Are you surprised by President Obama?

[cynatnite]

He's a pragmatist, a centrist, and has never backed down from his views on Afghanistan. None of this suprises me. While I preferred either medicare-for-all or a robust public option, I knew the chances were slim given the fierce opposition he would face from all sides on this.

While I'm not completely happy with him, I'm not disappointed either. I knew what we were getting when I voted for him.

[spanone]

1. +1

[DJ13]

2. Yes, Im surprised

For someone who made a point of telling people he never joined the DLC he acts like their guy right down the line.

[elehhhhna]

4. Yep. I'm disappointed.

[MissDeeds]

22. Same here

:(

[lovuian]

35. Disappointed and not unexpected

He Lied

[MissDeeds]

38. Yep

I'm afraid so. It's hard to spin it that this many people were wrong. We were deceived.

[cynatnite]

6. I have no idea what that is...

I read all sorts of stuff about DLC and supposedly how bad that is.

[closeupready]

27. The Democratic Leadership Council - I don't know everything about it,

but I'm old enough to remember when it first started wielding influence during the Clinton administration - pro-business, anti-union, pro-free market theories - basically, Republicans with Democratic ribbons in their hair.

[cynatnite]

28. How do you know whether it was the DLC or if it was Clinton himself? n/t

[closeupready]

32. Both Bill and Hillary have been part of the essential players in the DLC for years.

As was Al Gore and other familiar names. So asking whether the pro-business bias among Democrats is the result of the influence of the DLC or the Clintons is basically asking the same thing.

[cynatnite]

34. Oh, okay...DLC = Clintons...

So, basically, the DLC is a part of the democratic party that you don't like. Got it.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. Nobody is.

But we also shouldn't be surprised at the people who are pretending they are.

[emulatorloo]

29. Good point n/t

[leftstreet]

5. Has anyone ever determined what 'robust' was code for?

It's like the term 'moderate.'

pffft

[Bluebear]

23. Something like "fierce" advocate.

[Ryano42]

7. Randi Rhodes played exerpts from the debates...

Completely consistent with what he is doing now.

I wish more can be done but I am more mad at congress, the Sentate especially than President Obama. And his time has just begun...

Hopefully :kick:

[cynatnite]

9. I'm not disappointed with the house at all and the senate does what it almost always does...

be more like repubs than dems.

[treestar]

8. Not at all

I knew what we'd be getting and think his personality traits and intelligence are what we voted for.

This country has too many right wing lunatics in it for us to see single payer soon. They are so stupid they can be talked out of their own interest. This country just let Bushco run wild for 8 years - it's a miracle we are where we are now.

[atreides1]

14. That's right

It's all the fault of the right wing lunatics! And I'm sure that excuse will work well in the 2012 elections!!!

[goldcanyonaz]

10. Nope, but he really did have a great schtick while campaigning, huh?

I'm more surprised at others being surprised.

We knew about Afghanistan and his saying that was the war we needed to win.

I'm very disappointed in regards to health care reform but knew this was going to happen once they started having town hall meetings.

All in all I feel he's doing a great job considering what was passed onto him.

[CountAllVotes]

11. all I know is this:

no more money for you Obama. You have sold out We the People! :mad:

:dem: :kick:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. I knew he was no progressive, but I didn't expect him to be THIS eager to

pamper and appease the corporations and the military industrial complex.

[anonymous171]

13. I am suprised by how much of a coward he is. Centrists are only tolerable if they aren't wimps

Weak centrism (Obama) is just cowardice disguised as "pragmatism."

[laylah]

15. No, not at all...

I am just disappointed.

[newtothegame]

16. No, he made the history I wanted him to make. n/t

[whatchamacallit]

17. I guess we projected our liberal desires onto him... silly us...

I can tell you this; if being a pragmatist and a centrist means being a shill for wall street, corporations, and the military industrial complex, voting for one is a mistake I won't make again.

[lamp_shade]

18. Nope. Not at all.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

19. Totally not surprised on the war

...but still very disappointed. Still, he did what he said he was going to do. If I chose not to believe him its my fault

But on healthcare I'm very surprised and very disappointed...and it will absolutely devastate his presidency.

I see this as a lose-lose for the dems in 2010 as the base deserts them--perhaps rightfully so--which translates into serious GOP gains and subsequently stymies Obama for the remainder of his term.

Then 2012 is up in the air.

I don't see Hillary riding to the rescue of the party after the acrimony of 2008 and I don't know who has the name recognition to challenge Obama. If we can't support our own president after his campaign pulled this country together we're consigning ourselves to defeat. Where do we find an Obama-plus? We can't and the independents have no reason to not feel as jaded as we do that so much was promised with so little delivered.

I wish I could be more optomistic but I can't.

[EndElectoral]

20. Vastly dissapointed..eloquent speaker, but thus far easily manipulated by the right

[Echo In Light]

21. I voted Nader, so, no, absolutely not surprised in the least.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

25. ya know...

...I believe the Greens don't have a snowball's chance in global warming of ever carrying a national election in my lifetime...

...BUT...

...maybe after the next election I won't have that perpetually nauseaous feeling (which totally freaked out the BF until I tested myself).

[sponge_bob_128]

24. Yes I didn't not expect the speed and brazenness that he sold us out.

Right after the election (or maybe a bit before), he kept on
appointing rat-bastards like Rahm to key positions and sending
the good people off to political Siberia.  I was in denial
(hope), but I can't recall a single good thing from him.  It
seems he is a "Wonder Twin" with Rahm which makes
Obama a dishonest rat-bastard (dishonest because of the
campaign "promises").

Is Obama a arrogant Clarence Thomas clone? 

PS: Centrist/Moderate is a synonym for CORRUPT.  I don't
support corrupt scum.

[johnnie]

26. I've paid attention to politics for quite a few years

No, I'm not disappointed really. I voted for him because I wanted the Iraq war to end and he was at least talking about it. I am not really sure how much our voted really mean, but I voted because my friend's son was serving in Iraq and I promised her I would vote.

In my opinion, it is still too early to tell what his legacy will be. The country became quite a mess in the years that bush held office and I knew it was not going to change overnight.

Quite honestly, I don't think we have the power to vote in what we want, I just play the game these days.

[RedEarth]

30. I feel the same way.... there is never going to be a candidate I vote for

that does everything I want them to do. I also try and think of what would it be like to have McCain/Palin in office right now.....that would really be fun.

[drdtroit]

31. Not surprised at all.

After working tirelessly on the Kerry campaign in '04 only to watch him turn tail and acquiesce in the face of massive voter fraud was enough to convince me of the fact we operate under a ONE party system that takes turns playing "good cop, bad cop"
We are so fucked!

[earth mom]

33. Not surprised-I tried to warn peopled during the primaries.

But it was really too late then anyway.

I'm glad to see that people are waking up, but I don't think things will change much until we are actually living in the 3rd world country the powers that be have planned for us.

[kenny blankenship]

36. Several times since the Rick Warren Inaugural invocation - but not anymore.

A confirmed pattern can't surprise when it continues.

[Raine]

37. Not suprised about Afganistan, I knew that but

I'm suprised how conservative he is on everything else and how he refuses to respond with any progressive stands at all. I'm disappointed, frustrated and getting very angry. :argh: :mad:

[howard112211]

39. I'm not sure about his "pragmatism".

I don't see caving on issues as pragmatism, per se.

[paulk]

40. not surprised

I thought he was selling a line of shit to the liberal wing of the party all along

I knew that he was a centrist

if I'm surprised by anything it's that he's shown himself to be more center right than center left

since he owes his primary win to the left side of the party, I thought he might at least pretend

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

41. Nope. His campaign promise to escalate the war in Afghanistan was a deal breaker for me.

I'm neither surprised or disappointed that a centrist, running as centrist, and promising more of the same kept his word.

I am surprised that so many here who opposed Bush for his policies now back Obama for continuing those policies.