Live Blog from the Anchor Desk 2/5/09
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I don't understand this why senators have cancelled tonight the meeting???
I am tired of the bickering. Get a package done. Give up the line in the sand. Put duct tape on Pelosi's mouth, and move forward.
Maybe a road tour for the floor show isn't good but a weekly updates are great. Maybe they could have their own weekend segment????
How about the everyone in the House check their egos at the door and do their job for once!???
I did not find the President's speech that partisan. I was relieved to hear him speak straightforwardly about what the country needs. I am impressed with his leadership. And I'm a little sick of the wall-to-wall nitpicking of the idea of a stimulus package on what has become the Continuous Negative News network.
I don't agree with you Anderson I think Pres. Obama needed to say what he did and it was not partisan, the repubs are gleefully delaying the vote and trying to put in things that put this country in to the ditch, while people keep losing their jobs and they keep their jobs.
I am worried that everyone in DC, including the press, thinks this is business as usual and they can all play political games and report on the games as if they are discussing a bill on mosquito control. It seems there is little awareness of the magnitude of suffering in this country, the people finding everything slipping away. This is real human suffering and it cheapens it to treat it like a game. Obama seems like the only one that gets this at this point.
The risk to Obama is enormous. If he forces a vote and wins, with a large Democratic majority, that's expected. If he forces it and loses, he'll be weak for 4 years.
We're spending 1 Trillion. Let's get it right. Pelosi and Reid just want to advance their too liberal agenda. Let us spend $800 billion and actually stimulate jobs and not agendas.
Have you guys heard of "survival of the fittest"? Let the chips fall where they may and let the responsible ones pick them up.
No I do not think that things are moving too quickly at all. We are in desperate need some something major, something that will dig us out of this massive hole that we are in. Just as long as careful thought is put into the action plan, the sooner the better. Nothing can change until something is proposed.
Melissa
Chicago, Illinois
No one seems to know what the stimulus program will do or how to do it. The first distribution was poorly managed, with no accountability. Chalk that up to panic. President Obama is right, the same old rhetoric is not going to work. Bush had no clue what to do. Now you have Graham, the Republican pixie, trying to derail the effort. There were eight years of Republican mistakes. Time to move over and let new ideas have a chance.
Its all going to end up in somebodys back pocket anyway
Good for Obama- Washington needs to change and get these
old men out of the way and start the process of CHANGE.
McCain we have had enough of your old ways and sour grapes,
go back to Arizona.
Congress is running really slow on the Stimulus Package. All this political positioning and bickering are costing their voters jobs and confidence. I like Pres Obama finally showing some teeth to the Republicans.
Loved the speech from President Obama, and I agree with it wholeheartedly, but it's a tricky strategy he's employing. My fear is the GOP will be turned away from the "stern tone" and miss the whole point of the speech. We shall see what unfolds, but we really do need some type of stimulus bill to get this drifting ship back on course.
congress moved on the stimulus fast, now it's the slow senate.
but i say in the history of a president ,pres obama hit the ground running.
we cant fault him he has been great.
I think President Obama tried bi-partisianship efforts and it's been obvious from Republicans actions (no votes in the House and verbal "bashings" from the Senate), that they really aren't interested in bi-partisianship. Eight years of tax cuts and "trickle down" haven't worked – or we wouldn't be in this mess. Go President Obama!!
I do belive the repubulicans are looking forward to failure ..But if it happens the blame again will be place on the repubulicans party ...becasue the peopel are awaiting for this package ..and I do not blame Obama for not wanting to repeat the same old bush ways ...change is just what this country needs ...and the repubulicnas are holing up the change ..
Definitely moving too fast on this plan. We just learned of the problems of moving too fast with the bailouts. Slow down and get it right.
congress is moving very slowly over the stimulus package. if the democrats have the vote, let's get on with it. enough of bipartisanship if the other party doesn't want to be a part of the solution.
I think that the president is doing the right thing and we should support him! The republicans leadership was responsible for this mess and now we are suppose to listen to them?
Thank you obama about time you got mad these republicans think this is a joke people are hurting. Senator harry reid sucks he is too weak to be leader
The term opposition party does not literally mean "that you have to oppose everything!". The republican party has to stop being the party of no and join the President in saying "Yes We Can" or become the party which puts ideology above country.
How much are we the taxpayers paying for the Dems junket? And what hotels are they staying in? Just wondering..... Oh, and they are moving too fast to take a close enough look at the bill!
The Republicans brought us this mess. They need to get out of the way and let the Democrats and the President lead us out of the mire. We need action, not more rhetoric and tax cuts. If I don't have a job, tax cuts don't do any good.
Congress is moving entirely too slow – the economic news is getting worse by the minute and they're wasting time battling each other instead of doing real work to get us out of this mess.
Senate is reacting too slow to stimulus plan...
Go Obama. We need the stimulus NOW. Tell us on the air now who are the moderate Republicans and blue Dog Dems (besides Maine ladies and Nelson) so that I can call them and beg them to vote for the stimulus.
@Mike –
The biggest mistake Obama made was to try to talk to the Republicans in the first place. They have one idea – tax cuts. Period. That's it. Sorry, been there, done that, didn't work. So long, Republicans. Obama gave them the power, which was a rookie mistake. Now he is using the bully pulpit to tell them what it's really all about – us, the people, who are suffering as our jobs are lost and houses go into foreclosure.
When Bush pushed through what he wanted the Republicans cleared the tracks for him. Nobody on that side complained things were too fast. Such hypocrisy.
There are currently over 35,000 government jobs posted. It has been taking 3-4 months to fill jobs when they close now it is even longer because of new regulations. How is that helping set the example of getting Americans back to work. Some jobs that closed a year ago still haven't been filled.
Obama probably agrees with your sentiments in not wanting any pork there. Seems hard for politicians at the White House to accept "change", as they seem to be playing twice as hard at getting their own way through the old games (Dems want pork, Reps want tax cuts)... or is it that we're being told exactly what goes on this time around?
This stimulus is not about Democrat or Republican ideology. The President of the United States along with the Congress are about to create the largest deficit ever, to be financed completely by debt. Is anyone thinking about what that's going to do to our dollar?
Obama's speech was great. Congress needs to stop playing around.
Thank you, Bridget! The focus should be on the Ameerican Consumer and NO ONE else! The kindergartners (sp?) need to sit in the corner without their milk.
I can't believe this thing with Michael Phelps has become such a big deal. It's ridiculous. To be honest, I think people just like to stir up drama. Is there anybody out there who really believes he should be suspended from swimming because he smoked some frigging pot?
This has been the most disastrous start to a presidency in the history of the United States!!
LOL, which history books have you been reading?
Poltics is about working together and building an stronger economy the job losses are getting worse it 's scary .
I do think Obama knows what he is talking about but at the same time I think this bill is full of a lot of over spending on stupid things! So when will the Democrats give in ?
Why is everyone making it seem as if the Republicans can keep using the statement that because President Obama wants bi-partisanship, that it means he has to include the FAILURES OF THE PAST, NO.
The GOP is the one that should be willing to change the same old dogmatic way, when one comes to u in knowledge to get things done for the America People.
How is it that it's only Obama being partisan? It's the Republicans who didn't even extend ONE VOTE for the bill. They are the one's halting any progress.
Obama shouldn't have to baby the Republicans. They need to eat their own argument, the one we all heard for 8 years. Democrats and President Obama won- their ideas won. More importantly, SOMETHING has to be done, and if Republicans aren't bringing anything to the table, they shouldn't get served.
Phelps says I'll take my ball and my bat and go home. Fine. Michael Jordan was the big dog years ago. Now there are kids who don't even know his name. Grow up.
Anderson, Congress is moving too fast. This bill will double the Fiscal Year 2009 deficit from $1 trillion to almost $2 trillion. It has to be right, not another TARP fiasco.
Congress is moving too slow, Anderson. This truly is a game to many. Where are the alterative ideas???????
why is his speech called partisan? seems to me we have more of a party divide in this country rather than a racial divide.
Anderson, I think the senate is moving too slow! They need to do something...the faster we can get something going the better....Awesome panel tonight! Though Joe kinda got the shaft in the last segment!
I don't understand why speaking the truth is considered partisan. President Obama is right we did elect him and we did reject the absolutely flawed thinking that got us into this mess.
Moving too fast, you've got to be kidding Anderson! Unemployment in my city is already at 10.3%
Greetings all!