Mainstream Media. What's The Point Anymore?

Confrontational Obama rebukes GOP on debt talks

I guess this is a different Obama than the 'hey, I can't be bothered to let this stuff interfere with my golf, so why don't we talk about this little $14 trillion deficit thing over 18, Speaker Boehner?'. Note that it took four AP writers to come up with this:

In a blistering rebuke of Republicans, President Barack Obama on Wednesday pressed lawmakers to accept tax increases as part of a deal to cut the nation's deficits and avoid a crippling government default.

Rebuking Republicans? AKA the party that actually produced a draft budget? And as for them "accept"ing tax increases, Obama couldn't even get Congress to pass tax increases in 2010 with huge Democrat majorities!

Senators from Obama's own Democratic Party quickly said they'd consider canceling next week's July 4 recess to work on a possible agreement, and as the day went on senators said they assumed they would stay.

These 'eager beaver' Democrat Senators, you may recall, are the same 'eager beaver' Democrat Senators that HAVEN'T OFFERED UP A BUDGET FOR TWO YEARS!

Obama accused Republicans of intransigence over tax hikes, comparing their leaders to procrastinating children and painting them as putting millionaires, oil companies and jet owners ahead of needy students.

Yeaaaaah....that 'jet owner' thing? Guess where that came from. If you guessed 'Obama and the Democrats' porkulus stimulus' pin a rose on your nose.

Obama insisted he wouldn't support a deal to cut the deficit unless it includes higher tax revenue, not just spending cuts. Republicans have refused to consider that. The stalemate threatens to derail an extension of the nation's $14.3 trillion debt limit, which in turn could lead the government into an unprecedented default.

No, it couldn't. The Constitution requires the government to meet its debts, even if that meant cutting other spending, including on 'entitlements'.

"They need to do their job," Obama said of Republicans. "Now's the time to go ahead and make the tough choices."

Really? REALLY? The Republicans passed a budget with "tough choices" in it, including the suggestions of Obama's deficit commission. His "budget", the vague set of ideas codified in, well, a speech, ignored his own deficit commission and couldn't garner a single Senate vote because it was so utterly unserious.

Professing optimism — but with a bite — the president said, "Call me naive, but my expectation is that leaders are going to lead."

Translation: 'I'm incredibly naive, because my expectation is that, even though I'm President, someone else is going to lead, because I haven't got a f***ing clue what I'm doing, so let's play golf!'

Conrad said he would unveil a Senate Democratic budget that Democratic senators on his panel signed off on Wednesday. He said there would not be a vote on the plan.

And the best the Democrats in the Senate can do is whip up some ridiculous 'budget' THAT THEY WON'T EVEN VOTE ON!

The House, under Republican control, has been in recess this week but is to return on Tuesday. Democrats hold a majority in the Senate.

You might think that ONE of the FOUR writers would think here would be a good time to mention that the Democrats in the Senate have failed to produce a budget FOR TWO YEARS!

Obama said even his daughters, 12-year-old Malia and 10-year-old Sasha, get their homework done ahead of deadline. "Congress can do the same thing," the president said. "If you know you've got to do something, just do it."

Nice little cover up here, Obama actually said that his daughter was 13, screwing up her age! FOUR AP writers not only ignore this dimwitted mouthing, but PRETEND IT NEVER HAPPENED BY MISQUOTING OBAMA! Whoops! Down the memory hole!

Obama sought to reframe the entire debt debate in terms people would care about, accusing Republicans of protecting tax breaks for corporate jet owners on the backs of college students who would lose their federal aid...

Again, that would be the OBAMA AND DEMOCRAT TAX BREAK FOR CORPORATE JET OWNERS.

...even though there is no direct relationship between that tax provision and any particular budget cut. He spoke of eliminating tax cuts that favor the rich and oil companies...

Except, of course, unmentioned by any of the FOUR AP writers, is that no such tax cuts exist - the rich pay far MORE in taxes as a group and oil companies actually get by with far LESS generous "tax cuts" (they're not) than other industries.

At his first formal White House news conference in more than three months, Obama also pushed back against Republican criticism of the U.S.-aided military campaign in Libya, saying congressional concerns about consultation were not substantive.

Ummm...Really? Concerns directly related to explicit authority granted Congress by the Constitution that Obama has unconstitutionally (as argued) seized from another branch of government is not only called by him "not substantive", but these FOUR lapdogs seem to agree as they cannot seem to find a single objection to his view via anecdote nor quote.

And he even took a sharp tone toward the business leaders that his White House has tried to court. "The business community is always complaining about regulations," he said in response to one question. "Frankly, they want to be able to do whatever they think is going to maximize their profits."

'And I think they're still beating their wives!' said the man who's never run or even really worked for a money-making business.

"Here in Washington, a lot of people say a lot of things to satisfy their base or to get on a cable news," he said, "Hopefully, leaders at a certain point rise to the occasion and they do the right thing for the American people."

Isn't the LAST thing someone that's AWOL as a leader should do is keep talking about HOPING a leader will just sort of SHOW UP when THEY were elected and are being paid to BE THAT PERSON?