He gave a huge bailout to the banks and wallstreet, passed a Republican health care bill rather than one with the Public Option or single payer, lowered taxes for most of America, gave tax breaks to small businesses, escalated the war in Afghanistan, etc. He is hardly a leftist. I think you might be the one without a clue.
I knew he would govern from the center and I knew he was a pragmatist. He was even more of both than I expected, though. Some thought (and apparently still think) he was an uber-liberal ideologue. Those are the people who weren't/aren't paying attention. I was looking for more of a stand on gay rights issues, transparency, executive privilege issues, torture and probably a couple other things. Those are really fairly minor quibbles, though. As long as things are getting done before he leaves office I'll be pretty happy.
I am disappointed and fear for the future of our country. Not because of health care stuff, but because I thought that the silver lining to his election was that he would curb the police state powers of the executive branch. Instead he has usurped even more power and used more frightening rhetoric to defend the Bush WH powers that he and his supports bemoaned. I fear the power I will see the POTUS wield in my lifetime.
He's become the biggest warmonger President we've had since LBJ. He's pissed all 4th and 6th amendments. He's greatly expanded the corporate welfare state. I guess he's not that much worse than the last guy.
except that he was left a situation with few options. the thing that kills me about people really trying to make the bush comparison is that bush was left a very favorable economy and budget. and as far as expanding corporate welfare, tarp started with bush.
I just don't see how the Af-Pak War isn't another Vietnam, and Obama has launched a Tet Offensive. And we're not bringing troops home from Iraq. Now we're saber-rattling with Yemen. To be fair, he never declared war. Eisenhower/Kennedy getting us into Vietnam wasn't good, but it wasn't that bad. Johnson thinking he could win in Vietnam was the problem.
I was under the impression the number of troops in Iraq has decreased since Obama's inauguration, and that they were still on track to get all "combat troops" out based on the Iraqi government's timetable. Is that not accurate? Obama's Iraq Withdrawal Speech: In Afghanistan, he has set a clear timetable for decreasing the troop level there, and that is scheduled for next year. While it sounds like troop withdrawal will be slow, there won't be any further increases and the goal will be to wind it down. That makes it very different from Vietnam to my understanding. I assume you're exaggerating by ignoring George W. Bush, but even then I still don't understand the warmonger label.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2009/02/27/62930/obama-to-extend-iraq-withdrawal.html At best, Obama is as pro-Iraq War as Bush. (Now, when it counts. I don't care that he opposed it when he was State Senator and his vote didn't count.) And he thinks he can win in Afghanistan, and will commit untold American troops' lives to the delusion. I think that qualifies him as a warmonger.
By the way, I'm not ignoring Bush's warmongering. It's just that Obama's is worse. He does seem to warmonger with less bravado and more nuance, though.
I don't get it. That supports my position. You said we're not bringing troops home from Iraq. But that says we are.
How am I wrong about the corporate welfare? Every major legislative accomplishment that has passed since he's been President, with the lone exception of the the Lilly Ledbetter Act, has been a major corporate handout. The GM/Chrysler Bailouts, the stimulus fund, the Healthcare bill. All were chock-full of corporate welfare. Next on the agenda is Chris Dodd's plan to put the banks in charge of their own regulation. (Brilliant!) It is really sad that Obama's supporters only defense of him is, "Bush did it, too." The worst President of my lifetime, and Obama is doubling down (or at least expanding) all of his mistakes.
no my defense wasn't bush did it too. my defense is the that the times dictate the action. you act like obama just came into office with the idea of handing corporations money while totally ignoring the situation. as if he is iraq while totalling ignoring the fact we were already in iraq. sad you have to ignore the sitatution to make some ridiculous points
I guess that's why AT&T, Caterpillar etc were all whining and b****ing like crazy about the free tax subsidy loophole that the HCR bill closed for them? http://www.businessweek.com/news/20...on-charge-on-health-care-reform-update1-.html
Obama's warmongering is worse because he is continuing a war in Afghanistan that he didn't start and not winding down the war in Iraq (which he also didn't start) as fast as you would like? At the very least, I'm pretty sure the count is still, Wars started: Bush 2, Obama 0. Now I do agree with you that it's kind of sad that in some areas where Obama supporters expected major changes, the best we can say is he's no worse than Bush. I'm referring mostly to the issues mentioned by justtxyank.
I think like many first term presidents coming into the white house, he was rather naive and idealistic. Similar to Clinton trying to take on the military with gays, and Bush's disastrous crony-ism. Thinking he could inspire people to do move to a better world, that he could "reach out" to his opponents and that everyone would be singing kumbayah. He got spanked around pretty nicely his first year and is only now beginning to figure out how to govern. The question is now does he have the ability to course correct and make adjustments. He's shows the olive branch and had it spit back into his face - now can he wield the stick without coming across as a tyrant?
