Obamateurism of the Day
posted at 8:46 am on May 11, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
Barack Obama has submitted a budget plan that spends over $400 billion dollars more than the previous administration’s last full budget, an increase of 12%. That comes on top of an off-budget additional $787 billion in the “stimulus” bill, hundreds of billions in extra TARP funding, and an estimated $635 billion “down-payment” on health-care reform, also off-budget. How does Obama plan to pay for all of that? As we noted in last week’s Obamateurisms, Obama offset this with a whopping $17 billion in proposed cuts, half of which comes at the expense of national defense. As reader Michael D points out, Obama offered a rather strange explanation for his decision to focus on the Pentagon:
“We can no longer afford to spend as if deficits do not matter and waste is not our problem,” Mr. Obama said.
Really? After offering a 12% increase in the budget and an additional $1.4 trillion in off-budget, ideologically-driven government interference in the market, Obama blames the Pentagon for the deficit? Perhaps this little chart will remind people of Obama’s commitment to deficit reform:
The total for Pentagon spending in this budget actually increases overall to around $570 billion. As you can see, that comes to less than a third of 2009′s deficit, and about half of the lowest year in the next decade under Obama’s budget plan –and that’s only if Obama’s rosy economic predictions come true.
The people spending like deficits do not matter are all in the White House.
Got an Obamateurism of the Day? If you see a foul-up by Barack Obama, e-mail it to me at obamaisms@edmorrissey.com with the quote and the link to the Obamateurism. I’ll post the best Obamateurisms on a daily basis, depending on how many I receive. Include a link to your blog, and I’ll give some link love as well. And unlike Slate, I promise to end the feature when Barack Obama leaves office.
Illustrations by Chris Muir of Day by Day. Be sure to read the adventures of Sam, Zed, Damon, and Jan every day!
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
um uh who needs a military when I am as beloved as er me, now uh about that erm National Civillian Security ah Force just as um well-funded and manned as the military?
//Ogabe
sven10077 on May 11, 2009 at 8:50 AM
This isn’t amateurism. He’s a professional liar and flim-flam man.
rockmom on May 11, 2009 at 8:52 AM
That’s not amateur.
That’s dishonest.
bluelightbrigade on May 11, 2009 at 8:52 AM
This is akin to a September 10th mindset on steroids…
Grow government while shrinking our ability to defend our homeland.
Whoops, this comment will likely get me on the home grown terrorist list.
Keemo on May 11, 2009 at 8:53 AM
All he has to do is say and his cult members buy into it. They’ll think someone else is spending the money- not Barack.
drjohn on May 11, 2009 at 8:56 AM
Bingo. But perhaps Ed’s point is that it is amateurish to think that he can lie repeatedly in the face of contradictory facts and it won’t come back to bite him? Then again, given the outstanding job the MSM is doing in shedding a bright light the facts, perhaps it won’t.
ProfessorMiao on May 11, 2009 at 8:57 AM
keerno: I am alread there. A white middle class veteran who owns guns? I am suprised I haven’t blown something up yet.
oabam on the budget —- EPIC FAILURE!!!
sonofdy on May 11, 2009 at 8:57 AM
Ed, can you start showing this graph a little bit in your posts relating to stimulus?
Either the President has hired the dumbest team of economists in recent history or the stimulus is making things worse.
BadgerHawk on May 11, 2009 at 8:57 AM
Of course you all understand that this is all bushes fault don’t you?
Somehow.
sonofdy on May 11, 2009 at 8:58 AM
It’s only waste when republicans spend it. He has a plan that we common people cannot possible understand. He’s in charge so it can’t possible fail, but it will take well into his second term for the results to show. So don’t become disheartened it things don’t look so well at first, it will be alright in the end.
Tommy_G on May 11, 2009 at 9:03 AM
catch on troops: no one, and i mean no one is concerned about this but us.
anyone can see that this has to result in a tax increase for some of us.
some of my very educated friends say they won’t mind paying more taxes….but they haven’t seen the rampant inflation we’ll have on top of the tax increase.
kelley in virginia on May 11, 2009 at 9:03 AM
Well, of course it is. Everything is, isn’t it? Why, just yesterday, I blamed Bush for my inability to scrub my floors and wash my clothes.
mjk on May 11, 2009 at 9:04 AM
erm TotUS is instructing me to talk to you uh peons about that pesky erm 22d amendment friends….
//Ogabe
sven10077 on May 11, 2009 at 9:05 AM
Obama’s team is thinking: There’s that damn chart again. Distraction time.
“Look! A puppy!”
(MSM excitedly looks for the puppy, forgetting all about the chart once again.)
aero on May 11, 2009 at 9:07 AM
I was gonna say. Look at the DC voucher program. During the campaign he says the only standard he will use when deciding what programs to keep is whether or not they work. During the presidency he cuts a working education program for political reasons. And how often have you seen those two facts juxtaposed on the nightly news?
kc8ukw on May 11, 2009 at 9:10 AM
The last budget President Bush signed was for $2.9 Trillion, so he is spending either $500 Billion or $650 Billion more. I can’t understand how the media keeps reporting 2 numbers on the budget of $3.4 and $3.55 Trillion and I have no idea what the actual number is suppose to be because the media itself does not seem to know.
JeffinSac on May 11, 2009 at 9:12 AM
the media doesn’t know because the administration doesn’t know. they account for our money in so many ways that they can’t keep up with the real amount.
more tea parties.
kelley in virginia on May 11, 2009 at 9:15 AM
What Mom said.
Jaibones on May 11, 2009 at 9:17 AM
Sorry Ed, but you’re only half right. While it is true that some of the people who believe in spending like crazy are in the WH, the rest of the people who believe that are in the democrap party in Congress in leadership position there. We must remember that Nancy Peelousy and Harry Re(i)d needed no help from Obama to create and pass the 800 billion porkulus package with less than 1 percent of republicans voting for it (and none of the House repubs voting for it). So to leave out that crucial fact and make this solely an Obama issue misses the larger point.
eaglewingz08 on May 11, 2009 at 9:18 AM
Someday he’ll be held accountable for all this wasteful spending. Right?
scalleywag on May 11, 2009 at 9:20 AM
Remember when Obama was selling Hogzilla saying it what we spend it on wasn’t that important; what was important was to spend alot of money quickly on “shovel ready” projects?
He is committed to deficit reform, but the reform is to quadruple it by investing in everything but the military.
forest on May 11, 2009 at 9:21 AM
Yea, and they’ll be held accountable too, right?
scalleywag on May 11, 2009 at 9:22 AM
HA HA HA HA HA
HA HA HA HA HA
HA HA HA HA HA
HA HA HA HA HA
HA HA HA HA HA
HA HA HA HA HA
HA HA HA HA HA
oh wait you were serious???
sonofdy on May 11, 2009 at 9:25 AM
Agree with the others, this isn’t amateurism, this guy is a professional deceiver.
CP on May 11, 2009 at 9:25 AM
Obama is a maternal fornicator. Can we survive until 2010/2012?
Mallard T. Drake on May 11, 2009 at 9:26 AM
Our Liar-in-Chief hard at work.
jdflorida on May 11, 2009 at 9:26 AM
I’m following Barry’s lead. I just saved my family budget about a million dollars over the next year. I’m not going to buy a lear jet. Of course I had no intention of nor the ability to buy a lear jet, but my family now thinks I’m a hero for saving them a million dollars.
See how that works?
Tim Zank on May 11, 2009 at 9:26 AM
All military spending is waste!
Who needs a military when you’ve got BHO to go around hugging our enemies?
jgapinoy on May 11, 2009 at 9:28 AM
All he has to do is say and his cult members buy into it. They’ll think someone else is spending the money- not Barack.
drjohn on May 11, 2009
This is maddeningly true. Makes you want to pull your hair out and run, screaming, into the void. All hope is lost until the MSM jumps off the bandwagon.
SKYFOX on May 11, 2009 at 9:29 AM
That’s like my wife spending $3628.53 on groceries, then bragging that she used coupons to save $1.47.
jgapinoy on May 11, 2009 at 9:30 AM
The media may be able to polish a turd, but diarrhea is another matter entirely.
Sekhmet on May 11, 2009 at 9:35 AM
C’mon Ed. You know that it’s really healthcare that is causing this budget crisis. Right now the government only pays to cover government employees. Don’t you see that by paying for everyone the deficit would vanish?? The rainbows and unicorns that would follow are only icing on the cake.
Onus on May 11, 2009 at 9:45 AM
Since this budget crisis is so horrific and it’s a crucial make or break period of time for the entire country, then how come the Republican party isn’t offering up its solutions so the people can see them?
Dave Rywall on May 11, 2009 at 9:45 AM
Of COURSE he is. What else would a sock puppet be but what the Puppeteer puts in his mouth.
SeniorD on May 11, 2009 at 9:48 AM
I don’t know; maybe they are but the media are ignoring them.
They certainly ought to.
jgapinoy on May 11, 2009 at 9:49 AM
Dave Rywall on May 11, 2009 at 9:45 AM
Republicans have offered up solutions. The media gives their solutions zero play. This site & many other right thinking sites have given the Republican offerings play, but nothing from the MSM.
Of coarse, you already knew that information Rywall.
Keemo on May 11, 2009 at 9:52 AM
AMATEUR???
Go To Texasdarlin. Air Force One picture is obvious photoshop. Shows two US Flags at site when there is only actually one.
allahallahoxenfree on May 11, 2009 at 9:53 AM
Dave Rywall on May 11, 2009 at 9:45 AM
As much as it pains me, I have to agree. Although they did oppose porkulous, they still supported TARP as well as the GM/Crysler fiasco. Republicans just aren’t conservative enough yet. They are finally starting to stop adding to the problem by opposing new spending, but they haven’t gone the full monty and started fighting for actual cuts yet.
Onus on May 11, 2009 at 9:53 AM
Tim Zank on May 11, 2009 at 9:54 AM
Republicans have offered up solutions. The media gives their solutions zero play. This site & many other right thinking sites have given the Republican offerings play, but nothing from the MSM.
Of coarse, you already knew that information Rywall.
Keemo on May 11, 2009 at 9:52 AM
——
Ahh, that awesome colored folder thing someone held up a few weeks ago or something that the media ignored.
Perhaps all your teabagger buddies should have spent a few hours learning just a couple of things from that folder so they wouldn’t sound like complete idiots on camera during the teabagging festivities.
That was the time for the message to get out about the Republican alternatives – you had the media all over it. But no, it was just a bunch of people sounding like morons with clueless signs that made them look like even bigger morons because they did not know a fu*king thing about their own party’s alternative solutions for the economic crisis.
Dave Rywall on May 11, 2009 at 9:57 AM
As much as it pains me, I have to agree. Although they did oppose porkulous, they still supported TARP as well as the GM/Crysler fiasco. Republicans just aren’t conservative enough yet. They are finally starting to stop adding to the problem by opposing new spending, but they haven’t gone the full monty and started fighting for actual cuts yet.
Onus on May 11, 2009 at 9:53 AM
—–
Teabaggfest 2009 was a massive opportunity to change minds, but nobody had their sh*t together and it was just a NO NO NO fest instead of a HERE IS THE REAL SOLUTION fest.
An amazing failure that set the party back even further.
Dave Rywall on May 11, 2009 at 9:59 AM
You have to excuse drywall, they didn’t cover that on the comedy channel.
sonofdy on May 11, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Uh, I think the alternative being offered so far, while not a terribly “sexy” one is simply: STOP SPENDING MONEY MONEY WE DON’T HAVE.
iT’S CALLED THE “Non Rocket Science Solution”.
Tim Zank on May 11, 2009 at 9:54 AM
—–
Unless you explain what you would do instead, saying this is as pointless and clueless as some teabagger windbag in Wisconsin with a cut my taxes sign.
Dave Rywall on May 11, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Are you reading challanged???
Never mind, the comedy channel didn’t cover that either.
sonofdy on May 11, 2009 at 10:02 AM
I can’t wait until I am discussing flying the KC-135 with some young whipper-snapper in 40 years who is still flying it, because the new tanker is coming any day now. Good thing the guys with the slide rules over-engineered it 50 years ago.
cobrakai99 on May 11, 2009 at 10:03 AM
You have to excuse drywall, they didn’t cover that on the comedy channel.
sonofdy on May 11, 2009 at 10:00 AM
——
Fox gave the teabaggers wall to wall to wall coverage and what did they do with this awesome opportunity? They flopped with one of the most epic fails of a grassroots movement in the history of your country. You had how many bazillion people out for this? And they gave the soundbites that they did? You should be embarrassed and angry at your party for fu*king it up so badly.
The rest of the media covered it hoping it would provide ignorant uninformed bits and bites, and it did not disappoint. The teabaggers hanged themselves with their own rope.
Dave Rywall on May 11, 2009 at 10:03 AM
Wow dave the “teabaggers” talking point I am so impressed. Is Axlerod too busy to give you guys new ones as that is at least two weeks old now.
cobrakai99 on May 11, 2009 at 10:07 AM
I am SURE thats what the daily show said.
sonofdy on May 11, 2009 at 10:07 AM
Rush Limbaugh, aka the Head of the Republican Party, suggested that the Federal Government stop charging businesses and individuals all income tax for one full year instead of doing the Porkulus. It would have stimulated the economy much more and cost about the same. But it would reduce instead of increase State power, so it didn’t go anywhere.
And nobody bother telling me Rush isn’t the head of the Republican Party. Keith Olbermann told me he was, so it must be true.
forest on May 11, 2009 at 10:09 AM
BTW drywall, got to love that stimulation obama sent us. It actualy cause unemployment to go UP!!!
sonofdy on May 11, 2009 at 10:10 AM
Rush Limbaugh, aka the Head of the Republican Party, suggested that the Federal Government stop charging businesses and individuals all income tax for one full year instead of doing the Porkulus. It would have stimulated the economy much more and cost about the same. But it would reduce instead of increase State power, so it didn’t go anywhere.
And nobody bother telling me Rush isn’t the head of the Republican Party. Keith Olbermann told me he was, so it must be true.
forest on May 11, 2009 at 10:09 AM
——
There’s your problem right there.
Who the fu*k is driving your bus?
Your political system is ridiculous.
Dave Rywall on May 11, 2009 at 10:13 AM
Empty out the nursing homes, hand them rifles, and put the elderly on the front lines. That way we kill two birds with one stone!
gridlock2 on May 11, 2009 at 10:14 AM
Drywall has been getting his news from the comedy channel so he doesn’t really “get” sarcasm.
sonofdy on May 11, 2009 at 10:15 AM
Dave Rywall on May 11, 2009 at 9:59 AM
Not going to lower myself and argue with you. Your post that I quoted made a valid point. The rest were just semi-retarded bilge.
I wish you a swift and speedy recovery.
Onus on May 11, 2009 at 10:15 AM
Thanks, Ed. Obama is reducing national security while endangering our nation’s economy. A 12% increase in the budget and an additional $1.4 trillion in off-budget is far worse than what California has been doing with its budget over the past few years, and we can see the disastrous results of that.
But Obama and the MSM continue to sell us hope:
White House: Budget deficit to top $1.8 trillion
But what about Obama’s Stimulus Plan?
STIMULUS WATCH: Early road aid leaves out neediest
So, Obama’s so-called plan was more like throwing borrowed money into the air as is hope for change was enough. it’s not.
Loxodonta on May 11, 2009 at 10:18 AM
Sadly, what Obama says frequently has nothing to do with reality. In fact, sometimes it’s diametrically opposed to reality. He’s a great talker. And good-looking too.
Paul-Cincy on May 11, 2009 at 10:18 AM
With retirees about to outnumber the not-yet-retirees, that’s not a bad plan.
Onus on May 11, 2009 at 10:18 AM
That’s right. The lack of socialized health care in this country is the source of all our financial problems. We wouldn’t be having the problems we’re having now if we just had a single-payer system that would relieve businesses of the burden of providing health care for their employees. Want proof? Then just look at Great Britain. They’ve had socialized health care for years and they aren’t having the type of financial problems we are . . . . oh, wait . . . .
But, but, but . . . I’m sure socialized health care is the magic answer to all our problems. Obama says so, and he’d never lie . . . . right?
AZCoyote on May 11, 2009 at 10:20 AM
Does obama know or even care how many people he will force out of work from the private medical industry???
Probably not.
sonofdy on May 11, 2009 at 10:22 AM
That’s actually a pretty good question, but I’m not too worried about having a leader at this point. Conservatism is an inherently decentralized movement that will sort out who will run for president in a few years. We don’t need a hero or a dear leader to swoon over. It’s an ideological difference that leftists have a hard time relating to. When the current leadership’s policies inevitably fail, conservative candidates will get more votes.
forest on May 11, 2009 at 10:31 AM
That’s actually a pretty good question, but I’m not too worried about having a leader at this point. Conservatism is an inherently decentralized movement that will sort out who will run for president in a few years. We don’t need a hero or a dear leader to swoon over. It’s an ideological difference that leftists have a hard time relating to. When the current leadership’s policies inevitably fail, conservative candidates will get more votes.
forest on May 11, 2009 at 10:31 AM
—
So you have various party all stars speaking out about Obama’s policies and there’s no true Republican stance on anything because it’s so many different people simply being contrarian.
Dave Rywall on May 11, 2009 at 10:34 AM
“that’s only if Obama’s rosy economic predictions come true.”
Which is looking more and more unlikely as the months fly by. Saw a graph & chart yesterday that showed government receipts were tanking compared to 2008. The deficit will be >>> larger than either the “0″ or OMB predicts.
chemman on May 11, 2009 at 10:41 AM
Same guy as yours – Obama. And he’s driving it off a cliff. We’re all in this together, remember? I wouldn’t care if Obama were just driving YOUR bus off a cliff.
aero on May 11, 2009 at 10:45 AM
Waste may not be your problem, Mr. Obama, but it certainly is ours, as American citizens, and voters.
It’s time to stop griping, and start doing. That goes for anyone Republican, or Democrat.
Time to start voting out the waste of intelligence, common sense, and leadership!!!
If we don’t vote it out, we can’t very well gripe about it, next time around.
capejasmine on May 11, 2009 at 11:04 AM
First off, your name calling, diminishes your argument, and demeans you. Not anyone that attended tea parties.
It’s also quite obvious, that you have no clue as to what the tea parties are truly about. They were not partisan. Anyone is welcome, that feels the spending, and budgets are just to high a price to pay, for us, our children, and grandchildren. California is on it’s way to bankruptcy, unless they comply with the Federal Government. This is exactly what’s happening to the entire nation. If you are ok with that….fine. We are not. But name calling won’t solve any problems.
Also…Sure Fox covered the tea parties. They have shows, where it’s no secret the hosts are conservative, or libertarian. They are also a news channel, and for them, this was news. Just like MSNBC, covers pro abortion rallies, but ignores pro life rallies. That’s what news sources used to do. Cover the news. Now they pick apart what they don’t agree with, and cover stories they do agree with, with pandering, and misconceptions.
They’ve made no secret where their loyalties lie, so why should FOX be tied to the stake, and burned?
capejasmine on May 11, 2009 at 11:12 AM
Obama’s election was supposed to help end racism against blacks in the US. However, Obama’s reckless spending is
likelysure to lead to similar catastrophe as government sponsored subprime lending. And with Obama the clear culprit (and Democrats the willing helpers), prejudices against blacks will resurface that they are unable to lead and lack prudence.(What, you want to be in charge of this department/division/company? Did you see what happened when we put the country in the hand of an African-American?)
Luckily, by then, it will be time to erase the concept of minorities and think again in terms of equally free and responsible individuals.
FrenchguyinTaiwan on May 11, 2009 at 11:17 AM
First off, your name calling, diminishes your argument, and demeans you. Not anyone that attended tea parties.
It’s also quite obvious, that you have no clue as to what the tea parties are truly about. They were not partisan. Anyone is welcome, that feels the spending, and budgets are just to high a price to pay, for us, our children, and grandchildren. California is on it’s way to bankruptcy, unless they comply with the Federal Government. This is exactly what’s happening to the entire nation. If you are ok with that….fine. We are not. But name calling won’t solve any problems.
Also…Sure Fox covered the tea parties. They have shows, where it’s no secret the hosts are conservative, or libertarian. They are also a news channel, and for them, this was news. Just like MSNBC, covers pro abortion rallies, but ignores pro life rallies. That’s what news sources used to do. Cover the news. Now they pick apart what they don’t agree with, and cover stories they do agree with, with pandering, and misconceptions.
They’ve made no secret where their loyalties lie, so why should FOX be tied to the stake, and burned?
capejasmine on May 11, 2009 at 11:12 AM
——-
My point is this:
Teagbag Fest was the ultimate opportunity to publicize the Republican alternative ideas to address the economy.
Had teabaggers known where the Republican ideas were, and had they made themselves familiar with these ideas, then they could have spread these ideas when interviewed on camera, instead of saying stupid things like Obama is a socialist or lower my taxes. The whole event made the party look like idiots who haven’t done their homework.
It was non-partisan? No. No it wasn’t.
Your party isn’t even organized enough to educate your own spokesperson lackeys about the solutions and get them on Fox.
Fox also failed – they didn’t look for these Republican solutions to cover and instead simply continue to be contrarian.
Dave Rywall on May 11, 2009 at 11:39 AM
I will respectfully disagree. It was not organized, nor had anything to do with republicans. Yes, a majority that attended, were most likely republican/conservatives, this was not about Republicans, or their ideas. Several republican, or so called republican politicians showed up, hoping for their soap box moment. However, if they voted, did, said, anything, that helped this train wreck along, they were boo’ed off the box.
Ahnald was one, who tried to use a tea party to make it his moment, only to be chastized by the crowd.
This was about the out of control spending. The debts being laid upon us, without our say. We pay them, we voted them in, and they did not represent a great number of their constituents.
It was indeed bipartisan. Anyone is welcome to attend, and perhaps maybe open your mind, to going to one on the 4th of July. There will be people from all walks of life there, who want their voices heard.
I don’t know what Fox’s motives are for covering them, or even if they have a motive. But they covered them, and not like CNN, sending in a reporter, to talk down to those participating.
If nothing else, give a tea party a chance, before falling onto the bandwagon, that treats people, as if their voices, their opinions, have no merit, and deserving of no attention.
The people are out there. No matter what party they belong to, they are there, and want their voices heard.
capejasmine on May 11, 2009 at 11:51 AM
…and this little chart will remind people how our budget used to look…and where the real increases are coming from…
Ejasz on May 11, 2009 at 12:04 PM
Clinton was the spinmeister, Obama is the outright lie-meister. And the Drive-by’s won’t even call him on it.
Christian Conservative on May 11, 2009 at 12:09 PM
And with most still having tunnel vision, and not having any real idea, just how much this is, and the long term damage it will do….they will just continue to say Obama inherited this, from Bush. *sigh*
capejasmine on May 11, 2009 at 12:12 PM
This isn’t amateurism. He’s a professional liar and flim-flam man.
rockmom on May 11, 2009 at 8:52 AM
+1
maverick muse on May 11, 2009 at 2:13 PM
Loxodonta on May 11, 2009 at 10:18 AM
When I read the stimulus money being awarded to those with money, there was no irony as the news was predictable. Obama is unfastening at Schumann’s gminor Sonata’s tempo that begins as fast as possible and then commands to go faster and faster.
maverick muse on May 11, 2009 at 2:17 PM