Obama -- Issue Thief

[travelingtypist]

He's stolen all of the Republicans' issues.

Continuing those tax cuts? Check.
Business-friendly policies? Check.
Continued deregulation? Check.
Strong on national security? Check.

Now say what you want about the policies, but in terms of politics, what do the Republicans have left to run on in 2012 except for the conspiracy theories Birthers, Teabaggers, and other assorted nutjobs?

Pure tactical brilliance.

[MadBadger]

1. Your not talking about the speech, right?

[travelingtypist]

4. Eh, sort of indirectly.

I'm one of those who finds it painful to listen to him because of all of the wasted potential. But I can't help but admire how he's positioned things for the upcoming campaign.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

2. I suppose the Republicans could try stem cells again?

yep there's not much else for them to run on. Obama dismantled them.

[frazzled]

3. Huh?

He specifically said that the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans had to end.

He talked about ending subsidies to oil companies.

He spoke about continuing and strengthening regulation such as workplace protections, financial regulation, food safety etc.; and merely getting rid of old, unnecessary ones.

National security? Sure. But he also said we begin bringing troops home from Afghanistan this July.

Your list doesn't comport at all with what was said in the speech.

[travelingtypist]

7. The Comcast/NBC deal is continued media deregulation.

I'm not stipulating to the "old and unnecessary" theme. Who decides that?

He had a chance to end those tax cuts and he didn't do it. But he got DADT repeal, START, continued unemployment, and so on. The way he played the lame duck session was masterful.

I wasn't talking just about the speech. And my other list of the potential real progressive things Obama could have done with his huge majorities but didn't boggles my mind. What he did do and how he did govern -- giving away the public option, the stimulus too small and too many tax cuts, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc -- does comport with my list.

[jenmito]

33. "He had a chance to end those tax cuts and he didn't do it." Bull.

He did NOT have the votes in the Senate to end the tax cuts for the rich-not even for those making up to "only" $1 million or less.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

14. +1000

Whew. I thought for a moment I might've not heard from President Obama what I thought that I had heard re: tax cuts, oil subsidies, etc.

[travelingtypist]

15. Why not talk dismissively and insultingly directly to me?

Alternate reality my ass -- yeah, the nasty, biting one in the avatar.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

16. I withdraw my comments

I apologize

[texshelters]

30. That's not exactly true

if you put your list with the original post, they were both things that Obama stated.

You both had a different focus.

It's was Good, Bad, and Ugly.
http://texshelters.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/the-presidents-address-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[radiclib]

5. Right. Give them everything they want.

Help them destroy what little is left. Fucking brilliant.

Or maybe you haven't met :sarcasm: thingie.

[travelingtypist]

11. But I wasn't being sarcastic.

I'm just trying to understand what's happening. He has very effectively neutered his opposition by co-opting their "best" ideas, even if we all agree here they're not particularly good ideas.

Obama's poll numbers are up, the economy created 115,000 jobs last month, with more to come, the meeting with the CEOs seemed to produce results. If I had to choose between ideological purity and getting results, I'll choose the latter.

[OwnedByFerrets]

26. Neutered his opposition?? What world do you live in?

His opposition runs on Guns, Gays and God.....and throw in a lot of hate, bigotry and racism. He will NEVER neuter his oppositon. Open your eyes.

[Catherina]

6. Rec'd. Funny and sad at the same time. n/t

[Hello_Kitty]

8. Republican policies are not popular. eom

[DebJ]

9. I agree, especially regarding the strong support he showed

for small businesses. You know, the REAL small businesses.

[ProudDad]

12. Yep, the REAL small businesses

like Lockheed, Boeing and General Dynamics...

By continuing and expanding the fucking war machine...

[damonm]

18. ???

"The Secretary of Defense has also agreed to cut tens of billions of dollars in spending that he and his generals believe our military can do without."

And this is "expanding the fucking war machine" on WHAT planet?

[sad sally]

35. agreeing and doing are two different things, like giving a speech and doing

[KT2000]

10. Clinton did that too n/t

[patrice]

13. You left out Tort Reform. & Remember, Repubs aren't going to let anything happen anyway, so it's

win:win for our nice President.

[Fuddnik]

17. That's what triangulation is.

Steal Republican issues. Run on them and really piss them off.

If they don't have the issues, they have nothing left to run on.

Unfortunately, we get fucked in the process.

[quaker bill]

24. Defanging your opponents

could be another way to describe it.

[Drunken Irishman]

19. So just going by what you're saying. These should be Democratic Issues?

Tax hikes
Anti-Business policies
Weak on national security

Wow. That's a certain path to reelection!

[Honeycombe8]

21. The OP was saying it was a good thing to steal those issues. I think.

At least that's the way I took it. And that's the way I look at it.

The Democratic agreement to consider something is not the same thing as insisting on a broad passing of something without regard to how it affects the most vulnerable, which is the Republican version of "business friendly."

[Drunken Irishman]

22. Makes sense from that point.

Goddammit! There are so many negative threads about Obama here that I get confused!

[Honeycombe8]

20. I agree. And stealing those issues was no accident.

Only Obama's idea of "business friendly" is different from the Republicans. And don't forget that he has agreed to only one deregulation so far, and has agreed only to consider others that get through a bipartisan committee.

[quaker bill]

23. I loved the bit about Salmon

and it had the benefit of being accurate. It does indeed get more complicated when they are smoked.

[treestar]

25. No he shouldn't be friendly to business

He should just create the jobs out of thin air.

:sarcasm:

[Hello_Kitty]

28. Yeah, god knows businesses just can't catch a break in this country.

:sarcasm:

[treestar]

29. Where are the jobs going to come from?

The only way to get a job is if somebody is doing business.

[Hello_Kitty]

34. The jobs come from people having money to buy stuff.

Sorry, I don't buy the Trickle Down garbage you're peddling.

[treestar]

36. OK, but if they do have money to buy stuff, then how are they going

to buy anything if no one is in business? And if no one is in business where will the jobs come from?

Where will the money given to people, to buy stuff, come from? Even if it's taxing the rich, the rich have to be in business somehow to have that money to tax.

That's why it's silly to indulge in nonspecific rage at business.

[Hello_Kitty]

37. Sorry, I don't share your bizarre Calvinistic worship of rich people.

I don't think someone having money and owning a business makes them specially blessed by Gawd and incapable of doing wrong.

That's silly.

[treestar]

38. Well I did not say that at all

I merely pointed out someone has to be in business somewhere!

What do you propose - a return to hunting and gathering and subsistence farming? Somebody has to be in business. I don't get why you'd have to waste so much time hating everyone in business and all business, when you want a job.

[Hello_Kitty]

39. Talk about putting words in people's mouths!

How about expecting businesses to be good citizens? How about holding them accountable when they're not?

[treestar]

40. That's what you did!

But anyway, what does that involve? What do they have to do?

What if you were the one starting the business? What would you do?

Say you pay Employee $40K per year. One year, the business makes only $39K and you have other expenses. Is it your fault you have to shut down? Do you deserve all this ire and rancor?

[Hello_Kitty]

41. That's not whom the ire and rancor is for.

It's for the ones who were making perfectly good profits paying workers $20 an hour but relocated to where they could pay $1 an hour so they could make HUGE profits.

And you know it so cut the disingenuous crap.

[grahamhgreen]

27. Those policies will not get my vote.

[texshelters]

31. You mention the ugly side of the speech, and it is a

disappointment. Some of it was hopeful.

It was Good, Bad and ugly.

Especially Obama's education and foreign policy stances are disappointing. There were some good things in it too.

http://texshelters.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/the-presidents-address-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/



Peace,
Tex Shelters

[Freddie Stubbs]

32. Who says that being strong on National Security is a Republican issue?

When was the last time we had a Democratic President who did not advocate strong National Security?