My resonse to that is not "Change"

[AllentownJake]

Seriously, after the past 8 years some on here are honestly saying that Obama is not change is frankly astonishing. Based on what? A few appointments to his cabinet?

Right now, as chimpy is leaving office him and his group of mental midgets are working to overturn every single enviromental and labor stride we have made in the past 50 years through overturning regulations. Thankfully, they are incompetent so alot of the damage they temporarily due will be stopped.

Does anyone on here honestly think that Obama would do things like allow uranium mining next to the grand canyon, increased snow mobiling that destroys the park in yellow stone, or try to reduce the safety standards for workers when dealing with hazardous materials? This is just the last week what asshat Bush has tried to do and done. Seriously after 8 years of constant right wing policies and just general incompetence Obama is not a change?

Hillary Clinton is a democrat. She supports universal healthcare, her plan was actually more "liberal" than Obama's. Look at her ratings for her votes in congress. She's hardly the evil witch some on here make her out to be. She voted for the Iraq war. Like John Kerry and Joe Biden. Joe Biden wrote the bankruptcy bill that is giving so many trouble during this economic crisis. However, I hardly see the hatred and anger ever directed towards them that I see towards Hillary. You take the good with the bad for politians. Hillary isn't perfect. Neither is Joe Biden, John Kerry, or even Denis Kucinuch.

Also there are 3 people who have the standing in the world and with world leaders to be effective with the mere fact they are visiting before they get off the plane other than Obama. Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton. Joe Biden has another job. Bill Clinton being named would cause even more of an uproar on here, so that leave you with Hillary. Obama is going to have alot of things to work on the homefront in the first 2 years in office. He needs someone who can visit other countries and have the gravitas to get things done. Sorry folks John Kerry as much as I like him...doesn't get the job done as well as Hillary would. For those that think Obama was tricked or somehow bullied into taking Hillary, I guess you weren't awake during the VP selection process.

More news for everyone, the democratic party is pretty big. The DLC as hated as it is on here has quite a few members in congress. Obama needs to implement his agenda. Jimmy Carter's biggest failure as a President was his inability to get along with a democratic congress. The democrats had full control over two branches of government but Carter's inability to get people on his own team to work with him led to Ronald Reagan. For those of us who need a history lesson on how quickly the GOP can make a comeback Nixon was President in 1974. The GOP was in shambles after he left office. 6 years and two months after he resigned Ronald Reagan was elected President. His policies made Nixon look like a liberal. For all this talk about the GOP being dead...remember the Nixon stink didn't follow them as long as it should have. We can blow this and the best way to blow this is to get nothing done. So there are going to be some DLC folks working for Obama. There are also going to be people who worked in the Clinton Whitehouse. Simply because they understand the executive branch and how it works. Carter went in with a bunch of rookies....again 4 years later Ronald Reagan.

At the end of the day Barack Obama is the one setting the agenda. I'm not going to agree with everything he does, however I highly doubt he will abuse, misuse, and be an incompetent fuck up like the current President. Simply that fact is change I can believe in.

[grannie4peace]

1. after spending 8 years with an idiot running our country

i can understand being a little skeptical but obama is changing things--people have to be patient. jake3463-you are right on !!!!! obama will be one of the best presidents ever--- give the guy some breathing space -all you doubters!!!

[Larkspur]

2. I always knew that Obama would be Clinton version 2.0

and he's proving it every day. Clinton did do some things right and some things wrong. We'll have to wait and see how Obama does and how quick he is to change personnel and policies when he finds out they are not working out as first thought. One of Obama's weaknesses is that he's slow to see problems arise and slow to respond to them.

[AllentownJake]

3. He's a little bit more disciplined than Clinton was

I think he responds to things in ample time. He's a little bit less likely to pull a trigger without examing consequences...which is frankly something that would be good for us right now.

[Dawgs]

4. "Obama's weaknesses is that he's slow to see problems arise and slow to respond to them."

Do you care to give an example?

Because I think he handled the economic downturn of two weeks ago better than anyone could have hoped. As President-elect this would have been tricky for anyone, but Obama pulled it off without looking presumptious or cocky. In five days the stock market increased by almost a thousand points. Considering the economic climate, this is remarkable.

I would say that he criticizing him for being slow to respond to a problem is pretty dumb.

[AllentownJake]

6. The only thing I can think of is the Celebrity attacks in August

From the polling they appeared to be working somewhat and Obama was very slow to respond to them.

Also Hillary's bare nuckle attacks in PA during the primary were met with a slow response.

Obama bounced back though rather quickly when McCain went an undid the entire message he was using with Palin and Hillary went off the rails because of the gas tax relief gimick.

Those attacks were sticking and he seemed to have an inability to punch back.

Of course that is politicking...I don't know if we've seen an example with policy yet.

[Fearless]

15. He did WIN didn't he?

[Larkspur]

18. He was also slow to respond to the Rev. Wright controversy

Axelrod admited on 60 Minutes that they did not fully vet Obama's background and relationships and the media storm around Rev. Wright almost got out of control. Obama finally realized it and decided to face the brohuha head on instead of shirking it like he and his campaign had been doing.

[whistler162]

11. Yes he is slow in recognizing problems....

like the economic problems we are facing!

Instead of starting to speak about them in 2005 he didn't start speaking about them until 2007!

GADS..... How will we ever survive!

[FrenchieCat]

16. You are speaking with a forked tongue, aren't you?

on one hand you state..."I always knew that Obama would be Clinton version 2.0" which is pretty conclusive on your part....

yet, you also say within the same post...."We'll have to wait and see how Obama does..." which means I guess that a conclusion cannot truly be reached as of yet.

and then you judge negatively without providing an adequate example to back up your sentiments when you state...."One of Obama's weaknesses is that he's slow to see problems arise and slow to respond to them."

So I'm having a hard time discerning what you are truly saying....

[Larkspur]

19. Obama was slow to respond to the Rev. Wright controversy,

the Celebrity attack ads and the selection of Sarah Palin as VP. Obama's campaign finally admitted on 60 Minutes that they were caught flat footed on the Wright controversy. They did not do due diligence in vetting Obama's background and relationships that could cause foreseeable problems. They also admitted that they were taken by surprise at Palin's VP pick and had to scramble to catch up. They were lucky that Palin shot herself in her foot repeatedly.

Unlike you, I see Obama as a gifted but flawed human being. Even though I voted for him in the CT Dem primary and general election, he's not my Messiah. As James Madison said, "Don't trust those with power" and that includes Obama.

[Danger Mouse]

17. He's not in office yet, so how can we know that he's Clinton 2.0?

How can he be proving it 'every day' when he's not even in office?
God, I'm sick of some people on DU.

[Larkspur]

20. Obama is stocking his cabinet with former Clintonistas and pro-corporate Dems

Obama's claim that he will set the direction or vision rings hollow when you remember that the people he has chosen to staff his cabinet will also be advising him. I bet most of them will tell him to forget his vision of change, whatever that is, and go back to promoting Clinton's pro-corporate policies. If Obama had split his choices half-and-half with progressives and pro-corporate/Clintonista Dems, then maybe I'd believe Obama is in charge of his vision of change.

[Danger Mouse]

21. Yeah, you 'bet'.

:eyes:
We'll see.

[sufrommich]

5. The change Obama has brought this country is

the end of the destructive unbending partisanship of the extreme right wing.He's a moderate Democrat and ran as one,he also told us that the days of the right wing using the government to carry out their extreme policies are over.That's change,big change.People who don't believe there is a real wind of change blowing must have been sleeping for the last 8 years.

[Mark E. Smith]

7. Amen, and a welcome observation.

That people here are regurgitating the GOP lie that appointing
the likes of Hillary Clinton to his team means that Obama has
turned his back on his signature campaign theme is very sad.

Hopefully your thoughtful post will help correct that.

[AllentownJake]

9. The GOP wants the left to open up a front against Obama

So that they can move in and attack him from the right

[ananda]

8. ananda's astute political prediction on change

To everyone of all political persuasions and beliefs:

There will be change, but it won't be what you think it will be.

:-))))

[Jennicut]

10. Geez, how do we really know until he takes office? Until then predictions

are just that, predictions.

[LWolf]

12. To some of us,

"change" means moving forward, not back to the clinton era.

I'm sure you "get" that, despite your long protestation.

[AllentownJake]

13. Clinton did a few things right

Did a few things wrong as well. Like to think that Obama and the people who worked for Clinton learned from some of them.

[LWolf]

14. I can agree with all of that.

I'd still like to move forward, not backward.

This is one reason why the whole "change" campaign theme bugged me. "Change" can mean ANYTHING, and many things to many different people. It doesn't mean the DLC or the Clinton era to me.

When I want "change," I want to shift left of center, not run back to the center line and triangulate from there.

[Beacool]

22. Preaching to the choir at my end.

Some are just too dogmatic, we live in a democracy and all voices should be heard.

:shrug: