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Republican Agenda - If not in power, fight to regain power, if in power, fight to retain it.


Has nothing to do with helping the people.

And ...Dems do what?

And... Dems do what?

Ummm....And Dems do what?

Did you say help people?

What people?

You mean the ones who contribute to their campaigns???

[Frenchfry]

And ...Dems do what?

And... Dems do what?

Ummm....And Dems do what?

Did you say help people?

What people?

You mean the ones who contribute to their campaigns???

Military
WW1 Victory(1919) - Woodrow Wilson(D)
WW2 Victory(1945) - Franklin D Roosevelt(D) / Harry S. Truman(D)
GI Bill (1945) - FDR(D)
NATO(1949) - Truman(D)

Foreign Relations
Marshall Plan(1947) - Truman(D)
Peace Corp(1960/61) - John F. Kennedy(D)

Space Exploration
First Manned Moon Mission(1969) - Under Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson(D)
First American to Orbit the Earth(1962) = John Glenn \ Under Pres. JFK(D)
Oldest Person in Space(1998) = Sen. John Glenn(D)\ Under Pres. Bill Clinton(D)

Socio-Economic Programs
40-hour Work Week(1938) - Roosevelt(D)
Minimum Wage Law(1938) - Roosevelt(D)
Overtime(1938)- Roosevelt(D)
Social Security Act(1935) - Roosevelt(D)
Unemployment Compensation(1935) - Roosevelt(D)
Rural Electrification Act(1936) - Roosevelt(D)
Federal Deposit Insurance(1933) - Roosevelt(D)
Federal Home Loan Program(1934) - Rossevelt(D)
Securities & Exchange Act(1934) - Rossevelt(D)

Education
Guaranteed Student Loan Program(1965) - Johnson(D)
School Lunch Program(1946) - Truman(D)
Operation Head Start(1965) - Johnson(D)

Health
Medicare(1965) - Johnson(D)
Medicaid(1965) - Johnson(D)
Family and Medical Leave Act(1993) - Clinton(D)

Civil Rights
Women's Suffrage Amendment
Civil Rights Act(1965) - Johnson(D)
Voting Rights Act (1965) - Johnson(D)
Motor Voter Act(1993) - Clinton(D)

Let's not forget the contributions of President Carter:
Camp David Accords and Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel which has kept the peace between these two countries for the last quarter of a century.

The Panama Canal Treaties--it was the right thing to do and it enhanced our country in Central/Latin America.

Carter also signed into law one of the landmark conservation acts of all-time--"The Alaskan Lands Bill"

and President Clinton's greatest accomplishment was taking a huge budget deficit and making the largest surplusses in history.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x580733

Obama's First 100 Days: 10 Achievements You Didn't Know About

Despite the anticipation that accompanies it, the marking of a president's first 100 days in office is a decidedly predictable affair. The White House, while downplaying the metric, nevertheless goes to great lengths to stress the enormity of its own accomplishments. Critics, not surprisingly, carry a diametrically different message; only this time, terms like socialist and fascist are bandied about.

That said, conservatives and progressives alike do seem to be in agreement on one aspect of the Obama presidency: one hundred days into office and a lot has been done. From new approaches to two wars to more than a trillion dollars of government spending; from pirate attacks to flu epidemics; from controversial cartoons to Senatorial defections; a full news day has not this administration lacked.

The abnormally packed cycle has had its side effects. Stories that once could or would receive front page treatment have faded fast. Indeed, some of the most consequential changes made by the president to date - affecting our nation's health care system, infrastructure, urban and foreign policy - have received modest to little coverage, either discussed but not appreciated, or reported but not in great depth. As Obama gets set to host a press conference marking his first 100 days, the Huffington Post asked administration officials as well as Democrats inside and out of government for their picks of under-appreciated stories during this time period. Here are ten of those stories.

1. Health Care: The Obama White House cleared an important hurdle in the health care reform debate when it appropriated $19 billion in the stimulus package to help implement an electronic medical record system. The money is paltry compared to the hundreds of billions set aside for an overhaul of the health care system in the budget. But officials inside and out of the White House say its significance is hard to overstate.

"We need to have health IT so we have a better idea both of what works but also... so people can share information," Zeke Emanuel, Obama's health care adviser told the Huffington Post in mid-March. "We are on our way in a way that we have never committed ourselves before."

2. Communications: A presidential campaign built on innovative messaging and advanced technology has, naturally, become a White House defined by similar characteristics. As such, the reach of the administration's new media efforts - from hosting online question-and-answer sessions with the president to publishing the first White House blog - has been as expected as appreciated. It's unfortunate, said one tech savvy Democrat, because the new policies have had tangible impacts. "The White House streams every event with the president on its website, even press events," he said. "It's remarkable because, this Sunday they held a swine flu press conference that ordinary people [including many who may have been personally nervous about the topic] were able to watch online... Before you had to wait for a readout or hope that CSPAN would cover it. This is one of those things that people don't quite understand the significance of."

3. Transportation: Since the passage of the economic stimulus package in mid-February, the Obama Department of Transportation has approved 2,500 highway projects. The movement of stimulus money out the door has been as swift as it has been effective: $9.3 billion has been spent in all 50 states. Touting its impact, DOT officials say 260,000 jobs are expected from this investment. And with competition for contracts fierce, the department is set to approve even more projects than previously envisioned. "There will be more money for additional transportation projects," said the official.

4. Education: Maligned for its handling of the financial and banking crises, the Obama Treasury Department has nevertheless implemented policies with real qualitative and quantitative impact on debt-burdened families. Chief among those was a $2,500 tax credit to help offset the cost of tuition (among other expenses) for those seeking a college education. Nearly five million families are expected to save $9 billion, according to Treasury officials.

5. Cars: The automobile industry at the White House and Congress's behest has undergone seismic structural changes, managerial reorganization, and massive cuts in employment. But for all the tough love, the president has put in place the framework for an industry recovery. Perhaps the most significant of steps was to allocate $2 billion in stimulus cash for advanced batteries systems. One high-ranking Hill aide called battery technology "the next big frontier" in the automotive world, adding that if the U.S. could dominate this market it would reclaim its perch as the world's premier car manufacturer.

6. Pakistan: Cognizant of a destabilizing situation in Pakistan, the administration's diplomatic team, with a major assist from Japan, secured $5 billion in aid commitments "to bolster the country's economy and help it fight terror and Islamic radicalism" within the country. The money, as Pakistan observers -- notably Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry - note, will prove instrumental in bringing the nation away from the brink of failure and increased Taliban control.

7. Cities: More than any prior president, Obama has put a spotlight on America's struggling cities, even creating an office of Urban Policy in the White House. It is the Justice Department, however, that lays claim to one of the most consequential of urban affairs achievements. Through the Recovery Act, DOJ secured $2 billion for Byrne Grants, which funds anti-gang and anti-gun task forces. The money, cut during the Bush years, is expected to have massive ramifications on inner-city crime and violence.

8. Engaging the Muslim World: While certainly discussed, foreign affairs experts insist that Obama's engagement with the Muslim world has been at once remarkable and under-appreciated. From the first interview with Al Arabiya to his Nowruz address to the Iranian people, to his proclamation that "American is not at war with Islam" during an appearance in Turkey, seasoned observers have been routinely impressed. "Through these [statements and interviews]," said one Democratic foreign policy hand, "He has been able to dramatically change America's image in that region."

9. Forests: Since taking office, the White House has put under federal protection more than two million acres of wilderness, thousands of miles of river and a host of national trails and parks. The conservation effort - the largest in the last 15 years - came with the stroke of a pen when Obama signed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 in late March.

10. Tone: Leaving a meeting at the White House on Tuesday a progressive member of the House of Representatives commented to the Huffington Post just how impressed she was with the president's manner. "He is so calm," said the member, "and has a great ability to make you feel like you're being respected and listened to."

It is not, necessarily, a unique observation. But among many Democrats and even casual observers, Obama's tone is cited as one of the chief catalysts for his outstanding early poll numbers. "Despite record job loss," said one Democratic aide, "there's still hope in America." Indeed, from the beginning of his presidency the percentage of people who believe the nation is headed in the right direction has risen from 19 percent to 42 percent, according to a recent ABC News-Washington Post Poll. Minus that calming influence, these numbers don't exist and neither does the Obama agenda as we know it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/29/obamas-first-100-days-10_n_192603.html

[Baby Hitler]

And ...Dems do what?

And... Dems do what?

Ummm....And Dems do what?

Did you say help people?

What people?

You mean the ones who contribute to their campaigns???

The Republicans have made it clear where they stand. They must make sure the economy does not recover because allowing that to happen will mean that they can't unseat Obama,

Can you please tell me how that helps anyone, other than themselves?

[Frenchfry]

More pro-Dem stuff:

[Frenchfry]

GOP Trying To Switch D's To R's

[Frenchfry]

Cantor: Obama would be responsible for shutdown
Top Republican refuses to rule out the possibility of a government shutdown over growing federal deficits
11/7/2010

WASHINGTON — A top Republican refused to rule out the possibility of a government shutdown next year over growing federal deficits but said if there were one, President Barack Obama would bear responsibility.

House of Representatives Republican Whip Eric Cantor said it's up to Obama to work with Republicans since they won the House from Obama's Democrats in last week's election, vowing to slash spending and shrink government.

Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," Cantor focused on Obama when asked if Republicans could provide assurances that they wouldn't let the government shut down in any confrontation with the White House, disrupting all but the most essential services to millions of Americans.

"The president's got a responsibility as much or more so than Congress to make sure that we are continuing to function in a way that the people want," Cantor said.

"This president certainly, as in his own words, took a shellacking by the voters" in Tuesday's election that saw Republicans take the House and cut the Democratic majority in the Senate, Cantor said.

"It is time for him to try and come meet us and say, 'Fine, let's get back to the kind of things that Americans are about. It is living within our means,'" said Cantor, in line to become majority leader when the new Republican House convenes in January.

As majority leader, Cantor would be the Republican's No. 2, behind only John Boehner, expected to become the chamber's new speaker, replacing Democrat Nancy Pelosi.

The U.S. budget deficit for the fiscal year that ended September 30 was about $1.3 trillion, with the U.S. debt topping $13 trillion. Congress must decide next year whether to raise the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling to avoid a U.S. default.

At the same time, if the White House and Congress can't agree on new spending plans, there could be a government shutdown.

Obama inherited a deep recession when he took office in January 2009 and within months got fellow Democrats in Congress, over a wall of Republican opposition, to pass an unprecedented $814 billion economic stimulus package.

The economy is growing again, but unemployment has risen, reaching a stubbornly high 9.6 percent.

House Republicans aim to slash spending by $100 billion next year, pushing it back to 2008 levels, with exceptions for programs for the elderly, the military and veterans.

They are being pressured to cut costs by the anti-establishment Tea Party movement that helped them make big gains on Election Day.

Republicans also vow to begin to "repeal and replace" Obama's healthcare overhaul by denying funding to fully implement it.

These plans have brought back visions of spending battles that led to a government shutdown in 1995 after Republicans won the House from President Bill Clinton's Democrats. That shutdown backfired politically on the Republicans, helping position Clinton win re-election the following a year.

House Republicans are determined not to make political missteps that give Democrats a boost in 2012.

Republican Senator-elect Rand Paul, a Tea Party favorite, told ABC's "This Week," that his top aim is to trim the federal debt,

"We have to do something about the debt. I think we've been fiscally irresponsible for a generation or more here," he said.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who has said his leading goal is to deny Obama re-election in 2012, said, "We hope to do business with the president on a number of things."

One area is whether to increase all or some of Bush-era tax cuts -- for the middle-class as well as wealthier Americans, including many small business owners -- set to expire at the end of this year.

Obama called a Republican proposal to extend tax cuts to wealthier Americans for two years a "basis for conversation" and said he sees a potential for compromise.

In an interview on the CBS show "60 Minutes" to air on Sunday night, he said his top priority was making sure taxes did not rise on Americans making less than $250,000 a year.

Extending tax cuts could swell the federal debt. But Republicans argue that allowing the tax cuts to expire would hurt economic growth.

"The issue here is whether you want to raise taxes on small businesses in the middle of what most Americans think is a recession," McConnell told CBS's "Face the Nation."

"I and all of my members think it's a bad idea to do that. I do sense some flexibility on the president's part and we're happy to talk to him about it," McConnell said.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40057963/ns/politics-capitol_hill/

[Frenchfry]

GOP Civil War Over Earmarks & DADT - MSNBC w/ Cenk

[Frenchfry]

Rachel Maddow- Reporting absent_ POLITICO Publicity re-writes history

[Frenchfry]

GOP Blocking START Treaty - MSNBC w/ Cenk

[ducksoup]

Couldn't figure out where to put this, didn't think it deserved a new topic.

"LePage turns to businesses for regulatory advice."

Okay, not bad, but it is what he said...

"wenty-eight representatives of these groups sat at a table with LePage on Tuesday and listed an assortment of regulations they described as well-intended but burdensome — regulations related to the environment, civil rights, public health, child labor laws and tax policy."
http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/lepage-turns-to-businesses-on-regulatory-reform_2010-11-30.html

WHAT!

[Baby Hitler]

Couldn't figure out where to put this, didn't think it deserved a new topic.

"LePage turns to businesses for regulatory advice."

Okay, not bad, but it is what he said...

"wenty-eight representatives of these groups sat at a table with LePage on Tuesday and listed an assortment of regulations they described as well-intended but burdensome — regulations related to the environment, civil rights, public health, child labor laws and tax policy."
http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/lepage-turns-to-businesses-on-regulatory-reform_2010-11-30.html

WHAT!

The child labor laws can cause additional paperwork for employers. When employers hire someone under the age of 18, they must adhere to many requirements, like what duties they can perform, (can not operate a deep fryer or any other hazardous job. If they operate a cash register, they are not allowed to sell alcohol.), how many hours they can work in a week, (no more than 18 hours a week while in school). Some of the benefits a company can receive for this is that they are able to pay less than minimum wage to these student workers.

[ducksoup]

The child labor laws can cause additional paperwork for employers. When employers hire someone under the age of 18, they must adhere to many requirements, like what duties they can perform, (can not operate a deep fryer or any other hazardous job. If they operate a cash register, they are not allowed to sell alcohol.), how many hours they can work in a week, (no more than 18 hours a week while in school). Some of the benefits a company can receive for this is that they are able to pay less than minimum wage to these student workers.

Thanks.  The article doesn't say, but what does he want to do, remove those restrictions and keep the lower wages?  Aren't those there so kids that don't know better or are easily cowed don't have to do dangerous jobs or work at the expense of school?

[Baby Hitler]

Aren't those there so kids that don't know better or are easily cowed don't have to do dangerous jobs or work at the expense of school?

Yep. Definitely need to get rid of those pesky regulations.

[Frenchfry]

Advice For Obama On Meeting w/ GOP

[ducksoup]

Congressional members of the Tea Party Caucus say they want to cut the size of government but a review of records finds that over the past year they have requested over $1 billion in earmarks.

The new report from Hotline On Call found that 52 members of the Congressional Tea Party Caucus "requested a total of 764 earmarks valued at $1,049,783,150 during Fiscal Year 2010, the last year for which records are available."

Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT) requested 88 earmarks totaling $100,514,200. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) wanted 47 earmarks valued at $93,980,000. Rep. Robert Aderholt attached his name to 69 projects worth $78,263,000.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/tea-party-caucus-takes-1-billion-earmarks/