Your opinion on the job that President Obama is doing so far (1 Viewer)

[Statorama]

Food Stamp program may be raided to pay for Obama nutrition initiative

 

[Statorama]

Obama DOJ drops charges against Tom Delay

(have to slip in some of the things Obama does right. ending that six year witch hunt was the right thing to do)

 

[Statorama]

Obama uses daughter in gulf photo op, gets out as soon as possible

Hey, it's no Martha's Vineyard (where the Obamas will be taking yet ANOTHER vacation later this month)\

Foreign press is brutal to Obama. I love it.

Obama uses his daughter, 9, to promote tourism with swim in Gulf of Mexico... where they stayed just 26 hours

He’s never been shied away from showing off his toned physique.

But President Barack Obama’s latest beach moment might yet come back to haunt him after he enlisted his youngest daughter for a publicity stunt.

In an attempt to show the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, despite the massive BP oil spill, were safe he took the plunge with youngest daughter Sasha in a very carefully controlled photo opportunity.

No photographers or reporters were allowed to be present for the short dip in the Gulf waters off Alligator Point in Panama City Beach, Florida.

But the White House later released one photo of the pair smiling as they frolicked with heads just above the water in warm waters of the Gulf.

Officials said they released the photograph to show that the region is back in business and was a safe destination for tourists.

But Mr Obama has come under fire for the decision - both for using his daughter to score political points, and for staying in the area for just 26 hours.

The family will instead holiday later this month on Martha's Vineyard, an elite resort island off the coast of Massachusetts - far to the north of the oil-stricken Gulf waters.

The trip led the New York Times to curtly observe that the family 'didn't linger' on the Coast, while other blogs even criticised him for failing to show off his chest in the photo.

And using his nine-year-old daughter in the photo opportunity was reminiscent of another politician who roped his family into proving a political point.

Twenty years ago at the height of the mad cow disease panic Tory Agriculture Minister John Gummer sought to reassure the public that eating beef was safe.

He invited the media to photograph him trying to feed a beefburger to his four-year-old daughter, Cordelia, at an event in his Suffolk constituency.

Although his daughter refused the burger, he took a large bite himself, saying it was 'absolutely delicious'.

Gummer, who stood down from the Commons at the last election, had been attempting to calm fears over the safety of beef.

It was later claimed that the photographs were staged and the hamburger had actually been bitten into by a civil servant.

Mr Obama had sparked fears about the safety of the Gulf by declaring the BP oil spill as America’s worst environmental disaster.

His doom-laden prediction turned out to be untrue as BP spent over £4billion on a clean up and containment operation to stop the spread of the oil following the April explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig.

Fears that the white sandy beaches along the Florida coast and other states would be affected proved unfounded.

The leaking well has been capped but has cost BP more than a third its value as shares plunged and also cost chief executive Tony Hayward his job having been pilloried by the Obama administration.

BP has set up a $20billion fund to pay compensation to those along the Gulf coast whose livelihoods have been affected.

During his visit, the fifth that Mr Obama has made to the region, he again sought to reassure locals that they would not be forgotten.

'Oil is no longer flowing into the Gulf,' he said.

'But I’m here to tell you that our job is not finished, and we are not going anywhere until it is.

'I made a commitment in my visits here that I was going to stand with you... until you have fully recovered from the damage that has been done.

'And that is a commitment my administration is going to keep.'

He kept up his criticism of BP by demanding they speed up compensation claims saying any delays were 'unacceptable'.

Following the swim stunt the Obamas headed into Panama City for a miniature golf outing.

Sasha stole the show, hitting a hole-in-one off the first tee, much to the delight of her father, an avid golfer.

The Obama family whooped with joy as she got a hole-in-one on her first attempt during a trip to a miniature course in front of the media.

First Lady Michelle leaped in the air as Mr Obama gave his daughter a high-five, declaring her stroke 'unbelievable'.

He then turned to the press and said: 'Did you see that?'

Mr Obama also managed to get a hole-in-one on the 11th hole at Pirate’s Island Golf in Panama City, Florida.

When asked who was winning, the president said it was a tie. But Mrs Obama pointed at the president, suggesting the weekend golfer is doing well on the miniature course.

Mr Obama's attempt to boost tourism in the Gulf was largely overshadowed by a furious backlash from victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks after he backed plans to build a mosque near Ground Zero.

The proposed site for the 13-storey building is close to where almost 3,000 people died nine years ago after Muslim hijackers flew two jet airliners into the World Trade Center.

Mr Obama expressed his support for the mosque, which will replace a building damaged by the attacks, at a White House meal celebrating Ramadan.

He said: ‘Let me be clear: As a citizen and as President I believe that Muslims have the same right to practise their religion as everyone else in this country.

‘That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community centre on private property in Lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable.'

His speech on Friday was heavily criticised by a group representing the families of victims of the terrorist attack, who called the plan a ‘deliberately provocative act that will precipitate more bloodshed in the name of Alla

Debra Burlingame, a sister of a pilot killed when his plane was flown by a terrorist into the Pentagon and a spokesperson for victims’ families, said: ‘Barack Obama has abandoned America at the place where America’s heart was broken nine years ago, and where her true values were on display for all to see.’

Peter King, a Republican congressman in New York, said the President had been wrong to back the plan, adding: ‘It is insensitive and uncaring for the Muslim community to build a mosque in the shadow of Ground Zero.’

The week after his Florida sojourn, Mr Obama is scheduled for a multi-stop trip around the U.S., starting in Wisconsin, where he is to visit factories specialising in renewable energy production and fund-raise for Democrats.

Tomorrow evening, he will be in Los Angeles for another fundraising event, before he heads to the northwestern state of Washington on Tuesday for a meeting on health care reform in Seattle, the White House said.

 

[Parrothead]

Obama uses daughter in gulf photo op, gets out as soon as possible

Hey, it's no Martha's Vineyard (where the Obamas will be taking yet ANOTHER vacation later this month)\

Foreign press is brutal to Obama. I love it.

Obama uses his daughter, 9, to promote tourism with swim in Gulf of Mexico... where they stayed just 26 hours

He’s never been shied away from showing off his toned physique.

But President Barack Obama’s latest beach moment might yet come back to haunt him after he enlisted his youngest daughter for a publicity stunt.

In an attempt to show the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, despite the massive BP oil spill, were safe he took the plunge with youngest daughter Sasha in a very carefully controlled photo opportunity.

No photographers or reporters were allowed to be present for the short dip in the Gulf waters off Alligator Point in Panama City Beach, Florida.

But the White House later released one photo of the pair smiling as they frolicked with heads just above the water in warm waters of the Gulf.

Officials said they released the photograph to show that the region is back in business and was a safe destination for tourists.

But Mr Obama has come under fire for the decision - both for using his daughter to score political points, and for staying in the area for just 26 hours.

The family will instead holiday later this month on Martha's Vineyard, an elite resort island off the coast of Massachusetts - far to the north of the oil-stricken Gulf waters.

The trip led the New York Times to curtly observe that the family 'didn't linger' on the Coast, while other blogs even criticised him for failing to show off his chest in the photo.

And using his nine-year-old daughter in the photo opportunity was reminiscent of another politician who roped his family into proving a political point.

Twenty years ago at the height of the mad cow disease panic Tory Agriculture Minister John Gummer sought to reassure the public that eating beef was safe.

He invited the media to photograph him trying to feed a beefburger to his four-year-old daughter, Cordelia, at an event in his Suffolk constituency.

Although his daughter refused the burger, he took a large bite himself, saying it was 'absolutely delicious'.

Gummer, who stood down from the Commons at the last election, had been attempting to calm fears over the safety of beef.

It was later claimed that the photographs were staged and the hamburger had actually been bitten into by a civil servant.

Mr Obama had sparked fears about the safety of the Gulf by declaring the BP oil spill as America’s worst environmental disaster.

His doom-laden prediction turned out to be untrue as BP spent over £4billion on a clean up and containment operation to stop the spread of the oil following the April explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig.

Fears that the white sandy beaches along the Florida coast and other states would be affected proved unfounded.

The leaking well has been capped but has cost BP more than a third its value as shares plunged and also cost chief executive Tony Hayward his job having been pilloried by the Obama administration.

BP has set up a $20billion fund to pay compensation to those along the Gulf coast whose livelihoods have been affected.

During his visit, the fifth that Mr Obama has made to the region, he again sought to reassure locals that they would not be forgotten.

'Oil is no longer flowing into the Gulf,' he said.

'But I’m here to tell you that our job is not finished, and we are not going anywhere until it is.

'I made a commitment in my visits here that I was going to stand with you... until you have fully recovered from the damage that has been done.

'And that is a commitment my administration is going to keep.'

He kept up his criticism of BP by demanding they speed up compensation claims saying any delays were 'unacceptable'.

Following the swim stunt the Obamas headed into Panama City for a miniature golf outing.

Sasha stole the show, hitting a hole-in-one off the first tee, much to the delight of her father, an avid golfer.

The Obama family whooped with joy as she got a hole-in-one on her first attempt during a trip to a miniature course in front of the media.

First Lady Michelle leaped in the air as Mr Obama gave his daughter a high-five, declaring her stroke 'unbelievable'.

He then turned to the press and said: 'Did you see that?'

Mr Obama also managed to get a hole-in-one on the 11th hole at Pirate’s Island Golf in Panama City, Florida.

When asked who was winning, the president said it was a tie. But Mrs Obama pointed at the president, suggesting the weekend golfer is doing well on the miniature course.

Mr Obama's attempt to boost tourism in the Gulf was largely overshadowed by a furious backlash from victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks after he backed plans to build a mosque near Ground Zero.

The proposed site for the 13-storey building is close to where almost 3,000 people died nine years ago after Muslim hijackers flew two jet airliners into the World Trade Center.

Mr Obama expressed his support for the mosque, which will replace a building damaged by the attacks, at a White House meal celebrating Ramadan.

He said: ‘Let me be clear: As a citizen and as President I believe that Muslims have the same right to practise their religion as everyone else in this country.

‘That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community centre on private property in Lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable.'

His speech on Friday was heavily criticised by a group representing the families of victims of the terrorist attack, who called the plan a ‘deliberately provocative act that will precipitate more bloodshed in the name of Alla

Debra Burlingame, a sister of a pilot killed when his plane was flown by a terrorist into the Pentagon and a spokesperson for victims’ families, said: ‘Barack Obama has abandoned America at the place where America’s heart was broken nine years ago, and where her true values were on display for all to see.’

Peter King, a Republican congressman in New York, said the President had been wrong to back the plan, adding: ‘It is insensitive and uncaring for the Muslim community to build a mosque in the shadow of Ground Zero.’

The week after his Florida sojourn, Mr Obama is scheduled for a multi-stop trip around the U.S., starting in Wisconsin, where he is to visit factories specialising in renewable energy production and fund-raise for Democrats.

Tomorrow evening, he will be in Los Angeles for another fundraising event, before he heads to the northwestern state of Washington on Tuesday for a meeting on health care reform in Seattle, the White House said.

26 whole hours?? well, he was in a 'red' state..

 

[Statorama]

Obama Gulf photo op pic not actually taken in the Gulf

Yet it soon emerged that the private beach on which it was taken, off Alligator Point in St Andrew Bay, north-west Florida, isn't technically in the gulf.

 

[Fennis]

mildly approve

 

[tommyboy]

Bush Beats Obama in T-Shirt Poll

August 18, 2010 11:35 AM By Jack Fowler

Interesting article in today’s Boston Globe on our vacationing president, “Vineyard buzzes less for Obamas’ second visit.” How much less? This much:

One barometer of the plunge in excitement has been the sale of Obama-themed T-shirts, which designers had been banking on after the craze of last year. Clothing labeled with the president’s name sold by the thousands, helping to salvage a tough economic year for the island.

But this year’s T-shirt sales are much less brisk, merchants say.

“Last year, Obama gave you goose bumps, but I don’t think you’re going to see that this year,” said Alex McCluskey, co-owner of the Locker Room, who sold more than 4,000 “I vacationed with Obama’’ T-shirts last year. But so far this year, he said, his hot item is T-shirts of former President Bush asking, “Miss me yet?”

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/24408...oll-jack-fowler

 

[jamny]

Bush Beats Obama in T-Shirt Poll

August 18, 2010 11:35 AM By Jack Fowler

Interesting article in today’s Boston Globe on our vacationing president, “Vineyard buzzes less for Obamas’ second visit.” How much less? This much:

One barometer of the plunge in excitement has been the sale of Obama-themed T-shirts, which designers had been banking on after the craze of last year. Clothing labeled with the president’s name sold by the thousands, helping to salvage a tough economic year for the island.

But this year’s T-shirt sales are much less brisk, merchants say.

“Last year, Obama gave you goose bumps, but I don’t think you’re going to see that this year,” said Alex McCluskey, co-owner of the Locker Room, who sold more than 4,000 “I vacationed with Obama’’ T-shirts last year. But so far this year, he said, his hot item is T-shirts of former President Bush asking, “Miss me yet?”

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/24408...oll-jack-fowler

billboard in Minnesota

 

[jamny]

I love Obama's backyard discussion

Do people really buy this hokey crap. Ohhh, he's such an everyman. So spur of the moment.

 

[Statorama]

Department of Labor reports initial jobless claims hit 500,000 last week

Worst Obama unemployment numbers since November 2009, yet he continues to insist we're moving in the right direction.

WAKE UP PEOPLE

In the week ending Aug. 14, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 500,000, an increase of 12,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 488,000. The 4-week moving average was 482,500, an increase of 8,000 from the previous week’s revised average of 474,500.

 

[Statorama]

Of course Reuters was surprised by the news

New claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly climbed to a nine-month high last week, government data showed on Thursday, yet another setback to the frail economic recovery.

 

[TheFanatic]

15 pages long. Nice run. Let me ask a question. Has any one from either side been convinced that the other side is correct and switched?

 

[Statorama]

 

[videoguy505]

This doesn't read well.

Last December, the president gave the military 30,000 more troops, but also a ticking clock. He would start pulling troops out in July, on the grounds that if there was not visible progress by then, it would mean the strategy was not working. Some saw that as a sop to his antiwar base. Others considered it his way of reasserting control over a military that knows how to outmaneuver the White House.

“He didn’t understand or grasp the military culture,” said Lawrence J. Korb, a former Pentagon official at the liberal Center for American Progress. “He got over that particular quandary and put them back in the box by saying, ‘O.K., I’m giving you 18 months.’ ”

One adviser at the time said Mr. Obama calculated that an open-ended commitment would undermine the rest of his agenda. “Our Afghan policy was focused as much as anything on domestic politics,” the adviser said. “He would not risk losing the moderate to centrist Democrats in the middle of health insurance reform and he viewed that legislation as the make-or-break legislation for his administration.”

White House officials reject the linkage, but said Mr. Obama believed that the wars should be judged against other priorities. Preparing to announce his decision last December, he read Dwight D. Eisenhower’s farewell address and included a line in his own speech at West Point: “Each proposal must be weighed in the light of a broader consideration: the need to maintain balance in and among national programs.”

 

[adonis]

Overall, I'm still quite pleased with the job he's doing.

I do believe that the level of oppositional hysteria has reach levels comparable to the height of the anti-Bush years, without the justification of that hysteria (primarily the war in Iraq).

Obama's being bashed largely based on the status of the economy, and I believe that it's largely out of his control in the short term (1-2 years). I do see him enacting a lot of measures to soften the blow of the recession, which is great, and he's doing a lot with ARRA to improve the longer term prospects of the country, but we just have to be patient and ride out this poor economy, and let's face it, patience, especially when so many people are suffering, is a hard thing to come by. Anger, and frustration are easier, and why not direct it at the person "in charge?"

People like Palin, Beck, and Limbaugh are petty actors in this saga, capitalizing on the despair and frustration of the masses. They trot out unoriginal criticisms, noble garbage, invoke the founding fathers (although they themselves are poorly educated crowdsurfers), and regularly unify people based on a common enemy rather than common ideals (although they make a halfway attempt to stand behind principles they agree on, but quickly falls apart when interviewed or debated).

Anyway, barring an impeachment or heaven forbid an act that takes him out of office due to injury, he'll finish out his term and will leave the country better off than when he found it, even if during his tenure, the economy sucked for much of it. But again, I don't begrudge him that, as he (in my opinion) has done the best with the hand he has been dealt.

 

[tommyboy]

Overall, I'm still quite pleased with the job he's doing. I do believe that the level of oppositional hysteria has reach levels comparable to the height of the anti-Bush years, without the justification of that hysteria (primarily the war in Iraq).Obama's being bashed largely based on the status of the economy, and I believe that it's largely out of his control in the short term (1-2 years). I do see him enacting a lot of measures to soften the blow of the recession, which is great, and he's doing a lot with ARRA to improve the longer term prospects of the country, but we just have to be patient and ride out this poor economy, and let's face it, patience, especially when so many people are suffering, is a hard thing to come by. Anger, and frustration are easier, and why not direct it at the person "in charge?"People like Palin, Beck, and Limbaugh are petty actors in this saga, capitalizing on the despair and frustration of the masses. They trot out unoriginal criticisms, noble garbage, invoke the founding fathers (although they themselves are poorly educated crowdsurfers), and regularly unify people based on a common enemy rather than common ideals (although they make a halfway attempt to stand behind principles they agree on, but quickly falls apart when interviewed or debated).Anyway, barring an impeachment or heaven forbid an act that takes him out of office due to injury, he'll finish out his term and will leave the country better off than when he found it, even if during his tenure, the economy sucked for much of it. But again, I don't begrudge him that, as he (in my opinion) has done the best with the hand he has been dealt.

that's how it works

 

[adonis]

Overall, I'm still quite pleased with the job he's doing. I do believe that the level of oppositional hysteria has reach levels comparable to the height of the anti-Bush years, without the justification of that hysteria (primarily the war in Iraq).Obama's being bashed largely based on the status of the economy, and I believe that it's largely out of his control in the short term (1-2 years). I do see him enacting a lot of measures to soften the blow of the recession, which is great, and he's doing a lot with ARRA to improve the longer term prospects of the country, but we just have to be patient and ride out this poor economy, and let's face it, patience, especially when so many people are suffering, is a hard thing to come by. Anger, and frustration are easier, and why not direct it at the person "in charge?"People like Palin, Beck, and Limbaugh are petty actors in this saga, capitalizing on the despair and frustration of the masses. They trot out unoriginal criticisms, noble garbage, invoke the founding fathers (although they themselves are poorly educated crowdsurfers), and regularly unify people based on a common enemy rather than common ideals (although they make a halfway attempt to stand behind principles they agree on, but quickly falls apart when interviewed or debated).Anyway, barring an impeachment or heaven forbid an act that takes him out of office due to injury, he'll finish out his term and will leave the country better off than when he found it, even if during his tenure, the economy sucked for much of it. But again, I don't begrudge him that, as he (in my opinion) has done the best with the hand he has been dealt.

that's how it works

I'm not quite sure what you're referring to with the words "that" and "It", in this case.

 

[tommyboy]

Overall, I'm still quite pleased with the job he's doing.

I do believe that the level of oppositional hysteria has reach levels comparable to the height of the anti-Bush years, without the justification of that hysteria (primarily the war in Iraq).

Obama's being bashed largely based on the status of the economy, and I believe that it's largely out of his control in the short term (1-2 years). I do see him enacting a lot of measures to soften the blow of the recession, which is great, and he's doing a lot with ARRA to improve the longer term prospects of the country, but we just have to be patient and ride out this poor economy, and let's face it, patience, especially when so many people are suffering, is a hard thing to come by. Anger, and frustration are easier, and why not direct it at the person "in charge?"

People like Palin, Beck, and Limbaugh are petty actors in this saga, capitalizing on the despair and frustration of the masses. They trot out unoriginal criticisms, noble garbage, invoke the founding fathers (although they themselves are poorly educated crowdsurfers), and regularly unify people based on a common enemy rather than common ideals (although they make a halfway attempt to stand behind principles they agree on, but quickly falls apart when interviewed or debated).

Anyway, barring an impeachment or heaven forbid an act that takes him out of office due to injury, he'll finish out his term and will leave the country better off than when he found it, even if during his tenure, the economy sucked for much of it. But again, I don't begrudge him that, as he (in my opinion) has done the best with the hand he has been dealt.

that's how it works

I'm not quite sure what you're referring to with the words "that" and "It", in this case.

 

[Dr. Gobbler]

The guy is a puppet just like every President since Kennedy. He does what he's told to do. I do have to say I was hoping he had the juevos to do what was right. Then I remembered, he wouldn't have been the Democratic pick if he wasn't pre-approved by the powers that be. Vote 3rd party, I don't endorse Tea Party, or die a slave to the machine!!

 

[Statorama]

90% of his Iraq address to the nation was great. I really loved 90% of it, and he was VERY Presidential during that time.

The other 10%? What a jerk. Like everything else, it just HAS to be about him. HIS campaign promise. HIS grandfather fighting in WWII. HIS commitment as President to "strengthening" our energy policy (giving in to the global warming nuts). Come on bro, not EVERYTHING has to be about you.

He also had to blame Bush a little bit, sneaking in a jab about how we've spent money there instead of at home.

Again, 90% was really, really good.

Thought it was funny that he darkened his hair again.

 

[Walton Goggins]

90% of his Iraq address to the nation was great. I really loved 90% of it, and he was VERY Presidential during that time.

The other 10%? What a jerk. Like everything else, it just HAS to be about him. HIS campaign promise. HIS grandfather fighting in WWII. HIS commitment as President to "strengthening" our energy policy (giving in to the global warming nuts). Come on bro, not EVERYTHING has to be about you.

He also had to blame Bush a little bit, sneaking in a jab about how we've spent money there instead of at home.

Again, 90% was really, really good.

Thought it was funny that he darkened his hair again.

 

[Statorama]

90% of his Iraq address to the nation was great. I really loved 90% of it, and he was VERY Presidential during that time.

The other 10%? What a jerk. Like everything else, it just HAS to be about him. HIS campaign promise. HIS grandfather fighting in WWII. HIS commitment as President to "strengthening" our energy policy (giving in to the global warming nuts). Come on bro, not EVERYTHING has to be about you.

He also had to blame Bush a little bit, sneaking in a jab about how we've spent money there instead of at home.

Again, 90% was really, really good.

Thought it was funny that he darkened his hair again.

He has a "Six Degrees of Barack Obama" thing going on, where everything has some kind of direct relation to him.

 

[Statorama]

Pawlenty issues executive order to halt Obamacare funds

Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty Tuesday ordered all state agencies to not to submit applications to any health care funding from the federal government related to the health care overhaul.

Any applications must be either required by law or approved by the governor’s office. …

“Obamacare is an intrusion by the federal government into personal health care matters and it’s an explosion of federal spending that does nothing to make health care more affordable,” Pawlenty said in a news release.

 

[jamny]

Wyden Defects on ObamaCare

Most Democrats have come to understand that they can't run on ObamaCare, but few have the temerity of Ron Wyden. The Oregon Senator is the first to break with the policy underpinnings of the bill he voted for.

Last week Mr. Wyden sent a letter to Oregon health authority director Bruce Goldberg, encouraging the state to seek a waiver from certain ObamaCare rules so it can "come up with innovative solutions that the Federal government has never had the flexibility or will to implement."

One little-known provision of the bill allows states to opt out of the "requirement that individuals purchase health insurance," Mr. Wyden wrote, and "Because you and I believe that the heart of real health reform is affordability and not mandates, I wanted to bring this feature of Section 1332 to the attention of you and the legislature."

Now, that's news. One of the Democratic Party's leading experts on health care wants his state to dump the individual mandate that is among ObamaCare's core features. The U-turn is especially notable because Mr. Wyden once championed an individual mandate in the bill he sponsored with Utah Republican Bob Bennett. We have differences with Wyden-Bennett, but it was far better than ObamaCare and would have changed incentives by offering more choices to individuals and spurring competition among providers and insurers.

Mr. Wyden should have known better than to vote for ObamaCare given his market instincts and health-care experience. Even so, the price for his support included the Section 1332 waivers that he is now promoting. In addition to the individual mandate, states may evade regulations about business taxes, the exact federal standards for minimum benefits, and how subsidies are allocated in the insurance "exchanges"—as long as the state covers the same number of uninsured and keeps coverage as comprehensive.

Medicaid also grants some indulgences toward state flexibility, even if those waivers are difficult to acquire. The Secretary of Health and Human Services would need to approve the ObamaCare alternative of Oregon or any other states, and the waivers don't start until 2017, three years after ObamaCare is supposed to be up and running. It is also hard to see how anyone in the current Administration would grant them.

These practical realities aside, Mr. Wyden's move may be more important as a political signal. Mr. Wyden is running for re-election this year. And while he is now well ahead of GOP challenger Jim Huffman, in a year like this one he has cause to avoid becoming Barbara Boxer or Patty Murray, who may lose because they've remained liberals from MSNBC central casting.

This sort of thing also isn't supposed to happen to newly passed entitlements. Democrats have long believed that once an entitlement passes, however unpopular at the time, voters and business will grow to like it and then Republicans begin to come around. The exception was a catastrophic-coverage program to replace private "Medigap" policies, which Democrats passed in 1988 and repealed a year later amid a public furor.

On ObamaCare, Democrats are having the first political second thoughts, at least in this election season. Mr. Wyden is essentially saying that what his party passed is not acceptable, and if such thinking builds, opponents may have a real chance to replace ObamaCare with something better.

 

[cstu]

Mr. Wyden is essentially saying that what his party passed is not acceptable

He was for it before he was against it. Where have I heard that before?What he's actually saying is that the polling numbers show he should be against Obamacare if he wants to get re-elected.

 

[cstu]

The guy is a puppet just like every President since Kennedy. He does what he's told to do. I do have to say I was hoping he had the juevos to do what was right. Then I remembered, he wouldn't have been the Democratic pick if he wasn't pre-approved by the powers that be. Vote 3rd party, I don't endorse Tea Party, or die a slave to the machine!!

Thanks, I always wondered if Eisenhower was a puppet.

 

[videoguy505]

http://www.slate.com/id/2266152/

Obama's Moral Cowardice

The president refuses to stand up for immigration, gay rights, and religious freedom.

By Jacob Weisberg

Posted Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010, at 7:39 AM ET

Barack Obama's redecoration of the Oval Office includes a nice personal touch: a carpet ringed with favorite quotations from Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, both Presidents Roosevelt, and Martin Luther King Jr. The King quote, in particular, has become a kind of emblem for him: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." For all the carping about his every move, the only big problem with the Obama Presidency is the gap between what's written on his rug, and what's buried under it—the distance between the President's veneration of moral leadership past and his failure, so far, to exhibit much of it himself.

Obama has had numerous occasions to assert leadership on values issues this summer: Arizona's crude anti-immigrant law, the battle over Prop 8 and gay marriage, and the backlash against what Fox News persists in calling the "Ground Zero mosque." These battles raise fundamental questions of national identity, liberty, and individual rights. When Lindsey Graham argues for rewriting the Constitution to eliminate the birthright citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment, or Newt Gingrich proposes a Saudi standard for the free exercise of religion, they're taking positions at odds with America's basic ideals. But Obama's instinctive caution has steered him away from casting these questions as moral or civil rights issues. On none of them has he shown anything resembling courage.

Responding to the fight over the mosque, Obama has been characteristically legalistic and technical. At an Iftar dinner he hosted at the White House, the president supported the right of Muslims "to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan"—itself a too-picky allowance. The next day, he hedged even further, telling reporters, "I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there." This sail-trimming, where a bold defense of freedom of worship was wanted, left it to the newly heroic Michael Bloomberg to instruct us, at his own Iftar dinner in New York, that the issue was "a test of our commitment to American values."

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With the Proposition 8 fight, Obama has fallen short in a different way, by his reluctance to join an emerging social consensus. Obama had previously criticized California's Proposition 8, the ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage, as "divisive." But his official position—which no one believes he actually holds—is that he is against legalizing gay marriage. Americans are changing their views on this issue with inspiring rapidity. Judge Vaughn Walker's moving opinion provided an occasion for Obama to move to embrace the extension of equal rights to gay people. Instead, he slunk mumbling in the other direction. How dismal that America's first black president will be remembered as shirking the last great civil rights struggle.

When it comes to immigration, Obama has largely failed to challenge the new nativism represented by Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, and Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer. Yes, his Justice Department filed suit to block the implementation of Arizona's harsh law. But in talking about the topic, Obama has remained restrained and self-referential ("I've indicated that I don't approve of the Arizona law …"). He has said nothing moving or memorable about the place of immigration in American life, or the rights of noncitizens, including the rights of children to education and medical care, or the reality that 11 million undocumented residents can't and won't be shipped back where they came from.

Here, as elsewhere, the current politics don't favor the liberal position. But read the rug: "The welfare of each of us is dependent fundamentally upon the welfare of all of us"—Theodore Roosevelt. Obama has let pass moment after moment—such as the recent Republican suggestion of revising the section of the Constitution that guarantees due process—to reframe the issue around terms of inclusiveness and justice.

Few would argue that defending liberal principles serves Obama's short-term interests. Americans oppose the mosque 61-26 according to one recent poll, and support the Arizona law by an even wider margin. But even if some people don't like Islam, or illegal immigrants, or gay weddings, they may respond to admonitions that our society is built around freedom of conscience and equal treatment under law. If he applied his literary gifts to these principles, it would give Obama's depressed Democratic base something to be excited about. It could remind a grumbling nation what it liked about him in the first place.

 

[jamny]

"Let me be clear to Mr. Boehner and everyone else. We should not hold middle class tax cuts hostage any longer," the president said. The administration "is ready this week to give tax cuts to every American making $250,000 or less," he said.

Which tax cuts does his administration plan on giving us? The one's that already exist?

 

[culdeus]

The guy is a puppet just like every President since Kennedy. He does what he's told to do. I do have to say I was hoping he had the juevos to do what was right. Then I remembered, he wouldn't have been the Democratic pick if he wasn't pre-approved by the powers that be. Vote 3rd party, I don't endorse Tea Party, or die a slave to the machine!!

What makes you think he wasn't pre-approved to be VEEP as HRC's running mate? The strange workings of the caucus system got in the way of what the DNC gameplan was. I'll never believe he was the DNC pick to be POTUS starting in Iowa. Never. The last POTUS campaign was nothing but a setup to 2016. It just didn't work out that way for many reasons that don't need to be laid out anymore.

 

[tommyboy]

one thing i'm getting sick of hearing is "let me be clear"

#### off already, is that clear enough?

 

[Desert_Power]

one thing i'm getting sick of hearing is "let me be clear"#### off already, is that clear enough?

Classy.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

one thing i'm getting sick of hearing is "let me be clear"#### off already, is that clear enough?

"Make no mistake..."

 

[IvanKaramazov]

My favorite verbal tic is "There are some who say" followed by a statement that few people, if anyone, actually has said.

 

[tommyboy]

one thing i'm getting sick of hearing is "let me be clear"

#### off already, is that clear enough?

Classy.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CoN-0dL6_hY/SN1j...0/nazi+bush.jpg

 

[CBusAlex]

Classy.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CoN-0dL6_hY/SN1j...0/nazi+bush.jpg

Why is it that conservatives' only defense these days is "they did it to Bush, too!"?

 

[Desert_Power]

one thing i'm getting sick of hearing is "let me be clear"

#### off already, is that clear enough?

Classy.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CoN-0dL6_hY/SN1j...0/nazi+bush.jpg

You'd think at somepoint in life you would have learned that other people being in the wrong doesn't excuse you being in the wrong.

 

[gary mexico]

one thing i'm getting sick of hearing is "let me be clear"

#### off already, is that clear enough?

Classy.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CoN-0dL6_hY/SN1j...0/nazi+bush.jpg

You'd think at somepoint in life you would have learned that other people being in the wrong doesn't excuse you being in the wrong.

Yeah lol, Do me a favor, try and remember that junk in a couple of years....

 

[jon_mx]

I have never felt once represented by Obama. He is always divisive, always liberal, and never listens. He has no ability to connect with conservatives and he is even not that good connecting with moderates. Obama has been in campaign mode his whole time in office. Despite what some far-lefties on this forum claim, Obama has never reached out to Republicans and has engaged into his never-ending rants against Bush and Republicans. Obama has no clue how to lead. Obama has zero chance at getting a second term if he continues down the current path. The only thing that brought Obama remotely close to moving to the right was to get support of moderates in his own party. The idea Obama has tried to work with Republicans is a laughable lie.

 

[culdeus]

I still don't know who are the likely candidates for the GOP presidential nomination at this point.

Romney takes a crack again?

It's not as clear cut as some may like. I do think Democrats will quickly get used to the idea of being out of power in both houses of congress.

 

[tommyboy]

one thing i'm getting sick of hearing is "let me be clear"

#### off already, is that clear enough?

Classy.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CoN-0dL6_hY/SN1j...0/nazi+bush.jpg

You'd think at somepoint in life you would have learned that other people being in the wrong doesn't excuse you being in the wrong.

its wrong to not like President Obamas manner of speech and to mock it? Ok.my point was its hard for libs to cry foul when their house is littered with millions of examples of far far worse than a verbal rebuke

 

[jamny]

I still don't know who are the likely candidates for the GOP presidential nomination at this point. Romney takes a crack again?It's not as clear cut as some may like. I do think Democrats will quickly get used to the idea of being out of power in both houses of congress.

I like a Ryan/Cantor ticket.

 

[Desert_Power]

my point was its hard for libs to cry foul when their house is littered with millions of examples of far far worse than a verbal rebuke

Why is it hard? I'm not the one putting up images of Bush as Hitler, and anything that was done and said about Bush has been done and said about Obama at this point. No side's wackjobs are somehow worse than the other's, it is the same kind of blind hatred. Personally, I choose to respect the office of the President no matter what its politics. You don't, that is your perogative, but don't pretend you aren't standing in the same #### as your examples.

 

[culdeus]

I still don't know who are the likely candidates for the GOP presidential nomination at this point. Romney takes a crack again?It's not as clear cut as some may like. I do think Democrats will quickly get used to the idea of being out of power in both houses of congress.

I like a Ryan/Cantor ticket.

That dude is ugly looking. Like worse than Dukakis ugly. NFW.

 

[tommyboy]

my point was its hard for libs to cry foul when their house is littered with millions of examples of far far worse than a verbal rebuke

Why is it hard? I'm not the one putting up images of Bush as Hitler, and anything that was done and said about Bush has been done and said about Obama at this point. No side's wackjobs are somehow worse than the other's, it is the same kind of blind hatred. Personally, I choose to respect the office of the President no matter what its politics. You don't, that is your perogative, but don't pretend you aren't standing in the same #### as your examples.

well if the worst thing in the world i could do is type a swear word into an internet message board to the President then I guess I'll sleep ok. Thanks for your concern though.

 

[Statorama]

I still don't know who are the likely candidates for the GOP presidential nomination at this point. Romney takes a crack again?It's not as clear cut as some may like. I do think Democrats will quickly get used to the idea of being out of power in both houses of congress.

I think they're waiting until after the mid-terms to ramp things up

 

[Statorama]

More Democrats break away from Obama on the Bush Tax Cuts

Thirty-one House Democrats, most of whom face tough re-election bids this fall, have signed a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer urging them to extend expiring tax breaks for all income levels, including the wealthy.

 

[Statorama]

Inspiration for new Democratic Logo

 

[jon_mx]

More Democrats break away from Obama on the Bush Tax Cuts

Thirty-one House Democrats, most of whom face tough re-election bids this fall, have signed a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer urging them to extend expiring tax breaks for all income levels, including the wealthy.

Wonder how many of those 31 Democrats voted for Nancy Pelosi as speaker...oh yeah, all 31. Funny how they find Jesus as elections come closer.

 

[gary mexico]

More Democrats break away from Obama on the Bush Tax Cuts

Thirty-one House Democrats, most of whom face tough re-election bids this fall, have signed a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer urging them to extend expiring tax breaks for all income levels, including the wealthy.

Wonder how many of those 31 Democrats voted for Nancy Pelosi as speaker...oh yeah, all 31. Funny how they find Jesus as elections come closer.

All those crooks need to be bounced out of washington....

 

[notme]

More Democrats break away from Obama on the Bush Tax Cuts

Thirty-one House Democrats, most of whom face tough re-election bids this fall, have signed a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer urging them to extend expiring tax breaks for all income levels, including the wealthy.

Wonder how many of those 31 Democrats voted for Nancy Pelosi as speaker...oh yeah, all 31. Funny how they find Jesus as elections come closer.

Yes, Jesus was a supply-sider.