Are You Better Off?

The Times explains the Obama answer to the famous "Are you better off than you were four years ago?" question. The short version - things could suck even harder. Hmm, let's go to the long version:

But if Mr. Romney believes the “Are you better off?” question will be political kryptonite for President Obama, he will have to reckon with an economic scorecard that is more mixed than he and other Republicans are claiming on the campaign trail. American voters, too, have more complicated feelings about their fortunes, and those of their children, than they did when Mr. Reagan first posed the question.

“People are not better off than they were four years ago, in the sense of where the economy is today compared to where it was,” said Kenneth S. Rogoff, a professor of economics at Harvard, ticking off statistics from the unemployment rate to housing prices. “But certainly, things could have been a lot worse. You can decide whether the glass is half-empty or half-full.”

The half-full argument, which the Obama campaign will promote at the Democratic convention here this week, holds that the economy is far stronger than it was at the depths of the recession in early 2009 when it was bleeding 800,000 jobs a month.

...

“We avoided falling into the abyss, and it was an open question whether we would,” said Lawrence H. Summers, who was Mr. Obama’s chief economic adviser until the end of 2010. “It may not be easy to explain, but it’s right. It’s the truth.”

Uh huh - the car has settled at the bootom of the ravine, it has quit rolling, and it has not burst into flames. Exhale! But no, we are not better off than before the car went over the cliff.

Eventually the Times re-connects with reality:

Voters, though, seem squarely on the half-empty side. Only 20 percent of those surveyed think their financial circumstances are better now than four years ago, while 39 percent think they are worse off, according to a CBS News poll conducted in August. That is just as pessimistic as during the financial meltdown a month before the 2008 election.

Moreover, 47 percent of those polled in April by The Times and CBS News think things are likely to get worse rather than better for the next generation of Americans, while only 24 percent think things will improve. That is also worse than when Mr. Obama took office, when 32 percent said the future would be worse.

But on the other other hand, a bit of pessimism is par for the public:

But, as pollsters note, Americans have consistently expressed pessimism about the future, regardless of whether a Democrat or a Republican was in office. In three decades of polling by The Times and CBS News, only during the last year of Bill Clinton’s presidency did a solid plurality — 44 percent — of people voice optimism about the next generation.

Even in the final year of Mr. Reagan’s presidency, in July 1988, 59 percent of people said the future would be “bogged down” by troubles rather than brighter.

"Vote Obama! It Could Have Been Worse!" has quite a ring to it.

Comments

[matt]

What's funny is that the media gave so much coverage to the Ronulans being hogtied by the RNC.

When something substantive like the removal of the mention of God or of Jerusalem as capital of Israel from the Dem party platform occurs, and then the chair has to take three consecutive votes and then is being shouted down, nary a ripple in the press.

[Clarice]

From Foreign Policy:

A delightful bit of Obama double talk:

"An Obama campaign official told The Cable late Wednesday that the change in platform was made to reflect the personal views of Obama, who believes that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and who "personally intervened" to ask for the platform change.

"Mitt Romney spent last week claiming the Republican platform didn't reflect his personal views. That's why the platform was amended, to make clear what the president's personal views are on Jerusalem," the official said.

The official acknowledged that the administration's policy remains not to weigh in on the final status of Jerusalem, which is an issue to be decided by the parties. But the official said that Obama's views and the administration policy are two separate things."

[Rob Crawford]

Wow. Moe Lane made a connection I hadn't:

Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

Matthew 26:34 and DNC, 9/5/2012.

[PD]

Wow. A Miracle Whip commercial that plays to the Dem proclivity to embrace perversity.

[hit and run]

Incoming...

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Arizona authorities can enforce the most contentious section of the state's immigration law, which critics have dubbed the "show me your papers" provision.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton clears the way for police to carry out the 2010 law's requirement that officers, while enforcing other laws, question the immigration status of those they suspect are in the country illegally.

You won't find it in the AP article. Bolton is a Clinton appointee.

[jimmyk]

A delightful bit of Obama double talk

I believe it was F. Scott Fitzgerald who said, "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function."

Obama does fine on the first part but falls short on that last one.

[Extraneus]

Feds Seek Prison Time For Obama "Hope" Artist

SEPTEMBER 5--Federal prosecutors want Shepard Fairey, the artist who created the Barack Obama “Hope” poster, to serve time in prison following his misdemeanor conviction for destroying and fabricating documents in connection with a civil lawsuit over the iconic campaign image.

In advance of Friday’s scheduled sentencing of Fairey in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, the Department of Justice has filed a memorandum arguing that a prison term for the 42-year-old artist would be “appropriate.”

That's a pretty far fall from grace.

[Janet]

Planned Parenthood shout outs happening now.
How come we have to pay for this lousy business? It can exist....it already does....but why in the world this business should be paid for by taxpayers is crazy.

[narciso]

Obama, who's mentor, Wright, ran a newsletter for Hamas, along with PLO press flack Khalidi,
Ayers deeply involved in the former flotilla,
'who do they think they are fooling'

[Extraneus]

How many of us would have buttoned that top button?

[Ignatz]

-- Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

Matthew 26:34 and DNC, 9/5/2012.

Posted by: Rob Crawford | September 05, 2012 at 07:59 PM --

I knew Barry was a living, breathing example of the Peter Principle but this is taking it a little far even for him.

[PD]

I don't see what the problem is with Fairey breaking the law. I'm sure he's just following a higher truth.

[Danube of Thought]

I think the Romney campaign and the PACs have produced some really fine ads. I look forward to their dancing a whipsong on the God resolution.

And then Glenn Kessler can "fact-check" it and tell us it was taken out of context.

[Janet]

Some lady is squawking about access to birth control. Come to Virginia...it is everywhere!
All the grocery stores, all the drug stores, mini-marts at gas stations,....
You'd think the only place on planet earth to get any info on & access to birth control is PP.

[rse]

I must say after hours away these comments are a hoot.

On the God and Jerusalem and Catholic church angles that will all fire up a significant portion of who went for bo last time, I would add communities where they are discovering just how much the systems thinking being pushed all of a sudden in their schools is tied to New Age/ Eastern spirituality. I am hearing coalitions are building because that would be so toxic to explain to voters. It was critical it not get out and it has. I expect fireworks shortly in various arenas.

Ann-is the ACT problem across the Board or in a particularly weak area pulling others down? That affects the answer.

[Jane]

What was Fairey's law suit about? That name is almost as bad as Hitler.

[Clarice]

Krauthammer On Israel: If Obama Personally Intervened To Have It Reinstated, How Did He Allow It To Be Omitted?

[Janet]

They are showing lots of close-ups of women that don't look like they need birth control anymore.

Steny Hoyer up now. Purse carrier extraordinaire!

[daddy]

Haven't started catch-up yet.

Al Jazirah News is showing video of the DNC Convention adding the word "Jerusalem" as the Capital of Israel and also the word "God" being added to their party platform. It is showing the voice vote amendment procedure going through 3 voice votes, with their cameras focusing on upset DNC delegates under an "Arab-American" banner hollering "No."

The takeaway from the Al Jazirah feed to the average Al Jazirah viewer is that it is obvious the word "Jerusalem" should not have passed as it didn't win the voice vote, but the guy doing the voice vote measure at the podium (Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa) just went ahead and said it passed anyway.

Now it is video of Bill Richardson, Former New Mexico Governor, attempting damage control by saying in an Al-J interview that this is nothing of consequence, move along folks.

You guys must have discussed this in the 400 comments above, but just thought I'd give the perspective from over here.

Will be interesting to see what the local UAE papers say about this in the morning.

[Rob Crawford]

How many of us would have buttoned that top button?

When I was at my absolute geekiest phase, yeah.

[Clarice]

He was sued by a ire service for having stolen that Iconic shot for his poster and faked papers to support his defense. Didn't work.

[Clarice]

*Wire service*

[Threadkiller]

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/dems-ignore-gulf-storm-victims-convention_651741.html

[Rob Crawford]

I knew Barry was a living, breathing example of the Peter Principle but this is taking it a little far even for him.

Have you seen the video? They were asked three times. They declared "no" three times.

Never mind the religious angle; the CULTURAL and SYMBOLIC angles are too delicious to ignore.

[Extraneus]

Looking for falls of grace, I happened upon this link about Ron Karenga (Ronald McKinley Everett), the creator of Kwanzaa.

I'll have you all know I fought mightily to resist the temptation to post the cartoon at the bottom of that post.

[Rob Crawford]

Will be interesting to see what the local UAE papers say about this in the morning.

JIHAD!!! JOOOOOOZ!!!

[Janet]

Barney Frank will be on tonight too!
10:05 - Warren
10:25 - Clinton

[Dave (in MA)]

Mumbonics at the DNC.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q36T_GKKfh0
"Martha Luthah King"

Mumbonics with lies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lXxzGeJsKw

[Extraneus]

Barney Frank?

[img trigger finger itching]

[Jack is Back!]

Mohammed Iamanidiot buttons his top button.

[daddy]

Have you guys seen this Dennis Miller Twitter?

Dennis Miller Show @DennisDMZ

Dems move it inside. GOP should rent Bank of America Stadium for the night, put the empty chair on stage, fill it with silent Republicans.

[Ignatz]

--Have you seen the video? They were asked three times. They declared "no" three times.--

Yeah I know. I was making an apparently very small pun combining Barry's very real Peter Principle incompetence with the Dem's uncanny similarity to Peter the Apostle.

[matt]

I have had a couple of run ins with Fairey, but would not want to see him in jail. This has already cost him a fortune and lots of bad publicity.

[narciso]

Actually one of the papers, the Al Khaleej Times, is mu ch less biolerplate than that;

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ar&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alkhaleej.ae%2F

[Ignatz]

--Barney Frank will be on tonight too!--

1. Is he bringing his belt?
2. More importantly, is he bringing his shirt?

[Janet]

Looks like they are now slipping some military speakers in between the Planned Parenthood cheer squad & Barney Frank.

[matt]

Barney Frank's speech:

Mawage. Gay Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam...

And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva...

[Threadkiller]

Barney Frank is busy tonight

[Jane]

Maryanne Marsh is lying thru her teeth.

[Jim Ryan]

Wabbit season!

[rse]

OK-I urge everyone to read this essay from Mark Bauerlain on catching OSU profs wanting other profs to give access to their students to politicize them.

http://www.mindingthecampus.com/forum/2012/09/campaigning_in_the_classroom.html

This will really send ch into orbit.

One. Two. Three. A great lake flare.

[Janet]

I don't see Barney on the list anymore!!

Fluke is suppose to be on at 9:30.

[peter]

they haven't been using the phrase gay marriage. Instead they say the right to marry who you love. I love my cat. Can I marry her?

[Dave (in MA)]

Lizzy Wampum (supposed to be on around 10) drinking game. Take a belt of fire water any time she says "hammered".

[Clarice]

Morons want to ban profit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07fTsF5BiSM&feature=player_embedded#!

[daddy]

"Have you seen the video? They were asked three times. They declared "no" three times."

Rob C,

I have seen it almost non-stop over here on Al-Jazira for the last 40 minutes. They are running their show in a sort of CNN Headline News 30 minute model. It is their top story, so at every break they mention it as their top story and show quick video, then do a longer segment at the beginning of the show.

Now I have just started browsing thru the other Arabic/Islamic News channels. Can't yet tell what they are hollering about but suspect this is one of the topics. Boy, they do a lot of hollering on these channels.

[narciso]

You're assuming she can tell the difference, Jane, that has never been clear to me,

[Janet]

The guy up now says craft beer production is up. I bet. We're all turning into alcoholics trying to get through the Obama years.

[Jane]

That doesn't seem to warrant jail time with people like Corzine on the loose.

(I know, one has nothing to do with the other except in the arena of favoritism. So why isn't he still a crony?)

[narciso]

THey do have a Vizziniesque sense of humor over there;

http://english.alarabiya.net/views/2012/09/05/236138.html

[Neo]

“The DNC should be ashamed of themselves for giving the microphone to this deceiving pretender.”

This appears to be the utility quote for the convention.

[narciso]

He was a hack when he was in Amman, twenty years ago, and he's a hack now, out of Beirut.

[Janet]

Menino is scheduled to speak in the 5 p.m. hour, Frank will speak in the 8 p.m. hour and Warren will speak in the 10 p.m. hour. Warren will speak shortly before Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and President Bill Clinton.

Yep. Did I miss Frank? Was he on at exactly 8? Did Barney get the boot?

[dublindave]

I'd include Santa Clause and the Easter bunny in the Democratic platform if it gained us an extra percentage point. If Republicans believe in trickle down economics I think Dems can pretend there's a Supreme being existng on an alternate plane.

And anyway, there's empirical evidence demonstrating that weak minded people who believe in God are devoid of independent thought and critical thinking skills. Hello?????? they're EXACTLY the kind of people Dems should be trying to reach...... those idiots'll believe anything we tell them.

Oh and throw the Jews a bone, they've had it rough ( and they're never going to let us forget about it).

Big Dog's a couple of hours away from taking the stage. This is exciting.

[matt]

The Al Jazeera Arabic feed (translated)

"Good evening, and Death to America."

"Tonight's lead story is the vicious Zionist plot to disrespect the Prophet (one thousand blessings be upon him) and turn the most holy of holies, Al Aqsa Mosque in our most holy city of Quds into a Colonel Sanders and hacky sack playground.

I call upon all of the faithful to exercise jihad against this unconscionable, unacceptable, and really mean insult"

[Janet]

Nun on the bus is her "brother's keeper"! So she doesn't understand the Bible either.

[Clarice]

Well Duda a Santa Clause would fit nicely into the Dem platform.

[Janet]

Where is Barney!!

Did the "nun on a bus" take Barney's place?

[Captain Hate]

Even better -- Strickland was co-chair of the committee that left out God and Jerusalem. His political career is OVAH.

There is nothing Twitch can't eff up. He's the new Shrum. After four miserable years as Ohio's governor he was a leader of the charge of the light IQ brigade to Wisconsin. THAT WORKED OUT WELL!! And now this.

[narciso]

Well the English version is more splunge;

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/09/201295234028950655.html

[NK]

Excellent Princess Bride reference @8:34

[Janet]

Nun on a bus has moved on....
Now the Delaware Gov. is on.

[Rob Crawford]

Nun on the bus is her "brother's keeper"!

Are they holding babies?

[RokShox]

Does anyone find it ironic that Fluke advocates for sex-change operations to be required coverage under Obamacare, but the big catch line at the DNC is "Under Obamacare, being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition!"

[Janet]

zzzzzzzzz

[Jack is Back!]

Cowboys v. Giants is boring but better, far better, than anything the DNC can present.

Giants look at least a few first downs better than the Boys so far.

[NK]

And an even better Al-J translation@ 8:47. Out Effin Standing.

[Captain Hate]

Her's a contribution for the Human Fund, and then we're even;

I wondered if that chubby little pinworm was acting as Costanza.

[Jim Ryan]

Nice one, Rox.

[Janet]

Wow...borrrrrrrinnnnnngggggg. He's got the "blah, blah, blah technique" down.
Nun on a bus got out of there just in time.

[PD]

I wonder whether there's anything the Dems *don't* think should be required coverage under ObamaCare.

[Jack is Back!]

Giants fumble and Boys recover.

Can they do something with that opportunity?

[Janet]

Seriously, did I miss Barney or have they decided to skip him?

[Janet]

Maybe Nun on a bus WAS Barney! Maybe he took advantage of the Obamacare sex-change operation option.

[PD]

Hannity reporting that Villarigosa's affirmation that the God/Jerusalem amendment was carried by 2/3rds was *already loaded in the 'prompter*.

[PD]

And he has the photo of it.

[Bill in AZ sez it's time for Obama/Holder murder trial in Mexico]

Hit:

"You won't find it in the AP article. Bolton is a Clinton appointee."

Interesting turnaround - Susan Bolton is the same idiot Clinton appointee Federal Judge who issued the original injunction against SB1070 2 years ago when it was signed into law, because of the requirement to show papers.

[Janet]

This lady is boring too. Camera shots of the audience show people lookin' around. They want to get on the bus too, I guess.

[Agent J]

So when you go into the voting place, and there are empty chairs, can you point them out..

[PD]

Jesse's on Hannity talking about W's decision to have "two wars off-budget."

So ... if having something off-budget is bad, why isn't he concerned about the complete lack of budget. Now *everything* is off-budget.

[daddy]

Al Jazirah showing the full 3 votes video all over again, with the boos after the final vote, and then commentary.

Al Jazirah reporter saying now that she has verified that Obama personally demanded that the word "God" and the word "Jerusalem" be put back in the Platform.

Obviously seems to show the lie of Dick Durbin yesterday getting angry at Brett Baire for being questioned why God isn't in the platform. Obviously the topic was not a minor one and was therefore 100% legitimate for Brett to ask about. But we already knew that.

[Captain Hate]

This will really send ch into orbit.

One. Two. Three. A great lake flare.

Oh my. If Janet was here I might ask her for a cigarette after reading that. TBH, with the loopy things that G Gordon Gee says (usually about sports) I really wasn't sure how the school would go on this. Glad to see they've demonstrated sanity on something which is so clear-cut it shouldn't have to be addressed at an advanced education level.

[Janet]

A beer brewer on now. They're gonna try to buy us with beer.....

[narciso]

I thought she sounded familiar, BillAZ, of course the law doesn't work unless the all
the parts, operate in unison,

[Rob Crawford]

I wonder whether there's anything the Dems *don't* think should be required coverage under ObamaCare.

Anything involving the prostate?

[Janet]

They dropped gay marriage & decided to talk about beer!

[narciso]

Well and considering the 'war on women' template, another important test, now it may
be effective, dangerous, or indifferent, but
'things that make you go hm'

[Clarice]

The standards or issuing an injunction and finding the act constitutional after a hearing are different.

[narciso]

So Clarice, since they broke Tufnel's guitar dial, where does the next piece go, 'we're in
Pinky and the Brain' territory now.

[Captain Hate]

Maybe Nun on a bus WAS Barney! Maybe he took advantage of the Obamacare sex-change operation option.

I would settle for giving him a pair of dentures that fit or whatever makes him talk like a Jesse Jackson who can conjugate verbs.

[PD]

Is it just me, or is narciso's obscureness coefficient higher than usual tonight?

[Jack is Back!]

The game is so boring I am going to bed.

Nite all. Enjoy the experience of watching a party bed wet itself.

[dublindave]

Is it just me or is Elizabeth Warren kinda sexy in a sort of a prime of miss jeane brody years of suppressed sexual desire held back just waiting to tapped like an undiscovered Oil well in Texas way?

[Captain Hate]

So has al-Jizz mentioned any riots in Dearbornistan?

[Janet]

Loved that the immigration video had a picture of a girl with an Arafat scarf.

[daddy]

Janet,

Thought this interesting from your WaPo link above about the 5 speakers to watch on day 2

The 3rd speaker they highlight is Kamela Harris, a woman they say is "relatively young (47), attractive, female, and has both African-American and Indian-American heritage."

Obviously then her ethnic background is exceptionally important to the WaPo reporters.

Then they mention the most famous Native American woman of color in America as the 4th speaker to watch, and guess what? Not a single word about Liz Warren's Cherokee Heritage at all. Even the WaPo guys know her Indian Heritage is a pack of lies start to finish, so they collude and bury it in an effort to help her. Otherwise, they would have highlighted her as American-Indian heritage.

Obviously, in the case of Lizzie Warren, they are playing "The Un-Race Card."

[narciso]

Sorry I find whole new sources of absurdity,

http://en.wikipedia.o/wiki/Pinky_and_the_Brain

[Some Guy]

Do you know why there is all this stupid talk about beer?

Because they still think John F'ing Kerry lost because people would rather sit and have a beer with GWB. Priceless that they never even understood their *own* rationale for being losers...

...it ain't about the beer.

[PD]

Maybe they think that by talking about beer, we'll get thirsty, toss down a few cold ones, and get so drunk we don't notice what garbage they're telling us.

[Jane - It's gonna be a Tsunami in November]

Did I miss Fauxahontis?