How are we supposed to trust a president who would stack the deck like this??

[polichick]

Yeah, I know, progressives/liberals have been outraged over the debt commission members since the current decider decided.

Here's a nice summary from March: http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2010031329/obama-packs-debt-commission-social-security-looters (Pay special attention to Bowles' "credentials.")

Now we have the first glimpse of what we knew was coming. Are they suggesting an end to unfunded wars? Of course not.

The only people I know who still trust the president to represent middle-class Americans are on this board - in real life, Dems I see every day are devastated.

[SidDithers]

1. Unrec...nt

Sid

[muffin1]

17. Rec...nt

muffin1

[Webster Green]

2. K&R!

Totally!

[OHdem10]

3. From now on, watch the Blue Dogs and DLC. Will they vote

with GOP in Senate or with the Democratic Party???

Will the DLC help the GOP build a Banana Republic????

Things are going to get bad.

The House is in GOP control. The DLC Blue Dogs are
the Swing Vote in the Senate. Watch them. The
President can do nothing without the votes.

[Divernan]

11. He couldn't do anything WITH the votes.

[elehhhhna]

13. + 1 zillion

[cliffordu]

24. HE NEVER HAD THE FUCKING VOTES, AND TO SAY SO IS BULLSHIT.

[Divernan]

31. He had democratic majorities in both chambers of the Congress

And that's what the DNC fundraisers kept endlessly pushing in their fundraising/begging phone calls and emails, i.e,. we have to hang on to the majorities if we want to pass legislation/stop the Republicans. As I said to them, we've had the majorities and still keep caving to the Republicans and either not calling issues up for votes, or watering them down to GOP Lite. Clearly we need something in addition to the majorities, and that's a leader who can rally his own troops.

[cliffordu]

33. ...And how many of those motherfuckers worked aginst what the Prez

wanted, how many times, how many were basically R's in spirit.

Jesus. Look at the voting records.

[Lilyeye]

35. Exactly!

[Divernan]

36. That's why I loathe Blue Dogs.

But Obama evidently is more than willing to cave in to them and the DNC supported their campaigns.

Who is the leader of the Democratic Party? We everyday Dems are the ones Obama's people ridicule as fucking retarded. They should be cursing out the Blue Dogs. There are many ways a President and Congressional leadership can hold off-the-reservation member's feet to the fire. Instead they are given campaign funds.

[rurallib]

4. take the cap off SS taxes.

that must be in there someplace?
BTW- SS is supposed to be a separate system. If the country is in debt in general (including defense) why should the SS system pay for it?

[StarsInHerHair]

22. so true

[treestar]

5. I don't know any real life people who are devastated about the WH

Now or during Bush's term.

Please, the people you know which you can easily make up or lie about are supposed to convince us on the internet?

Unrec'd for OTT unreasonable knee jerk stupidity. Your relationships with politicians are not personal.

[ProSense]

6. The only thing this does is confirm that you don't trust the President.

So be it.

[great white snark]

7. Unrec.

The only people I see disappointed in Obama are on this board.

[Divernan]

10. What? You live in a cave with your computer?

Come to Pennsylvania where a state with a Democratic majority just elected uber conservative Republicans as Governor and US Senator. And I can speak for a lot of Democratic committeemen and women who are fed up with Obama and the Blue Dogs.

Next you can entertain us all with a detailed description of the Emperor's new clothes!

[great white snark]

12. Not even a computer, I use web tv.

:hi:

[xchrom]

8. Recommend

[Divernan]

9. I was braced to get screwed by Obama's hand-picked commission

But never thought they'd suggest cutting benefits to people already receiving social security! I know so many retirees who are hanging on financially by their fingernails. And some of them manage only on their social security and the pitiful wages they make as sales clerks, Wal-Mart greeters, waitressing. My god - someplaces I go, I want to say to the person waiting on me, here, let me do that for you, and sit down and I'll go get you a glass of water. The LEAST Obama and his despicable commission could do is recommend building poor houses to deal with the results of their other recommendations!

Extending the working age to 70? The fatcats with the easy, high-paying jobs have socked away more than enough by 60 to retire to an opulent life. At 60, manual labor jobs are too physically demanding for most people. And who would hire a 60 or 65 or 70 year old for manual labor when they can get a 20 or 25 year old?

The EU may be extending the retirement age, but their residents (don't even have to be citizens) get excellent, FREE medical care and generous vacation and sick days.

[FirstLight]

14. end the wars, take care of people, fix our brokenness

it seems so simple, doesn't it?

I have no idea what is going on with the president i voted for, or who is really calling the shots here - but i am personally devastated and the economy is NOT getting better on MY main street...

i have long since lost hope, now it's just about survival...

and the rest of these decisions seem like they are distant, until the part that fucks me over more trickles down, because that is all that seems to trickle, isn't it...?

time to just try and make my way in my own world - friends, family and community are all i really have to rely on my govt left me high & dry a long time ago...

[NYC Liberal]

15. 81% of Dems approve of Obama. 86% of liberal Democrats.

So DU is not the real word.

[Skittles]

19. who are these people?

outside of DU I know very few who approve, VERY few

[great white snark]

20. Go to one of his rallies.

You'll meet some.

[Skittles]

21. voting for him? yes, because the alternative sucks

but APPROVING of all that has happened? Foolish.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

29. who exactly has said you have to approve of *all*? n/t

[Jennicut]

26. Polling cross sections of people in the US is a lot different then polling your friends and family.

[Kaleva]

34. People tend to associate with those of like mind.

[quakerboy]

25. Or more likely

25% of Dems approve of Obama, and 56% don't care to add grist to the f-d up polling by giving Obama negative marks in largely unfair and uncontextual questions.

[NYC Liberal]

38. LOL! Yeah, the poll is off by nearly 60%.

Sheesh. :crazy:

[quakerboy]

41. Way to skip over what I wrote

completely. I know I give President Obama top marks every time I get one of those Zogby polls. Because they are not fair, ask leading questions, and will merely be used to try to beat on the president a little more. But I sure as hell am not happy with what has gone down in the last 2 years. And I am quite certain I am not the only one.

[Hawkowl]

27. As evidenced by the elections....

NOT!!! Bogus polls and blowing sunshine up everyone's ass seems to conflict with the recent reality of the worst electoral loss since 1894!

[NYC Liberal]

37. That's funny, I didn't see "Barack Obama" on my ballot

on Election Day. The print was pretty small, though, so perhaps I missed it. Or maybe they gave me the wrong ballot. :shrug:

Also funny how his approval has continued to go UP since the election. :shrug:

[Fruittree]

48. An interesting choice of words but it doesn't change the fact...

that being president should be about doing a job to the best of your ability and not about winning a popularity contest. I may not agree with everything that he's done point by point but I do approve of the job he's doing.

[BlueIris]

39. Simply because he maintains the illusion of popularity,

doesn't make his actions acceptable. And what people said to a solicitor over the phone is not necessarily reflective of reality. Bush remained popular in polls, too; it doesn't mean the red staters who "supported" him had any legs to stand on.

[jeanpalmer]

40. 81% is a bad number

that means he's lost 1 out of every 5 people in his own party.

[Phx_Dem]

16. unrec and barf. n/t

[Autumn]

18. K/R I have learned not to trust a

damn thing any of them say.. Need Cuts? CUT THE FUCKING WARS!!!!!!!! Otherwise they can all fuck off.

[StarsInHerHair]

23. I agree & also K/R too

it's too true. I want my determined, forceful, & brilliant President back now, please.

[brentspeak]

28. We can't. k&r

[jefferson_dem]

30. Unrec. Disingenuous. You wouldn't trust him anyway.

[Name removed]

32. Deleted message

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

[Fruittree]

42. I read this on Andrew Sullivan's site and does make some good

points in my opinion...

http://www.tnr.com/blog/jonathan-chait/79124/liberals-and-the-debt-commission?page=0,1

The main thing is to read and consider the alternative and not just reject everything wholesale while making comments about who this person or that is. The reality is we do have a deficit that needs to be dealt with. Wouldn't it be better to compromise and push for changes in the recommendations but support the President a bit without all this suspicion and name-calling? This is the future of our country - the country we leave to our children. There comes a time when we need to act like adults and stop playing politics like an all or nothing game. Otherwise what separates us as Democrats from the nutty Palin's of the world?

[Bluenorthwest]

44. Sullivan is opposed to progressive taxation. Flat tax guy.

He also supported Bush/Cheney for President, backed the invasion of Iraq, spoke favorably of using nukes as part of the war of terror, and he backs genetic theories of intelligence that most people see as full tilt racism.
There are better minds to turn to for wisdom than a man 'comforted' by the presence of Cheney.

[jonnyblitz]

45. If all wingnuts were honest like Bareback Andy, they would be

supporting Obama and his center-right agenda (war escalation, the destruction of public education, the catfood commission,etc) but the GOP will NEVER get back in power if they don't do what they always do to the DEMS and "red bait" them no matter how far right they are.

[Fruittree]

47. Maybe you can explain -

"cat food commission"? I'm thinking I may have seen an explanation but I forget>>>

[Fruittree]

46. What's at the link is not actually Andrew Sullivan writing...

To be honest I don't know much about the person writing but there is some sense to what they say.

[donco6]

43. We all knew what the recommendations would be as soon as they were selected.

And we were supposed to "shut up" way back then. Now here they are and we're supposed to "shut up" again. Not this time. Maybe the Fanobams are content to let this tsunami wash over them, but most of us who still possess cognitive abilities are not.

[speppin]

49. +1

[ipaint]

50. You can't. Putting Simpson and Bowles in charge of anything is a betrayal.

The whole "democratic" CFC run buy republican right wing assholes keeps people fearful and desperate. It's much easier to get people to vote for the lesser of two evils when they are terrified.

Makes general thievery and corruption much easier too.