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Scott Harrison/Retna/www.harrisonphotos.com
President Obama speaks at a town hall meeting at Green Valley High School in Henderson on Feb. 19, 2010.
By J. Patrick Coolican (contact) 
, Michael Mishak
Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010 | 2 a.m.
Obama in Las Vegas
Here is a graphic representation of the most commonly used words in President Barack Obama's prepared remarks at a public town-hall speech at the Green Valley High School gymnasium in Henderson. The larger the word, the more often it appeared in the text.
Here is a graphic representation of the most commonly used words in President Barack Obama's prepared remarks to 650 Southern Nevada business leaders at CityCenter's Aria on the Strip. The larger the word, the more often it appeared in the text.
Sun Archives
- Obama touts Harry Reid’s efforts, says stimulus ‘right thing to do’ (2-19-2010)
- Obama to announce new foreclosure rescue program in Las Vegas (2-19-2010)
- Obama lands in Las Vegas for second visit of presidency (2-18-2010)
- Obama and Reid forge bond beyond politics as usual (2-18-2010)
- Green Valley High will host Obama town hall meeting (2-16-2010)
President Barack Obama bounded to the stage at Green Valley High School to cheers. He’s rail thin and has a grin as wide as his head. He seems to feel most at home on the road, in front of what remains of his still-adoring Obama Nation, mixing it up, speechifying and cracking wise.
At a series of stops Friday in Southern Nevada, he must have felt nostalgic for the 20-plus times he came here as a candidate, when all he had to do was fire up a crowd.
In Henderson, he offered his recalibrated economic stump speech, in which he said he had made tough, unpopular decisions such as bailing out the financial system and the auto companies to bring the country back from the brink of another Great Depression.
He took off his jacket — applause — and took questions, making it look easy as he shifted from health care to the economy to energy to the archaic technology of our air traffic control system.
Obama looked so comfortable, it was as if the world outside had stopped. But it hadn’t.
Nevada’s unemployment rate is 13 percent and has risen sharply since Obama took office. Last year’s fourth quarter saw another rise in foreclosures, with Nevada again owning the distinction of foreclosure capital of America.
After dithering for months, Democrats have failed to pass health care reform. The president’s party surrendered the Massachusetts Senate seat once held by Edward Kennedy, who died in August, so Republicans can obstruct any and all legislation, imperiling the entire health care project.
In short, although Obama looks calm and refreshed lately, his political situation is close to dire.
Still, Obama seemed invigorated by his new, more muscular message: “Economists of every stripe were warning that (a depression) was a real possibility. And that meant that we had to make some decisions swiftly, boldly and not always popular, but decisions that were necessary,” he said. “It wasn’t a time for satisfying the politics of the moment, it wasn’t time for just playing to the cameras — it was time for doing what was right.”
Rescuing the financial system and the auto companies and passing the economic stimulus package wound up being politically unpopular, but each has worked as designed, Obama said. The banking system has stabilized, auto production is expected to be up 69 percent the first three months of this year over last year’s first quarter, even as GM has begun repaying loans from the government, and the stimulus program prevented the loss of an additional 2 million jobs and began the path toward recovery by acting as a bulwark against a deeper recession, Obama said.
(Although they disagree somewhat with the actual number of jobs saved, private-sector economists such as Macroeconomic Advisers, Mark Zandi of Moody’s Economy.com and IHS/Global Insight agree with Obama’s assertion about the stimulus.)
Obama did not come merely to defend his policies. He announced $1.5 billion for the five states hardest hit by foreclosures, including Nevada, which was a gift to Sen. Harry Reid, the man charged with shepherding Obama’s legislative agenda through Congress. Obama seemed to take real pleasure in several shout-outs, both in Henderson and later on the Strip, to the U.S. Senate majority leader, who suffers from dismal poll numbers and is fighting for his political life.
At CityCenter, Obama helped Reid by quickly dispensing with the locals’ ire. He did not apologize for recent remarks that a family saving for college should not go blow money on Vegas, but he gave the city an endorsement: “I love Vegas,” he said to a standing ovation.
He then took on his critics, calling hypocrisy on Republicans who voted against the stimulus package only to turn around and attend ribbon-cuttings for federal projects in their districts.
“It’s a sight to see,” he said, eliciting laughter. “They’re up there cheesing and grinning. They’re trying to vote against their cake and eat it, too.”
The recalibrated Obama message machine appears to have emboldened the president, who made several calls Friday for a renewed push on health care.
Obama also took aim at Republicans who have decried his administration’s agenda as socialist.
“There are those who suggest that the only way government can promote strong markets is to allow them to operate wholly outside even the most modest rules of the road, even the most sensible reform,” he said, citing Republican opposition to health care reform and financial regulation. “While I respect those who sincerely hold this view, the facts, and our history, do not favor this argument.”
He said the role of the federal government is to bolster the free market, not stifle it.
He placed the stimulus in a long line of popular government programs aimed at catalyzing the economy and helping Americans pull themselves up. He cited the creation of Social Security and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in the wake of the Great Depression, the GI Bill after World War II, as well as the building of highways and railroads.
“At those moments, government has stepped in not to supplant private enterprise, but to catalyze it — to create the conditions for entrepreneurs and new businesses to adapt and ultimately to thrive,” Obama said.
Las Vegas, he said, is a living example. The city grew and thrived because of a combination of private investment and a strong regulatory structure, he said.
Not all is well here, however.
And there’s the rub for Obama, and more important, for Reid. For all of Obama’s powers as a communicator, the reality is unchanged: Nevada job losses accelerated at the close of 2009.
That clash between rhetoric and reality created a perfect synergy with Republican attacks.
In a news release, Republican National Committee spokesman Jahan Wilcox asked, “Do you truly believe that Harry Reid’s $862 billion stimulus has worked for Nevada? Because since the legislation was signed into law, Nevada has lost over 65,000 jobs and unemployment has risen from 10 to 13 percent.”
How voters view that question, and whether conditions change between now and November, will determine the fate of Reid, and, quite possibly, the Obama presidency.
Sun reporter Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report from Washington.
We are a bunch of suckers. The fed approved over 700 billion in stimulus well over a year ago. They have since spent a small percentage of that stimulus money. Now Obama is releasing some of it NOT TO BENEFIT the people, but to benefit friendly politicians. They dont care about us. VOTE OUT THE INCUMBENTS!!!
""The recalibrated Obama message machine appears to have emboldened the president, who made several calls Friday for a renewed push on health care""
-----------------------------
When will Obama realize it is not the message no matter how it is packaged
The substance is BAD
The STIMULUS has not done what is was supposed to do it has failed.
On the 1st anniversary of the Obama borrow and spend $862 billion STIMULUS, the WH and Joe Biden put out a full court press to attempt to convince us that the Stimulus has brought us 2.4 million employed people and prevented a recession from being a depression.
Did you know that in April of 2009 employment went up by 43,000 BEFORE the stimulus started? In May the GDP was going positive before any impact of the Stimulus so there never would have been a Depression we were already coming out of the recession.
Further any jobs that Obama and Biden claim as "of their making" are temporary public jobs that will dry up when the stimulus is over. These mostly public union jobs were at the direct sacrifice of private jobs. Ummm.
Obama wishes us to believe the program was not just a costly, debt increasing blip that made ripples in the economy. Nancy Pelosi told us that a stimulus must be "Timely, Targeted, and Temporary". Where was the Jolt?
Always in the past our Presidents have measured, and have been measured, by our success solely on the unemployment rate. We have gone from 7.7 to 9.7 in the last year. We do not need new meaningless hollow made up for Obama performance metrics.
WHY the CHANGE. Obama needs the faux invisible employment numbers to make a case for the NEXT Stimulus. It's the Unemployment Rate STUPID.
We learned a long time ago that when you have to go to great lengths to blow your own "victory" horn [because it is not evident to others that you have really achieved what you claim] - then you have not achieved it.
He said before the election that he wanted a socilist country, now he almost has one.
Welcoms to Mugabee land.
VOTE OUT THE INCUMBENTS!!!VOTE OUT THE INCUMBENTS!!!VOTE OUT THE INCUMBENTS!!!VOTE OUT THE INCUMBENTS!!!VOTE OUT THE INCUMBENTS!!!VOTE OUT THE INCUMBENTS!!!VOTE OUT THE INCUMBENTS!!!VOTE OUT THE INCUMBENTS!!!
Who will be the next Ronald Reagan to
save this country?
This guy is Jimmy Carter on steroids.
He is MR. "ANTI LAS VEGAS"
He hates Las Vegas.
Bye Harry. Kudos to the Mayor.
Does Obama think we are fools. I am glad he came to Vegas to help Reid. Obama is the "kiss of death" when he tries to help a candidate get elected. Obama, Pelosi-Lugosi and Reid have to go. By the way:
WHY ARE OBAMA'S RECORDS SEALED? WHAT DOES THIS MAN HAVE TO HIDE? NO BIRTH CERTIFICATE. WHO IS THIS MAN? AND HE IS GETTING AWAY WITH THIS. IF IT WAS A REPUBLICAN HE WOULD ALREADY BE IN HANDCUFFS.
obamao couldn't run a lemonade stand.
his competitors would charge $1.00 for a glass.
he would charge $2.00 per glass so he could give his money to those that can't afford lemonade so they could buy lemonade.
then when his lemonade stand fails, he'd say his competitors and their customers are "racist" and "evil".
Obama is way-down in his polling numbers, when he campaigns for a politician-they lose.
He is fully exposed as a boy in a man's suit.
The headline needs to be fixed:
Obama presses his troubled economic message
That's better!
Reid is bad for Nevada. Just look at all the facts at http://aBadReid.com for proof!
Bad Reid
Bad Senator
Obama is an entertainer, not a president.
He should look for a new occupation.
do not pay attention to the man behind the curtain.
barack, steve, barry or whatever his name is will only tell you what he thinks you want to hear. remember being muslim, he is against gambling, protitution or anything else that Vegas entertains. If this man gets his way to socialize this country and to make us veer toward the islamic/muslim culture Vegas will be outlawed.
This man cares nothing about the freedoms Americans of the United States embrace. This man covers the globe to apologize for tha arrogance of the citizens of the U.S. I have learned those that debase are usually talking about themselves. barack, steve, barry or whatever his name is, is the most anti-american resident ever in office. I hope the people are finally waking up to see him as the fraud he is. The proof is going to be when barack, steve, barry or whatever his name is, piliesi, and reid ram the health care bill down our throats. We will then see if any of the democrats have learned the lesson, that we the people dictate not those on the hill.
barack, steve, barry or whatever his name is needs to be impeached, imprisoned and deported to his homeland.
Funny thing. People cite websites and "facts" that prove exactly what they believe. But when I go to those sites or look up those "facts," all I see is partisan hatred with nothing to back it up. As for disenchantedone, I can see why he or she would not use a real name. Which seems to be a tendency among critics of Obama and Reid. Why be so scared of such supposedly incompetent people?
Patrick and Michael
Dithering on healthcare? Political situation is close to dire? Come on!!
Dithering on Healthcare is what our government was doing since 1993, working on healthcare is what our President with the help of Senator Reid has been doing for the last year.
Dire is where we are coming from after 8 years of Mr. Cheney's white house.
As far as where the Dems are in Nevada as compared to where the Republicans are just visit the offices of the Democratic party any day of the week and see the dozens of people working on the cause then visit the Republican office, if you can find one.
The recovery act is working, Harry Reid is working, President Obama is working, the majority in the house and senate is working. All for a better future for my children.
Dire is yesterday, the future will soon be brighter thanks to the people that elected our President in a electoral landslide November 2008.
2% a landslide does not make! who said that bush was any better, certianly not me. obama is just continuing the same on sterioids.
Oh God, we have a Birther from Utah on this board...I hope you don't know how to fly..
disenchantedone..(another birther!)..you don't even know that HER name is Pelosi! An obvious Fox watcher who never had an original thought.
These greedy, sick, selfish republicans ruined
our economy.
Being against health care reform is just plain
sick.
Republicans need to hang their heads in shame.
Uh, nez212, where does the 2% number come from? Obama was elected nationally 52.9-45.7 percent over the hypocritical phony from Arizona, and his electoral college majority was 365-173. Of course, that really doesn't matter when 41 Republican senators hate America so much that they want people to die for lack of health care and proper administration of agencies in charge of dealing with terrorism.
The Democrats should make the Republicans filibuster heath care and have a large counting clock outside the Capitol Building that indicates how many deaths due to a lack of health care (at a rate of 40,000 per year) occurred during the time that they were filibustering. Each year far more people are killed in the U.S. due to a lack of heath care than die of terrorist attacks WORLDWIDE. The Party of No is the real death panel.
stcyr I wont be writing in this paper anymore because it is clear they are not into truth of any kind.
I was at the rally for the President & Senator Reid with THOUSANDS of NV citizens and yet it is presented to the public as nothing even happened.
The President and Senator Reid continue to have overwhelming support from the people that count no matter how much big money is passed to the big folks in this State.
All those people lined up for miles & miles and media all over the place to see the President and the best we could get is a picture of one lonely bigot with a foul pic of the President!
No, I have no time to spend on this crap but will spend my time as I have engaging with my twitter & Huffington friends
Disgusted
RSN = WIN.
nez212 + 2% = LOSE.
I comment on the failings of Obama and Reid to dozens of people every day. Not one has ever responded with anything positive or favorable about either. There is a tidal wave of anger and resentment that will wash these charlatans away in 2010 and 2012.
Good message Consultantd. VOTE INDEPENDENT/NONPARTISAN across the board Nevadans in November. Get the foxes out of the hen house Nevadans. You put them in there get them out once and for all in November. If there are no independent or nonpartisan candidates for the offices you are voting for in November vote none of the above. None of the above is not a wasted vote!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 20 2013 can't come soon enough. Bye Barry, don't let the door hit you on the way out.
What is the Republican or Tea Party plan for Healthcare? For the economy? Its that simple folks. If you don't like what the Dems are doing, at least be productive/creative enough to come up with an alternative.
ghettoblaster: I can tell you this, it ain't socialism.
Would the Tea Partiers also disband our Socialist police, fire departments, military, water authorities, etc. and replace them with for-profit corporations?
Mikegino, that's weird. The dozens of people I talk to every day praise them for their efforts to fix the economy and provide jobs and health care, and wish that Republicans and their all too frequently racist Tea Party allies would actually try to do something for their country instead of trying to destroy it.
ByFuture, excellent points!
StCyrlyMe2, Poor sour grapes baby. We'll have a feel sorry for you second.
Meanwhile there's Americans who need health care NOW, families who need jobs NOW. Using "socialism" scare tactics, and just being obstructive is not getting the job done and is plain un-patriotic.
Teamster :
These greedy, sick, selfish Democratic Congress Majority ruined
our economy.
Being against the present severely flawed health care reform is Democratic
Democratic Senators need to hang their heads in shame...
Those are some mighty handsome, well-read, thoughtful TEA PARTIERS protestin' in the photos above!!!!
"Let's go up to the Wal-Mart after and see if they got any NASCAR stuff on sale. I kin sneak a peak at the Sarah Palin dustcover an' then we kin go home an' rassle awhile!"
My, the social parasites gor their undies in a bunch today. Their commie leader is in town. Maybe the should crown him king.
I just love reading the stupidity of all these liberals. It doesn't take much of an education to understand how Obama and the rest of the liberal nut cases have screwed America and continue to desecrate American into a cesspool of liberal no good for nothing freeloaders and nut case environmentalists pathological liars.
Had you had en education is simple economics you would understand what these idiots are doing and how they're sucking every little bit of blood we have left to support you're lazy pathetic choices. Here is a clue, you're checks are enough and you're whining, complaining, blaming somebody else and expect us to feel sorry for your bunger.
Guess what, we don't care. Get your piece of cardboard and be honest about your choices; why lie, really be honest and look in the mirror and tell yourself the truth, you are a lazy no good for nothing liberal just looking for more handouts.
Obama isn't our president, he is yours and he will be a single term president. Obama will go down in history as one of America's biggest liberal scams of all times. Obama is a pathetic excuse of a human being and America has no use for him. Look at his face in the picture, he is the ultimate con-artists and has no guilt for screwing us over, he is scum!
Ps: You stimulus plan failed the working class who work for a living. It did reward your lazy pathetic liberals. Remember, Obama lied, it wasn't about rebuilding infrastructure, and it was about your lazy bungers, $38 billion infrastructure, and $747 billion into your lazy bunger's social programs. You make America sick and you serve no purpose to those of us who choose to work and pay our taxes.
ProfessorMichaelGreen: The folks I talk to are everyday blokes trying to scratch out a living. The folks your talk with most likely are in your liberal echo chamber sucking off of the government teat.
Did he go out to Lake Las Vegas to let them know the stimulus is working?
We never should have passed the stimulus bill. We should have listened to the economists - well the ones NOT advising Obama. :)
For those who want to learn more, read Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt. The book is dated (written about 60 years ago) but it is one of the easiest reads on basic economics and economic fallacies.
Reading the book can help you understand why the Cash for Clunkers program was such a silly idea.
Gibby pushing another book on economics in addition to "The Wealth of Nation?" Adam Smith will not be happy!
Hmmmmmm.....hear that "thump, thump, thump"?
That's Adam Smith kicking the lid on his coffin. Gibby's in trouble now.......
The problem with our system is that we the hard working, tax paying suckers trust politicians with our money. Time and time again throughout history, they have proven themselves to be untrustworthy. The local and federal government has no clue and are a bunch of lying criminal thieves. We nee to set up a system where they DON'T get their lying criminal dirty hands on public funds, and a special reserve handles our state and nation's wealth which is controlled by we the people. We have had ENOUGH of politicians wasting and stealing hard working Americans money. VOTE OUT THE INCUMBENTS!!!!
Obama thinks we are all stupid. Reid is already done and we dont want the Government healthcare.
The sooner Reid is out the better for our state.
The majority of Americans booted the republican
crooks out of the White House for lying us into
a war with Iraq and ruining our economy.
The right-wing lunatics are guilty as charged.
No more Obama, no more Reid and no more socialism. Its time go back to our roots of capitalism.
The Democrats are destroying our economy and they want to break the bank by forcing a government healthcare plan that no one wants.
teamster the left wing nut job does not really exist, he is really just a conservative phantom who puts in left wing nut job comments to get responses from everyone. Disregard his comments, he doesn't exist!!
Obamanomics=trickle up poverty
A little insight into the "Entitlement" state of mind:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWttKddn_...
The truth really hurts these right-wing nuts
on the lunatic fringe.
The 8 year destruction of our economy, based
on republican lies, will never be forgotten
People like environprotector are in complete
and total denial.
If you can't take the heat, get out of the
kitchen.
The sooner we can vote the Democrat crookes out of office the better for Nevada and the better for America. We must get back to our roots of capitalism and the free-market system.
Teamster,
What heat are you talking about?
Both parties are laughing stocks. We need people that are fiscally responsible and legislators that do things for the American people. What I mean by that is allow individuals to be in charge of their own lives an let them live with the consequences or the rewards. We need environments that allow businesses to rise and fall depending on market needs determined by the market. Not some business that gets propped up by the money that was thrown into a bill by some weasel in congress that is helping a friend or looking for campaign favors.
There is a reason that many founders were for small government.
"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force. Like fire it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."
-George Washington
It appears that many Liberals are in a self destructing mode...
jr99-
The main problem with our economy is that we
sent most of our jobs to China.
Our government, that you are so afraid of,needs
to regulate taxes and fair trade with China.
If not, were doomed.
haha. here's a guy that has never run a business, and hates capitalism yapping on to his $9.00 per hour voters...who have never owned a business or taken an economics class...about economics.
hahaha. pretty funny.
that's like someone who's never been in an airplane teaching the amish how to fly an f-18.
Teamster,
Why would a business want to go to China? What moves could the government make that would entice a business to stay?Does union activity encourage businesses to stay or do additional taxes make continued business look appealing? Is the US in the position to make demands of China when they hold almost a trillion dollars of our debt?
Each question has a simple answer.
The company I work for has a division in China because that is the only way we can tap into the Asian market. We still make product in the US and will continue as long as legislators can keep their hands to themselves.
Normally when you look into crazy stupid deals that were negotiated in the US and abroad, you can almost always bet that politician made that deal(dems and reps). You are right about some of the trade agreements being one sided but again politicians struck the deals. Look at GM, the new CEO is going to receive a huge compensation package and this is under the direction of the new pay czar. Additionally GM is asking for more bailout money.
Things do not get better when government grows and gains power.
ALL politicians are brain dead blood sucking, criminal compulsive lying no good game show host, car salesmen. VOTE OUT THE INCUMBENTS and replace them with independents with a soul and half a brain!!