It never occurred to him to run for President until those around him noticed that whenever he showed up to speak on behalf of someone else huge crowds of young people showed up to cheer him on instead.
That was the beginning of Obamamania.
Then came his extraordinary claim that if he had been around to have voted against the Iraq war that he would have done so. This of course was music to the ears of mainstream democrats who were sickened that their slate of hopefuls contained only one person, Dennis Kucinich, who had said no to Bush's request for a "pre-emptive" war.
Young people liked him because this claim made him appear more intelligent and noble than all the other democrats with clearer records. And it didn't hurt that he was thin, youthful looking, spoke well, and was African-American. So many caught up in his soaring rhetoric about "change" and "hope" WANTED to believe he would do well.
But what was this guy's record? He spent his entire adult life in political activity, and what did he ever point to that he ever really accomplished...for anyone?
As far as I could see he only accomplished a lot for himself and a group of urban, south Chicago cronies of his. He bought himself a million-dollar home in one of the city's most expensive hoods, from which every day he would motor in his expensive car to the ghetto, where he would ply his trade of pretending to be a hero to the poor, and then at the end of each day he would get in his car and motor back to his palace.
Some of us who have lived in such cities and know the charade these kinds of inner-city politicians carry on were able to catch onto this quickly. In Boston we used to call these phonies "limousine liberals."
Almost two years after the election which swept him into power there has been no change anyone can point to. The Wall Street moguls who collapsed our economy with newly de-regulated securities have been held totally unaccountable. The war in Iraq continued just as it would have under anyone else, including Bush. The war in Afghanistan is escalating, even as he gave speeches to the Nobel Committee in defense of the need to occassionally start a war where none existed before. His "health reform" is nothing more than a giveaway to the insurance companies, whose ranks will swell with new policy-holders now mandated by government to buy from them. He reversed Clinton's anti-deficit policies and continued the massive borrowing of Bush. If anything he pursued the worst inclinations of both parties as he revealed himself to be responsive only to whatever power elite lobbied their case in front of him -- not exactly a man of the people....but then isn't that what he always really did in all those years in Chicago?
I'm not even really saying that I disagree with his policies, but it was clear from his life history that he was nothing more than an opportunist in every situation he's ever found himself in, and quite the opposite of what he claimed to be. He's not even a socialist, or anything really, except someone interested in himself while pretending not to be.
Here is a guy who is never seen smoking in public, and yet smokes everday...where he can't be seen doing so.
Am I wrong?
- theaustinescorts
- 10-29-2010, 10:07 AM
- mastermind238
- 10-29-2010, 10:35 AM
You are not wrong.
- nuglet
- 10-29-2010, 10:38 AM
Yeah, but he's not right either.. in more ways than one
- SoSideGuy
- 10-29-2010, 12:44 PM
There is some truth to what you say but he is not different from most of the trash in politics these days.
George Bush? A deserter. A criminal on many accounts before even being governor. He fucked up everything he touched unless he got bailed out. A sick level of corruption as Governor, which was almost completely covered up by the corporate media. A war criminal by the definitions we used to hang Tojo and friends, as well as the top NAZI's.
And John McCain? Any normal kid (without admiral father/grandfather) would have been kicked out of the academy for the crap he did. He was a shitty pilot with a shitty service record that he lied about routinely. He was ass-deep with the Keating 5, and was practically butt-buddies with Jack Abrahomoff. (Yea, ancient history in 'Merica.)
The sad truth is that we live in a profoundly corrupt era and the young will surely live to see the complete colllapse of this once great country, if it doesn't happen sooner.
George Bush? A deserter. A criminal on many accounts before even being governor. He fucked up everything he touched unless he got bailed out. A sick level of corruption as Governor, which was almost completely covered up by the corporate media. A war criminal by the definitions we used to hang Tojo and friends, as well as the top NAZI's.
And John McCain? Any normal kid (without admiral father/grandfather) would have been kicked out of the academy for the crap he did. He was a shitty pilot with a shitty service record that he lied about routinely. He was ass-deep with the Keating 5, and was practically butt-buddies with Jack Abrahomoff. (Yea, ancient history in 'Merica.)
The sad truth is that we live in a profoundly corrupt era and the young will surely live to see the complete colllapse of this once great country, if it doesn't happen sooner.
- nuglet
- 10-29-2010, 12:52 PM
interesting article in the news... 65% of those polled wanted to get rid of the whole group in DC and start over.. not a bad idea.
- Geyser7
- 10-29-2010, 05:22 PM
You guys are smoking crack. To say he has accomplished nothing has to be a fucking joke. Let me list a few things.
- New better GI bill for returning veterans.
- Eliminated co-payments for veterans who are catastrophically disabled - Signed The Families of Fallen Heroes Act, which covers the moving costs of immediate family members of those lost in service (military, intelligence, and security personnel)
- Instituted enforcements for equal pay for women (Lilly Ledbetter Bill)
- Signed an extension of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Bill to provide federal research and support for treating the disease
- Increased funding available for student loans
- Changed the rule to allow students struggling to make college loan payments to refinance their loans
- Passed a bill to prevent credit cards from unfairly raising your rates
- For the past 9 months the economy has been going up instead of down
- Ended the Bush-era practice of circumventing established FDA rules for political reasons
- Limited the salaries of senior White House aides
- Negotiated a deal with Swiss banks to permit the US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals
- Ended the Bush-era policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs (2009) * Note: The new policy promotes in-sourcing investments to brings jobs back to the US
- Signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which provides small tax cuts for 95% of “working families”
- Reduced taxes for some small businesses to stimulate the economic recovery
- Proposed a three-year freeze on federal discretionary spending beginning in 2011
- Established a bipartisan commission on the future of Social Security, tasked with submitting proposals to preserve and strengthen Social Security
- Cut $20 billion from federal budget and has pledged to cut at least this much every year
- AND HE KEPT US FROM GOING INTO A FUCKING DEPRESSION.
Yeah this guy has not done EVERYTHING he has wanted to do while in office in two years, but incase you forgot, he has 2 more years. We gave Bush 8 to fuck up things now we give this guy 2 to make everything all better? People are so weird. I do not understand your thinking. Hate him because he is black or because he is better than you, but don't dog the job he has done as President.
- New better GI bill for returning veterans.
- Eliminated co-payments for veterans who are catastrophically disabled - Signed The Families of Fallen Heroes Act, which covers the moving costs of immediate family members of those lost in service (military, intelligence, and security personnel)
- Instituted enforcements for equal pay for women (Lilly Ledbetter Bill)
- Signed an extension of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Bill to provide federal research and support for treating the disease
- Increased funding available for student loans
- Changed the rule to allow students struggling to make college loan payments to refinance their loans
- Passed a bill to prevent credit cards from unfairly raising your rates
- For the past 9 months the economy has been going up instead of down
- Ended the Bush-era practice of circumventing established FDA rules for political reasons
- Limited the salaries of senior White House aides
- Negotiated a deal with Swiss banks to permit the US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals
- Ended the Bush-era policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs (2009) * Note: The new policy promotes in-sourcing investments to brings jobs back to the US
- Signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which provides small tax cuts for 95% of “working families”
- Reduced taxes for some small businesses to stimulate the economic recovery
- Proposed a three-year freeze on federal discretionary spending beginning in 2011
- Established a bipartisan commission on the future of Social Security, tasked with submitting proposals to preserve and strengthen Social Security
- Cut $20 billion from federal budget and has pledged to cut at least this much every year
- AND HE KEPT US FROM GOING INTO A FUCKING DEPRESSION.
Yeah this guy has not done EVERYTHING he has wanted to do while in office in two years, but incase you forgot, he has 2 more years. We gave Bush 8 to fuck up things now we give this guy 2 to make everything all better? People are so weird. I do not understand your thinking. Hate him because he is black or because he is better than you, but don't dog the job he has done as President.
- nuglet
- 10-29-2010, 06:17 PM
whoa,,, I never said I agreed with these half wits. I think he inherited most of his problems, and NO, I don't think he's had nearly a fair run yet. The jerk GB and his son GB are the one's that were the criminals. I'm proud to have the man in office for several reasons!!!!
- 78704
- 10-29-2010, 07:06 PM
Pretty much my whole life I assumed I'd die without seeing a black President. I am overwhelmingly happy and proud that I was wrong. I am a libertarian kook who hates politicians almost without exception but I am keeping my mouth fucking shut while Obama's in office; if he runs again I'll vote for him again.
- theaustinescorts
- 10-29-2010, 09:49 PM
Geyser7...
How can you be surprised at our views when his approval ratings have sunk from over 90 percent to what, less than 40 in the span of a few months? Very few of his Obamamania supporters are not disenchanted, and this is reflected in the October purge of his advisors - Axelrod, Emmanuel, et. al. Most Democrats thought he was going to bring in the best people from the party from all around the country, but no, instead he surrounded himself with his south Chicago corrupt politicos. Usually a wholesale retreat from a sinking ship happens far later in one's tenure.
I agree with the others that Bush was a disaster, and his life history should have likewise boded ill. IMHO it was his eight long years of careening from one disaster to the next with no remedy in sight that set the public up for Obama's hollow promises.
All the new laws you cite are cool but they don't add up to dogshit [borrowing from Gordon Gekko-speak these days].
These trivial, cosmetic little efforts are eclipsed by the raging problems I mentioned above so I will re-cap them...
1.He has done nothing to make illlegal once again the host of false securities made legal in 1982 by Reagan which are at the heart of the financial crisis.
He has cow-towed to Wall Street in keeping these securities in play, and has not prosecuted for criminal fraud any of those who sold then bet against them, or created fraudulent mortgages, or forclosed on them fraudulently, or falsely certified securities as sound when they clearly were not. In this affair he has only criticized those receiving baleout monies for continuing to pay themselves outrageous bonuses -- his concern being only for the PR backlash that resulted. No one's been held accountable for anything.
2. He's done nothing to end illegal detentions, assassinations of American citizens, illegal wiretapping of anyone without warrant, etc. which are the abuses his followers in the campaign were most concerned about as the dark side of the so-called Bush war on terror. Not to mention that he's done nothing to remedy the whole Iraq fiasco such as for a start getting to the bottom of who was responsible for certifying false intelligence as correct before the UN in order to carry out what was otherwise a clearly illegal act of aggression using WMDs as a pretext for a "pre-emptive" war. No one's been held accountable for anything, and the Military Commissions Act and other things he claimed to oppose are still around, just like our secret prisons and hit teams all over the world.
3. Despite his talk to the contrary he's mired the country in so much debt with his war spending and Keynsian public works programs that the dollar is sinking to new lows to which it will never recover. Despite the weak dollar our trade imbalance is INSANELY growing not shrinking, and the small cosmetic efforts to reverse that mean nothing. He could get rid of GATT and NAFTA for a start if he really cared about restoring our economy. You and I are gonna have to disagree about the usefullness of the public works spending. When I see how the monies were spent it's clear that they were just borrowing money to spend it on anything where they could make a job, whether it was something we needed someone to do or not. This was a destructive way to remedy the loss of real jobs that escaped our country through free trade [which poles now show most Americans oppose].
4.His Health Care Reform is a perposterously illegal mandate forcing citizens to purchase a product from a private company. Casting aside the public option increased the cost by 30 percent alone [medicare operates on a 3 percent admin cost whereas private insurance costs 33 percent to deliver the same benefit because of profits, advertising, sales commissions, etc.] He did this to get through the cosmetic of "health coverage for all," and it was a secret deal with the insurers and Pharma.
In the end the Federal government will have to pay for the shortfall the public cant to make their premium payments to these private companies. This will further bankrupt this country into total oblivion if it's ever implimented - which by the way it never will be for just that reason and Obama knows it - he never really believed it could be impliemented - just a charade of doing good.
Obama is supervising the largest transfer of wealth from ordinary people to Wall Street, and the Medical and Defense Industries, that this country has ever seen...at least since Bush.
Doing the opposite is the fundamental change his supporters expected from him, not the cosmetics and charades they got instead.
How can you be surprised at our views when his approval ratings have sunk from over 90 percent to what, less than 40 in the span of a few months? Very few of his Obamamania supporters are not disenchanted, and this is reflected in the October purge of his advisors - Axelrod, Emmanuel, et. al. Most Democrats thought he was going to bring in the best people from the party from all around the country, but no, instead he surrounded himself with his south Chicago corrupt politicos. Usually a wholesale retreat from a sinking ship happens far later in one's tenure.
I agree with the others that Bush was a disaster, and his life history should have likewise boded ill. IMHO it was his eight long years of careening from one disaster to the next with no remedy in sight that set the public up for Obama's hollow promises.
All the new laws you cite are cool but they don't add up to dogshit [borrowing from Gordon Gekko-speak these days].
These trivial, cosmetic little efforts are eclipsed by the raging problems I mentioned above so I will re-cap them...
1.He has done nothing to make illlegal once again the host of false securities made legal in 1982 by Reagan which are at the heart of the financial crisis.
He has cow-towed to Wall Street in keeping these securities in play, and has not prosecuted for criminal fraud any of those who sold then bet against them, or created fraudulent mortgages, or forclosed on them fraudulently, or falsely certified securities as sound when they clearly were not. In this affair he has only criticized those receiving baleout monies for continuing to pay themselves outrageous bonuses -- his concern being only for the PR backlash that resulted. No one's been held accountable for anything.
2. He's done nothing to end illegal detentions, assassinations of American citizens, illegal wiretapping of anyone without warrant, etc. which are the abuses his followers in the campaign were most concerned about as the dark side of the so-called Bush war on terror. Not to mention that he's done nothing to remedy the whole Iraq fiasco such as for a start getting to the bottom of who was responsible for certifying false intelligence as correct before the UN in order to carry out what was otherwise a clearly illegal act of aggression using WMDs as a pretext for a "pre-emptive" war. No one's been held accountable for anything, and the Military Commissions Act and other things he claimed to oppose are still around, just like our secret prisons and hit teams all over the world.
3. Despite his talk to the contrary he's mired the country in so much debt with his war spending and Keynsian public works programs that the dollar is sinking to new lows to which it will never recover. Despite the weak dollar our trade imbalance is INSANELY growing not shrinking, and the small cosmetic efforts to reverse that mean nothing. He could get rid of GATT and NAFTA for a start if he really cared about restoring our economy. You and I are gonna have to disagree about the usefullness of the public works spending. When I see how the monies were spent it's clear that they were just borrowing money to spend it on anything where they could make a job, whether it was something we needed someone to do or not. This was a destructive way to remedy the loss of real jobs that escaped our country through free trade [which poles now show most Americans oppose].
4.His Health Care Reform is a perposterously illegal mandate forcing citizens to purchase a product from a private company. Casting aside the public option increased the cost by 30 percent alone [medicare operates on a 3 percent admin cost whereas private insurance costs 33 percent to deliver the same benefit because of profits, advertising, sales commissions, etc.] He did this to get through the cosmetic of "health coverage for all," and it was a secret deal with the insurers and Pharma.
In the end the Federal government will have to pay for the shortfall the public cant to make their premium payments to these private companies. This will further bankrupt this country into total oblivion if it's ever implimented - which by the way it never will be for just that reason and Obama knows it - he never really believed it could be impliemented - just a charade of doing good.
Obama is supervising the largest transfer of wealth from ordinary people to Wall Street, and the Medical and Defense Industries, that this country has ever seen...at least since Bush.
Doing the opposite is the fundamental change his supporters expected from him, not the cosmetics and charades they got instead.
- Fast Gunn
- 10-29-2010, 10:20 PM
Personally, I still believe in President Obama without a shadow of a doubt.
To my mind, he is the most intellectually gifted President this country has been fortunate to have since John F. Kennedy.
However, politics is a bare-knuckled affair and the man in the oval office will be blamed for everything that goes wrong in the country. Every little (and of course large) thing the President does (or does not do) is scrutinized and dissected and talked to death, yet he has to think fast and act fast and make good decisions quickly and constantly. The critics, on the other hand, have all the time they need to criticize him from their arm chairs away from the heat of battle where the tough decisions have to be made quickly and correctly.
Bush was the worst President this country has had since Herbert Hoover and the horrendous hole he dug took 8 years to dig.
You cannot dig yourself out of such a deep hole in 2 years when the problems are so profound and you have such entrenched opposition whose primary goal is to "break" the President, and not to help the country get back on it's feet.
The Republican agenda got us into this mess and now we must go in the opposite direction to restore our economy and our country.
Personally, I think the country is fortunate to have someone with the mental horsepower of Barack Obama and I wish him well. I think we should all support him. He is pouring his heart and soul into his work.
The entire world rejoiced when he was elected and he will do well. He has always outwitted those who have underestimated him.
Lincoln, FDR and JFK all had their passionate detractors in their time who violently disagreed with their leaders, but now people see the greatness of these Presidents and in time people will see those same qualities in President Obama.
To my mind, he is the most intellectually gifted President this country has been fortunate to have since John F. Kennedy.
However, politics is a bare-knuckled affair and the man in the oval office will be blamed for everything that goes wrong in the country. Every little (and of course large) thing the President does (or does not do) is scrutinized and dissected and talked to death, yet he has to think fast and act fast and make good decisions quickly and constantly. The critics, on the other hand, have all the time they need to criticize him from their arm chairs away from the heat of battle where the tough decisions have to be made quickly and correctly.
Bush was the worst President this country has had since Herbert Hoover and the horrendous hole he dug took 8 years to dig.
You cannot dig yourself out of such a deep hole in 2 years when the problems are so profound and you have such entrenched opposition whose primary goal is to "break" the President, and not to help the country get back on it's feet.
The Republican agenda got us into this mess and now we must go in the opposite direction to restore our economy and our country.
Personally, I think the country is fortunate to have someone with the mental horsepower of Barack Obama and I wish him well. I think we should all support him. He is pouring his heart and soul into his work.
The entire world rejoiced when he was elected and he will do well. He has always outwitted those who have underestimated him.
Lincoln, FDR and JFK all had their passionate detractors in their time who violently disagreed with their leaders, but now people see the greatness of these Presidents and in time people will see those same qualities in President Obama.
- Mokoa
- 10-29-2010, 10:45 PM
Now look who is egregiously misinformed.
- ibechill
- 10-30-2010, 08:48 AM
Depends on who you ask.
Am I wrong? Originally Posted by theaustinescorts
Not sure why you would initiate a post on politics. Maybe trying to court more Tea Bagging Sarah Palin loving gents?
- tron
- 10-30-2010, 11:18 AM
Am I wrong? Originally Posted by theaustinescortsObviously things were going much better under GW, right?
Obama has not accomplished everything, but it has only been 2 YEARS!!!! Even dealing with a Republican party that has used every parliamentary procedure they can think of to obstruct the majority, he got healthcare reform through. Presidents since Theodore Roosevelt have been trying to do that and failed.
There has never been this many fillibusters in the Senate. People who talk about Washington being broken just need to look at the obstructionist tactics that are being used to block legislation, judicial appointments, and everything else.
Yes, you are wrong.
- derek303
- 10-30-2010, 11:33 AM
I'd love to tea bag Palin. LOL! Yea, these discussions always turn ugly. I myself vote (R) because- 1. I make a lot of money! 2. I got there by studying and working my ass off my whole life. Nobody gave me shit, nor did I ask for it. 3. I'm for less taxes and controlled spending. (OK...I agree Bush spent more than he should of, but this administration id by far the worst). Vote ( D) if you want something. Welfare, baby moma money, unemployment for 2 years, overpayed union paychecks, govt. workers, sanctuary cities for illegals etc... I think many on this site consider themselves liberal because of their habits. Hobbying being one of them. And voting for him because he's black? Would you vote for a black (R)? I hope I can keep my money so I can go fuck a couple of those teenagers on "The Austin Escorts" site. I haven't waded into the agency waters but maybe now I will. Maybe I'll tea bag one of them. LOL!
- ibechill
- 10-30-2010, 01:48 PM
I'd love to tea bag Palin. LOL! Yea, these discussions always turn ugly. I myself vote (R) because- 1. I make a lot of money! Originally Posted by derek303Palin is doable.
Show your liberal side and help this moderate out with some funds to make a visit to Austinescorts. Dont consider it a handout, but compassionate convservatism.
