Unless the current president is a Republican. Then everything is his fault.

miss diminutive: RedPhoenix122: Unless the current president is a N*****. Then everything is his fault.

attractive and successful African-American? True, they're annoying. But they won't exactly ruin the economy.

Holy crap! Filterpwned!

Since when has n_@_ggers been changed to 'attractive and successful African-American'?

miss diminutive: miss diminutive: RedPhoenix122: Unless the current president is a N*****. Then everything is his fault.

attractive and successful African-American? True, they're annoying. But they won't exactly ruin the economy.

Holy crap! Filterpwned!

Since when has n_@_ggers been changed to 'attractive and successful African-American'?

A President can have much impact when he engaged in a couple of wars.

Though yeah, President is more or less appointed to deal with international issue. All economists and political science prof said it's weird that major focus of Presidential election is on domestic issue when he has so little influence over it.

But Reagan.....

In the short term fiscal policy doesn't have much effect, but in the long term it can have a lot. For the past 3 years we have been suffering from the failures of the Carter administration, although thankfully Reagans policies kicked in recently, which is why we've seen improvement. I hope you people are smart enough to realize it has nothing to do with Obama.

themindiswatching: Unless the current president is a Democrat.

And things are improving, then you get articles like this.

LarryDan43: In the short term fiscal policy doesn't have much effect, but in the long term it can have a lot. For the past 3 years we have been suffering from the failures of the Carter administration, although thankfully Reagans policies kicked in recently, which is why we've seen improvement. I hope you people are smart enough to realize it has nothing to do with Obama.

So you are saying things are finally starting to trickle down?

80% of the money is already allocated to government departments that run as they always do regardless of who is at the top

now if the guy at the top got rid of all those departments then maybe we'd have a problem

RON PAUL

heinekenftw "Say in shape"?

Hmm, there HAS to be a way to justify Bush ruining the economy while at the same time saying that the economy isn't Obama's fault...

GameSprocket: heinekenftw "Say in shape"?

In my defense, I didn't write it.

But yeah, that kinda farks the whole joke up, when the successful black man can't even handle basic spelling.

So does this mean the Republicans will stop crying bloody murder about "job-killing regulations"?

Oh hey, another article by the librulz lamestream media diminishing the Presidents impact on the economy after recent signs of turnout, after 3 consecutive years of "Obama's Economy" narratives.

Well, yes and no.

Let's say you have a president that allows a major terror attack that destroys billions in property and results in loss of jobs in transportation and industry. That can adversely affect the economy. Or, if a president starts a war in a sensitive area of the world, driving up the prices of a necessary commodity like oil due to the destabilization and causing a spike in energy costs. That can adversely effect the economy. Or, if they botch a response to a natural disaster which occurs in an area where an important commodity is refined and shipped, leading to a spike in energy prices. That, too, would affect the economy negatively. Or, they could pass a law, with Congressional help, that allows banks to engage in highly risky financial dealings that results in the loss of trillions of dollars in equity value. That can have major effect on the economy.

Now, on the other hand, trying to jumpstart the economy after all the above somethings happen? That is a lot more difficult.

While I tend to agree in a general sense with the argument that the influence Presidents have is overrated, the argument in this piece is: "The president doesn't have the same power as a CEO, and Donald Rumsfeld agrees with me."

Literally. That's the guys argument.

RyogaM: Let's say you have a president that allows a major terror attack that destroys billions

lolwut?

cman: No shiat, Sherlock.

No one man can move the dead sea by himself, how can you expect him to move the economy at his will?

Actually the video states that the President would be able to control the economy, but their economic policies have to go through such a clusterfark of a process, thanks to Congress and the Senate, that it always comes away not looking anything like what they intended. So honestly the video is correct and incorrect at the same time. While Presidents can't ruin the economy through domestic policy, since the President currently has carte blanche when it foreign policy, they can easily ruin the economy by sending all domestic funds to international efforts... like such as the Iraq.

miss diminutive: RyogaM: Let's say you have a president that allows a major terror attack that destroys billions

lolwut?

Now, now, I'm just pointing out a hypothetical situation where it is possible for the president to have a major effect on the economy, negatively, in this case, not specifically saying this occurred in our recent past or anything. It's just hypothetical.

cman: miss diminutive: RyogaM: Let's say you have a president that allows a major terror attack that destroys billions

lolwut?

And another truther reveilles themselves.

Again, hypothetical. I state categorically and without reservation that no president has ever knowingly allowed a terror attack on American soil. This includes Bush the Lesser.

Ya, it's all a coincidence.

Well, he could order the Federal Reserve to light giant stacks of billion dollar bills on fire with the CEO of Goldman Sacks trapped inside in a giant Wickerman-style event on the National Mall.

It was the Obama economy until it started improving.

degenerate-afro: While Presidents can't ruin the economy through domestic policy, since the President currently has carte blanche when it foreign policy, they can easily ruin the economy by sending all domestic funds to international efforts... like such as the Iraq.

Well, and that's not literally true, either. The President has a lot of power in domestic affairs, he just doesn't have the same level of freedom of action as he does internationally. I mean, sure, Congress can thwart the details of his initiatives, but it is simplistic to pretend he doesn't have a lot of influence on what is put forth in the first place, and certainly by veto power he has a lot of power in what actually gets enacted.

Also, the who the president is matters in another way--If the President is presiding over a friendly congress, more of his initiatives will get passed with less congressional obstruction. If he is presiding over an unfriendly congress, the opposite is true.

Really, this video comes off as a not-too well supported excuse to say that our current success isn't due to Obama.

The following clip with David Stockman calling Obama's refinancing plan "crony socialism" kind of makes me think that these guys aren't trying too hard to be totally neutral.

It's fun to do a GIS on Adele. She's wearing a loose fitting black dress in every single image.

RyogaM: Again, hypothetical. I state categorically and without reservation that no president has ever knowingly allowed a terror attack on American soil. This includes Bush the Lesser.

I would say that there is no conclusive evidence that this is true about Bush the lesser (or any other president, I suppose). I don't know that it is appropriate to be so certain. Or maybe you just didn't type the "..I believe.." before "no president".

cman: Just like as the temperature rises, the amount of pirate attacks increase.

cant exactly sail on icebergs or non-flooded land

FlashHarry: actually, that's not true. according to fox news FlashHarry.


You know it's true.


/ooh ooh ooh ooooh
//I love youuuuu-ooooh

InmanRoshi: It's fun to do a GIS on Adele. She's wearing a loose fitting black dress in every single image.

good to know, bru

"The president generally matters so much less than we think, especially when it comes to the economy in any way at all."

FTFH

Most overrated job ob Earth. But, once you've got it, you get a life-time stay out of jail card, federal bodyguards, and hundreds of millions of dollars upon retirement.

soy_bomb: /Nice way for Obama to say he has cut income taxes, if you aren't working, you aren't paying income taxes

Well, that and the fact he cut income taxes.

cman: moralpanic: [img835.imageshack.us image 450x324]

Ya, it's all a coincidence.

Just like as the temperature rises, the amount of pirate attacks increase.


Well, to be fair, what that graph records is a correlation that is generally understood to have some validity: That an economy will usually improve after a downturn.

It just so happens that the most significant economic downturn in most of our lifetimes happened near the end of Obama's predecessor's term in office. Now the significance of the timing of that event is something that people have different opinions on, and they tend to draw different conclusions about.

In some cases, people actually reverse normal ideas of causality, and assign the political blame for that downturn to Obama. They're poorly grounded in reality, but unfortunately they tend to vote in large numbers.

Now the one thing that this graph does show, however, is that whatever occurred in Obama's term, whether it be through Congress, the White House, the Judiciary or through a combination of these institutions, nothing occurred to thwart the generally expected economic rebound.

soy_bomb: moralpanic: [img835.imageshack.us image 450x324]

Ya, it's all a coincidence.

[data.bls.gov image 600x300]
Yes, according to the BLS, less people are participating in the workforce.

/Nice way for Obama to say he has cut income taxes, if you aren't working, you aren't paying income taxes

Aren't the boomers retiring about now anyways?

s2s2s2: Well, that and the fact he cut income taxes.

By extending the Bush income tax rates.

canyoneer: Most overrated job ob Earth. But, once you've got it, you get a life-time stay out of jail card, federal bodyguards, and hundreds of millions of dollars upon retirement.

So it's like a Fortune 500 CEO, then.

soy_bomb: By extending the Bush income tax rates.

You're cute.


[pat pat pat]

Skleenar: So it's like a Fortune 500 CEO, then.

Yeah, but with more publicity and federal bodyguards.