White House: It’s not a ‘bailout,’ it’s a ‘rescue.’
White House: It’s not a ‘bailout,’ it’s a ‘rescue.’
Countdown to Crawford notes that White House spokesman Tony Fratto took issue today with journalists using the term “bailout” to describe the $700 billion package. “It’s really unfortunate shorthand for a very complicated issue,” he said. The White House prefers the word “rescue.” For insight into why the White House is playing semantic word games, consider what Fred Barnes said last week on Fox News:
We would be in a better situation, or at least the Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson would if this were known as a “rescue” rather than a “bailout.” “Bailout” sounds terrible. Who is for a bailout? A lot of people are for a rescue.
UPDATE: This morning, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) made a similar a comment:
Well I think what happened is we didn’t convince enough Republicans and Democrats…that this was a rescue package and not a bailout.
Watch it:
UPDATE II: Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) today: “When you call it a bailout, nobody’s in favor of a bailout.”
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What shade of lipstick is that? Goes very well with the mud.
September 30th, 2008 at 2:47 pmWhy, it’s not “murder”! No, no, it’s “existence adjustment”!!
September 30th, 2008 at 2:50 pmThis whole administration is mailing it in. Fox gave them their cue over a week ago and Chimpy’s handlers waited until their own minions turned on them to try to win through semantics.
September 30th, 2008 at 2:51 pmI still like the “bailout” analogy; kinda like the entire BushCo gang jumping out of a C-141, pulling the ripcord and finding someone’s dirty laundry instead of a parachute.
Heh Heh
September 30th, 2008 at 2:55 pmYeah because the terminology is the REAL problem here. Will these people EVER get a clue?
September 30th, 2008 at 2:55 pmAnd it’s not “torture” — it’s “enhanced interrogation techniques”. We’ve heard this song and dance before, and we’re really not into repackaging. Just give it to us straight and tell us what it really is.
September 30th, 2008 at 2:56 pmheh heh… John McCain oughta be able to tell you something about “bailouts”… after all, he’s had to “bail out” of at least five different airplanes that we know of.
September 30th, 2008 at 2:59 pmIf you don’t give us all your money then you are with the terrorists.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:02 pmWho *isn’t* jumping on that bandwagon?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jean-chatzky/not-a-bailout—a-rescue_b_130566.html
September 30th, 2008 at 3:03 pm“It’s not a bug, it’s a feature!”
And we didn’t invade Iraq, we liberated it!
PEACE
September 30th, 2008 at 3:04 pmWrong. A rescue is for people that are drowning from the floodwaters that breached a levy in New Orleans or in the collapse of a Bridge in Minnesota that hasn’t been maintained through taxation or the Hurricane-swept town of Bolliver, TX ( that they won’t show you pictures of, BTW)
A Bailout is for greedy people who believed that they could borrow their way to prosperity by means of deregulation. And it worked for them. They got rich. But although we have learned that money doesn’t trickle downhill, we have re-learned that sh*t always runs downhill.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:07 pmJust released from the Ministry of Information:
The plan is now called Code Blue. Emergency procedures are needed to open the clogged credit arteries of the American economy. Intervention is required to return its health.
The alternative Dr. Strong code remains an option. This code is called when unruly citizens don’t go along with stated plans. Yes, uninsured Americans are livid over the medical a-nalogies when they can’t get care. Should enough of these angry citizens gather in one location, the community should call NorthCom and ask for Dr. Strong. They have a combat unit at their ready.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:07 pmThousands of people could use a bailout or a rescue, no matter what you call it.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:07 pmI, for one have had enough of the semantics propaganda!
At one point, do you think Bush stops calling the shots?
September 30th, 2008 at 3:07 pmI think “rescue package” sounds like panic, like we’re in a deep financial crisis or something.
How about a “financial incentives package” or even better a “happy happy fun fun package”?
September 30th, 2008 at 3:08 pmIt’s not a bailout.
It’s not a rescue.
It’s a freaking gift to the big boys on Wall Street who will reward their ‘friends’ handsomely come Thanksgiving and Christmas and their birthdays.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:08 pmI still like the “bailout” an@logy; kinda like the entire BushCo gang jumping out of a C-141, pulling the ripcord and finding someone’s dirty laundry instead of a parachute.
Heh Heh
September 30th, 2008 at 3:08 pmI’m in favor of calling things what they are.
BAILOUT.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:11 pmIt’s a handout. CEOs still get bonuses.
Strange when chimpy is helping the companies it’s a rescue but when you help citizens it’s welfare.
Why keep/allow the same folks who screwed us to plan a handout? It’s like giving a fox a key to the hen house.
Fire them! They were slapping fives when the money was rolling in.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:11 pmCall it what you want. It still stinks to high heaven.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:13 pmOh well it’s not a “bailout”. Where can I send my money?
September 30th, 2008 at 3:14 pmupside99 Says:
I still like the “bailout” an@logy; kinda like the entire BushCo gang jumping out of a C-141, pulling the ripcord and finding someone’s dirty laundry instead of a parachute.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
______
That’s what they get for outsourcing all their parachute-packing functions to ACME Corporation. But then what else would we expect from this Wil E. Coyote administration…
September 30th, 2008 at 3:15 pmCan the Republicans show us some leadership and not jingoism?
September 30th, 2008 at 3:20 pmhussein toasterhead,
I was thinking of the Roadrunner when I wrote that …. great minds and all.
Maybe another example of those pesky cost-plus contracts?
September 30th, 2008 at 3:22 pmIt is a bailout for these institutions that were not properly regulated by the Republican Administration.
It is not a rescue, a rescue would be helping the victims of the predatory lending practices that were allowed by the Republican Administration, not the companies that perpetrated it.
And the FED just threw 650 Billion at the problem, bypassing Congress, almost the 700 billion they were asking for and they are still asking for this bailout?
If the 650 Billion influx does not fix anything, what makes us believe the 700 billion won’t be thrown away also, not even fixing the problem, just delaying the eventual credit crash?
The most maddening thing is the Bush Administration waited till 40 days before the election to dump this on us, when they knew of the problem quite a while ago, and neglected to do the right thing when they first saw it.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:24 pmBut that would meant enforcing regulations, something that is not really the Republican thing to do.
Sheesh, even Obama called it a “rescue”.
On another subject – stealing our election. You might want to read this:
http://markcrispinmiller.blogspot.com/2008/09/spoonamore-reveals-plan-to-steal-next.html
The solution is to vote absentee. Don’t go any where near a voting machine. And encourage everyone you know to vote absentee. If the election ends up 51.5 McCain when he is behind 10 in the polls, all hell is going to break loose. And if most Democrats vote absentee, there will be a paper ballot to recount.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:25 pmYes the wording is bad.
…………………………………………..
From Dictionary.com
bailout:
–noun
2. an instance of coming to the rescue, esp. financially: a government bailout of a large company.
–adjective
4. of, pertaining to, or consisting of means for relieving an emergency situation: bailout measures for hard-pressed smallbusinesses.
…………………………………………..
It’s much more like “rescue.” But not the usual rescue. More like sending lifeboats to the Titanic but without the usual “Women and children first” consideration. Instead the unimpeachable rule of this “rescue” is “Billionaires first. Women and children and the infirm .. last.”
A shit pile with sprinkles on top is more appealing.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:29 pmOT -
I just read at Newsmax, that Dick Morris, the ultimate McCain apologizer, says his take now is Obama – 355, McCain – 133.
http://w3.newsmax.com/a/morrismap/?promo_code=2A89-1
He says even ARIZONA is becoming a toss-up state!!
Who’da Thunk????
September 30th, 2008 at 3:29 pmLet’s not call it a bailout.
Let’s call it a puppy.
Everybody likes a puppy!
September 30th, 2008 at 3:35 pmbailout = rescue
September 30th, 2008 at 3:35 pmtorture = enhanced interrogation technique
occupation = victory
surge = bribery
Palin = refreshing face (compared to McCain’s)
lies = evidence
truth = just another nit-picky thing that constantly gets in
the way and must be squashed at all costs.
For once the White House is right. The way this is described has everything to do with its passing or failing. Everyone likes the idea of coming to the aid of someone who is in critical need. Therefore the term “rescue” plays to that metaphor, “bailout” conjures up images of a prisoner release or worse a sinking ship. If you don’t believe that language matters, you are living in the 19th century. Read George Lakoff or even Frank Luntz and join the 21st century.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:36 pmSure it is but just don’t be calling that “death tax” an “estate tax”. That pisses them off…
September 30th, 2008 at 3:36 pmNot a bailout! Not a rescue!
A carnival ride, where you, the rubes, ride in a rickety car on rails up, down around and do loop de loops as your money falls out of your pockets!
At the end of the ride, you’re broke, nauseated, but have a vague sense of afterglow!
September 30th, 2008 at 3:38 pmObama is all for the bail out, but we must be politically correct and call it a rescue. He just keeps sidling ever right. DLC here we come!
September 30th, 2008 at 3:39 pmUpside99 ~ perhaps the Arizonans have mistaken Barack for Sherrif Bart?
September 30th, 2008 at 3:41 pmThe question then becomes, whom are we, the taxpayer, rescuing, and from what?
We are asked to “rescue” financial institutions, the very ones foreclosing on our homes.
We are asked to “rescue” them from bankruptcy because they made risky loans. Yet their CEOs walk away with hundreds of millions of dollars which ultimately will be provided for by our tax dollars.
This “rescue” is solely to insure the lifestyles of the rich and infamous may continue unaffected by the disasterous results of their decisions.
This “rescue” is designed to pump hundreds of billions of borrowed funds into the economy now, so that there won’t be an economic downturn during Bush’s presidency. That will come later, with interest.
If Congress and the WhiteHouse was truly concerned, the first thing they would have done would have been to repeal the Bush tax cuts to the ultra rich. But that wasn’t the proposal. Instead, they want to give more money to the very people who created this mess; the ultra rich.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:48 pmI have been keeping an eye on the MSM on this very subject and, for the time being, they’re mostly referring to a bailout and not a “rescue.” Far more than politicians, terminology used by newspapers and television news is what has a real effect on any issue. If more of them start referring to a “rescue”, watch out.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:53 pmPig Paulson earned/stole/ripped off some $700,000,000.00 as CEO of Goldman/Sachs Corporation from the people of the world. Now he wants one thousand times as much money from the taxpayers of the USA to bailout, guess who? Goldman/Sachs Corporation and a few other greedy parasitic pig corporations.
September 30th, 2008 at 3:56 pmIf you spin it, he will come. ;-}
September 30th, 2008 at 3:57 pmBushie Says:
Obama is all for the bail out, but we must be politically correct and call it a rescue. He just keeps sidling ever right. DLC here we come!
Do you understand completely how our economic system works? Do you know for sure that if we do nothing our economic system won’t melt down and you won’t end up losing your retirement fund and your job?
If you answer no to those questions, then you are not in a position to judge Obama. I trust in his instincts and actions. I would like to see him and the Democrats form a committee of leading economists to look into a better plan to save our economy, but the fact is there may not be enough time left to do that.
September 30th, 2008 at 4:16 pmI like to refer to it as a “pension enema”.
September 30th, 2008 at 4:16 pmWhy Is St. Barry so silent in this matter?
September 30th, 2008 at 4:18 pmI have a theory, of course.
Ready? It’s here.
Yeah, I guess I’m still beneath contempt. Sorry…
The crooks and their semantics…
September 30th, 2008 at 4:18 pmArrest Bush and Chenney!
September 30th, 2008 at 4:23 pmSteaming pile of BS = plant growth enhancer
September 30th, 2008 at 4:24 pmHurry . . rescue the bailout !
September 30th, 2008 at 4:29 pmThis is our best chance to embezzle 700 mill !
And here’s the kicker . . . we’ve created a situation where we can make a solid attempt to show them that they need us to take the money !
Despite the idiotic semantic games, we appear to be witnessing a beneficial effect of election year politics. Those who are fighting for their political lives are seriously concerned about passing anything that might blow up in their faces.
There is a bright side. This huge emergency has coincided with an immanent election. Those who are running for reelection will be forced to pay attention to their prospective constituents or play partisan politics, like Flippy-n-Chippy, and sink their own campaigns.
This is a situation that can be used as a tool in our quest to reclaim control of our government. While the political creatures from either side spew their partisan drivel, losing votes with every inanity, those who pay attention to the immediate demands of their constituents voted down a bill that seemed like a rash overreaction at best.
For good or ill, regardless of the motivations of the players, Democracy actually worked over the last few days. Now let’s see if the pressure will force them to serve us, and their own interests, by implementing a rational emergency plan without trying to reinvent the entire economy complete with huge, unnecessary payouts.
September 30th, 2008 at 4:30 pm.
Why won’t D.C. “RESCUE” my home loans?
Why won’t D.C. “RESCUE” my school loans?
Why won’t D.C. “RESCUE” my auto loans?
.
September 30th, 2008 at 4:54 pmOk,
25b for the auto industry
79b Iraqi surplus
18m ?lost? The brenner “handout”
??? paid to Sunni for the “surge”
700B – number pulled out of paulson tired ass (no proof needed)
billions to halliburton
millions to crooked repugs
AGI – $$$$$$
10m to North Korea for destroying reactor
$$$$ – to Israel
$$$$ – to Georgia
September 30th, 2008 at 4:57 pmThe best idea I’ve heard ,as an alternative, to the Outvoted
$700 Billion Rescue/Bailout Plan is a version of the commonly used Financial Instrument known as the “Installment Plan”.
Want to get something, but don’t have $700 Billion? How about 12 easy payments .
There are about four months until a New President and a New Congress take power. What if Sec. Paulsen had say a couple hundred billion for the next four months…to start with…to fix the most urgent things first….to see what works…. To work the bugs out.????
September 30th, 2008 at 5:16 pm“A loan that has to be paid back” Ahhh… there’s the Rub.
September 30th, 2008 at 5:23 pmTracy_5:
September 30th, 2008 at 5:28 pmI might be confusing you with someone else but weren’t you arguing yesterday that the real problem was those who took loans exceeding their means rather than those who offered said loans? If so why not just give the dough to those at the bottom and let it trickle up?
I bet most of the Congressional Republicans are getting really pissed that Johnie Flub Flub can parachute in and out, ride the campaign trail, rail and bail, then leave his buddies holding the funny money bills when they need to get their own re-election campaigns going for themselves.
Does McCain think he can be president with both the Dems and his own party hating him? He could be the GOP Othello if he doesn’t watch it.
September 30th, 2008 at 5:37 pmWell jeepers, stupid troll, since I don’t know the extent of the crisis I don’t have enough information to formulate a plan all by my lonesome, and I dare say no one in the House does either. But, I can offer some general ideas.
First, someone has to establish beyond doubt that piecemeal bailouts are not sufficient to avert disaster. I am of the belief that such bailouts should be decided on their individual merits.
Second, not a single dime goes out without being tracked.
Third, any emergency bailouts should go to things like meeting payrolls, dividends to small investors, and similar things as opposed to covering losses to speculation.
Finally, based on my limited understanding, I would think that it would be better for the government to guarantee “bad debt” on a case by case basis rather than purchasing bundles of said debt, “bad” or not. Regardless, I don’t see why it’s necessary for any payments until you get down to insuring innocent parties.
September 30th, 2008 at 5:46 pmIt is not a bailout or a rescue.
It is an Extortion or scam perpetrated by a bi-partisan effort.
Why is Obama, McCain, and Bush in on this Sopranos-like demand of “Protection” money.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:20 pmIt’s not a bailout, it’s a rescue?
NO IT’S A BIG SUCKING HOLE
September 30th, 2008 at 6:39 pmYou cry wolf enough, people start calling your bluff.
http://www.wilytrax.com
September 30th, 2008 at 8:41 pmYes “rescue” does sound better. “Since you blew a hole in the hull, we will give YOU all the lifeboats, as if YOU would then rescue US from your vandalism.”
September 30th, 2008 at 8:43 pmHoly SH|T Has anyone put these pieces together???
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/army_homeland_090708w/
Brigade homeland tours start Oct. 1
“The command is at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., but the soldiers with 1st BCT, who returned in April after 15 months in Iraq, will operate out of their home post at Fort Stewart, Ga., ”
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/business/stories//2008/09/29/gas_shortage.html
“Two more weeks of gas chaos, official says
Atlanta’s chaotic gasoline shortage should be back to normal by Columbus Day, Oct. 13, at the latest, said Randy Bly of AAA South. That means about two more weeks of uncertainty, desperate searches for stations with gasoline and long lines at stations that do have gas.
Bly said Nashville had fuel shortages similar to those in metro Atlanta, but now 70 to 80 percent of the city is being supplied.”
Hmmm, the Army violating the Posse Comitatus Act
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posse_Comitatus_Act
And everyone is occupied with the bailout…
October 1st, 2008 at 12:45 amI smell martial law in parts of Georgia around the corner.