Obey Tears Obama Admin A New One: “Outrageous…Stupid…Ludicrous”
Wow.
Dem Rep David Obey, the chair of the House appropriations committee, is really, really, really pissed off about reports of bad inaccuracies on the Web site created by the Obama administration to track the $787 billion stimulus. His statement is a scorcher:
“The inaccuracies on recovery.gov that have come to light are outrageous and the Administration owes itself, the Congress, and every American a commitment to work night and day to correct the ludicrous mistakes.
“Credibility counts in government and stupid mistakes like this undermine it. We’ve got too many serious problems in this country to let that happen.
“We designed the Recovery Act to be open and transparent and I expect the the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, who oversees the recovery act web site and data to have information that is accurate, reliable and understandable to the American public. Whether the numbers are good news or bad news, I want the honest numbers and I want them now.”
Ouch! As a colleague notes, “Obey really seems to have eaten his spinach this time.”
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YEAH! How DARE you try to report a metric that is difficult to impossible to track and post it for the entire world to see on the internet which has never been done before! How DARE you! Sounds like somebody didn’t get their earmark.
Obey has a point. Avoidable errors should not be made. The right wing radio is all over this one and justifiably so.
If this administration is going to try and change the public perception of the Govn’t, they better be able to not allow errors like jobs created for districts that don’t exist to get through their system and give easy target practice to Republicans who are more than willing to make up stuff to go after, let alone when they are handed something like this to them on a silver platter.
Ethan – LOL = and thanks. I think Greg is trying to make me have a stroke.
Ouch.
“The right wing radio is all over this one and justifiably so.”
I love you – now think about what you just said.
They’re all over everything, whether justified or not, so how can anyone tell if what they’re saying is true. The people who listen believe it regardless.
Why should we worry about Rush and the Savage Weiner, et al?
Probably a blood sugar thing. Somebody give him some juice.
Another poutrage. Man, where were these guys in the last 8 years ?
Isn’t this first time such an attempt is being genuinely made in government transparency, which by itself is ambitious in scale ? How about some positive contribution to make it work instead all this pouting and yelling ?
“How about some positive contribution to make it work instead all this pouting and yelling ?”
Positivity. *sigh* I think I remember it…
Obey probably had someone point out the errors and he had to answer for them and that’s why he’s mad.
See this? Nixon bowing to Mao:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1109/Bowing_to_Mao.html
Kinda deflates the Anita Dunn Mao Nontroversy and the Obama Bows to the Emperor of Japan Nontroversy all at once…
As Dems it seems we hold ourselves to a higher standard and should be able to handle a little criticism if it is justified. Obama is not afraid of errors like this and we shouldn’t be either. Just fix the problem IMHO.
Now, if he could take this same tact with blue dogs and conservadems perhaps we could get meaningful healthcare. I agree that these kinds of error whether intentionally or not, don’t help to restore confidence in government. That said, how about turning some of that passion on your fellow Dems on healthcare. The sooner this is done, the sooner they can concentrate on jobs! Oh, and tone it down Obey! We don’t want to be confused for teabaggers and their crazy politicians!
True, they are all over everything. Much of it is bogus controversy to distract from something they don’t want to public to focus on. But at least when it’s bogus, you can brush it off as such.
It just seems like it was a preventable error imho.
It’s defiantly not a show stopper but that doesn’t matter in the eyes of Republican echo chamber.
Whomever is overseeing the process should thank the news organization for finding the error, fix it and the process, then move on.
“It just seems like it was a preventable error imho. ”
I have no idea frankly.
But the right via the GOP is going to pick everything to pieces regardless. I really don’t care about whether they have a point or not.
All I care about is whether or not this is a matter of honest mistakes. Until I’m shown otherwise, I assume that’s what happened.
lmsinca – genuine criticism and yelling – big diff.
I put this the 2nd category.
and i care about getting our tankless water heater operating again – where is that repair guy? Mr. Tena took a cold shower this morning.
“the Obama Bows to the Emperor of Japan Nontroversy all at once…”
This is what I’m talking about.
There’s nothing to complain about vis-a-vis Obama and protocol but the ratwing is loudly complaining anyway.
The country’s in the very best of hands.
The whole “jobs created or saved” measurement is a sham anyway. It measures precisely nothing except (allegedly) how many hours someone reportedly has paid someone else to work using government money. Which is to say, it measures nothing except the money spent, only in units other than dollars.
So we have error-ridden and phony reporting of phony numbers. This is Obamutopia.
Here’s a better financial chart on the health insurance stocks:
http://www.google.com/finance?chdnp=1&chdd=1&chds=1&chdv=1&chvs=maximized&chdeh=0&chdet=1258491600000&chddm=1173&chls=IntervalBasedLine&cmpto=NYSE:AET;NYSE:WLP;NYSE:HUM;NYSE:CI&cmptdms=0;0;0;0&q=NYSE:UNH&ntsp=0
Includes: UnitedHealth, Humana, WellPoint, Aetna, and Cigna
All dropping….. hopefully that means good news from the CBO.
qb thinks teachers, police officers and firemen not being laid off because of state funds depleated due to lack of tax revenue during this catastrophic economic collapse which began during his brainless leader Dubya’s presidency is all a sham.
Heck, they should just claim they have “created or saved” 150 million jobs and be done with it. That would have as much validity as what they are claiming and as much empirical basis.
amk
I agree Obey’s reaction seems a bit overboard, but I also agree it raises a good point and needs to be addressed and dealt with. I don’t want us to be confused with Republicans who never find anything at all wrong with themselves or their policies except maybe we “over spent a little”. We shouldn’t be afraid of justified criticism assuming it is justified.
“qb thinks teachers, police officers and firemen not being laid off because of state funds depleated due to lack of tax revenue during this catastrophic economic collapse which began during his brainless leader Dubya’s presidency is all a sham.”
And the deficit didn’t exist until Obama took office.
QB, you know what I loved? I loved when Bush posted the results of HIS economic stimulus bill online.
Oh wait. He didn’t.
There also are questions about whether the stimulus will actually be the key to ending or preventing a recession. [...] Bush praised the quick work of the House and Senate and urged Americans not to “overreact” to the current economic troubles.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/13/bush.stimulus/
Ahh. The smell of LEADERSHIP in the morning. I remember the Tea Baggers causing SUCH an uproar about this. $120 BILLION in stimulus money spent by the Socialist Nazi George W. Bush. I want my country back and all that. Uh huh.
“Heck, they should just claim they have “created or saved” 150 million jobs and be done with it. ”
Like the Bush Administration did every month when the unemployment numbers were released?
Thanks for demonstrating just the superficial thinking and lack of economic understanding I was talking about, Mike.
For example, you have empirical basis to claim they would have been laid off in the absence of the federal dole, nor any basis to claim that there would be fewer jobs overall now than without Obamacare for the economy. Other than a few minor flaws in your argument like that, it is compelling.
Oh and I’m SO glad we took Bush’s advice not to “overreact” to the economy in Feb 2008.
Aren’t you QB?
It was so much better to do nothing and then blame it all on the next President, right QB? Now THAT’s America. The “It’s Not MY Problem” country. Under Neoconfederate “leadership” that’s what we became.
“Like the Bush Administration did every month when the unemployment numbers were released?”
Right, I’m sure you can hustle up a cite for that one in short order.
Repubs are going to paint the stimulus as a failure and this provides even more ammo for their advertising. Dems are very vulnerable when it comes to the economy and jobs and this won’t help. Obey is smart to try and create some distance and pin this on the popular President rather than the unpopular congress. Won’t work but…
As many citations as you provide, QB.
SBJ = Suh-winggggg and a miss.
Ethan,
The best is clearly to do as Obama is doing: Pass a massive new spending “recovery” act, invent a new pseudo-economic metric of jobs “created or saved,” project quick and vigorous recovery caused by your spending (in comparison to projected catastrophe without it), spend most of your time on world apology tours and trying to browbeat your own party into passing an economy-crippling government healthcare takeover, and then keep blaming your predecessor and a single “fringe” news network when your projections fail to come true even using the pseudo-economic metric you created to avoid accountability.
Right?
For once, I agree with sbj. Let the hell open up for me.
Ecomomy could sink the dems and this is a CYA by obey. I don’t see this mistake as a big deal given the complete corruption of the both the houses.
QB, was that your intellectually honest post or your normal self?
qb and other right wingers would be delighted if they weren’t constantly reminded of what a disaster Bush left for this country.
Sorry bub, we won’t let it go no matter how much you complain.
Rep. Obey’s right…
…but where was this kind of talk when the Bush Admin. was s***ing on everything? I think it’s so pathetic the willingness of Democrats to stand up to Democrats, but then shake in fear at Republicans.
That said, he’s still right. The site needs to be fixed.
and it turns into a republican party vs democratic party debate.
I’d like finished & professional work from all echelons of governemt, is that not what we all do in our everyday business lives? So far, it’s been amateur hour & it reflects poorly on the entire administration. Obey is right on target.
Here is a helpful update from Greg Mankiw on a more meaningful way to look at how Obamacare for the economy is performing compared to what he promised:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_djgssszshgM/Svaa3ufoUHI/AAAAAAAABDY/vX5PAiWKTfM/s1600-h/stimulus-vs-unemployment-october-dots.gif
Sorry to let reality intrude.
Blame Bush all you want amk; doesn’t bother me in the least.
$18 million is an awful lot of money to spend on a sh1tty website, so Obey’s right of course. At the place I work, we research and proof everything before it gets posted or printed, it is not a difficult concept – especially when you are being so generously funded and can afford to hire a couple of extra researchers.
That said, Obey is playing to his mid-Wisconsin constituents, who get a steady stream of Rush, Hannity and Savage everyday on two major radio stations, in an area that does not have a plethora of other choices to listen to besides public radio. Many of these constituents have more time to listen to Rush lately, as most of the factories in this area have had massive lay-offs.
Also, he needs to make up some ground on that ridiculous Stupak amendment vote he made. I believe he’s been getting **** for it ever since, from a lot of confused progressives who didn’t see it coming.
“Here is a helpful update from Greg Mankiw on a more meaningful way to look at how Obamacare for the economy is performing compared to what he promised.”
Here’s another blast from the past. Back in June of 2009 Gibbs told Chuck Todd that we should start judging the success of the stimulus now, saying that Obama was ready to take responsibility for the economy:
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/06/30/video-gibbs-tells-ms-nbc-that-obamas-ready-to-take-responsibility-for-economy/
Considering that 70 percent of jobs are in the small to mid-size business ranks and 80 percent of new jobs come from these ranks, what was done to provide stimulus for them? Virtually nothing. Taxes are going to be increased on most of these business owners, healthcare changes will increase their costs and the result will be less money to expand and hire more employees. Meantime there will be increased hidden taxes on those earning less than 250K when they have to pay fees on “medical implements” like toothbrushes and tampons. This administration is far more interested in filling government coffers than they are in creating jobs or stimulating the economy. Yet they so lack economic common sense that they actually believe we can tax ourselves into prosperity. It ain’t gonna work and they will pay the piper when the chickens come home to roost. Bush will not be taking the blame forever folks.
Yeah, the lies and fabrications are posted out for all to see, the facts – well, they aren’t so “transparent.” Obama is already the worst. president. ever.
Of course the Democrat/SEIU/AFSCME party does not worry about wasted tax money, it’s their bread and butter. Their oxygen. Their raison d’etre. Even the Democrats who make money don’t pay taxes, see e.g. Rangel, Daschle, Geithner. And the public employee unions think that taxpayers work for them, not the other way around.
Keep listening to your echo chamber telling you the Obama-Bolivarian Revolution is upon us and all those lilly white teabaggers are “astroturfed”. That way you will really enjoy 2010.
Whats a little lie among Democrats. Who ever believes what they say or do anyway?
haruumph…hey, I like his passion but honestly, this thuggocracy has been stealing and lying for 8 months and they will continue to do so as we work our tails off trying to keep up….to pay for the welfare state…
americas best days are behind us.
Delusional right wingers are projecting.
The right wing’s psychological projection allows them to bizarrely accuse others of exactly what they themselves are guilty of.
Republicans lied US into a war, Republicans used Communist Chinese torture techniques to force false confessions, Republicans illegally spied on American citizens, and Republicans ran up trillions of dollars of debt (much of it the Republicans handed to their corporate cronies), but suddenly it’s the ‘other guy’s’ fault.
If America’s best days are behind US it’s because right wing policies going back 40 years have betrayed US and sold out our nation.
In 2002, there were approximately 23 million small businesses in the United States according to the US SBA (Small Business Administration).
WOW! I just stumbled across this “fantasyland” site and now understand why all of you are nuts!
Your “claim” that Republicans ignored all the spending during the Bush years is bogus on three counts: first, the last two years of GW’s term both the House and Senate were run by demoncrats and second, we booted their butts out of office.
Now your Golden Boy, Ovomit, has tripled in nine months what it took Bush eight years to do. You people are pathetic.
And now to my favorite quote of the year: “You ram this healthcare legislation down our throats in ‘09, and we will shove it up your *** in ‘10″. Ha ha ha ha
Dave Obey is a jacka$$. Can’t wait to see this guy get beat in 2010. Nobody should be a congressman for 40 years.(democrat or republican). He is completely out of touch. He only gets voted in by name recognition.
“If America’s best days are behind US it’s because right wing policies going back 40 years have betrayed US and sold out our nation.”
You are delusional.
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