Not to mention, the office for closing Gitmo is shutting down too. Woops, that didn't get done either did it.

Also I hear now, some of the union folks that supported Obamacare are asking for taxpayer assistance. Apparently, it's going to be too expensive for them to pay their premiums. Wasn't that supposed to be fixed too?

What a shock. Obama isn't God. Obama changes over time when faced with political realities. No other president ever did that. Impeach him! Call the media!

This opposition is so "Obama Derangement Syndrome" that it isn't even funny.

Give me some examples of Obama's foreign policy successes could you? He failed to support a popular revolution in Iran, tightening the mullahs grip on power. We dropped 30,000 bombs on Libya killing 60,000 civilians and AQ comes to power, using Libya as a base to spread further regional destabization and murder. We're backing AQ in Syria while at the same time our soldiers are dying, fighting them elsewhere How's our Egypt policy coming along? I don't have a derangement syndrome. These are the facts of what his policies have wrought. Millions may die because of it. You'd think he was an AQ operative reading this stuff everyday.

Democracy and classic liberalism are now in retreat all over the world,

Your mind is already made up on this, set in concrete. What you think is a failure, I see success. Particularly the rational way Obama dealt with both Libya and Egypt and Syria as well. He also is managing the ending and winding down of TWO WARS, Iraq and Afghanistan. That is remarkable! Not to mention the biggest foreign policy theme of Obama -- the pivot towards ASIA. Yes and he got Bin Laden. Even the republicans knew that foreign policy was a huge Obama strength.

Your mind is already made up on this, set in concrete. What you think is a failure, I see success. Particularly the rational way Obama dealt with both Libya and Egypt and Syria as well. He also is managing the ending and winding down of TWO WARS, Iraq and Afghanistan. That is remarkable! Not to mention the biggest foreign policy theme of Obama -- the pivot towards ASIA. Yes and he got Bin Laden. Even the republicans knew that foreign policy was a huge Obama strength.

Well, your view that these are successes says a lot about you. It's not hard to wind down a war if you don't care what you leave behind. You just stop funding it. Got Bin Laden? You mean like the Israelis Got Eichmann and Mengele? After they were a spent force?

Are you saying Obama is now going to be doing for Asia what he's done for the Middle East? Set it on fire? Should I be looking for a new home?

Why aren't you outraged by his mass murder campaign in your name? Is it because you don't have any skin in the game? No children, don't pay taxes, don't live there anymore? Why was it evil when Bush did it, but when Obama does it, indeed ESCALATES the mayhem and murder its brilliant policy. It is really hard to regard you as anything other than a political sycophant, a toady,same like the Foxinistas.

He got out of Iraq. He's winding down Afghanistan. He didn't start those wars! BUSH did.

A right winger would have overreacted to so called Arab Spring. Obama has been steady and rational with that. We could have been in five more years if we had a Bush like man in during that time.

I don't really understand your politics. They sound very hot but also very inconsistent. You don't want to pay more taxes but you want to stay in Iraq longer. You don't want to accept popular movements in the Arab world even though not accepting them would mean getting into new expensive wars. Then you talk some pacifist rhetoric. It doesn't add up except to mean you think is Obama is bad, no matter what.

The Asia pivot is obviously about having a role in Asia to balance China, both economically and militarily. Obviously brilliant and timely.

You can trash Obama till the cows come home but he has been good at foreign policy and he will face more challenges in this new term.

BTW, Bush made the biggest foreign policy mistake in American history with the Iraq war. Just being not Bush is a vast improvement on Bush.

I'll ignore your personal digs. Not worthy of a reply.

He got out of Iraq. He's winding down Afghanistan. He didn't start those wars! BUSH did.

A right winger would have overreacted to so called Arab Spring. Obama has been steady and rational with that. We could have been in five more years if we had a Bush like man in during that time.

I don't really understand your politics. They sound very hot but also very inconsistent. You don't want to pay more taxes but you want to stay in Iraq longer. You don't want to accept popular movements in the Arab world even though not accepting them would mean getting into new expensive wars. It doesn't add up.

Feel free to ask me whatever you want with regard to my politics. As for paying more taxes, I already do. It is how my taxes are spent that I find fault with. As for war. unless the United States is invaded or in danger of it, I'm against it. As for the "Arab Spring" I never saw it. Iran is one of the few civilized countries in the Middle East and the resistance there deserved our support. No I don't mean sending troops. My politics are mainly driven by morality and fairness as I see it.

I agree the resistance in Iran deserves our support but I also don't think overt support would have helped with the protesters. The regime would have just labeled them all as pro-Yankee traitors and murdered a lot more people. I know some disagree but you can't know either way so these are just subjective opinions.

At the end of the day with this much polorization concerning Obama in just the first few days of his second term i put the odds at 80% or better that he is impeached before leaving office.

At the end of the day with this much polorization concerning Obama in just the first few days of his second term i put the odds at 80% or better that he is impeached before leaving office.

I don't see it. I place the chances at 10% or less Impeachments charges are usually brought by the opposition and Obama's most impeachable offenses being the pressing of unconstitutional wars, unconstitutional restrictions of civil liberties and collusion with Wall Street against the citizenry I think are things Republican leadership largely agrees with. So if charges are brought it would have to be from his own party and IMO that ain't gonna happen. Politics trumps morality in America.

His popularity is trending up. The stock market is up. Housing is up. Unemployment is down. Impeachment? Fantasyland for the Obama Derangement Syndrome Sufferers. Sorry, you probably won't see another republican president for 50 years.

His popularity is trending up. The stock market is up. Housing is up. Unemployment is down. Impeachment? Fantasyland for the Obama Derangement Syndrome Sufferers. Sorry, you probably won't see another republican president for 50 years.

People just hate it when the political opposition kills innocent people, but they just love it when their man's doing it. And hey, if you can make a little coin off it, so much the better, eh?

I hope you're right aboutr housing, as I bought a house in the states in August. I think you're probably seeing an end to the worst of the slide in prices, but I wouldn't say the market is up.

they managed to get Bill in his second term and quite frankly his ego was in check compared to Obama. i am living in the usa on hilton head island and i can tell you housing is not in recovery, new house construction is very slow and forclosures are still coming on the market every month. the banks do not pay as much interest as in thailand, indo, singapore or india. many people have been unemployeed for so long that they have stopped looking for work. the govt benefits for being unemployed are greater than if they had a job i.e health care, food stamps and cash. the obama supporters can wear their rose tinted glasses all they want but the truth is the country needs a leader that focuses more on the economy and less on social justice.

Housing markets are always local, but in general, in the USA, there is strong evidence the bottom has been reached and the recovery has begun.

The way that right wingers think outrageously severe economic inequality in the USA is OK is very telling.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/us-home-prices-strengthen-in-november-from-a-year-ago-in-latest-sign-of-housing-recovery/2013/01/29/51f98c4e-6a1d-11e2-9a0b-db931670f35d_story.html

Steady price increases should help fuel the housing recovery. They encourage more people to buy before prices rise further. Higher prices also build homeowners’ wealth, which can spur more spending and economic growth.

The data “show a broad-based recovery in housing activity and prices across the country,” said Michael Gapen, an economist at Barclays Capital. “We expect this housing recovery to continue in the coming years.”

I have a friend who tracks foreclosures in a major U.S. city. He said now there are many fewer and the ones that show up get multiple bids, all OVERBIDS. Yes, people are sensing the SUPER bargains are going away because they are.

Look dudes, in the REAL world not all of the news is going to be bad, even though the man you think is a horrible villain is in office. Get used to it!

This is rich. Right wingers think government has no role in creating jobs. The government closes down a council about jobs. Then blame the government. Make up your minds, why don't you?

There is no such thing as "trickle down government" to create jobs. The only booming industry creating jobs during the past four years has been government hiring.

Government should get out of the way of the private sector and let the economy recover. This guy can't seem to get a grasp on that.

I also notice BO is now focusing all his attention on gun control and immigration and is not even mentioning the unemployed. How is that going to help produce jobs...except in the federal government ranks?

It can't and won't.

He's not Spiro Agnew. He can do more than one thing at once.

Actually, mainstream economists KNOW that more government spending STIMULATES economies and DOES create additional jobs.

No link between immigration reform and stimulating the economy? Think Again! (More like, think the first time.)

The truth is, the most important piece of economic policy we pass — or don’t pass — in 2013 may be something we don’t think of as economic policy at all: immigration reform.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/01/31/worried-about-the-economy-then-pass-immigration-reform/

Housing markets are always local, but in general, in the USA, there is strong evidence the bottom has been reached and the recovery has begun.

The way that right wingers think outrageously severe economic inequality in the USA is OK is very telling.

http://www.washingto...f35d_story.html

Steady price increases should help fuel the housing recovery. They encourage more people to buy before prices rise further. Higher prices also build homeowners’ wealth, which can spur more spending and economic growth.

The data “show a broad-based recovery in housing activity and prices across the country,” said Michael Gapen, an economist at Barclays Capital. “We expect this housing recovery to continue in the coming years.”

I have a friend who tracks foreclosures in a major U.S. city. He said now there are many fewer and the ones that show up get multiple bids, all OVERBIDS. Yes, people are sensing the SUPER bargains are going away because they are.

Look dudes, in the REAL world not all of the news is going to be bad, even though the man you think is a horrible villain is in office. Get used to it!

In the REAL world, people don't see their dwelling as part of their wealth. In the economy that collapsed they did. I hope they've learned their lesson, but I doubt it.

He's not Spiro Agnew. He can do more than one thing at once.

Actually, mainstream economists KNOW that more government spending STIMULATES economies and DOES create additional jobs.

No link between immigration reform and stimulating the economy? Think Again! (More like, think the first time.)

The truth is, the most important piece of economic policy we pass — or don’t pass — in 2013 may be something we don’t think of as economic policy at all: immigration reform.

http://www.washingto...gration-reform/

I don't think there's an economist alive, including Paul Krugman that doesn't know that government spending produces the lowest return to GDP . dollar for dollar, than of all other sectors of the economy. Especially if you're borrowing money at interest to do it. Everyone knows that.

Housing markets are always local, but in general, in the USA, there is strong evidence the bottom has been reached and the recovery has begun.

The way that right wingers think outrageously severe economic inequality in the USA is OK is very telling.

http://www.washingto...f35d_story.html

Steady price increases should help fuel the housing recovery. They encourage more people to buy before prices rise further. Higher prices also build homeowners’ wealth, which can spur more spending and economic growth.

The data “show a broad-based recovery in housing activity and prices across the country,” said Michael Gapen, an economist at Barclays Capital. “We expect this housing recovery to continue in the coming years.”

I have a friend who tracks foreclosures in a major U.S. city. He said now there are many fewer and the ones that show up get multiple bids, all OVERBIDS. Yes, people are sensing the SUPER bargains are going away because they are.

Look dudes, in the REAL world not all of the news is going to be bad, even though the man you think is a horrible villain is in office. Get used to it!

In the REAL world, people don't see their dwelling as part of their wealth. In the economy that collapsed they did. I hope they've learned their lesson, but I doubt it.

You're talking about bubbles. Gaining equity in a home is not so unreal. For example families living in a large home for 30 years and gaining equity, then cashing out for a smaller place. That's pretty normal. Obviously, bubbles are damaging (eventually) but normal markets not so much.

He's not Spiro Agnew. He can do more than one thing at once.

Actually, mainstream economists KNOW that more government spending STIMULATES economies and DOES create additional jobs.

No link between immigration reform and stimulating the economy? Think Again! (More like, think the first time.)

The truth is, the most important piece of economic policy we pass — or don’t pass — in 2013 may be something we don’t think of as economic policy at all: immigration reform.

http://www.washingto...gration-reform/

I don't think there's an economist alive, including Paul Krugman that doesn't know that government spending produces the lowest return to GDP . dollar for dollar, than of all other sectors of the economy. Especially if you're borrowing money at interest to do it. Everyone knows that.

We'll disagree then.

He's not Spiro Agnew. He can do more than one thing at once.

Actually, mainstream economists KNOW that more government spending STIMULATES economies and DOES create additional jobs.

No link between immigration reform and stimulating the economy? Think Again! (More like, think the first time.)

The truth is, the most important piece of economic policy we pass — or don’t pass — in 2013 may be something we don’t think of as economic policy at all: immigration reform.

http://www.washingto...gration-reform/

I don't think there's an economist alive, including Paul Krugman that doesn't know that government spending produces the lowest return to GDP . dollar for dollar, than of all other sectors of the economy. Especially if you're borrowing money at interest to do it. Everyone knows that.

We'll disagree then.

You can stick your fingers in your ears and go lalalalalalalalalala all you want. There's no need to remain ignorant on the subject. Do yourself a favor and Google Government sector Private sector spending multiplier. I haven't checked in a while but last time I did govt was at about 0.6. You really want to be over one and preferably 2 or 3. It's not rocket science if you just take a minute to think about it.

The only way government can stimulate job growth is through the defense industry...think WWII.

Creating more bureaucrats creates more government regulations on private enterprise which kills job growth. It ain't rocket science.

Edit in:

One way Obama could help is to authorize the Keystone pipeline but it doesn't appear he will do this either. His core supporters include the greenies, among other minorities. It is unlikely he will do anything to upset that apple cart.

He is now worried about his legacy rather than a reelection so it is going to be same, same but different.

Keynesian economics is mainstream economics.

Keynesian economics is mainstream economics.

Well the spending multiplier and velocity of money are Keynesian concepts. Keynes suggests in times of economic downturn that govt spending will add to GDP and it does. It just doesn't add to it enough to equal what was spent to do it. Hence a multiplier less than one. Private spending by contrast goes into the community and exchanges hands several times (velocity of money) and it's affect on GDP is therefore greater than say a bomb dropped by a drone on a kindergarten in Libya.

There are limits on everything and government spending is not excluded. Each additional dollar spent has marginally less utility and therefore a lesser contribution to GDP. Keynes was an excellent economist but he wrote about a hell of a lot more than government stimulas. That seems to be the only chapter many people seem to have read however. I think even Keynes would be appalled if he could see now what has been done in his name.

Keynesian economics is mainstream economics.

...in Europe. How's that working out for them?

Keynesian economics is mainstream economics.

...in Europe. How's that working out for them?

Europe isn't a country. Deep cutting is damaging.

It's so easy to get all knee jerk ideological about all this but it is a VERY COMPLEX subject. No, I am not an economist and even if I was I'd have to be a masochist to "debate" for the value of government spending in a down economy in the midst of this crowd, so vehemently ideologically right wing/libertarian/tea drinking/fantasy constitutional fundamentalist, so vehemently Obama-demonizing. Did Obama do ONE THING y'all are OK with?

http://www.washingto...my-right-right/

You could chalk this up as a philosophical difference between the two parties — Republicans think spending cuts help the economy; Democrats think spending cuts hurt the economy — except for one small problem: Republicans themselves previously said the sequestered spending cuts threatened severe damage to the economy, back before they had decided to use it as leverage to get other cuts they wanted.

Has Obama done anything I like? NO. I am a simple person, i dont really care about a gays right to get married, i dont see how that creates more jobs or puts food on anyones table, i dont really care about beer sumits again i dont see how that creates jobs or feeds anyone, i dont care about car batteries for cars that are priced too high to make the fuel savings worth investing in. i dont care about bullies, i still remember mine as i bet most if us do and we survived, i do not care about the view or any of the other talk shows he chats on, i dont carr about his color or what he has hiddeen in his closet. I only care about the economic damage he can do in 8 yrs. TBH a monkey could have been the potus and the positives we have seen in the economy would have happened, the real question is how badly will he hurt the us with his big govt agenda not how much will he help it.

. Did Obama do ONE THING y'all are OK with?

He did not stop the Navy Seals from killing Bin Ladin - probably because he needed votes.

. Did Obama do ONE THING y'all are OK with?

He did not stop the Navy Seals from killing Bin Ladin - probably because he needed votes.

Your comment well illustrates a classic example of Obama Derangement Syndrome. In the same scenario with a president you supported, with the same event, would you have said such an unfair and bizarre thing? Perhaps ODS is even more serious than Bush Derangement Syndrome. I was a full blown case of BDS and yet when Bush did do some good things, rare as they were, I was willing to give full credit. Try it. There might be hope.

. Did Obama do ONE THING y'all are OK with?

He did not stop the Navy Seals from killing Bin Ladin - probably because he needed votes.

Your comment well illustrates a classic example of Obama Derangement Syndrome. In the same scenario with a president you supported, with the same event, would you have said such an unfair and bizarre thing? Perhaps ODS is even more serious than Bush Derangement Syndrome. I was a full blown case of BDS and yet when Bush did do some good things, rare as they were, I was willing to give full credit. Try it. There might be hope.

Wednesday we learned that the GDP declined and today we learned the unemployment rate increased to 7.9%. Certainly not the economic recovery Obama promised he is a leader too bad it's in the wrong direction.

I am sorry he is not God. Let us know when you've got a candidate who is God. Then I'll look at his CV and consider support.

I am sorry he is not God. Let us know when you've got a candidate who is God. Then I'll look at his CV and consider support.

This thread is not about finding a God and quite frankly IMO it does not require and act of God to focus on doing whatever it takes to make an economy grow. The POTUS is in a position to effect great change and this one has, I am suggesting that the if the positive change was in the economic data and less in the social and PC arena the masses would benefit more than the select few have. I am not ashamed to say i do not like the man, i believe that 90% of what comes from his mouth is a form of pandering and thus far the economic numbers support my beliefs; he is all talk and no action. Once again in my opinion given his less than outstanding economic performance in his 1st 4 yrs and based in his negative economic start so early into a second term i believe he will be impeached and i do believe historians will view him in the same way they view carter.