DISQUS

JustAnOldLady · 2 months ago

This is all making me feel like I want to "opt out" of the Democratic Party....

ezpz · 2 months ago

LOL...

Makes me feel like I want to opt out of the country.

nancy50 · 2 months ago

One of my kids has ADHD. He is very popular, extremely funny, SAT's were in the top 1%, a great public speaker and the most disorganized individual I know. He has varied interests and is usually successful at whatever he attempts, but loses interest quickly - believe me, I have a closet full of discarded interests. Often during crunch times, like final exams, he hides from the pressure by reading books (fiction). I love him dearly and would rather go on vacation with him than just about anyone else in the world, but would I ever want him to be president - no, not even of his hs sga.

He reminds me alot of Barrack Obama. I think Obama has never worked so hard in his life. Finally he is at a job where not everyone is going to fall for his schtick. People are looking for action and there are so many places that need action. I would be willing to bet that his handlers need to cajole him to make decisions, and when things get too tough, his troika of Emmanuel, Axlerod and Jarrett probably decide for him. Unfortunately, they are all not on the same page at times - thus the mixed messages.

NotTimothyGeithner · 2 months ago

I don't think Obama is that kid. I'd rather the ADHD be President than Obama. He sounds like he is intellectually curious which I don't know if the President is. The President may be too focused, he's missing the forest through the trees. His policies would be alright in the 90's or 80's, but they don't really work today.

Its like free trade. All the original work on its benefits was done in a pre-internet society, and then we implemented it while the world wide web was spreading. I don't think he understands it; whereas the ADHD kid may not care to look too hard, he won't be too obsessed with the old idea to ignore the new information or changing paradigm.

Another example is the President's obsession and respect for that "Team of Rivals" slop. It ignores that the super friends were all fired and mismanaged the early Union War effort. We only started winning when Lincoln punted them to Philly and started running the war our his personal office.

nancy50 · 2 months ago

I think the "Team of Rivals" bullshit was created by the handlers to set the stage, to start the comparision between Lincoln and Obama. Just like the WH photographer takes all the pics that replicate pics of JFK in the WH - kids running up to dad, who is leaving helicopter, dad picks up kids and winces as if in back pain...ok I know JFK had a bad back, but does Obama?
This whole thing has been Act one of the Obama Years.

naschkatzehussein · 2 months ago

He was probably identified long ago for some unnamed star quality and has been pushed along the process. You wonder if the community organizer and constitutional lawyer only exist for resume purposes and ask yourself just how much on the ground experience Obama has had in his political life, maybe in his entire life. There is a story today that Jeb Bush's son George Prescott, 33, is now deploying to the Middle East. That's the sort of thing I'm talking about.

Butch1 · 2 months ago

It looks like their excuses are unraveling into the lies we suspected they were telling.

MikeinSanJo · 2 months ago

So they're saying that Obama was so intently following the Healthcare Reform progress that he was glued to his chair, unable to identify reluctant senators who might need a bit of persuasion, and procatively lend a hand to ensure passage of a bill with a robust public option? And it's Reid's fault for not giving Obama a Moonstruck slap and screaming, "Snap out of it!"?

Is this Obama's "My Pet Goat" moment?

synical · 2 months ago

Amateurs. Children. Playing hot potato with the PO as if it doesn't impact people's lives. Are there ANY adults in the WH?

I mean, I knew Obama had little administrative experience but he hid well the fact that he was just shy of hitting puberty on an emotional scale. Coupled with the foot-stomping, "don't look at me, he did it" children in Congress it's like watching the political equivalent of the "Family Circus", replete with the "Ida Know", "Not Me", Just B. Cause" and "Nobody" gremlins.

It's gonna be a short reign if these jokers don't stop finger pointing and pull their shit together. And when the Repubs claw their way back to the table and destroy the rest of the country these incompetent amateurs will deserve at least half the blame for enabling it.

FunMe · 2 months ago

Oh my goodness, this is so childish behavior from the White House.

"Oh no I didn't she did, Mommy. She started it. No he did. No she did"

Geez, after getting rid of bush, I thought we were done with the ELEMENTARY SCHOOL behavior of the White House.

This is ridiculous.

Steve_in_CNJ · 2 months ago

John, thanks. It's important to have this skulduggery on record because there are more battles to come. Look at the lead editorial in the NYT today about the administration refusing to release torture documents to the defense team of those guys who were victimized by Bush/Cheney rendition and torture. Obama has to be reined in.

Steve_in_CNJ · 2 months ago

i meant plaintiff, not defense.

Montiel · 2 months ago

Refusing to release torture documents. Par for the course for the Obama administration.

Nothing surprises me with these incompetents anymore. His term in nearly 25% over - and all of this "he has a lot on his plate" horse manure is getting old fast.

Whatever Obama is, he's not a progressive. Once the dust settles I hope he hasn't totally dismembered the Democratic party.

JohnnyG · 2 months ago

It's really important that Obama's connection to killing the PO sticks. There's a lot of morons who need to wake up and smell the kool-aid about his duplicity. Enough with the glazed-eyed worship of this charlatan.

Griffon · 2 months ago

The Audacity of a Phony.

gloughlin42 · 2 months ago

It appears Jarret simply lied. Doesn't surprise me in the least. After all, she is an Obama ass licker.

mamazboy · 2 months ago

The mixed signals and downright confusion coming out of this White House are really alarming. What in the hell is going on?

Tyke · 2 months ago

You mean the mixed signals like consistently saying Obama wants the public option?

synical · 2 months ago

While doing nothing but saying so to support it.

Hate to bring this up again but Obama also consistently said he supported the cram down bill and his administration did nothing to push it along. It died despite his stated "support".

So, unless the poor unlucky sod who filed for bankruptcy, (for say, being slammed into it by outrageous medical bills), had a second house the judge could renegotiate the mortgage on, he was forced to join the millions who also lost their properties to foreclosure. Thanks for the "support", Mr. President.

These opinions about his commitment to the PO don't form in a bubble, as much as you'd apparently like to think they do.

cjfb · 2 months ago

You consistently extrapolate some sentence fragment spoken by the President or somebody from the White House into a foundation for anger and indignation. Read over the posts of the last few months. "Reid is in," No, Reid is out." Pelosi strongly supporting Public Option. Nope she's not - she's caving. President fighting behind the scenes. Nope, Obama lies.

We haven't known the direction of support for the Public Option in the ranks of those who actually get to debate and vote and we don't know it now. Anonymous sources, random comments by power players not withstanding.

Chill!

nancy50 · 2 months ago

I thought the process was supposed to be transparent?

My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.

Steve_in_CNJ · 2 months ago

it's the non-chillers who got us this far. they have their eyes on the prize and won't be asking for thanks from the chillers. i believe that lets you off the hook.

Griffon · 2 months ago

"We haven't known the direction of support for the Public Option in the ranks of those who actually get to debate and vote and we don't know it now."

Which begs the blunt question, "Why the hell not?"

Obama is an accomplished orator, yet he is both unwilling to commit to a clear course of support and unable to simply articulate anything approaching a coherent policy for his White House.

Obama's vertebral vacuum is creating and encouraging these presumptions and theories in the face of an increasingly desperate and angry public.

LasloPratt · 2 months ago

Sounds like Obama is turning into Major Major from Catch -22.

LynnDee · 2 months ago

Huge disappointment the W.H. has been on this. I'm trying to entertain a rather far-fetched explanation that the W.H. is trying to keep the corporate stakeholders off balance by being unclear about what exactly they're doing and making it seem like they might be acting as a drag on Sen. Reid -- but that's the proverbial three-bank shot when there's a simpler explanation.

nancy50 · 2 months ago

Occam's razor.

JohnnyG · 2 months ago

It's the proverbial 11th dimensional chess. Must be nice to have people only see positive motivations in anything you do. If only I could walk on kool-aid like the pretty man.

synical · 2 months ago

25-35 percent of the public stuck by Bush when it was past obvious he was an utter failure.

Obama is not Bush, he's leaps and bounds better in many, many ways (while being too close for comfort in others). But Obama could come out tomorrow and say not only will there be a worthless trigger but every citizen will have to send $50 directly to the insurance industry CEO nearest their residence by the end of the week and 40-50% of the ITPO (I trust President Obama) Britneys will insist he has a good reason, or worse, they will still be insisting that he supports a robust PO and is just trying to get us to make him do it. Delusion knows no party boundaries.

naschkatzehussein · 2 months ago

Oops, it looks like you caught them out, John.

tyree · 2 months ago

i think the days of the botts are comeing to an end, the i think obamas a chess player , a card playing expert who keeps his cards close to his vest , a very clever politician whos just waiting for the right time to hang the republicans , fewer are spouting ill give him the benifit of the doubt , im not counting him out yet, we havent given him enough time , hes only been in office 8 months , i for one think hes just playing the game ,bideing his time , the excusses for obama selling us out are endless! and thier are many butt boys in this administration willing to take the blame for the sellouts!

ezpz · 2 months ago

Maybe fewer, but they're swarming over at Huffington Post.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/26/reid-p...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/25/white-...

tyree · 2 months ago

well ezpz generaly the only bogs i read are c&l and a blog so im not surprised thier are still botts floating about, i still see the same old obama alibyers working thier magic on c&l nothing short of he and the democrats actually skinning puppys on tv would bring them to hold him accountable for his republican lite policys, but ive seen a few that went along with the botts by going after me are starting to sing the same tune i was before they banned me , one thing i have noticed they have ran off others who questioned what obama was doing, and some posters there that enjoyed mixing it up are starting to wonder where they went, i calls it[ saturday night massacre of the sanest posters!]

ezpz · 2 months ago

I'm sorry you were banned from there. Didn't realize that (As I said a few days ago, I rarely even visit, definitely don't post, never registered when they made it mandatory.)

I know how much you enjoy/ed a good troll slaying and you engaged a lot. Too bad. Their loss.

I checked over there the other day, and I don't even recognize the names. I didn't see anyone from the old days. Oh well.

Is it a permanent ban? Don't they sometimes give a 'time out' type of ban? But either way, I wonder if you would even want to post there again after being blocked from posting.

Again, I'm sorry.

tyree · 2 months ago

yeah your right ezpz thiers few of the old gang still there these people mostly came to c&l after obama was selected to the presidency, and instead of debateing you they just used insults on you , and it seems your not allowed to take up for yourself against the botts , i was not banned for what i said that night i think they just wanted no other views other then thiers spoken on there , so they banned me permantly, and no im not interested in going back there the threads are getting redicules with jokes about palin or guys like limpballs being thier high points of the day, i got to where i was posting less there because i felt the site was stale and every body seemed the same, but thnx for careing! by the way your doing a good job with your posts !

ezpz · 2 months ago

Aw, thank you, Tyree!
Coming from you, that's quite a compliment. I know that you only say what you mean and mean what you say, so again, thank you.

BTW, is that last thread that you were on still up, or did they delete it?

I'd be interested in reading it.

tyree · 2 months ago

im not sure about weather the threads still on there because it was months ago, all i did was reply to concerned canucks post agreeing with his post , and mudshark started baiting me , i didnt cuss or make any big fuss about his comments , but our comments except for mudsharks last comment were deleted , then when i tried to post again i was told i was banned permantly by email, had i done anything worth banning for i dont see how, but since mudshark had been a site monator and still in good standing i figure he was the one who did it, because i had the goods on him abuseing his position by going after another poster he had an altercation with on the blog , he e mailed me after getting my email adress from the other site monators bragging about how he was baiting the guy and was going to get him banned ,

ezpz · 2 months ago

Interesting stuff.
Was it after May of this year?
The reason I ask is because my curiosity had me looking it up and I found something from 5/16 or so.

tyree · 2 months ago

epzp im not sure of the exact date but ill tell you what i remember , concerned canuck was i beleve stateing that obama had crawfished on every promiss he had made such as fisa ect, ect, and i posted that i agreed with him , and i said it doesnt matter to the botts what obamas doing it only matters that hes a black president , at wich mudshark came after me and said my true colors were comeing out, i then said whats the big deal allmost everyone bragging on obama is saying hes our black president , i said nothing anyone else hasnt said on c&l , it wasnt ment as any racial slur , i was just commenting on the reason they were giveing him a free pass , and told mudshark so , then he says ill let others here judge for thierselves what you ment , thier were few others there as far as i could see, unless he was at a site monators meeting, anyway next thing i know my comment to concerned canuck was still there but the next 4 comments from both mudshark and i were deleted then mudsharks next comment was reguarding the delietions [ guess we were off topic , then i tried to post a comment and i couldnt , then i was told i was permently banned, but mudshark continuied to post, they have been systameticaly getting rid of thoes who arent botts, orangutan booted , myself , now im sure concerned canuck was banned or else hes just given up but most likely banned , ive told you what happened to the best of my memmory, i was once told the site monators had no agenda and were quite fair , but mudsharks revealing to me his abuse of baiting another poster and going to bann him proved to me that all that was bs !

Indigo · 2 months ago

If Congress does the heavy lifting and the White House flies up to Maine for a fundraiser, then there's no conflict and the Separation of Powers is maintained. See?

bob123890 · 2 months ago

Well he has weighed in publicly many times in support of the public option. And I don't see anything absurd with that statement. Obama said he would support any bill that Reid settles on. That, as I said, was the plan all along. Obama wasn't going to push a bill that Reid couldn't initially get through the Senate with 60 votes until after joint Conference committee.

And with Jarrett that was just semantics. Depends on what your definition of pushing is. If it is making public statements then yes she is right. If it pressuring individual members of Congress (which is what you are referring to) then no she is not.

I think you are just nit picking here John.

ezpz · 2 months ago

"Definition of pushing"??? Maybe a synonym of *is*?

Tyke · 2 months ago

So the repeated official reports from the White House that the rumors (and that's all they ever were) that Obama was at odds with reid and trying to get him to drop the public option just aren't good enough, because YOU say so, and your reasons are ???

You're beginning to sound more and more like the "where's the LONG FORM" nut jobs.

Obama has repeatedly said he supports a public option. When it passes and he signs it (as he has worked for) I predict that there will be a silly season of blogs self congratulating and claiming that they "forced" him to do

... exactly what he has always said he would do.

philboyd studge · 2 months ago

What's the name for someone who claims credit for the work of others? In this case "plagiarist" doesn't seem to fit. And considering that he secretly worked against the public option, maybe "pirate" would be closer to the mark. Still, there must be a specific term for someone who back-stabs the effort, then runs to the front to claim credit when the effort produces popular results.

Can anyone help me on this? Surely Shakespeare must have dealt with it somewhere!

ezpz · 2 months ago

I can't think of a word off the top of my head, but I can think of a recent example of this. Rahm mocked Dean's 50 state strategy until it proved successful; then, he tried to take credit for it.

Griffon · 2 months ago

Perhaps "Glory-Poacher?"

ezpz · 2 months ago

Yes.

Excellent, in fact.

philboyd studge · 2 months ago

It's close, but it still doesn't cover the fact that he not only didn't work for it; he worked to oppose it. Think of a Superbowl game where a member of the losing team shows up at the winning team's award ceremony to claim a ring.

philboyd studge · 2 months ago

Yep, that fits. Same as all the Republican lawmakers who hand out stimulus checks after opposing the stimulus bill.

But there must be a literary word or expression that fits it. Maybe I'm just not well-read enough to have come across it!

ezpz · 2 months ago

Griffon has a good one.

sonofloud · 2 months ago

Main Entry: plagiarism
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: copying of another's written work
Synonyms:
appropriation, borrowing, counterfeiting, cribbing, falsification, fraud, infringement, lifting, literary theft, piracy, stealing, theft

Main Entry: piracy
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: robbery
Synonyms:
bootlegging, buccaneering, commandeering, copying, freebooting, hijacking, infringement, marauding, pirating, plagiarism, rapine, stealing, swashbuckling, theft

philboyd studge · 2 months ago

Ya, but like I said, it doesn't address the previous opposition to the effort. I guess "traitorous plagiarist" might do it, but "traitor" can imply other issues such as patriotism.

Hey! What about "double agent"? Isn't that an operative who appears to work for one side while secretly working for the opposition?

sonofloud · 2 months ago

you'll just have to create your own term ;)

philboyd studge · 2 months ago

I'm afraid I'd be "reinventing the wheel". I just can't believe that there is no term for this in the rich English language. I think it's my vocabulary that is lacking, not the language's.

synical · 2 months ago

I call them "narcissistic dickheads", but I doubt that's what you're looking for.

I've also heard the term, "glorywhore" to describe someone who takes credit for doing little or none of the work.

debbietee · 2 months ago

My husband suggests a military slang term "chickenshit." It can be used as a noun or a verb. My best.

vkobaya · 2 months ago

Reminds me of the Bush lies after Katrina that he had to block federal assistance to New Orleans because Nagin and Blanco refused to ask for federal assistance. Therefore, he had to nationalize the national guard to prevent assistance from reaching New Orleans. Obama repeats all of Bush's tactics and lies. Somehow or other, he is going to blame a health care fiasco on the Democrats and progressives.

LynnDee · 2 months ago

Folks should read the following at boomantribune -- very helpful:

http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2009/10/26/1...