Once again, obama gets it right !!!!!

[TomCat84]

So, you're a one issue voter now? Gay marriage is the only strategy to achieve LGBT equality? You think that if Republicans gain control (not to mention "tea party" wackos) there will be no difference on that issue, not to mention a host of other issues? You really believe there is "no REAL substantive difference" regarding the level of "whorishness" toward big moneyed interests?

Granted, the Dems have increasingly had to fill their campaign coffers with stinky money in order to remain competitive. How else are they going to buy airtime, get noticed and get elected? It's only going to get worse now that SCOTUS opened the corporate floodgates, so hold your nose. Believe me, there's no one who hates this system and rails against it as much as I. Well, maybe Fred Wertheimer.

Are you going to insist on ideological purity and the same in campaign contributions, even if it means no one who supports your issues can be elected? Would you rather the Dems just bow out and let the Repubs run the show? Or would you rather have a few good players at the table who have the public interest at heart, who may at least try to reverse the trends of the past one (or three) decades? If nothing else, stand up for equality and social progress, and slow the fast slide to complete and total Corporatocracy.

I recently posted rather extensively in another thread my disappointment and great frustration with the president, specifically on his failure to effectively counter the opposition and get his message out clearly, which I imagine raised a few eyebrows around here. But I'm nowhere close to saying he's "worthless", not by a long shot. We could be doing a hell of a lot worse, and if we (and he) don't get organized and fight back, we will.

I'm perplexed by your statements in this thread, because I consider you to be generally politically astute, and I'm very familiar with the political environment you occupy. Frankly, I'm astonished.

Okay, so who are you really, and what have you done with TomCat? :suspect:

The point of my posts remains. It's been a tough 3 weeks for me- Padres are on a huge losing streak and law school is starting to crush my balls. So while the point of my posts remains, I probably should clarify my thoughts. Max, I love you, but there really is no real substantive difference between the Republicans and Democrats. Republicans will fuck you dry, while Democrats will at least use lube, and maybe lean down to kiss you every once in awhile. But the point being, they both still fuck you in the end. The Democrats won in 2006 and lost their balls. Obama won in 2008 and lost his balls. Took universal health care off the table before negotiations even started. Once it was crystal clear the Republicans weren't interested in negotiating in good faith, he made it clear he was still going to negotiate with them. Now we have a giveaway to Big Pharma and big insurance companies. FOlks are going to be mandated to have health insurance, with little help in paying their premiums. FIFTY THOUSAND troops remain in that godforsaken hell hole in the Middle East, and this chump claims the War is over. at: Dont Ask Dont Tell is still not repealed. DOMA is still in place- and in fact, it was Obama's Justice Department that defended it in court, comparing us to incestuous marriages. I'm fucking done with him.

 

[Hoss]

The point of my posts remains. It's been a tough 3 weeks for me- Padres are on a huge losing streak

and this is a bad thing? at least you won't see them suffer a humilitating defeat in the October classic (the WS):smile:.

FIFTY THOUSAND troops remain in that godforsaken hell hole in the Middle East, and this chump claims the War is over. at:

1 of my big worries about the troops still there in Iraq is that they're still in danger. The name of the operation has been changed and their technical duties are different but they're still there!!! What the hell are people gonna start saying when these people end up dead? How's the current administration going to spin this 1 into something to make it seem less horrible. It's like the guy said the other day on the radio, you can dress a stinky slop covered pig up to look like Lindsay Lohan but it'll still be a stinky pig.

Dont Ask Dont Tell is still not repealed. DOMA is still in place- and in fact, it was Obama's Justice Department that defended it in court, comparing us to incestuous marriages. I'm fucking done with him.

There's still time for him to get it done, tho I don't have much faith that he will or will even try.

 

[B_VinylBoy]

The point of my posts remains. It's been a tough 3 weeks for me- Padres are on a huge losing streak and law school is starting to crush my balls. So while the point of my posts remains, I probably should clarify my thoughts. Max, I love you, but there really is no real substantive difference between the Republicans and Democrats. Republicans will fuck you dry, while Democrats will at least use lube, and maybe lean down to kiss you every once in awhile. But the point being, they both still fuck you in the end. The Democrats won in 2006 and lost their balls. Obama won in 2008 and lost his balls. Took universal health care off the table before negotiations even started. Once it was crystal clear the Republicans weren't interested in negotiating in good faith, he made it clear he was still going to negotiate with them. Now we have a giveaway to Big Pharma and big insurance companies. FOlks are going to be mandated to have health insurance, with little help in paying their premiums. FIFTY THOUSAND troops remain in that godforsaken hell hole in the Middle East, and this chump claims the War is over. at: Dont Ask Dont Tell is still not repealed. DOMA is still in place- and in fact, it was Obama's Justice Department that defended it in court, comparing us to incestuous marriages. I'm fucking done with him.

But the other alternatives provided by other political affiliations are far worse. You got to admit, the GOP hasn't put up a single candidate worth listening to or supporting since the election. The worthy contenders have either remained silent while the Teabaggers took over and redefined their party, swinging it further to the fringes, or they have completely flipped on their previous views on serious issues making them even more untrustworthy than the average politician (like John "I never said I was a maverick" McCain for example). We can be mad at Obama for not being more progressive on various issues. But I'd rather have someone in office that can get us there by taking baby steps than another who would rather send our society off a cliff. Metaphorically speaking, we wanted steak and got meatloaf stuffed with breadcrumbs. Probably not everything we wanted, but if we don't vote and support the ones that are at least trying to do what's right then we're going to end up with rotten liver & onions.

So yeah... I know exactly how to vote come November. I hope you're not so disgruntled that you decide not to because that is precisely what the opposition wants to happen.

 

[TomCat84]

But the other alternatives provided by other political affiliations are far worse. You got to admit, the GOP hasn't put up a single candidate worth listening to or supporting since the election. The worthy contenders have either remained silent while the Teabaggers took over and redefined their party, swinging it further to the fringes, or they have completely flipped on their previous views on serious issues making them even more untrustworthy than the average politician (like John "I never said I was a maverick" McCain for example). We can be mad at Obama for not being more progressive on various issues. But I'd rather have someone in office that can get us there by taking baby steps than another who would rather send our society off a cliff. Metaphorically speaking, we wanted steak and got meatloaf stuffed with breadcrumbs. Probably not everything we wanted, but if we don't vote and support the ones that are at least trying to do what's right then we're going to end up with rotten liver & onions.

So yeah... I know exactly how to vote come November. I hope you're not so disgruntled that you decide not to because that is precisely what the dissenters want their opponents to do.

Oh, I'm going to vote alright, and like I said- I'll vote a straight Democratic ticket- but it's not going to be the end of the world if the Republicans win. The difference being that while the Democrats will talk a good game about undoing the stuff that Bush did, they wont do it- see: Bush tax cuts. The GOP wont even talk about it. At least you know what you get with the Republicans.

 

[B_VinylBoy]

Oh, I'm going to vote alright, and like I said- I'll vote a straight Democratic ticket- but it's not going to be the end of the world if the Republicans win. The difference being that while the Democrats will talk a good game about undoing the stuff that Bush did, they wont do it- see: Bush tax cuts. The GOP wont even talk about it. At least you know what you get with the Republicans.

And that is what scares me the most. With the current batch in power, that's the last thing I want to see. Even though many of the Dems in power have no backbone (with notable exceptions such as Alan Grayson), the GOP allowed a few extremists with loud mouths and loaded guns to redefine their party and purge out the mass majority of centrists & moderates in the process. In my eyes, they're just as spineless so that's a wash. The only thing left is the information each party is spreading, and the current GOP's message screams of paranoia, fear, social & economic division. Political dishonesty isn't good on any level, but the current GOP's tactics are so vehemently destructive and transparent that I could never in good conscious support it.

 

[TomCat84]

And that is what scares me the most. With the current batch in power, that's the last thing I want to see. Even though many of the Dems in power have no backbone (with notable exceptions such as Alan Grayson), the GOP allowed a few extremists with loud mouths and loaded guns to redefine their party and purge out the mass majority of centrists & moderates in the process. In my eyes, they're just as spineless so that's a wash. The only thing left is the information each party is spreading, and the current GOP's message screams of paranoia, fear, social & economic division. Political dishonesty isn't good on any level, but the current GOP's tactics are so vehemently destructive and transparent that I could never in good conscious support it.

Of course not, but like the old saying goes- better the enemy you know than the enemy you dont...

 

[B_VinylBoy]

Of course not, but like the old saying goes- better the enemy you know than the enemy you dont...

True that... but I think there's enough information out there to figure out who the real enemies are this time. Gotta love the internet age. It's lunchtime, and that meatloaf looks rather tasty right now.

 

[B_OtterJoq]

sewmun, instead of cutting and pasting (those emails you sent me were HILARIOUS, which I doubt was your intent), how about coming up with an original thought?

The moronic, paranoid crap you're posting around here just ain't gonna cut it.

Every message board seems to have "that guy." Don't be "that guy," m'kay?

Oops I guess I won't be doing that again.
But here's a poll for eveyone to take:
Grade Obama's First Year in Office - Political Hotsheet - CBS News

 

[maxcok]

The point of my posts remains. It's been a tough 3 weeks for me- Padres are on a huge losing streak and law school is starting to crush my balls. So while the point of my posts remains, I probably should clarify my thoughts. Max, I love you, but there really is no real substantive difference between the Republicans and Democrats.

I won't go into the substantive differences; you know that's a rash and cliche' statement, and you know it's not true. There are more similarities than there ought to be, due to the increasing influence of corporate and other special interest money, but please tell me how else the Dems are going to compete in elections without it? I keep yammering and hammering on this as the root issue that determines the outcome of all others, and therefore needs to be addressed before all others. Most people probably think I'm on a tangent with that, but funny how when you look at any legislation that gets passed, it nearly always comes back to the money.

I'm flattered you love me, baby. You're a little too impetuous and emotional for me, but I like you a lot. I hope that's enough. :wink:

Republicans will fuck you dry, while Democrats will at least use lube, and maybe lean down to kiss you every once in awhile. But the point being, they both still fuck you in the end.

"in the end" LOL! Anyway, you like that, don't you baby? :wink:

The Democrats won in 2006 and lost their balls. Obama won in 2008 and lost his balls. Took universal health care off the table before negotiations even started. Once it was crystal clear the Republicans weren't interested in negotiating in good faith, he made it clear he was still going to negotiate with them. Now we have a giveaway to Big Pharma and big insurance companies. FOlks are going to be mandated to have health insurance, with little help in paying their premiums.

I'm in 110% agreement with all that. Actually the net result will be increasing premiums, increasing costs to consumers, and reduction in services. The most significant thing this bill did was guarantee a vastly increased market and profit for Big Medicine. Still, I wouldn't say he lost his balls so much on healthcare, as much as he abdicated his responsibility: standing on the sidelines while Congress crafted irreconcilable versions of bills, never pushed his own (or the people's) priorities, did not defend and communicate those priorities to the public, and left congressional members to fend for themselves when they came under attack. In the eleventh hour, the Dems were determined to pass something, anything, just to prove that they could. It would be a joke, except there's nothing funny about it.

Bosses Put Higher Insurance Tab On Workers' Shoulders ​

Less noticed because of its complexity and lower position on the public radar is how the financial overhaul bill was similarly compromised. Placing the still to be defined 'Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection' inside the Federal Reserve is tantamount to housing chickens in the foxes' den, for example. It is vitally important that Elizabeth Warren be seated to head that agency if it is to be effective at all. Another example, the bill does not do nearly enough to regulate derivatives, those mysterious financial instruments that brought the whole house of plastic cards down in the first place.

"Most of the new rules won't take effect right away. The Obama administration has a full year, for example, to empower a Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection that is being created.

Regulators will take months to study dozens of issues in the 2,300-page law before drafting rules. Among them: Should the government limit the size of banks? How should stockbrokers be held accountable for advice they give to clients? How can credit ratings be made more reliable?

All of that means the real-world impact of the law will depend on how it's interpreted by regulators -- the same regulators who were blamed for failing to head off the financial crisis."

Most changes from financial overhaul bill won't take effect soon ​

FIFTY THOUSAND troops remain in that godforsaken hell hole in the Middle East, and this chump claims the War is over. at:

He didn't say "the War is over", in fact he consciously and pointedly did not say that. What he said was combat operations had ceased, and we are shifting into a support mission with the Iraquis taking the lead to provide for their own security. To be realistic, we will have a presence there for a long time, but you can't blame him for trying to clean up the impossible mess inherited from the previous administration. Their goal, hatched in the PNAC think tank, was to enforce "stability" on the Middle East. :rolleyes2: As a result of their irresponsible actions, the region is ironically more destabilized than ever (not to mention the impact it's had on the US and world enonomies, and what it's done to our standing on the world stage).

It is naive in the extreme to suggest we could completely and unilaterally pull out at this point without the entire region descending quickly into chaos, possibly all out war, which would require we return with greater force and greater costs in money, lives and global stability. US and world interests are at stake here. The Bush administration broke Iraq and upset the balance of power in the region. Obama can't magically fix it. The best we can do for now is try to hold it together with military and diplomatic glue until the Iraqis get their shit together politically and can stand on their own. That's pragmatic reality; get used to it.

Dont Ask Dont Tell is still not repealed.

I'm withholding judgement here until the troop survey is complete and we see what the Joint Chiefs come up with. I still believe it's going to happen by early next year. If not, talk to me in Jan/Feb.

DOMA is still in place- and in fact, it was Obama's Justice Department that defended it in court, comparing us to incestuous marriages.

It wasn't quite a direct comparison, though including those cases in the argument certainly raised my eyebrows. In fact, I found it disgusting and inflammatory. Setting that and the emotion aside, the Justice Department is required to defend these cases until Congress changes or repeals the law. We can at least take assurance that the present administration abides by the law; compared to the previous administration, which picked and chose cases and illegally used Justice to push an ideological agenda.

I'm fucking done with him.

I am increasingly frustrated and disappointed, but I am not done. Though I have never been an ardent acolyte, he's had my full support on his stated goals. But as they say around here, the proof is in the pudding. My major beefs are that he has been unfocused, his priorities are misplaced, he's not stood up to the opposition much at all, and he's been ineffective at communicating his message and building public support. I addressed that here: #21 #25

Still, we're in the middle of a raging river here. Are you ready to to get off the horse we're on when the alternative is much worse? What he does from here going forward, how the Dems fare in the mid terms, and what (if anything) comes out of the new Congress once it's seated will tell the tale. Then I'll be ready to reassess. If, for example, the Bush tax credits are extended for the top wage earners, it may be time for a popular revolt.

 

[D_Gunther Snotpole]

But 57 "states of Islam"? What the freaking fuck does that even mean?

I figure it was a close-but-no-cigar remembrance that the Organisation of the Islamic Conference has 56 members.
She's close, but no cigar, see?

If, for example, the Bush tax credits are extended for the top wage earners, it may be time for a popular revolt.

That would pretty much be this Canadian's (irrelevant) tipping point.

 

[maxcok]

That would pretty much be this Canadian's (irrelevant) tipping point.

We would still welcome you to join the revolution, even as a mercenary.

 

[D_Gunther Snotpole]

We would still welcome you to join the revolution, even as a mercenary.

Sheesh.
I was applying for in-house demagogue.

 

[faceking]

The president once again pointed out in elegant but plain language why the War in Iraq must be part of our past. He graciously acknowledged his predecessor and told us bluntly that the pullout from Afghanistan starts next year and it is NOT an endless war for the US.
This stupid war in Iraq killed 4400 Americans, injured more than 35, 000 and brought death , injury and pain to millions of Iraqis.
As the president correctly pointed out, now we must work to provide our returning vets with jobs, the best of health care, housing and college educations through the renewed and enhanced post 9-11 GI bill.
God bless our troops, our vets and our president.
and all you nay sayers can go to hell.:wink:

time for a new set of pom-poms... regardless of what side you are on, i notice you are vehemently critical on politics, but spare Obama on any/every front. the speech, his policy... i don't need to even remark failure/success, as you are completely devoid of any critical thinking on Obama... and frankly...nevermind. Fire up another, brah.

 

[cruztbone]

apparently tom kat you are either deaf or blind. the president kept his promise and is keeping his others when it comes to Iraq and Afghanistan. No , i am not joking. but apparently you feel it is all a joke. what a sad person you must be. my condolences to what must be left of your soul.

 

[cruztbone]

and to the rest of you who dont have any memory of just a few years ago and cant see the dramatic improvement Obama has made in the life of the history of this nation , then you are either brain dead or a Republican. oh wait, that IS the same thing.

 

[B_RedDude]

I'm wondering how much longer the American people and his fellow Democrats will tolerate the war in Afghanistan.

To address TomCat and his interlocutor(s), it does seem that the president has not been bold or liberal enough in his efforts and that he has been too conciliatory.

The country is such a mess. I'm starting to wonder whether the healthcare push was really wise or worth it, especially given the shitty bill we got in the end. Given the insurance companies, to have a healthcare bill without a public option is, in my view, unconscionable.

I haven't turned against the president, but he needs to get some balls.

 

[unabear09]

and to the rest of you who dont have any memory of just a few years ago and cant see the dramatic improvement Obama has made in the life of the history of this nation , then you are either brain dead or a Republican. oh wait, that IS the same thing.

HA!

 

[unabear09]

I'm wondering how much longer the American people and his fellow Democrats will tolerate the war in Afghanistan.

Sad thing is if we would have never invaded Iraq, we probably would have been done in Afganistan years ago. Its highly probable that our country would probably not be in such a dire financial fiasco. Unfortunately the people of this country elected a dummy. (Not single handedly blaming Bush, but he was a puppet...hee hee I made a pun)

 

[maxcok]

apparently tom kat you are either deaf or blind. the president kept his promise and is keeping his others when it comes to Iraq and Afghanistan. No , i am not joking. but apparently you feel it is all a joke. what a sad person you must be. my condolences to what must be left of your soul.

Well at least he still has a cute ass. World class! :smile:

I'm wondering how much longer the American people and his fellow Democrats will tolerate the war in Afghanistan.

To address TomCat and his interlocutor(s), it does seem that the president has not been bold or liberal enough in his efforts and that he has been too conciliatory.

The country is such a mess. I'm starting to wonder whether the healthcare push was really wise or worth it, especially given the shitty bill we got in the end. Given the insurance companies, to have a healthcare bill without a public option is, in my view, unconscionable.

I haven't turned against the president, but he needs to get some balls.

Swut I been sayin. Show me da balls!

I agree with the rest of your post, but regarding Afghanistan: We have to succeed there, as in shift the mission from detached combat missions to engagement with the population, building infrastructure and political institutions, "winning hearts and minds". That shift is starting, it will take time, and we need to give it a chance to succeed. Regardless, we're going to be there a very long time, at least through Obama's second term, if he has one.

Sheesh.
I was applying for in-house demagogue.

Yeah, well we already got plenty of doze. We needs some doers.

 

[boerkie]

cut and paste is the new original thought.