How the Republican Government shutdown works

[Dad2three]

What's pathetic is that Barack Obama managed to spend more than Bush while losing ground in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Iran and the Ukraine. He managed to spend more than Bush while overseeing the worst recovery from a recession in modern economic history. He managed to spend more than Bush while our schools got worse. He managed to spend more than Bush while the illegal immigration situation became as bad as it's ever been. He managed to spend more than Bush while the average American's disposable income decreased.

How do you DO that? I mean seriously...how can anyone be THAT inept?

 

[Oldstyle]

Reagan took us from 700 billion to 2 trillion in debt.

Obama took us from 6 trillion to 13 trillion in a year and a half less than Reagan.

So let's do the math on that, Kiddies? Who's the guy who buried us in debt and who's not?

Oh nominal dollars, NOT adjusted for inflation/pop growth shocking

Hint US debt the first day Obama was responsible for it, OCT 1, 2009 (the start of the F/Y like EVERY other US Prez) was nearly $12 trillion Bubs *(and the consequences of 8 years of Dubya/GOP policies coming up FAST!

If you want to use the total public debt outstanding totals then Obama was at 12 trillion on Oct. 1st of 2009 and he now is at 18 trillion as of now. He's essentially increasing the national debt by a trillion a year. It would have been more except sequestration kept him from spending what he wanted!

NOW give the POLICIES that Obama used to "create" that debt, like TWO UNFUNDED TAX CUTS, 2 UNFUNDED WARS, UNFUNDED MEDICARE EXPANSION THAT COSTS AS MUCH THIS DECADE AS OBAMACARES, WHICH WAS 100% FUNDED!


Oops

Give me the policies that Obama used to lessen the debt?

And if you think ObamaCare is 100% funded then you're about as naive as they come! They cooked the books on that right from the get go and anyone with 8th grade math skills and a little common sense knew it!

CBO says get rid of Obamacares and debt increases. Weird right?

HE INCREASED TAXES ON THOSE (CHINES/MEXICAN) "JOB CREATORS" SO THE US TREASURY GETS MORE REVENUES FROM THOSE MAKING $400,000+ (INDIV) (He wanted $200,000, BUT THE PARTY OF NO REFUSED)

He stopped the Dubya/GOP recession from turning into GOP great depression 2.0 (that was HUGE)




NOW YOUR TURN? Which policies did Obama use to increase debt?

I hate to point out the obvious here, Dad but when I ask you to name what policies Obama used to lessen the debt and you bring up what he did to combat the recession it's amusing at best. How does spending almost a trillion dollars on a stimulus package that didn't create jobs, spending billions in TARP money or spending billions on "green" start-ups that floundered decrease the debt?

You don't have a single thing that Barry did to decrease the debt because he didn't HAVE any policies designed to do that! He was forced to continue the Bush tax cuts because someone who understood economics better than he obviously did finally got it through his thick skull that tax increases in the midst of a recession would be a REALLY stupid thing to do!

 

[Oldstyle]

Can you name the specific Obama programs that led to this massive debt?

I'd like to see them

President Obama added over $6 Trillion to the national debt in only 4 years, and that is after declaring Bush to be 'Un-Patriotic' for adding only $4 Trillion in 8 (EIGHT) years...during 2 wars, 9/11/01, and the economic shutdown caused by 9/11/01. (Liberals never like to talk about how the govt control the nation's purse strings and that DEMOCRATS controlled that budget and those purse strings with a super-majority control of the House and Senate for the last 2 years of the Bush administration through the 1st 2 years of the Obama administration...so any economic dip experienced that Obama inherited was OWNED by the Democratic party that controlled both houses of Congress....NOT BUSH!)

OBAMA (and his Democrats running Congress) set national records for 'Monthly', 'Annual', and 'Total' deficit Spending. Obama added more debt in his 1st 4 years than EVERY US President from Washington to Bush ... COMBINED!

Obama's FAILED Stimulus Bill, falsely 'sold' as a jobs creation bill, cost nearly $1 TRILLION Dollars ($875 BILLION) and contained an Obama-Promise-Breaking 7,000 pieces of DNC-ONLY PORK. It contained such FAILED programs as 'Cash for Clunkers' which caused used car prices to sky rocket (used cars turned in were destroyed - hurting poor families who could not afford new cars) .. and in the end the cost to taxpayers for EVERY JOB claimed to have been 'created / saved' was $742,000!

That's a good start.... NOW please start making excuses, whining, defending Obama, declaring 'uh-uh', and claiming how Obama was just another 'victim' who was handed a bad hand (by a DNC super-Majority-controlled Congress, not Bush), how he was forced at gunpoint to pass the Stimulus bill, how it was somehow Bush's fault that the US Credit Rating was down-graded for the 1st time in US history even though it was Obama who was warned that if he failed to accept more budget cuts to show he was serious about lowering the deficit (which he refused to do) that it would result in the down-grade!

Show us some more of that buck-passing, liberal lack of accountability, and 'disease' that is demonstrated by always blaming a man who hasn't been President for nearly a decade rather than addressing the guy who has been in office for the last 7 years and who is in office NOW! Tell us again how Obama has been an asterisk in the history books as US President because he has been completely over-shadowed as a victim of the Bush administration! LOL! (Carter may be dying, but at least he can die happy now knowing he won't go down in history as the worst President, that Obama has taken that title from him before he passes!)

When Bush left office the national debt was $10.6 Trillion he was responsible for all of that. Why didn't he balance the national books like all custodians of debt are supposed to?

Actually it was more like 13 trillion.

The bush boy kept his wars and prescription drug benefit off the budget. They were all funded by "emergency" bills for funding.

When Obama was elected and took office that debt was added to the budget. All of a sudden the national debt skyrocketed to around 13 trillion dollars.

Oddly, the entire debt became Obama's and the Republican presidents who could not perform a basic accounting function all became Obama's problem. I really like the way they pulled that off.

What's amusing is that you progressives have been in the Oval Office for coming up on two full terms now and the economy is still stuck in neutral with the Fed terrified to raise interest rates lest the economy comes crashing down...yet you're STILL blaming it on W. who's been back chopping brush on his ranch for the better part OF A DECADE!!!

 

[Oldstyle]

You all have this self delusion that somehow the GOP has prevented you from accomplishing an economic BOOM by blocking your programs...which is funny stuff considering that when Barack Obama came into office he was working with large Democratic majorities in both the House and the Senate and could have done whatever he felt like with the economy and with immigration and the GOP wouldn't have been able to do a thing to stop him just as they couldn't do a thing to stop him with ObamaCare. So why didn't that happen? Doh!

 

[Oldstyle]

What's pathetic is that Barack Obama managed to spend more than Bush while losing ground in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Iran and the Ukraine. He managed to spend more than Bush while overseeing the worst recovery from a recession in modern economic history. He managed to spend more than Bush while our schools got worse. He managed to spend more than Bush while the illegal immigration situation became as bad as it's ever been. He managed to spend more than Bush while the average American's disposable income decreased.

How do you DO that? I mean seriously...how can anyone be THAT inept?

And by playing the race card...you might as well run a white flag up the flagpole and admit you can't argue your position! This has nothing to do with Barack Obama's skin color. It's his total lack of understanding of basic economic principles that have made him so ineffective. I thought Bill Clinton was a total sleaze but at least he understood enough economics to be a good President. Barry is clueless on the subject but what's worse is he's surrounded by other people who are apparently equally clueless!

 

[kaz]

Right, because people who will destroy stone and metal monuments wouldn't hop a plastic barricade to do it. You actually are a rocket scientist, aren't you?

Remember how the doofus in the Oval Office spent $64 billion more shutting government down than it would have cost to operate it?

You still have security at the mall as in all parks. Some you see, some you don't

President has no authorization to keep the government operating without funding authorization from Congress
If only Congress could do its job

You have to be blazingly incompetent spending more to lock the doors than to operate the vehicle, he is the head clown in the clown car. Where is your clown avatar? You're a clown just like your buds. Did they ditch you again?

Actually, it doesn't matter

You are either above the line or below it. It is against the law to continue government functions identified as non-essential. Even if they are cheaper or even free

Doesn't address the point. How mind fumblingly stupid does someone need to be to spend more shutting down the government than operating it? What a complete doofus our President is

You have to be mind fuckingly stupid to shut down government because you can't agree on a budget

Anything after that is a step up

Really, so why did Obama not agree on a budget then? Why did the simpering little baby stomp his feet and demand his way, no compromise?

 

[rightwinger]

You still have security at the mall as in all parks. Some you see, some you don't

President has no authorization to keep the government operating without funding authorization from Congress
If only Congress could do its job

You have to be blazingly incompetent spending more to lock the doors than to operate the vehicle, he is the head clown in the clown car. Where is your clown avatar? You're a clown just like your buds. Did they ditch you again?

Actually, it doesn't matter

You are either above the line or below it. It is against the law to continue government functions identified as non-essential. Even if they are cheaper or even free

Doesn't address the point. How mind fumblingly stupid does someone need to be to spend more shutting down the government than operating it? What a complete doofus our President is

You have to be mind fuckingly stupid to shut down government because you can't agree on a budget

Anything after that is a step up

Really, so why did Obama not agree on a budget then? Why did the simpering little baby stomp his feet and demand his way, no compromise?

Obama can only agree or disagree with what comes to his desk....never got that far

 

[kaz]

You got me on that one, but Clinton didn't close the park system down that I remember.

If he didn't he should have, since there's no one there to protect or maintain them.

So you're saying the best time to go party at a federal park is during a shutdown.
Gotcha. Thx. .

Probably. That's why they put barricades around the monuments. To protect them during the shutdown.

Right, because people who will destroy stone and metal monuments wouldn't hop a plastic barricade to do it. You actually are a rocket scientist, aren't you?

Remember how the doofus in the Oval Office spent $64 billion more shutting government down than it would have cost to operate it?

MUST be some CONservative "math and history" crap

GOP PROUDLY TOOK CREDIT HOWEVER, REMEMBER??? lol

Yes, you conservatives suck at math and history, I agree with that. When did Republicans "take credit" for the money the incompetent Obama spent shutting down government? I don't remember when you did that. But if you say so, you probably did. At least you are now. Conservatives are idiots, stop listening to Faux News and believing whatever they tell you

 

[kaz]

About the $64 billion.... Obama: "well you don't worry about that. I'm sending a message"...

What $64 billion are you talking about?

You know the rules, comrade big guy. You don't get to ask questions until you start answering them

I really don't care...just go on making up numbers...it is what you do best

Hey, you said you're a liar because only a liar doesn't back up their statements, so what difference does your opinion make?

SAYS the Klown making up shit AND when asked to back it up, attacks the poster *shaking head*

$64 billion huh? lol

when asked to back it up, attacks the poster



OMG, you have zero self awareness, that's classic. I told you, until you start backing up your posts, I won't confirm my user ID for you. Though at least you admitted your inability to do so is because you are lying. I thought you were just making it up, actually

 

[easyt65]

Yes, you conservatives suck at math and history, I agree with that. When did Republicans "take credit" for the money the incompetent Obama spent shutting down government? I don't remember when you did that. But if you say so, you probably did. At least you are now. Conservatives are idiots, stop listening to Faux News and believing whatever they tell you

Conservatives are idiots and bad with math and history?

Liberals pretty much agree that the economy started going south under Bush his last 2 years in his final term in office. THIS was the economic decline Obama and Liberals claim Obama 'inherited'. Liberals also pretty much agree that whoever controls Congress controls the purse strings, and therefore the economy / budget as well....unless it is THEY who control Congress / the purse strings.

During Bush's 1st 6 years in office 9/11 occurred, the economic aftermath of 9/11 happened, and 2 wars were fought. No 'economic decline' was experienced, but approx. 2 1/2 Trillion was added to the debt...in 6 (SIX YEARS)...during a time when there was a pretty close split in Congress. (2 1/2 trillion in 6 years in approx. 1/3rd of the debt Obama added in his 1st 4 years!)

Democrats secured a Super-Majority Control of Congress, controlling the purse strings / budget the last 2 years of Bush's administration...during which time the Liberals say the economy started going south. During this 1 1/2 - 2 year period another 1 1/2 TRILLION was added to the debt...in only 2 years. WHAT was the difference between Bush's 1st 6 years and his last 2? Oh yeah, Democrats took over Congress! They held this Super Majority control of Congress through the end of Obama's 2nd year in office.

The economic decline Obama claims to have inherited came from 2 years of Liberal control of the budget and 2 more years of horrendous fiscal irresponsibility. For instance, while supposedly in a declining economy Obama and the Liberals passed the tremendously FAILED Stimulus bill, a nearly $1 TRILLION addition to the nation's debt in one shot that contained over 7,000 pieces of DNC-ONLY pork, continued such horrible programs as 'Cash for Clunkers' that ended up hurting the economy/poor & middle class families, and ended up costing OVER $742,000 PER JOB Obama claimed to have created / saved!

In Obama's 1st 4 years he set US records for 'monthly', 'annual', and 'total' deficit spending - adding over $6 trillion to the US debt in ONLY 4 years, more debt added than by EVERY US President from Washington to Bush COMBINED, single-handedly securing the 1st US Credit rating down-grade by refusing to accept more budget cuts to prove he was serious about reducing the deficit as he was warned, and added a record number of job-creation / business-strangling regulations.

These are DOCUMENTED, HISTORICAL FACTS which speak for themselves. Responding with opinion or personal attacks do not effect me at all because you are arguing with these documented history / facts, not me.

The final statistical and historical fact is that Obama is ARGUABLY the worst President in US history. Personally, though, I would award that title to the racist LBJ, the man who started the whole liberal program of 'Economic Slavery' that has been used to oppress blacks, ensure more and more Americans remain UN-successful and dependent on the government, and that they continue to vote for the liberal politicians who will keep the 'free' money and handouts flowing.

 

[rightwinger]

Yes, you conservatives suck at math and history, I agree with that. When did Republicans "take credit" for the money the incompetent Obama spent shutting down government? I don't remember when you did that. But if you say so, you probably did. At least you are now. Conservatives are idiots, stop listening to Faux News and believing whatever they tell you

Conservatives are idiots and bad with math and history?

Liberals pretty much agree that the economy started going south under Bush his last 2 years in his final term in office. THIS was the economic decline Obama and Liberals claim Obama 'inherited'. Liberals also pretty much agree that whoever controls Congress controls the purse strings, and therefore the economy / budget as well....unless it is THEY who control Congress / the purse strings.

During Bush's 1st 6 years in office 9/11 occurred, the economic aftermath of 9/11 happened, and 2 wars were fought. No 'economic decline' was experienced, but approx. 2 1/2 Trillion was added to the debt...in 6 (SIX YEARS)...during a time when there was a pretty close split in Congress. (2 1/2 trillion in 6 years in approx. 1/3rd of the debt Obama added in his 1st 4 years!)

Democrats secured a Super-Majority Control of Congress, controlling the purse strings / budget the last 2 years of Bush's administration...during which time the Liberals say the economy started going south. During this 1 1/2 - 2 year period another 1 1/2 TRILLION was added to the debt...in only 2 years. WHAT was the difference between Bush's 1st 6 years and his last 2? Oh yeah, Democrats took over Congress! They held this Super Majority control of Congress through the end of Obama's 2nd year in office.

The economic decline Obama claims to have inherited came from 2 years of Liberal control of the budget and 2 more years of horrendous fiscal irresponsibility. For instance, while supposedly in a declining economy Obama and the Liberals passed the tremendously FAILED Stimulus bill, a nearly $1 TRILLION addition to the nation's debt in one shot that contained over 7,000 pieces of DNC-ONLY pork, continued such horrible programs as 'Cash for Clunkers' that ended up hurting the economy/poor & middle class families, and ended up costing OVER $742,000 PER JOB Obama claimed to have created / saved!

In Obama's 1st 4 years he set US records for 'monthly', 'annual', and 'total' deficit spending - adding over $6 trillion to the US debt in ONLY 4 years, more debt added than by EVERY US President from Washington to Bush COMBINED, single-handedly securing the 1st US Credit rating down-grade by refusing to accept more budget cuts to prove he was serious about reducing the deficit as he was warned, and added a record number of job-creation / business-strangling regulations.

These are DOCUMENTED, HISTORICAL FACTS which speak for themselves. Responding with opinion or personal attacks do not effect me at all because you are arguing with these documented history / facts, not me.

The final statistical and historical fact is that Obama is ARGUABLY the worst President in US history. Personally, though, I would award that title to the racist LBJ, the man who started the whole liberal program of 'Economic Slavery' that has been used to oppress blacks, ensure more and more Americans remain UN-successful and dependent on the government, and that they continue to vote for the liberal politicians who will keep the 'free' money and handouts flowing.

Democrats never had a super majority in Congress under Bush ....EVER
Bush blocked any legislative effort from the Democrats. You are welcome to post any legislation pushed through by the Democrats that caused an economic meltdown

 

[Dad2three]

Oh nominal dollars, NOT adjusted for inflation/pop growth shocking

Hint US debt the first day Obama was responsible for it, OCT 1, 2009 (the start of the F/Y like EVERY other US Prez) was nearly $12 trillion Bubs *(and the consequences of 8 years of Dubya/GOP policies coming up FAST!

If you want to use the total public debt outstanding totals then Obama was at 12 trillion on Oct. 1st of 2009 and he now is at 18 trillion as of now. He's essentially increasing the national debt by a trillion a year. It would have been more except sequestration kept him from spending what he wanted!

NOW give the POLICIES that Obama used to "create" that debt, like TWO UNFUNDED TAX CUTS, 2 UNFUNDED WARS, UNFUNDED MEDICARE EXPANSION THAT COSTS AS MUCH THIS DECADE AS OBAMACARES, WHICH WAS 100% FUNDED!


Oops

Give me the policies that Obama used to lessen the debt?

And if you think ObamaCare is 100% funded then you're about as naive as they come! They cooked the books on that right from the get go and anyone with 8th grade math skills and a little common sense knew it!

CBO says get rid of Obamacares and debt increases. Weird right?

HE INCREASED TAXES ON THOSE (CHINES/MEXICAN) "JOB CREATORS" SO THE US TREASURY GETS MORE REVENUES FROM THOSE MAKING $400,000+ (INDIV) (He wanted $200,000, BUT THE PARTY OF NO REFUSED)

He stopped the Dubya/GOP recession from turning into GOP great depression 2.0 (that was HUGE)




NOW YOUR TURN? Which policies did Obama use to increase debt?

I hate to point out the obvious here, Dad but when I ask you to name what policies Obama used to lessen the debt and you bring up what he did to combat the recession it's amusing at best. How does spending almost a trillion dollars on a stimulus package that didn't create jobs, spending billions in TARP money or spending billions on "green" start-ups that floundered decrease the debt?

You don't have a single thing that Barry did to decrease the debt because he didn't HAVE any policies designed to do that! He was forced to continue the Bush tax cuts because someone who understood economics better than he obviously did finally got it through his thick skull that tax increases in the midst of a recession would be a REALLY stupid thing to do!

Weird, ignore the FACT that Dubya/GOP POLICIES took US down to less than 15% of GDP AND yet Obama increased taxes on the top .08% of US to lessen the debt?

You mean the GOPers who refused to get taxes increased on the ENTIRE top 2% as Obama wanted that would've brought down the debt even more AND MOST ECONOMIST AGREED, WOULDN'T HAD EFFECTED THE RECOVERY FROM DUBYA/GOP POLICY (the REASON the stimulus was needed)?


MARCH 27, 2012

But now, a growing body of research suggests not only that the government could raise much more revenue by sharply raising the top tax rates paid by the richest Americans, but it could do so without slowing economic growth. Top tax rates could go as high as 80 percent or more.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/28/business/economy/the-case-for-raising-top-tax-rates.html?_r=0

 

[Dad2three]

Can you name the specific Obama programs that led to this massive debt?

I'd like to see them

President Obama added over $6 Trillion to the national debt in only 4 years, and that is after declaring Bush to be 'Un-Patriotic' for adding only $4 Trillion in 8 (EIGHT) years...during 2 wars, 9/11/01, and the economic shutdown caused by 9/11/01. (Liberals never like to talk about how the govt control the nation's purse strings and that DEMOCRATS controlled that budget and those purse strings with a super-majority control of the House and Senate for the last 2 years of the Bush administration through the 1st 2 years of the Obama administration...so any economic dip experienced that Obama inherited was OWNED by the Democratic party that controlled both houses of Congress....NOT BUSH!)

OBAMA (and his Democrats running Congress) set national records for 'Monthly', 'Annual', and 'Total' deficit Spending. Obama added more debt in his 1st 4 years than EVERY US President from Washington to Bush ... COMBINED!

Obama's FAILED Stimulus Bill, falsely 'sold' as a jobs creation bill, cost nearly $1 TRILLION Dollars ($875 BILLION) and contained an Obama-Promise-Breaking 7,000 pieces of DNC-ONLY PORK. It contained such FAILED programs as 'Cash for Clunkers' which caused used car prices to sky rocket (used cars turned in were destroyed - hurting poor families who could not afford new cars) .. and in the end the cost to taxpayers for EVERY JOB claimed to have been 'created / saved' was $742,000!

That's a good start.... NOW please start making excuses, whining, defending Obama, declaring 'uh-uh', and claiming how Obama was just another 'victim' who was handed a bad hand (by a DNC super-Majority-controlled Congress, not Bush), how he was forced at gunpoint to pass the Stimulus bill, how it was somehow Bush's fault that the US Credit Rating was down-graded for the 1st time in US history even though it was Obama who was warned that if he failed to accept more budget cuts to show he was serious about lowering the deficit (which he refused to do) that it would result in the down-grade!

Show us some more of that buck-passing, liberal lack of accountability, and 'disease' that is demonstrated by always blaming a man who hasn't been President for nearly a decade rather than addressing the guy who has been in office for the last 7 years and who is in office NOW! Tell us again how Obama has been an asterisk in the history books as US President because he has been completely over-shadowed as a victim of the Bush administration! LOL! (Carter may be dying, but at least he can die happy now knowing he won't go down in history as the worst President, that Obama has taken that title from him before he passes!)

When Bush left office the national debt was $10.6 Trillion he was responsible for all of that. Why didn't he balance the national books like all custodians of debt are supposed to?

Actually it was more like 13 trillion.

The bush boy kept his wars and prescription drug benefit off the budget. They were all funded by "emergency" bills for funding.

When Obama was elected and took office that debt was added to the budget. All of a sudden the national debt skyrocketed to around 13 trillion dollars.

Oddly, the entire debt became Obama's and the Republican presidents who could not perform a basic accounting function all became Obama's problem. I really like the way they pulled that off.

What's amusing is that you progressives have been in the Oval Office for coming up on two full terms now and the economy is still stuck in neutral with the Fed terrified to raise interest rates lest the economy comes crashing down...yet you're STILL blaming it on W. who's been back chopping brush on his ranch for the better part OF A DECADE!!!

Sure Bubs, when GOP policy dig a hole, they dig it WIDE AND DEEP and then refuse to help US get out of it

 

[Dad2three]

You all have this self delusion that somehow the GOP has prevented you from accomplishing an economic BOOM by blocking your programs...which is funny stuff considering that when Barack Obama came into office he was working with large Democratic majorities in both the House and the Senate and could have done whatever he felt like with the economy and with immigration and the GOP wouldn't have been able to do a thing to stop him just as they couldn't do a thing to stop him with ObamaCare. So why didn't that happen? Doh!

Weird, the US economy was losing 700,000+ jobs a month when Dubya left? The economy lost 9%+ the last quarter of 2008?

A fleeting, illusory supermajority

It’s in Republicans’ interest right now to characterize the Democrats’ congressional majority in 2009 and 2010 as enormous. As the argument goes, President Obama could get literally anything he wanted from Congress in his first two years, so Democrats don’t have any excuses.

The stimulus wasn’t big enough? Blame Dems; they had supermajorities in both chambers for two years. There’s no comprehensive immigration reform? Blame Dems; they had supermajorities in both chambers for two years. There was only one big jobs bill? Blame Dems; they had supermajorities in both chambers for two years. And so on.

The right continued to push the line over the weekend.

Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace falsely claimed Democrats had a 60-vote Senate majority for the first 2 years of his presidency.

“For the first 2 years he had a filibuster proof majority in the Senate,” Wallace told LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, making the case that Obama has only himself to blame for his poor economic record.

I realize memories can be short in the political world, and 2010 seems like a long time ago, but it’s unnerving when professionals who presumably keep up with current events are this wrong. Even if various pundits lost track of the specific details, I’d at least expect Fox News hosts to remember Sen. Scott Brown’s (R) special-election win in Massachusetts.

Since memories are short, let’s take a brief stroll down memory lane, giving Wallace a hand with the recent history he’s forgotten.

In January 2009, there were 56 Senate Democrats and two independents who caucused with Democrats. This combined total of 58 included Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), whose health was failing and was unable to serve. As a practical matter, in the early months of Obama’s presidency, the Senate Democratic caucus had 57 members on the floor for day-to-day legislating.

In April 2009, Pennsylvania’s Arlen Specter switched parties. This meant there were 57 Democrats, and two independents who caucused with Democrats, for a caucus of 59. But with Kennedy ailing, there were still “only” 58 Democratic caucus members in the chamber.

In May 2009, Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) was hospitalized, bringing the number of Senate Dems in the chamber down to 57.

In July 2009, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) was finally seated after a lengthy recount/legal fight. At that point, the Democratic caucus reached 60, but two of its members, Kennedy and Byrd, were unavailable for votes.

In August 2009, Kennedy died, and Democratic caucus again stood at 59.

In September 2009, Sen. Paul Kirk (D-Mass.) filled Kennedy’s vacancy, bringing the caucus back to 60, though Byrd’s health continued to deteriorate.

In January 2010, Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) replaced Kirk, bringing the Democratic caucus back to 59 again.

In June 2010, Byrd died, and the Democratic caucus fell to 58, where it stood until the midterms. [Update: Jonathan Bernstein reminds me that Byrd’s replacement was a Dem. He’s right, though this doesn’t change the larger point.]

Wallace believes the Dems’ “filibuster proof majority in the Senate” lasted 24 months. In reality, he’s off by 20 months, undermining the entire thesis pushed so aggressively by Republicans.

A fleeting, illusory supermajority

 

[Dad2three]

What's pathetic is that Barack Obama managed to spend more than Bush while losing ground in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Iran and the Ukraine. He managed to spend more than Bush while overseeing the worst recovery from a recession in modern economic history. He managed to spend more than Bush while our schools got worse. He managed to spend more than Bush while the illegal immigration situation became as bad as it's ever been. He managed to spend more than Bush while the average American's disposable income decreased.

How do you DO that? I mean seriously...how can anyone be THAT inept?

And by playing the race card...you might as well run a white flag up the flagpole and admit you can't argue your position! This has nothing to do with Barack Obama's skin color. It's his total lack of understanding of basic economic principles that have made him so ineffective. I thought Bill Clinton was a total sleaze but at least he understood enough economics to be a good President. Barry is clueless on the subject but what's worse is he's surrounded by other people who are apparently equally clueless!

Sure bubs, the Birthers rise wasn't built on the CONservative CONfederate States of AmeriKKKa and their race hating, like Trumpsters base isn't applauding the bigotry he pushes! lol

IF you were ever honest, I might have a stroke Bubs

 

[Dad2three]

If he didn't he should have, since there's no one there to protect or maintain them.

So you're saying the best time to go party at a federal park is during a shutdown.
Gotcha. Thx. .

Probably. That's why they put barricades around the monuments. To protect them during the shutdown.

Right, because people who will destroy stone and metal monuments wouldn't hop a plastic barricade to do it. You actually are a rocket scientist, aren't you?

Remember how the doofus in the Oval Office spent $64 billion more shutting government down than it would have cost to operate it?

MUST be some CONservative "math and history" crap

GOP PROUDLY TOOK CREDIT HOWEVER, REMEMBER??? lol

Yes, you conservatives suck at math and history, I agree with that. When did Republicans "take credit" for the money the incompetent Obama spent shutting down government? I don't remember when you did that. But if you say so, you probably did. At least you are now. Conservatives are idiots, stop listening to Faux News and believing whatever they tell you

So NO , you can't and will not present a credible link to your imaginary "math". Got it

Cruz: GOP leads in 2014 because of shutdown

 

[bravoactual]

What part of the WW2 memorial do you consider an essential government service exempt from the shutdown?

Dying off WW2 American Veterans consider it essential......were they ever essential for you people? Clearly, it was more important [essential] to you people to facilitate an illegal immigrant rally and enforce the shut down to keep out the WW2 Veterans.

The Government was shut down....it was in all the papers
Anyone visiting DC should have checked what was open. People missed out on the White House, Museums, memorials and all national parks way beyond one memorial

If it was so important, Republicans should have thought of it before they shut down government in butthurt over Obamacare

Keep selling yourself. The image was clear......WW2 Veterans were shut out and illegals were welcomed. The cherry picking enforcement was done by the Republicans??? How? Your retorts might have substance if not for the illegals on the Mall.

Everyone was shit out in parks and monuments around the country...they can thank the Republicans for shutting down government just so they could deny healthcare to Americans

The illegals were afforded access that Americans were not. Americans are not thanking Republicans for that.

What access is that. Cite the specific instances wherein that has in fact occurred.

Not the RW, Breitbart, Druge, Blaze, Fox News Bull Shit Lies but actual facts.

BTW, do you believe that infamous anchor baby Michelle Malkin should self-deport?

 

[Dad2three]

Yes, you conservatives suck at math and history, I agree with that. When did Republicans "take credit" for the money the incompetent Obama spent shutting down government? I don't remember when you did that. But if you say so, you probably did. At least you are now. Conservatives are idiots, stop listening to Faux News and believing whatever they tell you

Conservatives are idiots and bad with math and history?

Liberals pretty much agree that the economy started going south under Bush his last 2 years in his final term in office. THIS was the economic decline Obama and Liberals claim Obama 'inherited'. Liberals also pretty much agree that whoever controls Congress controls the purse strings, and therefore the economy / budget as well....unless it is THEY who control Congress / the purse strings.

During Bush's 1st 6 years in office 9/11 occurred, the economic aftermath of 9/11 happened, and 2 wars were fought. No 'economic decline' was experienced, but approx. 2 1/2 Trillion was added to the debt...in 6 (SIX YEARS)...during a time when there was a pretty close split in Congress. (2 1/2 trillion in 6 years in approx. 1/3rd of the debt Obama added in his 1st 4 years!)

Democrats secured a Super-Majority Control of Congress, controlling the purse strings / budget the last 2 years of Bush's administration...during which time the Liberals say the economy started going south. During this 1 1/2 - 2 year period another 1 1/2 TRILLION was added to the debt...in only 2 years. WHAT was the difference between Bush's 1st 6 years and his last 2? Oh yeah, Democrats took over Congress! They held this Super Majority control of Congress through the end of Obama's 2nd year in office.

The economic decline Obama claims to have inherited came from 2 years of Liberal control of the budget and 2 more years of horrendous fiscal irresponsibility. For instance, while supposedly in a declining economy Obama and the Liberals passed the tremendously FAILED Stimulus bill, a nearly $1 TRILLION addition to the nation's debt in one shot that contained over 7,000 pieces of DNC-ONLY pork, continued such horrible programs as 'Cash for Clunkers' that ended up hurting the economy/poor & middle class families, and ended up costing OVER $742,000 PER JOB Obama claimed to have created / saved!

In Obama's 1st 4 years he set US records for 'monthly', 'annual', and 'total' deficit spending - adding over $6 trillion to the US debt in ONLY 4 years, more debt added than by EVERY US President from Washington to Bush COMBINED, single-handedly securing the 1st US Credit rating down-grade by refusing to accept more budget cuts to prove he was serious about reducing the deficit as he was warned, and added a record number of job-creation / business-strangling regulations.

These are DOCUMENTED, HISTORICAL FACTS which speak for themselves. Responding with opinion or personal attacks do not effect me at all because you are arguing with these documented history / facts, not me.

The final statistical and historical fact is that Obama is ARGUABLY the worst President in US history. Personally, though, I would award that title to the racist LBJ, the man who started the whole liberal program of 'Economic Slavery' that has been used to oppress blacks, ensure more and more Americans remain UN-successful and dependent on the government, and that they continue to vote for the liberal politicians who will keep the 'free' money and handouts flowing.

So NO you can't present ANY bills the Dems passed 2007-2009 to change Dubya/GOP policy that created Dubya's recession. Thanks

Hint Ronnie Raygun TRIPLED every other US Prez debt AND Dubya doubled every other US POrez debt (while he lost 1+ million PRIVATE sector jobs).. lol

 

[bravoactual]

With everything Republicans can do to make this country better.....improve healthcare, energy, jobs programs, immigration reform...

Republicans put everything on a back burner so they can kill Planned Parenthood

They hate Obama more than they love America.

No They Hate America More Than We Love America.

Their Hate Frothing At The Mouth Hate of President Obama Is Now A Side-Shhow.

 

[easyt65]

CNN, Jan 25, 2010: "Democrats control the House 256 to 178, with one seat vacant. ... That's one short of the filibuster-proof supermajority they have held since last spring...Liberals seem to forget (or choose to ignore) who controlled congress during Bush’s terms in office."

"So, almost half of the debt accumulated under President Bush came from a House and Senate controlled by the Democrats. And the Democrats controlled both houses for a less amount of time than the Republicans."

-- Sorry, you are right...they were 1 seat shy of a 'SUPER' Majority. LOL. Still, they were firmly in control of the control of Congress and thus firmly in control of the nation's purse strings and the economy.

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

President Obama, knowing what he was stepping into, also proclaimed that his Budget Plan would cut the deficit in HALF by the end of his 1st term in office. ... and then the 1st economic bill he signed into effect was the nearly $1 trillion debt-adding failed Stimulus bill. After setting deficit-spending records (never a good way to try to CUT the budget in half), Obama ended up adding OVER $6 TRILLION to the debt in only 4 years. By his own standards, this was an Obama FAILURE!

- President Bush expanded the federal budget by a historic $700 billion through 2008. President Obama added another $1 Trillion Dollars to that amount.
- President Bush began a string of expensive financial bailouts. Obama accelerated that through the Stimulus Bill and other government handouts.
- President Bush created a Medicare drug entitlement that will cost an estimated $800 billion in its first decade. Despite his lies that the ACA would not cost a dime and would pay for itself, President Obama's 'Obamacare' cost Americans a $626 billion dollar down-payment, an estimated $1+ Trillion total cost of the program, AND that's not counting the BILLIONS paid out for a FAILED WEB SITE that reportedly STILL does not work as it is supposed to.
- President Bush increased federal education spending 58 percent faster than inflation. Obama DOUBLED that number.
- President Bush became the first President to spend 3 percent of GDP on federal antipoverty programs. President Obama surpassed that number by increasing this spending by over 20%.
- President Bush presided over a $2.5 trillion increase in the public debt through 2008. Another $1.5 Trillion was added during his last 2 years in which Liberals controlled Congress. Bush, therefore, is credited with adding $4 trillion in debt over EIGHT (8) years during arguably one of this nation's worst historical periods. Obama added over $6 trillion in only FOUR (4) years.
(** Heritage Foundation, Pew Research Org, and several others...)