The president made a proposal. That’s great. Except David Sirota says the proposal is just another example of Obama looking out for the Big Guy, and John Cole says it won’t even merit a debate. You want to know what the problem is? No one on the left is fighting for the president’s agenda. Half the progressives are spending all their time bitching and the other half are spending all their time in utter despondency.
“Some powerful interests who had been dominating the agenda in Washington for a very long time and they’re not always happy with me. They talk about me like a dog. That’s not in my prepared remarks, but it’s true,” [President Obama] told a crowd largely consisting of union members.
Hell, everyone is talking about him like a dog. All told, the president today proposed $150 billion in new stimulus money (although, sssh, don’t call it stimulus). That’s almost 20% as big as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009’s $787 billion price tag. Taken together, the Recovery Act and the new proposals would be approaching a “paltry” trillion dollars in spending. But Sirota is upset because the proposal would be two-thirds tax cuts for research and development, and Cole is upset because:
Mitch McConnell just needs to go on David Gregory, purse his lips delicately, dismiss it, and the debate will essentially be over. There will be no discussion of the benefits of the added rail miles. No discussion of the ease of air travel with these improvements. The idea will simply be dismissed, and Republicans will pay no price whatsoever for killing yet another jobs bill.
To which I respond, “Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!” Or something. We really need a pep talk. Above all, we need some realism. Put yourself in the president’s shoes for two seconds before you mouth off. He’s not a dictator and Cole’s right about McConnell’s inclinations, as well as his power, as well as the vacuous, unhelpful media. You want the president to create some jobs? You have to support his efforts and stop nitpicking. As it is, Congress is unlikely to pass anything beneficial. But when no one has the president’s back and everyone wants to treat him like a dog?
It’s far past time for people to wake up.