Where's the Outrage?

Keith Olbermann will be back on the air tonight. He isn’t the second coming. He is a good commentator. That’s it.

Keith’s statement:

A STATEMENT TO THE VIEWERS OF COUNTDOWN
by Keith Olbermann

I want to sincerely thank you for the honor of your extraordinary and ground-rattling support. Your efforts have been integral to the remedying of these recent events, and the results should remind us of the power of individuals spontaneously acting together to correct injustices great or small. I would also like to acknowledge with respect the many commentators and reporters, including those with whom my politics do not overlap, for their support.

I also wish to apologize to you viewers for having precipitated such anxiety and unnecessary drama. You should know that I mistakenly violated an inconsistently applied rule – which I previously knew nothing about – that pertains to the process by which such political contributions are approved by NBC. Certainly this mistake merited a form of public acknowledgment and/or internal warning, and an on-air discussion about the merits of limitations on such campaign contributions by all employees of news organizations. Instead, after my representative was assured that no suspension was contemplated, I was suspended without a hearing, and learned of that suspension through the media.

You should also know that I did not attempt to keep any of these political contributions secret; I knew they would be known to you and the rest of the public. I did not make them through a relative, friend, corporation, PAC, or any other intermediary, and I did not blame them on some kind of convenient ‘mistake’ by their recipients. When a website contacted NBC about one of the donations, I immediately volunteered that there were in fact three of them; and contrary to much of the subsequent reporting, I immediately volunteered to explain all this, on-air and off, in the fashion MSNBC desired.

I genuinely look forward to rejoining you on Countdown on Tuesday, to begin the repayment of your latest display of support and loyalty – support and loyalty that is truly mutual.

–K.O.

Tags: Media by ecthompson md
1 Comment »

Unemployed

Last Friday, we got the new jobs numbers. 159,000. The economy made 159,000 private sector jobs in the month of October. It is not time to do the happy dance. The economy still has a lot of work to do. We have a huge hole. Let’s not point fingers at Republicans for their idiotic fiscal policy, which caused the recession in the first place. Instead, it looks like we’re finally getting the fire started. Now, we have to figure out how we bring this fire to a blaze.

Here’s some perspective from EPI:

If the rate of job growth were to continue at October’s rate, the economy would achieve prerecession unemployment rates (5% in December 2007) in roughly 20 years. For the fourth straight month, the unemployment rate held steady at 9.6%.

The labor market remains 7.5 million payroll jobs below where it was at the start of the recession in December 2007, and this number understates the size of the gap in the labor market by failing to take into account the fact that simply to keep up with the growth in the working-age population, the labor market should have added around 3.5 million jobs in the nearly three years since December 2007. This means the labor market is now roughly 11 million jobs below the level needed to restore the pre-recession unemployment rate (5.0% in December 2007). To get down to the pre-recession unemployment rate within five years, the labor market would have to add around 300,000 jobs every month for that entire period.

Exit polls from Tuesday’s election reveal that what voters want is for Congress to create jobs and end high unemployment. Soon Congress will have a good opportunity to do just that. On November 30th, the federally funded extended unemployment insurance benefits are set to expire. These benefits serve two very useful purposes. One is to provide a lifeline to the unemployed and their families during the deepest and longest downturn since the 1930s. But importantly, these benefits also boost spending in the economy and therefore generate jobs. In the paper A Good Deal for All, we estimate that the continuation of unemployment insurance extensions through 2011 will create or save 723,000 full-time-equivalent jobs. With a jobs deficit of 11 million jobs and an unemployment rate of 9.6%, Congress must seize this opportunity.

CBPP picks up on the unemployment insurance theme:

This week the Federal Reserve acted on its concerns about the sluggish recovery and high unemployment by stepping down harder on the monetary policy accelerator, purchasing $600 billion of longer-term Treasury securities in order to lower longer-term interest rates. Congress should not impede these measures by slamming on the fiscal policy brakes.

That’s what would happen, however, if lawmakers let the federal emergency unemployment insurance (UI) measures enacted in the recession expire as scheduled at the end of this month. These measures provide additional weeks of federally funded UI benefits to workers who exhaust their 26 weeks of regular state UI before they can find a job.

UI benefits provide important financial assistance to unemployed workers and their families, but they also support higher levels of consumer spending, which boosts economic activity and job creation. Among the 11 fiscal policy measures that the Congressional Budget Office analyzed for increasing economic growth and employment in the next year or two, CBO put aid to the unemployed at the top of the list.

Tags: Economy by ecthompson md
7 Comments »

Can't make a play on the ball, again

Nothing more needs to be said. Last week my nephew asked my sister, “Why do the Cowboys suck?” Now, he is seven years old and shouldn’t use that type of language but it was a good question. The Cowboys are worse than I have seen in a long, long time.

I have watched the Dallas Cowboys play football for over 40 years. This is possibly the worst. The Cowboys haven’t lost this badly since 1988 when Tom Landry was coaching. Three horrible losses in a row. It is time for Wade Phillips to go. It is time for Keith Brooking to go. It is time for Alan Ball to go. Find some free agents who are hungry and want to play. Did you see Dallas hit one Green Bay player hard? One player. That’s all that I’m asking for. Did you see one big hit? I didn’t see any. Promote Jason Garrett. Let’s see how he coaches thru the end of the year. Find a defensive coordinator.

I have written on how poorly the Cowboys have played this season several times – here and here. I have nothing left to say about the Cowboys.

Tags: Sports by ecthompson md
11 Comments »

From TPM:

MSNBC just announced that Olbermann will be back on Tuesday after one more day of suspension on Monday evening.

Statement from Phil Griffin …

After several days of deliberation and discussion, I have determined that suspending Keith through and including Monday night’s program is an appropriate punishment for his violation of our policy. We look forward to having him back on the air Tuesday night.

Tags: Media by ecthompson md
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For those of you who are too young to remember Johnny Carson’s hilarious skits when he was the Great Carnac, here’s some video. I’m only going to choose five games this week.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus Atlanta Falcons – This is going to be a good game. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have boasted that they’re the best team in the NFC. They have a young coach, a young quarterback and are full of enthusiasm. I know that Coach Morris says that stats don’t matter, but I’m not sure that’s true. I know that the Buccaneers are giving up almost 150 yards on the ground every game. The Atlanta Falcons run the ball very well. I look for Atlanta to pound the ball and then go to play action pass. I look for them to control the clock and limit the amount of time that Josh Freeman has the football. I’m picking the Atlanta Falcons.

Joe Flacco

Miami Dolphins against the Baltimore Ravens – The Miami Dolphins are undefeated on the road. The Baltimore Ravens can never be counted out because of their stout defense. Yet, in the last couple of weeks we’ve seen that the Ravens’ secondary can be burned. The question is, can Miami run the ball? I don’t know. Although they have averaged over 110 yards on the ground per game, in some games they have been stuffed. This is another good game. It should be relatively close. Turnovers will determine who’s smiling and who’s crying at the end of the game. There’s a tremendous amount of pressure on both quarterbacks. Chad Henne has been somewhat up and down this year. If he has a good game, the Dolphins should win. If he is generous, and throws interceptions, the Dolphins will lose. I think the same prediction holds true for Joe Flacco. I’m choosing the young Miami Dolphins to win another game on the road.

New York Giants versus Seattle Seahawks – It remains unclear to me exactly what the Seattle Seahawks are doing. At times, they’re playing amazing offense and defense. Matt Hasselbeck has periods of greatness followed by periods of mediocrity. The offensive line of the Seattle Seahawks has been highly suspect and then again it seems like they’re opening lanes and protecting the quarterback. If the New York Giants could stop turning the ball over, they would be hands down the best team in the NFC and arguably the best team in the NFL. They seem to come up with creative ways to turn the ball over. Eli Manning has 14 turnovers by himself this year. In spite of the turnovers, they’re 5-2. The defensive line is coming together. I look for the Giants to manhandle the Seahawks.

Indianapolis Colts versus Philadelphia Eagles – the Philadelphia Eagles get back Michael Vick. It was really unfortunate that Michael Vick got hurt. He was starting to play extremely well. He seemed to be running at the right times and throwing the ball with great accuracy. Wow, I used “accuracy” and “Michael Vick” in the same sentence. I’m not sure that I’ve ever done that before. DeSean Jackson is listed as probable. He is the downfield threat that opens up the underneath throws and the running game. His presence is key. The Indianapolis Colts have always been susceptible to a strong passing game. Well, for that matter, they’ve been susceptible to a strong running game, also; yet, last week, they did not roll over and play dead for the Houston Texans. It appears they’ve fixed some of their defensive problems. Peyton Manning was unstoppable last week. In spite of injuries to Dallas Clark and Anthony Gonzalez, Peyton Manning managed to find some receivers and torched the Houston Texans. This is going to be another outstanding game. This is why we watch the NFL. Andy Reid and his defense will be in a chess match with Peyton Manning. Look for some exotic blitzes where the Eagles may bring people off the bench in order to put pressure on Peyton Manning. I suspect that Manning will figure it out and get his receivers in position to make big plays. It’s hard to choose against the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning. I’m picking the Colts to win this one.

Dallas Cowboys versus Green Bay Packers – the Dallas Cowboys travel to Lambeau Field to try to show the league that they’re not as bad as their 1-6 record would indicate. I agree. They’re not the second worst team in the league. The problem is they play like the second worst team in the league. When you can’t run the ball and you can’t pass the ball you have troubles on offense. I just don’t see how the Dallas defense, who have played abysmally the last three weeks, can stop the Green Bay offense. I just don’t see it. Green Bay has its troubles and its injuries on both sides of the ball. If Dallas were playing well, they would still have trouble with this high-powered offense and sturdy defense. Unfortunately, Dallas only excels in their punting game. That’s it. Maybe we can petition the NFL to get our punter to punt to our wide receivers. I would love for the Cowboys to beat the Packers, but I just don’t see how we will be able to do it. I look for the Dallas woes to continue.

Tags: Sports by ecthompson md
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Here’s what I don’t understand. Is there a policy at MSNBC or not? If there is, then is it being applied to everyone or only to Keith Olbermann?

From Josh Marshall at TPM:

I find the Keith Olbermann story bizarre, on both sides but mainly on MSNBC’s. First, political contribution records are the most public thing in the world for anyone who is even somewhat in the public eye, certainly for someone who courts controversy. So political giving strikes me as something done entirely in the open for someone of Olbermann’s stature. On the one hand that sounds like MSNBC is flipping out about something that must have been all but an open secret. On the other, if this is MSNBC’s policy, why was Olbermann openly flouting it?

Second, MSNBC’s policy forbids employees from making donations to political candidates, unless they ask for permission to do so, in which it seems usually to be granted. That seems to me to undercut the principle behind the policy.

But of course all of this pales behind the larger point which is that Olbermann’s job at MSNBC is to be an extremely opinionated commentator on politics. And he’s the centerpiece (along with Maddow and more equivocally, Matthews) behind the business strategy of making MSNBC the liberal cable news/chat network. (How they square that with simultaneously having a more traditional and by the books NBC News is something they clearly have yet to work out.) But when you take that all into account, seeing him now all but canned over a handful of individual political contributions because he’s compromised the objectivity he’s supposed to bring to the job sounds like a bit of a joke.

Greg Mitchell comments on the media for The Nation. Here’s what he has had to say:

Just hours after Politico dug up the fact that MSNBC host Keith Olbermann, a few days ago, had donated to three Democrats running for office, the cable news network suspended the newsman / commentator without pay indefinitely.  Olbermann has not yet responded and it is unclear when, or if, he will return.

A little later, Rachel Maddow tackled the episode, saying that she understands the NBC rules about asking permission before making a donation–as MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough apparently did at least once.  But she insisted that the “point” had been made and “we need Keith back.” She then profiled the multitude of Fox hosts donating to, fundraising for and outright endorsing Republicans.  ”We are not a political operation,” she said. “Fox is. We are a news operation. And the rules around here are part of how you know that.”  Here’s a transcript.

More from Greg Mitchell:

Liberal bloggers were quick to point out that  Scarborough, once and current MSNBC host, donated $4200 to a House candidate in 2006.   Records also show that Scarborough made a $5000 contribution to a candidate earlier this year.  He claims the records are wrong — the donation was from his wife.

It recently came to light that Fox’s Sean Hannity, and his wife, each gave $5000 to Michele Bachmann.  Neil Cavuto has also donated to candidates.

Greg Sargent at the Washington Post raises the question: Did Olbermann even violate the network’s policy?   Activists are already circulating petitions — more than 100,000 signed by the end of the evening –  and jamming NBC phone lines.

Tags: Countdown, Media, Rachel Maddow Show by ecthompson md
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So, over the last two or three days, the mainstream media has asked multiple different Republicans, “Are you going to compromise with the president?” Many people tripped over themselves trying to come up with an answer. I think the answer is clear, that there will be no compromise. The Republicans have just been rewarded for being the most obstructionist group in recent memory. They opposed healthcare, they opposed Wall Street reform, they even opposed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. They opposed the rescue plan to save GM and Chrysler. They opposed the stimulus package, which saved or created millions of jobs. The calculus was simple – oppose and obstruct anything that can move the country forward. Success for the president means Democratic votes down the line and we, the Republicans, can’t have that.

President Barack Obama said on Wednesday afternoon that he thought that he could work together with the Republicans on energy legislation. I did not fall off my chair laughing, although I almost did. Energy legislation? Maybe, since the president had recently been on The Daily Show, he was joking. There is zero chance that the Republicans are going to “compromise” on energy legislation. The oil companies and their lobbyists have bathed the Republican Party in a sea of money. There will be no compromise on energy legislation.

The Republicans for the last 30 years have undergone a significant transformation. There was a time when you could find liberal and moderate Republicans walking around Congress. Unfortunately, they have gone the way of the dodo bird. There are no moderate Republicans anymore, at least not in Congress. Let’s think about how congressmen and senators get elected. They start in the local neighborhoods. They talk about issues and ask for donations. If you’re talking to a conservative group and you want to get them fired up so that they will reach deep into their pockets, you need to touch on those hot button items. The more you talk about the need for tax cuts, immigration reform and more defense spending, the more money will be thrown your way. Before you know it, your platform is extremely conservative. There is no room for moderation. This is what we have in Congress. We have conservatives and ultraconservatives. Both varieties of the conservative movement look at compromise as a sign of weakness. It is a sign of a complete lack of moral character, no conviction. Therefore, the only compromise that we’ve seen over the last 15 or 20 years is when progressives move further to the right.

Remember the words of Rush Limbaugh, “I hope Obama fails.”

Tags: Party Politics, Rachel Maddow Show by ecthompson md
13 Comments »

After the ridiculous loss to Jacksonville, Dallas Cowboy owner, Jerry Jones said, “Let me be real clear… There’s no way the result and the way we played tonight, there is no way I can rest, sleep, eat well, with a diet of that right there. There is no way.

“If you look at what we’re about, our team, our stadium, the pride I have in this franchise, you know it doesn’t digest. It doesn’t go down. We’ve got to do something that changes this on the field.”

I think that it is nice that the owner of the Cowboys thinks that things need to change. The team is 1-6. The Buffalo Bills are the only team worse than the Cowboys and Jones thinks that something should change. Sweet. This is like General Custer announcing that being surrounded by Indians is probably bad.

The problem with the Cowboys is the owner, Jerry Jones. Jones is not the coach, but he tries to be. The players know that the buck doesn’t stop at Wade Phillips. It stops at Jerry. Hence, the problem. This is Jerry’s team. He drafted the majority of the players without the aid of Bill Parcells. It was Jones who brought in Zach Thomas. It was only after the Cowboys got gashed for two fourth quarter runs of more than 60 yards by the Ravens that Jerry understood that Zach had no more gas in the tank. So, Jerry went and got Keith Brooking. That seemed to be a great thing last year. Not so much this year. Let’s not forget the coaching round robin Dallas fans had to endure from Chan Gailey to Dave Campo. Remember the quarterbacks after Troy Aikman? Folks like Quincy Carter and Chad Henning? Didn’t we trade away Emmitt Smith so that Troy Hambrick could start? Give me a break. Who is the GM? …oh, yeah, that is Jerry Jones also.

My suggestion is either find a coach who Jerry will listen to (not going to happen) or fire Jerry Jones. So, my conclusion is that Jerry Jones is the main problem with the Cowboys.

Tags: Sports by ecthompson md
4 Comments »

This is an interesting question since the Republicans have taken the House. What is the fiscally responsible thing to do? Reinstate the tax cuts for everybody? Just reinstate the tax cuts for those making less than $250,000 a year? Below is an interesting graph by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.

Tags: Economy, Party Politics, Taxes by ecthompson md
25 Comments »

Yesterday, I read a comment from one of my frequent commenters and I jumped on my high horse. As it turns out, this was completely unnecessary. I should’ve left the horse in the barn. What I read was, “you’re a real idiot.” I read the comment a couple of times (I get most comments sent to me via e-mail. Maybe it is easier to misread email but I doubt it). Unfortunately, I misread the comment each time. What was written – “you’re a real riot.” My deepest apologies for being a moron … It’s okay if you call yourself a moron.

I’ve included the video below which are clips from the Honeymooners.

Online Video [ 0:28 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Blogging issues by ecthompson md
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Every president since Eisenhower has talked about education and how it is important in moving America forward. Many of the presidents passed “major initiatives” supporting education. Measuring the effects of these initiatives is somewhat difficult. One of the best examples is president George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind law. President Bush increased annualized spending per student and increased testing. The question is did that help education? Are our kids learning more? I don’t know. We can download test scores over the last 40 years. This shows a general trend towards an increase in the test scores. In theory, this should be good. This should be good… unless the teachers are now teaching to the test.

If you look at an annualized change in federal spending per student, as a whole, Democrats spend more than Republicans. I’m not sure what this says. I know that during the 1950s President Eisenhower pushed education in something he called “dynamic conservatism.” He established a cabinet level position for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Out of all modern presidents, Ronald Reagan spent the least. Ronald Reagan called the Department of Education (established under President Carter) a “new bureaucratic boondoggle.”

All I know is it doesn’t seem that any president since Eisenhower has really gotten their arms around education (with the possible exception of LBJ). There’s a recent story in the New York Times which noted that the fastest supercomputer in the world now belongs to China. This distinction is something that America has held for many years. On one hand, I believe that the rest of the world targeting America have caught up. On the other hand, I don’t think we are running the race as hard as we did in the 1940s and ’50s and ’60s, when we were deathly afraid of the Soviet Union. I just know it doesn’t seem to matter who’s president. We need to do better. Any politician who stands up and tells you we need local solutions to our education problem does not understand where we are. This a national problem. Our national security depends on our producing smart young men and women. Solutions to global warming won’t just spontaneously happen. Somebody’s going to have to think about it. Somebody’s going have to come up with an innovative solution. The country that figures out how to use energy more efficiently and becomes less dependent on oil will lead in this century. I don’t know much about you, but I prefer leading to following.

(Some of the facts in this post come from the book, Presimetrics.)

Tags: Education by ecthompson md
6 Comments »

I voted. I hope you did too. I did what I could to help the candidates I like. Now, the mainstream media would like me to sit down in front of the tube for three or four hours as the election results roll in. Sorry, that’s not me. Even watching paint dry would usually be more exciting than watching election results roll in. I promise – election results, for the most part, will be the same in the morning. There are several excellent places to peek at a the results online.

Congress

For the most part, I think the House will be lost to the Republicans. The Democrats will retain the Senate. This is a fabulous prescription for gridlock. Nothing will get done without compromise and John Boehner has already promised no compromise. I don’t expect any significant legislation to get through the House and Senate over the next two years. I suspect there will be a huge battles over the budget.

My two cents.

Tags: Congress, Elections by ecthompson md
12 Comments »

Here is Jon Stewart’s closing speech at his Rally to Restore Sanity. (As I mentioned in my comments earlier today, on this blog, I will insist on a reasonable discussion. I’m happy to discuss the issues with anybody. I will not put up with name calling. It just isn’t necessary. As a matter fact, it is unnecessarily inflammatory. Therefore, certain comments may mysteriously disappear if I don’t think they’re civil. I’m happy to have people disagree with me and others on this blog. It has been said before that it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable. I appreciate everyone who reads my blog. I’ve now been doing this for over five years. In the early days, the blog was awful. I’m hoping that I’ve gotten much better. I enjoy the comments and the banter and I look forward to another five years. Again, I appreciate everyone who follows Where’s the Outrage?)

A portion of the transcript:

The press is our immune system. If it overreacts to everything, we actually get sicker–and, perhaps, eczema. And yet… I feel good. Strangely, calmly, good. Because the image of Americans that is reflected back to us by our political and media process is false. It is us, through a funhouse mirror–and not the good kind that makes you look slim in the waist, and maybe taller, but the kind where you have a giant forehead, and an ass shaped like a month-old pumpkin, and one eyeball.

So why would we work together? Why would you reach across the aisle, to a pumpkin-assed forehead eyeball monster? If the picture of us were true, of course our inability to solve problems would actually be quite sane and reasonable–why would you work with Marxists actively subverting our Constitution, and homophobes who see no one’s humanity but their own?

We hear every damned day about how fragile our country is, on the brink of catastrophe, torn by polarizing hate, and how it’s a shame that we can’t work together to get things done. The truth is, we do! We work together to get things done every damned day! The only place we don’t is here (in Washington) or on cable TV!

But Americans don’t live here, or on cable TV. Where we live, our values and principles form the foundation that sustains us while we get things done–not the barriers that prevent us from getting things done.

Most Americans don’t live their lives solely as Democrats, Republicans, liberals or conservatives. Americans live their lives more as people that are just a little bit late for something they have to do. Often something they do not want to do! But they do it. Impossible things, every day, that are only made possible through the little, reasonable compromises we all make. (more…)

Tags: Elections, Party Politics, The Daily Show by ecthompson md
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Questions (from the Daily Kos):

1. What was the average monthly private sector job growth in 2008, the final year of the Bush presidency, and what has it been so far in 2010?
2. What was the Federal deficit for the last fiscal year of the Bush presidency, and what was it for the first full fiscal year of the Obama presidency?
3. What was the stock market at on the last day of the Bush presidency? What is it at today?
4. Which party’s candidate for speaker will campaign this weekend with a Nazi reenactor who dressed up in a SS uniform?

Answers:

1. In 2008, we lost an average of 317,250 private sector jobs per month. In 2010, we have gained an average of 95,888 private sector jobs per month. (Source) That’s a difference of nearly five million jobs between Bush’s last year in office and President Obama’s second year.
2. In FY2009, which began on September 1, 2008 and represents the Bush Administration’s final budget, the budget deficit was $1.416 trillion. In FY2010, the first budget of the Obama Administration, the budget deficit was $1.291 trillion, a decline of $125 billion. (Source) Yes, that means President Obama has cut the deficit — there’s a long way to go, but we’re in better shape now than we were under Bush and the GOP.
3. On Bush’s final day in office, the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P 500 closed at 7,949, 1,440, and 805, respectively. Today, as of 10:15AM Pacific, they are at 11,108, 2,512, and 1,183. That means since President Obama took office, the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P 500 have increased 40%, 74%, and 47%, respectively.
4. The Republican Party, whose candidate for speaker, John Boehner, will campaign with Nazi re-enactor Rich Iott this weekend. If you need an explanation why this is offensive, you are a lost cause.

Tags: Bush Administration, Obama administration, Party Politics by ecthompson md
19 Comments »

Representative John Boehner gave the Republican response to President Obama’s weekly address. Instead of taking some time and laying out the Republican plan, he gave us more of the same. During the Reagan Revolution, the Republicans preached lower taxes and smaller government. They’ve touted this over and over again. Lower taxes and smaller government. This dynamic duo is the answer to all of our problems. Our educational system is failing – lower taxes, smaller government. We seem to be spending more and more on our military – lower taxes, smaller government. The unemployment rate is 9.6% – lower taxes and smaller government.

We do have real problems in this country. Most of them require thoughtful solutions. Knee-jerk answers are worthless. The reason that most states are sitting on huge deficits now is the combination of Republican tax cuts and decreased revenues secondary to our sluggish economy.

I have no idea what it means to “put people first.” Does this mean that before Congress does anything, they poll everybody? I don’t think so. That’s not leadership. I believe this is a phrase that has no meaning. It sounds good. But how do you put this into practice? There’s no way practically to do it. By the way, if we really were to put people first, should we just abolish Congress? Let the president of the United States propose legislation which we, the American people, would them vote up or down on a biweekly or monthly basis? Is that what he’s talking about? Of course not. Instead, he’s trying to tell the American people that he’s going to “listen” to what the American people are saying. We know better. We know that John Boehner is very good at: listening to conservative ideas and rejecting progressive ideas. This is not going to change.

Over the next several days, I’m going to examine the data. I’m to look at Republican presidents versus Democratic presidents and how they’ve done at creating jobs, managing the economy, creating wealth, government spending and a few other issues. I hope you enjoy the series.

Tags: Congress, Elections, Party Politics by ecthompson md
26 Comments »