Stunning. "stay out of the fray?" The whole freaking country is split in large part becasue this guy has refused to lead and he wants to stay high and dry. It really is stunning.
1970cs
· 4 months ago
Maybe he can find some brush to clear on Matha's Vineyard
nancy50
· 4 months ago
The number of photo ops with the kids and the dog are a direct correlation to how deep the quagmire is. When the seemingly spur of the moment trip to the National Parks was announced a few weeks ago, I immediately wondered what crap Obama was trying to cover up - it's all a shell game with him. To use his own words...we are being bamboozled.
KarenMrsLloydRichards
· 4 months ago
Also: hoodwinked. And okie-doke'd.
A trifecta in the Obama Shell Game.
kugelschreiber
· 4 months ago
All presidents have photo-ops, all the time. There's arguably a lot to be outraged about, but pictures in People Magazine isn't one of them.
kugelschreiber
· 4 months ago
aren't.
Griffon
· 4 months ago
To quote Rachel, "It's the 'best we can do' with 60 seats in the Senate, an 80 seat majority in the House and a brand new, popular president."
"My expectations are shrinking all the time..."
President Doormat.
Ruttle
· 4 months ago
Wow. WTF. He is pulling a Bush? Just how badly did I misjudge this guy?
tim
· 4 months ago
You're not alone. This guy has failed on EVERY SINGLE ISSUE. He has stripped away any hope for change of any kind. It is beyond belief and what's worse I bought the snake oil. I own that...boy do I feel the fool.
magnolia49
· 4 months ago
"...stay out of the fray..." So he is going on vacation without a word on healthcare, while citizens go to the emergency room for the flu. While citizens are denied coverage for a newly found cancer. While citizens don't have the ability to pay for needed medications.
Not only were we punked, we were punked beyond belief. Mr. Prez is a politician who knows how to get elected, however, doesn't have a clue how to make a positive difference in the lives of the everyday citizen. Seems to be doing just fine with Wall Street and pharmaceutical & insurance companies. I'm over this--nothing Mr. Prez or his out of touch "insiders" do will surprise me. I expect nothing more than more of the SAME.
Karen
· 4 months ago
Obama ducking this is irresponsible and pathetic. If Obama had taken the reins, he could have prevented this entire August recess freakout. Aside from all the damage he's done to his own stated policy goals and his own image, his dithering also allowed the whole country to be degraded by the spectacle of hysterical people screaming racist and anti-semitic epithets and brandishing machine guns at political meetings. Thanks for nothing, Obama. I think a lot of this festival of idiocy could have been avoided if the president had acted like he was in control from the start. God forbid one of these armed loons starts shooting in a crowd.
Obama should also remember the lesson of Bush I. Once he got branded as a wimp, he never recovered. Americans can't stand the crazy GOP these days, but they really won't forgive a cowering wuss as president.
KarenMrsLloydRichards
· 4 months ago
He thinks of himself as Discussion-Facilitator-in-Chief.
Until he thinks of himself as "Commander-in-Chief", like Bush trained us all to think of the Presidency, we have many months of this ahead . . .
Asterix
· 4 months ago
In a recent editorial, Eugene Robinson wrote:
"Giving up on the public option might be expedient. But we didn't elect Obama to be an expedient president.
We elected him to be a great one."
Indeed.
Butch1
· 4 months ago
Vacations always take precedence over health care issues. Obama has learned this from Bush, who never let a natural disaster interfere with his vacation.
Dateline_Molly
· 4 months ago
No Insurance Company Left Behind.
MnDem
· 4 months ago
As a school board member, I love it! LOL
sullivan
· 4 months ago
I am sorry but you need to just cancel that sorry a**ed vacation to Martha's Vineyard! Do you know most of us are struggling and you are going to the playground of the rich? I can't go on a vacation and neither can most of my friends. You need to stay and hammer this health care option!
GusII
· 4 months ago
DC is a ghost town. Should they hammer it out via twitter?
sonofloud
· 4 months ago
Why not hammer it out via the internet? Have you ever seen congress in session or a committee meeting?. It's a bunch of lies and mud slinging.
GusII
· 4 months ago
And that's just the Democratic Caucus. (sorry couldn't resist)
sonofloud
· 4 months ago
lol
QUALAR
· 4 months ago
I just don't understand why welfare assistance for the well connected (banks, Wall Street, auto makers, etc.) doesn't have to be constrained by budgetary limits, but Obama mandates that assistance to promote the general welfare of the people who elected him must. Sounds like a sellout to me. If so, Obama will be a one-term-wonder.
Bill
· 4 months ago
Gee, maybe if some of the bloggers hadn't become so enamored of Obama last year, and such shrill haters of Hillary, we could have listened to what she said at the time about his leadership (or lack thereof).
magnolia49
· 4 months ago
To recognize Mrs. Clinton as more of the SAME does not make one a "hater" of her. Yes, she seems to have called him out on his "leadership" but she also told us about being shot at, with Chelsea at her side. How did we know when to believe her? She would have sold us out, as well.
Dateline_Molly
· 4 months ago
What makes Hillary such a saint? She's a corporate warmonger like all the rest of them.
If you don't want unending war, Bush Doctrine b.s., corporate rule over our very lives through health care, shredding of our civil rights, and the destruction of the middle class, you have to stop voting for DEMOCRATS!!
It's not rocket science. Leave this corrupt party behind and register as a Green, a Socialist, a Commie, PSL, Peace & Freedom, Workers Party of America - just pick one and stop supporting imperialism, war, and the destruction of the middle class. That's what you folks continue to get with Democrats.
ezpz
· 4 months ago
Methinks Roger Simon has awakened a few sleeping PUMAs.
Gridlock
· 4 months ago
Sorry, i was too busy ducking fake bullets in Bosnia and running a shitty presidential campaign that lost to the wuss we have now to notice wtf she was saying.
RobGinChicago
· 4 months ago
Under threat of fire. There, I fixed it, and that fix should be good in all 57 states. Duelling misstatements may be fun, but it gets us nowhere. Personally, I think that Hillary learned a hard lesson from her initial health care efforts, and would fully expect the backstabbing from members of her own party that seem to have taken President Obama by surprise, because it is messing up all of their backroom dealings with the health care/pharma/insurance company lobbyists who are now finding that Obama and Rahm are not living up to their promises to them either. This health care deal was supposed to be finished, with the public option dropped and mandates for insurance strengthened in exchange for the lobbyists restraint from fighting the bill and maintaining an open money spigot for Congressional Democrats for 2010, and limited contributions to the Republicans. It's all about party politics and money, not health care, and those crazy liberal progressives like Weiner upset their applecart.
caphillprof
· 4 months ago
Hillary had her chance with health care.
GusII
· 4 months ago
Yeah, HillaryCare Part Deux would have been an epic failure. It is a good thing she is out of the Senate, one less huge target.
ezpz
· 4 months ago
"IF" is the biggest two letter word in the dictionary. It's an exercise in futility.
"...the things we cannot change..."
caphillprof
· 4 months ago
He wanted to be president so he could vacation in the Vineyard. That is all.
GusII
· 4 months ago
As a Senator, I'm sure he could have stayed with Prof. Gates on the island.
KarenMrsLloydRichards
· 4 months ago
Got to get some quality time in with the dicty folk in Oak Bluffs? (according to New York magazine they regard Michelle as parvenu, ghetto trash!)
GusII
· 4 months ago
She's not Jack and Jill.
Ralph Kramden
· 4 months ago
Well, as I've said a couple times now, by mid next week Obama will be below 50% and well on his way to the beginning of the end of a one term Hoover-like presidency. Gallup's latest poll puts the Waffler-in-Chief at a lowly 51%. Isn't that amazing? In 8 months he has already tumbled to the barest of majority support (from nearly 70%)...man, I can't believe I voted for this clown and I made phone calls for this clown and I sent money to this clown and I marched in parades for this clown. Guess, that makes me the biggest clown, eh?
I did all of those things for the clown, except march in parades. I'm beginning to think he got just what he wanted--he will go down in history as the first black president, even with his single term. All he needs to do to keep the 70% is to deliver on his promises. Why is he incapable of doing this? Feeling like a big ass clown myself!
Poopyman
· 4 months ago
This comment is for those people below who are angry and disillusioned by Obama's failings as a leader, and mad at themselves for voting for him:
He was the best of the lot. Remember how he rose through the field during the primaries? Remember how he and HRC made you feel proud to be a Democrat as they went neck and neck? Remember how it came down to him and Joe vs Cranky Old Man and Caribou Barbie? And how you felt when you imagined a President McCain?
Well, we got what we wanted, and now the chrome is starting to wear off after only a couple thousand miles. We're stuck with him for the next 3 1/3 years, so are we going to spend that time fighting against him, or are we going to spend that time pushing him to do what we think is best for the country? If you say "both", then good! To me that really means the latter.
So yeah, you're pissed and wonder if it was worth it. We won't know until it's much too late if it was worth it. Our only choice right now is to keep pushing. Especially now. If my 55 years on this planet has taught me anything, it's that especially now we need to keep pushing, because we're closer than ever to making a huge difference.
Dateline_Molly
· 4 months ago
He is following the Bush doctrine in Pakistan.
We are sending troops to Colombia. The pretense is to fight the "drug war." I'm guessing they are scared shitless of the leftist leaders being democratically elected down there. Zelaya in Honduras was actually a center right leader, but he started talking about constitutional changes that scared the crap out of the CIA. So they tossed him. Even Chavez gets it and is apparently preparing his military in case anything goes down.
Washington can't have too many "socialists" down there because other countries start following suit, and before you know it, Chiquita Banana and Chevron don't have any puppet dictators to push around!
And Chavez and Morales aren't even socialists. They are reformist cappies. Ughh.
Democrats are as imperialist as Republicans. No difference. That's not something to be proud of if you are a Democrat.
magnolia49
· 4 months ago
Of course we will keep pushing. But I'm about ready to bet big money it will be futile!
Griffon
· 4 months ago
"Remember how he rose through the field during the primaries? Remember how he and HRC made you feel proud to be a Democrat as they went neck and neck?"
As I recall, they were summarily declared the "frontrunners," by the MSM long before the campaigns got going. I used to wonder how the media could figure that out. No longer.
As I recall, other viable candidates were willfully marginalized by the media corporations, blocking them from participation in the process.
Were we steered to the corporate choice and are now reaping the consequences? As I recall, candidate Obama, after declaring his unequivocal opposition before locking up the nomination, led the vote for telecom immunity; bush's and the telecoms' "get out of jail free" card for illegal wiretapping.
The evidence is...compelling.
sonofloud
· 4 months ago
It amazed me that no one seemed to care that Obama was the first presidential candidate to refuse public funds for his campaign since Watergate. Who paid for his campaign? Wall Street did, namely Goldman Sachs, Citibank, etc. If that doesn't convince you that Obama is a corporate shill, nothing will.
Dateline_Molly
· 4 months ago
His haul was half a BILLION.
Yeah, it was all those "small" donations from the little people!!
KarenMrsLloydRichards
· 4 months ago
Hear, hear.
mamazboy
· 4 months ago
Maybe I'm just imagining things, but is Obama starting to take as many vacations as Bush did?
kugelschreiber
· 4 months ago
I believe his last vacation was Hawaii after the election, so, yes, you are imagining things.
Butch1
· 4 months ago
He did a working vacation recently with his family sight-seeing in France, if I recall correctly.
teammarty
· 4 months ago
And there was the Broadway Weekend. Remember the Air Force One photo op Snafu.
Still that's about 1/4 the vacations W took at his most nose to the grindstone. But that is still the best part of his "Presidency".
Butch1
· 4 months ago
Bush was in a league of his own when it came to vacations. Being an idiot is hard work.
Dateline_Molly
· 4 months ago
Ob took the family to Moscow and Ghana. He also took them on that national park tour that included Ken Salazar, and I don't even want to think about what they were discussing.
Obama's new education plan picks up where NCLB leaves off, s further privatizing the schools, so I don't even want to think about what he plans to do to our national park system.
Butch1
· 4 months ago
I read somewhere that he has already opened up logging on National forestry land. I can not verify it but, if this is a taste of what's in store, there will be a lot of angrier progressives clamoring for some real "change" in the White House.
kugelschreiber
· 4 months ago
I guess it's how you define it. He visited the pyramids for a few hours when he was in Egypt... the bastard!
Greensburg
· 4 months ago
Just another Bush.
Mark Alexander
· 4 months ago
I guess it's more important that he get back to Crawford to clear some brush. Oh wait...
Jersey
· 4 months ago
Its almost like he doesn't care about it anymore. And although I love his family and all, if I see another cutesy pic of them at this time I'm gonna scream!! Get some fucking work done!!!!
I'm sure "god" will tell Obama what to do during his daily prayers.....
"I had a habit of praying every night before I go to bed. I pray all the time now," Obama laughed. "Because I've got a lot of stuff on my plate, and I need guidance all the time."
Donations in support of Democrats who back a public insurance option as part of health care reform have topped $100,000 from more than 1,500 donors in 24 hours and counting. The effort is being driven by FireDogLake.com and backed by blogs across the country.
Ralph Kramden
· 4 months ago
Um...why are they raising more money for the same party that ALWAYS, in the clutch, sells out their base? Wouldn't it be wiser to put all that money and effort toward building a progressive party? That is why I have no respect for the so-called progressive movement: it keeps backing the same losers and whining when the same losers screw them over. Get a clue, eh...start a party and use that money and the internet to build the structure. Then, you have a real voice in how your representatives vote. And, include a bylaw that says no candidate can be part of the party if he/she accepts money from corporations or their front organizations. Got it?
Dateline_Molly
· 4 months ago
It's an abusive relationship. They keep getting hammered, but they keep going back for more thinking things will be "different."
Magical thinking in spades. Might as well believe in a bearded patriarch in the sky. It's just as realistic to hope for that as for Democrats to side with progressives.
tim
· 4 months ago
Wow, people actually throwing money to this lot?
Yep, there IS one born every minute after all.
Dateline_Molly
· 4 months ago
Yeah, the same "progressives" that never saw a war crimes bill they didn't like. Take a look at the records of the "progressive caucus" on signing war spending bills.
ezpz
· 4 months ago
Isn't 'progressive evangelicals' an oxymoron?
From that article I linked:
"...[Obama] He'll be on the phone with self-described "health activists" in a conference call Wednesday organized by progressive evangelicals at Sojourners, the Washington-based social-justice group, Faith in Public Life, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and PICO National Network and two dozen other religious organizations...."
Well, this signals so much, none of it good for Dems. The White House does not have the backs of the Progressive Caucus (and us). It gives new energy to the Republican obstructionists. It illuminates the White House's own inconsistency on the bill. And it certainly highlight's the President's failure to lead.
evie
· 4 months ago
He's doing an online town hall tomorrow. Just because a paper says it, it doesn't make it true.
djny10003
· 4 months ago
Come on people! Write to your Rep in Congress and your Senators. They only listen to contributors and voters!
Zorba
· 4 months ago
I did. Also the White House. And the DNC (whom I also told that they would not get another dime from me until they started running real progressives instead of the Blue Dogs, although I will continue to send money to individual progressives who run). We do not need Obama to keep back-tracking on everything he said he supported during the campaign, and we do not need him to "stay out of the fray." He needs to take a page from Lyndon Johnson's book, when LBJ was trying to get Medicare and Medicaid passed.
Donald Hitchcock
· 4 months ago
Just to Clarify... The DNC does not run candidates. You should direct your criticisms towards the DCCC and DSCC.
Zorba
· 4 months ago
They both called me a month or so ago, and I told them the same thing I told the DNC. My money only goes to individual progressive candidates.
magnolia49
· 4 months ago
WE voters VOTED and made it very clear where we stand and what we want. Of course, I try to do my part to at least bug my D.C. Floridians--maybe you get my point? Floridians are not known for doing the "right thing" in D.C.--not that there aren't a very few exceptions. Unless you are a big contributor they easily disregard your thoughts.
steveatl
· 4 months ago
Good GOD people, CALM DOWN. I'm the biggest liberal I know but this is way too soon to be condemning the man. He's been President for how many months now? We knew he wasn't an uber liberal when we elected him. Kucinich may have pleased our crowd, but that's about it.
I agree that the reforms are slow to come but we are barely coming out of a semi depression. It's not like we can just start spending more money on healthcare without some kind of consensus.
I will be very disappointed if the public option doesn't come to fruition, but it is AUGUST break. Everyone is on vacation. The man picked the RIGHT time to break and then hit it hard in Sept.
Calm down.
1970cs
· 4 months ago
Obama didn't stop using rendition Guantanimo is still open for business U.S. combat troops were put on the ground this week in Columbia What is the mission in Afghanistan/Pakistan Illegal wiretapping of U.S. citizens continues by the NSA U.S. government still opening private mail without warrants etc.... How many more trillions to the banks
and that healthcare thing Obama sold us out on DOMA DADT
FunMe
· 4 months ago
With all due respect, do really think Obama will "hit it hard" if we just stay calm?
Do you really think if the Democratic base (not the liberal, not the progressive - the DEMOCRATIC base) had not been upset on Monday that Obama would have back tracked on the public option? Had we been "calm", Obama would have confirmed that the public option is off the table.
Furthermore, Obama has not given any indication that he will "hit it hard". Remember July? He was NOT on vacation and he did NOT "hit it hard".
Butch1
· 4 months ago
I think, he needs to get over his getting off on posing as "The President." He needs to get over it and do the job he was elected to do.
He looks presidential, good, not start acting presidential.
Gridlock
· 4 months ago
yeah, he's really hit it hard so far... right?....... right?
Maybe if we just wait a little longer, he'll hit hard.. how about now? no? ok... later then..
*5 months goes by*
Now? Oh no no.. not now...
rinse, repeat.
TaurusTheBull
· 4 months ago
Be careful what you type, they will ban you from posting if you type something they disagree with. There is no freedom of speech on this website. You type a comment and then someone calls you names, berates you, gets really nasty and then tells the threadmonitor to ban you.....and your gone. They apparently don't like people who defend our president and are just as bad as the far right in squashing anyone they don't agree with or challenges them. I'm sure glad there are much better blogs out there to read where you can express yourself without the fear of getting censored, berated, ganged up on and then kicked off so others can keep trashing you but you can't defend yourself. I personally am going to start a viral campaign to bring down Americablog and the extreme haters who run the site and comment. And I have access to hundreds of different computers and email addresses so if I really wanted to keep posting, I could, except I have better things to do with my time than listen to a bunch of whining, pissy, impatient, ignorant, reactionary, nazi-like, morons.
KarenMrsLloydRichards
· 4 months ago
After 52 minutes, you're still with us.
Heh.
Griffon
· 4 months ago
"There is no freedom of speech on this website."
There is no freedom of speech entitlement on any website. This is not a taxpayer-funded, government entity.
You propose to employ a host of alleged resources for a rather spectacular misunderstanding of what you're entitled to as a commenter on a single, privately run website.
A disappointing investment of passion.
TaurusTheBull
· 4 months ago
Ahhhhhhh, ok, so this is a private circle jerk, I see. Don't let me interrupt or challenge you lovely people. Good luck as you fade into oblivion......
Jersey
· 4 months ago
Dude, your tossing around the "nazi" insinuation renders whatever points you're trying to make immediately mute. I feel completely secure that we are not missing anything valuable by ignoring you.
PeteWa
· 4 months ago
Moot:
1. open to discussion or debate; debatable; doubtful: a moot point. 2. of little or no practical value or meaning; purely academic. 3. Chiefly Law. not actual; theoretical; hypothetical.
mamazboy
· 4 months ago
Taurus, aren't you overposting? Maybe that's the problem. I'm scrolling down and you seem to be everywhere with the same comment. Not being snarky here, just wondering why the multiple same posts?
steveatl
· 4 months ago
Wow, no kidding.
These people are the reverse image of the teabaggers and the "deathers" on the right.
Of course people are frustrated and want change, but please - I knew that we elected a Democrat who was more centrist than we are. Duh!
teammarty
· 4 months ago
Have you ever had the strange feeling of Deja Vu?
Who do you think you are? Rham Emmanuel? "Get back to the center where all the good little Dems belong. And don't dare remind the Pres of his promises."
teammarty
· 4 months ago
Er, this post ended up in the wrong place.
This is a response to Taurus the BS.
Owl_and_Rabbit
· 4 months ago
If you had anything of substance to say they would respond with a substantive answer. All you have is tired old right wing bull crap and no one is buying it anymore and everyone is sick of hearing it. Don't go away mad. Just go away.
magnolia49
· 4 months ago
Well I can't wait to see him hit it HARD! Do promise he will.
TaurusTheBull
· 4 months ago
Be careful what you type, they will ban you from posting if you type something they disagree with. There is no freedom of speech on this website. You type a comment and then someone calls you names, berates you, gets really nasty and then tells the threadmonitor to ban you.....and your gone. They apparently don't like people who defend our president and are just as bad as the far right in squashing anyone they don't agree with or challenges them. I'm sure glad there are much better blogs out there to read where you can express yourself without the fear of getting censored, berated, ganged up on and then kicked off so others can keep trashing you but you can't defend yourself. I personally am going to start a viral campaign to bring down Americablog and the extreme haters who run the site and comment. And I have access to hundreds of different computers and email addresses so if I really wanted to keep posting, I could, except I have better things to do with my time than listen to a bunch of whining, pissy, impatient, ignorant, reactionary, nazi-like, morons.
leliorisen
· 4 months ago
If you had simply come on here to defend the president, nobody would have banned you.
You came on, and ridiculed us for criticizing the president.
You also made a big point of letting everyone know why you had stopped coming here. And that was one of your initial posts.
It was patronizing and offensive. I don't regret giving it right back to you. We don't need our anger at Obama belittled and ridiculed with comments like "waaa....waaa."
Stop playing the victim.
Gridlock
· 4 months ago
k, this is 2 threads now. Fuck off.
TaurusTheBull
· 4 months ago
Be careful what you type, they will ban you from posting if you type something they disagree with. There is no freedom of speech on this website. You type a comment and then someone calls you names, berates you, gets really nasty and then tells the threadmonitor to ban you.....and your gone. They apparently don't like people who defend our president and are just as bad as the far right in squashing anyone they don't agree with or challenges them. I'm sure glad there are much better blogs out there to read where you can express yourself without the fear of getting censored, berated, ganged up on and then kicked off so others can keep trashing you but you can't defend yourself. I personally am going to start a viral campaign to bring down Americablog and the extreme haters who run the site and comment. And I have access to hundreds of different computers and email addresses so if I really wanted to keep posting, I could, except I have better things to do with my time than listen to a bunch of whining, pissy, impatient, ignorant, reactionary, nazi-like, morons.
Butch1
· 4 months ago
"I personally am going to start a viral campaign to bring down Americablog and the extreme haters who run the site and comment." =======================================
I'm going to quote you from your first sentence in this comment and you really should take your own advice.
"Be careful what you type,..."
TaurusTheBull
· 4 months ago
So John, I used to be a huge fan of your site but after last night getting banned for expressing my opinion and getting called a bunch of names, I was booted off. Jimbo62. It was probably you who booted me because I challenged you on one of your overreactions to a news article. You need to look in the mirror you hypocrite. You are into censorship now, I see. It certainly explains a lot I've read from you over the years. Your just as bad as Bill O'reilly and Sean Hannity. I'm as liberal as they come and not some republican troll, I try not to name call unless some putz like leliorisen lays into me......yet, I was the one banned. I dare you to go and read some of leliorisen's posts, but I suspect it's really you anyway.....I'm very disappointed, used to respect you, but you and your nazi-like threadmonitors have showed me the error of my ways. Peace, Jimbo62
leliorisen
· 4 months ago
You didn't change your mind about this site last night. Your griping about this site was how you started things off last night.
Actually, what you did from the get-go was come on these forums...tell everyone why you pretty much stopped coming on here to begin with, and basically called all of us whiners.
Maybe you are used to others taking that crap. I don't.
One of your posts actually, consisted of 'waaaaa, waaaa.'
It wasn't the fact that you had disagreements with us. I have gone on other blogs, and had disagreements with others on content. But yours were personally nasty...not just to me, but to others.
I gave it back to you, because I thought you were out of line. And, on the post where I denounced you as 'pathetic' the posters apparently agreed, because it had an awful lot of 'likes' attached to it. I was also not the only one to ask the threadmonitor to check you out.
Look Jim, you can come on here and disagree on policy all you want, and it would have been fine. The initial posts I saw from you were not complaining about policy, but about how you thought we were all a bunch of whining wimps.
Once I saw your post about how you used to come on here, but don't anymore, I realized what you were really doing. Trolling on here to ridicule our anger, by saying that we weren't giving Obama a chance...and doing it in a pretty obnoxious way.
There are others who come on here to complain about John's impatience and how it's allegedly a bad thing that intolerance is being stirred up. Those posters are not welcome here. If you want to talk policy, it's one thing. If you want to belittle us for being angry...it's not gonna fly.
It was your nasty, patronizing tone that inspired my responses to you.
If you want others to respect you, at least demonstrate you have some respect for where others are coming from.
I will leave it at that.
(one last thing) There was actually one post where you responded to me, and actually kept it at a discussion of policy. I was ready to respond to that one, reasoned post, but saw you were already outta here.
John Aravosis
· 4 months ago
I've known Lelio for ten years, long before I started blogging. You're not going to win this one.
LynnDee
· 4 months ago
Sigh.
Well, my hope is he's trying to keep a lid on things till the August recess -- and the tea-baggin', gun-totin', you-tubin' townhalls -- are over. No reason to assume this is what he's doing. Just hoping.
Meanwhile, we have to keep up the pressure on our Senators and Representatives that the public option is essential.
Dateline_Molly
· 4 months ago
I can just hear the pissed off HMO CEOs on the phone to Rahm: "Dude, we've been OVER this!! You were supposed to take care of the treehuggers! You tell Barry to water down that public option. Got that?"
voiceofreason5
· 4 months ago
It seems to me that if we all step back a bit, look at the big picture and think rationally about how best to get what we want out of our government, whether it's DOMA, health care, actual equal rights for all, whatever....it seems that the next 3 and 1/2 years would be best spent cozying up to Obama, supporting his goals but challenging his tactics, and giving him the power he needs within the congress and in the almighty polls, to accomplish his agenda. By attacking him from the left, aren't you weakening him and making it harder for him to do the tough social changes that I truly believe he will do, if he can. But the left is weakening his support, so the republicans are all giddy about it. They know that he won't be able to pass any of his social agenda if his public support drops. I guess that's why people have written many books about how the democratic party eats it's own. So I guess the best the "attacking left" can hope for is someone different on the democratic ticket in 2012, and do you think Obama won't get the nomination? And if he is beaten so badly by both the right and the left, guess what, Sarah Palin is president. :) Then where do you think us liberals will be? Support your democratic president, give him the public support he needs to get things done. Otherwise the Bush legacy will continue to live on......I still remember the cover of the Mirror (I think) after the 2004 elelction, "How Can 59 Million People Be So Dumb?" with a photo of W. Well I guess it shouldn't surprise me if we liberals blow this chance to make some changes.
Bubbles
· 4 months ago
This sitting around and letting everything go to heck so he can come in in the fourth quarter to fix everything is a pile of carbon fiber.
Well, now we know. He's a heck of speaker, but he's not a leader.
kugelschreiber
· 4 months ago
McCain might have said it first, but you say it better.
Bubbles
· 4 months ago
Thanks. I just feel a real leader wouldn't let leadership vacuums emerge, because thats where all hell breaks loose.
All Comments
A trifecta in the Obama Shell Game.
"My expectations are shrinking all the time..."
President Doormat.
This guy has failed on EVERY SINGLE ISSUE.
He has stripped away any hope for change of any kind.
It is beyond belief and what's worse I bought the snake oil.
I own that...boy do I feel the fool.
So he is going on vacation without a word on healthcare, while citizens go to the emergency room for the flu. While citizens are denied coverage for a newly found cancer. While citizens don't have the ability to pay for needed medications.
Not only were we punked, we were punked beyond belief.
Mr. Prez is a politician who knows how to get elected, however, doesn't have a clue how to make a positive difference in the lives of the everyday citizen. Seems to be doing just fine with Wall Street and pharmaceutical & insurance companies.
I'm over this--nothing Mr. Prez or his out of touch "insiders" do will surprise me.
I expect nothing more than more of the SAME.
Obama should also remember the lesson of Bush I. Once he got branded as a wimp, he never recovered. Americans can't stand the crazy GOP these days, but they really won't forgive a cowering wuss as president.
Until he thinks of himself as "Commander-in-Chief", like Bush trained us all to think of the Presidency, we have many months of this ahead . . .
"Giving up on the public option might be expedient. But we didn't elect Obama to be an expedient president.
We elected him to be a great one."
Indeed.
I can't go on a vacation and neither can most of my friends.
You need to stay and hammer this health care option!
Have you ever seen congress in session or a committee meeting?. It's a bunch of lies and mud slinging.
Yes, she seems to have called him out on his "leadership" but she also told us about being shot at, with Chelsea at her side. How did we know when to believe her?
She would have sold us out, as well.
If you don't want unending war, Bush Doctrine b.s., corporate rule over our very lives through health care, shredding of our civil rights, and the destruction of the middle class, you have to stop voting for DEMOCRATS!!
It's not rocket science. Leave this corrupt party behind and register as a Green, a Socialist, a Commie, PSL, Peace & Freedom, Workers Party of America - just pick one and stop supporting imperialism, war, and the destruction of the middle class. That's what you folks continue to get with Democrats.
It's an exercise in futility.
"...the things we cannot change..."
http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/Gallup-Daily-...
I'm beginning to think he got just what he wanted--he will go down in history as the first black president, even with his single term.
All he needs to do to keep the 70% is to deliver on his promises. Why is he incapable of doing this?
Feeling like a big ass clown myself!
He was the best of the lot. Remember how he rose through the field during the primaries? Remember how he and HRC made you feel proud to be a Democrat as they went neck and neck? Remember how it came down to him and Joe vs Cranky Old Man and Caribou Barbie? And how you felt when you imagined a President McCain?
Well, we got what we wanted, and now the chrome is starting to wear off after only a couple thousand miles. We're stuck with him for the next 3 1/3 years, so are we going to spend that time fighting against him, or are we going to spend that time pushing him to do what we think is best for the country? If you say "both", then good! To me that really means the latter.
So yeah, you're pissed and wonder if it was worth it. We won't know until it's much too late if it was worth it. Our only choice right now is to keep pushing. Especially now. If my 55 years on this planet has taught me anything, it's that especially now we need to keep pushing, because we're closer than ever to making a huge difference.
We are sending troops to Colombia. The pretense is to fight the "drug war." I'm guessing they are scared shitless of the leftist leaders being democratically elected down there. Zelaya in Honduras was actually a center right leader, but he started talking about constitutional changes that scared the crap out of the CIA. So they tossed him. Even Chavez gets it and is apparently preparing his military in case anything goes down.
Washington can't have too many "socialists" down there because other countries start following suit, and before you know it, Chiquita Banana and Chevron don't have any puppet dictators to push around!
And Chavez and Morales aren't even socialists. They are reformist cappies. Ughh.
Democrats are as imperialist as Republicans. No difference. That's not something to be proud of if you are a Democrat.
But I'm about ready to bet big money it will be futile!
As I recall, they were summarily declared the "frontrunners," by the MSM long before the campaigns got going. I used to wonder how the media could figure that out. No longer.
As I recall, other viable candidates were willfully marginalized by the media corporations, blocking them from participation in the process.
Were we steered to the corporate choice and are now reaping the consequences? As I recall, candidate Obama, after declaring his unequivocal opposition before locking up the nomination, led the vote for telecom immunity; bush's and the telecoms' "get out of jail free" card for illegal wiretapping.
The evidence is...compelling.
Who paid for his campaign?
Wall Street did, namely Goldman Sachs, Citibank, etc.
If that doesn't convince you that Obama is a corporate shill, nothing will.
Yeah, it was all those "small" donations from the little people!!
Still that's about 1/4 the vacations W took at his most nose to the grindstone. But that is still the best part of his "Presidency".
Obama's new education plan picks up where NCLB leaves off, s further privatizing the schools, so I don't even want to think about what he plans to do to our national park system.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYpBoYa4pno
No Drama Obama needs and feeds off of the drama of the left and right so he can be the sensible one.
"Obama will call faith groups to 'witness' on health reform"
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/religio...
"I had a habit of praying every night before I go to bed. I pray all the time now," Obama laughed. "Because I've got a lot of stuff on my plate, and I need guidance all the time."
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=8163898...
PS doesn't exactly instill you with confidence, does it ?
Sigh.
In fact, it's so much like Bush and his God telling him to invade Iraq, that it's actually scary.
bush still lives in the White House!
Cindy Sheehan and her cohort will be heading to the Vineyard for a little protesting. I say dog his ass. The man is following the Bush Doctrine.
Donations in support of Democrats who back a public insurance option as part of health care reform have topped $100,000 from more than 1,500 donors in 24 hours and counting.
The effort is being driven by FireDogLake.com and backed by blogs across the country.
Magical thinking in spades. Might as well believe in a bearded patriarch in the sky. It's just as realistic to hope for that as for Democrats to side with progressives.
Yep, there IS one born every minute after all.
From that article I linked:
"...[Obama] He'll be on the phone with self-described "health activists" in a conference call Wednesday organized by progressive evangelicals at Sojourners, the Washington-based social-justice group, Faith in Public Life, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and PICO National Network and two dozen other religious organizations...."
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/religio...
Well, this signals so much, none of it good for Dems. The White House does not have the backs of the Progressive Caucus (and us). It gives new energy to the Republican obstructionists. It illuminates the White House's own inconsistency on the bill. And it certainly highlight's the President's failure to lead.
Of course, I try to do my part to at least bug my D.C. Floridians--maybe you get my point? Floridians are not known for doing the "right thing" in D.C.--not that there aren't a very few exceptions.
Unless you are a big contributor they easily disregard your thoughts.
We knew he wasn't an uber liberal when we elected him. Kucinich may have pleased our crowd, but that's about it.
I agree that the reforms are slow to come but we are barely coming out of a semi depression. It's not like we can just start spending more money on healthcare without some kind of consensus.
I will be very disappointed if the public option doesn't come to fruition, but it is AUGUST break. Everyone is on vacation. The man picked the RIGHT time to break and then hit it hard in Sept.
Calm down.
Guantanimo is still open for business
U.S. combat troops were put on the ground this week in Columbia
What is the mission in Afghanistan/Pakistan
Illegal wiretapping of U.S. citizens continues by the NSA
U.S. government still opening private mail without warrants
etc....
How many more trillions to the banks
and that healthcare thing Obama sold us out on
DOMA
DADT
Do you really think if the Democratic base (not the liberal, not the progressive - the DEMOCRATIC base) had not been upset on Monday that Obama would have back tracked on the public option? Had we been "calm", Obama would have confirmed that the public option is off the table.
Furthermore, Obama has not given any indication that he will "hit it hard". Remember July? He was NOT on vacation and he did NOT "hit it hard".
He looks presidential, good, not start acting presidential.
Maybe if we just wait a little longer, he'll hit hard.. how about now? no? ok... later then..
*5 months goes by*
Now? Oh no no.. not now...
rinse, repeat.
Heh.
There is no freedom of speech entitlement on any website. This is not a taxpayer-funded, government entity.
You propose to employ a host of alleged resources for a rather spectacular misunderstanding of what you're entitled to as a commenter on a single, privately run website.
A disappointing investment of passion.
1. open to discussion or debate; debatable; doubtful: a moot point.
2. of little or no practical value or meaning; purely academic.
3. Chiefly Law. not actual; theoretical; hypothetical.
These people are the reverse image of the teabaggers and the "deathers" on the right.
Of course people are frustrated and want change, but please - I knew that we elected a Democrat who was more centrist than we are. Duh!
Who do you think you are? Rham Emmanuel? "Get back to the center where all the good little Dems belong. And don't dare remind the Pres of his promises."
This is a response to Taurus the BS.
Do promise he will.
You came on, and ridiculed us for criticizing the president.
You also made a big point of letting everyone know why you had stopped coming here. And that was one of your initial posts.
It was patronizing and offensive. I don't regret giving it right back to you. We don't need our anger at Obama belittled and ridiculed with comments like "waaa....waaa."
Stop playing the victim.
=======================================
I'm going to quote you from your first sentence in this comment and you really should take your own advice.
"Be careful what you type,..."
Jimbo62
Actually, what you did from the get-go was come on these forums...tell everyone why you pretty much stopped coming on here to begin with, and basically called all of us whiners.
Maybe you are used to others taking that crap. I don't.
One of your posts actually, consisted of 'waaaaa, waaaa.'
It wasn't the fact that you had disagreements with us. I have gone on other blogs, and had disagreements with others on content. But yours were personally nasty...not just to me, but to others.
I gave it back to you, because I thought you were out of line. And, on the post where I denounced you as 'pathetic' the posters apparently agreed, because it had an awful lot of 'likes' attached to it. I was also not the only one to ask the threadmonitor to check you out.
Look Jim, you can come on here and disagree on policy all you want, and it would have been fine. The initial posts I saw from you were not complaining about policy, but about how you thought we were all a bunch of whining wimps.
Once I saw your post about how you used to come on here, but don't anymore, I realized what you were really doing. Trolling on here to ridicule our anger, by saying that we weren't giving Obama a chance...and doing it in a pretty obnoxious way.
There are others who come on here to complain about John's impatience and how it's allegedly a bad thing that intolerance is being stirred up. Those posters are not welcome here. If you want to talk policy, it's one thing. If you want to belittle us for being angry...it's not gonna fly.
It was your nasty, patronizing tone that inspired my responses to you.
If you want others to respect you, at least demonstrate you have some respect for where others are coming from.
I will leave it at that.
(one last thing) There was actually one post where you responded to me, and actually kept it at a discussion of policy. I was ready to respond to that one, reasoned post, but saw you were already outta here.
Well, my hope is he's trying to keep a lid on things till the August recess -- and the tea-baggin', gun-totin', you-tubin' townhalls -- are over. No reason to assume this is what he's doing. Just hoping.
Meanwhile, we have to keep up the pressure on our Senators and Representatives that the public option is essential.
Well, now we know. He's a heck of speaker, but he's not a leader.