Good Job, Teahadists: Obama Advisor Acknowledges ‘Tea Party Downgrade’

Every time the President tried to do what's right for America , He is constantly held back. What are these Senators and Congress persons afraid of? Iv'e never have seen such disrespect shown so openly to a President of the United States.It's so sad to see people of America behave in this matter. Those people need to go to a class called "RESPECT" 101. How sad
to think these past few months will be recorded in a history book.

Nothing is Barry's fault. It's just that bad things happen whenever he's around. Still sounds like a good reason to fire his ass in 2012. BTW, surprised to learn Bill Maher is still on the air. Lucky for him it's HBO where you don't need ratings to have a show. This guy couldn't last a week on commercial tv.

trash… the ones in power are the ones who wont stop spending…. the tea party wants them to relinquish power over the Citizens…. the Citizens of the USA are Sovereign…

Yeah like on two wars we couldn't afford! Oh, wait…

pennies compared to the rest of it…. 14 to 30 trillion when all is said and done….. waaaaay more than anyones ever (in history) spent on anything… lol

Defense is where the lion's share of our cheddar goes, Doug, sweetheart deals to war profiteers that triple bill for services. It's not the SS and Medicare YOU paid into.

I am a fan of defense spending if its needed… the internet we are on was paid for by Defense Spending… Pork… grants of 300,000 dollars to study how promiscuous a drunken hooker in china can get. Lets drastically reduce the size of govt… If that means we need defense cuts… pull our troops back home and promote like hell, the 2nd Amendment to the Bill of Rights….lol

I think you have the context wrong (as does HuffPo). The reasons the S&P has for the downgrade are enumerated on the first few pages of the S&P's report on the downgrade that can be found on their website. The political risk and inability to compromise that they are referencing is not about raising the debt ceiling. It's about the inability of Congress to be able to find a way to cut the long-term structural deficits that the USA is running. Remember that the long-term debt is what was downgraded. The short-term debt rating hasn't changed:

"The downgrade reflects our opinion that the fiscal consolidation plan.
that Congress and the Administration recently agreed to falls short of.
what, in our view, would be necessary to stabilize the government's.
medium-term debt dynamics."

"The outlook on the long-term rating is negative. We could lower the.
long-term rating to 'AA' within the next two years if we see that less.
reduction in spending than agreed to, higher interest rates, or new.
fiscal pressures during the period result in a higher general government.
debt trajectory than we currently assume in our base case."

The reason for the downgrade: living beyond our means. Who wanted to cut spending and stop giving a blank check to the "president" and Congress? Tea Party Patriots, Consevatives and Tea Party Congressmen/women. This article is pure hogwash, just like Obama!

You want to learn about wealth! Okay…read this good and stop dreaming about wealth as one is in totally different hands than you may think.

Kim, I thought Obama was gonna end those wars? Instead, he started a third. He has increased spending more than any other president in history. Bush was no fiscal conservative, and the repubs went right along with it. That's exactly WHY we have the Tea party today. S&P said they were looking for more cuts to the deficit, which is exactly what the Tea party was fighting for. To now blame them because the dem's didn't agree is ridiculous.

The debt from Iraq and Afghanistan crippled us, and we can no longer sustain historic low taxes on cronies. I think that is the bottom line.

Kim, you seem to have your heart in the right place… But I think it would be wise ( at this point) to open your mind a lil bit more…. We spend 1 trillion per year on defense. We spend 1 trillion per year on entitlements such as grants, subsidies, food stamps, SS and Medicare/ medicaid (not including Obamacare)… Not including Govt operating costs… we spend more than we make every year…

You obviously base your view on taxes on Keynesian Economics. Keynesian Economics could only possibly work if our dollar was based on gold and silver… But unfortunately it is not and we are seeing what happens…
Bush raised the debt by 2 trillion (Homeland Security dept and TSA), Obama raised it by 6 trillion ( Obamacare and bailouts?)

Both of our Parties are at fault… The power hungry Washington Establishment and the uninvolved citizenry, is the problem…. Our Government is forgetting that we (The Citizens) are the Sovereign rulers of ourselves and our country… The Bill of Rights (ex: preamble thru Amendments 1 – 10) is designed to protect us Citizens especially from the "National Government"….

Our founders had it right… they understood the nature of most men, politicians and government… more than any group of men in the history of man… Stand by our constitution… wherever you are…

trash… the ones in power are the ones who wont stop spending…. the tea party wants them to relinquish power over the Citizens…. the Citizens of the USA are Sovereign…

Well, the New York Times seems to be of the opinion spending under Bush was far more wanton and drunk-sailor like, too http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2011/07/24/opinion/sunday/24editorial_graph2.html

Words like "entitlements"- the social safety net you paid into- and "Obamacare" mask I think what is really what many progressives seek- parity with other first-world countries. It's not "free healthcare" for instance, but a plan we all pay into that cuts out the death panels we call insurance companies. What saddens me is that so many Americans are willing to buy a) an inferior standard of living to Western Europe and b) the original lies about the necessity of going into Iraq. "Defense" is crippling us. corporate fellatio is bankrupting us, and the self-same middle Americans who have been boned by these policies are lining up at Koch-funded rallies to protect their right to BE boned. It's upsetting!

I dont put much stock into the NYtimes… Its never seemed very honest or dependable to me…. I am truly not worried about being on par with anything in europe… and lastly i am not a progressive…
the british peoples dental hygiene tells me all I need to know about european healthcare… deathpanels??… it is what it is…. I feel that the size of government causes alot of these problems in the western world (including Europe). I dont need the government giving me things and paying for my healthcare… I want the government, with its red tape, political correctness and its politicians to get out of my way… I am tired of working from Jan. to April just to pay my taxes… So my money can be used for all kinds of things that i dont want or need… We can agree to disagree on almost everything… LOL
You sound like you are a reporter, sorry, not a reporter a "journalist", do you work for the Times??…

Well, I think a better way to determine the efficacy of UK healthcare would be to ask a Brit. This is the internet, there are plenty floating around. They tend to be less focused on cosmetic dental work, which is the root of the stereotype. But no one in the UK is given healthcare, they pay for it, just like we do. But they pay far far less, and have far far better outcomes. More comprehensive coverage. And no one can kick you off when you get cancer.

Maybe…. idk… I have heard horror stories on both sides… nevertheless… What happend to the time when doctors made house calls???? What about tort reform??? Maybe doctors could do house calls again? Maybe we wont have enough doctors??? Many cant afford to stay in business when dealing with govt issued services??? You talked about defense contractors triple billing services?? You think that doesnt happen with the medical field??? The government is inefficient in everything they spend monies on… It is its nature…. It doesnt care how much it spends because, it doesnt produce anything to make the money. The money is forcibly taken thru tax laws and enforced by the police, prison system and eventually the military. It can always steal more from its citizens. The problem is, the govt is stealing more than we are making… And now some of us are starting to see… KEEP LOOKING….

Well, doctors are largely tied up by administration. My family doctor has five assistants in his office to handle billing. FIVE ASSISTANTS. That's why healthcare in the US is so expensive. And I know many Brits well- they are horrified by our system. The medical field is a bit more structured the way it is to compensate for insurance denials. If everything is covered, then there is no question of whether you get the care you need. Privatization- of prisons, of law enforcement- takes far more money of yours because of the profit motive, and it belongs outside criminal justice and healthcare. Your money is being stolen by profit hungry corporations and the very, very rich- not the poor, or the government. And that said, we need to get profit out of politics as well- until we have a congress that is free to vote without lobbyist influence, this will all get worse.

Your doctors billing issues are the cause of govt involvement in healthcare… Extra Red Tape for all to experience equally… lol
What happens in a world without profits??? There are no goods being produced and no money to be made… The govt, the poor, the rich… Everyone loses out… I think you are a Marxist, eh?? What happens when the money disappears or becomes worthless… the govt can only print it…. can we use it to build fires, for awhile??
i dont blame the poor… i blame people (rich and poor) who expect society to supply them with stuff they are too lazy to make or do for themselves… food and shelter, basic necessities, everything and never want it to stop… the poor especially should want the govt out of their way. So they can invent and innovate and bring themselves out of the muck…
Do you want to hear from someone who knows and has experienced the evils of Marxism, Communism (types of socialism)?? "What is our goal comrades? Should we feed the starving humanity in order to let it live, or do we strangle its life in order to feed it"????- Ayn Rand- We the Living
The people on govt support get violent when the govt cant supply their needs any longer. example: the current RIOTS in smiling, happy and contented Europe….
Pick a side… I have…

I wouldn't say I'm Marxist, I'm a registered Libertarian, but I'm more of a small-l type, like Noam Chomsky. But people say things like, "we got Obamacare and now my doctor is more expensive!" It's not even in effect yet except for high-risk pools. I wrote recently about a study where a high percentage of doctors estimated their costs come from administrating, not treating. It came from a medical journal. These are clinical facts. You pay FOUR TIMES as much at the doctor because of Blue Cross Blue Shield. And their money and lobbies have tricked you into fighting for THEM to take more of their money: http://www.inquisitr.com/132306/health-insurers-cost-doctors-study/

Truth be told, I am not at all against profits. I love that small business can be successful here like nowhere else. Which is why our government needs to stop favoring private corporations. If we had a system like the NHS, anyone could start a business and compete better with Walmart, Costco, etc. Lobbies are not free market. I firmly believe that the Founding Fathers would be sickened if they saw what America has become- instead of a monarchy, we have a plutocracy- even big corporations admit it in black and white, in memos.

This is the big lie of the Tea Party. They want you to believe what's best for them is best for you. That people like the Koch brothers represent the small business people and the sole proprietors. (Like me.) And it's not the case, and it makes me so ill smart, good intentioned Americans are sold this lie every day.

Remember what I said about "Pork"?? Lobbyists are a bane to our system… Any Bill presented to congress has to be voted up or down on its merits alone, with no Pork added…lol Most corporations in the USA are small businesses (millions of them)… The TEA in TEA PARTY stands for – taxed. enough. already… Nothing more, nothing less…. Lets try to "keep it simple"… Lobbyists are the problem, not corporations.. most corporations are small family owned businesses… without the lobbyists, the big players can spend their money trying to illegally bribe their politicians in a more staightforward manner…
You pay more at the doctor because of govt red tape and lawyers… How bout Tort Reform??? BTW, Chomsky uses too many Marxist words in his own "special vocabulary" for my tastes… ;p

Did you see the documentary "Hot Coffee?" Tort Reform is an idea pushed forward by special interest groups to inhibit corporate liability. Lobbyists are part and parcel of corporations- do you think small business has any lobbies? Where do you think they get the money to buy Congress? It's like taking out the street goons without going after the mob boss. But doctors themselves in the study I linked did not cite red tape from the government. Ask your doc- more time is spent wrangling with insurance companies than treating patients.

Dont have insurance…. dont see a doctor unless i get sick… usually dont get sick…still dont want Obamacare… think "Hot Coffee" is propaganda… HEalth Care and Big Pharma rips everyone off too… If I get sick I go to the emergency room… Cant live forever, no matter how much we pay…

How much does your doctor pay for malpractice insurance… How many times a day does he worry about getting sued… tort reform… and it might depend on the political persuasions of your doctors also… see how "we" compromise.. How about we lose a couple of RINO's in the house, gain some more TEA PARTY (woo, hoo!!) men or women in the Senate… and then next year go for the brass "wing"…

I didn't have insurance for a long time because I'm a web writer But Hot Coffee didn't serve an agenda, save to educate the public about restrictive laws. But the reason Big Pharma and the Insurance companies can rip you off is because they've been allowed to monopolize the market and artificially drive costs up, to get their profit. Take them out of it- doctors cost more because of them.

lovely kim, restrictive laws are made by who??? Politicians who get their pork paid for with contributions to their elections… grab it at the root and pull… lol

I think we're agreeing here. But my stance is more that the privatization stuff is what's corrupting government, not the other way around. Like the Cash for Kids stuff in PA.

I think privatization, keeps the competitors in the marketplace of Capitalism… they compete for us and succeed or dont… when the govt controls things there is nothing left to compete with… the govt pushes the insurance companies (all businesses eventually) out cuz it doesnt have to show a profit like they do… the govt then forces us to pay for their irresponsible costs by taxing us more… the root is there…
the privatization stuff pays pork to corrupt politicians… hehe corupting the govt… lol it is its nature to be corrupt… we must always limit its size and power over us… in any and everyway possible.
what part did we agree on, smarty pants???

The influence of money on government, it is a corrupting influence. But not everything should be profit-driven- like healthcare funding, or prisons. The ethical breaches as I cited are far too large and risky. As it stands, insurance companies have a financial motive to extract as much money from you as possible while providing little treatment. The rest of the civilized world does not manage their health affairs the same way, and we are 39th in outcomes. Unacceptable!

LOL…Your not as cute when you use the !!!!!!! Insurance sucks, i dont want the government forcing themselves or the insurance companies into my life… the emergency rooms never turn you away (if we we can keep the illegal population from bankrupting them)… When the rest of the civilized runs out of money too, then see how quick you get an appointment with the govt run healthcare…. and you wont have any options left except to take care of the emergencies ourselves… Everyone, go on amazon and book on Medicine in the bush… you might need it soon… xo