Obama Responsible for Economy

Obama will say anything and everything.

Video.



Very embarrassing.

Milwaukee Election Commission and Absentee Ballots

The MacIver Institute reports:

EXCLUSIVE-BREAKING We've uncovered evidence that Milw. Election Commission has sent out duplicative absentee ballots to some. Developing.

What a mess!

Maybe the Election Commission did it as a "celebration of voting," in the same vein as the Wisconsin Jobs Now! BBQ bashes.

Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, DEMOCRAT, are you paying attention?

Obama 50th Birthday Parties

What does Obama want for his birthday, the big 5-0?

Money.

Lots and lots and lots of money.

From the Washington Post:

Good thing that debt-ceiling tussling is over. Now begins President Obama’s 50th-birthday week, with lots of fundraising fun and plenty of recruiting for the 2012 reelection campaign.

There is the gala fundraiser Wednesday night in Chicago at the Aragon Ballroom featuring stars from that city — maybe Jennifer Hudson , Herbie Hancock and others. There’s also a dinner fundraiser planned for some high rollers for only $35,800 a person. (Must be serving some really good grub.)

And the reelect campaign is working to have volunteers nationwide host 50-person house parties that night to recruit supporters and listen to Obama in a live-streamed “special conversation” with attendees. Who knows? Maybe he’ll give a little explanation as to why the market plunged after the great debt-ceiling compromise was reached.

The organizers have a detailed “House Meeting Host Guide” with “a few simple steps” so that you have a “successful event.”

First, “secure a location,” such as your home or a coffee shop or the like. Then you register your event at my.barackobama.com/birthday-host. Then you “invite people.”

There are recruiting tips, including “make it personal,” “think big” and “bring a friend.” And, as we’ve always said, “there are never too many reminders.”

Obama is reported to be coming back to Washington on Wednesday night and will be here Thursday afternoon for a fine Rose Garden celebration for what we hear will be a few hundred pals.

Most folks know how gauche it would be to hang out there like a tourist snapping pictures, but just to be sure, our invite reminds: “Please, no cameras or photographs.”

There’s usually a deadline to reply to these things, but this one just asks for a response “at your earliest convenience,” giving the usual Secret Service info such as birth dates and Social Security numbers for you and your guest.

So Obama will be partying at his various birthday galas while the stock market tanks and the economy sinks deeper into the abyss.

Yeah, Happy Birthday, Obama.

Gwen Moore: Representative Fails to Represent

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is playing catch-up once again.

It took a day for the news outlet to cover this rather incredible story.

Rep. Gwen Moore of Milwaukee, DEMOCRAT, failed to cast her vote on raising the debt ceiling.

She missed her opportunity to vote. This representative failed in her responsibility to represent her constituents.

From the Journal Sentinel:

The high-profile, last-minute vote to raise the nation's debt ceiling probably was the most scrutinized action in Congress this year.

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) missed casting her vote by seconds.

Spokesman David Frey said Moore, of Milwaukee, intended to vote in favor of the compromise legislation worked out last weekend by congressional leaders and President Barack Obama.

The legislation took two votes to approve and voting was open for 15 minutes on each. After Moore cast her first vote, she returned to her office across the street from the Capitol, Frey said.

She left her office in what normally would be plenty of time to return to the Capitol and catch the end of the final vote, but hallways were clogged with extra media and security.

"Unfortunately, she arrived on the House floor just seconds too late," Frey said.

There is no excuse for this. None whatsoever.

Hundreds of members of the House had to deal with the same hallways clogged with extra media and security, but they all managed to cast their votes.

Moore was present to cast her first vote. She had to see that there was more congestion than usual, yet she went back to her office.

Frankly, that was not too bright at all. Moore completely misjudged the situation and, as a result, failed to vote on this hotly debated bill.

Inexcusable.

Thaddeus McCotter on Debt Deal

Presidential candidate Thaddeus McCotter talked to John Batchelor about the debt ceiling deal.

He explains his "yes" vote for the bill.

Debt Deal, Economy Still Sucks

The Senate has voted. A debt deal has been reached.



The United States of America is saved!

CELEBRATE!

Oh, wait.

The economy still sucks. It really sucks.

The stock market continues to tank. Home values continue to sink. There are no jobs.

From the New York Times:

A Senate vote to pass the debt ceiling plan on Tuesday may have averted the potential for the United States to default on its obligations, but it failed to lift investors’ spirits.

Within minutes of the news of the vote on the budget agreement, which had already passed the House on Monday, the three main indexes on Wall Street were down more than 1 percent.

Stocks had slumped since the morning opening as investors weighed recent data that drove home the challenges the economy faces. Their next step: weighing the debt limit agreement’s impact on the economy and whether it could possibly slow growth.

“As the macro data comes out, it seems like we may have more on our hands than just getting the debt ceiling raised,” said Myles Zyblock, chief institutional strategist and managing director of capital markets research at RBC Capital Markets.

"It SEEMS like we may have more on our hands than just getting the debt ceiling raised"?

NO KIDDING.

The Obama economy is an absolute disaster.

I can't take it anymore.

Obama has to follow in Jimmy Carter's footsteps. He has to be a one-term president.

It's the economy, stupid.

And the economy sucks.
________________

UPDATE: U.S. stocks in worst streak since credit crisis, Dow industrials extends declines into an eighth session

U.S. stocks fell hard Tuesday, posting their longest losing streak since the heart of the 2008 credit crisis, on investor worries about upcoming federal deficit cuts and a likely stall in the recovery.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average /quotes/zigman/627449/delayed DJIA -2.19% fell 265.87 points, or 2.2%, to 11,866.62, its worst one-day loss since June 1. The eight-day losing stretch was the longest since October 2008, weeks after the collapse of Lehman Bros. and by some measures, the peak of the U.S. credit crisis.

The S&P 500 posted a new closing low for 2011 and turned negative for the year.

What a nightmare!

Wisconsin Jobs Now and 'Block Parties'

Wisconsin Jobs Now! has been hosting "block parties," offering free food and prizes.

But there's no such thing as a free lunch.

In this case, Wisconsin Jobs Now! was asking for participation in its absentee voting drive.

From the MacIver News Service:

Two events held in Milwaukee today aimed at rewarding absentee voters could run afoul of Wisconsin law a state election official said today.

The group, Wisconsin Jobs Now! describes itself as a “coalition of community groups, neighborhood associations, faith based organizations and labor united in an effort to bring good jobs to Wisconsin now.”

At two events in the city Monday, Wisconsin Jobs Now! offered free BBQ and prize drawings to people who participate in their absentee voting drive. They promoted the events on their website, action.wisconsinjobsnow.org.

Wisconsin statutes forbid “election bribery,” under 12.11. This includes giving or offering anything of value in exchange for going to the polls.

Steve Pickett, an elections specialist with the Government Accountability Board, told the MacIver News Service that whether this event is legal or not could come down to timing.

“If they walk in with a sticker that says ‘I voted ‘that’s one thing, but if they eat before they vote that’s a problem,” Pickett said. “It’s still a questionable practice one way or the other.”

...[The Wisconsin Jobs Now!] website has been highly critical of Republican Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills), and in addition to the get out the vote parties, the organization has been organizing and shuttling voters to Milwaukee’s city hall.

Earlier on Monday, the Republican Party of Wisconsin filed a complaint with the GAB alleging illegal coordination between Citizen Action of Wisconsin and the campaign of Sandy Pasch (D-Millwaukee), Darling’s challenger.

The RPW complaint comes on the revelation by Media Trackers that Pasch sits on the board of directors of Citizen Action of Wisconsin. The Republican Party asked the Government Accountability Board to conduct investigation into whether Sandy Pasch’s membership on the Board of Directors for Citizen Action of Wisconsin violated Section 11.06(7) of the Wisconsin statutes concerning illegal coordination between candidates and independent expenditure organizations.

Apparently, the Leftists and union thugs don't have much faith in Sandy Pasch to deliver.

If they did, if they had confidence in her, there would be no need to engage in these questionable, possibly illegal, tactics.

Pasch's campaign is steeped in corruption.

In the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's coverage of the "block parties," the events are given a jaw-droppingly ridiculous spin.

State election authorities are questioning whether a liberal group broke the law by offering both free food and free rides to vote in a hotly contested Senate recall election.

Although no formal complaint had reached the state Government Accountability Board by Monday afternoon, a spokesman for the agency said it would not be legal to combine free food and transportation to the polls in the same event - even if, as the organization contends, people could take the food without boarding the buses.

Local law enforcement authorities are reportedly looking into the get-out-the-vote "block parties."

Five such parties were sponsored by Wisconsin Jobs Now, a coalition of community and labor groups led by the Service Employees International Union. The coalition describes itself as a nonpartisan organization, although its blog posts have been highly critical of state Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills), who is defending her seat against Rep. Sandy Pasch (D-Whitefish Bay) in the Aug. 9 recall vote.

Wisconsin Jobs Now held three parties last week and two Monday, all on Milwaukee's northwest side. Each party offered free food, prizes such as t-shirts and stuffed toys, face-painting for children, drawings for school backpacks - and free shuttles to Milwaukee City Hall, where voters could cast absentee ballots in the 8th Senate District contest.

Janet Veum, a spokeswoman for Wisconsin Jobs Now, described the events as "a celebration of voting," aimed at making it easier to vote for low-income and minority groups who might face more challenges under the state's new photo identification law.

...State law prohibits anyone from offering a voter any inducement to vote or not vote. Veum said her group believed it was complying with the law because no one was required to take the rides or vote to get the food and prizes.

But "that's a distinction without a difference," said Reid Magney, spokesman for the accountability board. He said it was legal to offer rides to the polls, or free food at picnics to talk about issues, but not in the same event.

Magney said his agency had not received any complaints about the parties and that enforcing the law would be up to the Milwaukee County district attorney's office.

A "celebration of voting"?

Oh, good grief!

Clearly, the "block parties" were staged as an inducement to vote.

This is sickening.

Such "inducements" are utilized by the Leftists again and again here in Wisconsin, probably because they know they can get away with the tactics.

It's a disgrace.

But Connie Milstein would be proud.
_________________

From Media Trackers:

Milwaukee- Media Trackers filed complaints this morning with the Government Accountability Board and the Milwaukee County District Attorney's office alleging illegal election and electioneering activities on the part of Wisconsin Jobs Now!

"We are confident that the GAB and the Milwaukee County District Attorney's office will take our complaints serious," remarked Brian Sikma, communications director for Media Trackers. "The evidence that we reported on our website and that our sources gave us all point to multiple violations of election law on the part of Wisconsin Jobs Now! It is time for Wisconsin Jobs Now! to be held accountable for such flagrant violations of the law."

"Because the actions of Wisconsin Jobs Now! are so despicable, we are calling on the Sandy Pasch and Alberta Darling campaigns to also file complaints with the GAB and the Milwaukee County DA's office," stated Sikma. "What took place yesterday is an affront to both campaigns and, more importantly, to the voters in Senate District 8." Sikma continued saying, "If the candidates truly wish to state their frustration with these illegal actions and distance themselves from such tactics, they should file complaints calling for a formal GAB investigation of Wisconsin Jobs Now!"

WisconsinJobs Now! on the afternoon of August 1st hosted two events in northern Milwaukee County where voters were given a free barbeque chicken dinner and raffle tickets in exchange for showing up to vote. Participants were transported to the Milwaukee City Hall in vans with Wisconsin Jobs Now! logos on the side. Once at City Hall, volunteers wearing Wisconsin Jobs Now! t-shirts stood inside the Milwaukee Election Commission office and explained how the voting would work. Media Trackers secured first-hand reports and evidence of these activities.

Obama: Debt Deal (Video, Transcript)

Why did NBC, ABC, and CBS preempt prime time programming to carry Obama's political shtick on Sunday evening?

FOX didn't let Obama hijack its normal schedule. The Cleveland Show continued to air as usual while the other networks showed Obama's address.

That was a good call by FOX. Obama's remarks didn't contain any information so pressing that it required him to seize the airwaves.

The votes haven't been taken. It's not a done deal. Nonetheless, Obama announced that the debt crisis was essentially over. What was the rush?

Here's video:



Here's the complete White House transcript of Obama's remarks:

8:40 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. There are still some very important votes to be taken by members of Congress, but I want to announce that the leaders of both parties, in both chambers, have reached an agreement that will reduce the deficit and avoid default -- a default that would have had a devastating effect on our economy.

The first part of this agreement will cut about $1 trillion in spending over the next 10 years -- cuts that both parties had agreed to early on in this process. The result would be the lowest level of annual domestic spending since Dwight Eisenhower was President -- but at a level that still allows us to make job-creating investments in things like education and research. We also made sure that these cuts wouldn’t happen so abruptly that they’d be a drag on a fragile economy.

Now, I've said from the beginning that the ultimate solution to our deficit problem must be balanced. Despite what some Republicans have argued, I believe that we have to ask the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations to pay their fair share by giving up tax breaks and special deductions. Despite what some in my own party have argued, I believe that we need to make some modest adjustments to programs like Medicare to ensure that they’re still around for future generations.

That's why the second part of this agreement is so important. It establishes a bipartisan committee of Congress to report back by November with a proposal to further reduce the deficit, which will then be put before the entire Congress for an up or down vote. In this stage, everything will be on the table. To hold us all accountable for making these reforms, tough cuts that both parties would find objectionable would automatically go into effect if we don’t act. And over the next few months, I’ll continue to make a detailed case to these lawmakers about why I believe a balanced approach is necessary to finish the job.

Now, is this the deal I would have preferred? No. I believe that we could have made the tough choices required -- on entitlement reform and tax reform -- right now, rather than through a special congressional committee process. But this compromise does make a serious down payment on the deficit reduction we need, and gives each party a strong incentive to get a balanced plan done before the end of the year.

Most importantly, it will allow us to avoid default and end the crisis that Washington imposed on the rest of America. It ensures also that we will not face this same kind of crisis again in six months, or eight months, or 12 months. And it will begin to lift the cloud of debt and the cloud of uncertainty that hangs over our economy.

Now, this process has been messy; it’s taken far too long. I've been concerned about the impact that it has had on business confidence and consumer confidence and the economy as a whole over the last month. Nevertheless, ultimately, the leaders of both parties have found their way toward compromise. And I want to thank them for that.

Most of all, I want to thank the American people. It’s been your voices -- your letters, your emails, your tweets, your phone calls -- that have compelled Washington to act in the final days. And the American people's voice is a very, very powerful thing.

We’re not done yet. I want to urge members of both parties to do the right thing and support this deal with your votes over the next few days. It will allow us to avoid default. It will allow us to pay our bills. It will allow us to start reducing our deficit in a responsible way. And it will allow us to turn to the very important business of doing everything we can to create jobs, boost wages, and grow this economy faster than it's currently growing.

That’s what the American people sent us here to do, and that’s what we should be devoting all of our time to accomplishing in the months ahead.

Thank you very much, everybody.

END
8:44 P.M. EDT

Obama's acting as if he's the master negotiator, while at the same time distancing himself from the negotiations.

He praises members of both parties for arriving at an agreement, but chastises them for their haggling, for taking "far too long" to arrive at a deal.

Obama is still relying on the "balanced approach" talking point, giving Americans what he thinks they want to hear. But then, he asserts his belief that raising taxes is the answer to manage his wild, historically reckless spending. That's not the kind of "balance" that makes sense in this mess of an economy. It's impossible to raise taxes high enough to keep pace with the Obama astronomical spending spree.

Obama doesn't mention that Democrats failed to pass a budget when they had total control of Congress. It's disingenuous for Obama to express his concern about the impact of recent uncertainty on business confidence and consumer confidence when he's been screwing up the economy for years and making disastrous policy moves.

Way to go, Democrats!

Obama also doesn't mention that this deal doesn't mean the U.S. government will retain its perfect credit rating.

And of course, America needed Obama to take over programming to thank the people for their tweets.

Good grief.

I'm sick of Obama's political posturing and campaigning being sold to the public as Obama carrying out his presidential responsibilities.

It's all political maneuvers, election strategy.

What a leader!

What a crock!

Obama and Tweeting

This is funny.

Video.

REP. KEVIN McCARTHY: The President, to me, has been somewhat... Look, you cannot be the leader of the Free World and sit on the sidelines and tweet and think you're going to get the job done.

Debt Talks: Progress

Progress. Shmogress. Whatever.

Paul Ryan Speech: Harry Reid's Plan

On July 29, 2011, while speaking in the U.S. House of Representatives, Republican Paul Ryan exposes the ridiculousness of Harry Reid's plan to address the debt.

Video.

House Vote on Debt Postponed

Still no resolution on the debt ceiling.

From the Wall Street Journal:

The House postponed a Thursday night vote on Speaker John Boehner's plan to raise the federal borrowing limit after he failed to stem a revolt by conservative GOP members. The delay leaves the credit status of the U.S. government in jeopardy with five days remaining before it begins running out of money to pay all its bills.

The development came after a two-hour debate on the bill was abruptly ended earlier in the evening. Mr. Boehner, knowing that a rejection could undermine his speakership, then joined other House GOP leaders in trying to pressure party members to reconsider their opposition.

Those efforts fell short and it wasn't clear if the vote would be rescheduled. But the development appeared to hand the initiative for the moment to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.), who is pushing an alternative version of the debt bill.

House Republicans and Senate Democrats planned to meet Friday morning at 10 a.m. to plan strategy. Republicans will figure out whether, and how, they can move forward.

"I think what's going on now is a process of dialogue among legislators who are listening to one another and deciding how it's going to be possible for us to move forward within the democratic process," said Rep. Mike Pence (R., Ind.).

Mr. Pence acknowledged that "we're not there yet" in terms of votes for the Boehner plan, but "Our objectives remain the same."

Greg Gutfeld nails it:

This is like watching sausage not get made.

Nancy Pelosi and 'Life on this Planet'

Nancy Pelosi is engaging in some really bizarre rhetoric lately.

Read and watch her rant against Republicans. It's loony.

She has taken her lunacy to an even more extreme level.

Video.

NANCY PELOSI: What we're trying to do is save the world from the Republican budget. We're trying to save life on this planet as we know it today.

Is Pelosi drunk?

What is her problem?

Who Killed Grandma?

Steny Hoyer: Republicans, Bullets, Obama

The Left went berserk over Sarah Palin and crosshairs.

Why is it acceptable for DEMOCRAT leader, House Minority Whip, Steny Hoyer to use extremely violent imagery when referring to Republicans and their interaction with Obama?

Hoyer was on the despicable MSNBC's Morning Joe on Wednesday. He used language that was not at all in line with the supposed "new tone" in Washington ushered in after the Tucson shootings.

Video.



Transcript:

STENY HOYER: Bob, I think you're right. I think it's unfortunate that politics is playing a role. I think we're playing Russian roulette, frankly, with the nation's credit worthiness. And unfortunately, all the chambers seem to be loaded in the House side. They want to shoot every bullet they can at the President. I think it's political in that sense, but it is much, much too dangerous to be playing politics with the credit worthiness of the United States, where for the first time in history we wouldn't be able to pay our bills.

I am hopeful, again, John Boehner has offered a number of proposals. Remember back when John Boehner offered a continuing resolution to keep the government open. He lost 59 of his members then on a deal that he made, not a Democratic - Republican agreement, on a deal that he made.

No one called Hoyer on his terrible choice of words.

It's incredibly irresponsible for Hoyer to speak of Republicans wanting to riddle Obama with bullets.

Saying Republicans "want to shoot every bullet they can at the president" is a startling way for Hoyer to make his point.

Where's the outrage now?

Crickets.

The Leftists apply a different standard to themselves.

The hypocrisy of the Left knows no limits.

Nancy Pelosi: Republicans Want to Destroy

DEMOCRAT Nancy Pelosi should be ashamed for making such inflammatory, poisonous remarks about Republicans.

It's unacceptable. It's inexcusable.

Video.



Transcript

NANCY PELOSI: This is an excuse. This budget deficit is an excuse for the Republicans to undermine government, plain and simple. They don't just want to make cuts, they want to destroy. They want to destroy food safety, clean air, clean water, the department of education. They want to destroy your rights. They do not like government.

Good grief.

That sounds crazed even for someone as extreme as Pelosi.

Republicans don't want to destroy. They want to prevent the country from collapsing. They want to protect the future for all Americans, for generations to come.

Pelosi's bitterness is disgraceful. It smacks of desperation.

Jimmy Williams, Grover Norquist, 'Butt Buddy'

The liberal media are really going off the deep end lately, particularly MSNBC.

Civility is out the window.

On the Dylan Ratigan Show, panelist Jimmy Williams, a Democrat lobbyist, referred to Grover Norquist as Newt Gingrich's "butt buddy."

Video.



Transcript

JIMMY WILLIAMS: One person is controlling the agenda of the United States of America right now and his name is Grover Norquist.

Grover Norquist was Newt Gingrich's butt buddy. He was Jack Abramoff's close friend and laundered money from Native Americans. He charged people $25,000 a pop to go to a Bush White House signing ceremony. He is a petty criminal. And he's made just about every single member of the House of Representatives on the Republican, not the Tea Party, the Republican side, and almost all Republican senators sign a pledge saying that they will never ever for the rest of their lives raise taxes.

I need to know, first of all, do we have on the Left a Grover Norquist? And if we don't, why not?

I don't think it's appropriate for a panelist on a televised news program to use such a crass term as butt buddy.

MSNBC is really a mess.

There is a lack of decency. It's vulgar stuff. This level of discourse at the cable network reflects horribly on NBC News. This gathering place for Leftists is a disgrace.

I know they're desperate for ratings and they're trying to appeal to the fringe Left, but how low are they willing to go?

Leno: More David Wu Jokes

JAY LENO: There is a new tiger on the endangered species list. Take a look.



There you go. That is a United States congressman.

Fifty-six-year-old Oregon Congressman David Wu now coming under fire for allegedly making unwanted advances towards a teenage girl. Is that why he's dressed like a tiger? How young are these girls? Where's he picking 'em up? Chuck E. Cheese? What is that? How creepy is that?

Well, now Congressman Wu is being forced to resign. So the moral of this story: Never try to 'Wu' a much younger woman. OK?

These congressmen are out of control. You know, he didn't want to resign. He was fighting it, but after what he did last night, I'm sure you saw it. Well, maybe you missed it. Here take a look.



It's got to stop.

Jay Carney and Obama's Plan

Jay Carney put on a pathetic performance during the White House press briefing yesterday.

He insisted that Obama has a plan to handle the debt ceiling but he can't quite locate it.

It exists, but where?

What are the numbers?

Video.



Transcript

QUESTION: you basically have this Boehner plan that you say can’t get through the Senate, and you’ve got a Reid plan that the Republicans don’t think you can get through the Senate or the House, and you’re saying we want a compromise, what was the point of giving a primetime address to the nation without an Obama plan and say neither of these other plans can work? Where is -- where is your plan?

MR. CARNEY: I understand that idea that there is not an Obama plan is like --

QUESTION: But there’s not. There’s not one on paper. There’s not one on paper.

MR. CARNEY: -- point number one -- is point number one on the talking points issued by the Republican Party. I get it.

QUESTION: No, no, that’s not a talking point.

MR. CARNEY: Okay?

QUESTION: No, no, show us the plan. It’s not a talking point. That’s unfair. Where is the plan?

MR. CARNEY: We have said from the -- first of all, the President put forward in detail his principles at George Washington University --

QUESTION: Principles, right. That’s not a plan.

MR. CARNEY: -- quite a lot of detail. The President stood before you -- I can’t remember if you were here Friday night. Some of you weren’t because you cut out early, but a lot of you were.

And he put forward in detail with numbers what he’s willing to do. He then referred from the podium to the fact that White House officials will be briefing in detail what our plan is.

Now, the purpose of putting forward a plan on paper -- our interest in this has been to get a compromise, to get a deal. It has not been to politically position ourselves, say, with things that appeal to our base, maybe pieces of legislation that we know can’t pass but it would be greeted warmly by certain constituencies. Our goal, and the reason why the negotiations have been conducted the way they have been conducted, is because we want a result. That’s the way the President has.

And it is simply not the case. The senior members of the House Republican leadership can open their desk drawer, pull out reams of paper that represents the President’s proposals and his counterproposals, and his counter-counterproposals, and his understanding that they need more of this and that he would like more of that. There is plenty of detail.

QUESTION: But even the President gave numbers on Friday night -- White House aides were saying last night he was giving the speech to the nation because most Americans were not paying attention until last night. So even if he gave these numbers on Friday night, they have not -- the American people were not paying attention Friday night, by your own estimation. So why didn’t he say last night, here are the nine things that I support? Here are the numbers, here’s what I want to do on taxes, and just lay it out -- and say, call your congressman with this -- not with this vague --

MR. CARNEY: The point -- I mean, the fact is you address the nation only so often on primetime. The President has been out here with an unbelievable amount of regularity talking to you, talking to the American people throughout this process. He has put forward in great detail -- I mean, if you guys haven’t talked about it on air or put it in your newspapers or online, then you should, because the detail is there.

Secondly, he needed to talk to the American people last night because -- for a good reason -- because they have their own lives to worry about and they count on Washington not always to take care of everything, but to take care of the big things like making sure we don’t default on our obligations. And he needed to talk to the American people, to those Americans who haven’t been paying close attention, to let them know where this stands and why it’s so important and why the risk is there that if Congress doesn’t act -- and we believe it will -- something that has never happened before in our history could happen and it would be very bad, indeed.

That’s why he had to address the country and why he wanted to explain to them his view that compromise is so necessary.

QUESTION: One other quick thing. I think on CBS radio this morning Dan Pfeiffer said that if Congress does not act by August 2nd this could lead to a depression. Is that your position, that we might have a depression in America?

MR. CARNEY: You know what, depression, how you -- what I know, what economic experts have said, is that -- and, again, Republican and Democrat, Jim Baker, Ronald Reagan, all sorts have said that a default on our obligations would produce an economic calamity. How you define that obviously depends on how long it lasts and what the ongoing implications of that would be.

We don’t believe it’s come to pass. Economic calamity is plenty scary and we should not even entertain that.

QUESTION: But over the weekend Democrats were saying there’s going to be a “Boehner drop” if there’s no action. Asian markets are going to crash on Sunday. Didn’t happen. American markets didn’t crash on Monday, and thankfully they have not crashed on --

MR. CARNEY: Ed, I want to move on, but you should go on the air and tell your viewers there’s nothing to worry about. That’s one approach.

Chuck.

QUESTION: Jay, why not release the last offer that Boehner made? I mean, instead of -- if you don’t want to release your own plan, release that plan. If that’s the deal -- if that’s the last offer he made and you guys are willing to go back with a few minor tweaks, release it. It’s the last week -- release it.

MR. CARNEY: I’m not going to -- look, we have shown a lot of leg on what we were proposing --

QUESTION: Where?

MR. CARNEY: From the podium, right here. (Laughter.) And from the Roosevelt Room. Certainly the Speaker of the House can address, or his people can address what they were -- what their last offer was. They claim that they walked away from the table because of the $400 billion --

QUESTION: Why not you do it? If they throw it out there and then you’re --

MR. CARNEY: The President stood here -- Chuck, again, I can’t remember if you were here -- it might have been Kristen -- but the President stood here on Friday night and went into great detail. You should look at the transcript. The President’s people met --

QUESTION: I understand, I’ve seen the transcript -- there’s still nothing out there. Why not just release that plan?

MR. CARNEY: Is it because you -- I mean, look, you need something printed for you, you can’t write it down? There is ample detail --

QUESTION: It’s not a plan. No, it’s not a plan. It was details of the plan, but it wasn’t a plan the same way that we’re getting a plan on the House side or that we’re getting a plan on the Senate side. It’s not.

QUESTION: We don’t know what the Medicare thing is. We don’t know what the Social Security part of this is. There wasn’t -- I mean, there was a lot of missing detail.

MR. CARNEY: We talked in great detail about what’s in Medicare, and you know it.

QUESTION: Why not put it out there, though? You guys went before the American people last night -- and I know that you’re probably getting frustrated because we’re all asking a version of the same question -- but you went before the American people last night and said come -- call your members of Congress and tell them we want a compromise. Well, you had a plan that you were making the case for which sounded like a version of the compromise. Release it to the public. I mean, that’s --

MR. CARNEY: $1.5 to $1.7 trillion in agreed-upon domestic discretionary non-defense savings -- cuts; other savings -- and on the most important stuff, the tough stuff, the stuff that makes it very hard for Democrats to do it but they’d be willing to do it -- important savings on entitlement reform. You know the issues; the President talked about it, other people talked about it, in terms of the kinds of reform that would produce significant savings. Okay? Significant savings in defense -- $400 billion -- significant savings in defense spending. All right? Significant savings in revenue through closing loopholes and tax reform that would produce -- by lowering rates and broadening the base, it would produce significant savings.

There are details -- we can go through details. And what we put forward -- again, this is a fluid situation. The point is, as both parties have said, they were engaged in serious negotiations; we were close to an agreement. One party said they walked away because of an insistence on an extra $400 billion in revenue. We said we could easily talk about that and resolve that issue. And that’s the kind of compromise --

QUESTION: -- $800 billion in new revenue into the Treasury --

MR. CARNEY: That’s correct.

QUESTION: -- coming out of tax reform.

MR. CARNEY: Correct.

QUESTION: And which parts of -- and was entitlement reform going to be cuts upfront and then a condition?

MR. CARNEY: Well, you know how things that had been talked about in terms of the reforms that would obviously be in the entitlements be phased over a certain period of time -- nobody has talked about upfront tax revenues. For example, the President himself said nothing before 2013 -- and how these things would play out. But these were significant savings, real savings -- the kinds of things in terms of entitlement reform that people have talked about for a long time, and Republicans in particular -- the President was willing to do. And he was looking for a partner, and he felt he had one, and he hopes he still has one going forward.

QUESTION: If he comes back with that $800 billion, why don’t you guys just accept the deal, ask a senator to introduce it in the Senate?

MR. CARNEY: We’ll see.

Carol.

QUESTION: Just quickly to follow on Chuck, I mean, the President did say to us on Friday that you guys would open the books and show us the paper. And then when we were in the Roosevelt Room, there was paper that we asked for that we weren’t actually physically handed. So was that -- are you going to give that to us?

MR. CARNEY: The senior people in that room walked you through the numbers, okay? You know -- I mean, we can engage in this, but you know that the reason why we’ve approached it this way is precisely to make it -- to create the optimum circumstances for a compromise. It is -- most of you are veteran Washington reporters. You know how this process works; that if you -- that when you put forward a position, it becomes highly -- on difficult issues, before a compromise is reached -- it becomes charged politically and your chances of actually getting an agreement diminish significantly. That’s how it works. You know that’s how it works.

And it’s for that -- if you don’t, well, you should. Others do. It is precisely because we wanted and believed and hoped that we could reach a compromise that the negotiations were conducted the way they were -- by both sides, by the way.

It is one thing to say that, yes, Republicans put forward plans that everybody knows can’t become law. Republicans were also engaged in quiet, detailed, concrete negotiations to reach a compromise.

QUESTION: Are you worried about activists tearing this -- activists on your side of the aisle tearing it apart?

MR. CARNEY: And theirs. And theirs.

QUESTION: But that’s why you didn’t -- that’s why this hasn’t gone public?

MR. CARNEY: You know how it works.

QUESTION: I understand that, but that is the reason you --

MR. CARNEY: Because we wanted an outcome that if -- as we’ve talked about, we’ve cited Bob Dole and others, you got to hold hands, get in the boat together, okay? That’s why.

Oh, my God.

What an embarrassment!

Listen to the press actually boo Carney:



The guy is a disaster. He lacks control. He isn't quick on his feet. Carney is a lot like his boss.

David Wu Resigns

UPDATE, August 4, 2011: David Wu officially resigns seat amid sex allegations
____________________

Disgraced DEMOCRAT David Wu said he wasn't going to do it, but he is.

Wu is resigning from the U.S. House of Representatives.

From CNN:

Embattled U.S. Rep. David Wu will resign from the House of Representatives after being accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward a fund-raiser's daughter, he announced Tuesday.

In a statement issued by his office, the seven-term Oregon Democrat said he would step down once the current standoff between Congress and the White House over raising the U.S. debt ceiling is resolved.

"I cannot care for my family the way I wish while serving in Congress and fighting these very serious allegations," Wu said. "The well-being of my children must come before anything else."

Wu is wobbly.

Yesterday, he didn't believe his resignation was necessary. The well-being of his children wasn't an issue when he insisted he would serve out the remainder of his term.

I suspect his colleagues forced Wu to leave, wanting to avoid a repeat of the DEMOCRAT Anthony Weiner sex scandal debacle.

In any event, Wu is out. He joins fellow disgraced DEMOCRAT Weiner in resigning from the House.