Published on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 by Huffington Post Is This as Good as It Gets From Obama? by Bill Maher Yeah, I'm disappointed, too. I thought we were sweeping into power; I thought change meant Change. I believed all that talk about another First 100 Days, a la Roosevelt. Well, that didn't happen. The question is, is this as good as it gets from Obama, or is he pacing himself? He may have a four and eight-year plan and they included a first year of just gettin' to know you and not gonna rock the boat too much. Well, Mission Accomplished on that. It's still to early to lose hope in a guy as smart and talented as Barack Obama. But I would counsel him to remember: If you're going undercover to infiltrate how Washington works, so you become one of them for a while, to gain their confidence, well, it can be just like all those movies where a cop goes deep, deep, DEEP undercover with drug people and -- ****, he's a drug addict, too! Logic tells me that really smart guys like Obama and Rahm Emanuel know better what they're doing than I do. They certainly know things I don't know. I think we have the same general goals and beliefs. And this is what they do for a living -- I wouldn't even try it. But I will never stop having this doubt: that maybe if they had really charged in there riding the forceful energy of the historic election, and acted like it was an emergency moment -- which it was -- they could have gotten some big victories right up front, and there really could have been an historic "first hundred days" for this administration and the country. Instead of what happened, which is the Obamas got a dog. It could have worked -- the country had given its endorsement to "...and now for something completely different." There might have been a way to knock the Republicans back on their heels right away, with the argument that "The American people demanded we make these changes, and you are unpatriotic to stand in their way." We'll never know. Because that moment passed, and now it could follow the pattern of World War I and devolve into boring, static trench warfare where nothing really gamechanging happens while both sides slowly bleed to death. That said, I do not forget that if the election had gone the other way, we'd right now have a barter economy and be at war with Honduras. Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-maher/is-this-as-good-as-it-get_b_343144.html© 2009 Huffington Post
Each and every time a new president is elected, I watch unrealistic partisans act like they expect a 4-year honeymoon for their successful candidate. I said early on that Obama's favorability ratings would take a major hit and the big healthcare battle would leave him bruised and battered (at least initially). It's all come to pass. His agenda was so ambitious there was no way it could be shoved down the country's throat in 100 days (or 300 days for that matter). Inevitably when this reality sinks in, joyous partisans start questioning why their candidate doesn't accomplish things fast enough. Asking "Is this as Good as it Gets from Obama" is so predictable it makes me laugh. The realities of governing with a minority party that has one agenda only (Stop the Dems) are hard for some to swallow. Too bad. Get used to it. I won't make a list of the changes Obama has made (and is making), but they are significant. If McCain/Palin had won, the environment in this country would be drastically different and the Palinista herself would be a heartbeat away from the presidency. Take a deep breath. Things (politics, life, etc) are never as good as they seem when you're on the mountain top. They are also rarely as bad as they seem when discouragement smacks you after a setback. To answer your question: If Obama is president for 8 years, the country and world will be MUCH different than now, for better or worse depending on your perspective. Obama isn't near the far-lefty that you are glynch and you will never be satisfied with him. But he shares some of your goals.
As usual, I agree with Bill Maher. Obama pissed away his mandate. He was cautious to a fault. I blame Emmanuel. And Obama. I'm disappointed in him, but I still support him. And I'm still damn glad he won. The alternative really is unimaginable.
I'm a bit more upset with him that you are, I think, but generally I agree with your sentiments above.
i could not imagine a country with sarah palin anywhere close to its leadership. if obama does nothing for the next three years, he still gets high points in my book for keeping her on the fringe sidelines where she belongs. that does not mean i hate christian women you dumb****s.
Agreed. You know, there's a reason Presidents are elected to four year terms. Because sometimes, it takes more than 10 months to effect real change in the govt.
There are issues and strategies he's used or not used where I'm completely disappointed and even angry, but I don't believe because all of the ideas he put forward in the campaign haven't yet come to pass that it's all a bust. Some of the things such as closing gitmo etc. are being worked on. Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean he lied about it.
A Democrat as President has to deal with the big tent of the Democratic party. We had gotten used to the lockstep one-mindedness of the talking points party. I wish there were some old LBJ staffers left around to show these whippersnappers how to strong arm their party members.
Me, too. Still hoping there is some sort of plan for being a progressive in the next term or some time in the future. Let me quote the Daily Kos guy who is perhaps not so optimistic. ********** Tonight's big lesson by kos Share this on Twitter - Tonight's big lesson Tue Nov 03, 2009 at 09:32:52 PM PST There will be much number-crunching tomorrow, but preliminary numbers (at least in Virginia) show that GOP turnout remained the same as last year, but Democratic turnout collapsed. This is a base problem, and this is what Democrats better take from tonight: If you abandon Democratic principles in a bid for unnecessary "bipartisanship", you will lose votes. If you water down reform in favor of Blue Dogs and their corporate benefactors, you will lose votes. If you forget why you were elected -- health care, financial services, energy policy and immigration reform -- you will lose votes. Tonight proved conclusively that we're not going to turn out just because you have a (D) next to your name, or because Obama tells us to. We'll turn out if we feel it's worth our time and effort to vote, and we'll work hard to make sure others turn out if you inspire us with bold and decisive action. The choice is yours. Give us a reason to vote for you, or we sit home. And you aren't going to make up the margins with conservative voters. They already know exactly who they're voting for, and it ain't you. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/11/4/800316/-Tonights-big-lesson
^agreed. i will say that i would like a little more clear leadership, i mean publicly, vocally, but i otherwise trust that he is steering the giant cluster**** of a mess left to him back in the right direction.
This "big lesson" is nothing more than the Dem version of Republicans who claim they need to move further right to be more successful. Again, very predictable like a broken record. If Obama had governed his first 10 months like a left-wing zealot, the Dems would be completely in the toilet right now. And don't give me this stuff about "candidate" Obama. Candidate Obama made it very clear he was more of a consensus seeker than and divide and conqueror. After 8 years of catastrophe under Bush, people wanted a different tone in addition to a different direction. Let's be real. This off-year poll doesn't reflect weakness in Obama. After the 2008 results, there was no way that momentum could continue. Election cycles are real just like gravity, especially when the economy isn't suffering. I've also got some other news for you: Get ready for more setbacks next November. Bush left a royal mess and it will take 2 terms to undo much of it, not 10 months. The fact Obama retains popularity through all of this is amazing. After 2010, momentum will shift your way if Afghanistan doesn't implode and the economy doesn't do something weird.
thank you, the economy is stablilized and for the first time the we have a real chance at some healthcare legislation. but oh no, don't ask don't tell hasn't been overturned and bush isn't in jail so the first 10 months are a failure unbelievable
He better start knocking heads pronto on HCR... to let it drag over into an election year would be a huge mistake and most likely spell defeat or saddle us with a craptastic bill. He let Congress do their thing and come up with some bills, which I think was the right approach. Now it is time to bring it to the floor and make people vote in the open rather than allowing them to slowly kill it from behind the scenes, but I get no sense of urgency right now.
