Wow! WTF (Winning The Future) is turning out to be a lot harder than we ever thought. So Big Guy’s not taking any chances: in one of the most transparent acts yet of this completely transparent presidency, the Wons went to church yesterday. And not just any church. St. John’s Episcopalian Church!
What more could the Republicans possibly want from this man?
Mommy and Me, cool, coifed and well turned out in shades of blue and mauve, although they did get their shoes mixed up. (H/T SaraB)
Whew! This is turning out to be one long hot summer. Evidenced here, by the gravity of Big Guy’s last weekly radio address. It’s a long one, so listen up, dough boys:
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
July 16, 2011
Today, there’s a debate going on in Washington over the best way to get America’s fiscal house in order and get our economy on a stronger footing going forward.
More like one hand clapping than a debate, butt ok.
For a decade, America has been spending more money than we’ve taken in. For several decades, our debt has been rising.
It’s Bush’s fault.
And let’s be honest – neither party in this town is blameless. Both have talked this problem to death without doing enough about it.
Maybe we need a new audience
That’s what drives people nuts about Washington. (Among other things.) Too often, it’s a place more concerned with playing politics and serving special interests than resolving real problems or focusing on what you’re facing in your own lives.
Jeff Immelt, Richard Trumka, Andy Stern, Jesse Jackson, Loyd Blankstein, Ken Chernault and Ken Lewis
No special interests here, just the usual ones: labor unions, race mongers, corporate welfare recipients and Wall Street
They all work for the same guy though.
Dr. Evil
These fellow travelers do have a special signal: sort of like a secret handshake.
Come to think of it, Big Guy has a secret sign for the R-words too:
But right now, we have a responsibility – and an opportunity – to reduce our deficit as much as possible and solve this problem in a real and comprehensive way.
Simply put, it will take a balanced approach, shared sacrifice, and a willingness to make unpopular choices on all our parts.
I know it’s not as popular as apple, butt I’ll take the chocolate cream
That means spending less on domestic programs. It means spending less on defense programs. It means reforming programs like Medicare to reduce costs and strengthen the program for future generations.
We rationed butter during WWII, why not rationed healthcare?
And it means taking on the tax code, and cutting out certain tax breaks and deductions for the wealthiest Americans.
Like Corporate Jets; they seem extravagant anyway
Now, some of these things don’t make folks in my party too happy. And I wouldn’t agree to some of these cuts if we were in a better fiscal situation, but we’re not. That’s why I’m willing to compromise. I’m willing to do what it takes to solve this problem, even if it’s not politically popular.
“You’ve got me over a barrel. I’m willing to swap you my old shoes for your new SUV. It’s in the ditch any way.” (H/T Woz, where ever you are)
I expect leaders in Congress to show that same willingness to compromise. The truth is, you can’t solve our deficit without cutting spending.
“You” can’t? What about “our” shared sacrifice, Tonto?
But you also can’t solve it without asking the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share – or without taking on loopholes that give special interests and big corporations tax breaks that middle-class Americans don’t get.
This is where it gets a little tricky, tip toeing around our special interests usual suspects’ interests. Thankfully, dirty oil companies aren’t in that group.
It’s pretty simple. I don’t think oil companies should keep getting special tax breaks when they’re making tens of billions in profits.
Which they won’t be doing for long if they can’t drill anywhere in America any more. I wonder if Brazil gives tax breaks to oil companies?
I don’t think hedge fund managers should pay taxes at a lower rate than their secretaries.
Well they don’t, so we can check that one off our list.
I don’t think it’s fair to ask nothing of someone like me when the average family has seen their income decline We have to ask everyone to play their part. over the past decade – and when many of you are just trying to stretch every dollar as far it it’ll go.
Ok then, let me ask you this: how about you get rid of Obamacare? People hate it, it eliminates choice, will put insurance companies out of business (eliminating thousands of jobs) and it’s unconstitutional. If that still doesn’t feel good enough, you can mail a check for all of that extra money that you don’t need to the U.S. Treasury.
We shouldn’t put the burden of deficit reduction on the backs of folks who’ve already borne the brunt of the recession.
That would be the 53% of Americans who do pay income taxes.
It’s not reasonable and it’s not right. If we’re going to ask seniors, or students, or middle-class Americans to sacrifice, then we have to ask corporations and the wealthiest Americans to share in that sacrifice. We have to ask everyone to play their part.
Does that include Mr.Jeffrey Immelt? And Mr. Immelt’s corporation? Maybe GE could chip in a little something towards our deficit. Because last year they didn’t contribute anything at all, which seems odd since they made $5.1 billion just in the U. S.. You probably know that GE’s corporate slogan is “imagination at work,” butt what you probably don’t know is that it was their tax department that came up with it. And they’ve been using it ever since, apparently to good effect.
Because we are all part of the same country.
Really? Can you prove it? May I see your papers?
We are all in this together.
If by “all” you mean “you.”
So I’ve put things on the table that are important to me and to Democrats,
and I expect Republican leaders to do the same.
Actually, I believe they have:
After all, we’ve worked together like that before. Ronald Reagan worked with Tip O’Neill and Democrats to cut spending, raise revenues, and reform Social Security. Bill Clinton worked with Newt Gingrich and Republicans to balance the budget and create surpluses. Nobody ever got everything they wanted. But they worked together. And they moved this country forward.
Yes, butt Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton learned how to play with others in kindergarten.
That kind of cooperation should be the least you expect from us – not the most you expect from us. You work hard, you do what’s right, and you expect leaders who do the same.
No, not really. Not any more.
You sent us to Washington to do the tough things.
And they’re all tough
The right things. Not just for some of us, but for all of us. Not just what’s enough to get through the next election – but what’s right for the next generation.
You expect us to get this right. To put America back on firm economic ground. To forge a healthy, growing economy. To create new jobs and rebuild the lives of the middle class. And that’s what I’m committed to doing.
Thank you.
You’re welcome.
Stay tuned for future WTF messaging from your President.
(H/T SandraC)
Linked By: and DeniceVB on The Crawdad Hole, and, anonimalle on Godlike Productions, and sowsear1 on No Quarter, Thanks!
Posts
