Report: Obama Lacks Presidential Skills “A Plumber Would Be More Qualified” Than Obama
From: Gateway Pundit
If there’s one thing the debt crisis made obvious, it’s that Obama makes an awful leader. The media is even admitting that a plumber would have better skills to lead the country than Obama.
Yeah, we know.
Via US News and World Report and Free Republic:
As the negotiations and the vote-getting on raising the debt ceiling have dragged on these last two weeks, it’s became clear that President Obama really is not a good negotiator. Several times, just as a deal seemed imminent, the discussions have collapsed—and very publicly. There were leaks from the administration, he-said-she-said accounts from both sides, angry White House press conferences—just a “parade of horribles,” as lawyers would call it. The result is a rising tide of public disgust and frustration. Not only has he lost bipartisan support in both the House or the Senate, his lack of ability to persuade people to join his cause has cost President Obama the vital center of the electorate.
According to yesterday’s Pew Research national survey, with results collected just this week, only 31 percent of independent voters want to see Obama re-elected, down from 42 percent in May. Two months ago, Obama held a 7 point lead among independent registered voters two months ago, but independent support has swung 15 points the other way, giving an 8 point advantage to a generic Republican. “This is consistent with a drop in Obama’s approval among all independents. Currently, a majority (54 percent) disapprove of Obama’s performance for the first time in his presidency,” according to Pew. [Check out our editorial cartoons on President Obama.]
Maybe it’s because Hillary Clinton’s “three in the morning” ad was right—maybe he just doesn’t have the experience to be president. Of the top 100 jobs that would qualify one to be president, being a law professor isn’t one of them. A plumber would be better qualified than a law professor. Seriously—a plumber is a problem solver who has to keep customers happy. A used car salesman knows how to close a deal. A UPS deliveryman knows how to meet a deadline. A diplomat knows how to be, well, diplomatic. Meaning he doesn’t lecture people about “eating their peas” when he needs them to jump on board.
To be fair, he didn’t make a good law professor either. He was lazy, unqualified and skipped meetings.
Report: Obama Lacks Presidential Skills – “A Plumber Would Be More Qualified” Than Obama
From: Gateway Pundit
If there’s one thing the debt crisis uncovered, it’s that Obama makes an awful leader. The media is even admitting that a plumber would have better skills to lead the country than Obama.
Yeah, we know.
Via US News and World Report and Free Republic:
As the negotiations and the vote-getting on raising the debt ceiling have dragged on these last two weeks, it’s became clear that President Obama really is not a good negotiator. Several times, just as a deal seemed imminent, the discussions have collapsed—and very publicly. There were leaks from the administration, he-said-she-said accounts from both sides, angry White House press conferences—just a “parade of horribles,” as lawyers would call it. The result is a rising tide of public disgust and frustration. Not only has he lost bipartisan support in both the House or the Senate, his lack of ability to persuade people to join his cause has cost President Obama the vital center of the electorate.
According to yesterday’s Pew Research national survey, with results collected just this week, only 31 percent of independent voters want to see Obama re-elected, down from 42 percent in May. Two months ago, Obama held a 7 point lead among independent registered voters two months ago, but independent support has swung 15 points the other way, giving an 8 point advantage to a generic Republican. “This is consistent with a drop in Obama’s approval among all independents. Currently, a majority (54 percent) disapprove of Obama’s performance for the first time in his presidency,” according to Pew. [Check out our editorial cartoons on President Obama.]
Maybe it’s because Hillary Clinton’s “three in the morning” ad was right—maybe he just doesn’t have the experience to be president. Of the top 100 jobs that would qualify one to be president, being a law professor isn’t one of them. A plumber would be better qualified than a law professor. Seriously—a plumber is a problem solver who has to keep customers happy. A used car salesman knows how to close a deal. A UPS deliveryman knows how to meet a deadline. A diplomat knows how to be, well, diplomatic. Meaning he doesn’t lecture people about “eating their peas” when he needs them to jump on board.
To be fair, he didn’t make a good law professor either. He was lazy, unqualified and skipped meetings.
Sunday Debt Deal Watch; Update: Reid Approves New Deal; Update: Tenative Deal Announced Between Obama and Congressional Leaders — Voting to Take Place Monday
From: Michelle Malkin
**Written by Doug Powers
I’ve got C-Span 2 on right now because, well, it isn’t football season yet — that and a vote may take place soon in the Senate on the Reid bill (I’ve discovered that the Detroit Lions aren’t the only thing that can make me yell at the TV on a Sunday afternoon). The vote still tentatively scheduled for 1 p.m. est, but it’s still unclear if it’ll go off as planned because other things are in the works.
Reportedly a deal is near:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. lawmakers were close to a last-gasp $3 trillion deal on Sunday to raise the borrowing limit and assure financial markets that the United States will avoid a potentially catastrophic default.
“We’re very close,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the top Senate Republican who is playing a key role in the debt ceiling negotiations.
White House senior adviser David Plouffe said there was general agreement on a deal that would cut the deficit in two stages. It was first time the White House had acknowledged that both sides were close to a deal.
The first $1 trillion in cuts have been largely agreed on by lawmakers. Under the emerging deal described by congressional aides, a further $1.8 trillion would be recommended by a special committee appointed by Congress and automatic measures would implement the planned cuts if Congress failed to vote on them.
[...]
The tentative agreement proposes setting up a committee, to be made up of members from both parties, that would be charged with negotiating the tough elements of reforming popular but expensive entitlement programs as well as the U.S. tax code.
In a mini-debate on the Senate floor debate between John McCain and Dick Durbin that’s ongoing as I write this, McCain admitted that at the current time there’s no way a balanced budget amendment could pass the Senate, but did appear optimistic that it might happen in 2012 “after the Senator from Illinois is defeated in the next election.” Heh. Hopefully, but it won’t happen without a little help from the hobbits, Senator McCain.
The Democrats are invoking Reagan so much I’m half expecting a Senate screening of Hellcats of the Navy before the day is out.
Consider this today’s debt ceiling open thread, and I’ll post updates as the day goes along as the situation warrants.
Update:
Democrats’ debt-ceiling bill failed to clear a key Senate hurdle Sunday afternoon, putting the onus on bipartisan negotiators to come up with an alternative plan with just two days to go until the Treasury runs out of ways to pay all of America’s bills.
The vote on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s plan was expected to fail. Sixty votes were required to advance the proposal, and it fell far short in a 50-49 roll call.
And this, as we discussed Friday, is no surprise:
Reid won over just one Republican supporter, Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, for his bill Sunday afternoon. On the Democratic side, he lost Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent aligned with Democrats.
Update II:
According to Politico, Harry Reid has signed off on a new agreement:
The White House and Republican leaders closed in Sunday on a debt ceiling deal giving President Barack Obama greater certainty in managing the Treasury’s borrowing needs while making a joint commitment to major deficit reductions without any explicit concessions by the GOP on new tax revenues.
Late in the afternoon, a statement from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said: “Senator Reid has signed off on the debt-ceiling agreement pending caucus approval.”
A vote on the new compromise could come tonight.
Update III (9:45 p.m.):
Ending a perilous stalemate, President Barack Obama announced agreement Sunday night with Republican congressional leaders on a compromise to avoid the nation’s first-ever financial default. The deal would cut more than $2 trillion from federal spending over a decade.
There will be no voting in the House and Senate until probably well into Monday as Reid and Boehner try to round up the votes. No telling yet on how difficult or easy that might be. But if it passes Obama will no doubt sign it immediately, which will be yet another nail in the coffin of that “five day” rule.
A transcript of Obama’s debt deal announcement is here.
If this turns out to be the case, so much for the “every dollar in debt ceiling increase must be met by a dollar in cuts” demand:
Obama said leaders of both political parties reached a broad deal Sunday night to raise the government’s debt ceiling while cutting spending. Earlier Sunday, congressional aides said the agreement would raise the debt ceiling by $2.4 trillion in three stages and provide initially for roughly $900 billion in spending cuts over 10 years.
Update number whatever Roman numeral we’re on now:
For GOP members of the House who were swayed by the inclusion of a balanced budget amendment, this could make the bill a tougher sell this time around:
A compromise debt ceiling agreement brokered by the White House and congressional Republicans would not require congressional passage of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution as a condition for a second-round increase in the debt ceiling.
The deal does require the House and Senate to vote on a balanced budget amendment sometime in the last calendar quarter of this year. But not requiring congressional passage is a significant change from the proposal the House passed on Friday.
There’s no danger for the Democrats in agreeing to a vote on a balanced budget amendment this year or next year. A balanced budget amendment requirement that has the life span of a mayfly with a meth habit and expires just about the time the GOP could be hypothetically wind up in control of the House, Senate and White House isn’t really a selling point as far as Republicans are concerned — or at least shouldn’t be.
**Written by Doug Powers
Twitter @ThePowersThatBe
BREAKING: Boehner, McConnell Agree to Let Obama Borrow Another $2.4 Trillion
From: CNSNews.com Headlines
House Speaker John Boehner (R.-Ohio) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R.-Ky.) have reportedly agreed to give President Barack Obama the authority to borrow as much as an additional $2.4 trillion—thus allowing him to get past the November 2012 election without having to seek another increase in the legal limit on the federal debt.
Go to Source
Sunday Debt Deal Watch; Update: Reid Approves New Deal Update: Tenative Deal Announced Between Obama and Congressional Leaders — Voting to Take Place Monday
From: Michelle Malkin
**Written by Doug Powers
I’ve got C-Span 2 on right now because, well, it isn’t football season yet — that and a vote may take place soon in the Senate on the Reid bill (I’ve discovered that the Detroit Lions aren’t the only thing that can make me yell at the TV on a Sunday afternoon). The vote still tentatively scheduled for 1 p.m. est, but it’s still unclear if it’ll go off as planned because other things are in the works.
Reportedly a deal is near:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. lawmakers were close to a last-gasp $3 trillion deal on Sunday to raise the borrowing limit and assure financial markets that the United States will avoid a potentially catastrophic default.
“We’re very close,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the top Senate Republican who is playing a key role in the debt ceiling negotiations.
White House senior adviser David Plouffe said there was general agreement on a deal that would cut the deficit in two stages. It was first time the White House had acknowledged that both sides were close to a deal.
The first $1 trillion in cuts have been largely agreed on by lawmakers. Under the emerging deal described by congressional aides, a further $1.8 trillion would be recommended by a special committee appointed by Congress and automatic measures would implement the planned cuts if Congress failed to vote on them.
[...]
The tentative agreement proposes setting up a committee, to be made up of members from both parties, that would be charged with negotiating the tough elements of reforming popular but expensive entitlement programs as well as the U.S. tax code.
In a mini-debate on the Senate floor debate between John McCain and Dick Durbin that’s ongoing as I write this, McCain admitted that at the current time there’s no way a balanced budget amendment could pass the Senate, but did appear optimistic that it might happen in 2012 “after the Senator from Illinois is defeated in the next election.” Heh. Hopefully, but it won’t happen without a little help from the hobbits, Senator McCain.
The Democrats are invoking Reagan so much I’m half expecting a Senate screening of Hellcats of the Navy before the day is out.
Consider this today’s debt ceiling open thread, and I’ll post updates as the day goes along as the situation warrants.
Update:
Democrats’ debt-ceiling bill failed to clear a key Senate hurdle Sunday afternoon, putting the onus on bipartisan negotiators to come up with an alternative plan with just two days to go until the Treasury runs out of ways to pay all of America’s bills.
The vote on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s plan was expected to fail. Sixty votes were required to advance the proposal, and it fell far short in a 50-49 roll call.
And this, as we discussed Friday, is no surprise:
Reid won over just one Republican supporter, Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, for his bill Sunday afternoon. On the Democratic side, he lost Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent aligned with Democrats.
Update II:
According to Politico, Harry Reid has signed off on a new agreement:
The White House and Republican leaders closed in Sunday on a debt ceiling deal giving President Barack Obama greater certainty in managing the Treasury’s borrowing needs while making a joint commitment to major deficit reductions without any explicit concessions by the GOP on new tax revenues.
Late in the afternoon, a statement from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said: “Senator Reid has signed off on the debt-ceiling agreement pending caucus approval.”
A vote on the new compromise could come tonight.
Update III (9:45 p.m.):
Ending a perilous stalemate, President Barack Obama announced agreement Sunday night with Republican congressional leaders on a compromise to avoid the nation’s first-ever financial default. The deal would cut more than $2 trillion from federal spending over a decade.
There will be no voting in the House and Senate until probably well into Monday as Reid and Boehner try to round up the votes. No telling yet on how difficult or easy that might be. But if it passes Obama will no doubt sign it immediately, which will be yet another nail in the coffin of that “five day” rule.
A transcript of Obama’s debt deal announcement is here.
If this turns out to be the case, so much for the “every dollar in debt ceiling increase must be met by a dollar in cuts” demand:
Obama said leaders of both political parties reached a broad deal Sunday night to raise the government’s debt ceiling while cutting spending. Earlier Sunday, congressional aides said the agreement would raise the debt ceiling by $2.4 trillion in three stages and provide initially for roughly $900 billion in spending cuts over 10 years.
Update number whatever Roman numeral we’re on now:
For GOP members of the House who were swayed by the inclusion of a balanced budget amendment, this could make the bill a tougher sell this time around:
A compromise debt ceiling agreement brokered by the White House and congressional Republicans would not require congressional passage of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution as a condition for a second-round increase in the debt ceiling.
The deal does require the House and Senate to vote on a balanced budget amendment sometime in the last calendar quarter of this year. But not requiring congressional passage is a significant change from the proposal the House passed on Friday.
There’s no danger for the Democrats in agreeing to a vote on a balanced budget amendment this year. A balanced budget amendment requirement that has the life span of a mayfly with a meth habit and expires just about the time the GOP could be hypothetically in control of the House, Senate and White House isn’t really a selling point as far as Republicans are concerned — or at least shouldn’t be.
**Written by Doug Powers
Twitter @ThePowersThatBe
Rep. Kristi Noem on Debt Deal: The Fight Has Been Worth It For Tea Party Freshmen (Video)
From: Gateway Pundit
Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD) spoke with Greta Van Susteren tonight on the debt limit deal. Rep. Noem, a tea party freshmen, told Greta that the fight has definitely been worth it for the tea party members.
Obama, Congressional Leaders Announce Deal on Debt Reduction
From: FOXNews.com
President Obama announces agreement Sunday night with GOP and Democratic leaders on a compromise debt-reduction plan that could end a perilous stalemate and avoid a potential default on America’s loans.
NBC Tells You What They Really Think. [ArthurK]
From: Ace of Spades HQ
Watched a few minutes of NBC Nightly News for July 31st and was stunned by this piece with Brian Williams and Andrea Mitchell. This was a few hours before the President’s announcement. Things were moving fast – Brian and Andrea…
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