81 replies to this topic

[brokenportal]

Obama, progress in action, these are the good old days.

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The republicans seem to want to win at any cost. In the 1980s they nominated an actor. Then they nominated the guy that the actor picked, then they nominated the son of the guy that the actor picked. In that time they blocked the creation of a national health care system under Clinton. When they found out he was tickling some lady they rushed out and worked to shut down the entire government, side track everything and make this the number 1 priority. Then when the democrats nominate the first black candidate the republicans rush out and select the first female vice presidential candidate. That’s 4 picks, actor, the guy the actor picked, the son of the guy the actor picked, and a well meaning lady who doesn’t know that Africa is a continent and runs around making fun of democrats like they did in grade school. Do the republicans pick opportunistically, or for intelligence and proven capability?

Bush slowed down stem cell research, sent us into sketchy wars, and is borderline horrible at articulating anything. This is the guy we had talking to the world.

So Obama comes in. Articulating well isn’t a down fall, just because you articulate well doesn’t mean you perform poorly, the logic that republicans use there is deplorable. They are saying it just because they think that it will resonate with people. They do it in the same way that when the nice handsome dapper new well dressed guy gets the job they say that he only got hired because of those things. Its not true, its embarrassing to hear our fellow countrymen making these kinds of arguments.

Obama has done so much that its hard to remember it all. I remember the Clinton years pretty well, and the Bush 1 and 2 years. I remember the wars, gulf war, the attempted health care reform, the prescription pills act, I remember Clinton leading the economy up until we landed on a surplus. I remember Clinton chasing Saddam around, remember Bush II hanging him. Bush II tried his best to help the children with no child left behind, and he started 2 wars. Now Im sure Ive missed a few key things, but that about sums up what I can remember of those years. Obama has already done as much or more than all three of them combined.

Obama said he was going to pass health care reform, he ran on it, he got into office and he did it. We have been championing the idea for years and years, he ran on it, he got elected with it as a major part of his platform, and he got it passed. He did it. He did what he said he would do and now we have it.

When the economy started a head first slide down hill Obama passed bail outs and put the brakes on what would have otherwise slid us down into an all out crisis for every household in the US. This would have been unspeakably catastrophic to every aspect of most every bodies every day lives, and probably would have spread to other parts of the world.

He helped get the Wall Street reform passed. Wall Street was largely unregulated with loop holes the size of Mac trucks. Many of the Wall Street workers were marauders, looting and pillaging thousands and thousands and millions and millions of dollars from every nook and cranny of the US citizen’s pocket books. Even when the rats were drawn out into the spot light, they were so despicable and vile that they continued giving themselves thousand dollar vacations and million dollar bonuses with bail out money. Wall Street is now more regulated. It is now harder for this marauding to go on. This is a major success comparable to few others. Marauding, much harder to maraud.

Obama closed down Guantanamo Bay. It is now on its way out.

Obama changed the focus of the wars from Iraq back to the country that bred the guy that brought us 9/11. We are now much more focused on getting that guy. We really, really need to get that guy, more so than worry about Iraq.

Obama brought diplomacy back into the fabric of the US character. When Bush was a careless do-what-he-wants-gun-slinger as the face of a America, to the rest of the world, it was crippling us. It is insane to be a bully in a world full of nukes and missiles. Most every cognizant person in the US at that time was holding their breath asking themselves and their neighbors what the F he was doing and when was it going to end. Obama brought us back out of that. Obama brought respectable diplomacy back to the table.

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Whether Bush maliciously had his hand in the Oil companies pocket books or not, we know that he had a well vested interest in it and was at the very least biased toward the oil companies. We need oil, that’s right, but we also need to get on the fast track to a green future, and though I don’t think Bush was malicious about this, drill baby drill is now being replaced by a guiding light for a green tomorrow because of Obama. I have never seen a greater champion of a green future than Obama.

Obama ended an 8 year ban on embryonic stem cell research. Do I have to explain what a life send for the future of humanity this is? That was a galacticly important chess move in the game of life that Obama is helping us win.

Those are just the things I can think of off the top of my head. These things are crazy good. The republicans want to get elected again and we understand that but shameless opportunism is fire in the rafters. Compared to Bush II Obama is from every single last angle and perspective a progressive, nation bettering genius. Bush II wasn’t all bad, but Obama is blatantly, obviously 100 times better.

These are the good old days if there ever were any, with many bright, bright tomorrows ahead of us. Relish in this. Help add to it and lets use this positive energy to help the progressive thrust of this world reach as far as it can now, now while the iron is hot.

[Elus]

http://voices.washin...ve_increas.html

I know that Obama promised more funding for science, but it would be nice to see more forward action! I'm all for Obama, and he is indeed a brilliant man. I just hope that the right-wing, religious, anti-science groups will not greatly hinder his progress in achieving the fundamental reform that the United States needs.

Edited by Elus, 06 August 2010 - 10:01 PM.

[brokenportal]

Well, he has done a ton of great things, more than most. It would be nice if he had a magic wand yes, but I caution against not focusing on the good. If rescue worker 1 saves 40 of the 100 people people and rescue worker 2 saves 80, I would say that we should focus on the 40 more he saved and not the 20 he couldnt get to. While Obama is in office the Republicans are running a full time smear campaign while the Democrats have none. Can you imagine if the Democrats didnt reciprocate during election time? It would have been disastrous, and its potentially disastrous now.

[CuringTheSane]

I can't tell if this is a joke, or if you're fishing for people on here to disagree with what you've so eloquently written. It's truly sickening that anyone can even think this way. All this time I thought is was just the inbred bible thumpers who were supposed to be the ones with Stockholm syndrome. Get over it man, Obama is a failure in every regard. Americans don't need a lollipop and a pat on the head, they need radical reform.

[niner]

Obama is a failure in every regard. Americans don't need a lollipop and a pat on the head, they need radical reform.

In every regard? What kind of radical reform do you think we need? Who will decide what it's to be?

[aLurker]

Group hug?

Edited by aLurker, 10 August 2010 - 04:17 AM.

[CuringTheSane]

The United States needs to become a sustainable system, which means a whole new approach, and likely nothing that has been implemented before in the modern age. This will take thinkers like those that first formed this country. not a bunch of wealthy lawyers who get put into office to protect the interests of corporations and special interest groups. The past few weeks I have been reading a lot of the writings by Henry George. Would what he suggests work? That's difficult to say, because in my opinion there are a lot of theories that look good on paper, it's just a matter of them being implemented correctly, and taking human behavior and psychology into consideration.

If you would like, I can run down a list of major changes Obama could easily accomplish seeing as how the democrats control both the house and senate.

1. Repeal the Taft-Hartley Act
2. Implement a living wage
3. Implement a fair tax
4. Create a universal, not for profit, healthcare system
5. End all foreign entanglements, and close most if not all military bases abroad
6. Cut the defense budget in half. The U.S. spends more on defense than the rest of the world combined. Who again is banging down the doors to invade the U.S.?
7. End all foreign aid

"Foreign Aid Purpose: To create foreign markets for US products, esp. arms sales.
Foreign aid aids the giver, not the recipient.
Corruption is a major problem - many funds end up in private bank accounts.
The leaders get the money, not the people.
Richer nations receive the most aid."

8. Pass the Clean Water Protection Act
9. Nationalize the energy industry
10. Legalize all drugs

That's a good starting point. There are hundreds of other aspects (see if you can think of any) of the U.S. that Obama could fix, but if people are satisfied with him just because he's not Bush, then nothing is going to get accomplished.

Edited by CuringTheSane, 10 August 2010 - 05:20 AM.

[brokenportal]

I can't tell if this is a joke, or if you're fishing for people on here to disagree with what you've so eloquently written.

Thats a good example of a false dichotomy.

It's truly sickening that anyone can even think this way.

I would ask you to back up your statements but I dont think youll be able to do it with out fallacious opportunist diversions and tactics and so it really doesn’t matter.

All this time I thought is was just the inbred bible thumpers who were supposed to be the ones with Stockholm syndrome.

It is. The republican bible thumpers think that the monopolizing cheating capitalists at the top are not their captors, and they fight to help those at the top take advantage of and manipulate the system to keep them down so those at the top can get richer and more powerful.

Get over it man,

I could take that seriously if it wasn’t a baseless empty statement used for rhetorical effect that the Stockholm captives fall for time and time again.

Obama is a failure in every regard.

Hes accomplished more than the last three presidents combined. Your contradictory there in the most blatant way, its the square peg that doesnt fit in the rectangle hole. Have you considered this topic at all?

Americans don't need a lollipop and a pat on the head, they need radical reform.

Which is it, Obama has done nothing, or he has done a ton? How is it not blatantly recognizable that republicans use contradictory insults to put the president down? How is health care reform, wall street reform, a path to a green future, reversal of stem cell ban and all the others a pat on the head and a lollipop? You think all of those things are a lollipop? That’s what you think they are, a pat on the head and a lollipop? Your standing by that? That’s what it is? Is that right? Is that your final call? Really?

When there is a problem that is fixed, you can call it radical all day long, but it doesn’t have anything to do with whether you are right or not. How is radical the right descriptive word to the solution for a decades old problem? If a problem persists and does not get better for decades, and decades, and decades, then you classify it as radical to solve that problem? That’s your definition of radical? I classify letting major problems go unsolved for decades and decades radical.

The United States needs to become a sustainable system, which means a whole new approach, and likely nothing that has been implemented before in the modern age.

So you know the answer, but the good, workable, practical precedented actions arent? So some pretty good solutions have come along, but thats not good enough for you, you have to complain if it isnt done in a way that you cant even explain? You say that its difficult to say if the ideas that you think are better, are good in ways other than on paper or not. So you read Henry George and now your smarter than the president who was elected to the senate, nominated for presidency by the national democratic party and voted in by over 60 million people? You dont think the president read anything? You dont think he read anything in preparation for his years as a constitutional lawyer and professor? You dont think he read stuff during that time, before, in preparation for the senate, in the senate, and after?

This will take thinkers like those that first formed this country. not a bunch of wealthy lawyers who get put into office to protect the interests of corporations and special interest groups.

You think thats who Obama is? What kind of bottom of the barrel do you have to come from before you would accept that the elected candidate was not a career politician with his hand in the honey jars? Obama raised all of the money that he got to get elected to the senate and presidency. He wasnt born with that money to his name. He worked for it and won it based on his principles. Have you read Audacity of Hope? It is about the dreams of a bi partisan future. It is about fairness in government and getting things done. It goes into detail about his days of living check to check and raising the money for these campaigns. Health care, wall street, stem cells, diplomacy and other things undisputablely prove that. But thats not getting things done, thats pats on the head and lollipops from a wealthy lawyer being controlled by corporate interests? Thats really what you say, you stick with that?

The past few weeks I have been reading a lot of the writings by Henry George. Would what he suggests work? That's difficult to say, because in my opinion there are a lot of theories that look good on paper, it's just a matter of them being implemented correctly, and taking human behavior and psychology into consideration.

If you would like, I can run down a list of major changes Obama could easily accomplish seeing as how the democrats control both the house and senate.

Did you read the response to Elus? It refutes this statement.

"Well, he has done a ton of great things, more than most. It would be nice if he had a magic wand yes, but I caution against not focusing on the good. If rescue worker 1 saves 40 of the 100 people people and rescue worker 2 saves 80, I would say that we should focus on the 40 more he saved and not the 20 he couldnt get to. While Obama is in office the Republicans are running a full time smear campaign while the Democrats have none. Can you imagine if the Democrats didnt reciprocate during election time? It would have been disastrous, and its potentially disastrous now."

1. Repeal the Taft-Hartley Act
2. Implement a living wage
3. Implement a fair tax
4. Create a universal, not for profit, healthcare system
5. End all foreign entanglements, and close most if not all military bases abroad
6. Cut the defense budget in half. The U.S. spends more on defense than the rest of the world combined. Who again is banging down the doors to invade the U.S.?
7. End all foreign aid

So hes working on lists of things, and getting them done left and right, based on priorities that he gets help setting from prominent proven advisors, but its not enough because its not your list? Do you think he has a magic wand? Do you think he wouldnt like to get more done? Do you think that its fair to say this when he has gotten so many things done in the last year and a half, many of which I list in this topic?

"Foreign Aid Purpose: To create foreign markets for US products, esp. arms sales.
Foreign aid aids the giver, not the recipient.
Corruption is a major problem - many funds end up in private bank accounts.
The leaders get the money, not the people.
Richer nations receive the most aid."

So, you know that the Obama administration is so inept that they dont take these things into consideration and they just write checks to anybody with no preconditions, monitoring, or follow ups? And its fair for us to expect that they get every dollar to land exactly on its intended target and be beneficial in the maximum possible way?

8. Pass the Clean Water Protection Act
9. Nationalize the energy industry
10. Legalize all drugs

That's a good starting point. There are hundreds of other aspects (see if you can think of any) of the U.S. that Obama could fix, but if people are satisfied with him just because he's not Bush, then nothing is going to get accomplished.

Im pretty sure we are satisfied with him because we examined his credentials, listened to his plans, liked them, looked at his record, his integrity, his intelligence. Im pretty sure its because we read the Audacity of Hope, and realized that Mccain thought he was entitled and that Palin was a shamelessly bad opportunistic move. Im pretty sure its because Joe Biden was a really strong reliable pick. Im pretty sure its because not only did we have faith in him as a candidate, but because he has gone on to prove it beyond a doubt through his long list of accomplishments, that already surpasses the last three presidents combined. Just because we could have picked any democrat to replace Bush doesnt mean we did. We didnt, we picked Barack Obama, a guy who has done more good for this country in the last year and a half than has been done in the last 20 years. Just because you can say that everything is wrong and ill intended doesnt mean that it is true. It should be especially hard for you to even consider saying those things in the face of over whelming proof to the contrary.

[CuringTheSane]

Ok, I apologize for the false dichotomy, I will add a third option - insane Obama fanboy.

All of what you've spouted means nothing in a system whose election process is dictated by a corporate run media, with nationally televised debates that ban third party candidates. On top of that the voting system is centuries out of date, among other things. What's funny is that even with all the odds in his favor, Obama narrowly beat McCain in the popular vote. Wow, big accomplishment. Maybe he can write a book about it.

Are you trying to defend Obama as a candidate for the people? Seriously? A people's champion? Seriously? A rags to riches pop icon? Seriously? hahaha

No wait, seriously? Wait, I have one more question....seriously?

Tell me, where did Obama get his wealth from? Hard work? Perseverance? Rolling up his sleeves, and digging in in the good old Capitalist system? Seriously? No shady dealings? Seriously? No backdoor deals? No major corporate funding? Oh that's right, he only took from individuals....who just so happen to work for Goldman Sachs, Google, Microsoft, Harvard etc.

Yes folk, Obama is a trust busting socialist, hell bent on dedicating all of the U.S. budget to science and education. Don't worry about the wars, the 13 trillion in bank bailouts, or the highest defense spending bill in history, those are just minor details on a shimmering and prestine resume of the famous Chicago senator who will all know and love.

[CuringTheSane]

So, you know that the Obama administration is so inept that they dont take these things into consideration and they just write checks to anybody with no preconditions, monitoring, or follow ups?

I think you haven't even bothered to see where your tax dollars are going to, and for what purpose. The largest recipients of U.S. "aid" are Israel and Egypt, which is used to maintain the blockade of illegally occupied territories. The over 2 billion that goes to Egypt goes directly into the pockets of Mubarak's dictatorship. As for what's given Israel? Helicopter gunships to mow down starving Palestinians, and money to build settlements on stolen land. Your money supports genocide. Obama knows this, but I suppose that he includes a few copies of his book Audacity of Hope for the Israeli's to leave in the homes of the children whose families have just been slaughtered.

Of course there's also all that money that's off the books going to help grow poppy plants in Afghanistan and pay off the warlords so they can say that they're winning the war, and turning a new page, tracking down insurgents..blah, blah, blah. You know the U.S. is in a sad state when even far left liberals support war.

Edited by CuringTheSane, 10 August 2010 - 07:43 AM.

[JLL]

Obama is nothing but the biggest thief in the world.

[niner]

I think you haven't even bothered to see where your tax dollars are going to, and for what purpose. The largest recipients of U.S. "aid" are Israel and Egypt, which is used to maintain the blockade of illegally occupied territories. The over 2 billion that goes to Egypt goes directly into the pockets of Mubarak's dictatorship. As for what's given Israel? Helicopter gunships to mow down starving Palestinians, and money to build settlements on stolen land. Your money supports genocide. Obama knows this, but I suppose that he includes a few copies of his book Audacity of Hope for the Israeli's to leave in the homes of the children whose families have just been slaughtered.

Do you think Obama had anything to do with this state of affairs? What do you think would happen if Obama tried to stop the flow of money to Israel? Do you think he could do it? Do you have any idea how our political system works? Obama is the President, not the Supreme Leader. The Democrats have never controlled both houses of Congress during the Obama Administration, because they never had the votes needed to end the filibusters that the Republicans mount against virtually anything they attempt.

Instead of reading about Henry George, I suggest you read up on the American political system, and concentrate on getting your facts straight.

Edited by niner, 11 August 2010 - 01:11 AM.

[eternaltraveler]

Democrat or republican or any other party fan posts are pretty much entirely useless and always a complete waste of time, and needlessly polarizing.

politics is the mind killer

Edited by eternaltraveler, 11 August 2010 - 02:32 AM.

[Elus]

1. Repeal the Taft-Hartley Act
2. Implement a living wage
3. Implement a fair tax
4. Create a universal, not for profit, healthcare system
5. End all foreign entanglements, and close most if not all military bases abroad
6. Cut the defense budget in half. The U.S. spends more on defense than the rest of the world combined. Who again is banging down the doors to invade the U.S.?
7. End all foreign aid

While I do like this list, one must realize that he also has a lot of opposition. Think of his initial plan for the healthcare system, which was eventually transformed into something far more conservative. I'd like to believe Obama could do all these things, but I doubt it given the circumstances.

[rwac]

10. Legalize all drugs

You know, this one's kinda funny. I think there's more discussion of it on the libertarian/conservative side than among the left.

[CuringTheSane]

It's ridiculous. Some argue for legalization, but only for marijuana. That's great, a good step in the right direction, but as Ron Paul says, and one of very few things I agree with, it's an issue of what you want to do with your own body. The other issues that can arrise are having to pay for programs that help reform drug addicts, or whatever, but I'm sure they would cost significantly less than what American taxpayers spend on housing drug offenders. It's a big business now though, and the U.S., while not holding many records anymore, it does hold the highest incarceration rate in the world. Yes, even surpassing Satanic nations like Venezuela, Cuba, and...Pakistan.

[CuringTheSane]

1. Repeal the Taft-Hartley Act
2. Implement a living wage
3. Implement a fair tax
4. Create a universal, not for profit, healthcare system
5. End all foreign entanglements, and close most if not all military bases abroad
6. Cut the defense budget in half. The U.S. spends more on defense than the rest of the world combined. Who again is banging down the doors to invade the U.S.?
7. End all foreign aid

While I do like this list, one must realize that he also has a lot of opposition. Think of his initial plan for the healthcare system, which was eventually transformed into something far more conservative. I'd like to believe Obama could do all these things, but I doubt it given the circumstances.

On some of those obviously, it would be hard, but as I said the democrats control the house and senate. there are no excuses. If he is incapable of working both sides of the isle, or even his own party to make major reforms, then he is nothing more than another face to watch on television. People have these petty arguments over issues that don't mean anything. the media creates them everyday, and this is likely what this guy who started the thread was intending on honing his skills on. Perhaps his next dinner party he gets invited to a few years from now will serve him better than the last where he sat in the corner while guests talked the garbage thoughts they were the morning of. As I said it's a sad state of affairs. The left in the U.S. support war, and this is really unacceptable. The U.S., it would be hard to say has had a justifiable war in the last century. War is a last resort, one which the American people may be faced with, but not against a foreign enemy.

[Soma]

Yes, even surpassing Satanic nations like Venezuela, Cuba, and...Pakistan.

Satanic nations?

[chris w]

Yes, even surpassing Satanic nations like Venezuela, Cuba, and...Pakistan.

Satanic nations?

Lol, I think CuringTheSane might want to do some rethinking on this one. It's a bit out of balance to call whole nations "satanic".

Venezuela hardly applies for being a Death Star ranking on 147th postion in incarceration rates, Pakistan is 187. Cuba is # 5, so I guess that one holds, athough recently they're letting out some of the dissidents.

Edited by chris w, 11 August 2010 - 01:58 PM.

[brokenportal]

Democrat or republican or any other party fan posts are pretty much entirely useless and always a complete waste of time, and needlessly polarizing.

politics is the mind killer

Theres a big difference between republican fans and people like me and niner. When the republicans do well we are glad. Im not a democrat, bring me a good republican and I will support them. I will not smear them no matter what they do.

What I find is that a full time republican smear campaign with the lack of a democratic one is dangerously polarizing, and so we have to have the wherewithal to make sure this stuff is said too.

If he is incapable of working both sides of the isle,

Hes constantly opening up the doors to bi partisanship in bill debate, with the committees, with developing proposals, he is constantly asking for and calling for it. There were big nationally televised examples like the health care summit. The republicans dont greet this with record breaking filibusters, they greet it with record shattering filibusters, and blanketing fallacious criticism no matter what he does.

or even his own party to make major reforms,

He has created a variety of important reform, not sure why you would even write that. The republicans at large rely heavily on the Nirvana fallacy to pretend they are refuting the reforms.

then he is nothing more than another face to watch on television.

This is the fallacy of hasty generalization, the republicans leaped to this conclusion with out enough time for sufficient samples. Now that Obama has gone from looking like he didnt do much 8 months ago, to having a much longer list of accomplishments now, the republicans still use this arguement. Its still used even in spite of its hastiness. Thats like criticizing a dieter for being over weight and continuing to do so when they become skinny. The logic is really bad.

[Brafarality]

Very forceful and eloquent. Obama is the bomb, no doubt.
Was reading through and forgot for a time that it came straight from an ImmInst creative writer, and not from the OpEd section of the New York Times.
Well done.
Cheers.

Edited by Brafarality, 11 August 2010 - 03:17 PM.

[rwac]

Theres a big difference between republican fans and people like me and niner. When the republicans do well we are glad. Im not a democrat, bring me a good republican and I will support them. I will not smear them no matter what they do.

What I find is that a full time republican smear campaign with the lack of a democratic one is dangerously polarizing, and so we have to have the wherewithal to make sure this stuff is said too.

Can you name a good Republican ?

Well, Democrats have the Presidency, and both houses of Congress. Alas, the Dems currently lack someone to smear.
You'll see the Dem smear machine start up when the GOP grabs hold of the house.

If he is incapable of working both sides of the isle,

Hes constantly opening up the doors to bi partisanship in bill debate, with the committees, with developing proposals, he is constantly asking for and calling for it. There were big nationally televised examples like the health care summit. The republicans dont greet this with record breaking filibusters, they greet it with record shattering filibusters, and blanketing fallacious criticism no matter what he does.

Nah, the bipartisanship is all just talk. The GOP was not even allowed to READ the health-care bill before it was passed, for crying out loud.

[niner]

Nah, the bipartisanship is all just talk. The GOP was not even allowed to READ the health-care bill before it was passed, for crying out loud.

That seems a little hard to believe. How could they hold a vote on a major bill without the Republicans even being allowed to read it?

There seems to be a disconnect on the issue of bipartisanship. Obama has done a lot of reaching out to the Republicans. That's what he was doing when he came out in favor of off-shore drilling a month before the BP Blowout. Can anyone point to an instance of the Republicans meeting him even a quarter of the way on anything? All they seem to be doing is filibustering everything and using secret holds to prevent him from appointing people.

Edited by niner, 11 August 2010 - 07:13 PM.

[Connor MacLeod]

Obama, progress in action, these are the good old days.

Frankly, I think we're pretty much screwed, at least for the foreseeable future. Most of us are going to die poorer than our parents, and all of us are going to die. Obama is our Gorbachev; he's going to be the one at the helm when this ship runs ashore, and most of the world is going to love him for it.

Edited by Connor MacLeod, 12 August 2010 - 02:08 AM.

[valkyrie_ice]

Obama pretty much has the same issues I do. He's a centrist, someone who believes the best course is right up the middle/

And the man in the middle of the road is the one everyone aims for.

The Progressives aren't happy because he didn't wrench the wheel so hard left that we jumped the ditch and took off cross country towards extremist heaven.
The Conservatives hate him because he's the proof their Whites Only Old Boys Club is falling apart.

He's managed to do more than any president has in decades, and get no credit, because no matter what he manages to accomplish, it's either far too much, or far too little, because no one is willing to accept that incremental change is all that can be accomplished, because the entrenched status quo is designed to prevent ANY CHANGE except those which enrich the wealthy further. He's forced change on a system that is fighting tooth and nail to prevent that change, and yet too many people refuse to acknowledge that he's made any change at all because he couldn't manage to make the change they wanted OVER NIGHT.

It's going to take years to undo 30 years of unbridled corruption and rampant bribery. And the ONLY way he can do it is one tiny step at a time.

[niner]

Obama, progress in action, these are the good old days.

Frankly, I think we're pretty much screwed, at least for the foreseeable future. Most of us are going to die poorer than our parents, and all of us are going to die. Obama is our Gorbachev; he's going to be the one at the helm when this ship runs ashore, and most of the world is going to love him for it.

Hey Connor, long time! You're kinda doomster gloomster today... I think it will take us a few years to pull out of this recession. We may be saved by the future's positive bias. Things get better because technological developments enrich us. New materials, energy, and bio technologies will be coming on line in the next decade or two, and some of it is going to be transformative. My money is on science compensating for stupid, in the long run. At any rate, I really can't see the ship of state running aground in Obama's first term. Is this then a prediction that he'll be reelected in 2012 so he can be America's Gorbachev in 2015 or so?

On the other hand, maybe there's something to this analogy. America's Gorbachev would be the person that brought our teetering edifice crashing down with out-of-control spending, multiple wars, inadequate revenues, and allowing the financial system to implode... So that would make Obama America's Yeltsin! Aside from the drinking problem. Well, there is that smoking thing. So there ya go. Who will be our Putin? Palin? hmmmm...

[Connor MacLeod]

Hey Connor, long time!

Hi niner. I mostly lurk; too busy with other stuff to post much these days.

You're kinda doomster gloomster today...

Well, not really. I just think some pessimism is healthy. Things are going well for me personally; but I am anxious about the future of America.

At any rate, I really can't see the ship of state running aground in Obama's first term. Is this then a prediction that he'll be reelected in 2012 so he can be America's Gorbachev in 2015 or so?

Yes, I think its relatively likely that Obama will be reelected.

[chris w]

10. Legalize all drugs

You know, this one's kinda funny. I think there's more discussion of it on the libertarian/conservative side than among the left.

Well yes, but libertarians might discuss just about anything about everything and it won't change that much, still - it was Obama who decreed ending DEA raids on medical marijuana stores in states that have them. There may be a serious talk of legalizing and taxing in California with RINO governor Arnie, but I doubt there will be in a foreseable future in, say, Utah.

[CuringTheSane]

Do you think Obama had anything to do with this state of affairs?

No, probably not, because the whole time he was in the senate he was either sleeping, or playing basketball. To say for sure, you'd have to go back and take a look at his voting record, which I doubt anyone here has ever done, or intends to do.

What do you think would happen if Obama tried to stop the flow of money to Israel?

That's a good question, are you saying that Israel controls the actions of the president? That they have more power than the commander in chief of the U.S., the strongest empire in history? If all a president has to do these days is read prewritten speeches from a teleprompter, and show up for photo ops, then even you niner could become president.

Do you think he could do it?

Yes. Do I think he would? No.

Obama is the President, not the Supreme Leader.

There are plenty of ways (executive order, to name but one) to bypass congress, and almost every president in our history has done it in one way or another. Hell look at Teddy Roosevelt, that guy was practically a dictator.

The Democrats have never controlled both houses of Congress during the Obama Administration, because they never had the votes needed to end the filibusters that the Republicans mount against virtually anything they attempt.

This is semantics. They have more seats in the house and senate. Like I said, if Obama is incapable of getting a handful of republicans to avoid being filibustered, then that's really pathetic.

[CuringTheSane]

Yes, even surpassing Satanic nations like Venezuela, Cuba, and...Pakistan.

Satanic nations?

I forgot Iran, sorry. It's a joke man. Don't forget that the U.S. is a Christian nation. Why do you think all of the "evil doers" call the U.S. military/government crusaders?