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Don’t listen to the Federal Reserve or economists, dagnabit! You’re better off now than you were eight years ago. George Will thinks so, and he’s never wrong, correct? The problem–as Will sees it–has nothing to do with economic indicators but with people like Robert Reich pointing out that the economy is benefiting the very wealthy and those in the middle class aren’t seeing any improvement for them.
So for all you who haven’t been able to find a job for months because yours has been outsourced and you’ve fallen off the unemployment rolls, or you purchased your home through companies like Countrywide, which used predatory lending tactics and are now facing foreclosure, whose IRAs and investment portfolios still haven’t recovered from 2001, who have felt the pinch and had to make hard choices in your standard of living due to the higher cost of groceries and oil, quit yer whining!
Transcripts below the fold:
REICH: I don’t think you can separate economic security from national security. This is why I find John McCain’s position so interesting, because he wants to and needs to separate himself from Bush, a failed presidency, particularly if you look at the polls. And yet, on Iraq and on the economy, he is going beyond what George Bush has done. I mean, his tax cuts are beyond anything that –particularly for the wealthy—beyond anything that George Bush has proposed or did implement.
WILL: But Bob, today we have a bifurcated economy. The export sector is doing wonderfully, it’s pulling the country along, and the Democratic Party is raising doubts about its commitment—indeed, it’s affirming its lack of commitment—to free trade.
Now it is true that I think there is a disjunction in the public mind without precedent in 200 years of American history. We’ve always assumed that the very process—the dynamic market capitalism—produces increased national wealth simultaneously produced increased family and individual security. Now the doubt is that today’s capitalism on steroids, if you will, globalized capitalism increases national wealth, but undermines family and individual security which will produce a great flinch from free economics.
REICH: That’s exactly the point. That’s exactly the problem, George. Americans now have lost their faith in free trade; they’ve lost their faith in economic growth because they haven’t seen the benefits of it. It’s all gone to the top. That’s why Obama’s tax cuts for the middle class and for the poor are so critical for this campaign.
WILL: Because friends like you are misinforming the country by saying that they have not seen benefits. Even housing, Bob, housing today after the big decline, the average American house is worth a third more than it was in 2000.
REICH: George Will, you tell average Americans that they are better off today than they were in 2000-2001…
WILL: I will.
REICH: …and they will not believe you.
Filed Under: This Week/George Stephanopoulos
Tags: Economy, Free Trade, George Will, This Week
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George Will is better off today than he was eight years ago. Rain or shine, recession or boom, he gets paid well. In fact, most of the folks you see on these TV news shows _ commentators and guests, for the most part _ do very well salary-wise. They are addressing an issue that really doesn’t affect their bottom line as much as it does “average” Americans.
I think there should be a show asking these folks how much money they make, how much they spend a day on items, what expenses are covered by their companies, if the economy has affected them. It would be nice to see where they are in the pecking order before commenting on other less-economically well off folks, like myself.
George Will, what do you make?
The only way I’m better off this year is that I don’t have to look forward to George Bush being in office in 2009.
I can’t stand when people who have never even met an “average American” have the balls to go up on their podium and tell us that we should be delighted with how well things are going, thanks to ‘free trade’ (read, ‘union busting’ and ’selling out America’s once-great industrial sector’) and ‘tax cuts (for the wealthy)’.
If you think Bush’s presidency was bad, McCain’s economic and fiscal proposals are insanity in comparison.
At the very end Sam Donaldson starts saying “we met some average Americans last week on vacation in Italy.” Yup, those were very “avarage” Americans, Sam. Why I remember my last vacation in Italy. Oh wait, that’s a racial memory from my gradparents. No one in my family has been able to afford to go back since they came over. So I guess we’re below avarage?
Erik_Da_Red @ 4:
those average americans you met in italy now have a larger credit card balance
any member of the military industrial congressional meidatainement big pharma complex is doing just fine.
look at Halliburton’s stock performance!!!! blood=money for George “Goebbels” Will and his pack of opinion manufacturers!!
If there is a hell, George Will has got secure reservations for it.
I’ll keep it short: FU George Will!
Same goes for the other George.
George Will has not credibility after what he has been saying for the past few years.
Some average americans in st. paul mn and tampa fl:
http://freewayblogger.blogspot.....tampa.html
Britney Hume made some dumbass comment about how well people are doing despite how they actually feel and Juan Williams took him to task and just laughed in his face, I have a feeling Juan will be replaced soon.
George Will And Britney Hume are the same kind of condescending hacks who have no idea how real people live.
somebody ought to ask sam donaldson, for a guy that makes your salary why would you buy a hairpiece at walmart?
[Deleted. Off topic. Malcolm, the site monitors saw as much of the same ugliness regarding Russert’s death as we saw when it was announced Ted Kennedy suffered from a brain tumor. Forgive us if we don’t want to be associated with the ghoulishness of those comments. Thank you. Site Monitor]
[And, upon further review, knock it off with the sock-puppetry, Malcolm Y/Dread Pirate Wesley/David Bowman. It’s a good way to get yourself banned. Site Monitor]
WILL: blah blah blah…bifurcated economy…export sector….blah blah blah…free trade…blah blah blah…disjunction…blah blah blah…dynamic market capitalism…increased national wealth…blah blah…
One of our greatest living thesaurians and bovine fecalists.
;-}
Captain Obama’s Bitter Half Husein Kangaroo @ 9:
he knows his party is in trouble they’re barely hanging on…the republicans can no longer claim to be fiscally responsible and that’s killing them..they are big government,weak dollar,war and big spending….it’s obvious that the divide between rich and poor is too great..this is a different conservative philosophy that george will doesn’t agree with…the NEOCON philosophy
redcat @ 12:
now that… is cold blooded dawg…..
George H.W.Bush lost to Clinton in 1992 because he couldn’t see what the problem was - from his opaque bubble mansion view.
George Will, and friends, are having identical time-share experiences from that same window.
The natural consequences of too many overpaid corporate media whores competing for so few real issues.
BTW, George(Will); the main reason our exports are lookin up is because our dollar is in the toilet.
and it has taken george will how many years to become this stupid?
I’d like to bifurcate George Will’s economy.
The condescending pundit class has not only done well during the past seven years, they’ve contributed to global warming with all their hot air.
Time for a Bill Maher-esque New Rule:
New Rule - rich people who claim that the economy has never been better must forfeit 90% of their wealth, which will then be shared equally amongst the rest of the country.
Hey, George, tell us again about that off-shore drilling by China…..come on, tell us once more….we need a litmus test for your “credibility”.
Okay Republicans please tell me one thing that you people have not screwed up beyond recognition in the last 8 years, Just one thing, only one thing theres nothin You can say is there, Thats why you people can never run on your record and you always have to come up with some smeer tactics, If you ran on your record none of you could win an election for dog catcher
Proud2bHumble @ 13:
William Safire could talk circles around George Will.
The show should be called “5 out of touch windbags discuss the topics of the day”
Actually, the whole show was embarrassing–George is getting good at that. National sleeping pill and constipation advocate, Fred Thompson, was counter point to John Edwards in the first segment. I will give it to Fred, he is the nation’s leading dullard, after George “p-Fuddy” Will.
karl @ 15:
What? the hairpiece?
Captain Obama’s Bitter Half Husein Kangaroo @ 22:
Whereas Georgie Williar is just circling the drain these days…
Captain Obama’s Bitter Half Husein Kangaroo @ 26:
that was frickin funny
Would it surprise anyone if I said that Will is a liar?
I havent read his book (and have no intention of doing so), but he himself quoted his book by saying - republicans are willing to accept inequality of outcome in order to protect freedom - while democrats limit freedom in order to achieve equality of outcome.
You see - its a lie. Republicans have done more to limit (destroy) freedoms than literally any other group in US history - Will knows this, yet claims republicans want to preserve freedom. He is a social darwinist that will say whatever is needed to get a ‘win’.
What becomes apparent is that not only was Will lying about republicans interest in preserving freedom - he was lying about being willing to ‘accept’ unequal outcomes to protect freedom. It is clear that unequal outcome is the point to a republican NOT freedom.
If you understand this one point - his comments make perfect sense.
He is a liar and a singular enemy of civil community.
Dr. (terrorist fist jab) Matt @ 21:
i had forgotten about that.. did he ever explain himself?
http://mediamatters.org/items/200806130008
George Will is Ayn Rand with a bad hair piece and glasses.
LOL, I will take my “cash in the safe”! Thank you very much!
www.an0n.mirrorz.com
Ruthless People @ 31:
…and larger cup size…
We are better off today than we were 8 years ago. Mainly because Bush is finally leaving, but that’s it.
Erik_Da_Red @ 4:
Lprd Donaldson passed those average Americans on their way to meet David Brooks at the Applebee’s salad bar.
Will:
Whaddaya mean “we,” White Man?
Oh, George, it’s not capitalism on steroids. It’s capitalism without sensible regulations to make it work. Free trade and globalization are not evil per se. They require the similar kinds of sensible regulations and safety nets that the economies of nations do.
Every time things seem to be going well, you laissez faire folks come along to argue that everything would be just that much better if we abandoned all the human-made rules of the game — that overall wealth would increase and trickle down, people would all earn more and pay less taxes, and that government-regulated or -run programs would work even better than they are working if private people ran it in pursuit of profit. And like a gambling addict who doesn’t know to quit when he’s ahead, people fall for it, and vote you guys into office.
Thereupon, you dismantle everyone’s benefits and concentrate wealth in the hands of a few who already had more than enough and who proceed to steal everything in sight and maximize their own profits at the expense of everything around them — human rights, national security, and even their own long-run best interests. Which then leads those who have been hurt to contemplate whether the French Revolutionaries had the right idea about rich people, prompting someone on the left to try to figure out a way to balance the powers that be against the people’s best interests, reinstall regulations, add one or two new government programs, and save the country from itself.
Lather, rinse repeat.
why didn’t somebody ask will why he didn’t serve in the military during the vietnam era?
How is it that people like Will are brought back time and time and time again - and every time it’s nothing but lies. He can’t even pretend to know what he’s talking about. Why do they let him get away with this?
He opens his mouth and the sound that spews forth is an unending, pitiful, unintelligible whine. How can people stand it? I don’t know if there’s a bigger crybaby out there.
Why is the American public subjected to the same CRAP from this brain-dead partisan asshole every single frickin’ week?
*
redcat @ 37:
couldn’t see to well through those rose colored glasses
Another BAD Hairpiece guy with another BAD piece of information skewed into some kind of reasonable (only to Republicans) explanation to bolster the view from the rich of how GOOD we normal folks have it.
Dr. (terrorist fist jab) Matt @ 21:
He must have gotten his “facts” from the Green Monster http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-7JN7z2cUg
And they pay George Will to spread his swill. George has been disassociated from reality for years. That’s what happens when you live in a bubble. Our economy doing well, what universe are these people from? The comment on our dollar should be a clue, of course we can sell our products overseas, those poor countries have vaults full of worthless greenbacks that they are trying to dump. This is an exact case of why I have stopped watching these supposed Sunday morning news programs. I have not seen a real American on one for years. Think the scum would invite me? Nah, I might embarrass them by pointing out some of the inconvenient facts that they always leave out. Doing better now than 2000, how the hell can we get these people off the air. I already don’t buy products from their advertisers.
The Sheep better look up soon and quit following the asshole in front of them, case in point, George Will’s asshole.
35 Articles of Impeachment on the Table. Pick one up read it aloud. 34 Articles of Impeachment on the Table……………..
Trittydi @ 38:
Corporate network execs love providing an outlet for rich-man’s propaganda. They figure it it’s parroted enough the working-class neanderthals will fall in line and treat scumbag politicians that cater to the rich and corporations as friends of the little folk.
Take that silver spoon out of your ass Georgy boy. I’ve had enough of this “it will pass” attitude.
Karen @ 36: