Obama, GOP Battle Over Impact Of Stimulus

(AP)

The economic stimulus package – also known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – turns 100 days old today, and the Obama administration is marking the occasion in two ways.

The first is a speech by the president at 2:40 ET in Nevada "on the important early investments included in the Recovery Act." And the second is a just-released report on the results of the $787 billion piece of legislation, from Vice President Joe Biden.

In the report, the administration argues that the stimulus package has already created or saved 150,000 jobs – though it should be noted that jobs "created or saved" is a notoriously difficult figure to measure. It also says that $112 billion in money from the package has been "obligated" to programs and projects so far.

The Republican National Committee, unsurprisingly, is not impressed by these figures: It sent a "research briefing" to reporters arguing that "after 100 days, the stimulus has produced waste and fraud, but no jobs."

The briefing quotes a May 12th New York Times report that "the federal government has paid out less than 6 percent of the money, largely in the form of social service payments to states." The story notes that much of the money has gone to "cover the costs of Medicaid and unemployment benefits."

The RNC goes on to complain that "Murtha airport received $800,000 from the stimulus," that a woman who had died was accidentally sent a stimulus check, and that states are struggling to oversee and manage stimulus spending. Meanwhile, the RNC notes, the "unemployment rate continues to rise."

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele suggested in a statement that the report amounts to PR from the president designed "to convince voters his reckless spending plan is working."

"Let's be clear: 100 projects, nearly $1 trillion spent, and 1 million jobs lost doesn't sound like progress to me," he said.

The administration, by contrast, argues that the stimulus package "is jump-starting the economy today and building a new foundation for sustained economic growth in the future."

The report breaks down stimulus projects by region; in the Southern Region section, for example, it notes that "Darlington County, South Carolina, will be the location of a new 4,200 square-foot library supported in part by $787,000 of Recovery Act Community Facility Grant funding."

"We have put a spotlight on the job-creating power of the Recovery Act with workers at a transformer plant in Missouri and a windows factory in Illinois; with police academy graduates in Ohio, and with members of our armed forces in California," Biden writes in the report's introduction. "We saw factories being reopened, highways being repaved, and bridges being rebuilt."

"This report details those travels and paints an exciting picture of an America bouncing back — and looking forward," he adds.

[sdonahue]

Hey no-draft: Congressional Democrats embraced President Obama's expensive agenda by endorsing a $3.5-trillion spending plan...for what I have no idea. 305 billion/3.5 trillion=$87,142. You are right, I was off 2 fold!
Even worse than I thought! YOU need to go back to math class!

[no_draft]

sdonahue:

Better go back and refigure your math.

The stimulus was $787 billion and there are 305 million Americans. That works out to less than $3000 per person. Even if you include the entire Obama budget (including stimulus, Iraq, etc.) that works out to about two trillion dollars, which is less than $7000 per person.

Clearly your elementary school didn't attract the best teachers.

[sdonahue]

2 Trillion Dollars, DIVIDED by every MAN, WOMAN, and CHILD in this country EQUALS $30,000 EACH!!! Obama could have given every person in this country 30 Grand....YOU MEAN TO TELL ME MY FAMILY COULD HAVE HAD $90,000!!!! If you wait 2 years, and add the interest, this amount (FOR EVERY MAN, WOMAN, and CHILD LIVING IN THIS COUNTRY), becomes $90,000. TALK about a stimulus! Boy we sure could have used this! Instead...where in the HELL IS THIS 2 TRILLION DOLLARS GOING?!! TNOBODY freakin knows!!!! 2 Trillion dollars passed in the middle of the night, disguised ina 2,000 page documen -which NOBODY EVEN FREAKIN READ!!! This is INSANE, bordering CRIMINAL!! This money is DOING NOTHING for those who really need it. The states hit hardest by this "recession" (which is a freakin joke to begin with...all I know is that the line for a 3 dollar Latte at StarBucks is still 20 minutes long...how bad of a "recession" is it,?) are receiving the LEAST amount of funds. Obama is creating a permanent welfare state, which we all are going to pay for dearly-now and in the future. His policies are reckless, and misguided. I voted for him, and now I am in pain. I cannot sleep at night due to the thickness of my remorse. I thought he was going to be a "uniter," and a "moderate." The only "change" I have seen is worse than I could have ever imagined.
IMPEACH THE SON OF A B$%#@!

[sweetgreatmom]

When do the Republicans ever agree with President Obama? They criticize him every chance they get, they don't work with him in his effort to put America back to work, provide healthcare, and many other hot button issues that need attention. It has only been 100 days, how can anyone expect things to be perfect?

[omega39-2009]

--------------------------
The IT Boom was going on before Clinton took office. It was not policy driven. Nothing like giving a politician credit for something that thier policies has yet to impact. Prime example of a political lemming. Blindly following and never looking at history as a whole only what they are told to see.
Posted by patocc123 a


Spin, spin, and spin again. What part of the WORST record since records first started being kept do you not understand neocon?

[Freedom_is_Good]

$787,000,000,000.00 divided by 150,000 jobs equals $5,246,666.67 per job. Thanks Obama! Talk about a waste of my money. Somewhere in Chicago a community is missing its organizer.

[jimmyc1955]

chitown639 - Yea - me crazy. I post the SSA own memo on expected funding sources and when funds will run out.

You respond by pulling numbers out of your behind and calling me crazy.

Hmmmm - lets see. I use facts and site sources - you make up number site no sources can call people names you disagree with.

Wouldn't that be what republicons are supposed to do? Are you a republicon? You make up things, avoid facts and spread hate and anger - Thats what republicons are accused of.

[jimmyc1955]

chitown639 - OK since you can't seem to make the link let me help you.

You stated - "state vetting process for processing voter regristration forms. Voter regristration forms with phony names and bogus addresses are challenged and discarded"

So I pointed out that your state "vetting process" is a fallacy and with today's motor voter registration there is for all practical purposes - no vetting at all.

As too the ACORN workers - per Pittsburgh fairly liberal Post Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09135/970420-100.stm

So we have ACORN committing registration fraud, states incapable of verifying all those new registrations and funny how ACORN only works in Democratic neighborhoods. I can't say I have seen ACORN in suburbia - only getting out the urban vote. You might guess that they are interested in a very partisan voter turnout.

[patocc123]

His job-creation record won?t look much better. The Bush administration created about three million jobs (net) over its eight years, a fraction of the 23 million jobs created under President Bill Clinton?s administration and only slightly better than President George H.W. Bush did in his four years in office.
Posted by omega39-2009
--------------------------
The IT Boom was going on before Clinton took office. It was not policy driven. Nothing like giving a politician credit for something that thier policies has yet to impact. Prime example of a political lemming. Blindly following and never looking at history as a whole only what they are told to see.

[chitown639]

chitown639 - Yea - right. You actually believe that?? News stories show up every day about people who registered their dogs and they got voter registration cards. Posted by jimmyc1955


"Balogh registered her Australian shepherd-terrier mix, Duncan, to vote in April 2006 by putting her telephone bill in the dog's name and using that as identification when she mailed the form to election officials."

LMAO!!! Please don't tell me that you're saying that this incident is the same as what some ACORN employees are accused of.....HA HA HA!!! Which ACORN employees used phony phone bills as identification to obtain voter ballots......this ACORN argument is a dead issue and a argument for the morons.....PLEASE GET A CLUE...