President Barry hits the campaign trail

It's almost time for the watered down and ineffective stimulus bill to pass. Which means for some reason President Obama is hitting the road to stump for support for this shitty version of a good idea. Because...I have no idea. It's pretty much a lock to get passed now, isn't it?

President Barack Obama faces a barrage of questions on his plans to reinvigorate the economy with a massive stimulus bill and additional billions in bailout money for the financial markets.

Trips Monday and Tuesday to cities hurting under the economic meltdown and a prime-time news conference Monday night show that Obama and his advisers are worried about a looming Senate vote on the stimulus bill, which failed to gather meaningful Republican support during rare weekend debate. The question-and-answer sessions with citizens and later with news reporters will allow Obama to appeal directly for grass-roots backing of his plans.

Both trips were added to Obama's schedule as difficulties with the legislation on Capitol Hill increased. Originally, aides had insisted his time would be better spent in Washington to shepherd the bill rather than traveling the more traditional presidential route around the country, pressuring lawmakers from his bully pulpit.

Ah yes, because lawmakers who weren't impressed enough by the impending collapse of the economy into Depression territory and weren't convinced by the multitude of economists who think the way they're going about the stimulus package is backwards and ineffective, will suddenly be swayed by the President going to Elkhart, Indiana to eat deep-fried tater skins with the Elkhart Jaycees and a man who just lost his job but is still trying to hold on...he just needs Washington....to do something for the working man.

But since Barry is all for making the case directly to the American people, wouldn't that have been a good idea a few weeks ago, yo know, before the House passed a version and the Senate was about to pass a version? Wouldn't it have been a good idea to talk to the American people about what would have made a good stimulus package, make the case for spending increases, make the case for the ineffectiveness of tax cuts, so you could use the bully pulpit to get Congress to pass a good bill and get the public to understand what would constitute a bad bill? I think they call it 'setting the terms of the debate'. But you didn't do that, you put bipartisanship on a pedestal, came in with a watered down version in an attempt to get Republicans votes, got none, watered it down even further, and still got only three. Maybe. Well, at least you get to see scenic Elkhart.