’t disagree, sometimes passionately, on the issues currently being debated, but let’s try to do so in a respectful way.

Also, please don’t bring ‘professional’ left/GOP spin and lies here – as we all know, those two groups are united in their opposition to any form of compromise in these talks for the sole reason that they believe it would reduce the President’s re-election chances. It’s all about destroying Obama – if the American economy is trashed in the process, so be it. Honestly, we don’t need their pitiful talking points repeated here, we know where to go if we want to read them.

So, when the President is up against that level of mindless hostility and opposition I think we should all just try to dig a little deeper, stay calm, wait to see what happens – and stay united. By all means disagree with each other, but try to be nice while doing it!

Thanks 😉

the view from abroad

The Guardian: Vince Cable (UK Government Business Secretary) has launched an extraordinary attack on “rightwing nutters” in America who are trying to block the raising of the US government’s debt ceiling and who are, he said, a bigger threat to the world economy than problems in the eurozone.

… He said: “The irony of the situation at the moment, with markets opening tomorrow morning, is that the biggest threat to the world financial system comes from a few rightwing nutters in the American Congress rather than the eurozone.”

Negotiations on raising the US government’s debt limit above its current level of $14.3tn (£8.7tn) collapsed in acrimony late on Friday over details of a package of spending cuts and tax rises that would help to pay for such a move.

A visibly angry Barack Obama attacked the Republican speaker of the house, John Boehner, for refusing to return his phone calls and said he had been “left at the altar” in trying to reach an agreement. Most experts agree that if the US were to default on its debt payments, stock and bond markets worldwide would plunge, threatening a new great recession. The deadline for agreement is just over a week away, on 2 August……

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Thanks Titti