What I expect from PE Obama, and have never been disappointed yet..

[Peacetrain]

is his cool assessment of the facts while those around him, chase their tails like a dog. From what I have read, that Blago is on TAPE saying is that Obama and the transition team refused his delusional whines for money. Good on Obama.

I know the media is salivating, but they want something like this to keep people tuned in and revenues up. Hey they are laying people off at NPR news, so I am not surprised one bit at all the dogs in the dirt, barking and howling.

I wish I has said this, but let me repeat it, probably never in the history of political annals has one person ever been so happy to be derided by another. Blago himself on the tapes shows how ethical the Obama team is.

And when you think about the heat of the politics and the history of the political system, you have to admire even more that Obama got ethics legislation passed there. The very things that make it possible to take out a Blago.

So once again, my original take on Barack Obama was shown to be correct. The man I saw a year ago, is what he is.

You know, this is such a relief from what we have had before.

[mdmc]

1. all I expect is for him to get reelected

and to be just a little kinder, gentler, then the GOP alternative.

[Peacetrain]

3. Well there are some who are learning the Obama lesson.. as it were

But we can always count on the hell hounds of talk radio to bring them into the dirt. (the republican canidates) The hell hounds have convinced themselves and a rabid following (who show up at things like the Palin rallies and let their hatred go full throat), that what they say is written stone tablets found by a burning bush. (I know I am mixing my stories there, but you get the drift). :)

We just need to keep doing what we are doing, and when the lies start, clear them up from the get go, and get back to doing what needs to be done.

[mdmc]

7. The thing is the "lies" are not false.

Obama ain't a terrorist fist bumping radical. He is middle of the road, capitalist, corporate loving, God fearing American...

Wait until he tells us why we should continue to fight and win the drug war. Or our two hot wars. Or why we need to war against the right to organize (bad for free trade).

All I expect is for him to be a little less evil then the GOP choice.

[cali]

11. he's neither. it's only the people that live in simpleland that think

in childish black and white. And you're simply making things up. For example, there's no reason to believe that Obama is anti-Union; far from it. He supports card check, and he's expressed strong support for Unions. Who obviously don't share your opinion of him.

[mdmc]

14. Lets see what he does to support the unions

He has a bully pulpit. The neo-con opposition have ran the economy into the ground. Our security is weekend. Energy security is at risk.

America is ripe for change

Lets see if Obama advocates big unionized additions to the federal government as his way to create jobs.
Lets see if livable wage jobs are created or if "job creation" means giving Walmart tax breaks to hire more minimum wage workers.

The government worker is the best organized worker. They have the best union.
Big government is good for the working class.
Purchasing goods and services from unionized shops is good for the working class.

Money for outsourcing and off-shoring is bad for the working people of America.

This is the time for CHANGE in America. And we have got change. Now all that is left to be seen is what kind of change we got.
Did we get a black Raygun loving DLC Bill Clinton wannabe?
Did we get a new deal for the 21st Century?
At least we didn't get change via McLame/Palin... we did better then that.
But did we get a small change keep the status quo or did we get change we can believe in?

[Peacetrain]

19. As a union person who is the daughter of a union man

married to a union man, Obama has been as pro union as anyone I have seen since Gephardt. That was the last true union through and through politician who ran for office. But I can almost bet a dollar, there are zero to none who post on this board who would have been Gephardt democrats.

The old power of the unionized worker is gone to us. We are only 7% now. White collar government union workers, which I am one of, do not have the power that the hard nosed coal miner or dock worker had. The blue collar union workers, are far more willing to sacrifice and feel a sense of solidarity with their brothers and sisters of the union than the white collar union workers. Try getting them to a union meeting, like herding cats.

We have to unionize in a different way and a different model. Exactly what that is going to be, I do not know, but the world has changed, the jobs that were the backbone of the union are almost all gone.

[leftofthedial]

4. and to be competent

and to appoint competent people


trouble is, he's appointing mostly competent pro-war, pro-corporate, "free-market" insiders.

[Peacetrain]

6. If he can reign in the most competent people to get "OUR"

priorities through, I could care less what their political strip is. I want the best of the best to get the job done.

[mdmc]

8. Bush had lots of competent folk too

But when you are, say, a nazi, it really doesn't matter how competent you are.

I mean, look at the Drug War Czar - if the Czar thinks we are winning the drug war, then he may have all sorts of credentials, but he is far from competent...

[cali]

5. yes, yes. the only difference between Obama's policies and bushco

policies will be that Obama's will be a little kinder and a little gentler. Never mind that what he's already laid out, is on most issues, 180 degrees different from bushco's policies.

[mdmc]

9. where?

what bush "flip" has obama "flopped".

Are we ready to cut and run from Iraq (Nader, Paul, and Barr are)(Obama, McCain, and Bush are not)

Did the banks have to beg for their cash and have a bank Czar regulate their activities?

Will Obama get rid of outscourcing? Get rid of contracting out govt work and returning to an era of big government (where the workers are accountable to the taxpayers, not to a profitable corporation)?

Obama wants a 'new deal' public works stimulus package. Will this mean bigger governement agencies paying livable union wages? Or will it mean tax buck go to Kellogg-Brown-and Root to fix our highway guardrails.

You say Obama has turned away a full 180 degrees from the bush policies -
Bush thinks we are winning the drug war-
Bush thinks Iraq was a good idea-
Bush thinks we are winning in Afganhastan-
Bush digs on free trade-
Bush bails out the banks-
Bush wants a smaller governmnet-
Bush thinks that he and his cronies have done nothing illegal and should not be impeached or jailed.

Is Obama really 180 degrees different from these policies. Perhaps our man Bernie Sanders is... Ron Paul..Bob Barr..Ralph Nader.. they all are.

But Obama... I think we can expect him to be a little kinder...gentler...

Please feel free to correct as I know you to be up on the issues. Where is Obama 180 degrees from Bush on policy?

[cali]

10. let's see: Climate Change., FOCA, Guantanamo, torture,

gov't spending on job creation, support of workers (you do recall that Obama supported the Republic Windows and Doors workers, right?) card check, and Unions in general,and more. I won't bother with more because you have no interest in facts only your own narrative. Yes, on a few issues, Obama is not 180 degrees from bush, but on the majority of them, he certainly is. Oh, and it's absurd to suggest, with his proposals, that Obama is akin to bush re smaller gov't.

[mdmc]

12. thanks for this list - I do have interest in facts

So Obama wants to use govt. money to generate jobs = hire more govt. workers = bigger government. That would be the opposite of Bush.

Obama supports unions and Bush does not... true good point... (now lets see how strongly Obama works against outsourcing and union busting and government downsizing)

Climate change... Bush is pro-business - Obama will put the environment before money? That would be the opposite of Bush.

Bush says "No Torture." Ditto Obama. Will Obama prosecute those that have tortured or will he stay the course?

Bush thinks Gitmo is good. McCain and Obama think gitmo is bad. Closing gitmo is good. Making sure that the crimes committed at gitmo are prosecuted is the opposite of Bush.

What is FOCA?

I think you know full well that Obama is a moderate, not a radical.
We have had 8 years of radical con rule (raygun)+ 12 years of moderate rule (GHWB & Clinton)+ 8 years of radical neo-con rule.
Now we are back to moderate rule. Perhaps we will get a moderate liberal next time around. Perhaps a leftist radical after that...

[cali]

13. I shy away from labeling Obama.

But here's my take on him. I think the guy has a progressive heart and a moderate head. How well he reconciles those competing impulses, remains to be seen. I think he's a pragmatist and someone with bold policy ideas. And I think there's a lot of evidence for ALL of that.


FOCA is the Freedom of Choice Act, and it's a big deal.

Other areas where Obama is very different from Bush abound. The environment, energy, the judciary.

The differences between the Obama administration and bushco aren't merely some cosmetic little touches, they'll be striking.

[mdmc]

15. I can agree with that

all of that.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I think Bush Cheney is a 3.5. Clinton Gore was a 5, Bush Quayle was a 4.5, Raygun Bush was a 4, Carter Mondale was a 5, Ford 4.5, Nixon 4. I think that Obama may be a 5 or a 6.

What America needs is green energy, livable wages, education, and healthcare. That is my 10. Anyone over a 4.5 is helping us get there. anyone under 4.5 is taking us away from there.

When it is all said and done, our politicians take care of our corporations. Then they take care of the workers. I don't see any reversal in this type of thinking...

peace and low stress cali..

[cali]

16. and I think that's not a bad way to sum it up

and yes, most of out politicians cater or succumb to corporate influences.

[mdmc]

17. peace

low stress

[Clio the Leo]

2. Rec NT

[CaliforniaPeggy]

18. I'm with you. K&R