The best worst president ever | By Mark Morford

[madokie]

“Obama is the worst thing to ever happen to this country,” declares the wealthy, rakish, silver-haired Newport Beach white guy to his small group of perfectly tanned 50-something females sitting just a few feet away from us at a stunning restaurant patio overlooking the sun-kissed California coastline, just off of Highway 1, as he sipped his pinot and adjusted his wraparound Ray Bans, flush from the economy’s spectacular recovery that has benefitted his exact demographic most of all, stroking his purebred dog and taking various selfies with their $500 phones, oblivious to the furious swirls of irony and hypocrisy fluttering just above their heads.

I laughed out loud. Couldn’t help it; I had just overheard Mr. Newport Beach say something about how Obamacare is an unmitigated disaster (despite how, of course, it’s not), and if America were to somehow actually develop a health care system similar to, say, Canada’s, that would be the end of America for certain; we’d never recover from such a devastating blow. Or something. And then came the “worst thing to ever happen” quip, and I couldn’t hold back.

They didn’t hear me, of course; the orgasmic thrum of their perfect lives drowned out my chuckle, and as I turned and looked at this beautifully entitled, happy crew from my vantage point only a few feet away but a million light years in perspective, we all shared one of the most spectacular, envied locales in the world and all of us sipped superb regional grape and not a single one of us suffered the slightest personal, social or economic indignity, every first-world need instantly met, every crab cake perfectly formed, the sunshine as flawless as Jesus on toast and no lines at the restroom and lots of free parking for his Lexus SUV.

A few thoughts struck me, all at once. The first was how nice this group all seemed – and of course they probably were – and I imagine if we had all had met under different circumstances and been chatting about, say, the weather or the soul-exploding coastline, I’m sure we would have been fast, easy friends – noting that, if we wanted to remain that way, we’d never talk about politics. Or religion.

http://blog.sfgate.com/morford/2014/07/08/the-best-worst-president-ever/

[SidDithers]

1. Morford rec...

Sid

[merrily]

2. Take it from a frequent critic of Obama: He is not the worst

President ever, by a lot.

IMO, Bush the Lesser, who deliberately lied his country into war, is about tied with Buchanan, who preceded Lincoln.

And there were a bunch of bigots of one kind or another and Presidents who got us into war for the benefit of "special interests." I am sure everyone has his or her own nominees for worst President ever.

[GeorgeGist]

10. Nixon, Reagan

[Art_from_Ark]

24. bu$h was far worse than Buchanan

Buchanan actually tried to *prevent* war.

[Cha]

3. thanks for Morford, madokie.. Au Contraire, mon ami..

Mucho Mas..
TOD

[madokie]

4. I can enthusiastically say the best President in my 66 years

I'd vote for him again if given the chance.

[Cha]

5. I like him the

best, too. And, President Obama still has two more years.. I hope we can give him more sanity to work with in Jan 2015!

[madokie]

6. I think we can

and I think we will.
I can't imagine any dems sitting this one out and if many don't the results will be favorable to our goal of giving this President a congress that will work with him.

[Hekate]

28. I think at our age we've seen enough actually bad ones to recognize a good one ...

... when he comes along. I'd vote for him for a 3rd term too if I were able.

[madokie]

30. No doubt in my mind about that

[Jamaal510]

8. I'm saving that 2nd pic for a future online encounter with a wingnut.

[Cha]

9. Good on ya, Jamaal.. and much more at the link from Kevin Boykin..

"At the same time, he enacted the most sweeping health care reform legislation in 50 years, something Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton couldn't do, and which Ronald Reagan and the two Bushes never wanted to do.

Compared to Bill Clinton, Obama also stacks up well.

Clinton tried to pass a $19.5 billion stimulus bill in Congress in his first year in office in 1993. He failed. But President Obama, on the other hand, was able to push through a much larger $800 billion stimulus in his first year in office, which economists say created nearly 3 million jobs.

Clinton tried mightily to pass comprehensive health care reform in his second year in office. Again he came up empty. Of course, President Obama succeeded.

And Clinton also couldn't overcome the military's strong opposition to lifting the ban on gays in the military. President Obama did it for him.

In reality, today's headline-grabbing poll says less about President Obama and more about our short-term memory as a nation."

MOre... Very Good..
http://www.bet.com/news/politics/2014/07/02/commentary-why-obama-may-be-the-best-president-since-wwii.html

[rtracey]

11. nice stuff

Nice stuff here, but lets guess how many of these accomplishments will be undone or reversed if the repubs take over the Senate this year....any guess, how about A FREAKIN' LOT....so DEMS...get out this vote 2014...GET OFF YOUR ASSES AND VOTE....NO COMPLACENCY.

[calimary]

13. THIS^^^^^^

NOTHING here matters if our side doesn't get out and VOTE. THIS fall. Not just in the Presidentials. Not just in the Nationals. The REGIONALS, too. And especially - the locals. That's where the stealth bombers get their start, and then grow up to be ted cruz.

[Cha]

21. No problem.

[1StrongBlackMan]

19. I would say ...

Keith Boykin represents a significant intersection of demographics that comprise the Democratic base ... Notice he didn't mention a word about income inequality, the NSA, or any of the other issues of concern for the loudest voices on DU?

[Cha]

22. I would definitely say that, 1StrongBlackMan.

[Chisox08]

33. He is easily the best in my lifetime, but that's not saying much

Presidents in order from best to worst in my lifetime
Obama
Clinton
Bush Sr.
Reagan
Bush Jr.

Wow I've lived through a horrible era of Presidents.

[malaise]

7. Excellent read

Rec

[Spitfire of ATJ]

12. The REASON the rich hate Obama is because they don't feel they are loved enough.

[FiveGoodMen]

15. I think the REALLY rich are fine with Obama

because they're getting the control and impunity that they seek from him.

But they want liberalism to be anathema, so they keep telling their stupid flock that the "liberal" president is ruining everything.

And the flock is only too willing to buy it because the President is ... is ... you know ... African American.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

16. They believe every dollar given to the poor is a dollar STOLEN from the rich.

[FiveGoodMen]

17. Yeah, that's true.

I still think the anti-Obama stuff coming from the right's strategists is mostly theater, but there ARE rich sociopaths who just have to have everything -- and LOTS of poor idiots who just can't figure out that they're being played.

[1StrongBlackMan]

20. The REALLY rich are fine with every American President, past and present ...

and will be fine with every future President.

[supercats]

14. The Reason The Rich Hate Obama Is....

He's black and they are racist. Pure and simple. They are soooo angry that a black man is in the White House and that they are impotent to do anything about it! Thats it, period, end of story.

[Art_from_Ark]

25. They hated Clinton, too

Racism is not the only cause of their disdain.

[madokie]

26. If you'll remember

clinton was considered white trash back then. Same difference

[Art_from_Ark]

27. I think if Colin Powell were President,

Last edited Fri Jul 11, 2014, 12:50 AM - Edit history (2)

and the situation were the same, they wouldn't have any problem with it.

[1StrongBlackMan]

18. I just wish Morford ...

had actually ASKED Mr. Tanned Newport Beach Guy the (economic) questions he poses in the OP. In fact, he could have just asked this one:

I desperately wanted to ask Mr. Newport Beach what his stock portfolio looked like a mere six or seven years ago.

And added, what it looks like today.

These folks can get this off because those that know better are content blogging about how "desperately (we) wanted to ask."

[tweeternik]

23. K&R nt

[SunSeeker]

29. K & R

[SalviaBlue]

31. k and r

[ailsagirl]

32. KICK