You can call people with whom you don’t agree “the black helicopter crowd.” I prefer to see you as the folks who get easily distracted when Pelosi, Reid or Obama flashes something shiny at you. And unfortunately, simple Jedi mind tricks work well on you and your ilk. You don’t have to read. You would be much more comfortable watching Olbermann and NOTHING else, like most of your friends. How did you stumble upon something of substance, anyway? What celestial accident led you out of your cocoon in the first place?

As of today Georgia has the highest unemployment since guess when??
Obamanoics 101: load the economy with so much to do and the reaction is… economic collapse.
I have always said that the closest thing to the Communist Party has always been the Democratic Party. I hate to be proven right.
The Republican Party has been getting much like the Dems. In the last administration it seemed like they were trying to outspend the Dems. President Bush was not a good choice BUT at the time he was the ONLY choice. With the likes of AlGore (global warming creep) or Kerry (find him a multimillionaire heiress and he will do anything to marry her) we would be in the position that we are in now a long time ago.
BTW I have downloaded all 98 pages of the “NCEE Comments on Draft TED Endagerment Analysis for GHC Emissions under CAA”. You know the refuting of the “global warming” that the EPA wanted to hide. Basic to it is that there is no real science that can definitively say that the human population has little to do with the global warming the sky is falling so we have to tax YOU all to death crowd.
China and India to point out a couple of rogue countries: have said that they will never do the Cap and Trade thing. It is all about the monies and the power.

“Nearly six months ago, my administration took office amid the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression”

Wasn’t it Vice President Biden who just said that the administration underestimated the severity of the economic downturn? How is it possible to underestimate the severity and then have your boss characterize the downturn as the worst since the Great Depression?

Finally, so many inconsistencies of President Obama’s statements are pointed out by kbh that it makes one wonder why the media/press won’t ask these questions. Why are the questions found in blogs and not posed by reporters?

I would also like to respond on the “most severe since the Great Depression” point. This is a rhetorical flourish by the President and his team that has a significant policy and political impact. I think it is valuable for readers to understand why I think he chose that language “since” rather than alternate language “comparable to”. I think it is important for people to understand the numbers that allow the Administration to say this and be (almost) technically correct, but which still convey what I believe to be an incomplete and misleading picture. And I think it is important for people to understand the political/communications strategy that I think is behind it (lowering the bar against which he and his Administration will be measured).

I also have a personal interest, because the President’s word choice frames the work I did for my old boss in the worst possible light. I am happy to admit that I have that personal perspective that further motivates me to explain this particular point.

I believe all of these are salient points for those who want to better understand economic policy and the politics, communications, and strategy that goes into making it. If that level of detail does not interest you, or if it seems like nitpicking, then we can agree to disagree. I still hope you will continue reading.