1/22/2010 10:42:07 PM
1/22/2010 10:49:47 PM
1/23/2010 12:20:11 AM
what song do you like best?
1/23/2010 1:30:00 AM
How Can You Pick a Favorite? It's All Crannog!
1/23/2010 1:46:11 AM
1/23/2010 3:30:49 AM
Obama is bringing back David Plouffe, his 2008 campaign manager, to help him out. In a Jan 24th Op-Ed, Plouffe outlines the things that Democrats need to do to avoid getting skunked in November.At first I thought he was brought in to help Obama get a new message out in response to the voting results in Mass. etc. But reading these campaign-points makes me think they are just trying to emphasize the things that are making voters mad. 1) Pass a meaningful health insurance reform package without delay. We own the bill and the health-care votes. We need to get some of the upside2) We need to show that we not just are focused on jobs but also create them. ...the government can have only so much direct impact on job creation, on top of the millions of jobs created by the president's early efforts to restart the economy. That's why Democrats must create a strong foundation for long-term growth by addressing health care, energy and education reform. We must also show real leadership by passing some politically difficult measures to help stabilize the economy in the short term. ..and yes, we can remind voters where Republican policies led us -- and if we do, without apology and with force, it will have impact. 3) Make sure voters understand what the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act did for the economy. If GOP challengers want to run ads criticizing the recovery act as wasteful, Democratic candidates should lift up the police officers, teachers and construction workers in their state or district, those who are protecting our communities, teaching our children and repairing our roads thanks to the Democrats' leadership. Highlight the small-business owners who have kept their doors open through projects funded by the act. In future elections, it will be clear to all that instead of another Great Depression, Democrats broke the back of the recession with not a single Republican vote in the House. In the long run, this will haunt Republicans, especially since they made the mess. 4) Don't accept any lectures on spending The GOP took us from a $236 billion surplus when President Bush took office to a $1.3 trillion deficit, with unpaid-for tax cuts for the wealthy, two wars and the Medicare prescription drug program. Republicans' fiscal irresponsibility has never been matched in our country's history.5) "Change" is not just about policies we have to make sure the freshman and sophomore members of the House who won in part on transparency and reform issues can show they are delivering. The Republicans will suggest they have changed their spots, but the GOP cannot hold a candle to us on reform issues. Let's make sure we own this space. 6) Run great campaigns Our campaigns can leave no stone unturned, from believing in the power of grass-roots volunteers and voter registration, to using technology and data innovatively, to raising money -- especially with big corporate interests now freed up to dump hundreds of millions of dollars to elect those who will do their bidding.7) No bed-wetting Instead of fearing what may happen, let's prove that we have more than just the brains to govern -- that we have the guts to govern. Let's fight like hell, not because we want to preserve our status, but because we sincerely believe too many everyday Americans will continue to lose if Republicans and special interests win. Let's remember why we won in 2008 and deliver on what we promised. If Democrats will show the country we can lead when it's hard, we may not have perfect election results, but November will be nothing like the nightmare that talking heads have forecast.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/22/AR2010012204216.html?hpid=opinionsbox1[Edited on January 23, 2010 at 10:10 PM. Reason : .]
1/23/2010 10:10:17 PM
1/23/2010 10:42:57 PM
Disapproval of closing Guantanamo facility reaches new highhttp://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/01/disapproval-of-closing-guantan.htmlWhite House preparing fiscal task forceJanuary 19, 2010
1/24/2010 8:01:50 AM
Look at the ghostly image in the upper right part of the glass door...is that Jimmy Carter?
1/24/2010 10:46:53 PM
No.
1/24/2010 10:58:13 PM
1/24/2010 10:58:26 PM
1/24/2010 11:03:57 PM
1/25/2010 1:50:16 AM
I think we need a quiz for people like1. The Trouble Asset Relief Program, which allows the United States Department of the Treasury to purchase or insure up to $700 billion of "troubled assets", was passed under which President?a. President Barack Obamab. President George W. Bush2. This President expanded the federal budget by a historic $700 billion:a. President Barack Obamab. President George W. Bush3. This President is the first president in history to implement budgets that crossed the $2 trillion a year and $3 trillion a year marks.a. President Barack Obamab. President George W. Bush
1/25/2010 10:58:43 AM
Don't forget the quiz on which senators voted for #1 and #2
1/25/2010 11:07:24 AM
Yeah let's look at that.http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=s2008-213&sort=party
1/25/2010 11:14:22 AM
OMG Bush did it, so it must be OK that Barack Obama does it!Well that fucking settles it for me.And seriously, if you didn't want to inherit the problems from the last administration DON'T FUCKING RUN FOR THE GODDAMNED PRESIDENCY. It isn't like Bush in cahoots with Fox News was hiding from the American public the fact that we were engaged in two wars and facing a serious economic crisis and only through the intrepid openness of Barack Obama and MSNBC did we discover that the last administration shit all over the nation. President Obama wanted the job, he got the job. Deal with it and don't make excuses.
1/25/2010 11:37:29 AM
1/25/2010 11:41:25 AM
1/25/2010 12:01:37 PM
Well maybe the Libertarians.But the GOP was lock-step in line with every policy that Bush pushed forward.
1/25/2010 12:02:29 PM
Wait, I thought Fox was in cahoots with a warmongering president to promote the fact that we were in two wars against an Axis of Evil . . . were they simultaneously pretending we were not?All of the media and both political parties are guilty of our entry into Iraq, the Patriot Act, bailing out the banks, manipulation of the housing market, and the stimulus boondoggle etc. etc.I agree there are hypocrites out there, and plenty of them, but pointing out that hypocrites exist is a diversion from the real topic at hand. No shit hypocrites exist, we have a ceremony every 2 years to chose which hypocrites we want to represent us.
1/25/2010 12:04:30 PM
1/25/2010 2:23:19 PM
Great who caresHaliburton dwarfs the fuck out of thatwhy are you even complaining
1/25/2010 2:41:29 PM
Because I voted for Obama after being dismayed/annoyed at things like Haliburton.
1/25/2010 3:01:43 PM
I gave up on Obama a long time ago
1/25/2010 3:02:02 PM
Ok, there are a lot of substantive things to criticize the President on, but this is a legitimate style critique:Teleprompters and a podium. In an elementary school classroom. Really? (IBFT My Pet Goat comments)
1/25/2010 3:22:35 PM
Now you're just being petty.
1/25/2010 3:58:17 PM
God, you know Obama has failed miserably if youre even comparing him to Bush.
1/25/2010 4:05:56 PM
Accepting the premise that style of presentation is critical in politics, and accepting the fact that BHO is generally masterful when it comes to giving a public speech with style, to crowd an elementary school classroom with a Presidential podium and two teleprompters is exceptionally poor style. It gives two impressions:1) this dude is taking running for class President way too seriously2) this guy cannot make a speech to a room full of students without a teleprompter.Now, apparently there were no students present for this, but that doesn't detract from how ridiculous this really looks. Clinton a speech anywhere to anyone and making a connection. GWB was never eloquent, and occasionally sounded moronic, but he could generally connect with most of his audiences as an affable guy. BHO is having trouble connecting with anything other than supportive crowds and looks out of place in front of a small audience. That may be an inherent weakness of being an intellectual but his staff needs to be cognizant of this and keep him out of these situations.Given his dismal performance in NJ, Va, and Massachusetts (going by results) and his tendency to go speak to go on the road and give cheer-leading speeches to supportive audiences when things in DC get difficult, he's beginning to look like a one trick pony.But that could just be me measuring him against arguably the greatest political master of the last 40 years, William Jefferson Clinton.]
1/25/2010 4:07:21 PM
I think he's just taking the job of the President very seriously, and he also knows that saying what he needs to say in the right way is very important, thus the need for a prompter.This is why he's not a huge fuck-up like the last president, and why there aren't BOOKS that contain fuckups that he's said during speeches.
1/25/2010 4:13:34 PM
Jesus, will you ditch the "but GWB sucked more" bit? We all agree that he sucked, but that doesn't prevent / mitigate anything BHO might do to make things worse (which in my opinion, he is). You're beginning to sound like a one trick pony.You might think he's taking the job seriously, but his inactivity when working with his own congress and lack of legislative accomplishment (despite having rather strong majorities in both houses) would indicate that he has not. A large number of politicos on the left have deplored his lack of leadership. Perhaps a moderating hand in the House and Senate might have brought a few more moderate Senate Republicans (and some Blue Dog Democrats in the House) over to support his health-care initiative . . . but I digress.The other explanation of the TOTUS phenomenon might be that his staff is terrified of him going off message and speaking extemporaneously. He tends to say less than popular things when he does this ("spread the wealth around") and come across as more leftist than most Americans are comfortable with. That or he is a "blank screen upon which people project their hopes and dreams" with no real policy of his own.I'm not saying he isn't a smart man. He is. I'm not saying he isn't a thoughtful man. He is. I'm not saying he doesn't have beliefs and ideas of his own. He does. What I am saying is, for some reason, his staff doesn't want him speaking off the cuff. That is something worth thinking about.
1/25/2010 4:37:22 PM
Imagine having a president capable of speaking "off the cuff." You know, someone that could go into an interview without seeing the questions ahead of time, and then answer those questions without consulting an advisor. I guess it's a bit much to expect that the president actually have principles that he openly admits to having and speaks about on a regular basis.
1/25/2010 4:46:53 PM
In this age of twitter, blogs, and 24 hour news media, I would never fucking say a word in public unless I had a prepared statement.
1/25/2010 4:50:47 PM
The 24 hour news media has existed since the early 1990s and it isn't like the President's staff is leaking shit he says on Twitter. This isn't shit he didn't see coming.Again, he is the President of the United States and can't give a speech in an elementary school without a teleprompter. Spin it any way you want, we've still got a President who cannot / will not speak without prompting.Again, this says something. Does it condemn him as a President? Not necessarily, but conspicuous use of aids to give speeches will get old over the course of 4 years.
1/25/2010 4:54:59 PM
But but but . . . . . .BUSH Reagan did it too!http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0617-06.htm
1/25/2010 5:16:57 PM
^ I'm no fan of Reagan either but I'll buy that. I don't think anyone on here would argue, however, that Ronald Reagan was an intellectual powerhouse. I'm content to compare Obama to Reagan.So while a mediocre actor was more effective at delivering teleprompter lines than the current POTUS, I don't feel it give Obama an automatic pass and it certainly does not detract from the ridiculousness of seeing the President give a speech to a 1st grade classroom from a podium and behind teleprompters. Tactically speaking, this should have been saved for at least an auditorium or in front of the school. The President being himself and "hanging" with kids on camera / off mic would have presented a much better image.However, if more substantial criticism of President Obama is what you desire:
1/25/2010 5:17:51 PM
^ The worst Reagan speech--especially so among the early ones--is more substantive than anything Obama has uttered.One example:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRdLpem-AAsAnd the information you posted should come as no surprise to any informed individual--the Obama administration is rife with radicals.[Edited on January 25, 2010 at 5:52 PM. Reason : .]
1/25/2010 5:47:46 PM
1/25/2010 6:53:12 PM
He’s not actually using the teleprompters in that video though… I guess they’re just there for backup.
1/25/2010 7:51:30 PM
^^seriously, what a nightmare it was too. Probably what directly lead to his defeat in the election.what?
1/25/2010 10:25:47 PM
1/25/2010 11:20:31 PM
Some of you have incessantly contended that handling of enemy combatants terror suspects is a civilian law enforcement matter. If this is the case, why weren't the heads of the relevant law enforcement agencies consulted? Who authorized Miranda rights for Christmas terrorist?Jan. 25, 2010
1/26/2010 6:13:41 AM
Is it a foregone conclusion that he would have revealed anything had he not been treated as a civilian?Oh wait, it probably is. You know, after we torture the guy and he finally gives us completely unreliable and unactionable intelligence!
1/26/2010 7:16:25 AM
From the Obama administration:Intelligence chief rips handling of accused plane bomberThe remark by Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair was an admission that U.S. Justice Department officials squandered a chance to gather valuable intelligence after the failed attack.January 20, 2010
1/26/2010 8:29:49 AM
Sounds like a decision that had nothing to do with Obama. Thanks for posting it in this thread.
1/26/2010 8:43:35 AM
^ Are you really that stupid?
1/26/2010 8:53:16 AM
New York Times columnist & liberal Bob Herbert is ready to post in the "Obama Credibility" thread....
1/26/2010 2:04:31 PM
Obama's Approval Most Polarized for First-Year PresidentShows much greater party differences than approval for any prior first-year presidentJanuary 25, 2010
1/27/2010 7:18:42 AM
1/27/2010 10:14:04 AM