Nope, I don't think President Obama is merely a corporate tool bent on

[cali]

destroying Social Security, sabotaging Chavez and Castro, taking over Haiti for his corporate cronies, etc etc.

I don't think he's a war monger or an enemy of the middle class and poor.

I see all those things expressed day in and day out here.

I think they're all bullshit.

That does not mean that I don't think that there's plenty to criticize Obama about- from GLBT issues to Afghanistan, there are a myriad of issues and policies I disagree with. And no doubt, the pernicious influence of corporations is real and dangerous.

But am I glad that he's president?

You bet your ass I am.

[MadBadger]

1. Wait just a damn minute!!

Do you mean to tell me that there is middle ground between Corporatist Tool and Socialist Fool?

[depakid]

18. So long as you're not intersted in holding corporate criminals or torturers accountable

then of course there's a "middle ground" or, to use a 90's phrase "a third way."

[safeinOhio]

2. I seen him as a centrist, influenced by both ends.

Now he appears to be a centrist that gets thing done. Not perfect, but I can live with it.

[MilesColtrane]

29. Centrist, pragmatist....

He obviously learned from Clinton's attempt at health care reform.

[H2O Man]

3. Recommended.

I agree.

[Fumesucker]

4. One side drags us to the screaming right, the other side drags us to the mushy middle..

They take alternate turns..

Result, America moves to the right overall.

[zipplewrath]

5. As oppose to who?

As compared to all the candidates in the primaries?

[HughMoran]

11. I like eggs

[NYC_SKP]

28. Eggs? Eggs are genetically modified seeds of corporatism.

I just made that up.

I like eggs, especially brown free range eggs fried in olive oil.

yummmmmmm!

[HughMoran]

31. Egg

Egg -> 0

[cali]

12. Yes, I supported him in the primaries.

[laughingliberal]

16. So did I

Actually, we have caucuses. But I supported him in our caucuses. My reason? I did not like Hillary's idea of mandates for HCR. I preferred his plan for creating exchanges with a public option. Argued with my pro-Hillary friends about it endlessly. Suspect I'll be eating some crow here for a while.

[madokie]

6. I'm proud of the fact I voted for him both times it took to get him to the White House

And yes you bet your ass I'm damn proud of that.

I came in with Truman at the helm and it looks like I'll go out with Obama at the helm.

[bigtree]

7. nope

he's none of those

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

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

[lonestarnot]

9. What bullshit! Do you fish too?

[pampango]

19. Well, he did say "Gorge Bush" not "George", so he may be talking about someone else.

He could be right about your potential support for "Gorge". Maybe he would be a great Democrat. ;)

[Larry Ogg]

22. The bullshit that hundreds of psychologist, sociologist and scientist discovered

after 50 to 60 years of research into why good, decent and hard working people fall victims too tyranny.

And there's a lot that the founding fathers warned us about but I guess that's bullshit too...

Of course understanding what is going on requires one to have some critical thinking skills, and a sense of what is objective vs faith in corporate illusion.

[blondeatlast]

26. And rotten spelling? You're adorable. nt

[cali]

30. what's bullshit are your idiotic assumptions.

you demonstrate a dearth of critical thinking skill.

[cali]

10. um, no. I would not be. Sorry, I opposed bushco on far more than his being

a republican. And yes, I've voted for a republican. I voted for Jim Jeffords for years. But enjoy your silly delusions, honey.

[blondeatlast]

14. Hah. hahahaha. You're funny. You were joking, right?

"Coz if you weren't your ignorance means I shall enjoy paying no more attention to your contributions here. I don't even need the "ignore" function to pass you by.

[H2O Man]

15. please

[dionysus]

20. LOL

:spray:

[laughingliberal]

13. I don't know if President Obama is a corporatist tool or not

I do know he has gotten behind some policies that corporatist tools would really love. I am hoping now that he got the industry friendly HCR bill done we might see him advocate a few populist, working class friendly policies. It would be good to see him move away from the Republican policy of bringing down teachers and public education. As for SS, I'll be interested to see how he reacts to the deficit commission he created. With Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles at the helm, I'm sure there will be recommendations to cut benefits and, at least, partial privatization of Medicare. We'll have to wait and see what his reaction to those recommendations is.

[cali]

17. the problem with you and folks like you,. is that you ignore

the non-corporate friendly things that Obama has done- from judicial appointments to the Ledbetter Act.

[zipplewrath]

23. Not ignore

Probably more like a comparative balance. A few small good things, mostly which predated his administration anyway, and some huge bad things that were of his own design. As one person said, it doesn't matter if the punch is made from all natural, locally grown, union packaged, "green process" fruit. If there is a turd floating in the middle of the bowl.......

[laughingliberal]

27. I have not ignored those things. They're positive

But there are more immediate implications for the average person's life in the HCR bill and the effect of Bush's NCLB program on public education. And some really far reaching implications if we start seeing a push for cuts to SS and privatization of Medicare. When he's right, he's right and I have been know to say so.

On quite a few of the really big issues so far, though, he has advocated and fought for some fairly Republican ideas. And I've never really seen a Republican idea I thought was moving us towards a working class friendly policy. Sorry, I've been a Democrat all my life and it's due to the Democrats having better ideas for the average working stiff and the poor. I am not so naive as to think we never have to compromise to get some of what we want. But there is a line and that line is when we are winding up with legislation which is now more Republican than not. I can't believe there is anyone here who would not be spewing fire if a Republican president had advocated for this recently passed HCR bill or if he was sending his Secretary of Education around the country with Newt Gingrich trying to take down teachers' unions and public education. Sure, I'd rather have Obama than McCain or any other Republican. But that's not a real high bar to reach.

Sotomayor will be, I think a good justice which will, in the long term have a positive effect as will signing the Lily Ledbetter act. But there are some serious issues on which I think he's been on the wrong side.

[ecstatic]

21. I am glad he is President, and I don't feel the need to post negative things

about him first in order to voice my positive opinion (like so many people on DU do).

[Mari333]

24. whatever floats your boat.

[Spazito]

25. Well said! n/t