Tim Cavanaugh Live Chatting the Budget Speech at WNYC

It's like 1995 all over again.

WNYC is live-chatting President Obama's budget speech, and Reason Senior editor is in da house.

Speech should be starting shortly.

You are invited to join in.

Click here for the WNYC chat site.

Comments

[Rich]

What we're hearing now is probably as good as it'll get.

[Rich]

He hasn't offered anything yet.

[Free2Booze]

"Make government leaner and more effective."

If I gain 100 lbs, then lose 50 lbs, do I become leaner and more effective?

[Rich]

"Doing nothing on the deficit is not an option." "I believe we must come together again."

Good stuff.

[mitch]

Tim did a good job, but it is pretty boring hearing Solomon Kleinsmith cry about how he might lose his cushy nonprofit job and Jody Avirgan swoon over how brave and smart Obama is. They let one of my many critical comments in, though.

[Solomon Kleinsmith]

What the fuck? I didn't say shit about me losing my job. I just mentioned I work in the field. Matter of fact, I'm leaving my job in two and a half months.

Idiotic assumption.

[Au H20]

If this is actually Solomon, and he reads the comments on Reason, that is awesome.

Also, if you do- Solomon, what is the proper response to LoneWhacko?

[Id]

Honestly if they think this is how to respond to the GOP plan. Wow.

[Ken Shultz]

His reference to cutting entitlements was passing. There were no substantive proposals for cutting spending that I saw.

He wants to raise taxes on entrepreneurs. That's the main point of what he said. That's his proposal for cutting the deficit--raising taxes on entrepreneurs.

I suspect the Republicans will go hardline on raising the debt ceiling after that performance.

The electorate is seriously pissed about spending right now--especially the Republican base. The Republicans can't go home and face that music if they raise the debt ceiling--but don't get any substantive long term spending cuts out of it.

Going home and telling the Republican base that they sold the farm but in exchange they got some of Obama's tax hike magic beans just isn't gonna cut it.

The Republicans would do better to go hardline on raising the debt ceiling. Even if they end up losing that battle, that will put Obama and the Democrats on the wrong side of the issue come the next election.

This isn't like the budget battle. They can't be called out for cutting any specific thing. Just hold the line on the debt ceiling, and it's all about the debt ceiling. The Democrats will try to make it about something else, but the debt ceiling is about the debt ceiling.

[Tim Cavanaugh]

As this is a relatively light-activity thread, I hope you won't mind my bogarting it to post the chat transcript, which is interesting and includes a lot of activity from our commenting all stars. In reverse chronological order:

2:44 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC): Thanks so much for joining us, and of course we'll continue to cover online and on-air. We'll have some reactions at IAFC starting this afternoon, and then break it down with David Leonhardt of the New York Times and others tomorrow on the Brian Lehrer Show at 10. Stay tuned!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:44 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC)
2:42 Anna Sale, It's A Free Country: thanks for joining in, everyone! a lively discussion!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:42 Anna Sale, It's A Free Country
2:42 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): Thanks all! This was fun!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:42 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
2:42 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Thanks, everybody. Glad to meet those of you I ain't met before. Hope to do it again.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:42 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:42 Solomon Kleinsmith: Cutting deductions will hinder real estate since it will take away some of the interest in investment real estate.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:42 Solomon Kleinsmith
2:42 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Jim, that means we're in trouble.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:42 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:41 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): Zach, if his previous budgets are any indication, he's talking about offshore deferral/tax havens/etc.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:41 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
2:41 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Realtors got threatened? Glad to hear it, but I missed that part of the speech. (Not being sarcastic, I actually missed it and am glad to hear it.)

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:41 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:41 [Comment From Jim Jim: ]
Stock market up slightly on speech...

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:41 Jim
2:41 [Comment From Zach Zach: ]
I'm just wondering: What are these "corporate tax loopholes" the president is speaking of? Deducting losses incurred during previous years from current year's profits is not a loophole

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:41 Zach
2:40 [Comment From Brandon Brandon: ]
"Balance" must be the new Democratic caucus talking point

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:40 Brandon
2:40 Brian Lehrer: i gotta jump off. But thank you all for chatting. Please feel free to call the radio show 10am tomorrow to react some more. I think by then we'll see the White house fact sheet I was posting about get a lot more coverage to rival the speech which was much more general. Thank you!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:40 Brian Lehrer
2:40 Solomon Kleinsmith: Real Estate

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:40 Solomon Kleinsmith
2:40 Solomon Kleinsmith: Tim - Do you have a point there? I know what an interest group is.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:40 Solomon Kleinsmith
2:40 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Name an actual interest group that got threatened today.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:40 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:39 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Solomon, "The top 1 percent" is not an interest group. "Auto manufacturers" is an interest group. "Medicare recipients" is an interest group. "Unions" are interest groups. "Corn farmers" is an interest group.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:39 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:39 [Comment From mitch mitch: ]
Do Scrooge McDuck and Montgomery Burns count as interest groups?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:39 mitch
2:38 Solomon Kleinsmith: Yeah

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:38 Solomon Kleinsmith
2:37 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Half a dozen interest groups?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:37 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:37 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): "commit the depression" I gotta start proofing before SEND. "cause the depression"

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:37 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:37 Solomon Kleinsmith: Oh give me a break Tim, I missed half the speech trying to get a decent audio feed and I heard a half dozen at least.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:37 Solomon Kleinsmith
2:37 [Comment From Doug Doug: ]
Frankly, I'd expected more. Where are the real specifics with respect to 2/3rds of the budget? Did I miss something?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:37 Doug
2:36 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Sing it, RobertW! The mortgage interest deduction did more to commit the depression that we are in than any other factor.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:36 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:36 [Comment From RobertW RobertW: ]
Limiting itemized deductions including the mortgage interest deduction is a great idea,especially because it will be for higher income people primarily. It will be very difficult to pass Congress, but should be tried.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:36 RobertW
2:35 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): What starting point for negotiation? He's signaled no actual interest in disrupting a single interest group.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:35 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:35 [Comment From Jim Jim: ]
Where does the 4 Trillion come from?? I'm getting less than a Trillion here - are there numbers somewhere?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:35 Jim
2:35 [Comment From Brandon Brandon: ]
To summarize: "I'm a reasonable guy. Vote for me." I'll withhold judgment of his ideas when I see some action.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:35 Brandon
2:35 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Even amon underwhelming speeches, this one stands out as especially underwhelming. Did he even have a prop budget in a folder? Just baggy and windy and orotund.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:35 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:35 Solomon Kleinsmith: This seems like posturing more than a real proposal... a starting point for negotiation. Hopefully the end result will land near the fiscal commission recommendations.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:35 Solomon Kleinsmith
2:34 [Comment From Sudden Sudden: ]
The cognitive dissonance is astounding. He specifically states that the discretionary portion of the budget is 13% and that the only real reform requires reforming entitlements.... within two minutes, he invokes MEDISCARE and talking about granny starving and writhing in pain due to having to actually foot a bit of her medical bill

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:34 Sudden
2:34 [Comment From Doug Doug: ]
I was waiting on him to say.."I still believe in a place called Hope."

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:34 Doug
2:34 [Comment From mitch mitch: ]
Brian, you forget Joe Biden and his "paying taxes is patriotic!" and every lefty alive who told us dissent was patriotic when it wasn't Obama bombing the crap out of Pakistan and Libya.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:34 mitch
2:33 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC): And, that's that. We can certainly stay here and chat a bit. Any thoughts? What caught your ear? (Also, you'll notice above that the white house is hosting its own post-speech chat - but ours is better, I promise!)

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:33 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC)
2:33 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Good work. By the way, $250 million was added to the national debt while that speech went on.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:33 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:32 Solomon Kleinsmith: Rich - ZERO?!? Where would you come up with the hundreds of billions that would take out of the budget? And don't tell me it would pay for itself.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:32 Solomon Kleinsmith
2:32 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): Good one from Brian Beutler's Twitter feed: "This is not a high-speed speech. George Will approves."

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:32 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
2:31 [Comment From Ken Shultz Ken Shultz: ]
It's nice to see that Obama has seen the light on cutting spending. That's the big news here. He made passive reference to cutting entitlement savings to keep them safe, but that obviously isn't high on his agenda. The rest of what he's saying is the same old fluff going nowhere. The president's seen the light on cutting the deficit. Good job. He's still the biggest obstacle to fiscal responsibility.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:31 Ken Shultz
2:31 Brian Lehrer: He invoked patriotism. Dems almost never do quite so explicitly in conjunction with their policies.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:31 Brian Lehrer
2:31 [Comment From Rich Rich: ]
Appreciate the live blog and posting the transcript earlier. While I understand the desire for more tax revenue, why not focus more energy and time on making the US "thee" place to expand companies, hire employees which would increase revenue? GOP should cave a percent on personal taxes for those over $250 but push for zero tax on Corps keeping profits in the US.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:31 Rich
2:31 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Good one from Dave Weigel's twitter feed: "If this goes any longer Steve King will defund it"

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:31 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:31 [Comment From Sudden Sudden: ]
@ Guest... well pray tell, where do you expect to find the money to fund the status quo? The $250k+ rich don't make enough. Should we raise taxes across the board on the already struggling and middle class to keep octogenarians alive and cruising on free hoverounds while robbing not yet conceived posterity?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:31 Sudden
2:30 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:30 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:30 [Comment From P P: ]
why does he keep offering to work together? why even say that? this is a negotiation. act like it's a negotiation. republicans see this as a sign of weakness, do they not? i doubt they have the warm feeling of community he's going for--so just skip it.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:30 P
2:30 [Comment From Emily Emily: ]
I get tired of the snark, as if the answers were obvious, and Obama had a cooperative, responsible congress and an easy job.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:30 Emily
2:30 Solomon Kleinsmith: I'm not cherry picking either way. I'm talking macro.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:30 Solomon Kleinsmith
2:29 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Solomon, it varies widely by corporation. If your main donor was Citi, GM, GE or other government wards, then your fuding is probably pretty healthy. Rite-Aid, Borders, Blockbuster, not so much...

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:29 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:29 Solomon Kleinsmith: Thats usually what both parties mean when they say that Moishe

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:29 Solomon Kleinsmith
2:29 [Comment From Moishe Sachs Moishe Sachs: ]
When Democrats say bi-partisan they mean Republicans going along with their ideas.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:29 Moishe Sachs
2:29 Solomon Kleinsmith: The President doesn't pass this, he offers it up for the House to take up, like any budget.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:29 Solomon Kleinsmith
2:29 [Comment From Guest Guest: ]
@ Sudden: Only if that's the sort of society you'd like to live in.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:29 Guest
2:28 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Doug, it almost definitely isn't constitutional. Amendment discussion earlier in the thread.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:28 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:28 [Comment From Jim Jim: ]
Bi -partisanship solves everything once again? Don't think it's gonna work...

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:28 Jim
2:28 [Comment From Guest Guest: ]
@solomon: Same here. If they want us to do the work that, persoanlly i think the government should be doing in the first place, they can at least let us raise the revenue to do it right. It's sad but true that lots of people give in order to access the writeoff - the one "loophole" with social benefit.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:28 Guest
2:27 Solomon Kleinsmith: Apparently you haven't been looking at corporate income growth Tim.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:27 Solomon Kleinsmith
2:27 [Comment From Zach Zach: ]
I meant that making the tax code more progressive induces changes in people's behavior. This is a slightly different effect than raising taxes across the board

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:27 Zach
2:27 [Comment From Doug Doug: ]
How can a fail-safe be constitutional unless it originates in the House? Are we getting rid and overlooking Article I, Section 7 of the US Constitution?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:27 Doug
2:27 [Comment From Sudden Sudden: ]
I'v said it before, I'll say it again: We could annex every dollar of income over $250k in every such qualifying household and the total revenue would be $1.4 trillion, not enough to cover this year's deficit alone. The impact on the following year's GDP would be profound. SS, Medicare, and defense must each be cut DRAMATICALLY in order for any true fiscal sanity.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:27 Sudden
2:26 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Solomon, I work in the nonprofit sector too. And the reason it's hurting is because nobody is making any money in the "business sector" you refer to, so they have nothing to give. The nonprofit sector is an outgrowth of privately created wealth, not a separate entity.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:26 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:26 [Comment From guest guest: ]
good information here, if you like budget and spending data, this will get you excited...

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:26 guest
2:25 [Comment From PC PC: ]
actually it's more like 40% of people itemize deductions. Turbo Tax asks you--but most people end up doing the standard deduction

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:25 PC
2:25 [Comment From Guest Guest: ]
Machete Please!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:25 Guest
2:25 [Comment From Not Saying Not Saying: ]
I work for an estate planning attorney. My whole job is to help rich people save on taxes. This speech has inspired me to look for a new job in another window.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:25 Not Saying
2:25 [Comment From Moishe Sachs Moishe Sachs: ]
We'll pay for taxing the successful in fewer jobs, less business, less revenue to Washington, proven every time.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:25 Moishe Sachs
2:25 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): If he's right that rich people agree on revenue needs, here's how the rich people can do something about that:

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:25 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:25 Brian Lehrer: Zach, what about marginal rates do you mean?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:25 Brian Lehrer
2:24 Solomon Kleinsmith: I work in the nonprofit sector. It is hurting far more than the business sector right now. If that deduction gets cut, it's going to hurt, and see a lot of programs that lessen problems that will push more costs onto the government collapse. One of the worst places to find more money.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:24 Solomon Kleinsmith
2:24 Brian Lehrer: A third rail in every pot!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:24 Brian Lehrer
2:24 [Comment From Zach Zach: ]
Do liberals understand the concept of "marginal tax rates"? Or do they just not care?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:24 Zach
2:23 [Comment From Sudden Sudden: ]
High Speed Third Rails!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:23 Sudden
2:23 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): It's never a true Obama speech until he says "There are those who say..." and "Some will argue..."

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:23 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:23 Brian Lehrer: Jody, isn't there a Fifth Third Bank?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:23 Brian Lehrer
2:23 [Comment From Bryan Lee Bryan Lee: ]
Heh, no such think as an enforcement mechanism when congress can just change their mind later

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:23 Bryan Lee
2:23 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): @Brian: The problem with Ryan's vouchers is that the cap on them is totally unrealistic:

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:23 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
2:23 [Comment From Ken Shultz Ken Shultz: ]
Raising taxes coming out of a recession is irresponsible. Taxing people's incomes makes them more expensive to pay them their take home pay--it discourages businesses from hiring unemployed people. He should be cutting taxes, not raising them.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:23 Ken Shultz
2:23 [Comment From Moishe Sachs Moishe Sachs: ]
He touches the 3rd rail but the Boehner is too weak to take advantage of it.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:23 Moishe Sachs
2:23 [Comment From Guest Guest: ]
People will continue to give even if there's no deduction.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:23 Guest
2:23 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC): Brian, that's like...the fifth third rail he's brushing up against. How many rails are on this track?!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:23 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC)
2:22 Brian Lehrer: here comes the "trigger" - by 2014 but he didn't say trigger.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:22 Brian Lehrer
2:22 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Here's the "debt fail-safe." What will be the enforcement mechanism?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:22 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:22 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): @Marcelo: Hear, hear. See: GE, Boeing, Exxon........

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:22 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
2:22 [Comment From Tom Tom: ]
Let's get that estate tax back up Clinton-era levels. Capital gains has to go back up too.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:22 Tom
2:22 Brian Lehrer: He just touched one of the third rails, I think. reconsidering tax deductions for the wealthy for home mortgage interest and charity!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:22 Brian Lehrer
2:22 [Comment From guest guest: ]
he extended the Bush tax cuts, they're now the Obama tax cuts. annoying point, but Obama now is in 100% ownership of the current tax structure.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:22 guest
2:21 [Comment From Brandon Brandon: ]
Get rid of the income tax. It is outdated and not conducive to a 21st century mobile workforce that doesn't collect the usual 9-5 paycheck.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:21 Brandon
2:21 Solomon Kleinsmith: Its a terrible idea if it cuts the deduction to nonprofits.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:21 Solomon Kleinsmith
2:21 [Comment From marcelo marcelo: ]
how about closing corporate tax loopholes, so they actually pay their meager taxes

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:21 marcelo
2:21 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): Obama proposed limiting itemized deductions in his very first budget. Went a whole lot of nowhere, even though it's a good idea!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:21 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
2:20 Brian Lehrer: Pat, the Ryan plan offers means tested subsidies for his Medicare vouchers. Is that not a progressive tax on rich seniors? Doesn't Obama health reform use the same approach to subsidizing individual policies?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:20 Brian Lehrer
2:20 [Comment From Bryan Lee Bryan Lee: ]
Who does not itemize, willing to bet 90%+ of the "middle class" use something like TurboTax which includes all the itemizing, etc.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:20 Bryan Lee
2:20 [Comment From Emily Emily: ]
Joseph: if you're in the top 1% of income in the US, you are "rich". It's not a semantic question.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:20 Emily
2:20 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Speaking of limiting itemized deduction, will anybody ever eliminate the mortgage interest writeoff, which has done so much damage to our economy?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:20 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:20 [Comment From Sudden Sudden: ]
Total national income over $250k

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:20 Sudden
2:19 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Starting the walkback from the Bush tax cuts...

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:19 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:19 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Christine, I'd like to see that conversation happen too. And I think we'd find Washington's idea of the role of government differs widely from the rest of the country's.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:19 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:19 [Comment From Guest Guest: ]
We won't allow a "shrinking benefit". That pretty much rules out any hope of bringing medicare costs under control.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:19 Guest
2:19 [Comment From Guest Guest: ]
I really do appreciate the conceptual morality at the heart of his comments. But I have to wonder how we can practically fulfill these important promises.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:19 Guest
2:19 Brian Lehrer: Tim, Goldman Sachs advised its clinets that slashing spending now will threaten the recovery, at least short term. You don't take that warning seriously as even a possibility?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:19 Brian Lehrer
2:18 [Comment From Jim Jim: ]
What do you get by "eliminating waste" from Medicare and/or Defense - a few percent? 10 -20 Billion?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:18 Jim
2:18 [Comment From Joseph Joseph: ]
The last half hour has been an attack on the "rich." Only now do we get to anything that even resembles an attempt to cut the deficit.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:18 Joseph
2:18 [Comment From christine christine: ]
I'm all for talking numbers, but I do think you need to address an overarching belief on the role of government so that the numbers have context. Numbers can be spun to mean just about anything depending on whose doing the talking, so I appreciate knowing the logic behind the numbers so that at a minimum I can be clear on what those numbers are aimed at achieving.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:18 christine
2:18 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): Pharma's lobbying shop is paying attention to this part.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:18 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
2:17 Brian Lehrer: Sounds like he is reviving the idea of Medicare having prescription drug price negotiating power. Congress has so far refused.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:17 Brian Lehrer
2:17 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Absolutely right, Pat. (Re Gates)

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:17 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:17 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): @Solomon: Exactly.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:17 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
2:17 Solomon Kleinsmith: Gates has just slowed military spending growth.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:17 Solomon Kleinsmith
2:16 [Comment From Bryan Lee Bryan Lee: ]
Really, he is touting ObamaCare as a means to cut spending and increase efficeincy?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:16 Bryan Lee
2:16 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): One bright point: At least he hasn't claimed that cutting spending will "endanger the fragile economic recovery." Hope that chestnut has been thrown out for good.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:16 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:16 [Comment From Guest Guest: ]
Enough of this spending talk! Get to the good stuff and talk about increasing revenue! TAX THE RICH

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:16 Guest
2:16 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): Gates hasn't actually taken on defense spending. It's all smoke and mirrors:

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:16 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
2:16 Brian Lehrer: On Soc Sec, he says no "reductions" for current recipients, nothing that "slashes benefits" for future beneficiaries. Nothing specific but opening door to "reforms" and something short of "slashing."

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:16 Brian Lehrer
2:16 [Comment From Guest Guest: ]
I have to say that I would be just as happy with his points and ideas if he never said "win the future" again.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:16 Guest
2:15 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): "Bob Gates has gone after wasteful spending." Mr., we could use a man like Dwight D. Eisenhower again!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:15 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:14 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): "$750B over 12 years is tough cuts?" Incredible, isn't it? California alone is cutting $12-$25 billion this year.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:14 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:14 [Comment From Guest Guest: ]
$750B over 12 years is tough cuts?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:14 Guest
2:14 [Comment From Paul Paul: ]
I'm glad he is going right at the Ryan plan. That is not a good place to start negotiations

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:14 Paul
2:14 [Comment From Ken Shultz Ken Shultz: ]
Medical Necessity is already a part of Medicare and has been for decades. Bureaucrats deciding that wheelchairs are less expensive than hip replacements is exactly why I'd rather just pay for everything myself--thank you.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:14 Ken Shultz
2:14 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): Question all. What are the odds the Dems support a new tax bracket for millionaires?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:14 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
2:13 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Solomon, do you really think it's a good attack? It's all opinion stuff, when we should be talking about numbers.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:13 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:13 Solomon Kleinsmith: Here we go

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:13 Solomon Kleinsmith
2:13 Solomon Kleinsmith: Its a good attack on Ryan's plan, but he still hasn't brought up any serious points that would actually put us on a path towards solvency.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:13 Solomon Kleinsmith
2:12 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): The sad thing is that Ryan's plan doesn't even come close to dealing with the magnitude of the problem, and even that's considered too radical.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:12 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:12 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): Tax rates paid by the richest 400 Americans are the lowest in a generation:

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:12 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
2:12 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Brian: Well, it was inevitable that he would turn from his "Paul Ryan's a studious boy" routine. That was always a setup.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:12 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:11 Brian Lehrer: Hey guests, what think of that specific take down of the Ryan plan? He's really on the attack!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:11 Brian Lehrer
2:11 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): First applause: Bottom 90 percent. I'm one of those!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:11 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:11 Solomon Kleinsmith: He's playing the same stupid game, pretending that it's a choice between tax cuts for the wealthy and deficits. We can't cut the deficit without BOTH letting go of tax cuts, AND cutting spending.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:11 Solomon Kleinsmith
2:11 [Comment From Moishe Sachs Moishe Sachs: ]
If the whole country's workers paid 100% of everything we earn we wouldn't be able to pay down the spending of just the federal govt.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:11 Moishe Sachs
2:11 [Comment From Bryan Lee Bryan Lee: ]
Yep, he is going to argue for a tax increase, and some symbolic cuts to entitlements. Willing to bet his budget still wants to spend over 20% of GDP

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:11 Bryan Lee
2:10 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): @Brian: Yup, you got it!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:10 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
2:10 Brian Lehrer: So Pat, how does strengthening it lead to cost savings? Does his health reform act make some of those recommendations mandatory to implement? Did that idea make it in?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:10 Brian Lehrer
2:10 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC): For those of you who simply can't have too many tabs open, here's a copy of the speech:

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:10 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC)
2:09 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): @Brian: IPAB wouldn't decide on Medicare cuts, it would be more in the comparative effectiveness research business (i.e. Medicare won't pay for procedure A if procedure B will do the same thing for half the price)

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:09 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
2:08 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Brian, that's how it sounds to me, but my colleague Peter Suderman knows way more about this than I do.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:08 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:08 [Comment From guest guest: ]
starting to sound like the empty promises heard in a state of the union address

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:08 guest
2:08 [Comment From Bryan Lee Bryan Lee: ]
Whats wrong with a fundamentally different america? Our fed gov't has routinely overstepped the consitutional bounds on its power.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:08 Bryan Lee
2:08 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Talks about young Americans not affording college, without mentioning how education subsidies have driven up cost of college and doubled student borrowing in only 10 years.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:08 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:08 [Comment From MR MR: ]
25% cut in education with $1,000 cuts in Pell Grants!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:08 MR
2:08 Solomon Kleinsmith: What he is saying right now is excuses for not cutting.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:08 Solomon Kleinsmith
2:07 Brian Lehrer: Pat, Tim, does this approach to Medicare mean a central bureaucracy will be deciding your benefit cuts to save money rather than the insurance companies' bureaucracies in the private plans they choose to sell?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:07 Brian Lehrer
2:07 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC): I actually think he is incapable of giving anything BUT a theory-of-everything speech. Since the campaign, the Obama has always added lots of context, history, connectivity, etc.. Sometimes it gets in the way of getting right to the crux of the matter, I think (and, I suspect, so does Tim)

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:07 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC)
2:06 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Get to entitlements, Mr. President! You say you've got a serious plan!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:06 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:06 Brian Lehrer: On Medicare, he wants to strengthen the "Independent Payment Advisory Board" to cut costs, rather than privatize like Ryan. Says it'll save as much money.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:06 Brian Lehrer
2:05 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Don't think it is a theory-of-everything speech. Events have outpaced Obama's visions, as they do for all presidents.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:05 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:05 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): Fun poll on foreign aid: People think we spend 25% of the budget on aid, think it should be about 10%: (It's actually less than 1%)

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:05 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
2:05 [Comment From Brandon Brandon: ]
People just wish the government worked like capitalism has. More for less.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:05 Brandon
2:05 [Comment From Ken Shultz Ken Shultz: ]
The spending may be popular with "both the Democrats and Republicans alike", but the American people don't serve in Congress, and there are millions of Americans for whom that spending is not popular. Another example of the president's inability to distinguish between the government and the people.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:05 Ken Shultz
2:04 Brian Lehrer: Hey politics types. If this is his theory of everything speech, I want to know why he isn't giving it in prime time.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:04 Brian Lehrer
2:04 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): I am happy he's talking about the squeeze on discretionary spending, but come on: It's entitlements that are eating up nearly all of that.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:04 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:03 Brian Lehrer: A big truth he speaks. People dislike gov't spending but like the stuff it buys! (I'd add, like the stuff it buys for them, but not for others, which they really really hate.)

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:03 Brian Lehrer
2:03 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): If we don't like spending in the abstract but "like the stuff it buys" how do you explain the unpopularity of the Drug War and all three of the actual wars?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:03 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:02 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): You can't spell "Win the Future" without WTF, Jim.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:02 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:01 Brian Lehrer: He will propose capping "base security spending" I guess that means defense minus the cost of actual wars (?) - at below inflation.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:01 Brian Lehrer
2:01 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): The good news coming!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:01 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:01 [Comment From Jim Jim: ]
Win the future? Who or what is our opponent in this contest?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:01 Jim
2:01 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): What the Prez calls "2025" is actually 2011.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:01 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
2:00 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): Here's some background on tax expenditures, if anyone is interested:

Wednesday April 13, 2011 2:00 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
1:59 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Apparently, Bryan Lee. The myth that Americans are taxed lower than Europeans, etc. is harder to overcome than the Ptolemaic universe.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:59 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
1:59 Brian Lehrer: Oh, cool. I have the proposal outline, Anna has the speech text. Let's compare and contrast!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:59 Brian Lehrer
1:59 Brian Lehrer: Bryan, I'd say Mr. O thinks we have both.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:59 Brian Lehrer
1:59 Anna Sale, It's A Free Country: also note -- no mention of "trigger" in prepared speech text. even more vague: "If, by 2014, our debt is not projected to fall as a share of the economy...my plan will require us to come together and make up the additional savings with more spending cuts and more spending reductions in the tax code."

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:59 Anna Sale, It's A Free Country
1:58 Brian Lehrer: Tim, do you think a trigger proposal is necessarily a phony ploy?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:58 Brian Lehrer
1:58 [Comment From Bryan Lee Bryan Lee: ]
So, Mr. Obama still thinks we have a revenue, rather than a spending problem?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:58 Bryan Lee
1:58 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Just to put it into context, you could eliminate all defense and discretionary spending RIGHT NOW, and still not balance the budget. Entitlements and interest payments alone are more than current revenues:

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:58 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
1:58 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC): Solomon - try this:

The rest of you - stay here!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:58 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC)
1:57 Solomon Kleinsmith: Pfft... what's the point of a trigger that doesn't include the two biggest contributors to long term debt? Thats a joke.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:57 Solomon Kleinsmith
1:57 [Comment From Doug Doug: ]
My stream is great, but none of my comments are being posted.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:57 Doug
1:57 Brian Lehrer: Trigger would not apply to Soc Sec, Medicare or pgms for the poor.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:57 Brian Lehrer
1:56 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): Tax expenditures are essentially spending that is administered through the tax code. There are tons of them, more than $1 trillion each year.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:56 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
1:56 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): There's no trigger you can build that Congress can't break. Not without a COnst. amendment.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:56 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
1:56 Solomon Kleinsmith: I've totally lost my stream... I'm on a university network... it must be overloaded with profs watching the same thing... dangit.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:56 Solomon Kleinsmith
1:56 Brian Lehrer: He will propose ending Bush tax cuts for rich. Also, Pat, trigger would include cuts in "tax expenditures." What are they, do you know?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:56 Brian Lehrer
1:56 [Comment From Jim Jim: ]
Won't reinstating tax on the over 250K raise over a trillion out of the 4 trillion he's looking for?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:56 Jim
1:55 Solomon Kleinsmith: Yeah, the only way a trigger would work is if they can't override it every year... which I'm not even sure is legal.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:55 Solomon Kleinsmith
1:55 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Correct re triggers, Pat.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:55 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
1:55 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC): This was the part that caught my eye in the advance publication - going right at "the wealthy need to do more to help the rest of us." Hasn't specifically mentioned the Bush tax cuts expiring, though.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:55 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC)
1:55 Brian Lehrer: GOP wants Obama to fail. Dems want GOP House to fail. Would rather have talking points than historic compromise, usually in an election year. But maybe this could be different?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:55 Brian Lehrer
1:54 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Brian, is this bit about rich people an intro to a tax hike?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:54 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
1:54 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): I'm a big skeptic of automatic "triggers." Congress can just waive them. See AMT, Dox fic, etc....

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:54 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
1:54 Solomon Kleinsmith: He's been trying to sell himself as being above teh fray for a long time. All it's doing is making him seem weak.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:54 Solomon Kleinsmith
1:54 [Comment From Ed C Ed C: ]
Eric: That's a lesson O learned from Clinton.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:54 Ed C
1:53 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Sort of, Eric. But it's smart to let the other guy make a fool of himself first.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:53 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
1:53 Brian Lehrer: He's asking Congress for eight Dems and eight Repubs to negotiate sweeping terms. My take: 2012 elections will be a big barrier to agreement.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:53 Brian Lehrer
1:52 [Comment From Eric Eric: ]
A bit annoying/arrogant how he prefers to let Congress fight amongst themselves on issues such as this and health care and then come in at the end as "savior" with "Obama's Plan". I would prefer more involvement from his administration from the outset.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:52 Eric
1:52 Brian Lehrer: He says in the second half of this decade. But doesn't specifically say 2016.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:52 Brian Lehrer
1:52 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): We sure are.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:52 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
1:51 Brian Lehrer: Pat, do you know if we're above 2.8% now?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:51 Brian Lehrer
1:51 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): "in a few years" = we're way above that this year and next.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:51 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
1:50 Brian Lehrer: Speech begun! Embargo lifted. He will propose a "debt failsafe trigger' to cause automatic spending cuts if deficits exceed 2.8% of GDP starting in a few years.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:50 Brian Lehrer
1:50 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): Why give a shoutout to Bowles and Simpson after ignoring their entire study?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:50 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
1:50 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC): Among those "number of members of Congress with us here" - Paul Ryan

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:50 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC)
1:49 Solomon Kleinsmith: Serious dark suit. Dark background. Smart.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:49 Solomon Kleinsmith
1:49 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): BOOO GEITHNER!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:49 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
1:49 Solomon Kleinsmith: Hello Anna and Brian! I'm an ex-member of Obama's base... as I've said elsewhere, he's made a lot of centrist/moderate comments on fiscal issues, but has yet to back any of them up. Hopefully he'll start moving in that direction soon.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:49 Solomon Kleinsmith
1:49 Brian Lehrer: I think some could be forceful or dynamic. Looks like he'll propose at least one big structural thing that Republicans may like so much they'll have to say he's lying about it.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:49 Brian Lehrer
1:48 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC): Stripes. Dark Blue!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:48 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC)
1:48 [Comment From guest guest: ]
Anna: no, he could have fought to let the Bush tax cuts expire on just upper-income earners

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:48 guest
1:48 Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:48
1:48 [Comment From Guest Guest: ]
Interesting to me that nobody posting expects O to say anything forceful or dynamic. Just more get me elected again stuff.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:48 Guest
1:47 [Comment From Micah Micah: ]
Jobs must be discussed in light of debt reduction. The two are synonymous in the whole discussion. Tax cuts won't cut it. That's not realistic. President Obama must make that case and win it... President Roosevelt did.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:47 Micah
1:47 [Comment From guest guest: ]
brian in the house!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:47 guest
1:47 Anna Sale, It's A Free Country: I'm listening through a 2012 lens, and I've got a question to start - if you consider yourself part of Obama's base, how do you evaluate Obama's fiscal policy decisions so far? Did you get what you thought you were signing up for?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:47 Anna Sale, It's A Free Country
1:47 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): To the Guest who wants more taxes on the rich in exchange for cuts to Medicare, etc. Why not make that up with cuts to OTHER PROGRAMS that you don't like? We could realize substantial deficit reduction by winding down our three failed wars and the catastrophic war on drugs, for example.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:47 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
1:47 Brian Lehrer: Hi All,

Brian joining in. I've got the embargoed talking points that I can't quite release until he starts, but he'll be specific on some things, less so on others, but set a clearly different framework from the Ryan plan. Expect to hear him use the word "balanced" a lot.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:47 Brian Lehrer
1:46 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): Alan Simpson (of Simpson-Bowles fame) is reportedly in the audience, for what it's worth.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:46 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
1:46 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC): @Doug, I wouldn't be surprised if he runs (or, maybe, saunters) back towards the commission recommendations in this speech.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:46 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC)
1:46 Solomon Kleinsmith: Pat - thats because most polls just ask "Do you want to cut _____?" Even I wouldn't say I want to cut Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, etc... but when it puts it all into context, saying that if we don't, we'll have to cut them even more later on, as interest on the debt squeezes the budget... people really do get this. Not very many polls go into that depth though.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:46 Solomon Kleinsmith
1:46 [Comment From Doug Doug: ]
He probably won't mention simpson/bowles because he ran away from the recommendations. (I'm wondering after 5 tries, whether this will post).

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:46 Doug
1:45 Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:45
1:44 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): @Solomon: It's possible I've missed some polls, but from what I've seen, the only thing people are ever really enthusiastic about cutting is foreign aid (1% of the budget!) Of course, you can swing a poll any which way depending on how you ask the questions so.....

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:44 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
1:44 Solomon Kleinsmith: I think the Ryan plan is garbage, but it does cut the deficits in the long run quite a bit.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:44 Solomon Kleinsmith
1:44 Solomon Kleinsmith: There isn't anything we can overlook on spending cuts. By getting rid of most tax loopholes, pulling back from military spending that doesn't help our security much, stop giving people who don't need help from the social safety net as much and slow the growth of such... pretty much what the fiscal commission says... and phase it in over several years, thats the ticket.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:44 Solomon Kleinsmith
1:43 [Comment From marcelo marcelo: ]
I'd also like him to expose the Ryan plan for the pipe dream it is. CBO has already indicated that his plain will raise the deficit, not lessen it.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:43 marcelo
1:43 [Comment From Jacob Jacob: ]
I'm hoping to hear the president address where HE believes spending should be emphasized and what cuts HE is willing to make. I also expect him to take on a more "leadership" role with this speech.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:43 Jacob
1:42 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): On the defense spending front, it's worth noting that defense spending has almost doubled since 2001. Yikes!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:42 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
1:42 [Comment From guest guest: ]
will potus mention simpson-bowles? he ignored their recommendations

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:42 guest
1:42 [Comment From Guest Guest: ]
I would like to hear him say that he is sorry for being late. I mean, who does he think he is?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:42 Guest
1:42 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC): And that, Solomon, is the rub. Specifics always muck things up, don't they?!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:42 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC)
1:41 Solomon Kleinsmith: Is everyone's video feed stopping and starting, or is that just my slow connection?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:41 Solomon Kleinsmith
1:41 Solomon Kleinsmith: If Obama is really smart, he'll put forward something a bit off to the left of the Fiscal Commission's recommendations. And Pat - you're wrong about the polling. The polls that actually puts the deficit into context show wide support for cutting spending in various ways. When you just ask people if they want to cut things like SS, Medicare or the military, of course they'll say no.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:41 Solomon Kleinsmith
1:40 Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:40
1:40 [Comment From Guest Guest: ]
not to worry about the occasional colorful language. we're all adults here 🙂

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:40 Guest
1:39 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): @Solomon: You might be right. Taxing the rich is one of the exceedingly few deficit reduction options that consistently polls well. Hopefully the Dems will realize that and not hide from their own shadow like they did last year.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:39 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
1:39 [Comment From Dimas Lespier Dimas Lespier: ]
I'd Like to hear President Obama say we are no longer spending money on war, instead we are spending it to feed the hungry and help establish a safe, healthy, and educated world free from fossil fuel energy and corruption. And, that our next step is space exploration.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:39 Dimas Lespier
1:39 [Comment From Tim Cavanaugh (Reason) Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): ]
Hi, I'm Tim Cavanaugh, a senior editor at Reason. As the measly $38.5 billion in deficit reduction is now looking like an even measlier $14 billion, I

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:39 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
1:39 [Comment From Tim Cavanaugh (Reason) Tim Cavanaugh (Reason): ]
I would like to see the Prez outflank the Republicans and come up with a serious plan for cuts

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:39 Tim Cavanaugh (Reason)
1:39 [Comment From Guest Guest: ]
whats up.. this is cool

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:39 Guest
1:38 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC): Whoops, I let christine slip a swear word through! I don't think FCC regulations apply to radio station websites, but still - let's keep it clean. Also, thanks in advance for your patience - when the comments are coming in fast, we may not be able to push all of the live. We'll do our best!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:38 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC)
1:37 [Comment From joan ghiselin joan ghiselin: ]
President Obama should explain to the American voters that Medicare is administered by the government. I keep hearing from voters that they want the government "to get out" of their Medicare. Also the President should tell people that the overhead for administering Medicare

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:37 joan ghiselin
1:37 Solomon Kleinsmith: I think it is. People didn't care about the deficit then, and were freaking out over the possibility of unemployment benefits ending. I didn't like the deal for a whole lot of reasons, but he's got more leverage now.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:37 Solomon Kleinsmith
1:37 [Comment From christine christine: ]
I'd like to hear a speech that avoids platitudes, buzzwords and general bullshit in favor of frankness. Even if I disagree with a stance I'd like to see the President take one and articulate the ramifications of that stance clearly

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:37 christine
1:37 [Comment From BrettG BrettG: ]
Resetting the question from deficit reduction to revenue increases!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:37 BrettG
1:37 [Comment From RobertW RobertW: ]
Whether the President will take on the favorite Democratic party programs and recommend cuts that are meaningful. I think the reaction of financial markets will be positive if he sounds somewhat like an economic conservative.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:37 RobertW
1:36 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): It seems he's going to go hard on allowing the top-end Bush tax cuts to expire. But is that credible, considering what went down back in December?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:36 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
1:36 [Comment From Solomon Kleinsmith Solomon Kleinsmith: ]
Hola ladies and gents.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:36 Solomon Kleinsmith
1:35 [Comment From AKL AKL: ]
O is more concerned about getting re-elected than implementing good policy.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:35 AKL
1:35 [Comment From dc dc: ]
1. that Ryan's plan is pure ideology 2. that it would increase inequality even further 3. that we need to go in the opposite direction

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:35 dc
1:35 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC): In the advance information about the speech, there is reference to proposals for "simpler, fairer" tax structures. That's well and good - I wonder if we'll get specifics. As David L. wrote in the Times this morning - everyone is for tax reform until it's their deduction that's being reformed...

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:35 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC)
1:34 [Comment From Guest Guest: ]
No cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, Soc.Sec. without equivalent increases in taxes on the rich. Tax reform to a flat tax system. Ya, it's a dream but this has to stop somewhere and now is the time for leadership.

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:34 Guest
1:33 [Comment From jeremy jeremy: ]
want to him lead the debate and offer up policy that doesn't punish people for being poor!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:33 jeremy
1:33 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress): Hey everybody! I'm Pat, and I write about economic policy. I'd like to hear some acknowledgment that we still have a jobs crisis in this country. Creating more jobs will reduce the deficit!

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:33 Pat Garofalo (ThinkProgress)
1:32 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC): Okay, we're....live! President Obama is slated to speak in about 5mins, though we have also heard reports of "after 1:35". So, until the speech begins, feel free to start posting your thoughts. What do YOU want to hear from President Obama this afternoon?

Wednesday April 13, 2011 1:32 Jody Avirgan (WNYC/IAFC)
Wednesday April 13, 2011

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[Pip]

tl/dr

[Fist of Etiquette]

I got halfway down when I realized the thing was in reverse chronological order. I wouldn't stand for Benjamin Button doing it and I sure as hell won't have Cavanaugh pulling that shite.

[oncogenesis]

My take-away: Pat Garofalo is super excited about exclamation points! And she (?) likes to end sentences with a:

[Paul]

I'd Like to hear President Obama say we are no longer spending money on war, instead we are spending it to feed the hungry and help establish a safe, healthy, and educated world free from fossil fuel energy and corruption. And, that our next step is space exploration.

I spit my soda out all over my monitor.

[Ken Shultz]

"I'd Like to hear President Obama say we are no longer spending money on war, instead we are spending it to feed the hungry..."

You know? I'd like to hear President Obama say that too!

In fact, I'd like to see Barack and Michelle Obama hold back to back press conferences.

In the first one, I'd like to see Barack Obama tell us that we're going to spend billion of dollars on feeding the hungry--and in the next press conference? I'd like to hear Michelle Obama moan about how the poor people in this country are all so obese!

[Tim Cavanaugh]

Hey, my good budy Solomon Kleinsmith pulled a fast one on me. Obama didn't mention getting rid of the mortgage interest deduction.

[Fist of Etiquette]

You can have my mortgage interest deduction when you pry it out of my cold, dead Schedule A. Or when you go to a flat tax.

[ClubMedSux]

That's the problem with our current system. As long as you reform things piecemeal nobody's ever going to give up what's theirs. That's why, while I still think all tax options have their flaws, I would prefer a national sales tax or a flat tax to our current system.

[Solomon Kleinsmith]

Do your homework man. He talked about capping deductions, which he has talked about before. Near the top of the list is capping what people can deduct mortgage interest on, more specifically blocking people from deducting on things other than their primary home.

The tax benefits of investing in real estate over other investments is a real part of why some people choose to invest there. This idea, which I'm totally in support of, will create a tidal wave of lobbying from real estate industry folks to try and stop or mitigate it somehow.

[Tim Cavanaugh]

Like I said, glad to hear it. Capping second-home deductions for people in the 33 percent bracket won't do much for raising revenues -- only $31.8 billion a year per the February statement. It also won't remove the distortions that have driven up home prices and gutted the equity portion of homeownership since the 1980s. And given that today he said he agrees "with the goals of many of these deductions, like homeownership or charitable giving," it's not even clear Obama is still pushing it ? and it is clear he agrees with the social engineering premises behind it. (This was such a strange speech, where there's all this talk of the president's vision yet it has to be parsed according to a two-month-old document.) But in any event, it's a step in the right direction. Whatever's bad for Realtor?s is good for America.

[Paul]

So he mentioned "Realtors" as an 'interest group' which although they are an interest group, that's pretty amorphous. Did he mention any other interest groups?

[Tim Cavanaugh]

Obama did not mention Realtors. He didn't even mention Realtors?.

[Max]

Jesus fucking Christ, why put Cavanaugh's ugly mug next to the stupid blog? Is there some sort of ugly competition in Libertopia? Matt the Rodent Welch wins hands down, but Cavanaugh is a close second. Yuk!

[air ma pas cher]

loushangyougeshenjingbing

[air ma pas cher]

enen

[Douglas Fletcher]

Was that photo taken during Tim's commando training?

[chaussures air max]

merci