Say It Ain't So Already

Obama Wants to Freeze Pay for Federal Workers, Republicans Take Credit

November 29, 2010 at 3:40 PM Leave a comment

This morning, President Obama, a/k/a President Gimmick, proposed freezing the pay of Federal workers for two years to “demonstrate concern over sky-high deficit spending,” a “symbolic gesture that will reduce federal spending by less than 0.05 percent.”

President Obama has apparently bought into the conservative meme that Federal workers make too much money so their pay should be knocked down a notch or three so they’re as bad off as the rest of us — instead of embracing the progressive notion that wages of the rest of us should more evenly match those of Federal workers because their pay is more in line with the current cost of goods and services,  thus they have a higher standard of living.  In sort:  Bring us all down instead of raising us all up.

So, 24-hours before meeting with John Boehner Boner and Mitch McDonnell in the White House for what he hopes will be a bipartisan cum-bay-ah, Obama behaves like a Republican either because he believe their philosophy about keeping wages down, or he’s making a peace-offering to the Republicans, or both.

Whatever he’s doing, it only took a few hours for him to come out looking like a total fool:

Eric Cantor, the number two in the House GOP leadership, seized on the news as proof that Republicans, not Obama, are setting the governing agenda. Cantor said he was “encouraged” by Obama’s proposal, noting that House Republicans had already “offered the very same spending-cut proposal on the floor of the House.” Cantor continued:

“We are pleased that President Obama appears ready to join our efforts. As the recent election made clear, Americans are fed up with a government that spends too much, borrows too much and grows too much.”

In other words, Republicans are simply pointing to this as proof that Obama agrees with their interpretation of the elections and in response is now willing to follow their script.

If Obama doesn’t fight with all he’s got for an extension of the Bush tax cuts for the rich, and if he signs a bill extending them — coupled with this stupid move today — that’ll signal to me that he has fully crossed over to the other side.  The Republicans will play him like a fiddle until November, 2012 when he’ll be voted out of office for being one of the weakest presidents ever.

UPDATE:  Came across this which pretty much says it all:

UPDATE II:  More stupid planning on Obama’s part:  Freeze pay for two years?  Two years?  That brings us to November/December 2012 when Republicans will more than likely take over the government. They’ll keep the freeze in place.

Yo, Obama.  If you insist, extend the freeze for one year.  For God’s sake, don’t create a trap of your own making.

Hello.  Anybody home?

Entry filed under: Financial Crisis, President Barack H. Obama and Co., Republicans, Including Wingers & "Moderates". Tags: .