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Politico claims that Obama's plan to focus on fiscal responsibility may fall on deaf ears due to a "spending binge." What constitutes said "spending binge?" Even if Obama succeeds - and that’s a big if - it will be tough for many Democrats to sell themselves as deeply concerned about spending after voting for the stimulus, the bailouts, the health care legislation and a plan to address global warming, four enormous government programs . Hmm... let's briefly review each of these "binges:" The stimulus was done to keep half the country from being evicted from their homes and selling our bodies for a Big Mack and fries. However, because the GOP bitched and moaned, Congress ended up passing a relatively small package that only kept us afloat, rather than put us over the top. Oh yeah: it was the crappy economy Bush left that necessitated this move anyway. The bailouts started under Bush; he punted to Obama, who was forced to finish this unsavory deal. ...

Obama's economic plan is about as honest as the marketers for Cheerios . P.S. " Please ignore the fact that while I'm attacking Obama for having no job growth since he came into office five months ago, job growth under both of President Bush's terms was the worse it's been since Eisenhower. Also ignore that I'm attacking his Administration for not posting data they don't have yet ."

Despite evidence that the omnibus spending bill is 2% earmarks and that people who have railed against such earmarks are outright hypocrites , the GOP/anti-Obama crowd continues to act like this is the beginning of American Socialism. Because without a definitive leader, they're just stuck repeating the same song and dance over and over and over. Speaking of songs:

When the GOP was in power, the mainstream media's justification for their "all-conservative, all-the-time" programming was that the majority earned the right to have their voice heard. With the GOP licking their wounds over two consecutive election losses, the mainstrem media's justification for their "all-conservative, all-the-time" programming is that a minority of dissenting opinion exists, and they deserve to have their voices heard. Meanwhile, on blogs, talk radio and some TV networks conservatives continue to scream that "the liberal media" is in love with Obama. I don't think the coverage he's gotten about his stimulus bill backs that belief up. And there's a big difference between one reporter being a fan of Obama and an entire newpaper or cable network showering the guy with praises. I'm not sure whether it's because conservatives have shoe-horned more of their players into the media, or because the media fears the righ...

...or, " Donald Luskin is the Bill Kristol of Wall Street !"

When he's not reminiscing about songs he did with Tupac, Micheal Steele like to pretend that he, not Rush Limbaugh, is calling the shots with the GOP. Hence the following word vomit : Just ran into new RNC Chairman Michael Steele who watched President Obama's town hall in Indiana and wasn't impressed. The Obama-backed stimulus, he said, "is just a wish list from a lot of people who have been on the sidelines for years.. to get a little bling, bling." Translation: " Hey White People! This stimulus ain't helping ya'll; it's helping that black kid who's been eyeing your daughter! Don't fall for Obama's jive! " All and all, interesting comments from a guy who told the GOP to quit whining back in November. Again: I'm so glad Ben Cardin is my Senator.

In there attempt to get everyone to play nice, the centrists have effectively doomed the stimulus bill . The goal of this thing was to jump start the economy; you can't do that on a small scale. The package was supposed to be big enough to give every industry a chance to succeed; now there's less than 50/50 chance that it will work. And by "work," I mean, "show some positive change before the 2010 and/or 2012 Elections." By trying to garner some GOP votes in the future, President Obama (and the Democrats) may have sacrificed their Congressional majority...and possibly, possibly a smooth re-election. I hate to say it, but you have to go hardcore in your first 100 days . You have to. It's the only way to show the politicians that you mean business, and after those 100 days, you rarely have the public paying attention (unless something big comes up). Obama has two years to play nice, but this really isn't the time. The GOP is not budging , and they...

We've been so used to having a President who catered and spoke to a certain segment of Americans that when you see something like this, you just feel like you're part of the whole political process, even if if you didn't do much. Things like this is why Obama should not be counted out. If he keeps this up, the GOP's in real trouble.

A reader from TPM wonders : But I have been surprised that Obama has not done more to make his case directly to voters. Creative and constant communication was always a hallmark of his campaign. Its website, for example, featured a tax calculator, with which voters could find out just how much they would save. Why isn't there a similar site now, so that Americans can see what Obama wants to give them, and what every Republican just voted against? And, almost like clockwork, we get: From Obama's website . From the White House website . From the Washington Post . Granted, this isn't Obama or one of his aides having a live chat, but we have to understand two things. One: he can't do that as much now as President; and Two: it not that he has to convince the American People (who still support the package) it's the constituents of the states that have GOP Senators that need to be convinced. If your state has a Republican Senator, start making some calls and writing some ...

Currently, it goes like this: " It doesn't matter how many overtures and concessions President Obama and Congressional Democrats make...if the Republicans and Congress vote 'no' or refuse to help, then it's not bi-partisan ." Um...no. Bi-partisan is coming together on issues that both (or multiple, depending on the government) parties can agree to. I think everyone agrees that something needs to be done about the country's failing economy. Where the split is the solution: Obama wants to do things like aid for education and jobs to repair our crumbling infrastructure; the GOP wants more tax cuts for the wealthy. In other words: New ideas versus Old Ideas. At least three things are getting in the way of the Republicans in Congress ability to use reason: They fear that any success of the bill will be attributed to Obama and the Democrats (read: the Dems will win more elections). They refuse to acknowledge the flaws of the Bush 43 Financial Agenda. They believ...

Other than the outright stupidity and irony of that statement , doesn't he realise that the guy he's trying to argue against (namely President Obama) currently has a government job? And again, this is what American politics will have to deal with the next four years: two parties represented by guys (who happen to be black) but one uses logic and reason while the other is a water-carrier for his party's base. I hope people can tell the difference, like when the GOP tried to get Hillary Clinton votes by choosing Sarah Palin as the VP candidate. Did I mention how happy I am that Ben Cardin is my senator instead of this guy?

Now apparently the GOP will have their Senators follow in the House's footsteps, i.e., obstruct and block the passage of the stimulus bill. Their main argument -that the bill is full of wasteful spending- appears valid on the surface. But then I think about to events which makes their so-called concern a steaming pile of horse dung. One of them, of course, is the initial bailout for the banks. The one which Republicans happily signed onto even after then Sec. of Treasury Paulson admitted that the number he came up with was plucked from his ass. The second? It's not really seen as a spending venture, particularly because it's PR was spun with a thread of patriotism. Nevertheless, it has a price tag : WASHINGTON – A new commission examining waste and corruption in wartime contracts is getting a grim report from government watchdogs who say poor planning, weak oversight and greed combined to soak U.S. taxpayers and undermine American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Stuart Bowe...