"The economy was shedding 700,000 jobs A MONTH...Enters Barack Obama.

[ProSense]

Where we were, and where we are

by blackwaterdog

<...>

Before I begin, just a quick reminder of where we were a little less than 12 months ago:

The economy was shedding 700,000 jobs A MONTH.

The financial system was on the verge of collapse and the Dow wandered around 6000-7000.

In the final quarter of 2008, the economy shrank by 6.3%. In the first quarter of 2009, the economy contracted by 6.1%. A second Great Depression was coming.

Climate Change and Clean Energy were almost dirty words.

The US was involved in two horribly managed wars.

US image around the world was at all-time low.

Enters Barack Obama.

more

Awesome Daily Kos diary.

[Pirate Smile]

1. Great Diary. I would strongly recommend everyone go look at it if you want to know what has been

accomplished over the past year.

[Clio the Leo]

6. I know exactly what has been accomplished...

.... things are SO good that we feel comfortable enough to turn on one another. We all think that we and we alone (or our respective niche with in the party) are responsible for Obama's election and he is somehow beholden to more than other Americans. We fear no threat from the GOP, so much so we think we may just be able to primary Obama not because we really want him to be beaten, but because we want to teach him a lesson and not become complacent in his second term and forget us.

When the cotton is high you have less work to do and you have more time to complain.

[Hekate]

8. "When the cotton is high..." Isn't that when the weevils appear? We seem to have a few here... nt

[Clio the Leo]

10. Exactly. NT

[BlancheSplanchnik]

12. good point

!

Well, here's hoping for more clarity in shared goals...

A clear goal that many unique individuals can still stand behind is necessary...
maybe the hugeness of the mess provided the clarity of one big goal that we could unite in.

that would imply then, that a big, clear POSITIVE, pro-human goal needs to be cultivated.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

13. sometimes I get too wordy for my own damned good...

yeesh, this was a case-in-point...

anyway, I'm saving the Kos diary. Love dat ole factual information! Best thing when the flying monkeys are at it.

[impik]

17. Yep. For people to simply forget how truly terrible things were

And what a long way we came in less than a year under this president - Is just mind blowing.

[Patchuli]

14. Some Americans seem to think

they are entitled to instant fixes and gratification. Never mind the man got handed the biggest shit sandwich in the history of the U.S. I hate that about DU...

[NJmaverick]

2. The republicans are working overtime to try and get us all to forget this EOM

[depakid]

3. That will surely be the spin for 2010

provided that there's not a double dip.

Whether it will work in a year with chronically high unemployment, failing state budgets- a farce of a health care bill (and likely farces ahead with financial and climate change legislation is anyone's guess.

Better hope the Republicans decide to stay very vocally batshit crazy...

[Name removed]

4. Deleted sub-thread

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

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

5. I'll wait to read the Kos diary in comic book form... seems to be where it's heading.

[mkultra]

29. im guessing your not much liking the taste of that crow your eating.

[firedupdem]

7. Rec'd...thanks n/t

[Hekate]

9. KnR, ProSense. nt

[Cha]

11. Thank you Pro Sense and thank

you for entering Mr President:patriot:

[lamp_shade]

15. Kick

[impik]

16. Oh look! Facts!!!

This is one great president. I feel sorry for those who can't see it.

[rebel with a cause]

18. Just the fact ma'am, just the facts.

Facts are what we need and what seems to upset some who cannot handle the truth. :rofl:

Thanks and recommended.

[Autonomy]

19. How dare you, I say!! I am offended!!!

How dare you post this offensive material that does not fit into our collective narrative that the Obama presidency is already failed, and that he will be a lame duck in 2010!!! I'm taking down names, believe you me. You just made The List, buddy.

(For the Humor-impaired: the above post is entirely sarcasm.)

[Lindsey]

20. Good post! Thanks.

[renate]

21. I can see why so many people are still so discouraged

No matter what the economic indicators are, if you yourself are still suffering, they're just an abstraction.

Our family was without any income at all, other than one person's unemployment benefits, for ten months. It was a long and stressful ten months and while it was nice to see, on the news, the economy's slide off a cliff skid to a halt, it didn't mean much until our own personal lives got back to normal. I think that's a pretty natural reaction. Intellectually I thought the Obama administration was doing an awesome job fixing the economy, considering what could have happened, but until I could go to the grocery store without worry, my heart wasn't all that encouraged by the improvements in other people's lives. I mean, I was happy for them (honestly, I was), but I personally couldn't feel the economy getting better.

Our lives are back to normal now so it's easy for me to go rah rah. But I can definitely sympathize with the people who see the numbers and go "meh."

[scentopine]

22. makes me almost forget about war, torture, wall street bailout

CEOs, another GMAC bailout as bonuses sky rocket, insurance company writing the health bill, outsourcing and millions of skilled jobs replaced by part-time service industry work or moved to Asia.

When real earnings of the less than 100k / yr crowd go up, cost of living goes down and CEO/wall street pay goes down, when trillions stop being diverted to wall street CEOs and war, then I'll pull out the pom poms. After a million dead in ten years of war and a renewed commitment to slaughter another 100,000 or more in pursuit of a few thousand terrorists, I just can't cheer.

Obama is strictly following the center as defined by our corporate media. The seeds of the next financial disasters and bailouts for the rich are being planted now.

The OP is celebrating the trickle down effects of trillions of dollars shot out of a cannon in the general direction of the extremely rich and our blood lust centered at slaughtering innocent and impoverished people who don't give a rat's ass about America other than a place that buys a massive amount of opium products..

Like the war on drugs our war, Obama's war on terrorism is breeding more and more demand and serves only the war profiteers.

Obama is impotent against wall street. And for this many wealthy democrats and Fortune 500 corporations are thankful.

If the majority of democrats are happy

- to see the their real earning power continue to decline
- wading into rivers of blood from an incredibly violent war that is designed to last decades
- with torture, wiretapping, secret prisons as institutionalized exceptions to the rule of law with immunity granted to the perpetrators
- outsourcing millions of skilled jobs to unskilled, unregulated labor in Asia where corporations train them and dispose of them at their will
- with increased corporate influence in Washington

then please, continue the celebration.

My savings power and wealth (after health care, housing, food, energy, job opportunities, pillaging of 401k) and the savings power of 95% of Americans continues in a downward spiral. The new health plan accelerates the trend.

Both the democratic leadership is sucking every last bit of life out of the middle class via taxes for war and wall street just like the republicans before them.

The neo-dems and neo-cons are too close for comfort and have doubled down against the middle class. This OP could have been written by a 1980s neo-con after Reagan's election. It has that all too familiar ring - lots of symbolism, little substance for the working class.

I will agree, however, that Obama is better than the worst president in US history.

[CaliCompadre]

23. Obama is doing a better job than George W. Bush!

Tremendous achievement.

[yellerpup]

24. Exciting changes have taken place since President Obama

took his oath of office. We've made huge progress so far and it's only the beginning. K&R! :kick:

[OnlinePoker]

25. I don't see the progress

BLS statistics have conveniently dropped the total labor force by 570k and increased the number of people not in the labor force by 2.2 million from this time last year. At the same time, the number of unemployed has increased from 11.1 million to 15.4 million. Sure the stimulus may have saved or created 1.6 million jobs, but that is small comfort to the 4.3 million who are unemployed compared to this time last year.

[yellerpup]

26. Riiiight!

Last year at this time things were just swell with GWB in charge. No good news to speak of since. Click on the OP's link then whine.

[RepublicanElephant]

27. obama's making improvements without using the fixed stats of the dubya administration,

thank you very much!

[That Is Quite Enough]

28. Kicked for Obama.

A man who is still doing -his- best to save this country, despite the entrenched military-industrial interests who are doing -their- best to derail and ruin him.