Weekly Address: As Long As I'm Your President, The Most Powerful Voice In Washington Belongs To You

[Turborama]

Run time: 04:02 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F-JMDeKOGA   Posted on YouTube: January 23, 2010 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: January 23, 2010 By DU Member: Turborama Views on DU: 5612

 

WEEKLY ADDRESS: President Obama Vows to Continue Standing Up to the Special Interests on Behalf of the American People

WASHINGTON – In this week’s address, President Barack Obama vowed to continue fighting for the American people to ensure their voices are heard over the special interests and lobbyists in Washington, despite this week’s Supreme Court decision to further empower corporations to use their financial clout to directly influence elections.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
As Prepared for Delivery
Weekly Address
January 23, 2010

One of the reasons I ran for President was because I believed so strongly that the voices of everyday Americans, hardworking folks doing everything they can to stay afloat, just weren’t being heard over the powerful voices of the special interests in Washington. And the result was a national agenda too often skewed in favor of those with the power to tilt the tables.

In my first year in office, we pushed back on that power by implementing historic reforms to get rid of the influence of those special interests. On my first day in office, we closed the revolving door between lobbying firms and the government so that no one in my administration would make decisions based on the interests of former or future employers. We barred gifts from federal lobbyists to executive branch officials. We imposed tough restrictions to prevent funds for our recovery from lining the pockets of the well-connected, instead of creating jobs for Americans. And for the first time in history, we have publicly disclosed the names of lobbyists and non-lobbyists alike who visit the White House every day, so that you know what’s going on in the White House – the people’s house.

We’ve been making steady progress. But this week, the United States Supreme Court handed a huge victory to the special interests and their lobbyists – and a powerful blow to our efforts to rein in corporate influence. This ruling strikes at our democracy itself. By a 5-4 vote, the Court overturned more than a century of law – including a bipartisan campaign finance law written by Senators John McCain and Russ Feingold that had barred corporations from using their financial clout to directly interfere with elections by running advertisements for or against candidates in the crucial closing weeks.

This ruling opens the floodgates for an unlimited amount of special interest money into our democracy. It gives the special interest lobbyists new leverage to spend millions on advertising to persuade elected officials to vote their way – or to punish those who don’t. That means that any public servant who has the courage to stand up to the special interests and stand up for the American people can find himself or herself under assault come election time. Even foreign corporations may now get into the act.

I can’t think of anything more devastating to the public interest. The last thing we need to do is hand more influence to the lobbyists in Washington, or more power to the special interests to tip the outcome of elections.

All of us, regardless of party, should be worried that it will be that much harder to get fair, common-sense financial reforms, or close unwarranted tax loopholes that reward corporations from sheltering their income or shipping American jobs off-shore.

It will make it more difficult to pass commonsense laws to promote energy independence because even foreign entities would be allowed to mix in our elections.

It would give the health insurance industry even more leverage to fend off reforms that would protect patients.

We don’t need to give any more voice to the powerful interests that already drown out the voices of everyday Americans.

And we don’t intend to. When this ruling came down, I instructed my administration to get to work immediately with Members of Congress willing to fight for the American people to develop a forceful, bipartisan response to this decision. We have begun that work, and it will be a priority for us until we repair the damage that has been done.

A hundred years ago, one of the great Republican Presidents, Teddy Roosevelt, fought to limit special interest spending and influence over American political campaigns and warned of the impact of unbridled, corporate spending. His message rings as true as ever today, in this age of mass communications, when the decks are too often stacked against ordinary Americans. And as long as I’m your President, I’ll never stop fighting to make sure that the most powerful voice in Washington belongs to you.

From: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/weekly-address-president-obama-vows-continue-standing-special-interests-behalf-amer

[Name removed]

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[jaxx]

22. To call the Obama Presidency "bush's third term" on DU is wrong.

This kind of crap has got to stop.

[grytpype]

5. :cry:!!!!!

[Tansy_Gold]

2. Oh, puh-lease

" On my first day in office, we closed the revolving door between lobbying firms and the government so that no one in my administration would make decisions based on the interests of former or future employers."

But before you TOOK office, your treasury department consisted almost entirely of former Fed and/or former Goldman Sachs execs. You're parsing things, again, Barry, just like booooshie did. Picking just the right words so it sounds like you're saying one thing, but you didn't really quite say that.

When you actually fire Tim Geithner and withdraw your support from Bernanke, then I'll start -- but only start -- listening to your bullshit.

Until then, spare me, okay?




Tansy Gold

[dixiegrrrrl]

33. AND the WH makes no public mention of all the waivers to the lobbyist rules

that have been allowed.

**Former Raytheon lobbyist William J. Lynn. appointed to be deputy defense secretary. Lynn lobbied for Raytheon as recently as 2008 but received a waiver under the executive order so he could serve in the administration.
**Jocelyn Frye is director of policy and projects in the Office of the First Lady, she got a waiver.
**Cecilia Muñoz is director of intergovernmental affairs in the Executive Office of the President, managing the White House's relationships with state and local governments.She got a waiver.

"But not all former lobbyists need to get a waiver to work in the Obama administration. Some apparently just need "recusals," where the former lobbyist agrees that he or she will avoid discussions related to former lobbying interests.

The White House has not said how many recusals it has granted, and it has declined to release details on its most prominent recusal, for Mark Patterson, the chief of staff to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.

Public records show Patterson worked as a lobbyist for Goldman Sachs in 2008. Given Goldman Sachs' central role in the finance industry, it's difficult to see how the chief of the staff to the Treasury secretary could recuse himself from all discussions that affect Goldman Sachs."

http://www.sunlightfoundation.com/presscenter/articles/2009/03/18/obama-skirts-own-ban-employing-former-lobbyists-wh/

[Cha]

37. Spare me..your neverending crap.

[Arkana]

46. "Barry", eh?

Your slip is showing.

[Tansy_Gold]

51. No, my slip is not showing

If you had half a clue, you'd know I use the nickname often and for a reason.

And that reason isn't you.




Tansy Gold

[Arkana]

54. And what reason might that be?

Other than a not-so-subtle attempt to demean the President of the United States?

[grytpype]

4. But he won't bust up the mean corporations!!!

:cry::cry::cry:!!!!

[Autumn]

6. Okay

Sure. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: So when do you think you might start fighting special interest spending and influence and unbridled, corporate spending. As soon as we are out of forceful, bipartisan responses?

[caseycoon]

7. What a CROCK!

:grr:

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

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[earthside]

9. Credibility Gap.

One might be tempted to believe that the sentiments expressed by the responders to the original post here are just the rantings of DU addicts.

But what they are saying is what I am hearing from my less involved, less political friends and family -- folks who have never heard of 'Democratic Underground.'

President Obama has a growing credibility gap; people are seeing that his actions don't seem to be lining-up with the claims he makes in his speeches.

Indeed, if Obama doesn't actually do something dramatic and substantive to demonstrate that he is fighting for Main Street instead of Wall Street, then I fear he will quickly become an object of ridicule and cynicism.

For instance, when he most needs to pull the Bernanke re-nomination to the Fed, he instead stands by this guy ... that telegraphs that, no, despite his rhetoric, Obama still doesn't get it.

Unfortunately, I think Obama has worked himself firmly behind the eight ball now and it is going to take some real effort, persistence, concrete action and less talk to get himself back where people believe he is not a Goldman Sachs flunkie.

Less talk ... I hope the State of the Union is about twenty minutes.

[Lorien]

53. I'm hearing the same things from non DUers. Even repugs and libertarians that I know

who voted for him because they were so pissed off with BushCo are now feeling like their slim hopes were dashed. They feel like neither party is willing to "fight" for them and they don't know what to do. It's one sorry state of affairs; Obama has had a perfect opportunity to become one of America's greatest presidents, but instead he works for the elite while giving the rest of us more empty rhetoric.

[pscot]

10. I don't believe that

three or four different ways.

[NorthCarolina]

11. He must have fogotten to include the "Starting today" part.

Corrected for clarity:

In light of the MA vote, starting today the most powerful voice in Washington {technically} belongs to you, as long as I'm your President.

Offer is subject to approval of the DLC and some blackout dates may apply. This concession cannot be combined with prior campaign promises explicitly made and/or subsequently denied, offers, or special promotions. Interpretation of my comment may vary by location and time of year. Offer void where prohibited by law and has no intrinsic value.

[midnight]

12. President Obama, my father had a phrase, Shit or get off the pot.

[GOTV]

13. Nice sales pitch

[slipslidingaway]

14. Obama - you have another opening to push for improved Medicare for All

"...It would give the health insurance industry even more leverage to fend off reforms that would protect patients..."

And the HC bill gives them new customers.

[quark219]

15. I burst out loud when I read the subject line.

...which pretty much says it all.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[spicegal]

17. I believe Obama is sincere, but unfortunately he is only one man trying to battle some

very strong entrenched powers. It's clear we have a partisan Supreme Court that always sides against the best interest and will of the people.

[spicegal]

19. I have to say it's extremely sad to see all you liberals, assuming that's what you are turning

on Obama after only one year. Cut the guy a break. He represents all the people, not just liberals. Bush had 8 years to destroy things. Obama has only had one year, and you're apparently expecting miracles.

[babylonsister]

20. Welcome to DU, spicegal, and I agree with you completely.

These people on this thread don't represent a lot of us, so take heart. The ignore feature is quite useful around here.

[azmouse]

23. They are exactly what they claim the Democratic party is... whiny, miserable wimps.

They turn tail and run the minute the going gets tough.
I hope most of them are able to leave the country.
I, for one, don't want them here.

[Adelante]

29. Agree nt

[Tansy_Gold]

35. That's just it -- he's NOT one man. He has a whole administration

working with him, or they SHOULD be working with him. Biden, Sebelius, Locke, Solis, Holder, all the rest of them should be out there working for Obama's goals. Why aren't they on the Sunday morning talk shows all the time? Why aren't they getting the message out?

Why are the Joe Liebermans and the Olympia Snowes, the Ben Nelsons and the Max Baucuses in the spotlight all the time? Are they the voices of the administration? No, they're the voices of a minority opposition, and they're getting a helluva lot more air and face time.

And this is what will happen when the corporations take over the campaigns: they will be able to BUY the airtime and the citizens won't.

Obama -- and whether or not I'm an "asshole" for calling him Barry is as stupid and childish a question as my use of his former nickname -- has now had a full year in which to get things done, or at least get them started on the right road. He let the pukes take the reins on health insurance reform, and that was a bad move. He has delayed and delayed and delayed on the Guantánamo closing (although it is in the works). And he's done virtually nothing on the economy. The rate of job loss is slowing, but the water does tend to flow more slowly when the bucket is just about empty.

Cut him some slack, yeah, sure. For how long? Another three years? How long are you gonna give him, how many mistakes are you gonna forgive? How many rightwing mantras are you gonna repeat, like the ones about the collapse of the financial markets and the green shoots and all that other crap? Back when I complained about the appointments of Geithner and Summers -- and that was on 24 November 2008 -- I got all the flak about "He's not even in office yet! Give him time!" Then it was "He's only been in office a month!" And then "He's only been in office six months!"

And sure enough, here we are at the end of January 2010 and the chorus is singing "He's only been in office a year! Whaddya want, miracles?"

The state of Arizona used most of its stimulus funds to keep teachers and police officers in their jobs. It didn't create any new jobs, it just held onto existing ones. Next year there won't be any stimulus money to keep those teachers in the classrooms and the cops on the beat. Tax revenues are falling, unemployment is high, and we're going to have a roughly $2 billion state budget shortfall. So the state is closing the state parks. Lost Dutchman State Park, Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, Picacho Peak State Park, among others. That means all those park service employees will join the ranks of the unemployed, and the people who enjoyed those relatively low-cost recreational facilities are just shit out of luck. There's no move to increase income taxes on the rich, though our wingnut governor Jan Brewer has proposed a "temporary" -- they never are -- sales tax increase, which will of course fall hardest, as sales taxes always do, on the poor and working and middle classes. The rich don't go to Tonta Natural Bridge State Park; they go to Aspen or St. Moritz. So it's the general population of Arizona, and the middle class tourists who lose out.

What will it be the year after that? The schools? The universities? Shut down DPS and let people drive whatever speed they want on the freeways?

It was the liberals who elected Obama, and he's increasingly abandoning them/us. And yes, I am a liberal, if you can call a socialist a "liberal." I didn't expect miracles -- I expected hard work, both from and for Obama. You may not agree with me, and that's your right, but frankly, I haven't seen the really hard work from him yet.

There's an old joke called "Two envelopes." A guy is hired for a job and is told that his predecessor was fired for incompetence so there's no one to train the new guy. He'll have to figure it all out for himself. So when he sits down at his desk the first day, he opens the draw and finds two envelopes lying in it. One has #1 written on the outside in bold black marker. The other is similarly labeled #2. The new guy opens the first envelope and finds inside a single sheet of paper on which the following message is written in neat handwriting:

To my replacement:
I don't envy you. You've inherited the mess I left you and I apologize for that. I especially apologize for not being here to help you learn the ropes. But I do have some advice for you. For the first few months, as you're learning the job and cleaning up after me, if you find yourself in a bind over something you don't know how to fix, just blame me for it. This will get you off the hook for a while until you figure out how everything works, who does what, how to fix things, and so on. Then at the end of say six months, if things aren't going as smoothly as you'd like, then open the other envelope. Don't open it before then, and if things are going great for you after six months, you won't even need my advice.

The letter was unsigned.

So the new guy felt quite confident that he could handle the job even without someone to break him in. And as he encounters more and more of the problems left by his predecessor, he finds that the advice works very well. At every sign of difficulty, he blames the guy who got fired before him, and no one seems to expect too much from him. He falls into a routine, always blaming the guy he replaced.

But after a while, he realizes the problems aren't going away. The managers and the executives are complaining more and more and they seem to be expecting him to fix more things. He realizes after a few months that he's not learning as much about the job as he should have, and he's been relying on the "it's not my fault" excuse too much. So he starts trying to learn the job but discovers it's a lot harder than he thought. And now the problems he should have been fixing months ago are even worse than they were then, and there are more of them. Management is coming down on him all the time and he's starting to panic.

Finally, when he's been on the job six months -- or maybe it's a year??? -- he's getting yelled at by everyone and remembers the other envelope. It must have the answers to all the problems, solutions to all the mistakes that have been made. He rushes to his office, slams the door shut and opens the drawer. It's a mess, filled with unanswered memos, unread reports. Somewhere at the bottom of it all is that all-important envelope #2 and he knows it will have the information he needs to make himself a success at the job.

Finally, he locates it, wedged at the bottom of the drawer, a bit the worse for being buried this past (half) year. He pulls it out and rips it open, finding inside just another single sheet of paper.

Written on it, in the same handwriting as the first message, is just a short, three-word message:

Prepare two envelopes. . . . .


Obama can only blame booooosh for so long. It's time he -- and his supporters -- started taking responsibility and getting the job done.




Tansy "the asshole" Gold

[Cha]

39. I don't care wtf you do..I see your name and I know there's major

disingenuous whining ahead.

[avaistheone1]

62. Obama is supposed to be the most powerful man in the world leading

the most powerful country in the world.

He has enjoys majorities in the Senate and House, but the man acts like he has no power except off course to bail out Wall Street,
health insurance companies, and big Pharma.

It's maddening.

The time is ours and the time is now. Now is the time to act if Obama is going to do something for the people of this country. Forget next year, next term, the time is now. The American people need to be priority number one.

[TicketyBoo]

77. I see YOUR problem…

yes, I am a liberal, if you can call a socialist a "liberal."

You ARE expecting miracles.

President Obama has been busy, quite likely too busy to keep us informed of all he's been doing.

We have a President who won the Nobel Peace Prize, for cripes sake. I'm proud of him, and you should be, too.

Do I agree with everything this administration has done? Heck, no! I can't expect my government to do everything just the way I want it done all the time, and anyone who DOES expect that is setting themselves up for disappointment and/or anger.

It takes time to turn this country around, to crawl out of the ditch that other guy threw us into. It's not going to happen in a year's time. It may take even longer than the eight years that it took to get into this predicament. But I think we've got the right man on the job (and I was a Hillary supporter in the primaries). I'm confident that he is doing the best he can in a bad situation.

This is one President who will not lose his cool. (Maybe he should, but I don't think we're gonna see it--"No drama Obama"--remember?) Slow and steady wins the race. He has his eye on the ball, his nose to the grindstone, and his shoulder to the wheel.

I trust this guy. Maybe you should try it. I know I'm a lot happier trusting him than being mad at him because he hasn't done some of the things I'd like to have seen done.

[Tansy_Gold]

86. No, god damn it, I am NOT expecting miracles

But I am expecting people to be realistic about what they're seeing.

Obama "won" the Nobel Peace Prize for what?? For expanding the war on Afghanistan? What do you really think that prize means? Henry Kissinger "won" it too?

Wake up and smell the coffee. Winning a prize is not the same as actually doing the work. obama not only escalated the war on Afghanistan but he pushed it into Pakistan and Yemen. Reeeal peaceful guy, that.

It's a little difficult for me to be "proud" of someone who was handed a prize because the committee that awarded it "hoped" he'd do better than his predecessor. That's not "winning" or "earning" in my book.

Enough of that.

In case you hadn't noticed, there are a lot more people than I saying that this administration is not performing very well. Now, if you want to continue to believe that Obama is working quietly and effectively behind the scenes and we the people aren't important enough -- or smart enough -- to be let in on the secrets, what do you call the abject failure of the administration to be prepared for the SCOTUS decision on CU v FEC?

What do you call the constant -- CONSTANT -- "compromising" on the health care bill, to the point that in most respects, what the bill grants is WORSE than what we have without it?

Where is the action on DADT?

What's been done about the economy? How many thousands of new jobs -- net new, not saved, not expanded hours to existing ones -- have been created as a result of the 'stimulus' spending? What was it, 482,000 new unemployment claims last week? How many jobs were lost in December? WHEN IS IT GOING TO TURN AROUND?

Obama has not introduced policies that change the direction of the economy, and too many public opinion polls -- including the recent special election in Massachusetts -- indicate that the American electorate considers the economy the #1 issue.

We've got no tax cuts for the middle/working classes. We've got a year of no estate tax, which only benefits the rich and costs the country. There's been no action on the booooosh tax policies at all. NONE. NONE. NONE.

By giving Obama eight years to change things and already giving him an excuse, you've set the bar even lower than it was when all he had to do was not be boooosh. Now you're saying that if the country is in worse shape than when Obama took office it won't be his fault???? For crying out loud, do you have ANY expectations of him at all? Or is it enough that he sits around and smiles and looks cool in his sunglasses? Is that enough for you?

Sorry, pal, it's not enough for me. I expect the person who is elected to be President of the United States of America to be able to DO things. BIG things. Like start turning the country around.

I don't give a shit if he wins a Nobel Prize or a Pulitzer Prize or Student of the Week. I want him to get things done. That's what he was elected to do. And if it means getting angry, or even engaging in a little drama, well, that's fine with me. I don't care about the niceties; I care about the results.



Tansy Gold

[TicketyBoo]

91. Obama

campaigned on the promise to escalate the war in Afghanistan. It's what he SAID he would do, so I don't understand people getting all bent out of shape when it happened.

I'm still proud of the fact that he won the Nobel Peace Prize. The committee thought that he was deserving, and he (and that Prize) have raised this country's esteem in the eyes of the world.

What do you call the constant -- CONSTANT -- "compromising" on the health care bill

The fault of Congress and a shame, but I don't agree with you that it is worse than nothing. Just the fact that it does away with pre-existing condition riders makes it worth passing.

He IS getting things done. He's implemented streaming of all events with the president on the White House website. In his first 100 days, the Department of Transportation approved 2,500 highway projects. The Treasury Department has implemented a $2,500 tuition tax credit for students going to college. $19 billion in the stimulus package has been earmarked to help implement an electronic medical record system which, in and of itself, will result in health care cost reductions. There was the CARS program which got people looking — and buying, and resulted in a lot of gas-guzzlers being removed from our highways, a win all the way around. He's created an office of Urban Policy and the amount of $2 billion from the Recovery Act has been appropriated for the Department of Justice to fight gangs in the inner cities.

Just because you aren't seeing the progress doesn't mean it isn't happening because it IS. It does take time for things to start working. It doesn't happen at the drop of a hat. No magic wand.

[liquid diamond]

36. Welcome to DU.

I don't always agree with Obama, but I appreciate him being a realist like you.

[Cha]

38. They just like to hear themselves whine and bring

others down to their level..ain't gonna happen.

[ermasdaughter]

40. Second that!

It's heart-breaking that it took a year, one year, to shake the 'party faithful'. They turned in Obama quicker than the repugs. Shameful and very very sad.

[liberation]

43. Huh?

Funny to see the Obama acolytes not addressing a single grievance, while thinking that ad hominems and more abuse/condescension are the best way of bringing the disappointed liberals back into your fold of hubris.

I am frankly tired of being lectured about anything to do with how to run democracy by a contingent who thinks "shut up, dear leader knows best" to be the pinnacle of democratic thought. Even the Obama die hards are starting to quack like the old Bush die hards of yore. Good grief! When are you guys going to tell us to leave the USA....

[Name removed]

78. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Tansy_Gold]

93. Telling someone to "shut up" is the antithesis of DU

n/t

[humbled_opinion]

45. Well your credibility is shot...

it took a lot longer then 8 years to get where we are.... Try 30 years on for size the last President to actually do something for the People was Jimmy Carter and before him it was LBJ but understand this did not happen in 8 years...

Thats part of Obama's problem too you can't just blame Bush.

I don't like anything that Bush did but dammit the American People know that he dealt with a massive Terrorist attack and a massive natural disaster and all during those years the unemployment rate was about half what it is today....

Obama needs to address the issues not the last 8 years...

The populist message about greedy corporations bilking the system and screwing over the consumer is only HALF the equation... The tea baggers and the Conservatives have a nice populist message too.. In case you and others haven't been paying attention the Other side of this equation is the unbridled nationalism and growth of the Federal government and our national debt which scares the bejesus out of people too...

Obama must embrace both or he will lose all credibility and the problem is to embrace both means you PISS off the special interests in both political camps.....

Stop looking at this problem with one eye open and one eye shut.

[JDPriestly]

55. humbled_opinion, I disagree with you.

Obama needs to talk and talk and talk about what Bush did wrong. And then Obama needs to do the opposite of Bush in virtually every area.

Bush refused to consider moving toward energy independence. Obama needs to push very hard toward energy independence.

Bush refused to let teachers teach. Our teachers are the best in the world. We need to repeal No Child Left Behind, stop selling our schools to the charter corporations and let our teachers teach our children.

Bush fought unnecessary wars, pretending to fight terrorism. Obama needs to focus on strengthening the American economy and using psychological profiling and available information about terrorist networks rather than massive military intervention and indiscriminate violations of human rights and our Bill of Rights to fight terrorism and political violence.

Bush ran up huge deficits. Obama needs to review each federal expenditure including all military expenditures and all other expenditures except Social Security and basic Medicare. And why do I exempt Social Security and Medicare? -- Because they are not really "expenditures" but solemn contractual obligations based on binding covenants entered into with the American people. Seniors have already paid for their Medicare and Social Security. Those expenditures are inviolable.

Bush gave tax cuts to the very wealthy. Obama needs to rescind those tax cuts. What is more, Obama needs to review the tax code to eliminate special tax exemptions for big business.

Bush did just about everything wrong. If Obama would just do the opposite, he could turn the country around and get us going in the right direction.

Bush did everything to stir up the emotions of the American people, especially the extreme right. Obama needs to return to a message of hope.

But, Obama needs to make his message of hope much more specific than he did during the campaign.

He needs to go the American people in daily internet communications asking us to support him to reach very, very specific policy goals.

For instance, the President needs to set aside several days to talk to Americans about the need to pass legislation that would prohibit insurance companies across the nation from refusing to cover people or charging exorbitant rates or disqualifying coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.

Then he needs to set another day or so to ask Americans very specifically to support him in pressing Congress to pass a constitutional amendment that would once and for all clarify that corporations and other associations of persons do not have the same political speech rights as individual humans, living, breathing, born and mortal human beings.

Then he should deal with legislation that break up the banks.

One issue at a time, each day or couple of days, Obama should state in very, very specific terms policy goals for which he wants public support. He would become the most loved and respected president ever if he would do that.

And in each communication, Obama should remind us about the catastrophe that Bush caused our nation. He should constantly remind us of our choices: the dark side with the Republicans or light and a better society with the Democrats.

I would really be behind Obama if he would do that. I would still not agree with him 100% all the time, but I would find enough points of agreement to be much more supportive.

[humbled_opinion]

57. Nice thoughts....

and I agree with you to a certain extent my only inference was that the biggest problems have been around for quite some time but either way, it would help if he would spell each one and engage the American people more in fixing the problems.

i.e., it doesnt help by saying Bush was bad for surging troops in Iraq but hey guys I need to surge troops in Afghanistan, it hurts when he says the health insurance industry is broken but if don't worry you won't have to change your plan if you don't want to, it hurts when he says I will close Gitmo because it is a stain on American justice system and then doesn't get it done, it hurts when he rails agains the Bush defecits and then spends more money in his first year then all of his predecessors ever did and still has to explain 10 percent or better unemployment, and most of all it hurts when he gives a message out of one side of his face and then takes an action that is the antithesis of his stated desire....

So there is alot of work to do but his credibility is SHOT with Independent thinking Americans.


He has to regain it first and I don't see how.

[JDPriestly]

64. He would have to appoint a new cabinet. I think he will change his

economic team. He can explain the change by claiming that the threat of a depression has passed and now we need to rebuild with a team less focused on saving the banks and more focused on building an economy with good jobs. I'm not sure how the government can foster the growth of small business and jobs in our current economy.

Certainly giving bigger tax advantages to the companies that invest in products and services that make us more energy independent and taking away the tax breaks for companies that import energy would be a good place to start.

[TicketyBoo]

80. But…

it doesnt help by saying Bush was bad for surging troops in Iraq but hey guys I need to surge troops in Afghanistan…

You do realize that he said during his campaign that he would increase the troop strength in Afghanistan and draw down in Iraq?

You do realize that he was against the Iraq war from the very beginning, and spoke against deploying troops to Iraq before they were ever sent there?

[humbled_opinion]

84. Whats the difference?

War is War there is no good war and bad war if you believe that use of our military to indiscrimately kill humans in Afghanistan is for Noble purposes then you are mind controlled.

I applaud Obama's decision to draw down troops in Iraq and eventually end the US occupation there but mysteriously that war seems to have lost the attention of the media.

On Afghanistan Obama had a chance to be a Hero, he could have declared it a mistake and told the UN to commit peacekeepers and support the government and that the US would be assuming an advisory role only but he did'nt...

In my opinion regarding deployed troops and war Obama has done NOTHING different then Bush would be doing to date. If you think he has then tell me specifically what the difference between the two would have been....

Oh I forgot one of them won the Nobel Peace Prize... My bad...

Just because your political party leader does something doesn't make it right or worthy of support....


Think independently.

[TicketyBoo]

88. I do think independently.

Bush ignored Afghanistan (where the Al Qaeda training camps were based, where our focus should have been) in favor of war in Iraq.

Again, Obama is doing exactly what he said he would do during the campaign — he's increasing the troop strength in Afghanistan. I'm not saying I agree with that, but it IS what he said he'd do, so it certainly doesn't anger me that he's doing it.

Just because your political party leader does something you don't agree with 100% doesn't mean that he deserves your disrespect or disdain. If he hadn't upped the troop levels in Afghanistan as he said he would do during the campaign, he would have been criticized by some for flip-flopping.

Get a grip.

[humbled_opinion]

95. You said you don't agree with Obama

Yet you champion him? I am lost this is not a personality contest. The President of the USA has to be committed. I was under the impression from day one that Obama was committed to fixing what is broke in the country. He certainly said alot during the campaign but never did he say he would send 30k more troops to Afghanistan thats BUSH doctrine thats unnecessary war that murdering of civilians that will come to hate us because we kill them in the name of protecting ourselves...

Look if you didn't approve of BUSH doing it then you shouldn't approve of Obama doing it otherwise your credibility on the issue is shot..

That was my initial point.

Peace

[TicketyBoo]

98. Oh, but I DID approve of it being done

at the time of the election (and before).

During the campaign, Obama said he would increase the troop strength in Afghahistan. At that time, I agreed with that. Afghanistan was where Al Qaeda was, where Osama bin Laden was at the time we were hit on 9/11. Bush took his eye off the ball by going into Iraq. Obama was against the war in Iraq from Day 1 (and before). But he thought we belonged in Afghanistan, and I agreed with that assessment. However, by the time he got around to making the decision late last fall, I felt that the situation was far different from a year earlier. Most of Al Qaeda had hightailed it across the border into Pakistan (and, now, we learn, into Yemen). I had hoped that Obama would change his mind about Afghanistan, withdraw our troops from there, and hunt Al Qaeda down in Pakistan. He didn't. He did what he said he was going to do when he campaigned, and increased the troop strength in Afghanistan. I think it was wrong, but I do trust that he has a lot more information on the situation than I do, so even though I have my own doubts, I hope for the best.

[Name removed]

99. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TicketyBoo]

100. Look,

I told you exactly the way it was.

We needed to go after Osama bin Laden and his minions, and there is still that need. You don't get THAT?

I was snookered about WMD and thought there really were WMD in Iraq. (Hey, so sue me; I was certainly not alone in my gullibility.) Bush used the 9/11 attacks to scare people into thinking Saddam Hussein was out to get us, too. "Smoking gun in the form of a mushroom cloud," remember? I was wrong about that. We should never have gone into Iraq, and Obama was smarter than I was and knew it was an unnecessary war, and said so.

However, during his campaign, he stated that we needed to increase troop strength in Afghanistan and said he would do it, and that's what he did.

I've told you that by that time, I had changed my mind on the wisdom of that; it's not what I hoped for, but he did exactly what he said during his campaign that he would do as president.

Do you think that Obama is not YOUR friend, too? If you cannot support a Democratic president, then what are you doing here?

"Morally right"? Would you rather we just shut down the military and take whatever hostile actions that come our way? Obama has the intel (whereas I do not), and I trust him to do what needs to be done to keep our country safe. That's the job of the Commander in Chief.

And I sleep very well, thank you, trusting in Obama to do the right thing and keep me safe. He's a good and decent and smart man, and I trust him. I'm glad I do, because I would hate to be the angry and dissatisfied person you seem to be.

[Name removed]

101. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TicketyBoo]

79. We elect a President

to lead our government, not do our bidding.

He cannot please everyone all of the time.

He is never going to do everything exactly the way you want it done. No President is.

If you can't learn to live with that, you're going to go through life a disappointed and angry person.

it took a lot longer then 8 years to get where we are…

Yes, certainly, but Bush did nothing to help. It's crazy that you defend Bush here. Crazy. The unemployment rate may well have been lower BECAUSE of the terrorist attacks, and the recovery effort from them. It certainly put a lot of airport security people to work and construction people clearing away debris and rebuilding the Pentagon.

We do not know, do not see, everything Obama is doing behind the scenes. He's busy all day, every day.

A President who has won the Nobel Peace Prize! Wow. I am so proud of him and how his Presidency has elevated our country's standing in the world. Sure, I'm not satisfied, but whoever is? You get what you can, and then work for more.

You are the one who loses if you don't trust this President. I do, and I'm obviously much happier with my faith in him than you are with your bitterness toward him.

[humbled_opinion]

85. ?

I don't defend Bush I can't stand what the repubes did to this country... I am just stating the obvious there is no discernible difference between Bush and Obama on substance. America is still heading off in the wrong direction Obama cannot solve these problems with one eye open and one eye shut and that my friend is what the MA election results have pronounced.

Independent voters will not stand by and support a failed policy. Obama has every Opportunity to fix the problems but his time is quickly running out.

Faith and Hope is not my bailiwick I need concrete action and substance sorry I have been screwed all my life and having no job, running out of unemployment and facing a reality of moving my family back to live with my mother and father are all too real prospects in my future.

Where is the change?

[TicketyBoo]

89. The change is this…

we are progressing. We were NOT progressing under Bush.

Please change your attitude. This is not going to turn around in a year, and probably not in two years, and maybe not even in the 8 years it took Bush to put us this far down in the hole. It's going to take awhile, and probably a good long while.

If you have to move your family back in with your parents, be glad that you have that option. Some people don't.

[Name removed]

94. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TicketyBoo]

96. Obama is Bush???

No way. It sounds as though you are delusional. Get a grip.

[liberalmike27]

30. I agree with this

But he needs to "fight" a lot harder, and not just by using the word fight 14 times in a speech.

He thinks he can do this without crackin' some eggs. It just ain't so, since most republicans are one step short of Nazis these days, worse, some seem like religious Nazis.

Sorry, I know some of you don't like the Nazi reference, but we're like one small shuffle from Fascism, no matter which of our two siamese twin parties is in charge.

[underpants]

41. Exactly I completely agree. Lots of people here have lost sight of the obvious

oh and Welcome to DU :hi: I saw you around here earlier and meant to say that

[JDPriestly]

47. He is sincere about what he does, but he does not go far enough.

He should be calling on people to help pass a constitutional amendment to clarify the definition of persons and associations in the Bill of Rights.

It's a great speech, but it doesn't say anything concrete. So now we know that Tim Geithner talks to Wall Street crooks several times a day. What is the President himself doing about that?

And it simply is not true that President Obama's administration has done much to restrain the excesses on Wall Street.

President Obama should come forward with a plan for a constitutional amendment. That is so obviously just about the only way to stop the impact of this Supreme Court decision. He is just stalling for time. Another day, a different crisis and we will forget about this decision. And then business can go on as usual.

After all, President Obama received enormous contributions from Wall Street and lots of boosts from the Mainstream Media -- more than any candidate except maybe Hillary. He is sincere but about what really? And is he going to put his efforts where his mouth is?

[TicketyBoo]

81. It's going to take

a bit of time to figure out what to do about the Supreme Court ruling.

I saw Barney Frank on Rachel Maddow's show the night after the decision, and he said he has already been in conference with some of his own colleagues, and they are confident that they can come up with legislation that will constitutionally thwart a corporate takeover of our political system.

Personally, I wish they'd outlaw political ads on television. Let people get their information on candidates from news outlets. That ad campaign money is like throwing money down a rathole. Think of the productive ways that much money could be spent.

[cornermouse]

18. First Reagan, now Teddy?

When is he going to admire a democratic president?

[Arkana]

49. Yeah, how HORRIBLE it is to admire Theodore Roosevelt.

The man who gave us the Pure Food & Drug Act so that we don't die when we eat a hamburger or get a drink of water out of the tap.

The guy who set child labor laws and rescued the unions from oblivion.

The guy who was the driving force behind the Panama Canal, the first and ONLY shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

That TERRIBLE, AWFUL President who signed the Antiquities Act into law, which allows the President of the United States to declare any parcel of public land a national park. Subsequently, he created 18 national monuments and national parks, including Yellowstone and Crater Lake.

That HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE man who was one of the first Republicans in a very long time to see that big business could not be trusted to regulate itself, and thus needed stronger regulation. So, he used the power of the Sherman Antitrust Act to bust up monopolies and trusts all across the country, from the railroads to the steel industry.

No, for the life of me I can't understand why Obama would admire one of the most successful, powerful, and popular Presidents of the 20th century, regardless of his political party--can you?

[avaistheone1]

60. Teddy Roosevelt had serious flaws.

He was an expansionist and imperialist who helped create great hatred toward the U.S. with his high-handed dealings with Latin American republics. He completely disregarded Congress in all his major foreign policy decisions and arrogantly told congressmen that there was nothing they could do to stop him.

On the evening of August 13, 1906, gunfire was heard near Fort Brown in Texas where 3 companies of black infantrymen were stationed. The town whites fearing an attack by the blacks, engaged in a shooting spree. One white was killed. The blacks swore they had played no part in the Brownsville raid. Nevertheless, Roosevelt signed a harsh order dishonorably discharging 170 black GIs. Not until John D. Weaver exposed this racial discrimination in a book in 1970 did Congress respond to the "black Dreyfus affair," and in 1973 it reversed Roosevelt's infamous order.

[Name removed]

59. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TicketyBoo]

82. Since both

Ted Kennedy and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg supported him in his candidacy, I think it's safe to say that he has Democratic ideals.

Mentions of Republican presidents are likely another attempt at inclusion.

Can't we admire presidents past, no matter the party affiliation?

[Captain Hilts]

21. I wish. The most powerful voice seems to be Olympia Snowe. nt

[asdjrocky]

24. Pure bullshit President Obama.

[HopeOverFear]

25. oh, goodie! More people to put on ignore.

[Hekate]

69. amen

[icee]

26. The word poseur comes to mind.

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[laylah]

32. I WANT to believe him...

I voted for him, he is MY President; HOWEVER, his actions speak louder than words, IMVHO.

Big Pharma, medical groups, LOBBYISTS, were allowed into the health care talks. Bailouts for Wall Street while "my" Main Street crumbles!

Illinois has a 14% unemployment rate (I got fired for eating a french fry...true story, can provide the evidence!), many are homeless, without healthcare, losing their homes...PLEASE President Obama, I DON'T want a pony, I want real reform that will help me and those like me.

[dixiegrrrrl]

34. We said NO, 100 to 1, against TARP, remember?

Was like we never spoke.

We said "Public Option".....loudly and often.

We said NO to re-appointing Bernanke.
How'd that work out?

Our voice versus corporation's money.
Wonder which is loudest?

[Name removed]

42. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[swilton]

44. Sorry

More hot air - actions speak louder than words

[scytherius]

48. Bullshit n/t

nt

[WoodyM]

50. Yes, things were very bad

when Obama took office and he has every right to point out just how bad they were. He ran for office on Hope and Change. I was quite willing to give him time to begin. To change the direction the nation is going he must lead in a different direction. After a year in office he has not yet faced in the new direction himself.

[Lorien]

52. You'll never STOP fighting? We're still waiting for you to START!

As long as your DLC buddies are heading your staff the rest of us don't stand a chance of being heard. :-(

[RBInMaine]

73. DLC DLC DLC... YAWN....Try another record. This one very broken.

[Patchuli]

56. If the most powerful voice in Washington is mine

then how come Barack cannot hear me SCREAMING???????

Get us the hell out of Iraq/Afghanistan, repeal the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, make corporations pay their share of taxes, gut that worthless health bill and start over (hint, single payer and/or public option is NOT optional) and stop feeding the Pentagon 2/3rds of our money. Quit coddling Wall Street and actually throw a lifeline to Main Street. It is the PEOPLE you owe, not the lobbyists.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? !!

[DRex]

63. My thoughts exactly....

Fucking do something, anything, to show that you are truly serving 'we the people.' Until then, save your false populism. It's insulting.

Putting corporate personhood to death would be a good place to start.

[big david]

58. how could you

forget so soon that special intrest moneyput you in the white house that being the reason why you have to keep your friends bernanke and timothy over the american people. this is what happens when you think there will be change the trusty ole double cross.

[grahamhgreen]

61. If it were ours he would have fought for single payer and settled for the public option.

[pundaint]

65. And that's why ordinary citizens didn't get a seat at the HCR table. Because their

strong voice was so loud it had to be voiced in Massachusetts.

If you don't listen to this man in person, he is the amazing shrinking president.

[Greyhound]

66. ROTFLMAO!

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[tomm2thumbs]

67. over 1250 views and 10 recs

just an observation

[justicia]

68. Actions Speak Louder Than Words.

I used to worship Obama, I went around with a lot of pride to be an Obama supporter. One year has pass and he's has done anything drastic. For some reason I don't feel nor see his sincerity, this speech it's an insult to my intelligence.

One year it's a long time to achieve something good and he hasn't. I finally gave up on him, when he called George W. Bush to help him with the Haiti situation, don't forget George W. Bush should be paying for all the evil he did. Obama insulted us by choosing this man, he could have chosen Jimmy Carter at least. Ask one question - would you invite a criminal to your house?

I don't thing Obama is fighting for any of us - of course, he lives comfortably, eats at the best restaurants and is wealthy. I have nothing in common with him. I was laid off, I can't not even pay my rent, etc.

I will say again and again, ACTION SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.

[RBInMaine]

71. Stimulus, Green Initiatitives, Stem Cells, Choice, Lilly Leadbetter, SCHIP, working to close GITMO,

winding down Iraq, all kinds of other things if you do the research, and at least trying, yes trying, to get something done on healthcare (even if you don't like it all - very tough, very hard).
To trash him because he asked an EX President to help with Haiti is just plain stupid. Would you please try to grow up. He has said he is going to try to do something about this, and you trash him? STUPID !

[TicketyBoo]

83. He didn't

call George W. Bush to "help him" with the Haiti situation.

He called Bush and Clinton to aid in receiving voluntary contributions for Haiti relief. This was much in the same way former President George Herbert Walker Bush and President Clinton joined forces for the tsunami relief effort. It is done in a bipartisan manner in order to maximize contributions (so that just Democrats or just Republicans won't be the only ones who donate).

You or I are not likely to have much in common with any of our presidents. They actually have a kitchen staff to prepare their meals.

You can still be proud to have supported Obama. He has raised our standing in the rest of the world.

I'm still proud that I supported him, and prouder still that he is our President.

[Tx4obama]

90. Jimmy Carter asking the 'republicans' to donate wouldn't have worked...

Obama had to have Bush out there with Clinton so that both the republicans and democrats will be 'spoken' to to help with the relief efforts. Of course none of us like Bush but Bush will be able to get the money out of the pockets of the republicans whereas the dems couldn't do that.

[RBInMaine]

70. Seems like some on this board got lost on their way to FreeRepublic. Shameful!

Here he is ready to go after this awful Supreme Court ruling, and he is attacked for it? Only on DU where logic and reason, for some, is permanenly jammed in the trash compactor.

[Red Knight]

75. Not at all

Just do it.

That's all. That would be a big step in the right direction as long as it's followed by other serious actions.

Right now--it's just words.

Politics is not--or shouldn't be a religion.

There are people who latch onto symbols or icons and elevate them to a point beyond criticism. They expect it is the duty of everyone to follow their every word and trust in that alone.

Other people need to see results. If he were truly fighting for the right things and failing through no fault of his own--he'd be losing very few people. He should try it.

Like I said--not a religion.

The rightwing already has that politic/religion connection down--as the Goddess Sarah Palin can attest. We need reality on the left.

[Red Knight]

72. People are tuning him out

And that's not good. There goes the bully pulpit.

But...that's what happens when you give pretty speeches and don't back them up--the words become meaningless.

"And for the first time in history, we have publicly disclosed the names of lobbyists and non-lobbyists alike who visit the White House every day, so that you know what’s going on in the White House – the people’s house."

What's going on--according to the lists-- are a lot of visits by bankers and lobbyists, especially the health care guys who pretty much wrote the bill.

We want you to succeed Mr. President. Really. We WANT you to fight for the people and we'll back you.

We don't just want pretty speeches. It means nothing.

Show us.

[RBInMaine]

74. GOOD ! THANK YOU MR. PRESIDENT !

[Mister Griswold]

76. I was out canvassing in the rain until the polls closed...

.. on his election night.

But when he said this, I actually laughed out loud. That's what it has come to.

[Tansy_Gold]

87. Welcome to DU, Mister Griswold

I don't have any clever words for you. Just :hi: and thank you and :hug:





Tansy Gold

[Tx4obama]

92. Don't forget that not long ago Obama said: 'There Will Be Setbacks'

“The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.” President-Elect Barack Obama, November 4, 2008.

-----
Obameter tracking 500+ campaign promises
Right side of the page: http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/

91 Promise Kept
33 Compromise
15 Promise Broken
87 Stalled
275 In the Works
2 Not rated yet

[bitchkitty]

97. We shall see.

Reserving judgment on this one. I've gone into major cynic mode for my own protection.

[bitchkitty]

102. I believe that he fervently wishes that were true...

but the rest of the party didn't get the same memo as he did.

I really do wish him all the best of luck but am pretty much resigned that the left in this country isn't strong enough or committed enough to fight the powers that be, the corporations and their whores in government.

And to those who might say I should leave this country because I don't like what the Democratic Party has let itself become, to you I say, fuck you. I was born here, and I'll die here, with or without your good opinion.