Jay Carney came out today telling reporters what they can and can't do.

Obama chafes at the time-honored practice of answering questions shouted at him during pooled, non-press conference events — and his staff has often opted for “stills sprays,” excluding print reporters or TV cameras who might capture Obama in the less than flattering non-act of snubbing a query.

Translation: We can't let reporters document what Obama really thinks.

When asked today why TV crews and print reporters were barred from the pool covering the White House meeting with congressional leaders on the deficit, Carney responded by pointing out that the administration has held two press conferences in the past two weeks and allowed TV cameras into the spray earlier this week.

"People shouted questions at him," Carney said. He then added, "The purpose of the meeting is not to create a circus, but to negotiate, so today we're doing stills only."

I only hope that Carney does not expect to be taken seriously here. This whole debt ceiling mess is a circus --that's the whole point. Think about it for a minute. Why would Obama be pushing so hard for tax increases that little effect the debt ceiling in any way. Why would he be so invested in trying to get people to hate those who own private jets? Why would he talk of "shared sacrifice" and all that jazz? Why would you threaten seniors by telling them that their Social Security checks might not go out? That's not the move of someone that's trying to stay low if you ask me.

Based on what I know; here is the real deal. Obama knows that the tax increases won't serve any purpose, he just wants Republicans to cave. That's it. There is nothing else to it. Obama is pushing to get the Republicans to agree to some deal with tax increases, either in the form of "closing loopholes" or allowing cuts to expire. Democrats know that their base doesn't pay attention to detail, but the Republican base and Tea Party groups do. Once the Republicans cave, their base becomes angry, and they loose votes. It's that simple.

This is indeed a bluff. If Republicans have any sense they will see this for exactly what it is.

Also pay attention to how every story speaks of possible doom, but nobody gets specific. Funny how that works isn't it. The press says, "We know it's going to be bad, but we don't know how. We can just feel it..."

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If Speaker Boehner agrees to an increase in the debt limit now; he exemplifies the lack of leadership that got Obama elected in the first place.

When the majority of Americans are behind you; you, Speaker Boehner, still can't do what you know is right! What more does it take? I predict that Republicans WILL CAVE and raise the debt limit.

The debt limit is a ruse anyway, it's just an arbitrary number. If the debt limit can be raised indefinitely by legislative action alone; where is the limiting factor? The debt limit is a measure of how far into the future we are willing to borrow. I would let the debt reach the limit. Once everyone sees that it's not the end of the world; Obama won't have anything to stand on. I say reach the limit and invalidate everything Obama has said on the issue. There should be no increase in the debt limit, only spending cuts. If there can't be spending cuts alone (without a debt limit increase) then there will never be an end to the debt limit increases.

This is a "make it or break it" moment. Let's hope that the Republicans don't break it.

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This article goes a long way towards explaining what's really going on. Even still, Buchanan forgets to point out one of the most important facts. The nation doesn't default on the debt until we stop paying interest on the debt. The national equivalent of making the minimum payment.

The Republicans hold all the cards here. Republicans would show an amazing inability to lead should they cave on this. I only hope that the people we sent to Washington in November are indeed who we thought they were.

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Obama's Twitter town hall turned out to be a little awkward. As it turns out Obama didn't do the typing. The man who was typing quickly became fatigued because there was no "Uhh" key on the keyboard. Also many of the answers were too long to squeeze into 140 characters. Obama's "Yes or No" answers won't fit within 140 characters.

"He's just answering the questions. He's not typing and tweeting," White House press secretary Jay Carney said of the event announced Thursday. It will be webcast, and focus on jobs and the economy.

By now it should be clear that Obama has no plan which will lead to a growth in hiring; at least for the private sector. Why would he hold a town hall to ask "average Americans" about the economy? Shouldn't the president be leading on this? Shouldn't the administration have a plan already? What happened to Obama's "laser like" focus on jobs back in Dec. of 2009?

"Though the job losses we were experiencing earlier this year have slowed dramatically, we're still not creating enough new jobs each month to make up for the ones we're losing," Obama said last week. "For families and communities across the country, this recession will not end until we completely turn that tide."

The new focus on jobs comes as the first stimulus plan's impact remains unclear. The Obama administration says more than 640,000 jobs have been saved or created by employers who received funds. The Congressional Budget Office this week put the figure at 600,000 to 1.6 million after considering other factors, such as the impact on consumer demand from tax cuts, unemployment insurance extensions and spending by the newly employed. It said unemployment would have been up to 0.9 percentage points higher without the stimulus.

I almost forgot about the jobs that were saved or created. It's quite plausible really, it's no different than calculating how much rain didn't fall in any given area. Is this really supposed to be taken seriously by anyone?

How did the focus shift from "creating jobs" in 2009 to "we need more revenue" in 2011? It would seem to me that those two things go hand in hand.

I will get into a more in-depth compare and contrast about the economy in the near future.

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I have completed the upgrades to the site and have brought it back online.

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