Rep. Pete Sessions: Obama wants to ‘diminish employment’ in order to consolidate power.
Rep. Pete Sessions: Obama wants to ‘diminish employment’ in order to consolidate power.
At the beginning of April, a Fox News poll asked respondents whether they believed that President Obama “wants the financial crisis to continue so government can take over more businesses and grow the federal government.” Only 23 percent said that they thought Obama wanted it to continue, but that minority view was recently endorsed by a top-ranking Republican official. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), the chairman of the NRCC, told the New York Times that he believes President Obama aims to “‘diminish employment and diminish stock prices‘ as part of a ‘divide and conquer’ strategy to consolidate power”:
His counterpart at the House Republicans’ committee, Representative Pete Sessions of Texas, may indeed face an uphill fight with his argument that Mr. Obama is not trying to create jobs. In an interview, Mr. Sessions cited rising unemployment in asserting that the administration intended to “diminish employment and diminish stock prices” as part of a “divide and conquer” strategy to consolidate power.
Mr. Sessions, in his seventh term, said Mr. Obama’s agenda was “intended to inflict damage and hardship on the free enterprise system, if not to kill it.” By next fall, he predicted, voters may regain appreciation for the era of Republican governance when “many dreams were achieved,” the size of the economy doubled and employment and financial markets hit record levels.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
“[T]he era of Republican governance when ‘many dreams were achieved…’”
Yes, for Halliburton and AIG execs.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:01 amSessions like many other Republicans will never admit the obvious i.e. the “free enterprise” system is reponsible for destroying the free enterprise system. Obama didn’t create this crisis, Republican mismangement did. Now, after setting the house on fire they stand around critizing the fireman responsible for putting out the blaze.
The growth and doubled employement he waxes fondly about was achieved by the illegal and irresponsible machinations of Wall Street and by encouraging AMericans to go deep into debt. Is this what Sessions wants us to return to?
If the voters reject Obama, I seriously doubt they will accept the Republican economic philosophy that got us into this mess. An independent party candidate would have a much better chance than a Republican. So keep on dreaming about the good ol’ days Mr. Session, but they are never coming back.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:02 amI am convinced there is something in the air and water in Texas that causes brain atrophy and twisted thoughts.
Someone comes up with a cockamamie half-baked thought and before long, Texas politicians run with it, and it gets added credibility from Fox News.
What “dreams” of the American people were achieved in the Bush years? It is more like nightmares!
May 11th, 2009 at 10:02 amTexas: big state, big hair, big hats, big egos, big mouths, big cattle, big business — with all that “bigness” it’s amazing that the thinking in that state is so small.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:04 amConservativeForProgress Says:
It’s RAHM emmanuel , you idiot.
You’re simply too stupid for your own good, aren’t you?
May 11th, 2009 at 10:08 amI see your irrelevant quote and raise you:
“Pass the cookies and cheese doodles” -Someone …
May 11th, 2009 at 10:09 amMakes you wonder what the original “purpose” of Republicans in power that led us to this mess was.
I think there really is a Jump to Conclusions Mat and that it’s exclusively sold to Republicans.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:09 amMarie left out big idiots. If Obama’s policies result in diminishing Pete Session’s job, then, I’m all for it. Take the rest of those big-mouthed, small-brained fools along with him.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:11 amIf a Republican understood economic policy, they wouldn’t be a Republican.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:13 amConservativeForProgress Says:
——————————————————————————–
“Never let serious crisis go to waste.” -Rom Emmanuel …
May 11th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Like 9/11 ?
May 11th, 2009 at 10:14 amI believe that in therapy this is called projection.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:16 amThe Republic of Hymenoptera Stupidity Says
May 11th, 2009 at 10:08 am
It’s RAHM emmanuel , you idiot.
___________________________________________________________
Well, if you really want to get picky, it’s “Rahm Emanuel” with only one M in the last name.
I realize that CFP posted the RE quote with no explanation or original thought merely to be provocative, but if you look at the context in which it was said, you realize that EVERY crisis we encounter can be a learning experience and an opportunity, whether it’s a national crisis, a personal crisis, or something in between. Or you can gain nothing from it and repeat the same steps that will generate exactly the same crisis again down the line.
It’s for that reason that I agree with Emanuel — we don’t want to invite crises, but when they arrive on our doorstep, let’s deal with them in a way that results in gaining some wisdom and effecting positive change.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:17 am@#5, Marie Says:
I am convinced there is something in the air and water in Texas that causes brain atrophy and twisted thoughts.
It’s Texas’ schools, not the water.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:18 am“Never let serious crisis go to waste.”
vs.
“You don’t do product roll-outs in August.”
4800 dead servicemen.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:19 amI swear the Repugs want to destroy themselves or they are terminally stupid. You have Darth Cheney all over MSM sounding like some kind of Prophet of Doom, you have Mike Steele spouting out gibberish, and don’t forget ‘I’m cheating on my wife, but lets go after Clinton.’ Newt Gingrich. Looking at all these old white dudes gives me the creeps. LOL!
May 11th, 2009 at 10:19 amThis guy is dumb as a post.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:20 am@ #10,margarine Says:
Makes you wonder what the original “purpose” of Republicans in power that led us to this mess was.
The purposes for which the Busheviks were installed were to obstruct, diminish, undermine, reduce, subvert, and otherwise prohibit “we, the People,” from having meaningful access to the institurions and instruments by which we might oppose the privaatization of our commons.
Mission: Accomplished!
May 11th, 2009 at 10:21 amHmmm…23%? That number sounds familiar. It sounds like the approximately one quarter of our population who hate President Obama so much they will take any excuse to trash him. Hardly worth paying attention to.
Sessions is part of that number, so he’s really not worth paying any attention to, either.
But I’m kind of amused at their little hue and cry over the “consolidation of power” Obama is supposedly engaged in. Were they just as exercised over the “unitary executive” dream of Bush and Cheney for the past eight years? Were they outraged over their dictatorial way of running the country? Did they protest the White House ignoring Congressional subpoenas, firing U.S. Attorneys who refused to compromise themselves for the Bushco agenda, and wiretapping American citizens without cause or warrant? I didn’t think so.
Nothing Obama has done comes even close to the extreme arrogance and power abuses of the last administration. And if they’re upset over Obama utilizing some of the tools in the giant toolbox he got handed as a result of the policies of the past eight years — well, the GOP has only themselves to blame.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:24 amDid anyone see that Maria chick on ‘Morning Joe’ screeching about class warfare? The balls of these capitalistic Repugs. She had the nerve to disparage ‘European Socialist’ nations. Apparently she hasn’t read the article about how the Europeans and Canadians are the happiest people on the planet.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:25 amIn an interview, Mr. Sessions cited rising unemployment in asserting that the administration intended to “diminish employment and diminish stock prices” as part of a “divide and conquer” strategy to consolidate power.
Rovian wordplay, that is no longer effective. You can only cry wolf so many times, before you’re pegged as a politically-motivated Chicken Little.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:26 amThe 20%-ers only constitute roughly 600,000 people.
Easily enough to start their own country on a remote, desert island.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:26 amMr. Sessions, in his seventh term, said Mr. Obama’s agenda was “intended to inflict damage and hardship on the free enterprise system, if not to kill it.”
First, the free enterprise system is a euphemism for capitalism. Capitalism is an ugly word, but is appropriate.
Second, capitalism needs no enemies. Its allies and cheerleaders did more to create this most destructive crisis, than its critics. Funny that.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:29 amDNFP@25, Yeah, and notice how much air time MSM gives them. We all know Faux News is in the bag for Repugs, but MSNBC and CNN are constantly giving these idiots a platform. Big Business loves Republican Policies.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:29 amLimbaugh has been blowing this brain fart for weeks. Sessions has eaten the same magic beans.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:29 amThe GOP leadership has been brainwashed after years of non-stop listening to AM hate radio & Fox News. They now start to believe that the shouting from Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck is actual NEWS & FACT!
LOL, They are the party of Michelle Bachmann!
May 11th, 2009 at 10:32 amMilton Freidman told financial times that the free market system had failed in 2003. All the problems we face tody are the result of the free market, deregulation philosophy of the thugs in the GOP.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:32 amThere is no such thing as a Conservative for Progress. By nature conservatives are reactionary.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:33 amI thought the Republican talking point was that Obama was spending government money to create jobs so those people would feel indebted to Obama and vote for him?
May 11th, 2009 at 10:33 amEven if you wanted to be an enormous cynic, wouldn’t you have to believe that Obama is not going to do anything that would so seriously jeopardize his potential to get re-elected? What logic is he ascribing to Obama here? Is he implying that Obama would sacrifice another term just because he wants a power grab that would last, at most, 2 years? sheesh.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:34 amThe only jobs that I see threatened by President Obama over the next few years belong to incumbant Republicans. BTW, who’s balls are that on Regressive Session’s chin? What…that IS his chin?
May 11th, 2009 at 10:34 amMore rich, old, white guys hating the idea of possible changes to their rigged financial system that rapes the American economy. Fear! Fear! Be Afraid! Be Afraid of the black Democrat Liberal Socialist President!
May 11th, 2009 at 10:36 amYes, he is dumb as ConservativeForProgress’ post.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:38 amNonsense! Sessions is deluded. I cannot think of one good reason that Obama would not like Americans to work. I can think of about 100 reasons why he would like to have more jobs created. These guys caused this recession, but they blame it all on the really, really, scary Obama.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:39 am“‘diminish employment and diminish stock prices‘ as part of a ‘divide and conquer’ strategy to consolidate power”
Just what we need, more wingnut paranoia.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:39 amSadly, Obama might not have had to face this issue had the republicans and Bush posse not run this country into the ground. Have a nice big cup of STFU, Sessions!
May 11th, 2009 at 10:39 amGood god, would the voters in Texas please diminish Pete Sessions’ employment?
May 11th, 2009 at 10:39 amMark701, you said it brother. The Republiscum channel is still saying the same things in many different dialects of re-puke speak and we progressives know them all,hypocrisy, hate,racism and bigotry is all they know and it`s still the same know matter what language they use.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:39 amFine by me.
The free enterprise system as practiced via free market system needs to be killed. It’s only fair after it has killed so many.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:39 amEver since he first came to TP, I’ve trying to tell this fool that his name is an oxymoron. I guess he doesn’t know what an oxymoron is either.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:41 amSessions is looking for an at a boy from Flush the de facto leader.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:42 amDNFP,
Actually 20% of the U.S. population is in the neighborhood of 60 Million, thats kinda the problem, enough of them to ruin an otherwise good country
May 11th, 2009 at 10:45 am… part of a “divide and conquer” strategy to consolidate power.
it wasn’t too long ago that we were pretty sure that’s what bushco was up to…
and i’m pretty sure WE were closer to the truth…
May 11th, 2009 at 10:46 amThis from a bastard who has spent 14 years in Congress helping his fat cat corporate pals ship American jobs to China.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:48 amstewarjt Says:
First, the free enterprise system is a euphemism for capitalism. Capitalism is an ugly word, but is appropriate.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:29 am
____________
Capitalism is also not supposed to be an all-encompassing system. Adam Smith never claimed that the free market should run everything and that there is no role for government or regulation. He saw a need for government to perform inherently governmental regulatory services so that the markets could function smoothly.
If Adam Smith were around today, I bet he’d be labeled a socialist.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:48 amYeah! Obama is going to take all the jobs! And consolidate power! And turn government into a big islamofascistsocialist monster that’s going to abort our children and regulate stuff!!
Because daily business at the White House isn’t challenging enough.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:49 amshoeless Says:
——————————————————————————–
stewarjt Says:
——————————————————————————–
There is no such thing as a Conservative for Progress. By nature conservatives are reactionary.
Ever since he first came to TP, I’ve trying to tell this fool that his name is an oxymoron. I guess he doesn’t know what an oxymoron is either.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:41 am
He was hoping to score some OxyMoron for Limbaugh , until he was informed it isn’t a a derivative of OxyContin …..
May 11th, 2009 at 10:50 amLike Father like Son. Or is it the other way around or the original way…hmmmmh
May 11th, 2009 at 10:57 amAt the beginning of April, a Fox News poll asked respondents whether they believed that President Obama “wants the financial crisis to continue so government can take over more businesses and grow the federal government.”
Only Fixed News would ever ask such a loaded and biased question on a poll. I find it very funny that they didn’t get the answer they wanted. Those who answered yes pretty much mirrored the remainder of the die-hard Republicans.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:58 amRep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), the chairman of the NRCC, told the New York Times that he believes President Obama aims to “‘diminish employment and diminish stock prices‘ as part of a ‘divide and conquer’ strategy to consolidate power”
The only problem with this ridiculous argument is that it is the Republicans that caused the unemployment and diminished stock prices. President Obama is doing everything he can to reverse that trend and the American public knows it.
Will the Republican party ever enter the real world where white really is white and up really is up?
May 11th, 2009 at 11:00 amOh, shut up, Sessions……….the only people who want the employment numbers to go up are the Rethuglicans; then the will have more money for themselves, since they won’t have to pay a living wage to the little people to do their dirty work.
May 11th, 2009 at 11:02 amBy next fall, he predicted, voters may regain appreciation for the era of Republican governance when “many dreams were achieved,” the size of the economy doubled and employment and financial markets hit record levels.
If all these things had happened as a result of Republican rule for the last 8 years, then why is Barack Obama president today?
May 11th, 2009 at 11:03 amIn an interview, Mr. Sessions cited rising unemployment in asserting that the administration intended to “diminish employment and diminish stock prices” as part of a “divide and conquer” strategy to consolidate power.
… Sessions added, “that’s what I’d do.”
May 11th, 2009 at 11:05 am“Obama wants the financial crisis to continue so government can take over more businesses and grow the federal government.”
THAT is a push-poll question designed to promote a false and derogatory theme.
It does NOT request information or honest opinion, it provides unfounded information to SHAPE opinion.
And as FOX commissioned the poll, FOX is responsible for the questions.
May 11th, 2009 at 11:14 amThis is just another example not of mere bias, but of FOX acting as the primary propaganda division of the Republican Party.
ConservativeForProgress Says:
“Never let serious crisis go to waste.” -Rom Emmanuel …
And who is “Rom Emmanuel”? Typical Republican tactics. Take a sentence out of a speech, thereby losing the context. Nice try CFP, but it won’t work here.
May 11th, 2009 at 11:15 amYeah, what Bilbo said. I was just wondering, during this sleepless night, if there were happy trolls visiting TP before the last presidential campaign fired up enough to rally the trolls. Happy, happy, happy trolls telling everyone how happy they were with the Republican party and how we could all be happy if we voted Republican. It’s my suspicion that they’ve always been angry and fearful.
May 11th, 2009 at 11:16 am1) NO. Its the Limbaughs of the world who are saying they hope Obama fails. Not them communist, fascist, lib-rals.
2) What is it about Texas? Seceding from the Union, Communist Basketball Playoffs. Enron. Halliburton. Bush. Rove…
May 11th, 2009 at 11:17 amI left Texas in ‘94 and I’m happier about it than ever, now. I don’t even want to go back to visit.
May 11th, 2009 at 11:20 amTexas bullshit is the worst kind.
May 11th, 2009 at 11:25 amDeregulation made banking fun again, and extremely fun from 2004-2007. Note, it didn’t make it effective, worth the rewards, ethical or poor- and middle-class friendly, just fun.
May 11th, 2009 at 11:29 amI suspect CFP is getting used to that.
May 11th, 2009 at 11:41 amI don’t expect someone who’s the kid of the former director of the FBI during Reagan’s godawful presidency to make a whole lot of sense anyway………
May 11th, 2009 at 11:49 amHey remember when Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld used the 911 crisis to attack Afghanistan and then Iraq and helped spread conflict into Pakistan and gave us the Patriot act?
Now thats how dont let a serious crisis go to waste for an agenda that started around 1998 [PNAC]!
May 11th, 2009 at 11:58 am“many dreams were achieved,” the size of the economy doubled and employment and financial markets hit record levels. -=Sessions=-
What What? WHAT??
There were only about 3 million jobs created during the Bush term. And the market hit 14000 [July 2007] after the Dems took control of the house and senate.
May 11th, 2009 at 12:01 pmFree enterprise? I think once the goverment has to bail you out, you suck at running an enterprise, and it should be no longer free. GM BOA, etc etc. If they get shut down, then so be it. I have my own business, and the goverment hasn’t paid me to keep it up. Although I do pay them, constantly. So, target away at em’ obama. If they straighten their stuff out, then no one can “target” them.
May 11th, 2009 at 12:16 pmClinton’s job creation was TEN TIMES that of Bush’s, which was the worst since the Great Depression. Why are the Repubs allowed to say Bush’s employment record was the best???
Annual employment-growth rates for all 11 postwar presidents:
Harry Truman (1945-53), 2.38%
D Eisenhower (1953-61), 0.87%
John Kennedy (1961-63), 2.28%
L.B. Johnson -(1963-69), 3.74%
Richard Nixon (1969-74) 2.30%
Gerald Ford –(1974-77), 0.95%
Jimmy Carter -(1977-81), 3.11%
Ronald Reagan (1981-89) 2.04%
G.H.W. Bush -(1989-93), 0.59%
WJ Clinton (1993-2001), 2.42%
G. W. Bush -(2001-09), 0.28%
Notice that everytime going from Democratic to Republican administrations the job growth worsens and everytime going from Republican to Democratic, it improves. Will some Democratic spokesperson PLEASE go on TV and say this?
Records were not kept before the 1920’s, so the only change missing is from Hoover to FDR. That was obviously a huge improvement.
Also important to remember that the Reagan and two Bush administrations saw a fantastic explosion of the deficit.
May 11th, 2009 at 12:19 pmKeith, those are just facts and figures. The economy feels better to Republicans when they control the country.
May 11th, 2009 at 12:35 pmMr. Sessions, in his seventh term demonstrating that Texans elect morons over and over which I think qualifies them as morons as well
May 11th, 2009 at 12:35 pmDoesn’t this guy have a white sheet and pointy hat to model somewhere.
Republican’ts are morons on march to total irrelevancy.
Which is a good thing.
May 11th, 2009 at 12:39 pmRep. Pete Sessions: Obama wants to ‘diminish employment’ in order to consolidate power.
Meaning, rescinding Bush tax cuts will kill the job creation goose, making companies ship jobs overseas, allow the federal government to snap up the failing businesses left for pennies on the dollar, and turn them into government-run enterprises.
Judging by the recent failure of capitalism to self-correct itself, for some overcompensated-executive-run companies, no doubt, it’s a good idea.
May 11th, 2009 at 12:41 pmwiley Says:
Yeah, what Bilbo said. I was just wondering, during this sleepless night, if there were happy trolls visiting TP before the last presidential campaign fired up enough to rally the trolls. Happy, happy, happy trolls telling everyone how happy they were with the Republican party and how we could all be happy if we voted Republican. It’s my suspicion that they’ve always been angry and fearful.
Apparently Americans are getting the message. Two recent polls have the Republicans at 18% or 21%, both having them lose 4% in the last couple of months.
http://www.ap-gfkpoll.com/pdf/AP-GfK_Poll_Topline_April_2009.pdf (18%)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postpoll_042609.html (21%)
May 11th, 2009 at 12:54 pmConservativeForProgress Says:
And yet, even a weak ticket of McCain/Palin got 60,000,000 popular votes. It seems your count is off by about 99%.
You are correct about the math error. But, I think I’ll ask you how you feel about the current state of your party. Your membership is now somewhere between 18% and 21%, down 4 in the last couple of months. Do you see any correlation between people leaving the Republican party in droves and the rhetoric that is coming out of the party these days?
May 11th, 2009 at 12:55 pmBTW CFP, 4% of 60,000,000 is 2,400,000. That is a pretty large number of people who have abandoned your party. Too bad so sad for you and yours.
May 11th, 2009 at 12:58 pmKeith Says:
Clinton’s job creation was TEN TIMES that of Bush’s, which was the worst since the Great Depression. Why are the Repubs allowed to say Bush’s employment record was the best???
Annual employment-growth rates for all 11 postwar presidents:
I see a trend there. Other than Nixon and Reagan, all of the Presidents with the highest job growth rates were Democrats. I wonder why that is?
May 11th, 2009 at 1:00 pmAnd that “weak ticket” is the best your party could put together. You guys have become a national joke.
May 11th, 2009 at 1:01 pmI once heard a cop say that most criminals are not very smart. Republicans are not only corrupt, they are also incompetent.
May 11th, 2009 at 1:04 pmCFP, did you know that your name is an oxymoron?
May 11th, 2009 at 1:09 pmWhat membership are you talking about, CFP? I’m registered as a Republican and I have never in my life voted for a Republican. I was going to vote for Ron Paul in the primaries, with no intention of voting for him on Nov. 4, didn’t get around to it, and then I forgot to change it. It was fun to vote for Obama as a “Republican”.
May 11th, 2009 at 1:21 pmSo I guess this means that 23 percent of the people polled are smart.
Why do you think Obama wants to get things done this year?
Because he got the signal from the banksters that its time for him and Rahm to knock it off with the fearmongering about the economy.
He just ordered congress to send him credit card legislation now because he knows the recession is about to end.
“Never let a crisis go to waist” – Rahm Emanuel
May 11th, 2009 at 1:34 pmActually I’d be more inclined to think that Pete’s corporate handlers want to increase unemployment to make Obama look bad. They can afford to sh*t in their own nest at the expense of the workers.
May 11th, 2009 at 1:51 pmYeah, but the bankers couldn’t hold out til after the election.
May 11th, 2009 at 1:59 pmOh, they tried. Since 2006, everyone knew the Democratic nominee would win the presidential election. The plan was to stall the coming economic disaster until Jan. 21, 2009. They were done in by their won unbridled greed and corruption. It was just so bad that they couldn’t hide it for another six months and then blame it all on Barack Obama.
May 11th, 2009 at 3:04 pmI really have to wonder what Sessions hopes to accomplish by this line of attack.
Is it simply for the teabaggers’ benefit? Or is he trying to scare the populace?
the latter would truly be nuts. I suppose somebody might think that saying, “Look! It isn’t working! Obama’s doing this deliberately to divide the nation!”
THat is a tough path to take when they’re obstructing him at every turn. Sesssions’ point, then, would have to be that Obama is deliberately engineering the Republicans’ opposition to him.
I think he’s just keeping the fire stoked under the teabagging faithful. Which is more understandable, but equally foolish.
The Republlicans have been going from disaster to disaster, but their worst nightmare is, aafter calling Obama te antichrist, a Marrxist and a terrorist sympathizer, is if he suceeds in the atmosphere of well-publicized Republican hysteria.
Then (to violate Godwin’s law) he’s Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics winning his events as Hitler scowls from the stands.
May 11th, 2009 at 3:11 pmWhat do they think they’re going to accomplish with that 21%? It’s so crazy, it’s frightening. I wonder if they have a real plan. They probably really are that stupid and mired in group-thing and compensatory believing, and I’ll try to enjoy it.
May 11th, 2009 at 3:56 pmWhy do Texans and Georgians hate the rest of America so much?
I mean, can’t they change their own laws to marry their cousins and other family members if they’re true “Reagan Republicans”?!
May 11th, 2009 at 4:58 pmMaddow slammed Sessions and he comment tonight in her spot, “GOP in Exile.” hehe! I love those.
May 11th, 2009 at 9:46 pmUnemployment still rising…except in the government.
May 12th, 2009 at 3:33 pmWhat happened to all the answers?