Hat tip:SharpElbowsStl

As Christina Romer, the White House’s chief economist, prepares to leave the Obama administration, she gave a speech to the National Press Club yesterday, where, according to The Washington Post, she urged Congress to spend even more money on more economic stimulus. The Post writes, “Romer did not say how much more she thinks Congress should spend. But in a farewell speech before returning to academia, she said election-year anxiety about the deficit that has blocked much of the president’s jobs agenda this year ‘cannot be an excuse for leaving unemployed workers to suffer.’ . . . Romer . . . has made no secret of her opinion that more federal spending is needed to prevent high unemployment from becoming a permanent condition. Although acknowledging concerns about rising deficits, she has persistently pressed for more spending than most lawmakers - and some administration officials - have been willing to stomach.”

So Romer is apparently urging Congress to spend even more than the failed $862 billion stimulus she championed. Recall that it was Romer who, along with Jared Bernstein, Vice President Joe Biden’s chief economic adviser, wrote in January 2009 that the “unemployment rate with … the recovery plan,” would not exceed 8%. After the bill was signed, Romer said, “I’ve run the numbers. We firmly believe it is going to create about 3.5 million jobs.”

But since then, 3.3 million jobs have been lost, unemployment is at 9.5%, the national debt has surpassed a stunning $13 trillion, and the deficit for 2009 was a record $1.4 trillion.

Dana Milbank attended the lunchtime National Press Club speech, and Romer’s speech and record were enough to do in his appetite: “It wasn’t the food; it was the entertainment. Christina Romer . . . was giving what was billed as her ‘valedictory’ before she returns to teach at Berkeley, and she used the swan song to establish four points, each more unnerving than the last: She had no idea how bad the economic collapse would be. She still doesn’t understand exactly why it was so bad. The response to the collapse was inadequate. And she doesn’t have much of an idea about how to fix things.”

Milbank also points to Romer’s less-than-stellar predictive capabilities, writing, “Romer had predicted that Obama’s stimulus package would keep the unemployment rate at 8 percent or less; it is now 9.5 percent. One of her bosses, Vice President Biden, told Democrats in January that ‘you’re going to see, come the spring, net increase in jobs every month.’ The economy lost 350,000 jobs in June and July.” On her unemployment prediction, Milbank adds, “Without the policy, she had predicted, unemployment would soar to 9.5 percent. The plan passed, and unemployment went to 10 percent.” And The Washington Post notes that few expect things to improve much. “An array of economic data indicate that the recovery is rapidly deteriorating despite last year’s massive economic stimulus package, now estimated to cost $814 billion. The latest jobs report, due out Friday, is expected to extend that streak by showing the jobless rate inching up to 9.6 percent in August as the private sector created only about 42,000 new jobs.”

“No wonder most Americans think the effort failed,” Milbank writes. “But Romer argued, a bit too defensively, against the majority perception. ‘As the Council of Economic Advisers has documented in a series of reports to Congress, there is widespread agreement that the act is broadly on track,’ she declared. Further, she argued, ‘I will never regret trying to put analysis and quantitative estimates behind our policy recommendations.’ But the problem is not that Romer did a quantitative analysis; the problem is that the quantitative analysis was wrong.”

As Milbank explains, “This is why nearly two-thirds of Americans think the country is on the wrong track - and why Obama’s efforts to highlight the end of U.S. combat in Iraq and the resumption of Middle East peace talks have little chance of piercing the gloom as voters consider handing control of Congress back to the Republicans.”

Given the failure of the massive stimulus bill to live up to the Obama administration’s predictions about how it “literally drop-kicks us out of this recession,” it’s remarkable that Romer is calling for even more government spending in the same vein as the stimulus bill.  It’s long past time for a different approach to the economy.

Related:

Rasmussen Reports:

62% of Likely Voters believe Congressional Democrats want to increase government spending

29% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction

Republican St. Louis County executive candidate Bill Corrigan kicked off his diversity coalition last night at the home of Uplands Park, Mo. trustee Henry Iwenofu. Uplands Park, a predominately African American community, is literally right across the street from Mr. Dooley’s home municipality of Northwoods! Another sign of Mr. Dooley losing support among his base?

Bad omen for the county executive?

Corrigan Diversity Co-Chair Stacy Washington & Cheryl Walker

Hon. Henry Iwenofu

Leslie Farr & NRA Field Rep. Brady Gibson

Guests enjoying wonderful food catered by Mr. Iwenofu’s restaurant, Nubia Cafe

More pictures

“The accomplice to the crime of corruption is frequently our own indifference.”–Bess Myerson

We are all tired of the excuse that though politics may be corrupt it is simply the nature of the game.  It is not a game, and it is not only about D.C. politicians out of touch with their constituents.  Our state and local officials may be flying under the radar in the current political climate, but I can assure them we are watching.  One such local community in St. Louis, Creve Coeur, exemplifies the need for local citizens to be ever vigilant when it comes to political conduct in our backyards.  I understand that the larger interest in Creve Coeur politics may not seem relevant to the average reader, but the conduct of some of Creve Coeur’s elected representatives repeats itself in countless communities across the state.  Consider this a wake up call to the dirty doings within your own communities.

Ward 3 council-member David Kassander announced his future resignation upon the sale of his home.  Creve Coeur’s mayor holds the appointment power, with the approval of the council, should a vacancy occur.  The problem with this scenario lies in the fact that Creve Coeur’s mayor, Harold L. Dielmann, has no interest in listening to the residents.  Whether cavorting with major developers, entertaining large businesses at the expense of residential neighborhoods, or simply ignoring genuine concerns about the transparency in official business conducted by elected representatives, Mayor Dielmann has proven he is no friend to the community.  Several residents have noted conversations with the mayor in which he seemed nonplussed at the idea of listening to residents before businesses (by which I mean the large kind).

Ward 3, the locus of the Delmar Gardens (see above link) controversy, went proactive on the mayor.  One Ward 3 resident, Charlotte D’Alfonso, worked with a team of dedicated citizens to raise awareness on the various issues affecting city-wide residents, and that grassroots activism led to a petition campaign for an appointment to city council should Kassander not be able to complete his term.  Kassander has been an outspoken defender of Creve Coeur residents, and supported Charlotte’s efforts.  The residents collected more signatures than 9 out of the last 15 council elections had received votes.  They stopped collecting at 450+ signatures since this number was double one Ward 3 council-member’s votes in 2007/2008, and higher than the other Ward 3 council-member’s  votes in 2009.

Charlotte spoke with the mayor shortly before her petitions were presented to the city council.  The mayor expressed his position by demanding that she vote with the majority on council if he appointed her.  He wanted someone that would not question his authority or threaten his relationships with large developers. Charlotte, a strong-willed mother of three, would have none of it.  The result has been a backdoor attempt to undermine her support by sending out the mayor’s choice with a similar petition to the one Charlotte used, and deliberate attempts to confuse Ward 3 residents as to the facts surrounding Kassander’s situation.  Council-members the mayor counts as allies have remained silent on Charlotte’s efforts or the will of Ward 3 residents, in direct contravention to the City of Creve Coeur Organization Chart (found on page 6).

This situation remains ongoing, and this is only one small piece of the puzzle surrounding corruption at the local level in Creve Coeur.  As we delve deeper into the actions of Creve Coeur’s elected officials expect to learn much about the conduct of similar officials in your own community.

For more information from the residents of Creve Coeur, visit www.crevecoeurvoter.com

We watched with anticipation last night the president’s speech announcing the end of combat missions in Iraq. For a person who has been on his sixth vacation this year, the President seemed to be just going through the motions. In all honesty, it was such a lackluster performance, that we turned from it after about 10 minutes. We weren’t the only one’s who thought the president didn’t bring his ‘A’ game last night:

“In sum, the president seemed to me to go about as far as an anti-Iraq war president could go in praising the war effort.” –Bill Kristol, Weekly Standard

 ”Flat and odd” –Charles Krathammer

“So [Obama] gave a few platitudes on Iraq and turned this into a speech on the economy? And mentions ‘dependence on foreign oil’?” – Erick Erickson

“The president’s Oval Office address wasn’t confidence-inducing.”–National Review

“Frankly, just stylistically I think there’s been a deterioration in the quality of Obama’s speeches — the literary quality.” David Brooks, The New York Times

Related:

Video: Sam Graves stops near Boonville, talks Afghanistan & Iraq

Hat tip:BoonvilleMissouriBDN

Stacey Washington is new Executive Director at Move-On-Up.org, a 527 and social networking organization of African American Republicans, conservatives and moderates

As a result of increasing popularity and fast growth Move-on-Up.org, an on-line social networking forum and 527 organization for politically conservative African Americans to network, share ideas, and discuss current events, has made local political activist Stacy Washington its new Executive Director.

As a former local school board member, active church volunteer and involved community leader, Stacy Washington is a great fit for the Move-On-Up.org organization. Washington is a conservative Christian and has served a tour of duty to Saudi Arabia with the United States Air Force, worked towards higher academic achievement for Black students in public schools, and serves as the Co-Chair of the African American Coalition for St. Louis County Executive candidate Bill Corrigan.

Move-On-Up founder Christopher Arps is thrilled to have Washington as the newest team member. He stated, “Move-On-Up.org was founded on the principles of a renewed economy, health care reform, secure borders, education reform, and strengthening our families. Stacy values each of these principles and has already worked toward many of them through her military career and tremendous volunteer work.”

Washington followed up, saying, “I am a patriot at heart. I believe in God, country and family, and of course I love America! I am excited to lead a community of African Americans who share these beliefs.”

Since its foundation in December of 2008, MOU has grown to over 600 members in 41 states. Arps’ message to any closet Republicans and conservatives of the African American community is this: “You are NOT ALONE! Move-On-Up.org is a community of people who share your values, beliefs, and passion for American politics so join in our discussion today!”

Related:

Corrigan Announces New Diversity Coalition

Video: Roy Blunt Addresses African American Conservatives in St. Louis

The Source: Corrigan Says Jump, Dooley says How High