1 I love you, man.  Eat the unemployment numbers!

2
look at 'em

buncha college faculty dunces

3 Jobs are only a by-product of rewarding your friends. When you start stealing money from others and giving it to Obama, like the unions do, you might, MIGHT, see some employment. Until then, wither and die, MOFOs.

4

I've never seen the movie, but if you have, does Barack Obama parallel Will Smith's character in Six Degrees of Separation?

From what I've read it is pretty much the Barack Obama Story.

5 This house has been torn down by a crane with a wrecking ball on the end of the line.

Is it structural or cyclical?

How about "Stop hitting the houses with the God-damned wrecking ball, you assholes?!?!"

6 I won.

7 6 I won.

Posted by: Barack at November 28, 2010 01:42 PM (IXbZ9)

I lost

8

You call it a "bull session" implying that it's held in the lounge at midnight.  I assure you that this sort of thing gets course credit in the humanities and social sciences. 

This sort of pseudointellectual tripe, speculation without evidence and pontificating by people who are impressed by their own intellect is de regeur for the modern American academy.

9 Car, ditch, slurpee, foreclosure, not my problem.

10 It depends how the word laser was used in the context of the conversation and it could have been a transitive verb, that is going around lately.

11

Oh damn.  I just saw a banner ad that says you can bid on a "private dinner" with Bill Clinton to "benefit" the "Clinton Foundation".

Besides the double entendre, I think Clinton is jealous at being the second-most egotistical and self-referential person to be president.

12

One of these days, we'll return to that outdated notion that experience has real value.

Until then, with this group of idiots, we are well and truly boned. With sand in the lube.

And a pineapple, sideways.

13 I meant rigueur.  Spell-check has made me lazy.

14 The fat chick on the left needs a salad.

15 Don't taze me bro!

16

You'd think that Barack would recommend his own dieting regimen.

Smoking.

17 There is no act to get together. It's form over substance; all sizzle, no steak. In summary, it isn't going to get any better, this is it.

18 I have been around these people my entire life, these frigging coffeehouse Marxists. . They have never accomplished sheiss but they've got the answers to everything. The only difference is that most of the ones I know, their lives are a complete shambles. Doesn't matter. They have lots of advice for you, and you damn well better take it, because this is serious stuff, you know. Serious!

19 If today's high unemployment rate is structural then Obama has no chance of re-election without blaming Bush even more.

20 There's nothing wrong with having a discussion about the nature of the high unemployment levels, especially if you are trying to institute policies to alleviate that unemployment.  The problem for me is that they are doing this TWO FREAKING YEARS into his term.  In other words, he's admitting that they had no clue when they passed the stimulus bill what they hell they wanted to do.

21
There's nothing wrong with having a discussion about the nature of the high unemployment levels, especially if you are trying to institute policies to alleviate that unemployment.

That's kind of the point - they never got around to discussing policies. They never got around to discussing the practical aspects of job creation. They never got close to any sort of actionable conclusions. Instead, they indulged themselves in an academic discussion that, as you note, should have been resolved 2 years ago.

22 This is what happens when a president has no real-world experience from which to draw. All he's ever done is talk, mostly about bullshit political theory with fools who aren't smart enough to understand that every single form of Marxism, socialism and communism has failed spectacularly and has never, ever produced anything but misery and suffering.

23 The answer to the angel question has been long known...All of them.  And the answer to the employment question is to get out of the way (taxes and regulations get in the way... all of them) of business and let them hire people.  And its not the big guys that will do the hiring....its the little guys trying to become big guys.

24 That Stimulus Bill was the one of the Crimes of the Century. Half of that money went god only knows where, most of it in to black holes of unaccountable temporary constructs that went toes up after they got the dough, and did not even attempt to do what they purported to do when they applied for the money. We have a foundation here in San Francisco that got 23 million and no one knows what the hell was done with it, all we know is that the money is gone. We got scammed, royally, and people need to be strung up (in effigy, of course) over this. The only problem is that the guilty parties are either awol or sitting in the White House.

25

the unemployment rate was cyclical BEFORE Obamacare and all the other layers of beaucrap that now been passed. It would have been bad for a couple of years, but the economy would have recovered

Now..... the high unemployment rate has been built in.  There is a reason why Europe has such a higher unemployment rate than America, they have that socialist crap they have to pay for, why the hell would people take risks to start or grow their businesses.  Now America is subjected to it, my guess is it will take another year for the idiot media to figure this out. They won't speak with small biz owners like me and others, but this high unemployment rate is here to stay, it is now built into the system, it is now structural.

Like in a track race, they have shackled all the runners [companies] with all these weights [regulations, ObamaCare], the race starts and then the people in the beachers are surprised why every runner is running so slow and the number of runners entering the track is dwindling.

26 I'll go you one better, he isn't merely unfamiliar with business, he actively despises it and all forms of capitalism. To him the freedom that capitalism propagates is contrary to his life's philosophy.

27 Quit complaining.  Things are great.  The bank will let you finance the lube.

28 Obama, the anti-American foreign president. Next time pay attention America, the free joke is on you.

29 If today's high unemployment rate is structural then Obama has no chance of re-election without blaming Bush even more. Therefore the conclusion will be "structural." Next week, the bull session topic is scheduled to be "The Fairway: Fescue or bluegrass?"

30 More and more, Osama Obama reminds me of Richard Nixon. IIRC, when he was under pressure to resign during the Watergate mess and impeachment resolutions were being prepared, he convened a cabinet meeting. Members of his administration wanted to discuss what to do about the leadership crisis, Nixon wanted to focus on the economy as if he actually had any power to do anything.

Of course Nixon actually had experience and some understanding of what made the world function, neither of which can be said about the Mohammedan Mouthpiece.

Still, it gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, it's SHTF time, and the only true course of action for the Traitor-in-Chief to follow will be resignation. He's got Nixon's paranoia, bunker mentality and lack of clarity down...now all he needs is to accept reality and see that he isn't capable of being president.

31 Next week the president and his staff discuss: Does Auto-Tuning herald a step forward for music with tonal purity or is it a harbinger of a future with a paradox of souless mechanical art?  

32 More and more, Osama Obama reminds me of Richard Nixon. Five gets you eleventy that he already talks to himself in the mirror.

33 Well, what was the answer they came up with? So we can move on to the next step.

34 Obama is way too Narcissistic to accept responsibility and resign.  He will go to his grave saying the Public didn't get it, like Carter and Bush I.

35 20 There's nothing wrong with having a discussion about the nature of the high unemployment levels, especially if you are trying to institute policies to alleviate that unemployment.

Posted by: Alex at November 28, 2010 01:54 PM (yY28H)

I think it's pretty fucking obvious that they're trying to do no such thing, and they're never going to look away from the policies and actions that get us into this shit.

WTF is it with these idiots? I mean, seriously, why is there a learning disability that affects politics? How did nature come up with that? What's the survival advantage to being an ignorant dumbass who keeps doing things that don't work over and over and fucking over?!?!?!

36 It is no matter.  They can have all the discussions they want, but the fact is that their overall philosophy will never allow them to grasp or conclude what needs to be done.  They fundamentally believe that govt is the solution and govt creates private sector jobs.  So in the end, their policies or solutions will just cause more problems, more pain for Americans and American business.

37 One problem is that the only employment that these people think is legitimate is government sector. Everything else is "unregulated" and therefore you are a criminal if you engage in it.

38
theory/application

This faculty-administration knows only theory. Because of their narrow ideology, they dismiss most theoretical knowledge and only adhere to the theories that advance social justice.

39 There's nothing wrong with having a discussion about the nature of the high unemployment levels, especially if you are trying to institute policies to alleviate that unemployment. AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA That just has to be some of the most deadpan humor I've ever read.

40 If the unemployment is structural then there is no solution, and if there is no solution, there's no problem.

41 15 Don't taze me bro!

Posted by: the economy at November 28, 2010 01:49 PM (S5YRY)

No need, you're already beaten down and unresponsive. We're saving the tazings for those who get uppity in the TSA lines.

42

Given that this cretin is bent on destroying this country, having him "get [his] act together," is probably something you want to avoid.

43

If we needed any more evidence that The Vapid One® is clueless, amidst all this rhetoric about reviving manufacturing (which, as a former member of that class, I endorse wholeheartedly), notice that the one person whom he tapped to be our "manufacturing czar" is not someone with years of experience in the industry, he's a lawyer (and to all the lawyer Morons, I love each and every one of you like a brother or a sister).

I'd love to challenge Ron Bloom to a test to see who's better qualified for his position by challenging him to sharpen a common twist drill by hand.

I can do that. I will guarantee that he can't.

Now, ask yourself, if you were a small business owner, would you have someone in a position who wasn't qualified and knew absolutely nothing about it?

44 O/T: The Wikileaks bomb just hit.   Hillary authorized spying at the UN.  Documented and signed.  Oooops!

45 45 O/T: The Wikileaks bomb just hit.   Hillary authorized spying at the UN.  Documented and signed.  Oooops!

Posted by: SurferDoc at November 28, 2010 02:17 PM (o3bYL)

Wake me when we see the document authorizing an air strike on the UN.

46

If you read that thing on the side bar about Obama even needing to control the diet of his staff, it mentions how one of the wikileaks founders says that wikileaks is an enemy of the United States.

Unfortunately so is the Administration.

47
Everyone here knows that Obama doesn't care about unemployment or 'fixing' health care or any of that shit. We all know his mission is to destroy the American system and rebuild it in leftist-fascist form.

Why doesn't Peggy Noonan see that?

48 O/T: The Wikileaks bomb just hit. Hillary authorized spying at the UN. Documented and signed. Oooops! No, no no. That's different, because she's a woman. Or a Clinton. Or she wanted spying on them dirty Jooos. Or something. No biggie.

49 We'll have to call you Rip Van Winkle if that is what you are waiting for.

50 Wikipedia founder*

51 The early December topic for the Preznitspecial bull session will be "Mulligans: Is it time to make them official?"

52 One can not expect him or his advisers to know a damn thing about actual economics. They are all communists. Economists who are communists have never known anything about economics.

But low, he is having problems now because of outspoken oppposition by the "Republicans" or so says the esteemed commie panel on Face the Nation this morning.

53 But low, he is having problems now because of outspoken oppposition by the "Republicans" or so says the esteemed commie panel on Face the Nation this morning.

Posted by: Vic at November 28, 2010 02:22 PM (e4sSD)

Which Republicans would those be? The ones who were a superminority without the power to stop a single piece of legislation, or the ones who haven't been sworn in yet?

54 The ones who were a superminority without the power to stop a single piece of legislation, or the ones who haven't been sworn in yet?

LOL, the ones Bob Schieffer said were creating the worst grid lock in congress that he has seen in all of his years in Washington.

55 54 But low, he is having problems now because of outspoken oppposition by the "Republicans" or so says the esteemed commie panel on Face the Nation this morning.

You know, as little as five years ago, I would have dismissed people using the "commie" word as idiots.  I'm still not comfortable with it, but fascocialists is pretty much what they are.

56 Bob Schieffer, I almost feel bad for that ancient brain addled fuck. Seeing your beloved "news" being taken over by the blogosphere and being completely powerless to do shit about it must send him into paroxysms of impotent rage on a nightly basis.

57 Watching the Sunday talking head shows, or reading the latest coupon flyer in your junk mail. Both educate you equally. Actually, the coupon flyer keeps you abreast of bargains on crap. The Sunday shows just recycle old crap.

58
LOL, the ones Bob Schieffer said were creating the worst grid lock in congress that he has seen in all of his years in Washington.

Posted by: Vic at November 28, 2010 02:29 PM (e4sSD)

The gridlock in congress is caused by the locked up Kindles and we are going to subpoena every Republican on the board of Amazon to testify in special hearings, commencing upon the return to session of Congress.

59 It wasn't even the challenge of how to persuade corporations to spend their cash piles on investments and jobs - although...

Well, it would help if the government wasn't trying to appropriate money from those cash piles via more and higher taxation...

60 Bob Schieffer is a great argument for mandatory retirement.

61 You know, as little as five years ago, I would have dismissed people using the "commie" word as idiots.  I'm still not comfortable with it, but fascocialists is pretty much what they are.

This country went socialist in the 30s. In the 60s we got the EPA and they began destroying private property. With KELO we got the total elimination of private property with the ability of government to take it for any "public purpose".

So yes, advocates of these kinds of policies are, in fact, communists.

62 In the 60s we got the EPA Nixon can rot in hell for that. For cheating against the Demotards, not so much.

63

The fact that the Obama administration is having a Cyclic vs. Systemic debate on the cause of the high unemployment proves two things:

1)  This confirms Christine "I Like Twinkies" Romer's account that the administration had expected the economy to bounce back by now regardless of any actions taken by the administration.

2)  Obama thinks he is just an innocent bystander and those pesky businesses won't hire anybody just to spite his awsomeness.  Oh...it is all Bush's fault.

64
And remember when Obama said he was going to end the 'bubbles and bursts' in the economy.

He was telling us in no uncertain terms a) he is in control of the economy, and b) no more winners & losers; it's about fairness, i.e., socialism.

65

Geoff, Geoff Geoff.

 

He's got top men on it.

 

Top. Men.

66 I think along with the majority of the people of Brattleboro that President Obama is doing a great job. Bush got us into this problem and a real leader like president obama will get us out. We must raise taxes, cut the DoD, and eliminate tax bennefits for all companies.  The rich should be taxed at 95% and everyone making over $75,000 should be considered rich. I made $17,900 dloars this year painting flowers and insects ( I am a free lance artist) and I send $50 a month to help president obama. He sent me a nice letter thanking me and others in Brattleboro for doing something good. What have any of you done lately to help the county ???

67 Great points, Mary.  And don't forget lots of new EPA regulations to make sure any carbon-belching industries have to pay huge fines to produce.  That should create many jobs in the EPA.  

68 There's nothing wrong with having a discussion about the nature of the high unemployment levels, especially if you are trying to institute policies to alleviate that unemployment.  The problem for me is that they are doing this TWO FREAKING YEARS into his term.  In other words, he's admitting that they had no clue when they passed the stimulus bill what they hell they wanted to do.

This.

At the time, I was arguing that even if you were a Keynsian, the Stimulus being proposed was, "fucking retarded".

69 Eat the (shit) salad!

70 Man, I can't wait for the revised edition of Sowell's, Intellectuals and Society.

I hear that there is a whole new chapter titled Cretinous Douchebags in the works.

71 Spend more money, B+rry.

72 Listen, this is what we do to save America. Unemployment is too high? Then get the smartest people around, as determined by number of degrees and quality of university ranking of curse, and have them think about it. In no time the problem will be solved, Trust me. I love you man. Eat the salad.

73 After careful examination of the policies that have led to this economic downturn, I have concluded that itÂ’s time for Americans to realize that governing is hard work, and that a president canÂ’t just wave a magic wand and fix everything that George Bush did to create this mess.

74

the wonkish question of whether today's high unemployment rate is structural or cyclical.

Hey, real man of genius, it was cyclical until the new policies of you and your pals Ben, Nancy and Harry made it structural.

75 How many angels can dance on the head of a pin is a very important theological question. If angels are substantial, then only a finite number can do, if they are insubstantial, then the number is infinite. The question is an examination of the nature of the divine. (Dang Jesuits...making me think and all...)

76 is it just me, or does Geithner look like a Christmas elf?

77 77 is it just me, or does Geithner look like a Christmas elf?

Posted by: CoolCzech at November 28, 2010 06:18 PM (tJjm/)

Worst   Christmas   Ever

78 James T: Angels are pure spirits. Does that make them substantial vel non?

79 This hump has no clue.  When he's talking with his faculty friends, he's just passing gas.  (CO2 that is.)

80

WTF is it with these idiots? I mean, seriously, why is there a learning disability that affects politics? How did nature come up with that? What's the survival advantage to being an ignorant dumbass who keeps doing things that don't work over and over and fucking over?!?!?!

None of their [ostensible] insanity makes any sense until you realize that they are nihilists hell-bent on destroying America & the civilized world.

Then suddenly it all makes sense.

 

81 Its obvious that Romer thought the unemployment was cyclical because she thought the stimulus would work rapidly and the unemployed would quickly get back to work. Its probably why she got shit-canned. I don't see how the implosion of construction, houses, and financial sectors could not be seen as structural. Are we going to cycle back to a housing boom, crazy wall street mortgage hijinks, and flipping condos? NO.

82

Reminds me of a subordinate of Edison's who was given the task of calculating the volume of a spherical glass bulb.  Being a mathematician, he began calculating the volume from measuring it.  Edision passed by the next day, saw him working on sheets of equation, grabbed the bulb in exasperation, filled it with water, and poured it out into a measuring beaker.

Very often practical experience beats intellect. 

Obama's education and experience did not prepare him to solve problems in the real world but rather to engage in faculty discussions about how many angels could dance on the head of a pin.

83 Get it together? You can't gather nothingness, which is what pResident Obama has ever had. He's a vacuum sucking all that's good out of America.