Loyalty test
Joe Sestak finally makes it official
Loyalty test
Dick Polman, Inquirer National Political Columnist
For all you political junkies smacking your lips at the prospect of a good fight, the impending Pennsylvania clash between Arlen Specter and Joe Sestak figures to be a hot fudge sundae with cherry on top.
This contest for the 2010 Pennsylvania Democratic senatorial nomination may prove to be unhealthy for the Democratic party, but, that aside, the nine-month bumper-car collision that officially began this morning is bound to be highly entertaining:
Snarlin' Arlen versus the Three-Star Admiral.
The Insider versus the Outsider.
The Party Establishment's Choice versus The Upstart Who Won't Go Away.
The Guy Who Joined the Democrats in '09 versus The Guy Who Joined the Democrats in '06.
Sestak made his challenge official this morning. Finally. For months he had teased and flirted, claiming that he first had to consult with his wife, his father, his daughter, his pet hamster, the neighbor's dog...but now he has honed his pitch. He said that in 2008, "this nation voted for change and accountability," and that he expects Pennsylvania's Democratic voters to do the same in the Senate primary next spring. Translation: Even though Barack Obama has already endorsed Specter the turncoat, Sestak considers himself to be the more authentic Democrat and hence the true heir to the Obama message of change. In short, he will try to frame the primary as a party loyalty test.
Well in advance of the spring contest, incumbent Specter is trouncing Sestak in the polls, but that's no surprise, given their name ID disparity. Specter has been a statewide fixture for nearly 30 years, while Sestak (a career Navy man until 2006) has only been a suburban Philadelphia congressman for two and a half years. My assumption is that Sestak will narrow that 30-point polling gap considerably as the months pass; he certainly has the money to do so. At the end of June, Sestak had $4.3 million in the kitty - in contrast to Specter's $7.6 million - with the prospect of raising much more from grassroots Democrats who view Specter as little more than an opportunist who quit the GOP only because he would've been road kill had he stayed. (Assuming Sestak can raise money, he can use it to upgrade his website. His announcement today was streamed live, but he sounded as if he was gargling nails at the bottom of a well. The partial quote in the previous paragraph was all that I could make out.)
Most importantly, Sestak at minimum will be a major irritant for Specter during the next nine months. Specter is already viewed by many Pennsylvanians as essentially conviction-free, a weathervane who blows with the prevailing winds, and Sestak's challenge will worsen Specter's image woes.
Since only registered Democrats can vote in the 2010 primary, Specter will be forced to move to the left in order to mollify the liberal base and trump Sestak's charge that the incumbent is a faux Democrat. For instance, watch how Specter tries to present himself as an ally of the proposed law that would make it easier for labor unions to organize. He'll need to do that, in order to ensure that the labor unions won't endorse Sestak.
What's noteworthy, of course, is that, as recently as a few months ago, when Specter was still a Republican, he indicated publicly that he favored blocking Senate consideration of the proposed law making it easier for labor unions to organize. At the time, he was facing a conservative Republican primary challenge from Pat Toomey...which meant that he was being forced to move to the right in order to mollify the conservative base.
Back when Specter had to worry about his right flank in the GOP, he voted for the Bush tax cuts and other conservative favorites. As recently as March, when he was still a Republican and worried about Toomey's challenge, he sided with the Democrats on contentious Senate votes only 16 percent of the time (according to Nate Silver, the respected numbers-cruncher). But once he became a Democrat this spring, and started worrying about a Sestak challenge, he has sided with the Democrats on contentious Senate votes a whopping 97 percent of the time.
Perhaps Specter's constant re-calibrations can be spun (by Specter allies) as evidence of his responsiveness to the voters. Or his behavior can be spun as Sestak no doubt intends - as evidence that Specter is a congenital flip-flopper with no fixed convictions. That's why Specter surely views Sestak as a pain in the butt. Even if Specter ultimately wins the Democratic primary, his leftward tilts in 2009 will be cited by Pat Toomey during the general election as fresh evidence that the formerly rightward-tilting Specter cannot be trusted.
So in the short run, we can expect Specter to get personal and seek to paint Sestak as a fraud; at all costs, Specter has to ensure that the liberal Democratic base doesn't flock to his foe. And Specter has already signaled this tactic. Last month he assailed Sestak as "a flagrant hypocrite" who didn't even register as a Democrat until 2006, "just in time to run for Congress." Sestak said in response that, as a career military man, he had opted to remain nonpartisan; however, "I voted for Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry and Barack Obama while Arlen Specter was voting for George Bush and Bob Dole and John McCain." (Nobody can predict what the spring '10 political mood will be, however. Specter boasts that he has Obama's endorsement, while Sestak boasts that he voted for Obama. Will the Obama imprimatur be an asset in Pennsylvania next spring?)
Specter is one tough hombre, and at minimum Sestak will need to demonstrate that he can take a punch. But I doubt that a guy who led a Navy aircraft carrier battle group in the Afghanistan war will have trouble handling even the nastiest rhetorical weaponry. Let the games begin.
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"You know, honey, I'm sick to death of this socialist Obama and those socialist Democrats using government to meddle with our lives."
"Me too, dear. Would you like me to put on Fox News? Or maybe we can go to that town hall meeting today and shout down our Democrat congressman. I can go online and get planning tips from those pro-American national groups on how we can act spontaneous."
"Maybe later, honey. First I've gotta take our old gas guzzler over to the showroom so that I can take advantage of that sweet cash-for-clunkers deal."
"But dear, I hear the money is running out."
"So help me, if that Democrat congressman doesn't put more government bucks into that clunkers program, I'm gonna chase him down the street!"
"Yes, we could make a placard. 'Keep your hands out of my clunkers program!'"
"No, honey, it's the opposite, we want them to...oh never mind, let's just go shout at the socialists."
You forgot to add..."And they better keep their doggone Democrat government hands off my Medicare and Social Security, too!"...— Yersinia Pestis- Oh, and if he injures himself while doing it, I hope he has health care with no preexisting conditions and he doesn't get denied for his claim by an administrator whose bonus depends on claim denials.— HandNik
- @Yersinia Pestis "unless they're going to privatize it, so the free market can work its magic."— Phrossty
- Only in the Republican world can a program that is so successful, be deemed a failure. I have yet to hear why it is a failure, other than it was more popular than expected. I would think that since it is working so well, everyone would want to keep it funded. Why is that a bad thing?— Master Dreamz
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"Only in the Republican world can a program that is so successful, be deemed a failure." Liberals always measure success by how many people are on the government dole. This program is a failure because it does not raise the real demand for these new cars. People don't want the car, they want the car with the money. Will demand stay high once the rebate is gone? This program also destroys the trade-ins, stifiling a real boost to the economy that would result from selling the cars used. Wouldn't you think a POOR person would like a used car at a cheap price? Not to mention the positive environmental impact of re-using a car so a new one does not have to be made. Once again, money is thrown at a problem at the expense of real economic benefit.— jmc- "You know, honey, I'm sick to death of this socialist Obama and those socialist Democrats using government to meddle with our lives." Not me, sweetheart! You just have to know how to work the system. You know the Smith family down the street? The middle-class folks with a 10-year-old Corolla (b/c they read Consumer Reports!) who worked hard to save enough for the down-payment on their home with a straightforward mortgage? They're suckers because working hard, living within your means, and saving judiciously doesn't get you anywhere with Obama, Pelosi and Frank. Now, buying a house you can't afford with an idiotic $0-down mortgage would have been better, since Frank wants the banks to write down the values of those mortgages." (http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view/20090730barney_frank_warns_banks_about_foreclosures/) And the cash for clunkers program is great now, because giving away free money to induce the purchase of products made by--and with prices set by--government-owned entities to inflate their near-term sales figures always makes fiscal sense! (Well, not really free, since it's taken from taxpayers to induce the trading in of a used car immediately instead of in the near future as they were bound to do anyway--next year's demand for new cars is simply being shifted forward, but let's worry about those awful future sales later!) Since the cars are perfectly usable, maybe it might make sense for the government to let the used cars go to charity? Nah, the dealers are required to destroy those cars or they don't get their money.— Vandy
- I had the pleasure of being part of a town hall meeting with Mr Sestak back before the November elections and his miltary bearing , his knowledge of the issues and his can do mentality was refreshing. No disrespect for Mr Spector but Sestak will have my vote.— hejira33312
- http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200907270052............ Bill O’Reilly explaining that of course America has lower life expectancy than Canada — we have 10 times as many people, so we have 10 times as many deaths. And yes, this is from the most popular Republican cable "news" host is history........... maybe the Dems outta re-think this whole trying to be bipartisan thing.— the stupid does burn
- Why does Specter at 79 years of age need to stay in the Senate? what is it about these elected offices that people want to stay nearly a decade longer than the average person retires? I am awfully suspicious of this. How about term limits? Even Home Depot changes up the buyers once while to keep them getting to cozy with the suppliers.
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As a conservative, I will be contributing to to the fired admiral's campaign. Hopefully he will beat Benedict (me first) Arlen and get, if there is a God, beat in the general election. Then we will be rid of both of them.— georgel- The folks in Tokyo surely can't believe their good fortune that, in the midst of a global economic crunch, the Obama administration introduced a program that will disproportionately benefit Toyota and Honda over US taxpayer-owned GM and Chrysler: "LaHood, the program's chief salesman, has pitched the rebates as good for America, good for car buyers, good for the environment, good for the economy. But it's difficult to determine whether the administration is overselling the claim without seeing what's being sold, what's being traded in and where the cars are being sold. LaHood, for example, promotes the fact that the Ford Focus so far is at the top of the list of new cars purchased under the program. But the limited information released so far shows most buyers are not picking Ford, Chrysler or General Motors vehicles, and six of the top 10 vehicles purchased are Honda, Toyota and Hyundai." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090804/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_cash_for_clunkers_transparency— Vandy
- @Vandy - Where are the Honda, Toyota and Hyundai vehicles manufactured and assembled? If it's here in the USA, then I'm good with that. You see. I don't care which brand it is as long as good paying jobs for US citizens is the net result. Last I checked, GM has manufacturing nexus in Mexico and China. So the irony could be that I'd rather have sales for Toyota with plants in Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas or West Virginia, than for GM who was recently named one of China's best employers in 2009.
SOURCE 1
SOURCE 2— Phrossty - Here's some news on the cash for clunkers program from AP..."WASHINGTON – The Obama administration is refusing to quickly release government records on its "cash-for-clunkers" rebate program that would substantiate — or undercut — White House claims of the program's success, even as the president presses the Senate for a quick vote for $2 billion to boost car sales. The Transportation Department said it will provide the data as soon as possible but did not specify a time frame or promise release of the data before the Senate votes whether to spend $2 billion more on the program. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Sunday the government would release electronic records about the program, and President Barack Obama has pledged greater transparency for his administration. But the Transportation Department, which has collected details on about 157,000 rebate requests, won't release sales data that dealers provided showing how much U.S. car manufacturers are benefiting from the $1 billion initially pumped into the program." Initial reports indicate most of the cars sold through this program are Honda's, Toyota's and Hyundai's. So the majority shareholder in GM is helping out the competition. Nice.— tom - wilmington, de
- I am sure the UAW will want any expansion of the Cash for Clunkers program to be restricted to ONLY American made cars....i.e. cars made by UAW workers and not the non-union car manufacturers. Can't help the union if most of the cars are not truly American made...meaning made by union labor. Right libs?— tom - wilmington, de
- So let me get this straight....Democrats favor a subsidy which will enable people to trade in a car and get up to $4,500 (depending on old mpg versus new mpg) and leave the car dealer with a monthly payment, BUT they will not go along with a $5,000 subsidy that would allow people to afford to purchase private health insurance, instead opting for a government plan. Okay....I see how that makes sense(?)— tom - wilmington, de
- I hope Benedict Arlen is sent into a late retirement by Sestak! Cash for Clunkers is a failure because we have just borrowed money from the chinese, to buy cars, that will have to be paid back by our children, with interest! Where is the sacrifice that President Obama said we had to share? Everybody asks what's in it for me? What happened to the hardworking, self sacrificing nation we grew up in? Everyone wants something for free (be it a car or a house or healthcare) and eventually someone has to pay for it! Thank God the chinese will keep our govt in check somewhat on spending as none of our politicians will:)— NEPhilly
- Off topic, a tale of two artists. Exhibit One from KTLA News in LA.."A poster showing President Barack Obama as Heath Ledger's "Joker" character from "The Dark Knight" is creating a stir on the streets of Los Angeles where the image began appearing over the weekend...Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable President Earl Ofari Hutchinson is calling the depiction, politically mean spirited and dangerous..."Depicting the president as demonic and a socialist goes beyond political spoofery," says Hutchinson, "it is mean-spirited and dangerous."" April 13, 2005, from AP Chicago.."The Secret Service sent agents to investigate a college art gallery exhibit of mock postage stamps, one depicting President George W. Bush with a gun pointed at his head. The exhibit, called "Axis of Evil: The Secret History of Sin,'' opened last week at Columbia College in Chicago. It features stamps designed by 47 artists addressing issues such as the Roman Catholic sex abuse scandal, racism and the war in Iraq...The exhibit's curator, Michael Hernandez de Luna, said the inquiry "frightens'' him. "It starts questioning all rights, not only my rights or the artists' rights in this room, but questioning the rights of any artist who creates - any writer, any visual artist, any performance artist. It seems like we're being watched,'' he said." So, in 2005, depicting a sitting president with a gun to his head is art, but in 2009 depicting a sitting president caricatured as the Joker is mean spirited and dangerous. Yep...we've come a long way baby.— tom - wilmington, de
- Tom, What?? Hutchenson is a political analyst, de Luna is an artist. That's hardly an apples/apples comparison. Artists will find almost nothing out of line. Hutchenson has a political ax to grind. That doesn't signify a shift in national morals. We were fighting this fight in the 80's with Serrano and his blasphemous art.— JimR
- Sestak looks like a winner among Dems who can't quite buy Specter's political chameleon act and don't take their marching orders from the Governor or the PA Democratic machine. He also has an edge in delivering Vietnam, Gulf War and Iraq-Afghanistan war vets. Personal health issues also may factor into the decision. Recently Specter attributed his chronic teary eyes to chemotherapy. While his staff insisted the symptom was the result of past treatment, and denied that he was undergoing a new round of chemo, some remain skeptical. Specter stands to make a fortune on his political memoir, given his central role in some of the most momentous moments in political history -- notably, the Warren Commission probe of the assassination of JFK and the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas tempest. A political defeat might reduce the appeal of any future Specter tell-all tome. Going out a winner also would help Specter continue to champion human and civil rights causes, arguably his greatest attribute. http://NowPublic.com/scrivener— aviben
- Democrats favor a subsidy which will enable people to trade in a car and get up to $4,500 (depending on old mpg versus new mpg) and leave the car dealer with a monthly payment, BUT they will not go along with a $5,000 subsidy that would allow people to afford to purchase private health insurance, instead opting for a government plan.....Interesting how Republicans didn't blink at authorizing 100's of billions of dollars on a war of choice but balk at using our tax dollars to fund healthcare with a public option. No wonder Americans don't trust Republicans anymore.— chasing history
- Tom, I know I've said this until I'm blue in the face, but I seriously lament meanness on both sides. I don't find it funny to see GWB with a gun to his head. That's disgusting. Even on this blog, if writers could be kinder, I think the conversation would be more interesting and productive -- and more open to seeing two sides. How can we survive and thrive when we're always tearing each other apart?— NigeltheMastiff
- Obama spends all his time promoting Obamacare, but he should stop being an absentee landlord on employment. People need jobs, Mr. President.— CD75
- smike asked: "what is it about these elected offices that people want to stay nearly a decade longer than the average person retires?" *** Are you kidding? Have you SEEN their health care benefits?— sully64
- Tom said:"I am sure the UAW will want any expansion of the Cash for Clunkers program to be restricted to ONLY American made cars ... Right libs?" *** You might want to take this up with Vandy, Tom. He seems to be throwing a fiscal-conservative monkey wrench into your rant as he, too, wants these cars made in the USA.— sully64
- Nigel said: "How can we survive and thrive when we're always tearing each other apart?" *** Define "thrive," Nigel. Fox and MSNBC make HUGE fortunes on the culture of outrage. It's what the American people want: politics-as-spectator-sport. This is one instance where I give the "media" a pass. The viewing public has made it perfectly clear that it wants gladiator contests, not discourse. I can hardly blame the "media" for profiting on that desire. There's always "Frontline" for those who prefer depth of coverage to 3 minutes worth of soundbites selected for their capacity to generate animosity from one side or the other ... but if PBS kept ratings for "Frontline," I'm pretty confident they'd be quite low. Why think when screaming is an option?— sully64
- "Where are the Honda, Toyota and Hyundai vehicles manufactured and assembled? If it's here in the USA, then I'm good with that." Exactly right, Phrossty!! That is exactly why Obama shouldn't have stepped in with GM/Chrysler! The world's demand for autos can be comfortably met if GM/Chrysler ceased to exist, and as you note, states like Indiana, Kentucky and South Carolina have shown that there is a viable US auto industry that would likely expand if Detroit were gone. So why did His Majesty interfere...other than fulfilling his UAW / AFL-CIO obligations?— Vandy
- "He seems to be throwing a fiscal-conservative monkey wrench into your rant as he, too, wants these cars made in the USA." See my latest post, Sully. I apologize if my sarcasm was a bit too subtle.— Vandy
- The sarcastic point, Sully, is that Obama compounded a stupid decision to invest our tax dollars into two lethargic car companies by then instituting a business plan that isn't even competitively advantageous for the companies on which he's already wasting our tax dollars!— Vandy
- Cash for Clunkers is a success and the Hope America Fails crowd can only cry and whine.— chasing history
- Sully, of course some entities will thrive, but at what cost? When I say thrive, I mean pulling together for the common good. Of course, we won't always agree. But couldn't we be more respectful of each others' opinions? Couldn't we learn to listen to each other and find some common ground on which to build a compromise? It seems to me there's only a my-way-or-the-highway mentality around these days. I really believe it's eroding our country. And it is led in great part by the screamers of the media -- Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh et al. I sort of feel like such people are simply amoral. Their reason for being is self-serving only.— NigeltheMastiff
- 3 years ago Bush passed an 800 Billion dollar Medicare Prescription Plan and that's got real fuzzy math, noone knows how we are paying for that drug company welfare giveway, What's up with that Pubs?— hejira33312
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- @Vandy - "So why did [Obama] interfere...other than fulfilling his UAW / AFL-CIO obligations?"
I presume that was a major reason. Also, I think he was trying to "save" jobs, 100k of them plus the pensioners and ancilliary parts manufacturers, etc. Like CD75 wrote, it's about jobs for US workers. In contrast to my earlier post, it appears GM employs far more US workers than Toyota. 123k of 252k total as of 30-Sep-2008 versus 36.6k of 299.4k (actually, North America - hopefully US and not Mexico and Canada). So, I just want to get the US working. Payola to unions is not desired, but I prefer it to payola to CEO's (Many workers v. Few fatcats).
— Phrossty - ACK!! Another double post!! Anyway, at the risk of invoking Olbermann, I did find his point on Countdown last night salient. Namely (paraphrasing), that the R's are in a bit of a bind. At this point, they're reduced to hoping the economy doesn't recover, that healthcare reform doesn't work, that the US' global standing doesn't improve, etc., etc. In short hoping that the country goes into the toilet, so the blame can be laid at Obama's feet. After all, if the average citizen is dramatically better off over the next few years, then the premature obituary of the GOP may become a reality rather than a "moonbat libtard's" wet dream! Here's hoping the Republicans fail (at sabatoogey). Boy, I sure hope they bounce back with constructive ideas rather than shouted platitudes that lack reason. Good night, folks.— Phrossty
- Ahh.... the politics of expediancy. The Philadelphia area is the breeding ground for corrupt polticos. Pennsylvania needs leaders with convictions, but NOT the kind Fumo, et al, has.— Mark Glaeser
- Just to expand my original post. Cash for Clunkers is a success: 1. It is providing a boost to the car companies allowing them to fund R&D for better fuel efficient cars; 2. It is allowing banks to make loans which garner profits thru interest rates. Supporting two of the major industries that required bailouts makes the C4C even more of a success. So, to point, it helps lessen our fuel use, provides job security, helps the auto industry, helps the banking industry, and, helps the global economy. Yeah, you are right, it is a failure...— Master Dreamz
- Enough of Arlen. Time to retire and let some different faces duke it out. Sestack and Toomey should be a good ballot.— JimR
- "Cash for Clunkers" is a success. Obama did it "to save jobs". Business week, August 3rd, 2009..."About 6,000 General Motors Co. blue-collar workers have taken the latest round of early retirement and buyout offers, but it fell short of the company's goal, meaning more layoffs are likely. GM has about 54,000 factory workers and wants to end the year with 40,500, a cut of about 13,500. Monday's report means that about 7,500 too few workers took the offers, setting the stage for more layoffs. The automaker announced in June and July that it would close 15 U.S. factories employing about 22,000 workers by end of 2012." Yep....gotta save those jobs.— tom - wilmington, de
- Oh wait, I get it. We have to think, as Lawrence Summers said this past Sunday, of how many jobs would have been lost had President Obama not taken the actions he has instituted. Just think, when Obama said unemployment would reach 9.5% with no stimulus, and it reached 9.5% WITH the stimulus, then you have to believe it would have been way worse if the stimulus had not been passed. Thank you President Obama for your inspiritional forethought preventing things from being worse than they are even though you promised with your actions they would be better than they are. Kind of gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling, doesn't it.— tom - wilmington, de
- phrossty, you mean R's are reduced to hoping for the same things D's hoped for over the previous 8 years (lost war, bad economy, etc.)! It is the same thing D's hoped for when GWB was President, ironic isn't it? master, though I agree with your post about the positives, borrowing $3 Bil from the chinese to get people to buy cars they probably don't need is not sacrificing, it is more of the same! Where is the shared sacrifice the President spoke of? Oh, I see, our children & children's children are going to have to make it. How very narcissistic of us all! To paraphrase a previous post, Whenever citizens realize they can vote themselves money from the country's treasury a democracy is doomed to failure!— NEPhilly
- The whole funny thing about cash for clunkers is that as the primary shareholder in GM and Chrysler, the program has mainly benefited Toyota, Ford, Hyundai and Honda. Of the top ten cars being bought, only two (Dodge Caliber #7 and Chevy Cobalt #10) are on that list. Six of the top ten are at non-union plants, and we all know from the many posts on this blog that those jobs are cheap labor with no benefits or retirement plans that make the grade, and that we need to save the UAW jobs with good wages and benefits...but cash for clunkers did not meet that standard.— tom - wilmington, de
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- Chasing History...you may want to look at the votes...spending on the wars was what they call bi-partisan. As for the medicare drug program...most "Conservatives" were against that, and it got a lot of Democrat votes, but it was an expansion of an existing gov't plan resulting from an outcry by seniors of how much they spent for prescriptions, so it was a response to a public outcry...but still wrong. As for wanting Obama to fail, to paraphrase Phrossty, that is only true if you equate Obama with his policies. I recall polls showing Democrats wanted Bush to fail, yet it was not a big story in the conservative main stream media. People want health insurance reform, but not through a government option that will eventually lead to a single payer system and more deficits and debt (Medicare is going broke, right). They want access to coverage but not through a mandate, which may be unconstitutional...the government forcing a person to purchase health insurance. Why not a subsidy to help people buy health insurance (as McCain called for last year), when we have using subsidies for cars, "green" purchases, but not health insurance for those that want it. And why is it that the conservative MSM (them being liberal is a canard remember) calls Republican protests orchestrated and "astro turf" movements, but things like Daily Kos, Media Matters, Code Pink, MoveOn etc, backed by billionaire George Soros, as "grass roots" movements?— tom - wilmington, de
- gphilly, then you must have gotten in the market late, since under Bush the Dow had been as high as 14,000 and, after 9/11, had sunk to just below 8,000. So, if you got in back in 2002, you have not nearly recovered your losses...but it is early. Let's see what happens next year when taxes go up (will O renew the middle class tax cuts in Bush's programs...you know, the one liberals say doesn't exist?). Funny how the market is rising as Obama's approval and prospects for his health care vision are sinking....how odd.— tom - wilmington, de
- We're going to look back at cash/Clunkers and cry. There's a lot of good cars with usable life in them being crushed. There's too many servicable units that could be used to trade up. And (as a former motor head who feels a tingle when I pass a scrapyard) there's a huge loss of usable parts -panels, engine parts, accessories- being destroyed. This, in the name of a giveaway to the auto industry. Why not give $1000/car and see how much we'd save.— JimR
- gphil, I'm glad the economy has bounced back and I have argued the recession will be over this quarter, time and again! I just think it would have happened anyway, without a $787 Bil nonstimulus bill, borrowed from the chinese that our chuildren will have to pay back, that's all:)— NEPhilly
- Tom, as someone who usually joins the fray here regaring job loss, I never remember the issue being non-union jobs being cheap labor in U.S. auto plants. The non-union and UAW shops are comparable on an hourly rate and have been for years. The problem was that crazy legacy retirement system and the unlimited medical benefits. You're doing smoke and mirrors again.— JimR
- Interesting picture on the White House website.....Gates is walking down stairs with a cane while Crowley helps support him. Meanwhile, a fit President Obama strides ahead, seemingly oblivious to the plight of his handicapped friend. Arrogance? Self-importance? You make the call.— tom - wilmington, de
- link for the picture...http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Over-Beers/— tom - wilmington, de
- JimR....maybe you are correct. I do not know all the breakdown between the hourly and benefit package rates. However, I have clients who worked at the Boxwood Road, DE GM plant (now closing) and the Chrysler Newark De plant (now closed) who seethed at the non-union foreign auto makers in right to work states with their lower wages, benefits and retirement packages for helping with the demise of their jobs.— tom - wilmington, de
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- Liberals and debt....on inauguration day, 2009, our national debt stood at $10.626 Trillion. Since Obama took office, the national debt has grown to $11.669 Trillion. That means Obama has increased our national debt by $1 Trillion in a little over 6 months. Just so you know, as a point of reference, it took GW Bush (who inherited a recession, cut taxes on the rich, spent on two wars, and had all the outlays after 9/11 with new federal agencies etc.) a full 2 1/2 years to add $1 Trillion to our national debt. Check out the story at CBS News.com....http://www.cbsnews.com%2Fblogs%2F2009%2F08%2F03%2Fpolitics%2Fpoliticalhotsheet%2Fentry5209497.shtml%3Ftag%3DcbsnewsLeadStoriesAreaMain%3BcbsnewsLeadStoriesSecondary— tom - wilmington, de
- gphilly.....Democrats voted for the bill, otherwise it could not have passed. Most conservatives were against Medicare Drug program. As for the recession, last year most economists believed it would end in the 3rd or 4th quarter of this year at worse since the normal life of a recession is 18 to 24 months. I am curious as to how the stimulus package could be given credit for the recession ending when, as has been reported, less than 10% of the money has been spent, and Obama?Geithner/Summers have all said the stimulus is a two year+ plan and was not meant to stimulate the economy immediately. Which is it?— tom - wilmington, de
- gphil, worst in 80 years sounds like the President as he campaigned to rush the stimulus bill through the congress and passed it late on a Friday afternoon! GWB passed Medicaid expansion and you should be glad he did as a liberal (though he got no credit), I on the other hand didn't agree then and don't agree now. As for GWB's stimulus package, at least it went right into the American people's pockets quickly, as a stimulus should, not spent piecemeal over the next 3 or 4 years! When is enough, enough though? When is our over-spending and over-consuming going to end as a nation? When the chinese are the sound capatalistic financial voice of reason you know we have trouble:)— NEPhilly
- @NEPhilly - Yeah, I guess so. I wasn't really paying attention to the Dems & Pubs carping at one another during 2000 - 2008. I'm an Obamabot. I remember hearing KYW on the way to work one a.m. talking about how a virtual unknown was giving the keynote at DNC in 2004. I forgot all about it. Then my wife (who is keen on such stuff) wanted to watch the convention that night. I wanted to watch just about anything else. I caught Barack's speech. I thought, "Hey, I want that guy to be my president." Then I thought, "Hold on a minute. I don't know squat about that guy." Then I actually did some research. I read his books. I read articles about him. I found his history and views to be quite similar to my own. Notably, finding common ground wherever possible and respecting opposing viewpoints. I have found the presidential version not as "exciting" as the candidate, because the reality is he is still a politician, nothing less, nothing more. My "Hope" is that he and his administration will "Change" the tone of how the US conducts its affairs. I presume the status quo won't go down without a fight, but I like my country when it fights for the individual and the individual fights for her country. I found that lately Corporate America has overwhelmed those ideals with an all too heavy view on the bottom line. I've got a love-hate relationship with wealth. I'd love to have more, recognize that I'm quite wealthy on a global scale and think that wealth worship (of which I'm guilty) is one of the core issues that has the USA headed in the wrong direction. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a Powerball ticket to buy.— Phrossty
Cited by the Columbia Journalism Review as one of the nation's top political reporters, and lauded by the ABC News political website as "one of the finest political journalists of his generation," Dick Polman is a national political columnist at the Philadelphia Inquirer. He is on the full-time faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, as "writer in residence." Dick has been a frequent guest on C-Span, MSNBC, CNN, NPR and the BBC. He covered the 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 presidential campaigns.
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