Will some Dems ever learn? Bennet breaks with Obama on new stimulus

[WI_DEM]

It's all about jobs not the deficit!:


Showing that President Barack Obama's power on the 2010 campaign trail may be seriously limited, Colorado's Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet broke with the White House on Wednesday by deciding to oppose a new road-building stimulus package.

Bennet said he will fight Obama's $50 billion plan because it would add to the massive federal debt. Bennet used Obama's patronage successfully to win his primary election bid over former Colorado House speaker Andrew Romanoff. Obama endorsed Bennet in that race and flew to a Denver fundraiser that helped fill the rookie senator's campaign coffers.

But faced with a general election fight against deficit hawk Ken Buck, a Republican who has called for massive spending cuts, Bennet decided to turn against the administration's plans.

“I will not support additional spending in a second stimulus package," Bennet said in a statement. "Any new transportation initiatives can be funded through the Recovery Act, which still contains unused funds. Public-private partnerships that improve our infrastructure are a good idea, but must be paid for, should not add a dime to the deficit, and should be covered by unused Recovery Act dollars. We must make hard choices to significantly reduce the deficit."



Read more: http://www.gazette.com/articles/bennet-104309-obama-colorado.html#ixzz0yyDxFxOo

[BeyondGeography]

1. "We must make hard choices to significantly reduce the deficit."

OK, so I suppose we can count on his support for letting Bush's tax cuts expire for $250K households...

[27inCali]

2. I read stuff like this and I don't feel so bad for those Dem

Senators with their asses on the line. No courage. No decency. Just self-serving bullshit.

[DJ13]

3. The stimulus verses deficit argument is a good test of whether a candidate

is really a liberal or a conservative in Dem clothing.

Real liberals take the FDR lesson of deficit spending during a severe economic downturn to heart.

Conservatives posing as Democrats would rather choke off growth by cutting spending during a recession in an effort to maintain favorable tax rates on the upper classes.

[Radical Activist]

4. Idiotic, fear-based move.

He should have realized that most of the public want an alternative to the Republican BS.

[jobycom]

5. "Vote for me. I'm almost like my opponent, only not as much so."

That's rarely a winning strategy.

[Autumn]

6. I'm trying to make a hard choice myself,

to vote for you Bennet or to leave that one blank. Decisions, decisions.

[flpoljunkie]

15. Hope you can hold your nose and vote for Bennet and not that idiot Teabagger Buck!

I will be doing the same for Alex Sink who came out today in favor of extending the Bush tax cuts for everyone because of 'small business.' Give me a break! Surely, she knows that less than 1% of small businessmen would be affected by Obama's plan. If she doesn't know, that's really pathetic!

[Autumn]

16. I have to say I am sick to death of those

fucking closet republicans.

[NC_Nurse]

7. Just another coward. Oh, well.

[The_Casual_Observer]

8. Does this guy have any recommendations for growing your own crops?

WTF is wrong with these bastards?? That's the classic Hoover approach from 1932.

[liskddksil]

9. Dems Should have gone with Andrew Romanoff

Now your choice is conservadem vs. insane.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[opihimoimoi]

13. WEAK SHIT.....Way better than WIMPY GOP PEEPS....FUCK THIS DENIGRATING CRAP

[BeyondGeography]

14. Interesting

[Pisces]

18. +1 lol.

[sandnsea]

11. Republicans "spending like drunken sailors"

Carol Mosley Braun was saying that in 2003.

You can't blame people for being concerned about spending and the deficit when Democrats have been running on it for years.

[TheKentuckian]

30. If we're living outside and trying to eat grass with the sewers and water mains busting

and the roads gone or toll roads for the wealthy and their direct employees the deficit will be a non-factor. Can't pay taxes on jackapple shit.

You don't do deficit spending just to be doing it, in times of plenty and peace deficits can be paid down and spending can be reduced in preparation for down cycles or emergencies.

Deficits matter but not as much as a functioning economy and the welfare of the people.

Worrying about deficits in our current position is a sure fire recipe for a sustained depression and certainly the bottom cannot be allowed to to fall out by gutting essential services.

One of the least thought out sentiments that is being pushed now is that government should tighten the belt in a downturn. What possibly would generate any demand?

The #1 with a bullet is the idea that revenue cuts and spending aren't the same thing from a deficit perspective except for the losses in return on investment from multiplier effect.

[sandnsea]

32. "If". We Aren't. n/t

[TheKentuckian]

33. Ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure. We've more to do than react to crisis

We must avoid them and stop digging holes.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

12. Bennet is a Dem?

I did not know that.

[discopants]

17. It's paid for. Bennett is willfully ignorant in order to pander to willfully ignorant CO voters.

Obama said the proposal would be fully paid for. In an earlier briefing for reporters, administration officials said Obama would pay for the program by asking lawmakers to close tax breaks and subsidies for oil and gas companies and multinational corporations.

[Autumn]

20. See, that is what the

sorry ass doesn't want, close tax breaks and subsidies for oil and gas companies, no way he can go with that.

[AtomicKitten]

19. Dumbass posturing by Bennett because the plan is paid for with closure of loopholes. nt

[BlueIdaho]

21. Bennett pisses himself in public.

Find a fucking spine Mikey, find a fucking spine.

[Better Today]

29. I'm curious if you're going to vote for your DINO, the only Dem endorsed

by the Teaparty, there in Idaho? That Walt Minnick is poser and then some.

[BlueIdaho]

34. Nope...

I will not support Walt Minnick for any reason at any time - period. He is a wolf in sheep's clothing and I told him so myself.

[paulk]

22. LOL!

A whole lot of Coloradans on this board warned that this idiot was basically a Republican!

I wonder if Obama regrets raising all that money for him and letting him use OFA?

[Autumn]

24. The good guy lost. So now we get to

chose between a fucking nut or a repuke. Really not a lot of difference.

[paulk]

26. the real question is -

why did Obama fight so hard for this guy to win the primary?

why did Obama intercede in a competitive primary - an unprecedented thing - to help a guy who's basically a Republican beat a true progressive candidate - a candidate who had a better chance in the general election than Bennet?


I don't get it

or maybe I don't want to get it.

----------------

If the guy that Obama fought so hard for is against this proposal, it makes me wonder how serious this proposal actually is.

[Jakes Progress]

23. Grab ankles and imitate Kevin Bacon.

"Thank you sir. May I have another?"

[depakid]

25. The answer is obvious. NO they won't

And that includes the Obama administration.

[Ramulux]

27. Bennett is a weirdo

He supports some of the most progressive legislation there is one day and then goes against the party on some of the most obvious issues on another. I dont get this guy.

[Better Today]

28. Do you recognize that Obama does this to himself? I mean isn't

he the one who willingly came out during the primaries in support of folks like Blanche Lincoln, Mary Landrieu, Ben Nelson and other folks that got in the way of his supposed agenda? The man is either a very sneaky DINO using these folks as his excuse for not being liberal enough, or he's a timid little kiss ass that bows to the DLC nobility.

[Ken Burch]

31. ANOTHER reason nobody here should have backed Bennet against Romanoff

Romanoff would NEVER have done this.

Why DID anybody here ever back Bennet?