Obama's Guantanamo and domestic drilling executive orders will not be popular ...

[Alhena]

I support Obama fully, but my political side cringed a bit when I saw the nightly news report that two of Obama's first two executive orders will be to get rid of Guantanamo and to get rid of some of Bush's orders allowing domestic drilling. Neither of those will be popular with the public, so I expect his favorability ratings will take a hit. Hopefully he will be able to do some popular things as well- I want him to have some good will with the public in his early days.

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Excellent long term goals may cost something in the short run, but it will be worth it.

I do not think that too many people who voted for Obama would mind either of these. I am in favor of both of those.

A lot more good will be done, than any negative effect.

[Alhena]

3. I agree, he needs to do the right thing, and sometimes that's not popular

I'd like to see him keep high approval ratings though.

[JuniperLea]

20. Why on Earth do you think those are unpopular decisions?

Only the Kool-Aid poisoned Pubbies would care, imho.

[tekisui]

2. I don't think those acts will be unpopular with "the public".

Sure, the RWers will moan and groan, but "the public" elected Obama, and he has been saying he would do those things for some time now.

[THUNDER HANDS]

4. why would taking away Guantanamo be unpopular?

[Clio the Leo]

11. Because then the "turrists" will be turned loose on the streets!

I can see the OP's point on this even though I disagree. The meme of the masses is most likely to keep locked away forever "safe and sound."

Or to just take them all out and shoot them. ..... yeah, that's probably a more accurate assesment.

[pocoloco]

5. WAH WAH WAH!!1 This Is Series Shit11!!

Git rid of Guantanamo?? WTF is he thinking???

[rug]

6. By all means, then, keep Guantanamo open.

[anonymous171]

38. We do need somewhere to send Bush&Co.

[peacebird]

7. Gitmo is a gulag that must be closed. I am thrilled that Obama is taking that as an early action

Gitmo is a repulsive, an anathema to all that is Democracy. Closing it is a very important - perhaps crucial - first step in attempting to regain America's stature & reputation.

[Clio the Leo]

8. Screw what the public thinks......

.... we're talking about the basic rights the men in Guantanamo have as HUMAN BEINGS. The very CONCEPT that this nation was founded on "we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain INALIENABLE rights."

Perhaps Bush's greatest shame in history was that he violated the creed this country holds most dear.

While I see your point about drilling "dont baby dont! dont baby dont!" Guantanamo is one of those things that should be done not because it's popular, but because it's RIGHT.

I for one just got in from dancing in the streets over the news. I love my president and I love how he keeps proving every notion I have about him to be true.

[sampsonblk]

31. That's evil stuff you are talking

That's the real Bush doctrine, that you just articulated. "Screw what the public thinks, we'll do whatever we think is right."

A president should be able to use the truth to convince the public of the rightness of his intentions before he acts. This is a democratic country. Not a dictatorship.

[Clio the Leo]

32. Again, I will direct you to my citation of the Declaration of Independace...

... I realize it's not the Constitution, but it's pretty darned close.

It's not what *I* think is right .... it's the creed our founding fathers fought and died for.

Comprende? ;)

[JuniperLea]

33. Even if what is right is to follow the rules of the country?

A president shouldn't need to use the Declaration of Independence or The Constitution to convince people... they should know it's right.

[sampsonblk]

35. That's all open to interpretation - some laws are right, and some are wrong

I get where you are coming from. Yet if the law of the land is also very unpopular, then the president has a responsibility to explain his actions before taking them.

"Screw what the public thinks" is not a valid governing philosophy in America. Regardless of what the law says. Fortunately, there are mid-term elections. So when a president adopts your view, his party will certainly get wiped out the next time the public goes to the polls.

Ask Bush.

Edited to add: Just my opinion.

[orestes]

9. Is there really a huge groundwell of support for Gitmo?

So much so that people (aside from Freeps who would bitch and moan if Obama cured cancer) will sour on Obama?

[Hippo_Tron]

10. I honestly doubt either of them will have much political impact

Closing GITMO will help us gain some credibility on the international stage which will be popular with liberals and the right wing fascists will be furious (what else is new). Bush's expanded domestic drilling hasn't produced a drop of oil and won't do so anytime soon.

[Ichingcarpenter]

12. Domestic Drilling in AWAR and Arches National Park? IS popular?

Gitmo is Popular? Get real

[Alhena]

16. I haven't seen polls, but my gut impression is that the average Joe is fine with Gitmo

I personally think it's a disgrace, but then I'm a liberal. The average guy on the street probably thinks that Cuba is a great place to keep them though. Don't get me wrong- I think Gitmo needs to be closed. All I'm saying is we should get ready for a political hit and shouldn't expect him to keep 70 percent approval ratings.

[Ichingcarpenter]

23. You haven't seen polls? McCain wanted to close Gitmo too

Think about that before
you really think about that.

Your post is rather silly

[Joe Chi Minh]

28. Still you get it wrong! Most people are pro Cuba! I seriously doubt you're a liberal

on the basis of your posts. Gitmo is the scene of war crimes, for crying out loud. Are you saying most Americans are little different from the Nazis? Its location was specially chosen, in order to evade any national legal jurisdiction.

[Warren DeMontague]

41. All that bullshit about "average joe" is the crap the GOP has been peddling for years.

Average Joe the plumber guy is skeeerd of Socialists and aint never gonna vote for no black guy named Barack Hussein Osama no how uh hunh, remember?

The majority of Americans are pro-choice. The majority of Americans want our troops out of Iraq and they want gitmo closed. They want our international reputation restored. The majority of Americans understand that oil addiction isn't solved by tearing up the ground to find more oil- it is solved by technological r&d to find sustainable ways to power our shit.

In short, Obama is fine, he's right with the majority of Americans. The right wing radio crowd is going to pitch a fit no matter what he does.

[Doctor_J]

13. He campaigned with these out in the open, and won in a landslide

I hope you can get over it.

[damonm]

14. With Gitmo, I DON'T THINK SO!

Not with 75% of the public wanting it closed...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3059579

[Alhena]

19. I hope that's accurate- good news

[Joe Chi Minh]

15. I don't think so. It's not been a closed secret that, as in Iraq, it's keeping

people who were never tried, and often known to be innocent. It's a kind of show non-trial! Even worse than show trials. It has indeed been the scene of war crimes. In Iraq, the capture and torture of the innocent was/is precisely to instil terror in the population. Sating the depraved, predatory, sexual appetitites of torturers would just have been a bonus.

You remember when the clip we saw soon after Bush was elected, he actually walked with a swagger, a quite exaggerated one. Well, it's something like that. And the initial US bombing of Afghanistan. Meant to show their muscles. Juvenile and nerdy. Shock and Awe stuff. The Afghan leaders were apparently furious because they had offered to find Bin Laden, and that prevented their finding him.

The average American knows enough now about the lies told to them - remember the colour codes - to fear those poor souls much less than people who have been at complete liberty to plot terrorist attacks on the US, UK, etc. If any of them remain in the US, they would doubtless be kept under some kind of surveillance, if they were thought to represent a threat. Might even lead them other terrorists. But they'd be more likely to need intensive psychiatric treatment.

[Joe Chi Minh]

45. Too late to edit post above, but here is an interesting link:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4437053

[mmonk]

17. Too bad.

They'll just have to deal with it like we had to deal with them.

[JuniperLea]

18. Are you series?

I know I cheered when I heard that... Just the day before I'd left him a note at change.gov telling him I thought Gitmo needed to go-go! And as a California beach lover, I'm always happy to see the smackdown put on offshore drilling! We don't need no stinking tar washing up on shore, killing birds, fish, crustaceans, and aquatic plants.

[Alhena]

21. I'm just talking popularity. Most people support offshore drilling. I'd rather Obama be popular

than unpopular, though he obviously has to do the right thing.

[JuniperLea]

26. Most people support offshore drilling?

Really? That's not what I've heard. Where have you heard that?

[Guava Jelly]

22. ...

The right will hate him no matter what he does.
Both moves IMHO are moves that I fully agree with.

[Ichingcarpenter]

24. McCain wants to close Gitmo too!

But this poster has a gut feeling

[JuniperLea]

27. I have a gut feeling too...

But it's against the rules to say;)

[4lbs]

25. I believe he already mentioned in one of the debates about closing Guantanomo. So, if he was going

to take a popular hit in the minds of voters, it would have already happened on Election Day.

[Curtland1015]

29. Maybe that's why he's doing it right up front?

Not that I think they're bad things, I LOVE it! but just going by the assumption that what you say is true, maybe he's just getting the unpopular stuff done early so it's already off the public radar for four years from now when he's up for the rebid.

[Puzzler]

30. er... wasn't closing Gitmo a campaign promise?

I mean. he was pretty clear about is wasn't he? If he does NOT close Gitmo asap, then he will be in hot water, in my opinion.

[Elidor]

34. They're popular with me!

The only people I know who will be slitting their wrists are the die-hard 26-percenters. They'll get over it.

[Every Man A King]

36. OMG you are right

Lets open more concentration camps all over the United States. We can fill them will innocent people and torture them. Obama should get at least 2pts of approval out of it.

[TexasObserver]

37. Disagree. Americans want Gitmo closed.

Not sure about the drilling. I'm have to see what he intends to alter before offering an opinion on that.

[iamthebandfanman]

39. Gitmo will be easy to explain, drillin on the other hand

the right wingers and oil companies have made up enough bullshit and lies where that one might be a lil complicated.

[Warren DeMontague]

40. Bullshit., They won't be popular with Rush Limbaugh listeners, that's about it.

"WHAT? HE'S NOT GONNA TORTURE TEH TERRUSTS? HE DOESN'T THINK DRILLING FOR OIL AT HOME WILL SOLVE OUR OIL ADDICTION? NOOOOO!!! THAT'S NOT TEH GUY I VOTED FOR!!!!

Oh, yeah, I voted for McCain."

[cooolandrew]

42. I think there are some that get no drilling at the same time also the price has dropped recently.>

Most know that a majority of bush's proposals were not in the people's best intrest Obama also has a good way of talking people around.

[jrockford]

43. err...ok. I didn't realise Gitmo was so popular with the people who elected him. nt

[MrSlayer]

44. I don't see this as a problem.

Gitmo needed to be shut down before it was opened. And I think President Obama will be able to articulate to all but the most obtuse why drilling here is dangerous and pointless.