Obama's Defining Moment

[lame54]

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=post_partisanship_rip

"This is one of those defining moments that establishes a new president as a strong leader or a feeble one. If Obama falters, Republicans will scent blood in the water and will oppose everything he ventures between now and the 2010 midterm, no matter how conciliatory he tries to be. If he prevails on this bill and succeeds not just in keeping the public's good wishes but in mobilizing the public and the Congress, he will be 10-feet tall and harder to stonewall."

ROBERT KUTTNER | January 30, 2009

[spanone]

1. yep

[Skink]

2. He's already caved.

[tridim]

3. Oh yea? Please explain how he has "already caved"?

[NeedleCast]

4. Because he hasn't done exactly what every left wing person wants him to do

Despite that being a practical impossibility, it won't stop people from their daily gnashing of teeth and analyzing of every move the president makes.

I don't think we've seen Obama's defining moment yet, but I'll hold off my overall judgement of him until he's spent more than a few weeks in office.

Lots of peeps don't have any ability to see the big picture. Obama seems to get little credit for the good things he's done in his few weeks in office but we're ready to hang him up by his toenails every time he exchanges a word with a Republican.

[DireStrike]

6. Passing the stimulus bill in its original form was a "practical impossibility"?

[NeedleCast]

7. Apparently it was

Look, I'm not saying that we shouldn't question Obama, quite the opposite in fact.

But if we here on DU are going to judge his presidency to be a failure after three weeks and the fact that he didn't do everything we, as a collective, might have wanted him to do with the simulus bill, then we're never going to be able to judge any presidency to be a success.

One of the most annoying things about DU is when posters attempt to dumb four years of presidency down to single, day-to-day decisions.

Until I get elected President, there's never going to be a politician that I agree with 100%. When we reduce Obama's success or fail to single, day to day issues, we raise the bar so high that no one will ever pass.

[Skink]

8. The stimulus has become another round of tax cuts.

He's is now letting the states grind to a halt. If anything unemployment is going to rise faster than even predicted.

[tridim]

11. Why are you ignoring the stimulus/spending portion of the bill.

It's the majority of the total package.

[Winterblues]

13. Small Majority but you are correct

Only a couple of months ago we were hoping to get a $350 billion stimulus package passed. This one will more than double that amount and there is indeed a lot of good measures in the bill. I would like the Military spending taken out and some of the tax cut measures for business but Compromise is part of governing..

[MiniMe]

5. He is kicking ass in Indiana right now on cspan1

[EraOfResponsibility]

9. He sure is

[immoderate]

10. Damn! He's good!

He's taking all questions, even from skeptics. I may not agree with all his actions, but he is incredible in his communications.

--imm

[ColbertWatcher]

12. "Republicans will scent blood in the water and ..."

"... will oppose everything he ventures between now and the 2010 midterm ..."

The GOP will oppose Obama regardless what happens with the bill and it won't stop with the 2010 election.

Everyone can plainly see that the GOP philosophy is a failure, GOP policies are failures and persons elected under the GOP party fail at governing. But, instead of adjusting their philosophy to accept reality, admitting their mistakes and learning how to govern the GOP will stubbornly insist that the American people given their way of doing things yet another chance despite reality showing they have not earned it.

No wonder the GOP hate reality; it's just as stubborn as they are, but it always wins.