The debt ceiling cave in

I'm disgusted and embarrassed for Obama.  I heard Al Gore appropriately quote Yates:  "the best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate intensity."   What a poor inadequate and weak display by Obama.  For weeks President Obama insisted there was going to be a balanced approach to the manufactured debt ceiling crisis.  In spite of his promises there is no additional revenue in the "deal".   Indeed, the deal was balanced ; on the backs of the poor, the elderly and the politically unconnected.   Last December he caved on extending the Bush tax cuts.  That was a big mistake, it made this false debt crisis game more tenable and it robbed the administration of the revenue it needed to effectively deal with the current economic slump.  A Washington Post and Pew poll showed most Americans viewed the debt ceiling debate as "ridiculous" or "stupid".  Instead of talking about jobs the president went along with the Republicans to get his "deal".   The current cave is just inexcusable, who is advising him, Joe Dirt?  Standing in front of the White House today talking about jobs, while the congress has already left town was a sad display of ineffectiveness.   We need jobs and government spending now, what we got was cuts which will translate into 1.8 million jobs lost. Not only did Congress leave town, without a jobs bill, the republicans gave him the finger on the way out.  First, congress pretended to stay in session so Obama can't make any recess appointments during congress's 5 week vacation.  In addition, they left out funding for the FAA, so 5,000 additional people are unemployed and the US is losing millions a day in uncollected user fees.  So how's that bi-partisanship working out for you, President Obama?  Now Obama says that the republicans will be willing to work with Democrats to create jobs for our struggling economy and millions of unemployed when they come back to Washington after their 5 week victory vacation.  Right.  This is what he said in December, after he caved on extending the Bush tax cuts:

"Look, here’s my expectation, and I’ll take John Boehner at his word, that nobody, Democrat or Republican is willing to see the full faith and credit of the United States government collapse."

Photo by Michael Ferry