Appearing before the White House Press Corps, Barack Obama spoke on gun bans and fiscal cliffs as he appointed Joe Biden to head a team to draft new legislation. So-called ′assault weapons′ are apparently in for more restrictions after the Sandy Hook School shooting committed by Adam Lanza last week Friday. The National Rifle Association will hold a press conference tomorrow to voice their concerns about gun violence in the United States and the future of the Second Amendment. Meanwhile, Obama has rejected the John Boehner Plan B vote to be held by the House of Representatives today. In a 50-second speech, Boehner announced that House Republicans will pass a Fiscal Cliff bill keeping tax rates at present levels for all Americans earning less than $1 Million dollars per year. Obama rejected the measure with a veto threat and Senate Democrats will comply with him and allow the largest tax increase in recent history to take place on January 1st, 2013. Is there a connection between a new gun ban, spending cuts and the Fiscal Cliff?
One could ask if there is a connection between the new State Department review committee report, citing ″systemic failures″ over the Benghazi Gate terror attack on our consulate, resulting in four dead Americans, while the same report blames nobody. True, three high-level State Department officials, including Charlene Lamb, the deputy director of diplomatic security, did resign immediately following the reports release. Why I mention this is because the report took more than three months to review what happened and issue 29 suggestions as to how to prevent future embassy attacks. Obama wants the Biden committee to complete their task before the State of the Union Address to be held in about 6 weeks.
Appointing Biden to head this project is perhaps the most troubling. Recall that Obama appointed Biden as ′sheriff′ to oversee the 2009 Stimulus Bill and make sure there was no wasteful spending. Uh-huh! In 2010, Biden was appointed by Obama to oversee the ′Recovery Summer′ as the unemployment rate breached the 10% level. Uh-huh! One of the issues concerning the Sandy Hook school shooting is mental health and after Biden′s performance during the one Vice Presidential Debate against Rep. Paul Ryan, Biden showed all the signs of dementia. Throughout the reelection campaign, Biden hardly knew where he was, which of the 57 states he was in.
But what can we expect from the most lazy, incompetent and narcissistic president in American history? Barack Obama was reelected with 100% support from the newest voting block in our country, the Low Information Voter. More like No Information, if you ask me! So this is the end result, a Low Information President who is totally clueless about practically everything. He knows nothing about economics, the Constitution, or even the history of violent crimes, but for the Low Information Voter, Obama thinks like they do, which is to say, he does not think much. Obama, elected by idiots, is an idiot himself.
For Obama to stand there before the Press, and the Nation, and claim some sort of connection between the Sandy Hook school shooting and why Republicans should go along with increasing taxes is just insane! He is not negotiating in any sort of good faith, putting no spending cuts on the table. Since 2010, we have gone from borrowing 40 cents of each dollar the federal government spends to 46 cents today. The amount of revenue that MIGHT be achieved by Obama′s tax increase would barely cover a day or two of deficit spending. It has absolutely no economic value whatsoever in growing our economy nor in creating jobs.
But doing so is suppose to make us feel good, just as the Barack Obama gun ban is supposed to make us feel good about doing something about assault weapons and the Second Amendment. The John Boehner Plan B vote today has been poo-pooed by the White House, much as Joe Biden will try to poo-poo the National Rifle Association. Gun violence will not be effected by Obama just as tax increases without spending cuts will not stop the Fiscal Cliff from happening.
December 20th, 2012 at 7:19 am
Boehner should pull a Regan and walk out. No new taxes on any one. Besides the new taxes would cover the spending for what, 11 days. What a Joke!!!! The country has gone over the fiscal cliff years ago. This is PR stunt for the Democrats. The Republicans should hang tough but they won’t they are week cowards. They worry more about the media than the coubtry.
As said never let a good crises go to waste. The poor souls from Sandy Hook School are being used by the Democrats. This is just an excuse to ban weapons so individuals cannot defend themselves from the government.
December 20th, 2012 at 7:35 am
Banning automatic weapons cannot cure the mentally ill.
Unless you blow their brains out
December 20th, 2012 at 7:42 am
These bills designed to help our economy avoid a cliff are a fricking joke.
None stand on they’re own and actually contain more spending on top of the initial stimulus included at the start.
December 20th, 2012 at 10:19 am
Just wake me up when the Obama recession is finally over.
December 20th, 2012 at 10:42 am
why you guys hate obama as if to say he made himself president. the people have spoken. you have a beef go after the ppl of america. when all is said and done. he’s still the best choice.
December 20th, 2012 at 11:07 am
We had a partial assault weapons ban for 10 years and everything was fine.
Why did it have to be reversed, other than the fact then the NRA are very competent lobbyists?
I still like Chris Rock’s idea, with perhaps a twist.
Have all the guns you want, simply increase the cost of bullets to $5000 for certain applications.
That is, bullets for a single shot hunting rifle? Fine, no change.
Shooting at a target range? You get the bullets there and if you take 100 you return 100 spent cartridges.
You need 30 round magazines for an assault weapon? Save your money.
I suppose this means that we are at risk of Donald Trump and/or Warren Buffett shooting up a mall or school.
I will take my chances.
You need a six shooter to defend your home? Ok, the gun comes with six bullets.
I saw in an earlier thread about how people need 30 shots to defend their homes against some invading horde.
I don’t know many burglars that invade your house in waves. Perhaps if you are in the drug business, but otherwise I would suggest you move out of Fallujah.
At least Patrick McCain allowed for some wiggle room (albeit with the tired caveat that if you let liberals take an inch…), but it is clear that most on this site are simply intractable and if there are 20 incidents in the next week it would still not change anyone’s mind since it is obviously Hollywood’s fault.
As far as the budget?
If I were Obama I would not negotiate one bit. The public is holding the Republicans responsible (it doesn’t matter if that is true or not) and I would simply say this is the deal, take it or leave it. I would be on television every day repeating that stance.
To the winner go the spoils and it can be fleeting so just like in poker. If you have the “big stack” you leverage it to full value.
While I am at it the deal includes a provision that there will be no repeat of the debt ceiling foolishness again. I am guessing that if the Republicans try that again they will be committing long-term political suicide.
I never understand why people negotiate when it is not necessary.
December 20th, 2012 at 11:09 am
Just like people say that anyone that really wants to be President probably shouldn’t have the job I am pretty sure that the people that think they need 30 round semi-automatics are exact people that shouldn’t have them.
December 20th, 2012 at 11:09 am
“Paranoia strikes deep, into your life it will creep”.
December 20th, 2012 at 11:35 am
So Buzz, tell us how outlawing automatic weapons will help stop the mentally ill from committing these horrible acts ?”
And how will it stop all the liberals in the cities with the highest handgun murder rates in the country from killing each other ?
NYC
Detroit
Chicago
South Central LA
These cities are all democratic strongholds which also have the highest rates of minority on minority murder by pistol.
These cities have more gun related deaths of Americans in one year than both wars combined in the last ten years.
The NRA, AR 14s and Republicans are not the problem.
Its actually a very huge section of your partys constituents that are the problem.
December 20th, 2012 at 3:54 pm
Andrew,
After reading your article I found it thoroughly un-constructive and unprofessional. I assume you are an educated person and I have no qualms about whether someone is on the “right” or the “left” or even somewhere in-between. However I do have a problem with commentary that fails to show intelligence when you have no problem with calling others’ idiots. Including the President and Vice-President of the United States.
Is it even possible for you to be professional enough to disagree with people’s policies without being disagreeable? You cheapen your message and make it impossible to take you seriously. Don’t waste people’s time with idiocy of your own.
Make your argument in a way that allows people to take you seriously and maybe even consider that your views have merit beyond being just another jack-ass.
Sincerely,
“Interested In All Views”
December 21st, 2012 at 4:36 am
Why is our lord & master putting a mentally challenged special ed dropout in charge of something like this. God bless ya Chuck
December 21st, 2012 at 4:47 am
Do Obama supporters dress themselves? It’s painfully obvious they don’t think for themselves. America needs to find it’s greatest source of power is not the “government”… it’s we the people damn-it. We’re well within our rights, and our scope of duty to remove this parasitical administration from the face of the earth.
December 21st, 2012 at 4:58 am
I do wish that people who hate this country would leave. The examples of realtime evidences that this idiots ideology fail are plethoric; all over the world for fools like them to see. USSR, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, Europe, Canada. It would be cheaper to send these bastards to the moon than to keep feeding, listening to, and trying to ignore them
December 21st, 2012 at 6:26 am
Hey Craig, I know in the past Canada has been the source of much ire for Conservatives but they have turned the corner. Corporate tax rates are only 15% and their banking laws are far more rational than ours. If you want to buy a house, you actually have to put up a down payment of at least 10%. Not a single Canadian bank has failed nor needed a bailout.
December 21st, 2012 at 6:35 am
Buzz,
I guess I have to post my comment here as well as at the other thread about the silly argument against 30-round magazines.
If Lanza had walked into the school with a standard pump 12-gauge shotgun, firing 5 or 6 Single-O cartridges, each with a dozen .30 caliber balls, you would still have the same carnage. The only practical solution is to have several armed people working at the school. One armed guard in uniform and two or three teachers or staff who receive proper training and whose identities are secret. The public should know that there are several ‘mystery’ gun holders in each school, but by not knowing who they are makes attacking schools very risky.
Oh, BTW, while Connecticut already has tougher gun laws than those of the federal gov’t, CT is one of six states where there is no legal means to force mental patients to attend out-patient therapy or force them to take their meds. Maybe, JUST MAYBE, that law should be reconsidered???
December 21st, 2012 at 6:45 am
Cyteria,
No, I have no problem calling our Prez and Veep idiots because they are. Biden is so out of it that he does not even know where he is half the time and pretty much everything that exits Obama’s mouth is either a lie or absolute dribble.
I can only assume that you are among the ranks of the Low Information Voters, so little of anything I say would interest you anyway. That being said, Bless your heart and have a nice day!
December 21st, 2012 at 7:27 am
What a horrible time to be a Republican in high office today. They could only hide their true colors of greed, abject incompetence, gross dishonesty, and corruption for so long.
After taking a solid economy and crashing to the ground, voters ousted them in 2006, leaving them lost. They even turned to Rush Limbaugh for guidance who they bowed to and lit his cigar at a snap of a finger. That had to be embarrassing.
But to their advantage, Barack Obama was elected President, giving billionaires, Fox News, and influential political hacks ammo to resurrect the TEA Party. And this TEA Party went around spewing how they were taxed enough already (while enjoying the lowest tax in 65 years), how Obama was going to kill grandma, and that he was here to transform America into some terrorist loving nation (or something equally silly). And with the billions bucks and constant promotion of Fox News, the TP ushered in total lunatics and nut jobs into office. And those election results just scared the crap out of both parties.
But even with this infusion of power, the GOP was still an empty suit with an agenda of greed and corporate coddling. And as they continued to snub the electorate while legislating for their corporate donors. And so, voters threw the nut jobs like West, Walsh, etc out, even the powerful Bachmann with suitcases of cash barely eked by. Wow! They replaced Lugar with a Dem!
Now here we are today with Rush a laughing stock, The Tea Party imploded, and those big bucks from Kochs, Adelson, et al not buying those expected seats.
So back to the topic. There’s obviously going to be discussion on gun control. Even the almighty NRA has somewhat buckled. Some of the Bush tax breaks will expire. Even the almighty Grover Norquist has buckled. The GOP has nothing. They are an empty suit that has only produced empty arguments and rhetoric on every front on most every issue. They don’t have voter support on either. They have the losing hand on both.
Boehner’s Plan B is just another example of the incompetent empty suit and corporate loyalist that today’s GOP has become. It raises taxes on 20 million families, mainly on low and middle income families with children. It’s more of a gift to the wealthy. It does nothing for the debt and nothing for jobs.
The collapse of Plan B is another blow to the GOP. It looks like the cliff is coming along with gun legislation and the Dems have the upper hand. They will be able to pick and choose on taxes, unemployment extensions and debt limits and hand it to Rep. The Rep don’t have the voters, Rush, Kochs, The Tea Party, or their worn out rhetoric or empty suited plans to lean on. It’s almost like the world is looking at today’s Republican Party and saying “Busted!”.
December 21st, 2012 at 8:04 am
Umm…, Ronald…,
“After taking a solid economy and crashing to the ground, voters ousted them in 2006, leaving them lost.”
The economy crashed in 2006??? If I recall, we had GDP growth rate still in the 3-4% range and unemployment rates were still below 6%. Maybe I’m just confused but it seems to me that things started going downhill fast AFTER Democrats took over the House, Senate and eventually the White House.
December 21st, 2012 at 8:19 am
Ronald, please tell me what other blogs,sites or ass holes you get your crap from.
I’d love to pay them a visit only because the holidays can be depressing and by now a few good laughs are in order
Republicans greedy ?
Were not the ones who’ve increased the countrys debt 6 trillion dollars and going on 7 with not a damn thing to show for it except more moonbats on fed n state payrolls.
A debt and spending figure that adds up to more than all administrations combined since the first presidency.
You and your lemmings have absolutely no credibility in the use of the word “greed”.
What spending cuts has Barry put on the table that go into effect on the first ?
What in any of his proposals deals with a national debt that exceeds 100% of the nation’s gross domestic product ?
Everything else in your post that follows your assertion of republican greed is equivalent garbage straight out of some sophomoric blog such as the Kos or Huffy post.
I dont think anyone could post a more bigoted and uninformed post as you.
Only wigged out morons who actually believe FOX, Rush and the Koch bros. say they’re major constructs of the GOP.
“FOX, Rush, Koch brothers,blah blah,blah
FOX, Rush, Koch brothers,blah blah,blah
FOX, Rush, Koch brothers,blah blah,blah”
Wow, no one will ever accuse you of being a free thinker, thats for damn sure
December 21st, 2012 at 9:32 am
Buzz;
“Why did it have to be reversed, other than the fact then the NRA are very competent lobbyists?”
” if there are 20 incidents in the next week it would still not change anyone’s mind since it is obviously Hollywood’s fault.”
Hollywoods lobbyists donate millions more then the NRA.
But that still wont stop me from watching Kill Bill or Pulp Fiction with anyone over 17 in the room.
Idiot Tipper went after the music industry and failed. Christian zealots have proposed teaching Christianity in our schools, which would be an epic “fail” of our constitutions purpose.
Both sides have attacked Hollywood but for different interests.
No one of any significant influence has yet to hold the feet of Americas parents to the fire.
At 13 I used to steal my dads car to go joy riding. After being caught car keys were no longer left laying around.
At 16 I would steal their meds. Those were also no longer left laying around.
I still grew up to be a thief and a junkie only because parental complacency and deluded self assurance dictated that I was simply going thru a phase I’d grow out of.
Removing that which I abused did nothing to eliminate the urge for stimulation. My parents were not bad people, but they were defective parents when it came to re-channeling a kids drive.
This idiot b!tch “Nancy Lanza” knew damn well what her sons interests and character defects were and still left a small arsenal at her sons disposal.
Does anyone think maybe we should stop blaming everything and everyone for this carnage and maybe put some responsibility on the parents and their choices ?
I fail to see how banning one weapon or category out of thousands will eliminate sadistic psychopaths or chemically imbalanced individuals from fulfillment of their dreams.
Banning automatics does not solve the problem anymore than cutting the top off your blanket and sewing it to the bottom in order to make it longer.
But, thats okay, us parents need not worry.
If we cant raise our kids properly the government will.
December 21st, 2012 at 11:39 am
Andy, yeah, you got me. Or did you?
The destruction from the Bush/109th GOP super majority came to a head in the fall of 08. You and I have haggled this before and your argument was that the crash was due to the Dem take over in 06. I’ve asked for some supporting legislation, hell legislation to back that claim up and you responded with some asinine gibberish that because the Dems had control was my requested legislation (or some equally “I got nothing” response, can’t recall it verbatim but it was pretty dumb and I suppose I could look it up if necessary. It did make me laugh).
I’m not sure which is most torturous for the GOP, looking back at their admitted drunken spending spree or the hangover they’re reeling from it today. After being tossed out in 06, they admitted to that spree with a resounding apology to voters how they “lost their way”. Do you not recall that? No? Let me remind you. GWB increased the federal budget by 104% while increased government spending more than any of admin since and including LBJ. Do I need to list them? And if I go into detail, it only exposes the wealthy catering and the tab handed to the middle class.
So maybe you “got me” on my dates but it changes little.
December 21st, 2012 at 12:08 pm
“I’m not sure which is most torturous for the GOP, looking back at their admitted drunken spending spree …”
Wow ! you’re right for once. Many cons have agreed they spent too much.
But thats the only credence you get when we look at the lefts actions beginning with the CRA which til today they still deny is and was the largest contributing factor to todays economy.
Yup, both parties signed on to it. The difference is this.
Bush and McCain both went in front of the 111th congress to ask for action to be taken against what was clearly poor social policy.
The 111th dem majority continued to spend away.
The answer from the left i.e. Barney Frank, Dodd, etc was “there’s nothing wrong, nothing to worry about.
And still,today, your idiot leftist buddies are still applying the same regulations on banks that we will all pay for, for decades to come.
Its about time you morons took responsibility for the last four years of an intent to fix a fixable problem which instead ended up exasperating it ten fold.
Here are the ratios of deficit to GDP for the past five presidents…
{Source: Economic Report of the President, February 2012}
Ronald Reagan
1981-88 4.2 %
1982-89 4.2
Average 4.2
George H. W. Bush
1989-92 4.0
1990-93 4.3
Average 4.2
Bill Clinton
1993-2000 0.8
1994-2001 0.1
Average 0.5
George W. Bush
2001-08 2.0
2002-09 3.4
Average 2.7
Barack Obama
2009-12* 9.1
2010-12 8.7
Average 8.9
“As for spending itself, during the George W. Bush years (2001-08), federal outlays averaged 19.6 percent of GDP, a little less than during the Clinton years (1993-2000), at 19.8% and far below Reagan, whose outlays never dropped below 21 percent of GDP in any year and averaged 22.4%. Even factoring in the TARP year (2009), Bush’s average outlays as a proportion of the economy was 20.3 percent – far below Reagan and only a half-point below Clinton. As for Obama, even excluding 2009, his spending has averaged 24.1 percent of GDP – the highest level for any three years since World War II.”
Thats right Ronald, its only the rights fault.
I’m sure the last four years represents that bullsht only if you’re an ideological idiot.
You try so hard to sound so astute and academic when really you’re the dumbest poster boy I’ve ever read whos delusional enough to think anyone takes your word for anything.
You know nothing.
December 21st, 2012 at 8:17 pm
Anyone remember the poster Rhayader? I just read his comments back in 2010, his worshiping of Paul McCartney, and I was just wondering if he was a regular or some unfortunate soul who stumbled upon this website to act as the liberal village idiot.
December 22nd, 2012 at 4:38 am
BTW, Buzz,
On a different thread you said that since the passage of the ‘assault weapons’ ban, everything was just fine between 1994 through 2004. Actually, there were 9 ‘mass shootings between 1994 and 2004, with the two more infamous ones, Jonesboro and Columbine among them.
http://www.nycrimecommission.org/initiative1-shootings.php
Most of these crimes were carried out with handguns, in most most cases legally purchased. Three involved semi-auto versions of the Soviet rifles such as the AK-47 and SKS, two were identified as Chinese-built, which slipped through loopholes since Sen. Feinstein’s husband was profiting from their importation.
At Columbine, the boys used mostly 12-gauge shotguns and 9mm pistols. One did have a Hi-Point 995 9mm rifle and it, as well as one of the pistols, were purchased illegally.
December 22nd, 2012 at 4:56 am
Ronald,
You should know, if you are honest, that the key issue in the 2006 mid-terms was not the state of the economy (which was doing just fine) but the war in Iraq. Democrats wanted an immediate withdrawal while Republicans wanted to ’stay the course.’ What happened? The Dems won and Bush adopted ‘The Surge’ as a prelude to an exit strategy.
We’ve gone over the origins of the 2008 Crash before many times. Micky posted a good but brief history at #22. The Crash was caused primarily by the housing bubble and manipulation in the derivatives market. Both of which began during the Clinton years. GW Bush tried to address the housing bubble in 2005 but Dodd filibustered in the Senate. Frank also threw up as many roadblocks he could in the House.
As for the federal budget, back when the President and Congress actually negotiated those every year, deficit spending was beginning to decline in 2005 and 2006 since the Bush Tax Cuts had done their job and grew the economy. I agree that it is a sad reality that the GOP adopted a free spending way, but the fact remains that we were on a trajectory to have balanced budgets again up until the Democrats won the House and Senate. Then all of that went out the window.