Pete Sessions: Obama Hurting Economy To Consolidate Power

Rep. Pete Sessions, head of the House Republican committee tasked with electing more GOP members, has a unique theory as to why unemployment continues to rise: Obama wants to wipe out capitalism.

Deep into a New York Times item Monday about rising jobless numbers comes a theory that the Times gently refers to as an "argument" that "may indeed face an uphill fight."

Sessions told the Times that Obama's plan is to "diminish employment and diminish stock prices." By doing so, Obama "intended to inflict damage and hardship on the free enterprise system, if not to kill it" as part of a "divide and conquer" strategy to consolidate power.

The Times then follows with another understated gem: "Polls offer little evidence that Americans are prepared to accept those arguments."

So is Obama part of some communist sleeper cell intent on destroying America? For Sessions, it's nothing new to think of politics in terrorist terms -- only in the past Sessions has argued that the Republican Party ought to emulate terrorists, not that Obama already does.

The GOP, Sessions famously argued in February, ought to model its "insurgency" after the Taliban. "Insurgency, we understand perhaps a little bit more because of the Taliban," he said.

"And that is that they went about systematically understanding how to disrupt and change a person's entire processes. And these Taliban -- I'm not trying to say the Republican Party is the Taliban. No, that's not what we're saying. I'm saying an example of how you go about is to change a person from their messaging to their operations to their frontline message. And we need to understand that insurgency may be required when the other side, the House leadership, does not follow the same commands, which we entered the game with."

Asked to clarify if he was indeed suggesting House Republicans model themselves after the Taliban, he said: "I simply said one can see that there's a model out there for insurgency."

A Sessions spokesman didn't immediately return a call. An NRCC spokesman stood by the remark:

"The Chairman was simply reiterating what many members of the Democratic Party have echoed over the past several weeks, which is that one-party dominance in Washington has further damaged our economy and undercut our country's free enterprise system."

Ryan Grim is the author of the forthcoming book This Is Your Country On Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High in America

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Comments

[panamarine]

03:30 PM on 05/12/2009

99% of the posters here on this topic are on point...we (they) get it. I wonder if any Republicans read the Huffington posts on these various topics...to see how thinking people are seeing them: Disjointed, narrowminded, hysterical and just plain ---stuck in the mud tadpoles. The Huffington post should be REQUYIRED reading for ALL REPUBLICANS, elected and non-elected partisans TO GET SOME SENSE rocked into their heads.

[Social Construct]

11:17 AM on 05/12/2009

Even if I agree that one party dominance as well as the terrible track record of the two "too big to fail" parties have some responsibility in damaging free enterprise, a hard, studied look the history of the union between the financial sector and the federal government suggests the greatest amount of harm comes from the free enterprise system itself.

[breakfast]

11:08 AM on 05/12/2009

Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, and bush the lesser have relentlessly pursued a set of policies intended to damage the economy and consolidate power in a government/corporate partnership which meets most definitions of fascism. This set of policies is collectively known as Globalism. It still isn't clear to me where Obama stands in all of this, but he seems to be going along with it.

We should realize that it is not about Left or Right, Democrat or Republican, Conservative or Liberal. Clearly, it is us or them.

[PINO]

11:46 AM on 05/12/2009

Right...And obama the Anointed is pursuing a set of policies intended to save the country by doubling, tripling, quadrupling down on out deficit, raise taxes, cripple our health care and consolidate power into a collective Borg-ship government which meets most definitions of Socialism.

WE should realize that this IS LEFT LIBERAL DEMOCRAT thinking.

[Buddy McCue]

12:46 PM on 05/12/2009

Oh, we've got consolidated power alright, but it's strange that you would point to the left to identify it.

Most of us on the left would like to see that giant corporations did not have such power. This is the real power, and if we could only pull Obama toward the left, he would do more to recognize this fact and do something about it.

Incidentally, I sure don't recall Obama saying anything about "crippling our health care." That seems to be a completely unfounded assertion.

[PINO]

11:01 AM on 05/12/2009

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/11/pete-sessions-obama-hurti_n_201562.html?page=18&show_comment_id=24138055#comment_24138055

Talaan77: "This problem didn't start with Obama, he is just trying to fix the problem." -
So when obama quadruples down on the deficit, this is a good thing, Right? If the problem exist with the economy, fix it. Trying to pave the way for Universal Health care DOES NOT have anything to do with the economy.

ConcernedAmerican: "And putting a trillion dollar war with the wrong country on credit was a good idea?"
This was the amount spread over an 7 year period. obama has already outspent Bush in less than 100 days. Gosh those fabulous 100 days. And he will continue to spend until you people wise up.

"Oh and simply making up stuff for your fancy checklist doesn't really make for a strong argument."
Um, this information came from the Congressional Budget Office. I didn't make it up. Just reporting FACTS.

sprkl12000: "PINO was probably unemployed (and possibly didn't graduate) long before Obama won the primary"
No, Actually I do have a job and two Graduate degrees. Unlike you.

BannedFromCommenting: "nice try but your cr@p list was caused by Bush and you know it."
Bush Dyrangement Syndrome wont be a viable excuse come 2012. obama signs off on the $timulus package, omnibus stimulus packages, pork-a-stimulus and his budget into law, he alone owns the problem.

No Sirree. You break, you own it.

[maddocbrown]

03:08 PM on 05/12/2009

"Trying to pave the way for Universal Health care DOES NOT have anything to do with the economy."
It doesn't. But it is altogether praiseworthy because this is what the tired American corporations and citizens want.

"obama has already outspent Bush in less than 100 days. Gosh those fabulous 100 days."
Obama outspent Bush by continuing Bush's disastrous policy of corporate handouts. Nothing to do with social programs whatsoever. If anything, Obama is not socialist. Sorry, try again.

"No, Actually I do have a job and two Graduate degrees."
Oh, woes of wit.

"obama signs off on the $timulus package, omnibus stimulus packages, pork-a-stimulus and his budget into law, he alone owns the problem."
Again, Obama continues the financial policy of his predecessors: George and Paul. Not the Beatles. Besides, are you accusing Geithner of socialism also? The pork in the bailout is delicious. There has been plenty of abuse from the first days of the bailout with small businesses not touched by the mortgage fiasco clamoring for financial support.

An important note is Obama's stimulus to hire federal employees and pour money into infrastructure. This is something people with two degrees cannot understand unless they took economics in college. If you turn to the much maligned Keynes, you will remember that the formula for raising the valuation of currency and creating employment at the time of low credit is via public spending.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keynesian_economics

[Horus45]

11:37 AM on 05/13/2009

m0ron!

[jennytaylia]

10:54 AM on 05/12/2009

Someone must have Photoshopped the spittle off his lips; there would have to be spittle showing after a rant like that.

[zeezan]

10:33 AM on 05/12/2009

Pete Sessions, Rick Perry, and John Cornyn make me embarrassed to be from Texas.

[Horus45]

10:27 AM on 05/12/2009

We are back to the old GOP policy of PROJECTION!

They were indeed the people who tried to do away with the capitalist system and replace it with a Fascist system with a Dictator.

[prdbldngheart]

08:48 AM on 05/12/2009

Yeah, that makes perfect sense. Ruin the economy (which was ruined be 43), push up unemployment (which would so would bring him voters at reelection time) just to consolidate power. Makes sense. I think Session is referring to Bush's strategy of using his illegal war to tell voters that they shouldn't change leadership in the middle of a war.

Now the question remains--how low will the go?

[RobertHenryEller]

08:40 AM on 05/12/2009

He's not stupid or crazy folks.

He's just purposefully lying.

When people are as desperate as many now are in the US, losing their jobs, their homes, their health insurance, they will climb on top of anything.

Trust me, Sessions is just another politician, after power and wealth. He won't say anything that a good part of his target audience won't believe.

As such, we are better off treating him as dangerous, not crazy or stupid.

People who lie for power are never the friend of honest citizens, whether they believe the lies or not.

Sessions is an enemy of people, and so not fit to govern.

[ExxonMcBushCo]

07:42 AM on 05/12/2009

Obama's sleeper cell must also be the one who laced the GOP's KoolAid with PCP.

Keep it up, Petey. It might help if you talk louder and flap your arms.

[whitehawk]

07:23 AM on 05/12/2009

Is there any excuse they haven't mentioned as to Obama's stratagy? This denial that the country does reject the Republican's shameful display of laziness and protectionism of their own party, with the olders congressman ever in Congress. Thought they could continue with the same radical ideas of unethical thought and implementation of secretive WH corruption.

Political extremism is characterized by a rigid adherence to a set of beliefs ad a preparedness to use wide range of tactics to achieve desired political goals. Pls read; "Nazi America: A secret history" and you will see why many in GOP are actual elderley 'skinheads'.

[BadgersBite]

07:20 AM on 05/12/2009

Oh my God the GOP has discoved Obama's plan to destroy America - what a nitwit!

[mick7191]

07:11 AM on 05/12/2009

Boy, there's a lot going on between those ears. Yeesh.

[avocado]

07:07 AM on 05/12/2009

just recall the looney tunes melody and play it soundlessly in your head

[NoSandwiches]

07:00 AM on 05/12/2009

If only someone would cut taxes, all would be better....

Hey, wait! Someone DID!

Whew!