One year ago, the United States witnessed the people take its government back from ideological tyranny, greed, and anti-intellectualism. The election of President Barack Obama was a worldwide event — a signal to the world that America, at last, had overcome it’s last taboo (at least publicly), race. Graveyards all over America with generations of three centuries of racialized pasts either roared, “Finally,” or rolled over in amazement that this could happen here of all places.
One year later, the nation is a lot more sober with the reality of what change really is, and what was necessary to bring change about. The most amazing thing about the past year is the short memories everybody seems to have about how bad things really were. People seem to have forgotten that the economy was in a freefall, two misguided wars were draining the U.S. treasury ,and we had little goodwill to be found anywhere around the globe.
All guns were pointed at us with no calvary in sight. Everybody thought Barack Obama was the better candidate. Everybody agreed that Barack Obama should be elected President. But NOBODY was going to call it, bet the farm on it, or even say it, above a whisper, that Barack Obama would be the next President — until they saw it with their own eyes. The reality of the Americ’s situation, however, is that no matter who was elected President, the country was in trouble. And that’s exactly how it’s gone down.
The ignorant (who are not really ignorant, just still mad), the foolish, and the partisans all want to suggest that President Obama hasn’t done anything in the 10 months since he’s been President. They even want to blame the outcomes of this month’s elections in Virginia and New Jersey as a referendum on the job Obama is doing. Like things were just going to turn around because Barack showed up. It’s simple-minded and disingenuous to suggest nothing has been done. So, let’s look at (at least) ten things President Obama managed to achieve within his first year (see list on page 2):
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obama sucks and hopefully the new Republican president can give us some hope and change and send obama back to Chicago so he can help the community organizing going on there.
No Calvary in sight? How about the Cavalry…could you see them? Don’t call others stupid until you get a good copy editor.
I think Obama has tried his best in doing things to better the country but how can he when the damn republicans don’t let him.
this whole page is crap!! He had nothing to do with 9 or 10. Number eight he wasted money giving to companies who couldn’t hold there own instead of letting the economy getting rid of weaker not as smart companies. 7 if he is focusing on terrorism hes still doing what everyone hates: war 6: hes showing we are getting weak nothing else. 5: he is doing the opposite of 7 and not coming down on terrorists to END terrorism. 4: he is spending money on enviroment over economy? the world will take care of itself give it time nothing MAJOR is happening to it all of this crap about enviroment being SO bad is bullcrap 3; i dont know much about this so i’ll give him hes done one good thing 2: first of all H1N1 has killed less people than the flu or cold does in one year and also this health care thing is bad but im not gonna go there here 1: he has not ‘restored credibility’ thats liberal CRAP
You Americans are so ignorant and nothing is enough for you guys. Let’s see you doing all that in a couple of years, at least he has gone to a better direction instead of some previous presidents. For example, getting the environment to better condition is all the small things everybody should do every day. Obama’s efforts here are absolutely more than that!
In reply to a post by Joona:
Obviously your some random hippie. Do you even watch the news, Obma’s job is to help America instead he’s doing nothing. Sure he’s done stuff for the environment but what has he done for people. Look arround there is thousands of homeless starving people on the streets and your worried about a tree. Wake up!
It’s really hard to take anything you wrote serious. How old are you? You type like you are five. Come back when you learn proper spelling, grammar and punctuation.
This is my first – maybe my last – time posting a comment anywhere in regards to politics. But I am so frustrated with people who don’t do their homework!
Obama has done some pretty great things for you Americans and he is trying to do even more but it is nearly impossible to do anything at all when the majority of the Congress Republican! Sure he’s made promises and sure he hasn’t necessarily done them by now but the man is just that – a man, one single man…whose been in office for only four years. You people expect miracles in a time when your country is facing economic downturn! Do all yourselves a favour and shut off FOXNEWS and get your news some where else. http://www.democracynow.org/
And get all this race garbage out of your heads. People are people, get over it!
Al,
Hang in there. I often feel the same frustration as you. Think of yourself as a teacher who has a room full of egotistical young know it all”s in a classroom who enjoy the attention they can get by acting out.
Remember “Garbage In Garbage Out”. Keep up the good work and don’t let them get the best of you.
AGREED !
Seems some are short on memory. Bush was a disaster to our Country. President has been digging us out of a hole despite the efforts of the right to sabotage his efforts. Don’t forget that he also campaigned with the hope of uniting the country. That idea was his biggest failure but he has tried and only been forced to compromise as a matter of political reality – his second biggest failure.
Considering this I believe in him and think that if he had support he would be with us Liberals.
With this complaining from the so called progressives I will be interested to see how positions change if a Republican wins the Presidency.
You will then really appreciate President Obama and will wish you had offered support for him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hfYJsQAhl0
People need to stop and look at the full picture…first I will say that Clinton was the best president that I have seen. He left office with a surplus and a positive outlook. Then we had Bush who just put us in debt and ruined our nation and the economy to its worst!! So when Obama comes in and doesn’t change the world overnight or even in the first couple years we automatically put all the burden and blame on him, to say he hasn’t done anything but make things worse is so outlandish and naive!! Look at the facts, our economy was already so upside down that it doesn’t matter who you would have put in office, anyone would’ve walked into a huge mess of problems that developed over years from past president decisions and would now be facing the same things Obama is today!! So you guys need to wake and face the facts and stop judging.
LOL.. that is funny. Clinton was worst….. Bush is a hero.
Bush is a hero?
Bush is a hero for sending American soldiers to Iraq for absolutely no legitimate reason other than his own. We will probably never know the “REAL” reason for sending in troops. WMD’s is just the one excuse he uses. Thousands of American soldiers were killed or disabled because of that man. Bush a hero? I could say LOL that’s funny, but it’s not. He was the worst of the worst. He let a lot of people down. Me included. I voted for that piece o sheet. Bush put America into the worst economy since the great depression. Some hero.
They are all in it for themselves they “suck” everyone is has forgotten the working man/women all they care about is stealing oil/money from the middle east –
REAL REASON = petrol . Petrol, people; Petrol .
and you my feathered friend are a zero!!!
Bush was what? What planet are you from? LOL is right!
I’ve been saying same, Kimberly, and totally agree with you! Plus two wars, no WMDs, Al Qaeda growing in numbers and in almost every country….even Carl Rove said if Bush knew no WMDs, wouldn’t have gone to war in Iraq!
I don’t know why you would call Bush a hero. He is not by any means a hero. But by no means is he the worst of the worst. That statement is an immature and stupid one at the least. I want u to do something, go ask one of the U.S soldiers if they felt like we needed to go to war after the biggest mass murder this country has ever seen. Ask him or her and let me know what they say. You disagree with the fact that we refused to be walked all over by terrorists and would not let them think that if they hurt us we will not come back with extreme force no matter what that cost was? If we did not go to war with them who knows what would have happened. More then likely more attacks on this country. Bush had good reason to think they had WMD. Because there were WMD’s there!!!!just not the massive stock piles that were expected to be found there!! So for one get your facts straight. Bush may have put us a Trillion dollars in debt. News flash we are now over 14 trillion dollars in debt. You tell me who crushed this economy more.
Mr. Client is part of the problem that we are having today — he spent money like he did not have good since
If you didn’t vote for Obama, then you are a racist… even if you’re black.
No I don’t think that was the case — everyone just caught up in having an intelligent black man running for office and they really did not ask the right questions like what the Hell is he going to change the mess that Mr. Bush in….and how fast was it going to happen — we want and need jobs in this county not helping others when we have not taken care of home
Obama has done nothing but make things worse. The stimulus bill and health care are great examples of that.
The stimulus bill stopped the recession. And lowered your taxes. His health care reform is something most countries already have, but our stubbornness makes us refuse it.
I am not a fan of the President however I don’t think he made it any worse than Mr. Bush or Mr. Bush or Mr Clinton the US has be going down hill for years,. however no one has step up to stop the cash or try to fix the problem every 8 years they just pass the “crap” on to the next person to fix and “bam” look at us now –whom every is in office in the next 4 years will have to deal with the same crap that the President is dealing with now and we are going to be in the same boat with a new name —
Care to elaborate and explain why they are in detail, or is it something you were indoctrinated to think?
I am a 15 year old African American child and I can see the change Obama has made in America , it may not be a lot but what can you do after the last president left such a mess ! Like the writer said he’s not Jesus and eveyhinq doesn’t chanqe overniqht ! Almost evryday I am faced with racist white people always talkin mess about him but seriously John Mccain wouldbhave been a terrible president & I find Barrack as an inspiration to African Americans everywhere … I just wish people would qive him a chance & take a look at the positive thinqs barrack has done …
Wow, Im 43 and lived here all my life and the only change I have seen is for the worst so I would like to know what it is that you can see? And just so you know…Im a white male and I see racism everyday too only it occurs in all races! That’s right, racism goes both ways and I am so sick of everyone trying to play that card. Geez! We elected a black president and you people still want to throw the race thing out there.Let me tell you what racism is here in America…try being a 40 something white male applying for a job at the same time a black male, white woman, or black woman are all applying. Even if Im the better qualified person for the job all three of those get the job over me simply because the company has to hire a certain amount of minorities….that’s racism in my book! Getting a job over a more qualified person because of color or gender is racism so stop thinking that black people are the only ones to have to deal with it!
Wow, you are a moron. First off, the only part of your message that offended me was your racist statements. I for wne agree that I think we are worse off economy wise and over spending. I agree that I do not see Obama doing much except vacationing and spending money when he said that we needed to cut spending in his campaign. However, to address everything else in your statement… the only reason you MAY be more qualified is hugely based on race. How do you think you were able to get qualified? You or your family have had years of favor for jobs over black men, white women, and black women combined. You were able to get the jobs that earned you the money, to get you in to the schools that (oh yeah, at one time) only whites were able to attend to get a decent education to get you QUALIFIED. The jobs were owned by white men who hired white men, their families, and their white friends (unless of course it was in the mines getting black lung, or cleaning out your shit holes). I can’t stand to hear a little sissy, white man sit back and cry because others need a chance to earn a living like he and his forefathers did so unfairly for most of the age of the U.S.A., while blacks were not able to get any kind of decent job at all. Blacks were not hired for anything decent, if anything at all, and unfairly paid when they did. Then you and people like you sit back and talk about them saying that they were lazy and did not want to work. Especially, after having every opportunity in the nation to do what you want. The other thing is, what makes you think you are not getting the job due to employers have to fill positions with minorities? What makes you think that they were not more qualified than you to begin with? You personally don’t know a thing and I am not saying that I do either, so when this happens, I usually weight things out and this is what I see. I see a little sissy man, crying & complaining instead of shutting up and going out to try to get another job. I have and I have also watched my nieces and nephews get turned down job, after job, after job (and yes, I am pretty sure it is because they are black) but I don’t hear them sitting around crying, you big pussy. Thank God they are strong enough to fight back by keeping on getting out there and applying. That is the difference between you and I my fine, feathered faggggot. We black folks stood up and fought for decades for the right people to hear that we wanted equality and that is why we have “hugelyafirmitive action today. You are right if thinking “well, that is not equal”, no it is not, it is in place to bring us TO an equal area as we are not their yet. Don’t blame black for wanting afirmative action. Blame your white ancestors (and probably yourself) for it being implemented now because blacks need to reach an equality that was unbalanced from your racist background and that stills is in existance today (or we would not need afirmative action) Jackass!
No sir, you are a racist. You fail to realize that racism swings both ways. You have automatically profiled this man as being rich or coming from a high income family, as if ALL white men are rich. On the other hand you assume that ALL blacks, and women are without opportunity. If you were to come to Oildale, California. You would find a town of poor white people, they have not had the “opportunity” as you put it. Simply assuming that the man has had opportunity because he is white is racism. “your white ancestors?” Ask yourself this, how can he be responsible, and why should he have to pay you because his ancestors may have been rich and were white? What if his ancestors fought in the civil war to free your ancestors? If anything you should be mad at the government for treating your race like babies, reinforcing workplace senarios of stigmatization. How does it feel knowing that you got hired because your boss had to hire you, and others will look down on you thinking that you didn’t earn your job. Oh and btw. affirmative action has been around for 50 years. His parents have already been “giving back the wealth” Your nieces and nephews aren’t getting jobs just like everyone else, the economy continues to suck and you just assume that its because they’re black. This is all part of your mindset that has been fabricated by affirmative action. How do you think this affects young blacks in schools knowing that they don’t have to try as hard in school. My dad is being sued for 3 million dollars by a ridiculous woman who doesn’t need the money (which we do not have) under the basis that his group may have fired her based on race and sexual harassment! In reality, she was extremely incompetent and failed to do her job properly. Oh and why do you think they hired her in the first place? You might as well just have a black visa card that you just play in any encounters you have with white men as you did here calling this man a racist. I consider myself to be a fairly tolerant person. You are not only racist but also homophobic so before you critique me for being a racist and needing to reform, look at yourself. Oh, and I’m sure that you have already assumed that I am white, but I am 16 and latino.
Jeez, none of you guys are racists. You can criticize Obama without bringing up race. I believe Obama is doing a good job but you can disagree without being racist.
If you really both want to go there you both are racists, we are all human and that should be the only thing that matters. Coming from Morgan Freeman, if you want to stop racism “stop talking about it.”
Bravo!!!!!!!!!!!
Everyone Stop for a second — and stop judging the man on his race he dose have a white mother and raised by his white grandparents so lets just state the truth that has nothing to do with race and everything to do with the way he is running this county or letting this county run him our President may not have gotten us in this mess but he sure as “heck” is not getting us out of it that is why he should not be president again because he letting this county run him — he needs to be a better leader with a clear vision so that we can get out of this crap that we are in at this time
Shane:
I am surprised that you are complaining about not being able to get a job if the other candidates get them to fill quotas. It all goes back to the behaviors your ancestors exhibited when this country was founded. They denied jobs to these same qualified candidates and gave the jobs to you while they fed you the hype that you are more qualified because you are white.
Shane, sweetheart, you are inheriting the fruit that your ancestors sowed. I feel for you.
As far as your phrase “race card,” the only groups that play that ‘card’ are the KKK, and other hate groups. This country was founded on 2 myths – white superiority and minority inferiority. I hope you can see past these myths and find happiness in the better quality this country possesses -LIBERTY and JUSTICE for ALL.
Hey I sorry you fell that way however I have yet to see that happen I am a black women with a degree about your age and have yet to be hired over any white person — I know because I have white friends that apply for jobs and get them with less quotations than myself (maybe you should re do your resume) and what state do you live in I need to move their maybe I will get a job (Lol)
check your spelling, this maybe be one reason .
Ok im 13 yrs old and im african american.And shane i think you should cool it and stop saying all the you people bull crap. Bec uase who was out their working in the fels picking cotton and rice for your race. so please show some respect and dont call Us You People. And i am totally not rasicist i love allraces. And 2nd i think barack obama has done an awesome job. we already knew the econmoy was gonna get nothing but worse when we elected him and like they said he isnt jesus and things dont fix over night. you have to support your leader. how are you going to improve something when you dont have the support of the people your serving and 3rd my class has been studying politics and obama reminds me on alexaner hamilton with all the ideas and things hes done.
So sad to see the recent election results…
How stupid are Americans… we are falling for the false promises of the Repulican Party AGAIN!
I only need to say one thing to prove my point.
Here is what they say:
We need more jobs… We need to cut government size.
OK, so we fire a lot of government employees… does that not create more unemployement?
Think about it!!!
But they were betting on most of us being too stupid to except that this country needs a good dose of medicine, and it will not taste all that good. This promise of the sugar coated cure is a joke. They are putting us back in the hands of their MONEY backers. The insurance companies and oil companies, and the largest 500 are back in charge. Ripping off America. This stupid tax break thing is not scaring the rich, they send their money through routes that keep them from paying taxes anyway…. while you and I make up the difference. Money stays in their pockets… and out of ours. If the richest people in the world just paid their FAIR share of taxes we could cut the defeciet in half tomorrow.
if there was a like button i would push it
If Obama has done everything he promised the way he promised his rating wouldn’t have dropped 18% and dropping.
I didn’t vote for him, but was happy he won since of all the promises he made, but after couple of weeks I saw that he was all about making speeches and taking vacations and not doing what he promised.
He goes against the people! And goes for the Gov.
- People said we want immigration laws he said NOOoOOoooOOooo
- People said we dont want the new health care bill, he said YeeEEeees
- He said “I never meet a person who would rather live on food stamps then work” And they intervied a lot of people who did just that, taking advantage of the system.
This just shows how far away from people he really is!
Many others on the list.
Sad … Just sad
First off , who are you to criticize what someone has done … Are you the president? NOoooooooooooo..
So u just need to sit back and let him do his job, because last I saw HE WAS THE ONE TO PROVE ALL THE RACIST, IGNORANT, AND IMMATURE people that african-american people are the overcomers So..SHUT -CHA MOUTH cuszz it wateva!!!!!!!!!!!!….
Dah-
So I didnt vote for Obama… and I didnt vote for (or like) our previous president Bush. So that surely makes me a racist…against everyone including myself?? This is the MAJOR problem I have with Obama supporters – you are all NUTS! The SECOND you say you don’t favor the president… you are declared racist. Perhaps you should take a good look in the mirror and ask yourself why YOU voted for Obama… .was it for his policies or for the color of his skin?
PS.. for the record I am white and VERY happily married to a black man.
Well, said! I am fed up too with all the racist bullcrap going around. People need to realize Obama has done nothing to better the situation of all Tax Payers. He has done nothing but the opposite while also supporting all Bush’s policies yet people still want to put all the blame on Bush. Research and you will find the truth. The problems that we have been dealing with started with the Reagan administration and yet people still don’t see the connections in how the media was tying Barrack Obama to Reagan’s speeches as being some kind of hero. Obama is a false leader like several presidents that we have had and the only way we r going to change this is to get a way from r ways of using the Federal Reserve and develop new means of trading. The stock market is one of the biggest propaganda fueled machines that runs the world. We kill millions around the world everyday on the base of false necessities because we r forced to believe with out your paper backing you can’t do anything. Thus playing the roll of monopoly man triggering and endless cycle of poverty and slave labor to countries while the richer countries stand ignoring the truth and fighting to make the world a better place.
Listen to Genna folk’s. He didn’t vote for Obama, and, get this, “after a couple of weeks” Obama didn’t have everything fixed to suit the him, so he’s upset. Bush took 8 years to create the mess, and you all want it cleaned up it 6 months. Obama is a president, not a magician. Bush raised our debt limit 7 (seven) times, partly to fund a war that his own, hand-picked inspectors, told him to forget, that there were no WMD in Iraq. They were sent there at least twice. But, with Cheney owning a part of Halliburton, Bush said hell, let’s blow it apart anyhow, Halliburton can go fix it up again and Cheney will get even more wealthy. In all his arrogance, he didn’t count on over 4000 of our service men and women getting killed over there. All the republicans were chanting at how well Bush was protecting our country. Who the hell was on watch on 9-11 if it wasn’t Bush? Is that protection? Bush lands on an aircraft carrier and announces, all is under control in Iraq. It sure was, more Americans killed over there before he left the carrier.
Then Georgie flip flopped and said, we had to go into Iraq and save thousands of Iraqi lives because Sadam was murdering them by the thousands. Gahdafi is a heck of a lot worse than Sadam ever was, but now the GOP is calling the war in Lybia an illegal war. But it’s doing the exact same thing that Georgie claims he went to war in Iraq for. Always the same, double standard for republicans.
See what has happened up in Minnesota? Republicans again, would not agree to increase the tax on their millionaire, billionaire buddies. They refuse to do anything to help the situation so, Minnesota government has shut down, putting another 22000 people out of work. And at a time like this. If they keep this up with the federal budget, there will be no need for them to even run anyone for the next election, Obama will be elected regardless. You republicans are making a big do-do in your own
mess-kit.
9 years after 9/11, and there are still people in this country who have no concept that we are at war with fundemental islamists who’s goal is to eliminate a race and place the world under Islamic law. These same people think the government needs to provide for them, and shouldn’t defend its interests. Obama has done nothing tangible.
What race are you talking about? Because as far as I know Americans aren’t a ‘race’. There are African, Korean, Chinese, Indosean, Mexican etc. Americans. America has never been, will never be, and is not one race. We’re a group of people that need to learn to work together but we arent one race.
And did you know that some of the so-called hijackers who flew the plane are still alive? How is that possible? Inside job of hate and cruelty because our last admin only cared about the Big Dog, The Man ie the Rich and corporate America. Obama is changing America slowly but surely. How can you decide after ‘a few weeks’ or even a few years that Obama has failed when it took so long for America to get into this hole. We need time to get out of it and our President needs our support to get more time to help us!
And yes, ther are crazy extremists Muslims who plan to take over the world prolly. But ther are plenty of other Muslims who don’t believe in what the extremists believe in. I know plenty. Most of them are just normal people trying to live normal lives.
Obama hwaiting!
9 years after 9/11, and there are still people in this country who have no concept that we are at war with fundemental islamists who’s goal is to eliminate a race and place the world under Islamic law. These same people think the government needs to provide for them, and shouldn’t defend its interests. Obama has done nothing tangible.
It seems obvious that Obama has brought some change and successes, but it would have been better if the bad results of his plans are compared to his successes. Maybe to give a little more help in understanding what Obama has done? But I’m sure if you do compare them, the bad effects would easily rise over the number of good results. If not noticed, more than half of the public still is afraid of job loss and are unhappy of Obama’s actions. This really isn’t helping, but politics should go with the Relief and Reform method…….. I’m not a big fan of politics, in my opinion, be more like Singaporean government, it’s much better…….
It seems obvious that Obama has brought some change and successes, but it would have been better if the bad results of his plans are compared to his successes. Maybe to give a little more help in understanding what Obama has done? But I’m sure if you do compare them, the bad effects would easily rise over the number of good results. If not noticed, more than half of the public still is afraid of job loss and are unhappy of Obama’s actions. This really isn’t helping, but politics should go with the Relief and Reform method…….. I’m not a big fan of politics, in my opinion, be more like Singaporean government, it’s much better…….
Where’s my job Mr. Obama…spent $10,000 of MY OWN MONEY to educate myself in the medical field which there’s supposed to be lots of jobs and I’ve been unemployed for a year and can’t even score an interview because I’m not bilingual. What is he doing for REAL AMERICANS?
I agree — where is the “change” oh I know I am making about 20k less than I did 4 yours ago –
“One year ago, the United States witnessed the people take its government back from ideological tyranny, greed, and anti-intellectualism.”
Can we say “objective journalism?
“One year ago, the United States witnessed the people take its government back from ideological tyranny, greed, and anti-intellectualism.”
Can we say “objective journalism?
Well, it is LA progressive, so it obviously has a liberal bias.
I thought this whole article was a joke. None of those things were true underneath it all including but not limited to the so called transparency. Mostly I saw all the coverups like nobodies saying depression anymore. Gee I wonder why. They probably don’t hear it anymore on the news. i.e. MSNBC etc. Let me break it down for you liberals. Now that Obama is president you no longer care about the wars, the enviornment (BP Gusher) or the economy. You only care about having abortions and letting all the mexicans invade our country. Thats it oh and more homo rights….
The BP oil spill was because you guys wanted offshore drilling, and because of deregulation of the Bush Administration. “Homo rights”? I don’t like homophobes, and you seem to be saying you are. Actually Obama believes in the sanctity of marriage but still helps homosexuals and allows gay marriage.
I thought this whole article was a joke. None of those things were true underneath it all including but not limited to the so called transparency. Mostly I saw all the coverups like nobodies saying depression anymore. Gee I wonder why. They probably don’t hear it anymore on the news. i.e. MSNBC etc. Let me break it down for you liberals. Now that Obama is president you no longer care about the wars, the enviornment (BP Gusher) or the economy. You only care about having abortions and letting all the mexicans invade our country. Thats it oh and more homo rights….
Bamsta closed Gitmo, eh?
Face it, Obama has betrayed the poor, deluded, Religious Left true-believers who think they are ‘progressive,’ but really are just religious fanatics who have been indoctrinated without their knowledge or consent to chant the mantras of Humanism
Diversity, Choice, World Community, Redistribution, Social Justice, Consenting Adults, Cultural Pluralism….
All worship words promulgated in 1933, then expanded in 1973, and only then finding their way into the political vocabulary of the Left.
In the same way that Bamsta has thrown Rev(?) Jeremiah Wright under the bus, he is throwing you guys under the bus, after using you to get elected.
How long will you keep believing this totally unqualified ‘community organizer’?
He is a disaster.
Jimmy Carter on steroids.
“deluded Religious Left-True”
I think you are talking about the extreme right.
Bamsta closed Gitmo, eh?
Face it, Obama has betrayed the poor, deluded, Religious Left true-believers who think they are ‘progressive,’ but really are just religious fanatics who have been indoctrinated without their knowledge or consent to chant the mantras of Humanism
Diversity, Choice, World Community, Redistribution, Social Justice, Consenting Adults, Cultural Pluralism….
All worship words promulgated in 1933, then expanded in 1973, and only then finding their way into the political vocabulary of the Left.
In the same way that Bamsta has thrown Rev(?) Jeremiah Wright under the bus, he is throwing you guys under the bus, after using you to get elected.
How long will you keep believing this totally unqualified ‘community organizer’?
He is a disaster.
Jimmy Carter on steroids.
Does the person that wrote this even live in the United States because it sure doesn’t sound like it.
rude much cracker
Does the person that wrote this even live in the United States because it sure doesn’t sound like it.
Obama fixed the tax codes loopholes,and actually ended up creating even more loopholes..
Obama’s cash for clunkers bill was just that a clunker…
Obama’s stimulus package created Zero jobs yet they say it create a milion… But some of us see throw the smoke and mirrors and realize the US economy needs 110 thousand jobs a month just to keep up with the new people entering the job market each month.. DO THE MATH..He has created Zero jobs..
All Obama has done is incease the US national debt from 10.6 trillion the day he took office to over 12.5 trillion today…
Unemployment was at 5.6 percent when he took office..It’s 10 percent today..
120 banks failed in Obamas first year… 21 have failed this year so far..
We have had 3 terrorist attacks.. Countless soldiers been killed.. and the list goes on and and on..
Obama has comitted countless federal crimes violations..One being the US staute covering Bribery of government officals..
He lies any chance he can get.. Remember he never heard Rev Wright speak bad about any whites and this and that.. You know those types of lies..
Obama fixed the tax codes loopholes,and actually ended up creating even more loopholes..
Obama’s cash for clunkers bill was just that a clunker…
Obama’s stimulus package created Zero jobs yet they say it create a milion… But some of us see throw the smoke and mirrors and realize the US economy needs 110 thousand jobs a month just to keep up with the new people entering the job market each month.. DO THE MATH..He has created Zero jobs..
All Obama has done is incease the US national debt from 10.6 trillion the day he took office to over 12.5 trillion today…
Unemployment was at 5.6 percent when he took office..It’s 10 percent today..
120 banks failed in Obamas first year… 21 have failed this year so far..
We have had 3 terrorist attacks.. Countless soldiers been killed.. and the list goes on and and on..
Obama has comitted countless federal crimes violations..One being the US staute covering Bribery of government officals..
He lies any chance he can get.. Remember he never heard Rev Wright speak bad about any whites and this and that.. You know those types of lies..
Hey L.A.,
Here you’ve got a town that’s full of some of the best P.R. and writing talent in the world… couldn’t SOMEONE there lend some of it to the Obama White House? None of this is well known outside of the beltway, and it’s repressed from within.
Hey L.A.,
Here you’ve got a town that’s full of some of the best P.R. and writing talent in the world… couldn’t SOMEONE there lend some of it to the Obama White House? None of this is well known outside of the beltway, and it’s repressed from within.
President Obama is not the problem here folks. The Senate and Congress have the power he is the one who can veto. Also from what I am reading you all think he is to save you or solve all the problems. Well that starts at home, which I believe he said many times. You are the change you need. You need to get off your butts, get to work, go vote. Vote all the incumbents out of office and show them that We the people are in charge. Start petitions in your area, comminicate with nearby cities, towns, etc. We the people have the power if we petetion the government to have a bill on the floor that would limit terms, pass healthcare etc. This president was passed the worst economics, the worst wars the worst of America. It will take longer than one term to clean up the mess of the Bushes, Cheney’s, Rumsfeld, Rice’s and the Supreme Court. All these people should have been prosecuted and should be serving time. VOTE, and make a difference, and if you don’t you have no one to blame for what happens but yourselves. If you do then vote to really make a difference.
President Obama is not the problem here folks. The Senate and Congress have the power he is the one who can veto. Also from what I am reading you all think he is to save you or solve all the problems. Well that starts at home, which I believe he said many times. You are the change you need. You need to get off your butts, get to work, go vote. Vote all the incumbents out of office and show them that We the people are in charge. Start petitions in your area, comminicate with nearby cities, towns, etc. We the people have the power if we petetion the government to have a bill on the floor that would limit terms, pass healthcare etc. This president was passed the worst economics, the worst wars the worst of America. It will take longer than one term to clean up the mess of the Bushes, Cheney’s, Rumsfeld, Rice’s and the Supreme Court. All these people should have been prosecuted and should be serving time. VOTE, and make a difference, and if you don’t you have no one to blame for what happens but yourselves. If you do then vote to really make a difference.
Thank you. He has done great so far, but with a GOP majority house the rest will be hard to do.
John Boehner…ugh
Whoever wrote this article is an idiot. Many if not all of the things mentioned above are things that are not actual accomplishments, but rather are mere things he mentioned. I too can mention I will become president and accomplish all of the aforementioned items stated in the article-but just because I say what I am going to do doesn’t mean I have or will accomplish them!
Whoever wrote this article is an idiot. Many if not all of the things mentioned above are things that are not actual accomplishments, but rather are mere things he mentioned. I too can mention I will become president and accomplish all of the aforementioned items stated in the article-but just because I say what I am going to do doesn’t mean I have or will accomplish them!
Ten: President Obama has slowed down the recession.
-Uemployment continues to rise and has reached a historical high of 10%(this is out of any president in history since our founding). He is spending money at a faster rate than any other president, getting us into even more debt than we were already in and putting our national finances on shaky ground. He spends tax payer money as if there is no end to it. Budgets and Balance sheets are unessecary, its only money right?
Nine: President Obama saved Wall Street
-They bailed out a lot of companies which is good and bad. If failed it would have hurt our country bad, but by supporting them on the other hand I dont believe anyone learned a lesson for the long run and he temporarily fixed the problem but a bigger storm is coming.
Eight: President Obama saved the collapse of the American automotive industry
Why was the cash for clunkers program not designed specifically to benefit GM so we can sell them and have one less thing to manage saving taxpayers money and helping out General Motors, instead he made the program for all car manufacturers which I feel was a poor descision.
Seven: President Obama shifted the focus of the war from Iraq to Aftghanistan
-When running for president I distinctly remember Obama saying, he would end the war and bring all of the troops back. It is turning out to be a complete lie, because he just committed more troops not, less to the effort. I also believe he should not have committed to what he said while running for president, because he has no idea how bad it was in Afganistan and Iraq, and now that he does he is sending more troops. I know big bad Bush had many troops over there, but now Obama is sending more, there must be some serious problems over there to have a conservative continuing the effort and then a liberal adding on to it. Al Quida top operatives are being taken out which I am happy with, one less person with blind hate for Americans makes me feel safer.
Six: President Obama relaxed Anti-American tensions throughout the world
-He did make a speech in Egypt I believe which was positive. Him having an Arabic name also helps. In retrospect though I have been to Egypt and they look at Americans as walking money, it strikes me that as long as were giving them monetary things they will be our friends, which is not always a great relationship to have with other countries.
Five: President Obama closed the prisoner “torture camp” at Guantanamo Bay
-He has not closed it and detainees are still there. Another campaign lie. I dont think he will have it taken care of by the end of his presidency, once again I think he had no idea what he was getting into and taking such a hard stance against. After fully investigating it I think he will do the same as the last president.
■Four: President Obama has made the environment a national priority, and a primary source for job creation
-Yes in theory, but not in actuality. He has made the environment a priority but no jobs have come of it, hence the 10% umeployment, right.
Three: President Obama has made education a national priority
-I have not seen this. I don’t think it was appropriate to address students either, the majority of people did not want this to happen and he needs to respect their wishes
Two: President Obama is on the verge of passing universal health care, with a public option, to insure everybody in America has care when they are sick.
-The bill he has passed is nothing like that. The coward from Nebraska took concessions from Obama that no other state is getting. This is beyond unfair. How is it that Nebraska will be able to spend as much as they want on medicare and the rest of the states have to pay for it getting nothing in return. Also, if you don’t get health insurance they will penalize you now in the future up to 2.5% of your income. Granted, it is important to have insurance, but the most important thing is the Freedom of choosing whether you would like it or not. I don’t feel that it is constitutional, it’s the same a making everyone say one nice thing about Barack Obama every day and if you don’t, taking 2.5% of your income (freedom of speech).
One: President Obama has restored credibility to the American Presidency where the world is looking to him to lead America out of unilateralism and back into multilateral global cooperation
-Obama winning the peace prize does not make any sense. Especially when critisizing the cop in Connecticut for “acting stupidly” for aresting the person that looked suspicious. Then issuing an apology. There is a legitimate reason every other Nobel prize winner has won. Such as splitting the atom, etc., but being the first african american president does not make sense, I know that the first woman president, or asian, or hispanic will not get the Nobel prize, and you know it too. Somehow that award got “rigged”. He has given special money to Acorn as well a predominately african american group that is totally corrupt. He may be getting approval international, but in America he is alienating everyone that is not african american. For the people by the people, not resented by the people.
Mr. Anthony Samad, it is important as a writer to examine both sides of every argument in detail and then forming an educated oponion, showing respect to both sides. You have expressed one side and blatantly backed it up with nothing but baseless generalizations. None the less, thank you for your article that you hastily threw together. Maybe we will see you hitting the hard subjects from both sides next time.
Ten: President Obama has slowed down the recession.
-Uemployment continues to rise and has reached a historical high of 10%(this is out of any president in history since our founding). He is spending money at a faster rate than any other president, getting us into even more debt than we were already in and putting our national finances on shaky ground. He spends tax payer money as if there is no end to it. Budgets and Balance sheets are unessecary, its only money right?
Nine: President Obama saved Wall Street
-They bailed out a lot of companies which is good and bad. If failed it would have hurt our country bad, but by supporting them on the other hand I dont believe anyone learned a lesson for the long run and he temporarily fixed the problem but a bigger storm is coming.
Eight: President Obama saved the collapse of the American automotive industry
Why was the cash for clunkers program not designed specifically to benefit GM so we can sell them and have one less thing to manage saving taxpayers money and helping out General Motors, instead he made the program for all car manufacturers which I feel was a poor descision.
Seven: President Obama shifted the focus of the war from Iraq to Aftghanistan
-When running for president I distinctly remember Obama saying, he would end the war and bring all of the troops back. It is turning out to be a complete lie, because he just committed more troops not, less to the effort. I also believe he should not have committed to what he said while running for president, because he has no idea how bad it was in Afganistan and Iraq, and now that he does he is sending more troops. I know big bad Bush had many troops over there, but now Obama is sending more, there must be some serious problems over there to have a conservative continuing the effort and then a liberal adding on to it. Al Quida top operatives are being taken out which I am happy with, one less person with blind hate for Americans makes me feel safer.
Six: President Obama relaxed Anti-American tensions throughout the world
-He did make a speech in Egypt I believe which was positive. Him having an Arabic name also helps. In retrospect though I have been to Egypt and they look at Americans as walking money, it strikes me that as long as were giving them monetary things they will be our friends, which is not always a great relationship to have with other countries.
Five: President Obama closed the prisoner “torture camp” at Guantanamo Bay
-He has not closed it and detainees are still there. Another campaign lie. I dont think he will have it taken care of by the end of his presidency, once again I think he had no idea what he was getting into and taking such a hard stance against. After fully investigating it I think he will do the same as the last president.
■Four: President Obama has made the environment a national priority, and a primary source for job creation
-Yes in theory, but not in actuality. He has made the environment a priority but no jobs have come of it, hence the 10% umeployment, right.
Three: President Obama has made education a national priority
-I have not seen this. I don’t think it was appropriate to address students either, the majority of people did not want this to happen and he needs to respect their wishes
Two: President Obama is on the verge of passing universal health care, with a public option, to insure everybody in America has care when they are sick.
-The bill he has passed is nothing like that. The coward from Nebraska took concessions from Obama that no other state is getting. This is beyond unfair. How is it that Nebraska will be able to spend as much as they want on medicare and the rest of the states have to pay for it getting nothing in return. Also, if you don’t get health insurance they will penalize you now in the future up to 2.5% of your income. Granted, it is important to have insurance, but the most important thing is the Freedom of choosing whether you would like it or not. I don’t feel that it is constitutional, it’s the same a making everyone say one nice thing about Barack Obama every day and if you don’t, taking 2.5% of your income (freedom of speech).
One: President Obama has restored credibility to the American Presidency where the world is looking to him to lead America out of unilateralism and back into multilateral global cooperation
-Obama winning the peace prize does not make any sense. Especially when critisizing the cop in Connecticut for “acting stupidly” for aresting the person that looked suspicious. Then issuing an apology. There is a legitimate reason every other Nobel prize winner has won. Such as splitting the atom, etc., but being the first african american president does not make sense, I know that the first woman president, or asian, or hispanic will not get the Nobel prize, and you know it too. Somehow that award got “rigged”. He has given special money to Acorn as well a predominately african american group that is totally corrupt. He may be getting approval international, but in America he is alienating everyone that is not african american. For the people by the people, not resented by the people.
Mr. Anthony Samad, it is important as a writer to examine both sides of every argument in detail and then forming an educated oponion, showing respect to both sides. You have expressed one side and blatantly backed it up with nothing but baseless generalizations. None the less, thank you for your article that you hastily threw together. Maybe we will see you hitting the hard subjects from both sides next time.
Obama reminds me of the Scottish Nobles in the movie “Braveheart”.
They said they would fight with Wallace and the Scottish peasants, but then rode off when the battle started.
It seems like the British Crown gilded their cages.
Obama, likewise.
Obama reminds me of the Scottish Nobles in the movie “Braveheart”.
They said they would fight with Wallace and the Scottish peasants, but then rode off when the battle started.
It seems like the British Crown gilded their cages.
Obama, likewise.
If he wants to help the environment and create jobs he needs to legalize industrial Hemp. The Hemp plant will open more jobs than any other stimulus plan could.
If he wants to help the environment and create jobs he needs to legalize industrial Hemp. The Hemp plant will open more jobs than any other stimulus plan could.
Everyone here agrees that Obama has done some things and not done others that would make equal or better sense.
Is he better than GW Bush? It shows how low the bar was set and then accepted during the last 8 years that with relief we can all turn to this question, as the one thing that we can all agree on. Yes, gee whiz – overall he is a tad better than GW Bush.
But even in that, not consistently so.
Apparently he’s OK with going slow on replacing Bush’s vindictive DoJ attorneys, the ones who put outspoken opponents in jail, where some of them languish.
Despite clear warnings by environmentalists, he chose a Sec of Interior schooled by Reagan’s James Watt. Now the Obushma administration is trying to race Palin to see how many endangered wolves – brought back from extinction over decades of dedication -can be quickly shot in one season. His current nomination for Ag Trade czar is the chief lobbiest for big oil-&-chem agrobiz – the guy who drafted the first ‘USDA organic’ label plan, whereby the label was to apply to farming using industrial chemical sludge. His confirmation will ensure that US Ag policy worldwide favors big corporate farming, featuring dependence on oil, chemicals and uncontrolled and unlabeled genetic mods. Obama’s Sec of State Clinton rubberstamped piping in ruinous Canadian tar sands oil. Even some of his EPA folks, not to mention Interior and Ag people, continue to approve mountaintop destruction coal mining, clear-cutting of virgin irreplaceable forest, and poisoning of public lands so as to eliminate prairie dogs and ferrets and other wildlife. Meanwhile, of course climate can wait a year or two or …
I guess Obama is quite comfy being simply a city boy with no real feeling for nature – and indeed not even a sheerly intellectual understanding of what is natural or long-run sustainable even in sheer economic-plunder terms – other than PC noises suggested by some of his advisors. He talks good talk about green jobs, but even as he calls for specific cuts in weapons programs he advances no specific plans for employing the weapons-employed workers instead in any of these green jobs – or indeed any jobs – public or even private. Instead, so far as he seems able to plan, workers leaving weapons labor must head for the unemployment rolls.
Meanwhile climate will wait for the sake of ‘health’ reform. Reform that turns out to be little more than guaranteed subsidies for big insurers’ bureaucracies and sickness-treatment pre-pay plans (which is most of what so-called ‘health’ insurance is these days).
Sure, he’s facing Republicans whose only consistent ideology is a triple ‘NO’: No-problems, No-solutions, No-alternatives. No problems can be admitted to exist; if they do exist they are the fault of the Dems and therefore should not and indeed must not be solved; and if the Dems advance solutions it is the Republican job only to resist them, not to offer alternatives.
So how has he responded? As if the Republicans actually don’t mean it: the nastier they are, the more he tries to conciliate them and reward them in advance for hopefully in future being slightly less nasty.
We could give him credit for being consistent with this in his foreign policy. He’s tried and succeeded in – and has been Nobel-prized for – being the world’s messiah – in the super-Christian (definitely NOT Muslim) milquetoast sense of turning the ‘other cheek’ to our enemies – and the world’s enemies of democracy. He has so far thereby betrayed just as much as ever did GW Bush the embattled people of Tehran and Darfur and Zimbabwe – not to mention Syria, Libya, Tibet, and other less prominent places. (Note: one minor glitch in this messianic turn-the-cheek approach is that your first few enemies will get almost all your cheeks and other goods, leaving little for your other enemies, let alone anything for your friends and yourself.)
For the Obama guys, ‘engagement’ with enemies takes place not along with, as a tactic for – but instead of, and at the expense of – helping democratic friends and American democratic values. When GW Bush did this, he was properly denounced by all progressives as either a friend or an appeaser of exploiters and dictators. When Obama does it, ‘progressive’ apologists laud him for being a ‘realist’ who has allegedly restored the USA’s world ‘standing’ – whatever that means.
Let’s say it loud and clear: even if they do praise us (they don’t: most of the time privately and even at times publicly they mock Obama and then the rest of us contemptuously for being such easy marks), there is no value to us in ‘engagement’ that is mere time-waste talk with the likes of Ahmadinejad, Kim, Gaddaffi, Assad, Bashir, Mugabe. ‘Engagement’ which so far has served only to confirm to these guys that the USA (in the name of course of high-minded Nobel-prize-winning sentiments about equality and brotherhood of states) is committed to giving them all the time they need to suppress their own people and as desired develop nukes and missiles.
Everyone here agrees that Obama has done some things and not done others that would make equal or better sense.
Is he better than GW Bush? It shows how low the bar was set and then accepted during the last 8 years that with relief we can all turn to this question, as the one thing that we can all agree on. Yes, gee whiz – overall he is a tad better than GW Bush.
But even in that, not consistently so.
Apparently he’s OK with going slow on replacing Bush’s vindictive DoJ attorneys, the ones who put outspoken opponents in jail, where some of them languish.
Despite clear warnings by environmentalists, he chose a Sec of Interior schooled by Reagan’s James Watt. Now the Obushma administration is trying to race Palin to see how many endangered wolves – brought back from extinction over decades of dedication -can be quickly shot in one season. His current nomination for Ag Trade czar is the chief lobbiest for big oil-&-chem agrobiz – the guy who drafted the first ‘USDA organic’ label plan, whereby the label was to apply to farming using industrial chemical sludge. His confirmation will ensure that US Ag policy worldwide favors big corporate farming, featuring dependence on oil, chemicals and uncontrolled and unlabeled genetic mods. Obama’s Sec of State Clinton rubberstamped piping in ruinous Canadian tar sands oil. Even some of his EPA folks, not to mention Interior and Ag people, continue to approve mountaintop destruction coal mining, clear-cutting of virgin irreplaceable forest, and poisoning of public lands so as to eliminate prairie dogs and ferrets and other wildlife. Meanwhile, of course climate can wait a year or two or …
I guess Obama is quite comfy being simply a city boy with no real feeling for nature – and indeed not even a sheerly intellectual understanding of what is natural or long-run sustainable even in sheer economic-plunder terms – other than PC noises suggested by some of his advisors. He talks good talk about green jobs, but even as he calls for specific cuts in weapons programs he advances no specific plans for employing the weapons-employed workers instead in any of these green jobs – or indeed any jobs – public or even private. Instead, so far as he seems able to plan, workers leaving weapons labor must head for the unemployment rolls.
Meanwhile climate will wait for the sake of ‘health’ reform. Reform that turns out to be little more than guaranteed subsidies for big insurers’ bureaucracies and sickness-treatment pre-pay plans (which is most of what so-called ‘health’ insurance is these days).
Sure, he’s facing Republicans whose only consistent ideology is a triple ‘NO’: No-problems, No-solutions, No-alternatives. No problems can be admitted to exist; if they do exist they are the fault of the Dems and therefore should not and indeed must not be solved; and if the Dems advance solutions it is the Republican job only to resist them, not to offer alternatives.
So how has he responded? As if the Republicans actually don’t mean it: the nastier they are, the more he tries to conciliate them and reward them in advance for hopefully in future being slightly less nasty.
We could give him credit for being consistent with this in his foreign policy. He’s tried and succeeded in – and has been Nobel-prized for – being the world’s messiah – in the super-Christian (definitely NOT Muslim) milquetoast sense of turning the ‘other cheek’ to our enemies – and the world’s enemies of democracy. He has so far thereby betrayed just as much as ever did GW Bush the embattled people of Tehran and Darfur and Zimbabwe – not to mention Syria, Libya, Tibet, and other less prominent places. (Note: one minor glitch in this messianic turn-the-cheek approach is that your first few enemies will get almost all your cheeks and other goods, leaving little for your other enemies, let alone anything for your friends and yourself.)
For the Obama guys, ‘engagement’ with enemies takes place not along with, as a tactic for – but instead of, and at the expense of – helping democratic friends and American democratic values. When GW Bush did this, he was properly denounced by all progressives as either a friend or an appeaser of exploiters and dictators. When Obama does it, ‘progressive’ apologists laud him for being a ‘realist’ who has allegedly restored the USA’s world ‘standing’ – whatever that means.
Let’s say it loud and clear: even if they do praise us (they don’t: most of the time privately and even at times publicly they mock Obama and then the rest of us contemptuously for being such easy marks), there is no value to us in ‘engagement’ that is mere time-waste talk with the likes of Ahmadinejad, Kim, Gaddaffi, Assad, Bashir, Mugabe. ‘Engagement’ which so far has served only to confirm to these guys that the USA (in the name of course of high-minded Nobel-prize-winning sentiments about equality and brotherhood of states) is committed to giving them all the time they need to suppress their own people and as desired develop nukes and missiles.
Obama leads a nation with racialized, chauvinistic, commercialized, and militarized mind-sets that destroy any disposition to empathize with (1) those who cannot find jobs; (2) those who cannot afford health care; (3) victims of the Pentagon’s, Israeli, and NATO’s bombs and bullets, and (4)victims of states’ cutbacks on education. Obama’s central concern is to be re-elected in 2012, and he appears convinced that to do so he must play ball with the forces for maintaining the status quo in domestic and foreign policies. Thus his key appointments are from the old guard of the Bush and Clinton administrations. He, he thinks, will carry out his “change we can believe in” during his second term. This is poor reasoning. The forces he is trying to appease–and they can make or break his image– will abandon him in 2011. He will not have a second term, given his policies of appeasement toward status quo advocates. If the economy dramatically improves, by some fluke, and he is re-elected, he will face a possibly Republican controlled Congress that will make him a lame duck President throughout 2012-2016. He should, therefore, take his eyes off 2012, curb the Pentagon’s usurpation of foreign policy, talk sternly to Israel, terminate the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, cease the military build-up in Columbia, stop equating Wall Street’s health with the health of the nation’s economy, and let the chips fall where they may in 2012.
Obama leads a nation with racialized, chauvinistic, commercialized, and militarized mind-sets that destroy any disposition to empathize with (1) those who cannot find jobs; (2) those who cannot afford health care; (3) victims of the Pentagon’s, Israeli, and NATO’s bombs and bullets, and (4)victims of states’ cutbacks on education. Obama’s central concern is to be re-elected in 2012, and he appears convinced that to do so he must play ball with the forces for maintaining the status quo in domestic and foreign policies. Thus his key appointments are from the old guard of the Bush and Clinton administrations. He, he thinks, will carry out his “change we can believe in” during his second term. This is poor reasoning. The forces he is trying to appease–and they can make or break his image– will abandon him in 2011. He will not have a second term, given his policies of appeasement toward status quo advocates. If the economy dramatically improves, by some fluke, and he is re-elected, he will face a possibly Republican controlled Congress that will make him a lame duck President throughout 2012-2016. He should, therefore, take his eyes off 2012, curb the Pentagon’s usurpation of foreign policy, talk sternly to Israel, terminate the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, cease the military build-up in Columbia, stop equating Wall Street’s health with the health of the nation’s economy, and let the chips fall where they may in 2012.
Are you kidding? Really!!! Obama has made Wall Street safe for Wall Street, not the working class. He has instituted no reforms- last year they got bonuses for doing a poor job, this year the same firms are scheduled to get bonuses. The big banks and insurance companies have become bigger due to the fact that over 120 banks have failed. You cannot judge the end of the economic crisis by how well Wall Street does, the double digit inflation is not going down, in fact small business make a killing by laying off workers and forcing those who stay to do twice the job for less pay. Instead of creating a WPA or other program like Pres. Roosevelt did, or increasing the Federal Minimum wage to $10 an hour, Obama has let the credit card companies jack up their rates and rip off the consumers. In foreign affairs, show me where there has been a change of attitude from the Bush administration. Just because American soldiers are not getting killed in any real numbers in Iraq doesn’t mean that the people of Iraq are not suffering,their infrastructure has not been rebuilt. In Falluja, thousands of children and newborns are born with horrible birth deformities, due to the unspent radioactive shells left in that city. In Palestine, Sec. of State Clinton has boldly let Israel do do whatever it wants with the Palestinians- depriving them now of water and land. Instead of strengthening the democratic forces in Pakistan, our drones and military aid continues to kill innocent civilians
Are you kidding? Really!!! Obama has made Wall Street safe for Wall Street, not the working class. He has instituted no reforms- last year they got bonuses for doing a poor job, this year the same firms are scheduled to get bonuses. The big banks and insurance companies have become bigger due to the fact that over 120 banks have failed. You cannot judge the end of the economic crisis by how well Wall Street does, the double digit inflation is not going down, in fact small business make a killing by laying off workers and forcing those who stay to do twice the job for less pay. Instead of creating a WPA or other program like Pres. Roosevelt did, or increasing the Federal Minimum wage to $10 an hour, Obama has let the credit card companies jack up their rates and rip off the consumers. In foreign affairs, show me where there has been a change of attitude from the Bush administration. Just because American soldiers are not getting killed in any real numbers in Iraq doesn’t mean that the people of Iraq are not suffering,their infrastructure has not been rebuilt. In Falluja, thousands of children and newborns are born with horrible birth deformities, due to the unspent radioactive shells left in that city. In Palestine, Sec. of State Clinton has boldly let Israel do do whatever it wants with the Palestinians- depriving them now of water and land. Instead of strengthening the democratic forces in Pakistan, our drones and military aid continues to kill innocent civilians
* Ten: President Obama has slowed down the recession….
(What’s the Black unemployment rate? Got a racial breakdown of foreclosure stats handy?)
* Nine: ….and financial investment reform is being discussed like never before.
(We used to *have* regulations, which might be why they weren’t discussed so much before.)
* Seven: President Obama shifted the focus of the war from Iraq to Aftghanistan…
(Exit strategy. What’s the exit strategy? Hello? Hello? EXIT STRATEGY, are you there?)
* Six: President Obama relaxed Anti-American tensions throughout the world.
(Continuing AFRICOM is not relaxing. Pandering to ZIONISM is not relaxing. Bombing PAKISTAN is not relaxing. Threatening IRAN is not relaxing…)
* Five: President Obama closed the prisoner “torture camp” at Guantanamo Bay. Holding prisoners for eight years without charging them was acceptable under the previous administration. It is not acceptable under this administration. Obama’s next challenge is what to do with the detainees.
(If it’s not acceptable, why are they still there? What exactly is the accomplishment? Gitmo and all the other black sites are still there, the prisoners are still in them. How does that constitute something BO has “done”?)
* Four: President Obama has made the environment a national priority…
(He just gutted Copenhagen while holding hands with China.)
* Three: President Obama has made education a national priority by putting emphasis and money behind new ideas like charter schools…
(PUBLIC schools are PUBLIC. PUBLIC. That’s why they’re called PUBLIC schools.)
* Two: President Obama is on the verge of passing universal health care, with a public option, to insure everybody in America has care when they are sick. He’s doing it, despite vilification of ideologues and while in the midst of an H1N1 epidemic where millions could get sick this winter. The people feel him on this.
(Unless of course, one is a member of that tiny minority of half the population, woman, and therefore, not fitting of the term “people” or “everyone.” That’s setting aside the fact that “on the verge of” does not mean “done”.)
* One: President Obama has restored credibility to the American Presidency where the world is looking to him to lead America out of unilateralism and back into multilateral global cooperation. The Nobel Peace Prize was an acknowledgment that Obama had led and is leading a non-violent cultural revolution in America. Everybody, except for a few in America, can see the change. Still, the world understands what happened one year ago, and they thought they’d never see such a shift occur. The election of Obama helped the world see the light that America wasn’t ready to self-destruct.
(Ask a PALESTINIAN to carefully describe the “shift” that’s occurred. You can do it over the phone and just play it back, as the Obama govt is tapping and taping it, legally.)
* Ten: President Obama has slowed down the recession….
(What’s the Black unemployment rate? Got a racial breakdown of foreclosure stats handy?)
* Nine: ….and financial investment reform is being discussed like never before.
(We used to *have* regulations, which might be why they weren’t discussed so much before.)
* Seven: President Obama shifted the focus of the war from Iraq to Aftghanistan…
(Exit strategy. What’s the exit strategy? Hello? Hello? EXIT STRATEGY, are you there?)
* Six: President Obama relaxed Anti-American tensions throughout the world.
(Continuing AFRICOM is not relaxing. Pandering to ZIONISM is not relaxing. Bombing PAKISTAN is not relaxing. Threatening IRAN is not relaxing…)
* Five: President Obama closed the prisoner “torture camp” at Guantanamo Bay. Holding prisoners for eight years without charging them was acceptable under the previous administration. It is not acceptable under this administration. Obama’s next challenge is what to do with the detainees.
(If it’s not acceptable, why are they still there? What exactly is the accomplishment? Gitmo and all the other black sites are still there, the prisoners are still in them. How does that constitute something BO has “done”?)
* Four: President Obama has made the environment a national priority…
(He just gutted Copenhagen while holding hands with China.)
* Three: President Obama has made education a national priority by putting emphasis and money behind new ideas like charter schools…
(PUBLIC schools are PUBLIC. PUBLIC. That’s why they’re called PUBLIC schools.)
* Two: President Obama is on the verge of passing universal health care, with a public option, to insure everybody in America has care when they are sick. He’s doing it, despite vilification of ideologues and while in the midst of an H1N1 epidemic where millions could get sick this winter. The people feel him on this.
(Unless of course, one is a member of that tiny minority of half the population, woman, and therefore, not fitting of the term “people” or “everyone.” That’s setting aside the fact that “on the verge of” does not mean “done”.)
* One: President Obama has restored credibility to the American Presidency where the world is looking to him to lead America out of unilateralism and back into multilateral global cooperation. The Nobel Peace Prize was an acknowledgment that Obama had led and is leading a non-violent cultural revolution in America. Everybody, except for a few in America, can see the change. Still, the world understands what happened one year ago, and they thought they’d never see such a shift occur. The election of Obama helped the world see the light that America wasn’t ready to self-destruct.
(Ask a PALESTINIAN to carefully describe the “shift” that’s occurred. You can do it over the phone and just play it back, as the Obama govt is tapping and taping it, legally.)
We cannot go on expecting things to change from one day to the next, you forget who Obama is up against, you need to acknowledge that changes have occurred and ask how can we band together to create the environment to cause more changes to take place.
One important thing that people fail to remember is that Obama said ” I am not the change you are waiting for I am only the opportunity” He also said “make me do it” he fully understands that change in this country has always come from the grassroots, not from one or two politicians that want to make good.
So if he is not moving fast enough, then we ask ourselves where can we focus our efforts so that it creates the momentum to make him do it, because criticizing him only fuels the right, it does not help any of the things you cited.
We cannot go on expecting things to change from one day to the next, you forget who Obama is up against, you need to acknowledge that changes have occurred and ask how can we band together to create the environment to cause more changes to take place.
One important thing that people fail to remember is that Obama said ” I am not the change you are waiting for I am only the opportunity” He also said “make me do it” he fully understands that change in this country has always come from the grassroots, not from one or two politicians that want to make good.
So if he is not moving fast enough, then we ask ourselves where can we focus our efforts so that it creates the momentum to make him do it, because criticizing him only fuels the right, it does not help any of the things you cited.
Although I still feel a flush of pride (for my country) every time I see President Obama’s face on the TV, I half wonder if he isn’t the political equivalent of Bernie Madoff and if he hasn’t pulled off on liberal Americans an most artful and cynical scam. Or maybe he’s just not up to the job–serving on the Harvard Law Review doesn’t really amount to all that much in the “real world”, and Obama seems to be proving it.
The Afgan and Iraq wars are no small issues. In fact, arguably they are crimes against humanity. Further, as an earlier writer commented, in a major way, they are pushing America toward financial bankruptcy (some might argue that, where the wars, in particular, and our policy in that part of the world, in general, are concerned, we’re already morally bankrupt–have been for decades). Who’s in charge of now?
Although I still feel a flush of pride (for my country) every time I see President Obama’s face on the TV, I half wonder if he isn’t the political equivalent of Bernie Madoff and if he hasn’t pulled off on liberal Americans an most artful and cynical scam. Or maybe he’s just not up to the job–serving on the Harvard Law Review doesn’t really amount to all that much in the “real world”, and Obama seems to be proving it.
The Afgan and Iraq wars are no small issues. In fact, arguably they are crimes against humanity. Further, as an earlier writer commented, in a major way, they are pushing America toward financial bankruptcy (some might argue that, where the wars, in particular, and our policy in that part of the world, in general, are concerned, we’re already morally bankrupt–have been for decades). Who’s in charge of now?
I truly thought I voted for change last year. Shifting the focus from Iraq to Afghanistan I guess it can be argued as change But this is not the change I voted for. In addition, I have major problems with Larry Summer advising Obama on economic policies and having Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury . These two are disciples of Bob Rubin who was a key player as to why we are facing this economic crisis. Rather than finding things he has done right we should endeavor to force him to embrace not to reject progressive polices in the name of bipartisanship.
I truly thought I voted for change last year. Shifting the focus from Iraq to Afghanistan I guess it can be argued as change But this is not the change I voted for. In addition, I have major problems with Larry Summer advising Obama on economic policies and having Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury . These two are disciples of Bob Rubin who was a key player as to why we are facing this economic crisis. Rather than finding things he has done right we should endeavor to force him to embrace not to reject progressive polices in the name of bipartisanship.
War, someone has said, is hell. Neither the Bush nor Obama administration clarified and specified the purpose of NATO’s occupation of Afghanistan. How is this occupation an achievement? The Pentagon has now grown into a Leviathan that has control of U.S. foreign policy. Has anyone noticed the growing presence of Generals in discussions of foreign policy? Obama ignores or endorses this militarization. His wait-and-see policies in Honduras and Palestine, and his double standards on Middle East nuclear proliferation suggest that nonviolent conflict resolution and fairness are not part of his agenda.
War, someone has said, is hell. Neither the Bush nor Obama administration clarified and specified the purpose of NATO’s occupation of Afghanistan. How is this occupation an achievement? The Pentagon has now grown into a Leviathan that has control of U.S. foreign policy. Has anyone noticed the growing presence of Generals in discussions of foreign policy? Obama ignores or endorses this militarization. His wait-and-see policies in Honduras and Palestine, and his double standards on Middle East nuclear proliferation suggest that nonviolent conflict resolution and fairness are not part of his agenda.
Yes, I’m with Val. I like your newsletter. However, I thought the article about Obama was a generalized whitewash — if it’s OK to use that term! There are a few things that do represent progress, but most are only part of what was promised. The only thing I really agreed with is the fact that he has indeed brought us back into the family of nations, and has brought us respect abroad.
The stimulus should have been a jobs program. He buckled under to the pressure to do just about everything EXCEPT have a jobs program. Look at what the Governor of Tennessee did with his stimulus money. He used it for a jobs program similar to what Roosevelt did. If he could do that with the money sent to his state, why couldn’t Obama, without even going to Congress, have started similar programs? Bush proved to us that presidents do have real power. There are programs out there already, with funds, that can be used by the administration. What if every young person who wanted a job last summer, and every out-of-work person who was willing, had been sent out to serve as classroom aides in summer schools across the country, to shelve books so librarians could hold story hours, or to paint and freshen up classrooms and park restrooms, and clear brush in fire areas? At $15 per hour, imagine the money that would have flowed into their home communities as they were able to pay their rents, buy groceries, and maybe have enough left over for a movie or a night out? Would these have been “real jobs?” I think the people who did the work, and the communities that benefited, would have thought they were real.
The same thing goes for the advances needed by gays. Obama could put a moritorium on firing gays in the military. Every week, an ad appears in the Los Angeles Times begging people who speak Arabic languages to volunteer. And yet, thousands of gays who were trained to speak Arabic have been fired! And here we had a psychiatrist who begged to be released from the Army, and offered to pay back his education — a man who was so repelled by the idea of fighting his co-religionists that he finally broke and went on a shooting spree — and yet he could not be discharged despite obvious psychological problems. But we keep on firing gays who want to serve!
Obama is losing the chance he has to appoint more liberal judges. By the time he gets around to it, congress will have changed, and there will no longer be a Democratic majority. Many other regulatory actions will probably lose out for the same reasons.
I’m very disappointed that Obama uses his personal born again Christian beliefs to influence his administrative and political decisions. It’s strange to me that an intelligent person cannot see the obvious parallels between the cries that mixed racial marriages were against God’s will, and the cries today that gay marriages are frowned upon by God. I thought there would be a reduction in the importance of official religious acts, and allowing religious institutions receiving federal funds to discriminate in their hiring practices, but, if anything, Obama has increased the importance of these programs and refused to tighten restrictions.
Many people chose Obama over Hillary Clinton because they thought Obama was anti-war. Now, it appears that he will send more troops to Afghanistan, even if he doesn’t send as many as his generals want. The wars are breaking our economy. Obama will never be able to accomplish what he says he wants, in health care, or in anything else, while paying for these wars.
I could go on — about the fact that we still have rendition of a sort, that we still have tribunals, that the health care program so far is too weak to do much good, and will now do harm to women’s health. I fear that for Obama, it was too much, too soon. Is it “better than Bush?” Of course! But that’s not enough.
Sharon Toji
Yes, I’m with Val. I like your newsletter. However, I thought the article about Obama was a generalized whitewash — if it’s OK to use that term! There are a few things that do represent progress, but most are only part of what was promised. The only thing I really agreed with is the fact that he has indeed brought us back into the family of nations, and has brought us respect abroad.
The stimulus should have been a jobs program. He buckled under to the pressure to do just about everything EXCEPT have a jobs program. Look at what the Governor of Tennessee did with his stimulus money. He used it for a jobs program similar to what Roosevelt did. If he could do that with the money sent to his state, why couldn’t Obama, without even going to Congress, have started similar programs? Bush proved to us that presidents do have real power. There are programs out there already, with funds, that can be used by the administration. What if every young person who wanted a job last summer, and every out-of-work person who was willing, had been sent out to serve as classroom aides in summer schools across the country, to shelve books so librarians could hold story hours, or to paint and freshen up classrooms and park restrooms, and clear brush in fire areas? At $15 per hour, imagine the money that would have flowed into their home communities as they were able to pay their rents, buy groceries, and maybe have enough left over for a movie or a night out? Would these have been “real jobs?” I think the people who did the work, and the communities that benefited, would have thought they were real.
The same thing goes for the advances needed by gays. Obama could put a moritorium on firing gays in the military. Every week, an ad appears in the Los Angeles Times begging people who speak Arabic languages to volunteer. And yet, thousands of gays who were trained to speak Arabic have been fired! And here we had a psychiatrist who begged to be released from the Army, and offered to pay back his education — a man who was so repelled by the idea of fighting his co-religionists that he finally broke and went on a shooting spree — and yet he could not be discharged despite obvious psychological problems. But we keep on firing gays who want to serve!
Obama is losing the chance he has to appoint more liberal judges. By the time he gets around to it, congress will have changed, and there will no longer be a Democratic majority. Many other regulatory actions will probably lose out for the same reasons.
I’m very disappointed that Obama uses his personal born again Christian beliefs to influence his administrative and political decisions. It’s strange to me that an intelligent person cannot see the obvious parallels between the cries that mixed racial marriages were against God’s will, and the cries today that gay marriages are frowned upon by God. I thought there would be a reduction in the importance of official religious acts, and allowing religious institutions receiving federal funds to discriminate in their hiring practices, but, if anything, Obama has increased the importance of these programs and refused to tighten restrictions.
Many people chose Obama over Hillary Clinton because they thought Obama was anti-war. Now, it appears that he will send more troops to Afghanistan, even if he doesn’t send as many as his generals want. The wars are breaking our economy. Obama will never be able to accomplish what he says he wants, in health care, or in anything else, while paying for these wars.
I could go on — about the fact that we still have rendition of a sort, that we still have tribunals, that the health care program so far is too weak to do much good, and will now do harm to women’s health. I fear that for Obama, it was too much, too soon. Is it “better than Bush?” Of course! But that’s not enough.
Sharon Toji
The following comment was sent to us by a long time LA Progressive reader named Val. She sent this comment directly to our email address but gave us permission to repost it here.
Here’s what Val had to say:
Sorry, but most of this editorial about Obama is a crock! Particularly about the recovery and healthcare. With millions of workers unemployed and an unemployment rate which will permanently now be 10% Please! And so is the article about Ft. Hood creating PSTD. Hasan hadn’t even served overseas.
Send your newsletter to President Zelaya where the coup d-etat has him hiding out in the Brazilizn embassy. Tell it to President Chavez whose preparing his country now for the war Obama is getting ready to wage against Latin America from the bases we are preparing in Colombia. And tell it to the Palestians who are still being starved en masse in Gaza and cannot rebuild their homes while the Obama administration equivocates over settlement building but cannot send in a ship full of medical supplies and food.
Tell it to the people who homes have been foreclosed while taxpayer funds were being shoveled to the shareholders of investment firms like Goldmach Sachs and the rest of the banks.
Tell it to the students who are being denied the ability to enter state college in California and the students preparing to strike at UC Berkeley.
But please don’t come and tell it to Oakland where Jerry Brown sucked out more than his share of public monies for his private charter arts school in Oakland in a public building that he shoveled public subsidies of $60 million dollars to restore, yes the Fox Theater which is now being auctioned off. And this charter arts school mainly had children from Walnut Creek and SF enrolled.
Attack the left because of Obama’s bankrupt strategy of inviting in the insurance company in a bogus plan for healthcare reform now renamed guaranteed insurance company profits. And tie the hands of the left behind them as well as a woman’s right to choose is almost annihilated now.
Val
P.S. Otherwise, I tend to like your newsletter
The following comment was sent to us by a long time LA Progressive reader named Val. She sent this comment directly to our email address but gave us permission to repost it here.
Here’s what Val had to say:
Sorry, but most of this editorial about Obama is a crock! Particularly about the recovery and healthcare. With millions of workers unemployed and an unemployment rate which will permanently now be 10% Please! And so is the article about Ft. Hood creating PSTD. Hasan hadn’t even served overseas.
Send your newsletter to President Zelaya where the coup d-etat has him hiding out in the Brazilizn embassy. Tell it to President Chavez whose preparing his country now for the war Obama is getting ready to wage against Latin America from the bases we are preparing in Colombia. And tell it to the Palestians who are still being starved en masse in Gaza and cannot rebuild their homes while the Obama administration equivocates over settlement building but cannot send in a ship full of medical supplies and food.
Tell it to the people who homes have been foreclosed while taxpayer funds were being shoveled to the shareholders of investment firms like Goldmach Sachs and the rest of the banks.
Tell it to the students who are being denied the ability to enter state college in California and the students preparing to strike at UC Berkeley.
But please don’t come and tell it to Oakland where Jerry Brown sucked out more than his share of public monies for his private charter arts school in Oakland in a public building that he shoveled public subsidies of $60 million dollars to restore, yes the Fox Theater which is now being auctioned off. And this charter arts school mainly had children from Walnut Creek and SF enrolled.
Attack the left because of Obama’s bankrupt strategy of inviting in the insurance company in a bogus plan for healthcare reform now renamed guaranteed insurance company profits. And tie the hands of the left behind them as well as a woman’s right to choose is almost annihilated now.
Val
P.S. Otherwise, I tend to like your newsletter
Anthony Asadullah Samad:
The L.A. Progressive should be very proud of you.
I never would have thought any Newspaper in the United States would have printed the truth about Barack Obama.
You, Anthony, have done a marvelous job. Kudos to you!!! I believe Barack Obama has done a “fantastic” job in ten (10) months. It takes a “woman” and a “man” less time to consumate to have a child and less than ten (10) months to have one and after it is born, it still needs “years” of care. Barack Obama has embraced America as his “baby” and is nurturing it as he would have done for his own two babies. You have to feed (stimulus bill), rock it (move it until it is comfortable with changes), change the diapers (get rid of the mess that was globally left by negligent Presidents (parents). His baby is just getting used to him “bonding” because of such drastic changes since it was in the womb. The baby is reaching out with Barack Obama for attainable “peace”. Peace to the World, peace to live a good, clean, functional life. Peace to share good things from America with all other Nations. To learn to share technology and to pacify all the other good Nations of the World. God Bless You,Anthony for an article I will share with family and friends.
As progressive democrat reading this article, I feel that without the push from progressives things would not look as good as they do. We were at the forefront of getting him elected. I have been a Democrat as long as I could vote. We need to watch very closely that we maintain our liberal positions and remember that we are the party of the people.
As progressive democrat reading this article, I feel that without the push from progressives things would not look as good as they do. We were at the forefront of getting him elected. I have been a Democrat as long as I could vote. We need to watch very closely that we maintain our liberal positions and remember that we are the party of the people.
I agree that significant changes have happened in the last year. But this top 10 list is rather general and misses some impoprtant key changes. I give a couple of examples:
(1) re-engaging in negotiations with North Korea rather than just ignoring them or taunting them;
(2) relaxing the embargo on Cuba, including on travel and remitances;
(3) changes in federal guidelines to federal prosecutors about bringing medical marajuana indictmentsa;
(4) appointment of Dr Chu as Energy secretary, and new emphasis on renewable energy R&D;
(5) Chris Dodd’s bill on regulatory reform of the banking industry (a much better approach than Obama’s proposal to put the Fed in charge of all regulatory aspects).
A better analysis would have more specifics and less generalizations.
== Robert Frampton (Pasadena)
I agree that significant changes have happened in the last year. But this top 10 list is rather general and misses some impoprtant key changes. I give a couple of examples:
(1) re-engaging in negotiations with North Korea rather than just ignoring them or taunting them;
(2) relaxing the embargo on Cuba, including on travel and remitances;
(3) changes in federal guidelines to federal prosecutors about bringing medical marajuana indictmentsa;
(4) appointment of Dr Chu as Energy secretary, and new emphasis on renewable energy R&D;
(5) Chris Dodd’s bill on regulatory reform of the banking industry (a much better approach than Obama’s proposal to put the Fed in charge of all regulatory aspects).
A better analysis would have more specifics and less generalizations.
== Robert Frampton (Pasadena)