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Matthews To Obama: ‘It’s Not Funny’ To Joke About ‘Shovel-Ready’ Jobs Not Being Ready

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Chris Matthews gathered two prominent Democrats in Robert Reich and Bill Richardson and continued to wonder what is President Obama waiting for to propose a jobs program and address the unemployment crisis in America? Matthews suggested he’s been advocating Obama get behind such a plan immediately, but admitted “I don’t know what he watches or listens to.” And hopefully Obama wasn’t watching today’s Hardball, otherwise he might be none too pleased with Matthews’ tongue-lashing about the President making an allegedly inappropriate joke.

First though, Reich claimed Democrats feel “abandoned” as Obama has been swept up in talk over a “debt crisis,” when Reich believes the real crisis is jobs and it needs Obama’s urgent attention. Richardson agreed the focus should shift back to jobs, but believed Obama shouldn’t call Congress back to Washington until he has a plan of action. And Richardson also pushed back against critics of Obama’s leadership, arguing he is a “very persuasive guy” who is not at all detached.

However, Matthews again expressed his newfound frustration with Obama, suggesting “it’s not funny” for Obama to joke about “shovel-ready” jobs not actually being ready, when everybody sees there is work to be done. Such a moment of Obama joking about a serious mistake of his, reminded Matthews of President George W. Bush making light of the fact that there were no WMD’s discovered in Iraq. Even though Matthews revealed he’s generally supportive of most of Obama’s actions, it seems that as the economy continues to falter, Matthews is beginning to start a new, fast-growing list of things he actually doesn’t like about the President.

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  • Anonymous

    How much meltdown has there been on msnbc today due to the results in WI?  I haven’t seen any articles at all on that; even though Big Ed was out there for the recall votes.  Perhaps tonight?

    And, this is an old joke, Obama made it what weeks ago?

    The market was down another 500plus today and Obama is getting ready to go on the campaign trail (even though he claims its not a campaign trip).  What a hoot.

  • Anonymous

    King Obama thinks he’s funny . He gets laughs because of who he is , and he reminds us of that often .

    But , his sense of what is funny is off . Remember his Special Olympics humor on the Tonight Show ?

    Rang very hollow,even cruel . Do you know anyone who even thinks such things ? Not somebody I want to know .

  • http://www.constitutionallibertarian.co.cc/ DavidKramer

    Hmmmm, shovel ready, I think the economy is ready for the grave about now. One and done.

    I work in the construction industry, if you have ever seen what land developers have to go through to get a project to breaking ground phase, you would be astonished. Not to mention the public components. Years to get projects to breaking ground. Now when you have projects like large refineries, highways, etc, you are talking possibly decades. Especially if the loony environmental freaks do not shut it down. Or the loony judges stating that you have to put together a globull warming study on the effects of said highway-California of course on that example.

    What did Obama also do, did you hear about the problem with the Nuclear Meltdown in Japan? What happened was the spent fuel rods were being stored on site in cooling pools and these also went wrong besides the reactors themselves. Obama shutdown the Yucca Mountain storage facility. Now, guess how long they estimate it will take to create another facility? Maybe in 2045 they will have one ready. What are they going to do with the spent rods until then? Store on site.

    Now, if you are old enough to remember the Carter era, back then the leftists screamed it would take 10 years to create new refineries and new oil exploration. It always seems 10 years is the standard timeframe for anything the government does not want done. Oh, it would take ten years to do that……is their leftist whining mantra.

    Oh well, I guess central planning was the sign of the USSR breakdown, just as our breakdown is coming due to central planning.

  • Valkyrie101

    I almost thought you were going to get through a whole post without comparing the US to the old Soviet Union. What is it about conservatives that cause them to have such a negative view of our future? 

  • http://www.constitutionallibertarian.co.cc/ DavidKramer

    That is the leftist standard operating procedure.

    Obama and his lackeys call it a jobs campaign and put it all on the taxpayer dollar.

    Another leftist stealing from the taxpayer to fund his campaign. I guess it does not matter how much money he raises, he can just steal as much as he wants from us. I guess that debt limit raise really was necessary, for the Obama campaign.

  • Valkyrie101

    Yes, a sensitive guy like you could get offended. Somehow I did not take you as a Chris Matthews politically correct liberal, but hey if it involves attacking Obama, sure.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Steven-Tyler/100001071466947 Steven Tyler

    Chrissy,
    Obama doesn’t have a clue!

  • Valkyrie101

    Well yes, first the conservatives destroy the economy then they blame Obama when the market tanks. Yes, a hoot.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Rambler/1513697597 Bill Rambler

    Someone should tell Matthews that “infrastructure ” construction has become much more specialized and wouldn’t employ 1% off what it did in the 30′s.Because of automation/technology, a road crew of 5 people could pave at 10 x the pace than 100 guys with shovels. Same thing with sewer replacement. Oh and most bridge repair is done at specialized factories (mainly in China) shipped to location and installed by highly skilled workers.

  • Chris

    What these guys don’t understand is that if we don’t get control of spending, get rid of waste and tackle the deficit, there will be even less jobs.  I think BO secretly knows this but he’s too chicken to stand up to his base who want to spend money we don’t have for more of those “shovel ready” jobs…

  • Anonymous

    The Three Stooges had a better idea of how to create jobs than this trio. Note to Christie, people who hire other people (business owners and other rich people) hate uncertainty, regulation and taxes. This administration has produced all three in abundance. (well the taxes part…but they keep trying)..

  • http://www.constitutionallibertarian.co.cc/ DavidKramer

    Being in the construction field after being in the aircraft industry. A&P mechanic, engineering, business education. I have seen government regulations become more and more insane. It has nothing to do with safety and sanity, it has to do with squeezing every possible dime from every industry there is. Just as it has been in the personal lives component of our country. The government is squeezing the country dry.

    The latest article that explains this is that the government is going to have to raise taxes an average of $1500/year per family for the next 30 years to just keep the public pensions funded. That is $1500 EVERY year. Hmmmm, I wonder if that is what all this taxation is all about?

    Hmmm, I wonder when people are just going to say enough already. Oh, they already have.

  • Anonymous

    “I don’t know what he watches or listens too[sic].” Hit spell check Schneider, as there is an extra o there. This is strike 2 for the spittle bound drooler in chief at MSDNC. He is on the verge of going to Cenk-off land with that criticism of the leg thriller in chief!

    O’bama to Matthews… Don’t make me punish you.

  • Latin2

    …and MSNBC had wall to wall coverage of the Wisconsin elections claiming the recall elections were the start of the new Progressive movement….which fall flat.

  • Anonymous

    Like they did when the democRATS had all 3 branches of government and passed…. Nothing. Musta been because they knew the TEA Party was coming and they needed someone to blame. Doesn’t o’bama still blame Bush for his election? And the Libyan war o’bama had to get involved with after extending the other two and keeping Gitmo open, and extending the patriot act, and the evil Bush tax cuts…..

    Keep spewing the talking points liberal pea brain.

  • Anonymous

    That’s gotta be a tough pill to swallow, waking up today as a progressive.

  • Anonymous

    obama,
    Chrissy has no clue!Or clout! Just spit and drool.

  • Anonymous

    Shovel ready equals…. Burying the American economy and all jobs related to it. Oil Drilling? Coal Production? Fishing Industry…

  • Anonymous

    So, you got some great retard jokes? Post them, retard. Isn’t Matthews the jerkoff that did all he could to bring Bush down? The impeach-him-now-in-chief? Now obama is bringing himself down and you liberal retards defend him. Impeach the Special Olympiad president.

    Why dos your hero always have to tell us, “That was a joke, folks…”? The only joke is the joke-off in the WH now.

  • Anonymous

    AND NOTHING HERE…. But if the liberal terrorists won….Holding the government hostage…. with explosives around the buildings…. I think fatso Ed will be “sick” tonight….. What a slut.

  • Anonymous

    The British press is running stories about prominent Democrats considering it’s time to dump Obama

    http://tgr.ph/nS8AlS

    You don’t see these stories in NY Times or on MSNBC…not yet.   But if Obama’s poll numbers don’t recover soon, liberal pundits will start saying what they are already thinking.  And if a viable alternative on the Left enters the race, watch how fast Obama’s base abandons him. 

  • Anonymous

    Shovel ready jobs = Fattening paychecks of current government workers
    Shovel ready jobs = Crony capitalism green fraud
    Shovel ready jobs = Union payoffs

    We’ve already tried this Chrissy, this creates nothing more than political power for Obama. The American people that were desperate for private sector jobs got the bill.

  • Anonymous

    You are correct sir.

  • Anonymous

    You are correct sir.

  • BR

    Sorry………you can go spouting the leftist talking points or you can face reality.  Bush was bad…….Obama is horrendous   

  • Anonymous

    And watching that pep rally disguised as election coverage was revolting

  • Anonymous

    Obama doesn’t care about Tingles, who is nothing but a blubbering bag of flatulence.

  • Texan

    The progressives are touting it as a “victory” based on the fact they didn’t loose all 5 seats. They’ve really lowered the bar. ;)

  • South Park Conservatives

    The only thing ‘Shovel-Ready’ is the b.s. coming out of the whitehouse.Hows that hope and change workin’ fo ya?

  • Anonymous

    BTW- great breaking news:”The George Lopez Show” has been canceled effective this Thursday!Sorry, George, but America got tired of your liberal hate, bigotry and racism. Next stop? Taco Bell!

  • BatboysDad

    This man, our President, has no earthly idea what to do other than run for office and read a telepromptor.  None!  Nada! Nothing!

  • Texan

    Obama has made a joke of the white house as a whole so why not joke about his lies?

  • Anonymous

    Chris, it isn’t funny that you gullible libs believed everything that John Edwards, Anthony Weiner and Barry have said!

  • Michelle

    To be fair Tingles, he does have a jobs program.  Carney detailed it today when he said, unemployment benefits could create up to one million jobs.

  • Anonymous

    The Democrats didn’t lose any seats, 2 Republicans did.

  • Anonymous

    Yes, the lib solution to unemployment is to put everyone on unemployment; that way Americans will have disposable income to grow the economy  instead of having those oppressive and offensive jobs they did have that allowed them to provide for themselves and their families.

  • Anonymous

    The following quote in the Telegraph article attributed to Drew Weston from his New York Times article says it all : “Those of us who were bewitched by his eloquence on the campaign trail
    chose to ignore some disquieting aspects of his biography: that he had
    accomplished very little before he ran for president,” he wrote.

  • Texan

    They didn’t “win” them so that’s a loss in my book. You loons said the Tea party/Repubs were going down in flames and you were dead wrong.

  • Anonymous

    So, Barry just became president on July, 2011?

    Who was that impostor then?

  • Anonymous

    Yep, the 2 dems lose theirs next week, right? either way it doesn’t matter, you morons set out to take control of the state legislature and you lost. There is no 2nd place in that skippy, either you control the legislature or you don’t. You don’t, therefore, you lose. Again. That’s just the fact.

  • Anonymous

    That’s a great quote, and very very true of  lot of people that voted for this yutz.

  • Michelle

    Reminds me of this:

    Brokaw and Rose Admit They Don’t Know Much About Obama.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzMas1bVidw

  • Anonymous

    Our infrastructure is on the brink of collapse. 

    http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/

    Bridges, roads, sewer systems, water systems – they are very close to shutting down.  We need to fix them.  Any idea what it will cost as these things break down – billions.  the tea party is right about denial but wrong about the cure.  With low employment you dont cut jobs with spending cuts.  You spend on jobs.  Our economy runs on our people having jobs and money to spend.  Sorry thats what a consumer based economy does.  Its called capitalism.

    I realize its fun and games to destroy the country to prove a point (what point I do not know) but we need the government to spend domestically (not just on financial institutions) and cut the fat on money going overseas.

  • Michelle

    Charles Krauthammer:

    “Well, we were talking here about how detached and disengaged he appears
    and how disturbing it is particularly for Obama’s allies in the press.
    But the irony is that even if he were undetached and concerned and
    involved the markets have shown that he is the anti-E. F. Hutton, when
    he speaks no one listens. The markets take no notice whatsoever of what
    he does and the reason is because he has no idea. He’s out of bullets.
    He’s out of arrows. He doesn’t have a clue.”

    Spot on, Charles!

  • Anonymous

    So true and the FED has no more silver bullets either.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_JUT2TATEV3OHGQ7HZRYN472XVM Felix

    To all you Obama-haters out there: Please note that he said on April 1st, 2011 that “the first thing I think about when I wake up every morning is jobs”.

    APRIL FOOL!!! Yeah, he’ll focus on jobs after a few rounds of golf, after a few fundraisers, after a few birthday bashes, after a few vacations, after a few campain speeches, after the stimulus, after Obamacare, after Libya, after Afghanistan, after a few blaming Bush speeches, after a few friendly TV interviews, after my guffaw on The View (love that Joy girl), after a few…

  • Texan

    Mr. Obama noted that the United States has been given a “D” grade for its infrastructure
    and said U.S. roads and bridges are “deteriorating.” He added: “We cut
    transportation by another third and what’s going to happen to America?
    We’re just going to have potholes everywhere? We’re just gonna have
    bridges collapsing everywhere?”
    While experts say America’s aging infrastructure is a significant
    problem, the bridge collapse in Minnesota, which killed 13 people, was found to have been caused primarily by a design flaw.”I’m gonna fix this!”  Obama campaigning..

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ZIQS6YEA47QFXGOR4JWUBU2QRM Shark City

    Americans who were lookin for jobs got a big FUCK YOU from the president than shovel ready. Hallelujah mothabitches. Get a six pack and call a hooker, cheap one because this economy sucks.

  • Anonymous

    “Richardson agreed the focus should shift back to jobs…”

    Here lies the problem. One must first focus on jobs before one can ‘shift back’ to focusing on jobs.  Obama never ever focused on jobs to begin with. He focused on punishing the financial sector and he focused on his Obamacare. He focused on the people of Lybia while he focused on his back swing  But he never focused on jobs unless you think his ‘shovel ready’ plan(?) was an example of him focusing?  Well, do ya?

    Richardson said :  ”He believes Obama shouldn’t call Congress back to Washington until he has a plan of action.”

    Why has it taken Obama almost 3 years to begin to think about putting together a plan of action?  If Richardson is right then we won’t see Congress back in Washington until we have a new president, right? 

  • Anonymous

    “Richardson agreed the focus should shift back to jobs…”

    Here lies the problem. One must first focus on jobs before one can ‘shift back’ to focusing on jobs.  Obama never ever focused on jobs to begin with. He focused on punishing the financial sector and he focused on his Obamacare. He focused on the people of Lybia while he focused on his back swing  But he never focused on jobs unless you think his ‘shovel ready’ plan(?) was an example of him focusing?  Well, do ya?

    Richardson said :  ”He believes Obama shouldn’t call Congress back to Washington until he has a plan of action.”

    Why has it taken Obama almost 3 years to begin to think about putting together a plan of action?  If Richardson is right then we won’t see Congress back in Washington until we have a new president, right? 

  • Anonymous

    and all those who tried desperately to point out that being a community organizer in your 20′s, a Senator for a few months, a non practicing lawyer, was not enough to gain the experience to run the entire country. All were shut down by Matthews et al.. they were so enamored with his charism, youth, they didn’t bother to listen to what he was saying. He wouldn’t be hired as the CEO for a major corporation on his resume. well, maybe GOLF magazine.

  • Valkyrie101

    That’s totally not true. Its the republican house that is focused not on jobs but on cutting jobs and other things they don’t like, like Planned Parenthood. Only a democratic landslide in the next election will allow Obama to do anything.

  • Valkyrie101

    Hatred does not become you. Just plain sad.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_NK5INRFELITZ3TS337HINC3VMM Adam

    Good point, Valkyrie. Cuz we all know how the economy was booming before January 2011 when the GOP retook control of the House. It wasn’t like they only regained control in the first place due to high unemployment, rising inflation thanks to the Fed printing trillions of dollars, out-of-control deficit spending, a government takeover of healthcare, and a failed $830 billion stimulus bill. No, everything was great and the Republicans came in and screwed it all up.

  • Valkyrie101

    Yes, well the Kraut is probably celebrating the credit rating reduction he hoped for. He cares far more about ripping Obama (which started even before Obama was even elected) and fullfilling the republican goal of crashing our economy, so that they can blame Obama, than anything else.

  • Anonymous

    the tingle in his leg now feels like a rash…

  • Anonymous

    the tingle in his leg now feels like a rash…

  • Anonymous

    Fact: The fact remains the same about Obama shovel ready jobs funds. All of the funds went and where shoveled right into pockets of all that had them in Congress and Senate. As far as it making funds available to the workers was the not so funny joke. Wow Matthews two years behind the rest isn’t so bad for you is it!

  • Anonymous

    Fact: The fact remains the same about Obama shovel ready jobs funds. All of the funds went and where shoveled right into pockets of all that had them in Congress and Senate. As far as it making funds available to the workers was the not so funny joke. Wow Matthews two years behind the rest isn’t so bad for you is it!

  • Anonymous

    Fact: Ron Paul has tried last two years for an audit as for those missing in action shovel ready funds but both times it has been squashed in both House and Senate.

  • Anonymous

    Fact: Spend spend spend.. borrow borrow borrow…. Give me give me give me…. Wake up wacko!!!!!!

  • Anonymous

    Fact: A big Thank You Obama! Change we can count on!

  • Anonymous

    Fact: Hey Kool-aid it’s Obama’s downgrade and the only name signed too it. The Budget Act of 2011 has but one name on it!!!!!!

  • Anonymous

    Fact: Maybe it’s progressives are trying too repeat failures of the past as if it will work this time but hasn’t ever worked thru out the entire history of man!

  • Michelle

    It appears liberal hero George Soros raked in a cool 10 BILLION off of the downgrade.  I think we all know who’s cheering it. 

  • Anonymous

    Hmmm…seems to me Obama had 2 years with a Democratc controlled House and Senate and did absolutely NOTHING about jobs.  And don’t even try to claim that he didn’t have enough Democrats…he had CONTROL and all he did was what I stated above.  He blew it and America knows it.

  • Anonymous

    Right, Obama doubles the debt in less than two years but it’s the conservatives fault!

  • TruDat

    That sap should get a job as a rodeo clown, but he hasn’t the fortitude.

  • Anonymous

    It’s called self-deprecating humor. That is something a blowhard like Matthews wouldn’t get–or be caught doing.

  • Anonymous

    Malicious gibberish.

  • Anonymous

    Obama pushed for job creating stimulus, but Republicans publicly rejected that while begging for stimulus money behind the scenes.
    All you guys do is rant about how the stimulus put us deeper into debt, but that is the ONLY way a government can do anything about jobs.
    That is unless you want him to take over every corporation in the country. Maybe he isn’t socialist enough for you.

  • Anonymous

    I appears that I’ve hit a nerve with my commentary, interesting.  However, you’re living in fantasy land.  Everything you stated is false.  And as far as what I want him to do?  I just want him to ‘Go Away’!  Too bad penicillin won’t work.

  • Anonymous

    You can’t disown Chris ‘I’ve got a tingle running up my leg’ Mathews that easily.  He speaks for you and to you. Nice try, though.

  • Anonymous

    Well said!

  • Carol Ott

      Money went to the states and it was up to the Governors in each state to decide what their state needed.  Half of those Governors never bothered putting the money where it should have gone or bothered to get the permits needed.  Many got the money but didn’t use it to hire people.
     
    My State had a Democratic Governor.  In my town alone, our entire main street has been redone with new sewers and underground power lines.  Now the side streets are all being repaved as well as a bridge in the center of town has been replaced.  Seven miles from me another bridge was replaced last year.  And this is only one town that I have seen first hand.
     
    If that money was not used for putting people to work, it was the Governors fault in each state.  Also, because the stimulus may not have benefited you personally doesn’t mean no one else benefited from it.   If a school was remodeled or highway lanes added, it was people working.
    http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-STIMULUS0109.html

    The “joke” was the Governors that didn’t do with the money they were supposed to do…..hire people.

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