One day after lambasting Congress for letting partisan interests get in the way of solving the debate over raising the nation's debt ceiling, Jon Stewart opened tonight's Daily Show with an equally critical take on President Obama's address to the nation yesterday. Video of the segment, during which Stewart took particular issue with Obama's suggestionthat the American people take matters into their own hands to solve the crisis, is above.
Really, the speech was weak. Obama should have called for people to demand that the Republican congress not throw the country into default, not eviscerate social security and medicare, not protect the wealthiest from any shouldering of the burden in reducing the deficit. And not just calling their representatives, but joining him at the Mall or their state capital in a series of rallies demanding congress act. And he should have done that weeks ago.
This entire thing is about narrative, and he needs to stop buying the Republican one. We have an immediate and urgent unemployment crisis and fragile recovery, not a debt crisis. If we are going to tackle the deficit, it should not be part of the debt ceiling increase vote- which is almost always passed cleanly as a matter of prudence. And if we are going to tackle the deficit now, it should include revenues.
He's tried timidity and appeasement- it doesn't work. Time to try something else.
Perhaps, but the house.gov webserver(s) were down for a while last night, and today people couldn't get through to their congresscritters via phone, there were so many calls. Seems that part of his speech worked.
Really, the speech was weak. Obama should have called for people to demand that the Republican congress not throw the country into default, not eviscerate social security and medicare, not protect the wealthiest from any shouldering of the burden in reducing the deficit. And not just calling their representatives, but joining him at the Mall or their state capital in a series of rallies demanding congress act. And he should have done that weeks ago.
This entire thing is about narrative, and he needs to stop buying the Republican one. We have an immediate and urgent unemployment crisis and fragile recovery, not a debt crisis. If we are going to tackle the deficit, it should not be part of the debt ceiling increase vote- which is almost always passed cleanly as a matter of prudence. And if we are going to tackle the deficit now, it should include revenues.
He's tried timidity and appeasement- it doesn't work. Time to try something else.
Perhaps, but the house.gov webserver(s) were down for a while last night, and today people couldn't get through to their congresscritters via phone, there were so many calls. Seems that part of his speech worked.
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