Stimulus

AP's Raum Seems Puzzled That 'Economic Gains May Not Help Democrats Much in 2014'
By Tom Blumer | April 30, 2013 | 9:35 PM EDT

You've got hand it to some (probably most) of the reporters at the Associated Press, aka the Administration's Press. Their story is that the economy is all right, and by gosh, they're sticking to it.

Tom Raum's dispatch yesterday is a case in point. Along the way, he pulled out several of the tired spin-driven claims which have long since been taken down but which haven't yet penetrated the skulls of low-information voters. Raum and AP seem puzzled that the supposedly okey-dokey economy doesn't seem to be helping President Obama or Democrats' 2014 congressional and senatorial election prospects (bolds and numbered tags are mine):

First-Quarter GDP, Part 1 of 3: AP Argues With Others
By Tom Blumer | April 28, 2013 | 11:32 AM EDT

On Friday, the government reported that the economy grew by an annualized 2.5 percent during the first quarter. The awful 0.4 percent result seen in the fourth quarter was largely sloughed off as caused by a number of one-time factors. Analysts convinced themselves that reported first-quarter growth would come in at 3.0 percent or slightly higher in Friday's release. Instead, we saw what Zero Hedge noted was the biggest such expectations miss since September 2011.

As a result, at least three establishment press organizations pronounced the result disappointing -- except for two business reporters at the Associated Press whose names are virtual fixtures here.

Rupert Murdoch: Capitalism Far More Moral Than Socialism
By Matthew Sheffield | April 8, 2013 | 8:57 PM EDT

While most regular people don’t really know or care who he is, Rupert Murdoch is among a small handful of individuals who is most despised by the far left in this country. Unlike many others, he also has the great distinction of being loathed by exponents of socialism worldwide.

After reading (or watching) the speech which he recently gave to an Australian think tank called the Institute of Public Affairs about the moral superiority of free markets, it’s not hard to see why those who would enslave markets because they believe them to be based on greed would despise Murdoch, especially since he has the absolute temerity to dare to own newspapers, movie studios, and television channels across the globe.

Wow: NYT Coverage of Lew's European Trip Carries Claim That U.S. 'Has Entered a Cycle of Self-sustaining Economic Growth'
By Tom Blumer | April 8, 2013 | 8:51 AM EDT

Your daily dose of inadvertent humor comes from an article by Annie Lowrey at the New York Times on Sunday evening ("Lew to Press for European Policy Changes"; also in today's print edition).

In "covering" (from Washington?) Treasury Secretary Jack Lew's four-day European trip for meetings with EU leaders encouraging them to pursue "growth" policies -- which in Keynesians' fevered minds always really means "stimulus" and not genuine growth-driven initiatives -- Lowrey wrote the following (bold is mine):

Krauthammer: Senate Democrats Budget 'Marches Us Off a Cliff Into Greece and Perhaps Cyprus'
By Noel Sheppard | March 23, 2013 | 1:19 PM EDT

Senate Democrats on Saturday narrowly passed their first budget in four years.

Appearing on PBS's Inside Washington Friday before the vote, syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer called it "the most appalling document you have ever seen" claiming, "It marches us off a cliff into Greece and perhaps into Cyprus" (video follows with transcript and absolutely no need for additional commentary):

Liberal Economist Takes On Krugman: Federal Reserve Averted Depression NOT Obama
By Noel Sheppard | March 11, 2013 | 9:29 AM EDT

While you were watching Rand Paul's historic filibuster and the debate surrounding budget sequestration, an economic theory battle was waging between two of the nation's foremost liberal economists Paul Krugman and Jeffrey Sachs.

In his most recent salvo published at the Huffington Post Saturday, Sachs spoke heresy to Obama-lovers across the fruited plain including Krugman claiming that following the 2008 financial crisis, "It was the Fed, not the fiscal stimulus, which prevented a fall into depression."

Scarborough Smacks Down Krugman For Pompously Behaving Like a Sighing Al Gore
By Noel Sheppard | March 5, 2013 | 11:31 AM EST

As NewsBusters reported earlier, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman and MSNBC's Joe Scarborough had quite a heated discussion about the budget, debt, and the economy on PBS's Charlie Rose Monday evening.

Near its conclusion, Scarborough actually scolded Krugman for pompously behaving like a sighing Al Gore (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Krugman: Quoting What I Said in the Past Is an Ad Hominem Attack
By Noel Sheppard | March 5, 2013 | 10:25 AM EST

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman and MSNBC's Joe Scarborough had an at times heated discussion about budget deficits, debt, and the economy on PBS's Charlie Rose Monday evening.

At one point Krugman got so rattled by the facts that he actually said Scarborough quoting what he had said in the past was making an ad hominem attack against him (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Huffington Post Shocker: 'How Obama's Politics Led to Sequestration'
By Noel Sheppard | March 4, 2013 | 9:31 AM EST

For conservatives, it's been truly delicious the past few weeks watching previously devote Obamaites break ranks with their colleagues to finally tell the world that the emperor has no clothes.

A fine example Monday was the perilously liberal economist and media darling Jeffrey Sachs who published an article at the Huffington Post with the headline "How Obama's Politics Led to Sequestration":

Time Executive Editor: 'We're All Welfare Queens' and 'Socialists From the Day We're Born'
By Noel Sheppard | March 3, 2013 | 8:38 PM EST

"We're all socialists from the day we're born. You know, you don't have to be poor or unemployed to be on Welfare. We're all at the trough. We're all Welfare queens."

So said TIME magazine executive editor Michael Duffy on the syndicated Chris Matthews Show Sunday (video follows with transcript and commentary):

AP Shocker: 'Tax Bills For Rich Families Approach 30-Year High'
By Noel Sheppard | March 3, 2013 | 9:48 AM EST

The Left and their media minions spent a good part of the past two years claiming the rich don't pay their "fair share" of taxes.

Not according to the Associated Press which shockingly published a piece Sunday titled "Tax Bills For Rich Families Approach 30-Year High":

George Will: Obama Has 'So Gone Over the Top in His Rhetoric He’s Even Losing the Mainstream Media'
By Noel Sheppard | March 2, 2013 | 4:25 PM EST

Syndicated columnist George Will made a statement on the Laura Ingraham Radio Show Friday that should make people on both sides of the aisle and both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue take notice.

"I think the President has at long last so gone over the top in his rhetoric that he’s even losing the mainstream media" (video follows with transcript and commentary):