Blame Obama for Botched Stimulus

Jobs report offers scary echoes of 1930s stagnation

(NEWSER) - Yesterday's grim jobs report is the clearest sign yet that the US desperately needs another fiscal stimulus, writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times. This is 1930s redux: a Democratic president has pushed through an insufficient program, while strapped state governments cancel out federal spending with their own budget cuts. If President Obama doesn't act, he'll be facing his "personal 1937." More»

(NEWSER) - Even the stimulus couldn’t rouse Republicans “into any human feeling,” writes Derrick Jackson of the Boston Globe. “With the collective livelihood of America at stake,” Republicans opted for full-blown obstinacy, crying about the deficit while conveniently forgetting that their president had turned a $128 billion surplus into a $1.2 trillion deficit. It’s a dumb strategy, one that’s only “extending Obama’s honeymoon.” More»

Prez still didn't get much GOP support

(NEWSER) - President Obama promised a new spirit of cooperation in Washington, and in his relationship with Congress, he did his best to deliver, the Wall Street Journal reports. Obama left congressional leaders wide leeway in crafting the stimulus bill and stayed in close touch with members. Joe Biden stayed on pivotal senators like Susan Collins, calling her back repeatedly in rural Maine. More»

As Washington squabbles, citizens lose faith: Noonan

(NEWSER) - Americans are indulging in a strange disjunction between real life and the fate of the nation, Peggy Noonan writes for the Wall Street Journal: "Your long-term thoughts are pessimistic, and yet you're cheerful in the day to day." But as the recession gets worse and the threat of terrorism fails to abate, Washington offers little solace. Americans "know huge and historic challenges are here, but they're not confident they can or will be met." More»

President's relationship with House speaker on the rocks over stimulus

(NEWSER) - President Obama might have criticized how House Republicans rolled over for President Bush, but likely expected something similar from Democrats. But Speaker Nancy Pelosi has already shown she won’t hew to Obama’s agenda, reports Time. They’re out of step on the auto bailout, tax cuts, and most prominently, the stimulus package: Obama, seeking GOP votes, wanted less spending and more tax cuts than Pelosi delivered. More»