General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsObama: "Some of those folks think I usurp my authority by having the gall to win the presidency.”
Some of those folks think I usurp my authority by having the gall to win the presidency.Mr. Obama all but dared Republicans to challenge his executive actions, including his decision three weeks ago to delay until 2015 the health care laws mandate that large employers provide insurance or pay fines. Republicans and some legal scholars questioned whether he had the legal authority to unilaterally change the law.
The delay in the employer mandate, which mostly affects large businesses that already insure workers but are worried about federal reporting requirements, was the kind of routine modifications or tweaks to a large program thats starting off that in normal times in a normal political atmosphere would draw a yawn from everybody, Mr. Obama said.
If Congress thinks that what Ive done is inappropriate or wrong in some fashion, theyre free to make that case, he said. But theres not an action that I take that you dont have some folks in Congress who say that Im usurping my authority. Some of those folks think I usurp my authority by having the gall to win the presidency.
........................
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/28/us/politics/obama-says-income-gap-is-fraying-us-social-fabric.html?pagewanted=all
BumRushDaShow
(127,259 posts)He MUST summarily eliminate those other pesky branches and go ROGUE!!!11!!1!11!1!11!!!
msongs
(67,193 posts)JaneyVee
(19,877 posts)Safetykitten
(5,162 posts)JaneyVee
(19,877 posts)treestar
(82,383 posts)that you are not on his side vs. Republicans, either.
DevonRex
(22,541 posts)The rest of us know exactly what he means by that line. It goes deep into the ugly part of the Republican party.
DevonRex
(22,541 posts)leftstreet
(36,076 posts)Ugh. Is this the new Obama 'unfiltered' we were promised by his speech writer?
ProSense
(116,464 posts)leftstreet
(36,076 posts)Five years into this admin and people are sliding, sliding, sliding...
Something positive for the working classes would be welcome news indeed
ProSense
(116,464 posts)"Something positive would be great!"
..."something positive," though it'ss going to take time to reverse a decades-old trend.
Perhaps the best prism through which to see the Democrats gains is inequality. In the 2008 campaign, Mr. Obama said that his top priority as president would be to create bottom-up economic growth and reduce inequality...In the 2009 stimulus, he insisted on making tax credits fully refundable, so that even people who did not make enough to pay much federal tax would benefit. The 2010 health care law overhaul was probably the biggest attack on inequality since it began rising in the 1970s, increasing taxes on businesses and the rich to pay for health insurance largely for the middle class.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/03/us/politics/for-obama-fiscal-deal-is-a-victory-that-also-holds-risks.html
Krugman: Obama and Redistribution
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022224304
Also as the health care becomes more accessible and affordable, and the effects will become even more noticeable.
- In 2011, the official poverty rate was 15.0 percent. There were 46.2 million people in poverty.
- After 3 consecutive years of increases, neither the official poverty rate nor the number of people in poverty were statisti¬cally different from the 2010 estimates1
- The 2011 poverty rates for most demographic groups examined were not statistically different from their 2010 rates. Poverty rates were lower in 2011 than in 2010 for six groups: Hispanics, males, the foreign-born, nonciti¬zens, people living in the South, and people living inside metropol¬itan statistical areas but outside principal cities. Poverty rates went up between 2010 and 2011 for naturalized citizens.
- For most groups, the number of people in poverty either decreased or did not show a statistically significant change. The number of people in poverty decreased for noncitizens, people living in the South, and people living inside metropolitan statistical areas but outside principal cities between 2010 and 2011. The number of naturalized citizens in poverty increased.
- The poverty rate in 2011 for chil¬dren under age 18 was 21.9 per-cent. The poverty rate for people aged 18 to 64 was 13.7 percent, while the rate for people aged 65 and older was 8.7 percent. None of the rates for these age groups were statistically different from their 2010 estimates.2
Go to the "Publications" tab for more information.
Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2011
http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/income_wealth/cb12-172.html
- The poverty rate for males decreased between 2010 and 2011, from 14.0 percent to 13.6 percent, while the poverty rate for females was 16.3 percent, not statistically different from the 2010 estimate.
Health Insurance Coverage
- The number of people with health insurance increased to 260.2 million in 2011 from 256.6 million in 2010, as did the percentage of people with health insurance (84.3 percent in 2011, 83.7 percent in 2010).
- The percentage of people covered by private health insurance in 2011 was not statistically different from 2010, at 63.9 percent. This was the first time in the last 10 years that the rate of private health insurance coverage has not decreased. The percentage covered by employment-based health insurance in 2011 was not statistically different from 2010, at 55.1 percent.
- The percentage of people covered by government health insurance increased from 31.2 percent to 32.2 percent. The percentage covered by Medicaid increased from 15.8 percent in 2010 to 16.5 percent in 2011. The percentage covered by Medicare also rose over the period, from 14.6 percent to 15.2 percent. The percentage covered by Medicaid in 2011 was higher than the percentage covered by Medicare.
- In 2011, 9.7 percent of children under 19 (7.6 million) were without health insurance. Neither estimate is significantly different from the corresponding 2010 estimate. The uninsured rate also remained statistically unchanged for those age 26 to 34 and people age 45 to 64. It declined, however, for people age 19 to 25, age 35 to 44 and those age 65 and older.
- The uninsured rate for children in poverty (13.8 percent) was higher than the rate for all children (9.4 percent).
- In 2011, the uninsured rates decreased as household income increased from 25.4 percent for those in households with annual income less than $25,000 to 7.8 percent in households with income of $75,000 or more.
<...>
http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/income_wealth/cb12-172.html
Dire information, but I would say a decrease in the poverty rate among most groups between 2010 and 2011 is big news, as is the information on health insurance coverage.
The good news: This was the best first half for private employment gains since 1999. Also hourly and weekly wages increased 0.4% in June, and hourly wages are now up 2.2% over the last year (weekly wages are up 2.5% year-over-year).
Some bad news: the employment-population ratio for the 25 to 54 year old group (prime working age) declined, the number of part time workers (for economic reasons) increased and U-6 (an alternative measure of labor underutilization) increased to 14.3%.
Some numbers: Total nonfarm employment is up 2.293 million over the last 12 months, and up 1.211 million so far in 2013 (a 2.42 million annual pace).
Private employment is up 2.357 million over the last year, and up 1.234 million so far in 2013 (a 2.47 million annual pace). The following table shows the first and second half and full year changes in private employment since 1998.
- more -
http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2013/07/employment-report-more-hiring-wages-up.html
JaneyVee
(19,877 posts)Ugh.
DevonRex
(22,541 posts)and Rush and Glenn are having the same reaction as you.
1-Old-Man
(2,667 posts)He challenges the Republicans to challenge his decision to cave.
Whoopee.
leeroysphitz
(10,462 posts)Godhumor
(6,437 posts)Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)mick063
(2,424 posts)They have successfully blocked the President for five years. They are not going to stop now.
Yet he still attempts to negotiate with crazy, repeatedly using Social Security as a bargaining chip.
Finally growing some balls and championing what he campaigned on? If he isn't going to get favorable legislation, then drop the bipartisan act, drop the "Grand Bargain", and start hammering away so that a differentiating message is in the public conscious for the next campaign.
treestar
(82,383 posts)Republicans would use it. They do not get to complain when Democrats do.
Solly Mack
(90,740 posts)Last edited Sun Jul 28, 2013, 02:09 PM - Edit history (1)
Those who think a black man doesn't belong in the office of the presidency. Those who think a black man has some nerve being the leader.
Those who demanded his birth certificate. Those who have been against him from day 1 for nothing more than the hue of his skin.
I thought it a nice little zinger.
The "Some of those folks think I usurp my authority by having the gall to win the presidency" is the zinger.
An understandable push back against all the overt and couched racism he has had to endure from Congressional republicans.
Congress has always been free to question the President, no matter who the President is(if, at times, they fail to do so that's on Congress)...so he isn't directing his statement at the whole of Congress.
He's not saying everyone that disagrees with him is part of the "some folks" that think he had "the gall to win the presidency."
Frankly, I'm amazed Obama has been as nice as he has about how Congressional republicans have treated him....both with words and actions.
That's my read on his comment.
As to the point did he have legal standing or not regarding the health care law, all Obama is saying it wouldn't matter how legal his action was because "some folks" would object because those folks don't think he should be in office anyway.
It doesn't address the legality question (and I'm not addressing it either)...but it is still a good zinger.
DevonRex
(22,541 posts)We know who they are.