REPOST: I'm curious...who here thinks they or anyone else, could have accomplished more than PBO

[Old and In the Way]

In the last 6 years, given the political reality of a hostile Congress and SCOTUS? Seriously, please weigh in and tell us how you could have done a better job...assuming you could have gotten yourself elected...which is a pitiful point because no one who posts here would ever have the intestinal fortitude to even attempt such a task. But tell me why you could have done more than PBO has done. Easy to tear done, harder to give a hypothetical better case for why you (or your hypothetical better option) could have accomplished more.

Love to hear from some of the professedly great progressive, influential minds on DU...particularly how they or someone else would have made them happy...with a a Republican House and a Senate that's almost evenly divided.


Hope this doesn't get hidden, but I'm asking these important and consistently great critics of Obama to weigh in...no call outs because they are the amongst the very smartest people who post here. Surely, they have better solutions that the rest of us qnd we should have listened to them {edited for clarity"}..

I admit to being a Democratic homer...I will take a bad Democrat over a good Republican/Independent every time. Why? It ought to be obvious in this binary political world we live in. But maybe we haven't suffered enough, yet.

------------------------------------

Restarting this thread, without naming names of critics on DU, so hopefully it won't get locked for supporting a Democratic President.. I was unable to respond to a lot of comments on the thread as I was not "on the net" at the time it got shut down. Feel feel to copy/paste your original responses and I will gladly respond! Remember though, anyone who chooses to negatively respond, please include someone who they think could actually have accomplished more then PBO over the past 7 years or so, given the specific political reality that Obama has had to deal with. Should be fun....

[grahamhgreen]

1. Well, if he had done nothing, the Bush tax cuts would have expired..... and we'd be out of Iraq, but

whatever, let's GOTV.

Also, many banksters would still be up for criminal prosecution.....

[Old and In the Way]

2. OK, I get it...that'a negative, but

Who would have done a better job than PBO?

[roguevalley]

48. fdr. harry truman. i could go on. this is a provocative question.

[1StrongBlackMan]

35. Yes. And so would've bunch of other ...

Apparently meaningless stuff like U/C, homeless aid, and food stamps. And oh yeah, so would have the tax cuts for 70% of the working class.

[Cha]

3. Hey, thanks for suppporting our President, Old and In the Way(which I'm sure you are not!)

snip//

"There's a different story on the left, where you now find a significant number of critics decrying Obama as, to quote Cornel West, someone who ''posed as a progressive and turned out to be counterfeit.'' They're outraged that Wall Street hasn't been punished, that income inequality remains so high, that ''neoliberal'' economic policies are still in place. All of this seems to rest on the belief that if only Obama had put his eloquence behind a radical economic agenda, he could somehow have gotten that agenda past all the political barriers that have con- strained even his much more modest efforts. It's hard to take such claims seriously."

More..
zappaman http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025644404

[sheshe2]

6. I am so loving that cover of RS!

Thanks Cha!

[Cha]

7. Me too.. I've been posting it around and on my FB page. :)

she

[sheshe2]

8. Cool!

Cha~

[Andy823]

4. K&R nt

[sheshe2]

5. Kick and Hell yes Recommend!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/110225911

I'll wait right here for the comments~

Thank you for the OP, Old and In the Way.

[Andy823]

9. I will be waiting to

But I won't hold my breath. Actually I probably will go watch netflix. I have been waiting all day to get my land line pone working, actually it's been over a week now since I called, and I figure replies to this post from the complainers could even be a longer wait!

[sheshe2]

11. Enjoy netflix Andy.

It will be a long wait here~

[LawDeeDah]

14. If you like murder mysteries, The Bridge, The Killing, and Dollhouse are great.

Orange is the New Black is another one, and of course Breaking Bad, and Mad Men.

Crazy wonderful shit out there amongst the ordinary shit shit.

[Gore1FL]

10. I would argue Barack Obama might have done a better job than Barack Obama.

If his first years were a little bolder, I don't think 2010 would have fallen out in the way that it did. I supported him in 08 and 12. I am happy with those votes.

[liberal_at_heart]

12. If he had been the community organizer he was when he was younger he could have done a lot more.

Instead the older, supposedly wiser Obama began to listen to DC insiders whispering in his ear and now all we hear are words like increasing SS longevity and bipartisanship.

[Mr.Bill]

20. His biggest mistake

was wasting his early years trying to be mr nice guy and compromising. He should have treated the GOP like the Neanderthals they are from day one. He was too naïve to realize they were going to hate him no matter what he did.

[Solomon]

58. You are the naive one if you think Obama

didn't know what he was going to be up against. Had he not extended his hand no matter what he wouldn't have been able to have gotten anything done. What you wrongfully assume is a weakness is actually his strength. Angry black man would have gotten him nowhere.

[LawDeeDah]

13. Best President Ever.

Worst populace ever, too.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

15. that about says it all, yep. n/t

[cwydro]

18. Um, no. nt

[LawDeeDah]

19. Blarg Yah. nt

[840high]

26. Are you serious?

[LawDeeDah]

27. Very. And more than I think so as well.

Deal

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

33. Yes, and he was too good for this country. We do not deserve a great president like this guy.

History will treat him well when the truth is finally told.

[Skittles]

36. yes they are serious

that is the f'n problem

[JHB]

16. "hopefully it won't get locked for supporting a Democratic President"

That's not would get a post locked. Since this is a repost without a link to the original, I have to ask: was the previous thread locked for "supporting a Democratic President"?

Just remember (as should your unnamed opposition) that these pie-fight threads tend to splash onto people you aren't aiming at but are somewhere in the vicinity. And the splash pisses people off.

[on point]

17. Me. PBO had repukes on their heels when elected and instead of pushing he caved

Bush tax cuts expire
Bush war crimes prosecution
Wall Street prosecution
Hired in DLC people instead of legit dems
That's for starters. Head only himself to blame

[humbled_opinion]

21. He should have rammed more

through in those first two years that he had complete congressional control. Stimulus should not have even been a contentious political issue, I know the ACA was always going to be hard to do but he should have realized he was going to get blamed for not doing more on immigration reform and gun control so he should have forced those through when he had the congress... ever since 2010 it has been an uphill battle with the obstructionist Repukes but yeah like I get told everyday at my job we are supposed to have gridlock or else we might has well have a dictator or monarch...

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

34. No such thing as "rammed through" when there was the filibuster. Do you know it only takes ONE

Senator? That's what happened. And yet you blame Obama and not the Republicans who obstructed every single thing he tried to do. Therefore, he was forced to push for more bipartisan, even right of center bullshit to get anything through.

[eomer]

41. Not true, there was a way to ram some things through in 2009/2010.

They (the President working with Democratic leadership of Congress) could have rammed through anything that could be done through the reconciliation process, which can't be filibustered. For example, they most definitely could have reworked the income tax rates through reconciliation.

This was true during 2009 and 2010 when they held a majority in both houses. If they had used this power and gotten important things done then the energy generated would likely have let them maintain the majority in the November 2010 midterms and beyond.

[humbled_opinion]

52. Exactly Correct......

I wrote letters and begged President Obama to adopt a one Trillion dollar energy plan.... giving consumers massive subsidies for Wind, Solar, Electric, etc with a clearly detailed plan to have all combustion engine type vehicles off the road by 2050. Replaced by electric hybrids or hydrogen fuel cells or other renewable technology.... eleminate the need for coal power plants and stricly stick with clean and renewable energy sources.... Had he done these simple things with the Majorities he had the middle east oil would now be in liquidation mode as those nations revereted back to the poor Bedouin tribes that they were 100 years ago reducing the threat of terror and solving the global warming crisis all at the same time.... Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda...... Now I fear we will never see an opportunity like this again in our life time.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

54. I stand correct. Harry Reid could have done reconciliation. That's HIS fault. Why didn't HE?

How is that Obama's fault?

[madokie]

57. He never had complete control as you claim

We never had 60 dems in the senate and when the dems are in the majority it has to be a 60/40 split. When the pukes are in the majority the split only has to be 51/49. Funny how that works huh

[rufus dog]

22. My standard response tonight

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025650589

[Rex]

23. I wouldn't have tried so hard to work with the GOP, he tried and tried.

They literally shutdown the government in protest of a mandated victory, twice! Yet...we were all told to get over the stolen election in 2000 and 2004. The GOP has no volume level, it is always stuck at 11. They are the perpetually stupid/outraged party.

[MannyGoldstein]

30. Anyone who's dealt with schoolyard bullies knows

that extending your hand to them in friendship just gets you sucker punched. The only thing that works is to start by whacking them with a 2x4 just to make sure they're paying attention.

[craigmatic]

24. It's not really his accomplishments. Obama's problem is that he doesn't sell his accomplishments and

he has alot. Now contrast that with Clinton who didn't do much but sells his ass off.

[MADem]

25. +1,000 !!!! nt

[napi21]

28. I'm surprised he got as much done as he has. The Pubs have done everything they could think of

to stop him from doing anything at all, and they failed. I hope, against all odds, the Dems take over the House and the Senate in November. NOTHING would make me happier than seeing ALL the Pub AH's in a complete panic for at least the next 2 years!

[MannyGoldstein]

29. Howard Dean, for one

Candidate Obama would have been a good President, as well.

[Vattel]

31. Obama should have relied on me to make decisions for him.

I would have kept him from excessive border enforcement, not cleaning house in the DOJ, surging in Afghanistan, proposing the Grand Bargain, usurping Congress's war powers, assassinating American citizens without due process, killing the innocent because it might prevent terrorists from killing the innocent, failing to amend the war crimes act, waging war against ISIS, allowing the DOJ to abuse the law in certain prosecutions of whistleblowers, allowing the NSA to violate the law, etc.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

32. Someone with a different skin color.

[LTR]

37. Armchair quarterbacking is easy

But until you've walked in his shoes, you have no idea the compromises he has to make, or the frustration of having your pet projects blocked at every turn. Or being attacked from all sides when you don't do enough to coddle to the extreme, irrational elements on both sides. Or knowing how to react when some fringe crackpots in international hotspots are trying to goad you into war. Being president means you have to make some pretty tough decisions. And I'll bet most of the people reading this would not be able to do this. Myself included.

Obama was dealt a pretty bad hand, and while I feel he was a bit too milquetoast at times, and afraid of being assertive, he accomplished a lot. He was the first president in half a century to reform healthcare, and for thay, he will be remembered. He was also able to diminish hatred and intolerance, by exposing his adversaries as the nasty narrow-minded assholes they are. And he has been adept at playing the political game. Sure, I realize that many here wanted blood, in the way of stringing up Bush, Cheney, et al. But that would have done way more harm than good. Look at all those Republicans screaming for Obama's head - they made complete asses of themselves, and now they've become considerably more silent.

Becoming president and accomplishing everything you want is a pipe dream in DC, and only exists in Frank Capra movies. When you become a big fish in the DC swamp, you have to play the game. You have to get your hands dirty. You have to piss off some of your supporters. That's the way it works. Obama has learned how the game is played, though I hope that going into the last two years of his presidency, he gets tough and works to make this country a better place.

[Union Scribe]

38. Reheated bullshit is the best kind isn't it?

Me, I would've just preferred Obama do better than Obama has done. There doesn't need to be another party introduced into it, especially since it requires invoking some alternate universe that none of us can know the events therein.

You can pretend all you want that everything wrong was because of Congress, albeit some was. But Congress didn't tell Obama to do some of the dumb shit he's done, whether it be drone warfare or stumping for TPP or his jaw-droppingly awful appointments.

[Skittles]

39. THANK YOU

[eomer]

40. President Obama and the Democratic leadership of Congress could have done more, working together.

In 2009 and 2010 they held a Democratic majority in both the House and the Senate. They could have used the reconciliation process, which cannot be filibustered, to do more. That is how major legislation has been accomplished over the last several decades but President Obama and the Democrats in Congress chose not to do anything major except Obamacare. And in the case of Obamacare they chose not do to what a significant majority of the voters wanted - a public option - and instead did only what the insurance industry wanted.

If they had seized that opportunity and done more in 2009/2010 then chances are good they would have held on to their majority in the following years and could have continued to do more. Instead they played footsie with the Republicans for two years and not surprisingly that wasn't a winning platform in the November 2010 midterm.

The fact that Democratic leadership has chosen to deny they could have used reconciliation and instead make the false claim that the filibuster prevented them from doing anything shows who they were really working for, and it wasn't the people of the US, it was the corporations who were pulling the strings.

[madokie]

59. He never had a majority in the Senate

When we are in the majority it has to be a 60/40 split. When the republiCONs are in the lead a 51/49 split is all thats needed.
Obama never had a majority in the senate and if you think he did you haven't been paying attention. The house (Pelosi)did all kinds of good things but couldn't get most of it passed for a lack of a 60 vote democratic margin in the Senate

don't tie yourself in knots trying to prove me wrong on this cause I know and I know because I pay attention

[eomer]

60. That's true only if Democrats go along with it.

I agree that that's how it works but only because Democrats want it that way. Because it's entirely under their control, when they have a simple majority in both houses and the presidency, to pass major legislation with that simple majority.

It's all too obvious that the Democrats want us to think they're obstructed (when they have the majority and are not) just as much as the Republicans and the corporate media do.

Also a quibble: it takes just a 50/50 vote in the Senate, not 51/49, because the VP can break a 50/50 tie vote and make it 51/50.

[madokie]

61. Changing the filibuster rules

would be like cutting off your nose to spite your face. The problem is the republiCON party abuse the system and have no qualms with doing that. Democrats not so much.
Do away with the filibuster and the next time we have a puke majority we will end up with just the shell of a democracy. We have a tad more than that at the moment
Democrats are about governing, republiCONs are about winning, no matter what it takes. Too many people have dropped out of the election process to have a healthy democracy anymore and thats what the photo id's and shit like that is designed for, to discourage people from voting. Its much easier to control a small percentage of the people than it is the masses. Too many of the people who do vote are single issue voters, God, Guns, Gays and Abortion is what the republiCONs use to win with. Those people will get up and go vote no matter what and because they make up a large percentage of the voting public they skew the results.
Anyone who says the two parties are just alike are NOT paying attention.

[eomer]

62. I'm talking about the budget reconciliation process, not about changing any rules.

Just talking about using the existing rules the way that Republicans already do.

Please search for "budget reconciliation process" and read up on what it is and how it works.

Here are examples of legislation passed using the reconciliation process and that therefore weren't subject to the filibuster :

Reconciliation bills have included:

Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1980, Pub.L. 96–499 (1980)
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, Pub.L. 97–35 (1981)
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1982, Pub.L. 97–253 (1982)
Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA), Pub.L. 97–248 (1982)
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1983, Pub.L. 98–270 (1984)
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA), Pub.L. 99–272 (1986)
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986, Pub.L. 99–509 (1986)
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987, Pub.L. 100–203 (1987)
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989, Pub.L. 101–239 (1989)
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990, Pub.L. 101–508 (1990).
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, Pub.L. 103–66 (1993).
Balanced Budget Act of 1995, H.R. 2491 (vetoed December 6, 1995)
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, Pub.L. 104-193 (1996)
Balanced Budget Act of 1997, Pub.L. 105–33 (1997)
Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, Pub.L. 105–34 (1997)
Taxpayer Refund and Relief Act of 1999, H.R. 2488 (vetoed September 23, 1999)
Marriage Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2000, H.R. 4810 (vetoed August 5, 2000)
Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA), Pub.L. 107–16 (2001)
Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003, Pub.L. 108–27 (2003)
Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, Pub.L. 109–171 (2006)
Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 (TIPRA), Pub.L. 109–222 (2006)
College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, Pub.L. 110–84 (2007)
Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, Pub.L. 111–152 (2010)

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconciliation_(United_States_Congress)

The last bill in that list was in 2010 when Democrats had a simple majority in both houses and also the presidency. It didn't get 60 votes in the Senate but didn't need to because it was a reconciliation bill. The president and Democratic leadership of Congress could have used that same process to enact major changes using rules that are already existing and usual practice.

[cali]

42. could this post be any more puerile. Why, yes. Yes it could- by posting it

twice.

[cali]

43. no you're not curious. you're playing silly little games. this is nothing but

very poor rhetoric.

I only wish I could be more descriptive about what I think.

[KG]

44. ' ...so hopefully it won't get locked for supporting a Democratic President.'

[SidDithers]

45. Obviously, Kucinich would have been better...

If only the Powers That Be hadn't torpedoed the juggernaut of his campaign, he would be President right now, and there would no longer be income inequality, there would be peace and harmony around the world, everyone would get all of their energy from renewable sources, even cats and dogs would be living together.

Damn those Powers That Be.

Sid

[JoePhilly]

46. Or Zombie FDR.

[flamingdem]

49. Thanks for the Halloween costume idea

[JoePhilly]

51. Lol!!

[Not a Fan]

47. President Obama

He's accomplished a great deal - I can't imagine anyone doing a better job at this point in time. The forces weighing against him are tremendous and they stopped him from doing so much more. A lot of us realized early that he wasn't going to be the progressive president we'd hoped he would be - and I was disappointed - am disappointed.

But I support him, am grateful for his presidency, and think history will show he was a great president.

[Octafish]

50. Rec the post, disagree with the rationale, consider the DUer who posted it TOPS!

Old and In the Way is TOPS in every way and deserves complete respect from Democrats, DUers and anyone who cares about the United States. He remembers when the President said, "Let's go to the moon!" Never-Old has been in the good fight longer than most Americans have been alive. He knows what he's writing about. And he doesn't stand for the crap artistes. So, with all DU respect, why I disagree that the President is doing all he can:

President Obama won a landslide election. He possessed a mandate unseen in more than a generation. Our party controlled both houses of Congress. He stood at the Bully Pulpit. Yet, rather than state his policy goals and announce his agenda, asking the public to call Congress and ask their rep no matter their party to support his policies because they are popular with the public, but hated by powerful interests -- many if not most of the rich, who oppose on principle because they are greedy and selfish who consider taxes as "theft." Instead, he chose to build bridges with those who voiced their contempt for him. He compromised with the conservatives who have done nothing but obstruct him. He entertained their perspectives publicly, without stating his own. And We the People told him we had his back covered.

That's why, it puzzled me when, for Wall Street reform, he appointed friends of the BFEE like Larry Summers and his crony bankster chums behind the Great Rip Off of 2008. To reform Wars Without End, he let the BFEE's principle brain for War Inc, the guy behind Team B at CIA, to stay as head of the Pentagon. To restore justice, he appointed a Corporate Guy who defended Death Squads as legal yet stood for civil rights for all Americans, yet doesn't see what's wrong with equating money and power. Think, off the top of your head, of all the great Democrats -- and pukes and indepenents -- who'd have cleaned shop and swept out every rat from every corner, overt and covert. All they had to do was be asked.

The public also saw that instead of restoring justice by jailing the traitors who lied America into war and the banksters who looted the Economy and Treasury, he retained their counsel and pursued their policies, even if millions of families got tossed out of their homes through fraud. To me, it's no wonder that after two years, the pukes made huge gains in the House and have done all they could in the Senate to obstruct his policies, programs and people. And it's been that way ever since because the People may be under-informed, We the People are not that dumb.

[Old and In the Way]

63. Hi Octofish!

Thanks for the kind words...you are one the posters here that I admire most. No one has done a better job of enlightening and informing me on many issues than you have. I know this post makes me a PBO apologist, but in our bianary politics, you either understand and support a flawed Democrat....or you help pave the way for an extreme Republican. Baby steps....

[Doctor_J]

53. WE had one of these thursday. It said, "name one policy that has failed"

About thirty were posted, which didn't stop the OP from replying on her own thread, "See? I knew you couldn't"

And please link to some of the threads that have been locked for supporting the president. Either that or stop making shit up. Even call-out vanity threads like this one live for days.

[DiverDave]

55. WALL STREET CROOKS DO NO JAIL TIME!!

eom

[TheVisitor]

56. i would have without a doubt accomplished more good, humane ends...

But I probably would've soon met the fate of JFK for doing so...