Ben Nelson

[hedgehog]

:sadwave: hopefully all these rats get voted out including the head rat Obama

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/pub...n_2012/nebraska/election_2012_nebraska_senate

 

[THE KOD]

CAPITAL CULTURE: Big first year leaves Obama tired

Dec 29, 12:25 AM (ET)

By JULIE PACE
Google sponsored links


WASHINGTON (AP) - After a sleepless, overnight flight to Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this month, President Barack Obama made a not altogether surprising admission. He was tired.

Who could blame him? The president was on his ninth foreign trip to his 21st country; he added a 10th trip the following week. The year had been bookended by the two most intense periods of his young presidency - the early decisions to bail out the nation's banks and automobile industry, steps the president deemed unpopular but necessary, and his December orders to deploy 30,000 additional U.S. troops to fight the war in Afghanistan.

Throw in an unemployment rate in the double-digits, a health care bill still stuck on Capitol Hill, and last-minute negotiations on a global climate change agreement, and aides say it's no secret that the president is tired, and looking forward to recharging during his year-end family vacation in Hawaii.

Obama himself has been candid about the pressures of being president during what he has called an "extraordinary year."

"You have a convergence of factors that have made this a difficult year not so much for me but for the American people," he said in an interview with CBS News last month. "Absolutely that weighs on me."

That weight was particularly striking during the president's exhaustive, three-month review of the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. Images of a visibly tired Obama, his black hair now flecked with gray, greeting the bodies of fallen soldiers at Dover Air Force Base and walking through rows of headstones at Arlington National Cemetery sparked rumors that he was skipping meals and losing weight.

Not true, the 48-year-old Obama said. His weight never fluctuates more than five pounds and he still wears the same clothes he wore when got married 17 years ago. But the gravity of war did take its toll in other ways.

"With this one, you feel it viscerally," he said in a White House interview with ABC News. "You lose sleep. You think about families. You think about history."

Aides who have known Obama since before he took office say he seems more sober than he did a year ago, but also increasingly focused on the issues facing the country. Though he may need a vacation, they say he still thrives on a keeping a busy schedule and continues to scoff at critics who say he's taken on too much in his first year. Unlike former President George W. Bush, who made getting eight hours of sleep a priority, Obama often works late into the night, averaging five or six hours of sleep, but making do with less when need be. After the Senate held a 1 a.m. vote on health care last week, Obama said he was awake to see the results.

As a presidential candidate, Obama was known to get grumpy about grueling travel schedules, questioning why so many events had to be layered on top of each other and why the days had to be so long. He not only hated being away from his family for long stretches but, in his typically rational style, questioned the reasoning behind the craziness of the campaign trail. Aides came to dread having tell him about certain aspects of his schedule.

The grueling travel hasn't gone away, nor have the long days. Now they're further compounded by red-eye flights to Europe and the seemingly endless stream of social events the president is expected to attend, from concerts at the Kennedy Center to holiday parties where he and the first lady spend hours shaking hands.

But for all of its stresses, the presidency has provided Obama ways to cope. He persuaded advisers early on to let him keep his beloved BlackBerry to stay in touch with a handful of friends outside the White House. Aides try to include time in his schedule for morning workouts in the White House gym and weekend rounds of golf.

Most importantly, Obama is living with his family full-time for the first time in his political career. He eats breakfast with his daughters, 11-year-old Malia and 8-year-old Sasha, before heading to the Oval Office. That "home office" also allows the president to take a break in the evenings to spend time with his family.

In a city where virtually anything can become political, Obama has said that one of the things he values most about his wife and daughters is the refuge they provide him from the folly of Washington.

...............................................................

thought you would enjoy a list of the busy schedule for 2009

In contrast at this time in Bushs first term he had taken 211 days vacation at Crawford and Camp David.

:SIB :sadwave: :142smilie

Change we can believe in !:00hour

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

I know I feel safer

 

[THE KOD]

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

Photo was taken 15 minutes before speech when he told reporters "i don't read the papers" :SIB

ya know kinda like when he said--

--the rhetoric

August to cut all pork barrel projects from defense spending, threatening to veto any swollen bills that came across his desk -- a pledge shattered by nearly 2,000 pet projects that have made their way into the defense budget.
"If a project doesn't support our troops, we will not fund it," he said to a meeting of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Phoenix. "If a system doesn't perform, we will terminate it. And if Congress sends me a defense bill loaded with that kind of pork, I will veto it.


The reality

--and last week defense budget--

Just last week, Obama broke his promise as he signed into law the 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill -- a $636 billion behemoth loaded with $4.2 billion of pork.

In all, Congress added in 1,720 pet projects, including:
∙$5 million for a visitors center in San Francisco
∙$23 million for indigent health care in Hawaii
∙$18 million for the Edward Kennedy Policy Institute in Massachusetts
∙$1.6 million to computerize hospital records in Oakland
∙$47 million for anti-drug training centers around the country
∙$20 million for the World War II Museum in Louisiana
∙$3.9 million grant to develop an energy-efficient solar film for buildings
∙$800,000 for minority prostate cancer research
∙$3.6 million for marijuana eradication in Kentucky
∙$2.4 million for handicap access and a sprinkler system at a community club in New York

--another day-another lie
--carry on Scott--will add my dancing liberals in the morning

 

[hedgehog]

Photo was taken 15 minutes before speech when he told reporters "i don't read the papers" :SIB

ya know kinda like when he said--

--the rhetoric

August to cut all pork barrel projects from defense spending, threatening to veto any swollen bills that came across his desk -- a pledge shattered by nearly 2,000 pet projects that have made their way into the defense budget.
"If a project doesn't support our troops, we will not fund it," he said to a meeting of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Phoenix. "If a system doesn't perform, we will terminate it. And if Congress sends me a defense bill loaded with that kind of pork, I will veto it.


The reality

--and last week defense budget--

Just last week, Obama broke his promise as he signed into law the 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill -- a $636 billion behemoth loaded with $4.2 billion of pork.

In all, Congress added in 1,720 pet projects, including:
∙$5 million for a visitors center in San Francisco
∙$23 million for indigent health care in Hawaii
∙$18 million for the Edward Kennedy Policy Institute in Massachusetts
∙$1.6 million to computerize hospital records in Oakland
∙$47 million for anti-drug training centers around the country
∙$20 million for the World War II Museum in Louisiana
∙$3.9 million grant to develop an energy-efficient solar film for buildings
∙$800,000 for minority prostate cancer research
∙$3.6 million for marijuana eradication in Kentucky
∙$2.4 million for handicap access and a sprinkler system at a community club in New York

--another day-another lie
--carry on Scott--will add my dancing liberals in the morning

when Obama opens his mouth he is lieing :142smilie

 

[THE KOD]

Photo was taken 15 minutes before speech when he told reporters "i don't read the papers" :SIB

ya know kinda like when he said--

--the rhetoric

August to cut all pork barrel projects from defense spending, threatening to veto any swollen bills that came across his desk -- a pledge shattered by nearly 2,000 pet projects that have made their way into the defense budget.
"If a project doesn't support our troops, we will not fund it," he said to a meeting of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Phoenix. "If a system doesn't perform, we will terminate it. And if Congress sends me a defense bill loaded with that kind of pork, I will veto it.


The reality

--and last week defense budget--

Just last week, Obama broke his promise as he signed into law the 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill -- a $636 billion behemoth loaded with $4.2 billion of pork.

In all, Congress added in 1,720 pet projects, including:
∙$5 million for a visitors center in San Francisco
∙$23 million for indigent health care in Hawaii
∙$18 million for the Edward Kennedy Policy Institute in Massachusetts
∙$1.6 million to computerize hospital records in Oakland
∙$47 million for anti-drug training centers around the country
∙$20 million for the World War II Museum in Louisiana
∙$3.9 million grant to develop an energy-efficient solar film for buildings
∙$800,000 for minority prostate cancer research
∙$3.6 million for marijuana eradication in Kentucky
∙$2.4 million for handicap access and a sprinkler system at a community club in New York

--another day-another lie
--carry on Scott--will add my dancing liberals in the morning

.................................................................

SO !

 

[THE KOD]

Photo was taken 15 minutes before speech when he told reporters "i don't read the papers" :SIB

ya know kinda like when he said--

--the rhetoric

August to cut all pork barrel projects from defense spending, threatening to veto any swollen bills that came across his desk -- a pledge shattered by nearly 2,000 pet projects that have made their way into the defense budget.
"If a project doesn't support our troops, we will not fund it," he said to a meeting of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Phoenix. "If a system doesn't perform, we will terminate it. And if Congress sends me a defense bill loaded with that kind of pork, I will veto it

...............................................................

this constant harping on Obama promised us.

make you look like some kind of Kentucky hick with overalls on.

You dont list the many thousands that he has not signed. You spin it so it looks like he lied.

Yeh just like every other President in history once they got in office and saw what kind of crooks they were really dealing with in Congress.

get off that promise shit. Think outside the fawking box. Come up with something intelligent to cristisize.

Geeez Louise

you need to stop reading at 0300 . your wasting your fawking time.

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

For your info Scott-- The recent lies on defense budget--as the ones posted previously like

-transparency/drafting largest bill in decades behind closed doors in secret

-no lobbyists/other than those that are both lobbyist and tax cheats

-taxes--"not one dime"

--putting bills on website for public 5 days prior to bring to vote/none yet -but will vote on in --wee hours of Christmas eve to avoid it.

have not been posted for you but for the the common sense folks


--carry on

 

[THE KOD]

Jobless claims fall to lowest level since July ?08
4-week average drops for 17th straight week to lowest level since Sept. ?08


? DJIA 10524.56 -23.95 -0.23%


updated 8 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - The number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits dropped unexpectedly last week, a sign the job market is healing as the economy slowly recovers.

New jobless claims have dropped steadily since September, raising hopes that the economy may soon begin creating jobs and the unemployment rate could decline. That, in turn, would give households more money to spend and add fuel to the broader economic rebound that began earlier this year.

The Labor Department said Thursday that new claims for unemployment insurance fell by 22,000 to a seasonally adjusted 432,000, the lowest since July 2008. That's much better than the rise to 460,000 that Wall Street economists expected.


The four-week average, which smooths fluctuations, fell for the 17th straight week to 460,250, the lowest since September 2008, when the financial crisis intensified. The crisis led to widespread mass layoffs, which sent jobless claims to as high as 674,000 last spring.

Analysts cautioned that the weekly data could be artificially low due to seasonal factors, such as the Christmas holiday and recent snowstorms.

Still, many economists saw the claims figures as a positive sign that employers could soon step up hiring. Abiel Reinhart, an economist at JPMorgan Chase, said in a note to clients that he estimates employers added a net total of 40,000 jobs in December, after cutting 11,000 the previous month.

The Labor Department will report the unemployment rate and jobs figures Jan. 8. Reinhart said the December jobless rate will likely be 10 percent, matching the previous month and down from 10.2 percent, a 26-year high, in October.

Still, most economists expect the unemployment rate to remain above 9 percent through 2010, as companies are likely to hire at a slow pace as they wait to see if the current recovery continues.

Economists closely monitor initial claims, which are considered a gauge of the pace of layoffs and an indication of companies' willingness to hire new workers.

The number of jobless workers continuing to claim benefits, meanwhile, dropped by 57,000 to 4.9 million, also better than the increase that analysts expected.

But the so-called continuing claims do not include millions of people that have used up the regular 26 weeks of benefits typically provided by states, and are receiving extended benefits for up to 73 additional weeks, paid for by the federal government.

...............................................................

America growing

CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN !:00hour

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

Jobless claims fall to lowest level since July ?08
4-week average drops for 17th straight week to lowest level since Sept. ?08


? DJIA 10524.56 -23.95 -0.23%


updated 8 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - The number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits dropped unexpectedly last week, a sign the job market is healing as the economy slowly recovers.

New jobless claims have dropped steadily since September, raising hopes that the economy may soon begin creating jobs and the unemployment rate could decline. That, in turn, would give households more money to spend and add fuel to the broader economic rebound that began earlier this year.

The Labor Department said Thursday that new claims for unemployment insurance fell by 22,000 to a seasonally adjusted 432,000, the lowest since July 2008. That's much better than the rise to 460,000 that Wall Street economists expected.


The four-week average, which smooths fluctuations, fell for the 17th straight week to 460,250, the lowest since September 2008, when the financial crisis intensified. The crisis led to widespread mass layoffs, which sent jobless claims to as high as 674,000 last spring.

Analysts cautioned that the weekly data could be artificially low due to seasonal factors, such as the Christmas holiday and recent snowstorms.

Still, many economists saw the claims figures as a positive sign that employers could soon step up hiring. Abiel Reinhart, an economist at JPMorgan Chase, said in a note to clients that he estimates employers added a net total of 40,000 jobs in December, after cutting 11,000 the previous month.

The Labor Department will report the unemployment rate and jobs figures Jan. 8. Reinhart said the December jobless rate will likely be 10 percent, matching the previous month and down from 10.2 percent, a 26-year high, in October.

Still, most economists expect the unemployment rate to remain above 9 percent through 2010, as companies are likely to hire at a slow pace as they wait to see if the current recovery continues.

Economists closely monitor initial claims, which are considered a gauge of the pace of layoffs and an indication of companies' willingness to hire new workers.

The number of jobless workers continuing to claim benefits, meanwhile, dropped by 57,000 to 4.9 million, also better than the increase that analysts expected.

But the so-called continuing claims do not include millions of people that have used up the regular 26 weeks of benefits typically provided by states, and are receiving extended benefits for up to 73 additional weeks, paid for by the federal government.

...............................................................

America growing

CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN !:00hour

You got to be the biggest glutton for punishment on earth

Your post reminds me of onother Gumby Grift I ommitted.

Gumby the Groveling Gand his eco team (all ivy league grads)consensus-- in urge to pass stimulus
If we don't pass this stimulus --right now--we could reach 8% unemployment.

DTB (from school of hard knocks) after stimulus passed "unemployment hits 10% by August-book it"
:0corn

Get in that food stamp-medicaid line with the rest of your yes we can can alumni


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[THE KOD]

I GOT TO PULL A RAYMOND HERE


:142smilie :142smilie :142smilie

 

[THE KOD]

By PETER A. MCKAY And DONNA KARDOS YESALAVICH
A late burst of selling left stocks with a hefty loss Thursday at the end of what was otherwise a banner year, highlighted by the biggest annual percentage gain in the Dow Jones Industrial Average in six years.

The Dow ended near its intraday lows, down 120.46 points, or 1.1%, at 10428.05. The blue-chip measure ended 2009 with an 18.8% gain, though it is still down 26.4% from its all-time record set in October 2007.

The selling was set off by interest-rate jitters but gathered momentum in the last half-hour of trading, which had been thin throughout the day. The lack of participation allowed a relative few participants to have an outsized influence at day's end, apparently through the use of automated trading programs, traders said.

"There's just no liquidity out there right now; guys have totally backed off," said Don Bright, a partner at the Chicago proprietary firm Bright Trading. "That makes it easier for a few people to push the market around."

The report reinforced Wall Street's belief that a U.S. economic recovery is taking hold, but it also spurred some speculation about when the Federal Reserve might raise its key rate target to prevent inflation. That catch-22 is likely to remain a key consideration for traders well into 2010.

"People are looking at these claims numbers and thinking that maybe the [monthly] payroll numbers due out next week might show an increase in jobs," said Peter Cardillio, chief market economist at Avalon Partners in New York.

If that happens, it would snap a streak of 23 consecutive declines in U.S. employment and perhaps clear an important hurdle for the Fed, which is bound by its charter to encourage both price stability and maximum employment in the U.S. economy.

Earlier this month, the report of an unexpected drop in the U.S. unemployment rate to 10% stoked fears that a rise in interest rates was coming sooner than expected. The fears ebbed after the Fed reaffirmed its plans to keep its easy-money stance for some time, but Thursday's better-than-expected claims report has brought the interest-rate worries back.

Nevertheless, Karl Mills, chief investment officer at Jurika, Mills & Kiefer, was pleased with Thursday's report.

"It's a trend in the right direction," he said. "You have to have a strong economy to have a strong market, so we look at it as a positive on an otherwise quiet and non-representative day.

Other stock indicators fell Thursday amid scant volume. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 1% to 2269.15, up 43.9% on the year. The Russell 2000 was down 1.3% to 625.39, up 25.2% on the year.

The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index was off 1% to 1115.10, up 23.5% on the year. The broad index was hurt Thursday by declines in every sector, led by pullbacks of more than 1% each in technology, industrials, materials, utilities, consumer staples, and health care.

Investors digested reports that the U.S. Treasury this week officially ended the bank recapitalization portion of its Troubled Asset Relief Program, the massive bailout launched at the height of the financial crisis to prevent a wider meltdown.

The Treasury this week provided a combined $29.26 million in capital to 10 small banks across the country, it said in a report released Thursday. A Treasury spokesman said the banks would be the last to receive capital under the effort, dubbed the Capital Purchase Program. Through the program, launched in October 2008, the Treasury has provided 707 U.S. banks with $204.9 billion in capital.

Composite turnover in New York Stock Exchange-listed companies hit 2.3 billion shares, a new full-day low for the year. Decliners outnumbered advancers by more than two to one.

Thursday marks the end of what has been the worst calendar decade for stocks since the 1820s, when reliable stock-market records began, according to data compiled by Yale University finance professor William Goetzmann.

However, the rally from the stock market's 12-year low in March represents the strongest rebound since 1933. The Dow has risen 61% over that timespan.

Meanwhile, Treasury prices fell on the final day of 2009, leaving investors with a loss for the year.

Treasurys have handed investors a loss of 3.3% through Wednesday in 2009, on pace for the second-worst annual return since at least 1973, according to the latest data from Barclays Capital. In 1994, Treasurys posted a loss of 3.38%. In 2008, the government bond market saw hefty returns of 14%.

The benchmark 10-year note was off 13/32 to yield 3.84%, and the 30-year Treasury was down 17/32 to yield 4.64% in Thursday trading.

The dollar strengthened against the euro and Japanese yen. Crude-oil futures and gold futures were higher.
.................................................................

CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN !:00hour