I had the pleasure the other day of enjoying a presentation by former Wall Street Journal contributor Dean Rotbart.
I keep being told that nobody knows everything, but when I read the Wall Street Journal, I sometimes think, “maybe these guys do know everything.” If not, they come pretty close.
Dean Rotbart was offering his prescription for the Republican Party.
At the Beverly Hills Library, just blocks from my home, what Mr. Rotbart emphasized over and over again that what the GOP lacked was marketing. I could not agree more.
I have said over and over again that Republicans have the better ideas, but that Democrats are better salespeople. This is because Democrats have to spend all their time on sales and marketing because their product is dreadful. The GOP keeps thinking that being right on what matters is what matters at all. Until we start doing a much better job of explaining why our policies and ideas are better, we will remain in the politically wilderness.
With that, I present some wisdom from Dean Rotbart.
“Facts and logic don’t matter in the war for public opinion. If they did, Barack Obama would not be President.”
“Bernie Madoff ripped peolpe off to the tune of fifty billion dollars. It sounds like a lot, but fifty billion is a pittance compared to the government ripoff going on today.”
“With Madoff, the damage is done. With Obama and Pelosi, the damage is just getting started.”
“I wrote an article in the Jewish Journal apologizing for the Jewish vote. I did not apologize for their stupidity. I apologized that I did not do more. I am a still a reluctant warrior.”
“If we don’t do something, global jihadists will do what Hitler and the Nazis failed to do.”
“I do not think we are going to fix anything by 2010, or even by 2012. We need to work on fixing things by 2016.”
“We need ground up leadership. What has changed between November and now that makes any of the proposed candidates running in 2012 the answer to our problems?”
“As much as I hate to use them as an example, Al Qaeda succeeds because it is decentralized. It has cells.”
“Meritocracy is dead.”
“We need to market the GOP like it is Coca-Cola. The United States of America is the brand. The GOP is the advertising agency.”
“Forget press releases and position papers.”
Mr. Rotbart emphasized several times that the answer was not more press releases and position papers. The issue was that the GOP has a terrible brand. He offered a five point plan for rebranding the GOP. He also kept insisting that he did not want to lead the effort. He needed the people in the library to either be the people or find the people that could implement his plan.
1) “We need a theatrical commerical production consisting of people extolling America. With each person speaking, after describing the beauty of America, they would make clear that they were a Republican. The goal is to show that we are all Republicans.”
2) “We need a reality television series. We can show lawyers working in court, doctors working in clinics in poor areas, and people tutoring kids. Republicans do this every day, but many people do not see this.”
3) “We need an ‘All American Minute.’ During the Bicentennial, there was the ‘Bicentennial Minute.’ In sixty seconds powerful images can be spread out to people. Sixty second sound bites of everything that makes America great would be very helpful.”
4) “We need a Young Republican Jewish Coalition Chapter. I am not talking about young professionals. This should focus exclusively on high school students. When people are in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, their voting patters are already established. We have to focus on them when they are in high school.”
5) “We have to infiltrate music, television, the internet, and book worlds. One video featuring the Jonas Brothers will have a greater effect than 1000 op-eds. The left has their celebrities, and they use them. We have to start using our celebrities more often and more effectively.”
Mr. Roptbart offered some final thoughts.
“Gatekeepers change. All the facts in the world will not change the progressive media into the conservative media. You have to go around the gatekeepers.”
“Trying to convince people on the left of something means catering to their issue. If you want environmentalists and animal rights activists about the severity of Iran building a nuclear bomb, let them know that on 9/11, trees and field mice died. They still may not care about the loss of human life, but they will feel awful about dead trees and field mice, and perhaps become an ally.”
The audience had many elderly people in it, and they all had certain political issues that were near and dear to them. Mr. Rotbart kept on his disciplined message, which was that without style, people will never get to the substance. Trying to force people to be outraged about issues won’t work.
The right already has the substance. Yet we need better packaging. At this point, I offered my thoughts.
“As one of the relatively young people in the room, I can tell you that if you want to market to young people, you need two things…humor…and sexuality. Have you seen the way the PETA people get naked to sell vegetarianism? It works. I know that is going to make some of you in here cringe, but young people are motivated by imagery. Behind every teenage boy babbbling stupidity about choroflorocarbons or the wetlands, there is a teenage girl he is trying to impress.
There is a conservative comedy night every month in Hollywood at the Laugh Factory. The room is packed, often with young kids.
If you make them laugh, and appeal to their base instincts, they will listen. More humor, more sexuality.”
I was surprised at how many old people came up to me and told me that they agreed with me. Of course, many of them did not come up to me, so lord knows what they thought.
As for Mr. Rotbart, he was inclined to agree with me. We spoke about the television show “South Park,” as well as the “Batman: Dark Knight” movie. I pointed out how awful it was that it did not win multiple Oscars. He pointed out in return that Oscars did not matter. It made millions at the box office. People watched it.
Some people will argue that the problem with the GOP is the message itself. Most of those critics are leftists anyway, and would accept nothing less than a second leftist party identical to the Democrats or worse.
Those that genuinely care about the fate of the Republican Party would do well to heed the wisdom of Dean Rotbart.
eric
Good luck with that. Yeah, with lines like “If you want environmentalists and animal rights activists about the severity of Iran building a nuclear bomb, let them know that on 9/11, trees and field mice died. They still may not care about the loss of human life, but they will feel awful about dead trees and field mice, and perhaps become an ally” you’re really gonna make a lot of friends. You can’t paint a happy face on a mean snarl. The problem is not marketing, it’s the product. You guys marketed your way to power and then completely and totally failed to produce results. You doubled the national debt, but we Americans got absolutely nothing whatsoever out of it! When a family gets into debt to buy a home, at least they get the home out of it! You guys managed to add 5 trillion dollars to the debt and we got nothing! I can’t even think of a good metaphor for such stupidity. You spent 5 trillion dollars on nothing! Oh, but a few of you are “working in court, doctors working in clinics in poor areas, and people tutoring kids,” but meanwhile you’ve bankrupted the country! That’s like breaking a guys jaw and then offering him a new toothbrush! Gee, thanks. And all this “extolling America” BS… you did that already. You stuck that flag in our faces so much, we all have red, white and blue stains on our foreheads. But what’s the point? The value of that flag has taklen such a beating from you guys, it may as well be an oil rag. Oh yeah, and getting the young people! That’s a tried and true method. Why not get them younger. You can start in pre-school. You know – teach the kids not to share their toys, to steal toys from the other kids, and to assault kids who do not want to play with them. There’s some GOP values for ya’.
Look, you don’t have to do anything different from what you’ve done before. Just wait. Americans are stupid. Eventually they’ll forget what an abject failure conservatism is and they’ll come running back for more flagellation. You guys will always have one thing going for you – America’s collective amnesia.
JMJ
“You doubled the national debt, but we Americans got absolutely nothing whatsoever out of it! ”
Bull.
War costs money, we are safe because of the spending involved ion the efforts that kept us safe for 7 1/2 years.
The only reason Clinton had that surplus was due to lingering eefects of the Bush 1 adimistration and his dereliction to spend on needed measures.
“When a family gets into debt to buy a home, at least they get the home out of it! ”
More bull.
Most of the foreclosures are due to those that were fraudulant clients or preyed upon by banks that pressured them into buying homes they couldnt afford.
The CRA created more headache than it was worth.
” You guys managed to add 5 trillion dollars to the debt and we got nothing!”
Really, do you actually believe that in one 5 minute google serch even the biggest idiot couldnt find a host of benefits and successes weve enjoyed over the last 8 years ?
Wise up, grow up.
“Oh, but a few of you are “working in court, doctors working in clinics in poor areas, and people tutoring kids,” but meanwhile you’ve bankrupted the country!”
We are the most giving and charitable demographic in the world.
“The value of that flag has taklen such a beating from you guys, it may as well be an oil rag.”
What the hell do you care ? You’ve already stated that you think its just a symbol and have no objection to those who trample on and burn it.
Hypocrite.
“Why not get them younger. You can start in pre-school. ”
Yea, like teaching them sex ed ?
“You know – teach the kids not to share their toys, to steal toys from the other kids, and to assault kids who do not want to play with them.”
Like the entitlement pay my mortgage, gimme medical, food stamp freak liberals who think that anyone with more than them oughta give some up ?
There’s some GOP values for ya’.”
We have some.
Whats your excuse ?
“Look, you don’t have to do anything different from what you’ve done before.”
Thats the point. But “before” was a long time ago when true conservatism was actually untainted by those who thought that being just a little more left of right was the way to go. Its that small injection of left into our standards that corrupted us.
” Just wait. Americans are stupid”
Except when they see it your way.
“You guys will always have one thing going for you – America’s collective amnesia.”
You would be the perfect example, but you actually have too have a memory in the first place in order to have something to forget
A poster complaints about trillion dollar deficits, but simply doesn’t get it.
Few economists really put much concern in how much money we owe OURSELVES. I don’t either. Balanced budgess are a must for individuals,
but governments, no.
After all, we owe the money to ourselves. Assuming our GDP goes up (and not down), over the next 10 years…this will be paid off. I admit to
not appreciating all that interest however..or the fact that our offspring will be liable for the debt for the most part.
But think of it this way, if our children had no country to live in worth living, so what’s the good?
There is a rub in this however. The Chinese financed the WAR in Iraq, which I approved of initially. ( For those who doubt the efficacy of this war, please read “War and Decision”, by Douglas Feith (neo-con as some describe him) who was a policy adviser to Bush).
BTW, the definition of neo-con is simply new..but Bush also had
around him paleo-cons, (Cheney) meaning like old.
While I was for the war to get rid of a regime that murdered 2m Muslims (including those wonderful Iranians), killed their own families, violated over 16 UNSC resolutions after the first Gulf War, relocated the “Marsh” Arabs, and replaced them with Sunnis, squandered billions on over 60 palaces, had the capacity (if not the actual weapons/hidden or destroyed), to deliver warheads mounted on “Illegal” long range missiles to our forces in the area and our friends and allies, was making a long range gun which could have lobbed shells over 1,000 miles (until the inventor was killed), had sujected 25m people to a brutal dictatorship……and could have used surrogate cells in the US to spread deadly toxins which (in one study) would have killed 1 million people within 3 months (for which we did not
have adequate defenses, and had the most awful bacterial agents produced by mankind..anthrax, smallpox, etc.
Saddam Hussein is gone and the world is far better off without him.
Think of our situation if his sons were now running the country.
However, we did not have a draft, which I believe was a mistake. We should have financed this war by increasing taxes..not reducing them.
We did not listen to Colin Powell’s advise regarding warfare..you play to
win, and win quickly.
Hasn’t Vietnam or Korea taught us anything about winning?
This war has gone on much too long..and morphed into an American intervention in an Arab area, which has known a rivalry between
Sunnis and Shias for centuries. A big mistake. This was NOT our intent.
Talking about mistakes..why the heck didn’t we finish off Saddam
in 1991 when we could have within days (we had his elite forces
on the run, but didn’t follow through thanks to Bush Sr.
Oh how good liberal countries never learn anything. Israel sent 50,000
troops into Lebanon, after suffering some unexpected losses. Instead
of routing Hezbollah, they backed off. Good old UN again and Condi.
In the Strip, Hamas was on the ropes. Thanks to the UN, it now is
receiving Fajr Missiles from Iran and 5 billion in aid, (900 m from US).
Won’t WE ever learn?
I blame the Democrats for losing Iran…thanks Jimmy Peanut Brain Carter, who now KNOWS how to bring peace to the M.E. (I won’t buy
this book, will you, it’s pure crap?)
Yesterday, I head the liberal CBS news anchor (you remember her, she
asked Palin all those smart-ass questions), tell her audience that Bibi
is not for the two state solution. What she didn’t say was that unless
there is guaranteed security and the state won’t turn into an Iranian
supported Islamic fascist ruled country, he is not supporting the ill conceived concept. Thanks Katie, you jerk.
The economy, it’s complicated, but lets start with the Democrats who
pushed the Fed and Treasury into low interest rates allowing millions
to purchase homes..you know, to get out of the ghetto and live the
good life, or wealthier individuals who capitalized on increased equity
in their property, refined, purchased boats, bigger homes without end.
The problem, no one thought to ask for a financial statement to show
an ablity to pay the loan back, assuming the worst happened, like a lay-off,
illness, another child, or 2 or 3 or 4 or maybe 8.
Sooooooo, the hot shots on Wall Street, with no regulations, bundled
these mortgages..and figured out ways to have investment banks buy them..to resell, financed by greedy, gullible stockholders and other investors, not to forget the Arab oil glutted countries.
I could have told you so..nothing comes for free in this life, not even
homes. Why didn’t you rent..I do?
But then again, when government owns public housing..well you
know the results…guards with German Shepards to guard us from harm,
crime, drugs, prostitution..get that you liberal do-gooders.
Then there is section 8 which allows people, with hidden assets,
to bleed more money from US.
Talk about foreign policy…now Hillary is demanding Israel open up it’s borders with Hamas’s run Gaza Strip area…Israel balks caus often times
he is attacked at those borders AND doesn’t want cement tubes to be transported into the Strip (to be used to make more and deallier rockets).
Hillary, now fully under Obama’s thumb..and away from some influential Jewish groups in her precious New York, is really showing the true Hillary.
I told you so guys in Floriida and even here in La La Land.
Oh BTW, she is also condemning Israel’s policy of bulldozing homes, if owned by a terrorist attacker or his (her) family. This goes back to the
British control of Palestine, when it was used to thwart attacks against their forces. Britain also did something else..that Israel won’t do, it hung
it’s prisoners.
Of course Israel, with it’s liberal mindset, wont execute a terrorist,
it eventually frees him (her) per some “deal”. I mean, these Arabs have it good. If they kill a Jew, it’s Jihad, holy war. sanctioned. If they die in the process, they cavort with 72 dark haired virgins forever. They cannot lose.
Jews and other “Liberals” will vote for whomever promises the most, out of the US Treasury. Or as one person told me, “I don’t care”. Yeah sure.
Perhaps the Republicans can counter this…but I suspect advertising is
wasted on the young (as proposed by the speaker mentioned in this article). It’s about money, money and more money.
When these youngsters start filing out their tax returns and making a payment to the IRS..maybe they
will finally wake up? I don’t know?
When No. Korea tests a long range missile which can reach their precious
condos in Beverly Hills, or Pasadena or Glendale, or Iran uses a surrogate cell within the US
to explode a dirty or CLEAN bomb..maybe they will get the message?
I don’t know?
Sometimes, a good kick in the head is what does it, what lights
the light in someone’s head.
Unfortunately, the Obama administration, with it’s fools gold of
answers to our problems..is still new.
I am a registered Democrat, but vote Republican. Finally I saw the light.
Frankly I believe everyone is to blame for what we are experiencing
now. I bought Disney Stock and Ford years ago. You can imagine.
I don’t know why anyone buys a foreign made car..or goes to France
or Egypt on holiday, as they say?
I bought a Memorex DVD..last month, to replace an older DVD (made
in Korea). Guess where the new DVD is made, you got it, China.
Maybe I should looked before I leaped.
Stay tuned folks, you ain’t seen anything yet.
I understand bagel restaurants are doing well, despite the depression.
Or as the Greek anarchists say while shooting at THEIR police
and attacking ( caus of their chutspah ), the Israeli embassy (” Police are like donut holes. ) I mean, Jews defending themselves..what nerve.
Where oh where are those WW2 Jews, the ones who walked into gas
chambers thinking they were to be resettled.
To the old Jews living in Florida, and the grandfathers and grandmothers,
drinking their tea and eating prune danish…tell your offspring from the East
Coast who visit occasionally, “We need more guns, not Bernie Madoff
type investments.”
Dan Lev, I didn’t even get into the deficit. I was just talking about the debt. That’s 5 trillion man. And when you look at how that will be financed over time, that could add up to an unimaginable amount. The point I was making was that for all that FIVE TRILLION we got NOTHING out of it! Okay, maybe, Medicare Part D, but the sleazy rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul conservatives rigged that so the taxpayer gets raped by big Insurace and Pharma. The VA, GEICO, all those guys get to negotiate prices, but nooooo, not Part D! So Bush and the GOP pandered to the elderly vote while robbing their grandchildren to pay for it! That’s barely a break-even as a matter of accomplishment. On top of that, the benefit is lousy.
And then Micky brings up “the war,” the stupidest excuse for all this I’ve ever heard. It’s like when Rumsfeld said, “you go to war with the army you have.” NO YOU DON’T! YOU GET A BIGGER ARMY! It’s the same with PAYING for war. You don’t go to war with the money you have – you raise more money! This was the first war in American history where the rich neither died NOR paid for it! We won WWII with a 90% TOP MARGINAL RATE. That’s how we financed the war. And the war certainly doesn’t account for FIVE TRILLION dollars! So, take out Part D and the war and you still have THREE TRILLION unaccounted dollars in debt. For what? Did we get any new roads, new rails, new schools, new energy, new technology, new medicine, new housing, revamped ANYTHING, new ANYTHING WHATSOEVER? NO! WE GOT SQUAT! THREE TRILLION DOLLARS FOR JACK SQUAT! At least Obama and Co are trying to spend the money on SOMETHING of SOME TANGIBLE VALUE. You guys are fine with Keynesianism – as long as it’s for war – but God forbid it’s for something that actually pays for itself down the line, like physical and institutional infrastructure, then it’s “communism,” galdarnit!!!
Face it – conservatism is a failure, no matter how you try to “brand” it.
And to say Cheney is a “paleoconservative,” by the way, shows a genuine ignorance of American politics. Cheney is a founding father of the neocon movement. Pat Buchanan is a paleocon, and at least he’s honest about what he believes. Cheney, Bush and the rest of the neocons are liars. They say one thing and do another. Take the war in Iraq. Cheney knew what a bloody, expensive mess that would be, but he got us in anyway. Why? Because some people made a whole lot</e. of money on that fiasco. Take illegal immigration, or fiscal disipline, or “nation building,” or ending certain cabinet departments – regardless of what I may think of these initiatives, did the neocons do ANYTHING about ANY of that? No. They had no intention to. They lied. Yeah, they did try to divert SS money into the stock market – the stupidest, most counter-free market thing I’ve ever heard of – but couldn’t even convince a majority of their own party to get on board with that idiocy, and now we sure see why!
Face it. It’s not “marketing.” It’s not the “brand.” It’s the FAILURE.
JMJ
Jersey, you got chewed up and spit out with relative facts.
All you come back with again is your stupid opinions.
Fact, the two wars and 911 cost money. Period.
Obamas defcit so far had rendered nothing but debt and 20,000 professional economists say it wont work.
Fact. We have won more elections and been in power more often in this countrys history than dems. So the brand cant be as bad as you say it is.
“You don’t go to war with the money you have – you raise more money!”
How much dumber can you get ?
“Oh Mr. Terrorist, can you wait til I save up some more money ?”
How retarded is that ?
“but the sleazy rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul conservatives ”
Are you serious ? My great grankids are gonna be paying for Obamas idiocy and you throw in Peter to pay Paul ?
Pot, meet Kettle.
“SOMETHING of SOME TANGIBLE VALUE.”
Yup, you can get dumber.
Show me the tangible, please.
“physical and institutional infrastructure”
Infrastructure does not pay for itself, it produces nothing.
The Iraq war so far has cost 603,000,000,000 dollars, Afghanistan, 500,000,000,000.
Add on the 9/11, creating the dept of homeland security, disaster efforts for hurricane katrina didnt matter ? aids relief in africa didnt matter? And I believe there was a bunch of money for relief due to hurricanes and earthquakes in a few places too !
To sum it all up he spent a alot more money than the government took in.
BUT NOTHING LIKE THIS MORON !
NOT EVEN CLOSE !
AND HES JUST GETTING STARTED !
AT THIS RATE IN 8 YEARS HE’LL OF SPENT 144 TRILLION DOLLARS !!!!
WITHOUT INTEREST !!!
At least regarding the disaster stuff, any president would have been stuck with a big bill for those. No matter who was president on paper it wouldnt have looked very successful. even if you took out the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. There were alot of extenuating circumstances/events during this period that you’re just coveniently ignoring and not giving credit to.
“Face it – conservatism is a failure, no matter how you try to “brand” it.
Face it, you really have no case, nothing to point to in relative fact, just spiteful bull that any 3rd grader could refute.
Besides that, you guys caused this mess, most of it, and you’re clueless as to how to fix it other than to ride on the backs of the real movers and shakers.
Weak pathetic unproductive little leeches who unstead of letting the market do what its done best for decades turn around and think that bleeding dry what makes that market is gonna fix it.
Sure, capitalism has had its ups and downs, socialsim has never had anything but downs.
And you lunatics think you can make it work ?
Conservative fiscal policies have a proven track record of working.
What Obama is doing has a proven track record of failure.
Those are the facts.
“Face it. It’s not “marketing.” It’s not the “brand.” It’s the FAILURE. ”
Aww, I think a dumb statement like that just reflects a little fear in you that were narrowing our focus on things and that Rotbart actually is on to something and you’re just trying to diminish it for fear that it would actually work.
Or you’re just in denial over what he said making so much sense.
If what he says can work for an empty suit looser it can sure work for policies that proven winners
Jeez, I just looked over Jerseys last post again and realized its just a bunch of random crap from the KOS all thrown in blender and dropped on some paper.
Man, its so easy to refute all that crap Jersey, have some dignity, tighten it up a little with something more convincing than just always expecting people to take your word for it.
JMJ
“You guys managed to add 5 trillion dollars to the debt and we got nothing!”
Its just not true.
If you ask me to prove it I will.
But you will seriously make yourself look like a fool if you do.
Trust me.
Well, Micky, I don’t read Kos – or HP or DU or any of that stuff – so maybe, just maybe, a lot of people just happen to be seeing the SAME OBVIOUS THINGS BEFORE THEIR EYES. Please. Pary tell. What the heck did we get for that five trillion dollars? The two wars cost about 1 tril. Part D about 1 tril. Both were bad deals from which we got little to nothing. The Iraq war? Useless. Part D? Good for old people, lousy for the rest of us. So what about the the other three tril? Care to take a guess where that went? I happen to know, but I’m curious to see if you do.
And Micky, when I made the comment “you raise more money” that didnt mean you have to wait to raise it (though we obviously could have waited). But JHC man! You could raise it at SOME point!
If we spent that much money on DHS and the GWOT than we GOT NOTHING FOR OUR MONEY. You’d have to be a psychotic to think it should cost THAT much to keep us safe from a handfuil of mad Arabs. It’s INSANE. It would be like putting two mortgages on your house just to buy guns and a fence. You’d have to be an idiot.
And 144 trillion? Are you sane man?
JMJ
“Well, Micky, I don’t read Kos – or HP or DU or any of that stuff – so maybe, just maybe, a lot of people just happen to be seeing the SAME OBVIOUS THINGS BEFORE THEIR EYES. ”
Obvious what ?
Deranged unfounded claims that are so far off the mark theirs no possible way they could be true ?
“What the heck did we get for that five trillion dollars? The two wars cost about 1 tril. Part D about 1 tril. Both were bad deals from which we got little to nothing. The Iraq war? Useless.”
I just made a list and an explanation in my last post. So once again you’re being disengenuous in raising the same question once again when I answered it by listing more than just the two wars.
Iraq was definitley and investment in futures security. Whether you agree with that or not is up for a different debate but there is no doubt that we didnt just go there to capture Saddam and spread democracy.
The Iraq war is just as much an investment in our future security as Obama thinks his stupid budget and stimulus are an investment in our fiscal future.
“So what about the the other three tril? Care to take a guess where that went? I happen to know, but I’m curious to see if you do.”
Naw, you just think you know. Knowing your way of thought you’re probably gionna come up with some trufer theory that it all went to Halliburton, Blackwater and a bunch of no bid contracts in Iraq, theres no way we dished out more in private contracts than the cost of the war itself since many of those contracts are already included in the initial total cost of the war.
Whatever you claim will be I’m like everything else it’ll just be a voiced suspicion with nothing to back it up.
These numbers are off my unpublished posts on my blog so they’re about a year old, but the perspective is enough.
Bushs efforts in Africa and around the world saved 10 million lives. Government development aid to Africa quadrupled from $1.3 billion in 2001 to more than $5 billion in 2008, he doubled foreign aid worldwide over the past eight years.
6.7 billion for Millennium Challenge Corporation.
Katrina a year ago had so far cost about200 billion.
Israel so far has recieved about 130 billion in aid.
During FY 2008, the U.S. government spent nearly $800 billion on defense and homeland security.
Department of Defense: $741 billion
Homeland Security: $54 billion
Interest on the public debt was approximately $239 billion in fiscal years 2007 and 2008.
During 2007, the government also accrued a non-cash interest expense of $194 billion for intra-governmental debt, primarily the Social Security Trust Fund, for a total interest expense of $433 billion. This accrued interest is added to the Social Security Trust Fund and therefore the national debt each year and will be paid to Social Security recipients in the future.
The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 cost $170 billion.
Look, I could go on and on finding all kinds of things that we got for our money. If you want to say or cast an opinion that it was nothing fine. Go ahead and live in your fantasy world. Whatever it takes to feed that “hate habit”, right ?
Bottom line is this.
You said we managed to add 5 trillion dollars to the debt and we got nothing to where I said I would prove you wrong.
AND I DID !!
“If we spent that much money on DHS and the GWOT than we GOT NOTHING FOR OUR MONEY.”
Just because you cant see the value of the lives saved says very little about you.
Actually, its pretty disgusting that you call all the lives saved “nothing”
Pretty sick if you ask me.
” It would be like putting two mortgages on your house just to buy guns and a fence. You’d have to be an idiot.”
Its alright, Obama will pay it for me.
“And 144 trillion? Are you sane man?”
Hey, its just projected math. My bad, that was actually a 4 year figure, not 8.
Obama so far has dropped 3 trillion in one month with nothing to show for it, so far.
3 Trillion a month in 4 years actually comes to 144 trillion.
Will he spend that much in 4 years ? Probably not, its simply not there but then again, doesnt seem like that basic principle stops him, does it ?
Thanks for the recap Eric.