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

[bueno]

At least when Reagan slept through part of his Presidency, he had his eyes shut.

 

[Statorama]

Unintended consequences hit *gasp* Obamacare

Patients are demanding doctors' orders for over-the-counter products because of a provision in the health-care overhaul that slipped past nearly everyone's radar. It says people who want a tax break to buy such items with what's known as flexible-spending accounts need to get a prescription first.

The result is that Americans are visiting their doctors before making a trip to the drugstore, hoping their physician will help them out by writing the prescription. The new requirements create not only an added burden for doctors, but also new complications for retailers and pharmacies.

"It drives up the cost of health care as opposed to reducing it," says Dr. Chung, who rejected much of a 10-item request from a mother of four that included pain relievers and children's cold medicine. ...

To the handful of congressional aides who came up with the idea to limit tax breaks on over-the-counter drugs, it was supposed to be a minor tweak to raise revenue and to discourage wasteful spending on health products.

Some 33 million Americans are in families that have flexible-spending accounts, which are funded through payroll deductions and allow consumers to pay for health expenses with tax-free dollars.

The change also applies to health savings accounts designed for consumers in insurance plans with high deductibles. If fewer people use these accounts to buy drugs, the government gets more tax revenue. Retail sales of over-the-counter medicines amounted to about $17 billion in 2010, not counting sales at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., according to Nielsen Co.

What the law's writers didn't anticipate was the determination of some people to squeeze every last drop of tax savings from their accounts.

Observations:

- This is the sort of thing that happens when you have a massive bill, which nobody has a chance to read and evaluate front to back before it is passed. Instead, you get small groups working on little pieces and if they miss something you get screwed. This is precisely why major legislation needs to be posted on the internet several days before the vote.

- I've always believed that health care reform requires consumers to make choices about how they spend their money. The flexible-spending accounts have the potential to do just that. But the rules of the game ought to be designed to encourage people to make decisions that lower health care costs, not to impose new ones.

- It's sort of appalling that this huge change came because one Senate staffer told an anecdote about how he would buy Prilosec instead of a prescription alternative.

Meanwhile, other provisions are also wreaking unintended havoc:

Health-policy experts predicted that new insurance pools for high-risk patients would attract so many expensive enrollees that funding would be quickly exhausted. In fact, enrollment is running at just 6% of expectations, partly because of high premiums.

A provision preventing insurers from denying coverage to children with pre-existing health conditions prompted insurers in dozens of states to stop selling child-only policies altogether.

And a piece of the law designed to centralize patient care by encouraging health-care providers to collaborate is running into antitrust concerns from regulators.

It's clear that Obamacare was seriously botched. We need to repeal the damned thing and start over with a more modest, incremental, and carefully vetted alternative.

 

[StrikeS2k]

Is there any problem Obama can't solve by throwing more money at it?

http://realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/03/08/obama_more_money_is_needed_for_education_reform.html

 

[Statorama]

Entire state of Maine gets Obamacare waiver

One state down, 56 to go.

EDIT: Uh oh, this must mean Obama reallllllly needs an upcoming vote from Collins, Snowe, or both.

PORTLAND, Maine - The federal government Tuesday granted Maine a waiver of a key provision in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, citing the likelihood that enforcement could destabilize the state's market for individual health insurance.

 

[Sarnoff]

Entire state of Maine gets Obamacare waiver

More screwups in the ObamaCare bill:

Patients are demanding doctors' orders for over-the-counter products because of a provision in the health-care overhaul that slipped past nearly everyone's radar. It says people who want a tax break to buy such items with what's known as flexible-spending accounts need to get a prescription first.

The result is that Americans are visiting their doctors before making a trip to the drugstore, hoping their physician will help them out by writing the prescription. The new requirements create not only an added burden for doctors, but also new complications for retailers and pharmacies.

"It drives up the cost of health care as opposed to reducing it," says Dr. Chung, who rejected much of a 10-item request from a mother of four that included pain relievers and children's cold medicine. ...

To the handful of congressional aides who came up with the idea to limit tax breaks on over-the-counter drugs, it was supposed to be a minor tweak to raise revenue and to discourage wasteful spending on health products.

Some 33 million Americans are in families that have flexible-spending accounts, which are funded through payroll deductions and allow consumers to pay for health expenses with tax-free dollars.

The change also applies to health savings accounts designed for consumers in insurance plans with high deductibles. If fewer people use these accounts to buy drugs, the government gets more tax revenue. Retail sales of over-the-counter medicines amounted to about $17 billion in 2010, not counting sales at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., according to Nielsen Co.

What the law's writers didn't anticipate was the determination of some people to squeeze every last drop of tax savings from their accounts.

Observations:

1. This is the sort of thing that happens when you have a massive bill, which nobody has a chance to read and evaluate front to back before it is passed. Instead, you get small groups working on little pieces and if they miss something you get screwed. This is precisely why major legislation needs to be posted on the internet several days before the vote.

2. I've always believed that health care reform requires consumers to make choices about how they spend their money. The flexible-spending accounts have the potential to do just that. But the rules of the game ought to be designed to encourage people to make decisions that lower health care costs, not to impose new ones.

3. It's sort of appalling that this huge change came because one Senate staffer told an anecdote about how he would buy Prilosec instead of a prescription alternative.

Meanwhile, other provisions are also wreaking unintended havoc:

Health-policy experts predicted that new insurance pools for high-risk patients would attract so many expensive enrollees that funding would be quickly exhausted. In fact, enrollment is running at just 6% of expectations, partly because of high premiums.

A provision preventing insurers from denying coverage to children with pre-existing health conditions prompted insurers in dozens of states to stop selling child-only policies altogether.

And a piece of the law designed to centralize patient care by encouraging health-care providers to collaborate is running into antitrust concerns from regulators.

It's clear that Obamacare was seriously botched. We need to repeal the damned thing and start over with a more modest, incremental, and carefully vetted alternative.

 

[Statorama]

Washington Post uncovers $105 Billion Obamacare slush fund

Today former Congressman Ernest Istook testified before the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee about the $105 billion slush fund in advance appropriations liberals tucked inside Obamacare. The $105 billion bypasses the traditional yearly budgeting process and is spread throughout the 2,700 page legislation. It took the Congressional Research Service (CRS) seven months to identify all the disparate funds and it was not until February (11 months after the bill passed) that all of the funds could be totaled up.

 

[jamny]

HHS Secretary Sebelius admits to double-counting in Obamacare budget

During a hearing on Capitol Hill Thursday, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) admitted to double-counting in the Obamacare budget.

In her first appearance before the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee since the health-care law passed, Kathleen Sebelius responded to a line of questioning by Republican Rep. John Shimkus of Illinois about whether $500 billion in Medicare cuts were used to sustain the program or pay for the law.

“There is an issue here on the budget because your own actuary has said you can’t double-count,” said Shimkus. “You can’t count — they’re attacking Medicare on the CR when their bill, your law, cut $500 billion from Medicare.”

He continued: “Then you’re also using the same $500 billion to what? Say your funding health care. Your own actuary says you can’t do both. […] What’s the $500 billion in cuts for? Preserving Medicare or funding the health-care law?

Sebelius’ reply? “Both.”

The Obama administration and HHS have been criticized previously for double-counting. In a report last summer, HHS claimed a provision in the health-care law would extend the Medicare trust fund by 12 years. The Congressional Budget Office released a memo that said HHS’s math was more than a little off.

“[…] They cannot be set aside to pay for future Medicare spending and, at the same time, pay for current spending on other parts of the legislation or on other programs … To describe the full amount of HI trust fund savings as both improving the government’s ability to pay future Medicare benefits and financing new spending outside of Medicare would essentially double-count a large share of those savings,” said the CBO memo.

“I was shocked to hear the secretary admit that $500 billion is double-counted in the health-care law,” said Shimkus after Thursday’s hearing. “We knew the health-care law’s actual cost was much greater than originally told to the public. And now, the truth is slowly coming out in administration reports and testimony.”

Rep. Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania , the chairman of the subcommittee added, “The same dollar can’t be used twice. This is the largest of the many budget gimmicks Democrats used to claim Obamacare would reduce the deficit.”

UPDATE: When contacted by The Daily Caller, Richard Sorian, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs had this to say:

“The scoring of the Affordable Care Act is entirely consistent with how legislation has been scored for the 30 years, under Presidents of both parties, and Congresses of both parties. Savings in programs like Medicare and Social Security are scored as improving the solvency of those programs and reducing the deficit.”

video in link

 

[Mr Two Cents]

Hope and Change: Gas Prices Have Gone Up 67 Percent Since Obama Became President

Ah, January of 2009. Hope was in the air, but more importantly, gas was under two dollars a gallon. Since then gas prices, have gone up 67 percent and it's an ominously upward trend. Interestingly enough, the Heritage Foundation also took a look at the first 26 months of Bush's presidency -- gas only rose 7 percent during that time frame.

Now obviously turmoil in the Middle East has something to do with our current astronomical gas prices, but keep in mind that by this point in the Bush presidency 9/11 had happened and we were on the verge of invading Iraq. So while the president can't be entirely responsible for global commodity prices, it's still worth asking what Obama's doing to make things worse.

After all, this is the President who told us "We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK.”

This is the President that appointed a Secretary of the Interior that famously said he didn't mind if gas hit $10 a gallon.

This is the President whose administration secretly urged him to bypass needed Congressional approval to create as many at 17 national monuments throughout the west, effectively closing off all that land to energy exploration forever.

This is the President who has illegally tried to illegally enforce an offshore drilling ban.

How much higher is gas going to go before the Administration takes a long hard look at what its doing to send gas prices through the roof?

 

[Sarnoff]

We should make Obama king.

Obama loves the idea of being President,” Peters said, “but he can’t make a decision.”

I think there is a lot of truth to that, even in domestic policy, where Obama has passively deferred to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi on all legislative matters. One can debate whether action is appropriate in Libya or not, but Peters is certainly right when it comes to foreign policy–it is a safe bet that Obama will do nothing, because doing something would require a decision.

That got me thinking: Obama enjoys being president, and he especially treasures the symbolic significance of being the first African-American president. That’s how his supporters feel, too. I haven’t heard anyone defend his actual performance in a long time, but there is still widespread satisfaction with the symbolic value of his presidency. So why don’t we make him king? If being the first African-American president has symbolic value, just think what it would mean for the first King of the United States to be African-American! Plus, Michelle would be a queen and Malia and Sasha would be princesses. How cool would that be?

 

[BoneYardDog]

Wisconsin Republicans are accusing President Obama's political advisers of backing efforts to recall eight GOP senators for their role in trying to curb union rights and benefits. State GOP Senate Leader Scott Fitzgerald told Fox News on Thursday that some of the people filing petitions against members of his caucus have "direct links" to President Obama's political team in Chicago. He suggested the president is keen on aiding labor groups in the state so they can deliver for Democrats in 2012. Republican state Sen. Randy Hopper echoed Fitzgerald's claims, saying, "there's absolutely no question this is an issue for 2012." "People from Organizing for America have been running the protests in Madison for quite some time now," he told Fox News. "I think that there's no question that the president has some involvement in this. I don't know what."

A "president" for all the people...He is such a uniter...

 

[jamny]

We should make Obama king.

Obama loves the idea of being President,” Peters said, “but he can’t make a decision.”

I think there is a lot of truth to that, even in domestic policy, where Obama has passively deferred to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi on all legislative matters. One can debate whether action is appropriate in Libya or not, but Peters is certainly right when it comes to foreign policy–it is a safe bet that Obama will do nothing, because doing something would require a decision.

That got me thinking: Obama enjoys being president, and he especially treasures the symbolic significance of being the first African-American president. That’s how his supporters feel, too. I haven’t heard anyone defend his actual performance in a long time, but there is still widespread satisfaction with the symbolic value of his presidency. So why don’t we make him king? If being the first African-American president has symbolic value, just think what it would mean for the first King of the United States to be African-American! Plus, Michelle would be a queen and Malia and Sasha would be princesses. How cool would that be?

 

[Dr. Awesome]

What does that story have to do with Obama?

Obama has authority over border agents. That is an executive branch job.

You think Obama is issuing direct orders to the border agents?

My guess is that idiotic decision came from Janet Napolitano, who consults with Obama on a continuous basis. I did not say direct orders, but I would guess Obama was aware of the guidance.

I'm sure Obama said something along the lines of "Our policy should be to use non-lethal force if possible". If he said anything at all. I have no problem with police and border patrol agents using bean bag guns in many situations. I think it's actually a good idea.There are so very many things one can - and should - criticize Obama for. By reaching for an issue such as this, it makes you look like you're not criticizing Obama on each issue you dislike, but instead dislike the man himself and are stretching to slam him for anything you can get your biased hands on.

 

[Dr. Awesome]

Wisconsin Republicans are accusing President Obama's political advisers of backing efforts to recall eight GOP senators for their role in trying to curb union rights and benefits. State GOP Senate Leader Scott Fitzgerald told Fox News on Thursday that some of the people filing petitions against members of his caucus have "direct links" to President Obama's political team in Chicago. He suggested the president is keen on aiding labor groups in the state so they can deliver for Democrats in 2012. Republican state Sen. Randy Hopper echoed Fitzgerald's claims, saying, "there's absolutely no question this is an issue for 2012." "People from Organizing for America have been running the protests in Madison for quite some time now," he told Fox News. "I think that there's no question that the president has some involvement in this. I don't know what."

A "president" for all the people...He is such a uniter...

Talk about reaching for a story. Goodness this makes Republicans look way more desperate than they need to be. This is a man gunning for Carter's low bar. And this is the best they've got? :sigh:

 

[jon_mx]

I'm sure Obama said something along the lines of "Our policy should be to use non-lethal force if possible". If he said anything at all. I have no problem with police and border patrol agents using bean bag guns in many situations. I think it's actually a good idea.There are so very many things one can - and should - criticize Obama for. By reaching for an issue such as this, it makes you look like you're not criticizing Obama on each issue you dislike, but instead dislike the man himself and are stretching to slam him for anything you can get your biased hands on.

I despise the whole philosophy that border agents should be using bean bags. I don't care who made the policy. It has nothing to do with my views of Obama. The policy sucks and Obama as president is ultimately responsible for the call. It is sad that while the drug cartel is running around the border with automatic weapons, our trained agents who are risking their lives to protect ours have figgin bean bags. I would blast WHOMEVER had the ultimate authority for such moronic decision making. Yes, I disagree with Obama on most issues, but it is not because I hate him. I sincerely think he is an absolute idiot on policies concerning the defense of this country and on the economy. Fortunately on most of the defense issues, he has maintained Bush's policies and has dropped most of the stupidity he ran on. For that I give him credit for realizing that Bush had it right all along.

 

[Dr. Awesome]

Why is it a dumb idea to have bean bag guns if possible?

 

[jon_mx]

Why is it a dumb idea to have bean bag guns if possible?

The gun they should have in their hands should be one with real bullets. If they need a bean bag gun for a non-lethal encounter, have it in the back of the car so they can get it if need be. But given the grave dangers of the job, it is stupid not to allow them all the protection they deserve.

 

[Bri]

I don't know that he's done anything really but man does he give great speeches

 

[Saints-Man]

...And what about all of the tax cuts he's signed into law? How do the amount of taxes cut compare to the projected amount f taxes raised? If Obama's tax cuts are larger than these tax increases, shouldn't he get to claim in a short soundbite that he should be known as a President who cut taxes, rather than be called out for raising taxes? Or must he qualify every single statement with a five minute long explanation about how the few tax increases were targeted at small groups to incentivize certain behavior and that, on the whole, almost every person in America pays fewer taxes today than when he took office?

What an odd post, OC. The political left(especially on the 100th anniversary of Reagan's birth) claimed that Reagan was a "serial tax raiser". Reagan, just like Obama, raised some taxes and lowered others. In Reagan's case, he lowered overall taxes more than he raised them(large cuts in personal income taxes while increasing SS taxes & gasoline taxes). Since Obama's tenure as president has not yet expired(whether 2 or 6 more years), I think determining what his balance is difficult. I don't remember in the thread about Reagan that you offered the same defense. Did I miss it?

 

[Saints-Man]

If you were a girl, and you were single, and Obama was single, and he asked you out on a date, and you said yes, would you play hard to get?

Bump. Why is it no one will answer this vital question?

If Obama asked me out I'd not only say yes, I'd go down on him faster than Courtney Love in a crackhouse.

To be fair, I thought that was your first date go-to move.

 

[Dr. Awesome]

Why is it a dumb idea to have bean bag guns if possible?

The gun they should have in their hands should be one with real bullets. If they need a bean bag gun for a non-lethal encounter, have it in the back of the car so they can get it if need be. But given the grave dangers of the job, it is stupid not to allow them all the protection they deserve.

You think border patrol is getting into shootouts on a daily basis? Where did I say they shouldn't have a real gun as well? I believe a non lethal means should be used as a first option. Do you?

 

[Dr. Awesome]

If you were a girl, and you were single, and Obama was single, and he asked you out on a date, and you said yes, would you play hard to get?

Bump. Why is it no one will answer this vital question?

If Obama asked me out I'd not only say yes, I'd go down on him faster than Courtney Love in a crackhouse.

To be fair, I thought that was your first date go-to move.

It's my only move.

 

[tommyboy]

Why is it a dumb idea to have bean bag guns if possible?

The gun they should have in their hands should be one with real bullets. If they need a bean bag gun for a non-lethal encounter, have it in the back of the car so they can get it if need be. But given the grave dangers of the job, it is stupid not to allow them all the protection they deserve.

You think border patrol is getting into shootouts on a daily basis? Where did I say they shouldn't have a real gun as well? I believe a non lethal means should be used as a first option. Do you?

no. in law enforcement you are trained to not use lethal force unless absolutely necessary. The professionals that patrol our border don't need one more layer of nanny-statism of having their bosses tell them to use bean bag rounds in their last line of defense, their weapons. They issue those weapons to well trained people for a reason, so they can defend themselves. The men that carry those weapons have to qualify and re-qualify yearly to attain and retain the right to be armed in uniform.

 

[timschochet]

I actually have to agree with Tommyboy and jon_mx here. In general I think illegal immigration is good for our country, and should be encouraged. But for every 100 good people that cross that border, there ARE one or two bad guys with guns. If the border patrol people are going to be there, why should their lives be at risk? As Tommyboy points out, they are properly trained to use firearms.

 

[Dr. Awesome]

Why is it a dumb idea to have bean bag guns if possible?

The gun they should have in their hands should be one with real bullets. If they need a bean bag gun for a non-lethal encounter, have it in the back of the car so they can get it if need be. But given the grave dangers of the job, it is stupid not to allow them all the protection they deserve.

You think border patrol is getting into shootouts on a daily basis? Where did I say they shouldn't have a real gun as well? I believe a non lethal means should be used as a first option. Do you?

no. in law enforcement you are trained to not use lethal force unless absolutely necessary. The professionals that patrol our border don't need one more layer of nanny-statism of having their bosses tell them to use bean bag rounds in their last line of defense, their weapons. They issue those weapons to well trained people for a reason, so they can defend themselves. The men that carry those weapons have to qualify and re-qualify yearly to attain and retain the right to be armed in uniform.

I'm getting carried away from my initial point. I totally trust the training of the police to use non-lethal means if possible. I just think it's asinine to put the blame of that story on Obama's thin shoulders. With the dozens, if not hundreds, of layers between those border patrol agents and the President, it's wholly unfair to blame him unless you have a direct link.

 

[Saints-Man]

If you were a girl, and you were single, and Obama was single, and he asked you out on a date, and you said yes, would you play hard to get?

Bump. Why is it no one will answer this vital question?

If Obama asked me out I'd not only say yes, I'd go down on him faster than Courtney Love in a crackhouse.

To be fair, I thought that was your first date go-to move.

It's my only move.

 

[cstu]

I actually have to agree with Tommyboy and jon_mx here. In general I think illegal immigration is good for our country, and should be encouraged. But for every 100 good people that cross that border, there ARE one or two bad guys with guns. If the border patrol people are going to be there, why should their lives be at risk? As Tommyboy points out, they are properly trained to use firearms.

I agree - kill 'em all and let a work force of undocumented workers sort 'em out.

 

[bueno]

In his press conference yesterday, he actually said that tax cuts that he signed into law would help stimulate the economy. I chuckled.

 

[Statorama]

Obama starts career path toward appearing on HBO series "Funny or Die"

Mr. Obama has told people that it would be so much easier to be the president of China. As one official put it, “No one is scrutinizing Hu Jintao’s words in Tahrir Square.”

 

[jamny]

Just Warm Enough for Golf, Obama Back on the Course

ABC News' Tahman Bradley reports:

President Obama just could not wait for spring weather to arrive.

For the second week in a row, the most powerful man in the world stepped away from the White House to hit the golf course.

Even as his administration and the U.S. military help Japan recover from a devastating earthquake, and as the world worries about Fukushima's nuclear reactor, the president could not resist taking advantage of the 48-degree weather in the Washington, D.C., area.

The president left the White House Saturday afternoon for a short trip to Joint Andrews Base in Camp Springs, Md.

With cloudy skies, it's not the best weather for golf, but Obama loves to spend his Saturdays on the greens. Last fall, Obama went golfing darn near every weekend.

These are never quick "work on your swing" trips; usually the president plays 18 holes, as he did last week.

 

[Sarnoff]

Someone recently figured out that the amount of time he spends golfing has added up to two months of his administration spent on the links.

 

[jon_mx]

If you were a girl, and you were single, and Obama was single, and he asked you out on a date, and you said yes, would you play hard to get?

Bump. Why is it no one will answer this vital question?

If Obama asked me out I'd not only say yes, I'd go down on him faster than Courtney Love in a crackhouse.

To be fair, I thought that was your first date go-to move.

It's my only move.

At lease we now know what you got your Ph. D in.

 

[FavreCo]

Someone recently figured out that the amount of time he spends golfing has added up to two months of his administration spent on the links.

What about the amount of time he spends sleeping? How much time is he wasting there? My gawd people are idiots.

 

[Dr. Awesome]

http://www.factcheck.org/2010/01/president-obamas-vacation-days/

Obama has spent significantly less time taking vacations than his predecessors. He's spent more time playing golf. Big whoop. You think other Presidents never had ways to blow off steam? I really don't like the job Obama has done but these golf stories aren't really stories at all. Just the media trying to drum up some news in a 24/7 marketplace.

 

[jamny]

Someone recently figured out that the amount of time he spends golfing has added up to two months of his administration spent on the links.

What about the amount of time he spends sleeping? How much time is he wasting there? My gawd people are idiots.

He gave a thumbs up, who's complaining.I hope he goes pro. He should play every day.

 

[Sarnoff]

Someone recently figured out that the amount of time he spends golfing has added up to two months of his administration spent on the links.

What about the amount of time he spends sleeping? How much time is he wasting there? My gawd people are idiots.

Yet the left complained non-stop about the amount of time W. spent on vacation.

 

[Sarnoff]

He's spent more time playing golf. Big whoop. You think other Presidents never had ways to blow off steam?

Funny, this argument never was good enough when W. was doing it...

 

[FavreCo]

Someone recently figured out that the amount of time he spends golfing has added up to two months of his administration spent on the links.

What about the amount of time he spends sleeping? How much time is he wasting there? My gawd people are idiots.

Yet the left complained non-stop about the amount of time W. spent on vacation.

Sadly the right (you?) don't know the difference between a vacation and playing 18 holes of golf.It's about 4 hours vs 7 days on average.

 

[Dr. Awesome]

Someone recently figured out that the amount of time he spends golfing has added up to two months of his administration spent on the links.

What about the amount of time he spends sleeping? How much time is he wasting there? My gawd people are idiots.

Yet the left complained non-stop about the amount of time W. spent on vacation.

So what? Some morons really reached on things to attack Bush when there were dozens of legitimate reasons to hate him. They were/are idiots. Doesn't mean we should start acting like partisan hacks simply because someone else did.And it's not like The President is truly off the clock when they're on vacation/golfing/whatever.

 

[Dr. Awesome]

He's spent more time playing golf. Big whoop. You think other Presidents never had ways to blow off steam?

Funny, this argument never was good enough when W. was doing it...

I hope we're not holding ourselves to the standards of Cindy Sheehan types.

 

[Dr. Awesome]

It appears Jimmy Carter took the least amount of vacation time during his first year. Anyone want to make an argument he's the kind of leader other Presidents should model themselves after?

 

[Sarnoff]

Someone recently figured out that the amount of time he spends golfing has added up to two months of his administration spent on the links.

What about the amount of time he spends sleeping? How much time is he wasting there? My gawd people are idiots.

Yet the left complained non-stop about the amount of time W. spent on vacation.

So what? Some morons really reached on things to attack Bush when there were dozens of legitimate reasons to hate him. They were/are idiots. Doesn't mean we should start acting like partisan hacks simply because someone else did.And it's not like The President is truly off the clock when they're on vacation/golfing/whatever.

I'm just not sure if this is the hope or the change.

 

[Statorama]

Obama taking care of business

Japanese Apocalypse? Markets plummeting? Budget crisis? Libyan civil war? Don't worry, Obama will have his basketball bracket out in time.

 

[Statorama]

Obama presidency a hoax

I chuckled

The nation was left reeling yesterday by the revelation that the presidential election of 2008 was a hoax. The shocking announcement came when White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters that Barack Obama has been working in secret with conservative provocateur James O'Keefe since 2007.

The long-running hoax is the most elaborate yet in a series of recent sting operations by primarily right-of-center gadflies that have embarrassed organizations including ACORN, Planned Parenthood, and National Public Radio.

Those stunts, as well as the prank call to Republican Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin that was captured on tape last month, proved to be sources of personal or institutional embarrassment. Historians warned yesterday that the latest caper may inspire a sense of national shame.

Origins of a hoax

Carney said the scam entailed pulling together demographic, social, cultural, and policy characteristics to create the most exaggerated Democratic candidate possible without stepping over the line into caricature.

"By combining empty, touchy-feely slogans like 'hope' and 'change' with far-left-wing policy planks and presenting them in the person of a racial minority from a major Midwest city with an Ivy League background, we thought we might be able to make a good showing in Iowa and New Hampshire, maybe even capture the Democratic nomination," Carney told reporters. "But the entire country? No. We never, ever for even a second imagined the American people would elect someone who had served only half a term in the U.S. Senate to be the leader of the entire free world."

Obama won the presidency with 52.9 percent of the popular vote, defeating Republican nominee John McCain, who received 45.7 percent.

"All you guys in the press were so giddy about it," Carney continued, "we couldn't really just announce that the whole thing was a big fat joke, you know? I mean, how would that look?"

Contacted by phone, O'Keefe said he, too, was surprised the hoax had lasted as long as it did.

"I thought people would catch on in the early days, like with the clinging-to-guns stuff," said O'Keefe, referring to an incident at a San Francisco fundraiser in which candidate Obama said small-town Americans "cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them."

O'Keefe said he also expected the ruse would be unmasked when Obama said that "under my plan of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket," and again when Obama claimed, "I've now been in 57 (U.S.) states," with "one left to go."

"We modeled the 57-states gaffe on Dan Quayle's 'potatoe' mistake," said O'Keefe, referring to a 1992 incident at a Trenton, N.J., elementary school in which then-Vice President Dan Quayle added an "e" to "potato." "We figured Obama would become a national laughingstock like Quayle, (but we) underestimated the tendency of the press and the public to forgive mistakes by people they like."

Worldwide deceit

Victims of the fabrication stretch around the globe. "President" Obama has held numerous meetings with foreign heads of state, among them Chinese President Hu Jintao, leaders of NATO and the G8, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee also was taken in, awarding Obama the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2009—only months after he had taken office and just weeks before he announced an escalation of the war in Afghanistan.

Reaction from abroad yesterday was swift.

"I'm not surprised," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"Well, that explains everything, doesn't it?" said British Prime Minister David Cameron. "I mean, really now."

A prank gone too far

As the 2008 campaign wore on, O'Keefe said, insiders grew worried Obama might actually win. They began dropping hints that the candidate was just a parody. They had him complain about the price of arugula to Iowa farmers. When that didn't work, Obama went bowling, scored a 37, and then joked that the almost impossibly poor performance "was like the Special Olympics or something."

"A few right-wing bloggers made a big deal out of it," O'Keefe said. "Nobody else seemed to notice."

The hint-dropping campaign intensified after Obama took office. Justin Whittemore, a former White House staffer who was part of the elaborate plot, said advisers began copying policy positions straight from The New York Times and the liberal Center for American Progress in an increasingly transparent attempt to provoke suspicion.

"We've tried everything," O'Keefe said. "Nationalizing health care, the stimulus, a $4 trillion budget, insane levels of debt, even high-speed rail. No matter how ridiculous a proposal we come up with, people take it seriously."

Asked why he is pulling the plug now, O'Keefe replied that the good of the country was at stake. "Things have gotten way out of hand," he said. "People are talking about a second term now. It's just gone way too far—even for me."

 

[ArcticEdge]

Obama getting destroyed in this poll. As he should.

 

[Statorama]

Obama's response to Japan/Libya/Budget/etc. : I NEED A VACATION

2012 Looking sweeter and sweeter. Keep helping us Barack!

Obama Heads to Rio Sunday; Maximum Security Awaits

President Barack Obama will take his first official trip to Brazil this weekend where he will speak in the popular Cinelandia Square in downtown Rio de Janeiro. Access, of course, will be tightly restricted and security measures so secretive that not even the Embassy or US Consulate in Rio know exactly how it’s all going to go down. Obama’s speech will be free and open to the public and take place around 15:00 local time (14:00 EST). Access to the square will begin at 11:30, and is sure to draw a crowd. Obama is popular in Brazil. One politician seeking office in Rio actually changed his name to Barack Obama in 2008 to solicit votes. He didn’t win.

The Obama family will also take in the sights in Rio. A trip to Corcovado mountain, where the Christ the Redeemer statue stands (France gave us Lady Liberty, gave Brazil Jesus) is supposedly on the itinerary. What trip to Rio would be complete without it? If they do make it to the top of the mountain, they will do so with an entourage of secret service and Brazil’s Elite Squad, known as BOPE.

 

[StrikeS2k]

Obama getting destroyed in this poll. As he should.

This poll was started when Obama actually had a lot of support. I've said it before and I'll say it again. This poll needs a reset to see what the numbers are now versus then. I suspect it would be more negative than it is now.

 

[jamny]

Obama getting destroyed in this poll. As he should.

This poll was started when Obama actually had a lot of support. I've said it before and I'll say it again. This poll needs a reset to see what the numbers are now versus then. I suspect it would be more negative than it is now.

With the new board you can now delete your vote and vote again. Big shift in the results once that option became available.

 

[StrikeS2k]

Obama getting destroyed in this poll. As he should.

This poll was started when Obama actually had a lot of support. I've said it before and I'll say it again. This poll needs a reset to see what the numbers are now versus then. I suspect it would be more negative than it is now.

With the new board you can now delete your vote and vote again. Big shift in the results once that option became available.

Ah. That's pretty cool. My vote doesn't change though. I was thinking more about other people, especially those duped by the "hope and change" mantra.

 

[Sarnoff]

Obama taking care of business

Japanese Apocalypse? Markets plummeting? Budget crisis? Libyan civil war? Don't worry, Obama will have his basketball bracket out in time.

"It would be wonderful for people to maybe offer a little help to the Japanese people at this time -- as they’re filling out their brackets."

 

[Sarnoff]

Hillary's opinion of the job President Obama's doing so far... not good.

She announced she's not going to continue as SoS in his second term.

The Daily dishes on why:

OH, HILL NO

Obama's indecision on Libya has pushed Clinton over the edge

By Joshua Hersh Thursday, March 17, 2011

Fed up with a president “who can’t make his mind up” as Libyan rebels are on the brink of defeat, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is looking to the exits.

At the tail end of her mission to bolster the Libyan opposition, which has suffered days of losses to Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s forces, Clinton announced that she’s done with Obama after

2012 — even if he wins again.

“Obviously, she’s not happy with dealing with a president who can’t decide if today is Tuesday or Wednesday, who can’t make his mind up,” a Clinton insider told The Daily. “She’s exhausted, tired.”

He went on, “If you take a look at what’s on her plate as compared with what’s on the plates of previous Secretary of States — there’s more going on now at this particular moment, and it’s like playing sports with a bunch of amateurs. And she doesn’t have any power. She’s trying to do what she can to keep things from imploding.”

Clinton is said to be especially peeved with the president’s waffling over how to encourage the kinds of Arab uprisings that have recently toppled regimes in Egypt and Tunisia, and in particular his refusal to back a no-fly zone over Libya.

In the past week, former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton’s former top adviser Anne-Marie Slaughter lashed out at Obama for the same reason.

The tension has even spilled over into her dealings with European diplomats, with whom she met early this week.

When French president Nicolas Sarkozy urged her to press the White House to take more aggressive action in Libya, Clinton repeatedly replied only, “There are difficulties,” according to Foreign Policy magazine.

“Frankly we are just completely puzzled,” one of the diplomats told Foreign Policy magazine. “We are wondering if this is a priority for the United States.”

Or as the insider described Obama’s foreign policy shop: “It’s amateur night.”

Clinton revealed her desire to leave yesterday in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, responding four times to his questions about whether she would accept a post during a potential second Obama administration with a single word: “No.”

Philippe Reines, an adviser and spokesman for Clinton, downplayed thesignificance of the interview, saying, “He asked, she answered. Really that simple. [it] wasn’t a declaration.”

But her blunt string of four “no’s” followed a period of intense frustration for the secretary, according to the insider, who told The Daily that Clinton has grown weary of fighting an uphill battle in the administration.