Whatever You Think of Rahm Emanuel-- That's Probably What You'd Think of Obama . . .

[proud2BlibKansan]

<skip>

I was reading the cover story of the New York Times Sunday Magazinethe other day--the one about Obama's team taking Capitol Hill--and I came upon the following quote from Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel.

"The only nonnegotiable principle here," he said, "is success. Everything else is negotiable."

That's the problem I have with Emanuel--and with Obama.

There's no principle they're willing to go to the mat for.

They didn't fight for universal single-payer health care.

They didn't fight for giving judges the authority to reduce the mortgages of people in bankruptcy.

They didn't fight against the bank bailout.

They didn't fight to keep GM from shutting down plants and laying off 21,000 people, even when they're taking ownership of GM.

They didn't fight for marriage equality or against don't ask, don't tell.

They didn't fight against indefinite detention without trial; hell, they've embraced it.

They didn't fight to dismantle Bush's entire edifice of repression, including the NSA spying and the Military Commissions Act.

more . . . http://www.opednews.com/articles/Whatever-You-Think-of-Rahm-by-Rob-Kall-100303-113.html

[ztlore]

1. Talk is cheap

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

2. The quote at the end is perfect:

"Success is not a principle. It's an outcome."

[MoralSyncretism]

8. Yes, success at what exactly?

As it says: success isn't a principle, it's an outcome -- after achieving some set goal, some objective. Where are the "values in action"?

It's just a glib aphorism coming from Rahm that the journalist thought clever to quote. Like it's supposed to be mean something, be profound. -- Meh!

[arcadian]

3. Style over substance.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Amen

This teacher is sick of the fucking style.

[democrank]

4. Compromise is one thing.

A sellout is something else.

[ztlore]

5. Worse than that... It's begging to be liked by people who hate your guts

[tularetom]

7. Well, yeah except Obama said he was going to fight for those things

We knew Emanuel was a snake but we expected better from Obama.

We thought Obama could control him, looks like we were wrong.

[Individualist]

11. Obama knew exactly what Rahm was when he selected him.

Rahm is DLC and Obama is NDC.

[tularetom]

24. I hear that all the time and I don't agree

I don't believe that Obama "selected" Rahm.

I believe that Emanuel was forced on Obama by the Clinton/corporate wing of the Democratic party as the quid of a quid pro quo, the quo of which was that Hillary Clinton would back off and not mount a challenge to Obama's nomination at the 2008 convention.

How else to explain that almost every public utterance Emanuel has made has undercut Obama's announced intentions re: health care, military tribunals v. civilian trials, closing Gitmo, etc. And he's still there.

Obama's a bright man. He knows his chief of staff is making him look stupid and ineffective. You can't tell me he agrees with this.

I blame Obama for taking the "deal" in the first place, and for not excising this hemorrhoid from his staff.

[Individualist]

31. Do you also not believe Obama is a New Democrat?

Do you not believe that NDC is a subsidiary of DLC?

[tularetom]

35. I'm not party to the membership rosters of these organizations

I do know that during the primary campaign, the Clinton wing of the party spent a lot of time demonizing Obama for his Rev. Wright connections, his record as a (gasp) community organizer, and his perceived stance on 2nd Amendment issues.

And I know that almost right up to the convention, even though Obama had already sewed up sufficient votes to put him over the top, there were rumors that pro-Hillary supporters were going to stage an open revolt at the convention and tear the party apart. And I know that a revolt never happened. And I know that before the ink was even dry on the electoral college certification of the election, Obama had announced he was hiring Emanuel.

The president may indeed be a member of the NDC or DLC. He might be a member of the BSA, the GSA or the BFD as far as I know. My only point is that he should not be keeping a chief of staff who repeatedly makes him look like a buffoon. You can't make me believe he's stupid enough to not be aware of this.

[Individualist]

37. You are, of course, aware that I never indicated Obama is stupid.

If that were the case, I would not have said Obama knew exactly what Rahm was when he selected him.

As for their DLC/NDC affiliations -

z'I am a New Democrat." Barack Obama http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090311/pl_politico/19862

Emanuel is a DLC Democrat, and he’s advised Obama to go in a DLC direction time and time again—and to disregard the progressive base.
http://www.progressive.org/wx012010.html

[tularetom]

38. And Obama has done exactly that - maybe he IS stupid

He has followed Emanuel's advice pretty much down the line to his own detriment. It has NOT gained him any acceptance from the republicans and it has undercut his standing with the Democratic base. It's made him look weak, wishy washy and ineffective. It's brought him ridicule from all points on the political spectrum. And you're telling me he AGREES with this?

It isn't a matter of what Obama knew when he hired Emanuel, it's what has occurred since.

[blindpig]

54. Emanuel is just a tool

wielded by Obama, on behalf of the ruling class, who vetted him and baked his candidacy. All the rest is bells and whistles.

That's all there is to it.

[amborin]

68. agree, sadly

we were all conned

even those who correctly predicted Obama was no liberal were not prepared for his rightward tack

[bvar22]

45. "I am a New Democrat"---Obama

”I am a New Democrat!”---Barack Obama
http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=254931&kaid=85&subid=900184



The DLC New Team
Republican Lite ONLY!

(Screen Capped from the DLC Website

What more does anyone need to know? :shrug:

Brand Obama/"Hope & Change" was a very successful Corporate Marketing Scam.

[Echo In Light]

9. k/r

[Nite Owl]

10. It certainly seems correct

He hasn't fought for anything. He's been so disappointing. After those eight long years we all endured we needed the prospect of hope and we were taken, used. He just wasn't who he said he was at all.

[TheWraith]

12. Get a sense of perspective, and get your head outside the bubble.

Most of the crap that people complain Obama hasn't done anything about is, in fact, stuff that IS being worked on. And people conveniently forget all the things that have already been done. But to listen to DU you would think Obama was Bush 3.

[luckyleftyme2]

14. THE REAL TRUTH IS

THIS FORUM HAS BECOME A MISSION OF THE RIGHT-DON'T LET AFEW HAYSEEDS TAKE THIS FORUM OVER!
LIKE IT IS CALLED IS WHAT IT SHOULD BE-A DEMOCRATIC FORUM -NOT A PROPAGANDA OUTLET FOR THE LOSERS ON THE RIGHT!
COME GUYS LETS SNOW BALL THESE NEGATIVE PLANTS-THEIR NOT DEMOCRATS-THEY REVEL IN STALLS AND DISRUPTION-THATS WHY THE BIG BUSINESS FOUND IT SO EASY TO STEAL THE PARTY OF THE RIGHT!
THIS IS THAT BILLIONS THE MEDICAL FIELD IS SPENDING TO STOP THE LEFT!
THESE NEGATIVE HEADS ARE PLANTS!

[luckyleftyme2]

19. WHAT DOES THE RIGHT HAVE TO OFFER

JOHN MACCAIN A RETREAD FROM NAM; PARLIN A RETREAD GOVERNOR WHO HAD TO GIVE IT UP;MITT RHOMMENY WHO WILL POTRAY HIMSELF AS A RAT HUNTER? COME ON WHO HAVE THEY GOT? CANTOR ABOUT AS BELIEVABLE AS THE GUYON THE CORNER SELLING ROLLEX'S.
THEY GOT NUTTIN -YEA NUTTIN!
NO IDEAS ,NOTHING BUT NO! NOTHING BUT WAR CHESTS FILLED BY THOSE THAT ARE KILLING OUR ECONOMY. THEY GOT TAX BREAKS FOR BUSINESSES THAT ARE MOVING THEIR PLANTS OVERSEAS! THEY GOT TAX BREAKS THAT FAVOR THE TOP 10% AND BROKE THE BANK!
LET THEM GET THEIR OWN FORUM-SEE HOW FEW WILL POST!

[deaniac21]

21. Two concepts to embrace:

Lose the caps lock
Find the spellcheck

[proud2BlibKansan]

40. LOL

[Leftist Agitator]

67. ALL CAPS ARE CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL.

I'M GLAD THAT YOU SEEM TO KNOW THIS.

[nashville_brook]

33. it's the allcaps that makes this so compelling! (psst...it's "*they're* not democrats")

down with negative heads!!

[snot]

69. Your argument does not work for me personally, bec. I'm negative on BO and I know I'm no plant.

[mmonk]

74. The real truth is some of us voted for change.

Where did we get that idea?

[avaistheone1]

15. We don't have time.

Too many of us are falling off a cliff -no food, no jobs, bankruptcies, foreclosures.

Obama has not done the important things he was placed in office to do. Furthermore he has not done the important things he needs to do to place this country in the right direction.

Instead, he has been spending his time foolishly with republicans playing bipartisan, with big Pharma, and with bagmen representing Wall Street.

[zipplewrath]

17. Actually, my complaints are about what he HAS done

Staying in Iraq, tripling the combat troops in Afghanistan, no medicare drug price negotiations, negotiating in private with big Pharma, advocating the cadillac tax OVER restoring taxes on the wealthiest, telling the people who committed acts of torture that he "had their backs", classifying the torture photos to prevent their release, extending immunity to the telecoms, asserting the right of "indefinite detentions" without trial....

The stuff he hasn't done is a heck of a list too, but I don't even have to go there for one heck of a "complaint" list.

[Nite Owl]

26. I am outside that bubble

and I don't like what he has done especially with healthcare reform (excuse me, health insurance reform). Too many deals, not enough listening to the people. He's following Bush on civil liberties, won't include the defense budget in cuts, on and on and on. Sorry but this isn't the person I voted for, we were duped. Out here in reality I haven't come across anyone who isn't disappointed, young voters the most and that is a really bad sign for the future of the Democratic Party.

[bvar22]

46. He HAS fought for somehting.

When Democrats in The HOuse balked at giving Obama more money for the WARS,
he called out the Winged Monkeys on their asses...Chicago Style.
He made them an offer they couldn't refuse.

Obama GOT his money.

[Nite Owl]

50. You are right on that! n/t

[Cha]

13. Yeah, there's lots of ways

to point out the imperfection of this admin who is doing all the work while those who complain about it not being good enough..do.

I admire and support them for what they have done.

"Many of his detractors, and even some of his wavering supporters, will be surprised to learn that in his first year, Barack Obama has already fulfilled at least 79 campaign promises. This is one of the most accomplished records of any first year in office, and it has come with considerable difficulty in working with and around a Congress fraught with obstructionism and distracted by its own mythology regarding specific points of policy, and in the face of the most uniform and inflexible opposition any president in recent decades has faced."

The 79 promises kept, as fact-checked and reported by PolitiFact.com, the Pulitzer Prize-winning fact-checking service of the St. Petersburg Times, are as follows:

■No. 6: Create an Advanced Manufacturing Fund to invest in peer-reviewed manufacturing processes
■No. 15: Create a foreclosure prevention fund for homeowners
■No. 16: Increase minority access to capital
■No. 33: Establish a credit card bill of rights
■No. 36: Expand loan programs for small businesses
■No. 40: Extend and index the 2007 Alternative Minimum Tax patch
■No. 50: Expand the Senior Corps volunteer program
■No. 58: Expand eligibility for State Children’s Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP)
■No. 76: Expand funding to train primary care providers and public health practitioners
■No. 77: Increase funding to expand community based prevention programs
■No. 88: Sign the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
■No. 110: Assure that the Veterans Administration budget is prepared as ‘must-pass’ legislation
■No. 119: Appoint a special adviser to the president on violence against women
■No. 125: Direct military leaders to end war in Iraq
■No. 132: No permanent bases in Iraq
■No. 134: Send two additional brigades to Afghanistan
■No. 154: Strengthen and expand military exchange programs with other countries
■No. 167: Make U.S. military aid to Pakistan conditional on anti-terror efforts
■No. 174: Give a speech at a major Islamic forum in the first 100 days of his administration
■No. 182: Allocate Homeland Security funding according to risk
■No. 184: Create a real National Infrastructure Protection Plan
■No. 200: Appoint a White House Coordinator for Nuclear Security
■No. 208: Improve relations with Turkey, and its relations with Iraqi Kurds
■No. 212: Launch an international Add Value to Agriculture Initiative (AVTA)
■No. 215: Create a rapid response fund for emerging democracies
■No. 222: Grant Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send money to Cuba
■No. 224: Restore funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program
■No. 225: Establish an Energy Partnership for the Americas
■No. 239: Release presidential records
■No. 241: Require new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliation or contributions.
■No. 247: Recruit math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession
■No. 266: Encourage water-conservation efforts in the West
■No. 269: Increase funding for national parks and forests
■No. 270: Increase funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund
■No. 272: Encourage farmers to use more renewable energy and be more energy efficient
■No. 277: Pursue a wildfire prevention and management plan
■No. 278: Remove more brush, small trees and vegetation that fuel wildfires
■No. 284: Expand access to places to hunt and fish
■No. 290: Push for enactment of Matthew Shepard Act, which expands hate crime law to include sexual orientation and other factors
■No. 300: Reform mandatory minimum sentences
■No. 307: Create a White House Office on Urban Policy
■No. 325: Create an artist corps for schools
■No. 326: Champion the importance of arts education
■No. 327: Support increased funding for the NEA
■No. 332: Add another Space Shuttle flight
■No. 334: Use the private sector to improve spaceflight
■No. 336: Partner to enhance the potential of the International Space Station
■No. 337: Use the International Space Station for fundamental biological and physical research
■No. 338: Explore whether International Space Station can operate after 2016
■No. 342: Work toward deploying a global climate change research and monitoring system
■No. 345: Enhance earth mapping
■No. 346: Appoint an assistant to the president for science and technology policy
■No. 356: Establish special crime programs for the New Orleans area
■No. 359: Rebuild schools in New Orleans
■No. 371: Fund a major expansion of AmeriCorps
■No. 380: Bolster the military’s ability to speak different languages
■No. 391: Appoint the nation’s first Chief Technology Officer
■No. 394: Provide grants to early-career researchers
■No. 411: Work to overturn Ledbetter vs. Goodyear
■No. 420: Create a national declassification center
■No. 421: Appoint an American Indian policy adviser
■No. 427: Ban lobbyist gifts to executive employees
■No. 435: Create new criminal penalties for mortgage fraud
■No. 452: Weatherize 1 million homes per year
■No. 458: Invest in all types of alternative energy
■No. 459: Enact tax credit for consumers for plug-in hybrid cars
■No. 460: Ask people and businesses to conserve electricity
■No. 475: Require states to provide incentives for utilities to reduce energy consumption
■No. 480: Unprecedented expansion of funding for regional high-speed rail
■No. 483: Invest in public transportation
■No. 484: Equalize tax breaks for driving and public transit
■No. 494: Share enviromental technology with other countries
■No. 498: Provide grants to encourage energy-efficient building codes
■No. 500: Increase funding for the Environmental Protection Agency
■No. 502: Get his daughters a puppy
■No. 503: Appoint at least one Republican to the cabinet
■No. 506: Raise the small business investment expensing limit to $250,000 through the end of 2009
■No. 507: Extend unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits
■No. 513: Reverse restrictions on stem cell research
Most of these items are complex campaign pledges that Pres. Obama has been able to follow through on. Some just show he’s a man who follows through on his word, something the media should take more note of. But PolitiFact’s research shows a long list of serious political accomplishments, many of historic import, yet the mainstream media continues to report on the delays seen in enacting the most complex and comprehensive reforms undertaken in a generation, many of which —like healthcare reform, energy policy reform, terror prosecutions and financial regulatory reform— are actually moving forward at a historically meaningful pace, and will likely be achieved in the first half of 2010.

There are a further 226 campaign promises officially listed, after extensive fact-checking, as “in the works”, as of this morning. Many of these will be accomplished in 2010, giving Pres. Obama the most extensive record of success in fulfilling specific campaign promises in US history. We can expect this fact will not be widely reported, as the mainstream news media appear determined to posture “objectivity” by refusing to report successes Obama’s opponents refuse to acknowledge.

The perception that Pres. Obama has failed to aggressively pursue the progressive agenda he ran on is owing largely to the fact that his legislative and governing style is rooted in principled coalition-building. As both state senator in Illinois and as US senator from Illinois, Obama had important legislative successes that required building consensus across the aisle, with often ideologically-opposed allies on specific issues, like predatory lending and ethics reform.

It is likely the legislative schedule of 2010 will demonstrate that no president in recent history has had so many major legislative achievements, and that will be due to Obama’s insisting that principled policy-making move forward, even where compromises need to be made with ideological opponents, all in the interests of progress. Perhaps no president since John F. Kennedy so deliberately sought to move a progressive legislative agenda forward, and Obama is already being compared to Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson in terms of the scope and historic import of his legislative agenda."

<more>
http://www.casavaria.com/cafesentido/2010/01/05/5658/2009-examined-obamas-first-year-in-review/

Obama spells out rebates for energy efficiency"

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE (AP) – 21 hours ago

SAVANNAH, Ga. — "Sounding a familiar clean-energy theme, President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced details of a proposed energy rebate program he hopes will spur demand for insulation and water heaters — and jobs for hurting Americans.

Obama said the administration's "HOMESTAR" program would reward people who buy energy-saving equipment with an on-the-spot rebate of $1,000 or more. He cast the idea as one that would save people money on utility bills, boost the economy and reduce American dependence on oil.

The plan would take the approval of Congress.."

<more>
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hieVJy4y8Kdn-x4oMc1FKBxb8HkgD9E6NCV00

Thank you, President Obama and Vice President Biden:patriot::patriot:

[berni_mccoy]

16. Thank you Cha, for bringing facts to a factless Obama-bashing OP.

I'm so damned tired of the baseless hat toward Obama at DU.

[Cha]

20. Hey bernie, just wanted to show

why I'm proud of the President and his Team.

[CornerBar]

28. That's rather paltry

Most of that is window dressing nad has little positive impact on the vast majority of people.

Maybe stop illegal wars and increase social services and bailout communities instead of banks?

[557188]

44. No. 502: Get his daughters a puppy

Because THAT is an accomplishment that matters right?

That list is awful propaganda of nothings like that to fool those who don't bother to read it.

[NM_hemilover]

51. How about #503

Promise kept, appoint a Republican. I think I would have left that promise off the list.

[NM_hemilover]

52. Weatherize 1 million homes,

[bvar22]

48. Typical tripe from PR Websites.

You can find that kind of stuff on Reagan.

Here is another list about IMPORTANT accomplishments of Obama's first year:
No "puppies" on this list:

The DLC Dream List....Mission Accomplished!

*WARS fully funded and EXPANDING. Bill sent to our children…...Mission Accomplished !

*Trillion Dollars given to friends and campaign contributors on Wall Street. No Strings Attached...Mission Accomplished!

*Military Spending INCREASED....Mission Accomplished!

*Trillion+ Dollars given to the Health Insurance Industry. Easily Avoidable, symbolic only strings attached....Mission almost Accomplished!

*Force all Americans to buy invisible products from For Profit Corporations who manufacture nothing and create no (Value Added) wealth..."A Uniquely American Solution"..indeed. .....Mission almost Accomplished!

*Kill the possibility for a REAL "Public Option" or REAL Universal Health Care for at least another generation, and begin the “Entitlement Reform” defunding of Medicare (-$500 Billion)....Mission almost Accomplished!

*Block ANY REAL re-regulation of BIG BANKS and Credit Cards....Mission Accomplished!

*Protect the Bush War Criminals and Torturers from JUSTICE....Mission Accomplished.

*Throw the GBLTs under the bus and expand "faith based" initiatives....Mission Accomplished!

*Reinforce the worst Police State provisions of the Patriot Act and strengthen the Unitary Executive....Mission Accomplished!

*Protect the very richest. Tell the Working Class that they CAN WILL compete with 3rd World Slave Labor for their jobs.....Mission Accomplished!

*EFCA (Employee Free Choice Act) killed in the crib....Mission Accomplished!

*More Anti-LABOR "Free Trade"....Mission almost Accomplished!

*Jobless Recovery....Mission Accomplished

*The Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party SHUT OUT of the Obama Administration…...Mission Accomplished!

*Accelerate the destruction of Public Education...Mission Accomplished!

*Bury next generation under such a debt burden that they will never be able to afford any social or economic programs that will benefit their Working Class....Mission Accomplished.

And ALL this in less than a year!!!
:party:

[muffin1]

32. Bookmarked to read

while I'm stuck in bed dying from cervical cancer, because I have no insurance to cover a needed hysterectomy.

You know, in case I get bored with the media coverage of the escalated war in Afghanistan.

I thought all I was going to have to read was the upcoming book by the never-to-be-prosecuted war criminal GWB.

How inspiring.

Edit to add: If I'm too frail to read it, maybe my best friend (known on DU as TokenQueer) will offer to read it to me.
I'm sure he will be inspired, too. And hey, he'll have plenty of time - it's not like he will have a spouse to go home to or anything.

[proud2BlibKansan]

42. +1,000,000

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

49. ........

:hug:

[muffin1]

61. Right back at you.

:hug:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

75. Thank you muffin1 and

at 58 years of age being uninsured I have not seen a doctor in over 10 years and at this stage I would be petrified to do so.

One more :hug: for you.

[asdjrocky]

57. Peace to you.

I wish I had better words.

[muffin1]

59. Peace to you, too.

With the health care situation the way it is now, we are all vulnerable. :hug:

[asdjrocky]

60. I would bring you the best medicine Ca has to offer if I could.

I have three med patients I serve here in Ca and it's sad, but very rewarding.

[muffin1]

62. Thank you, sweetie.

I know you would. O8)

[TokenQueer]

63. Right on!

:thumbsup:

[CBR]

55. Thanks Cha and despite the comments regarding the

puppy and such... many of these are substantive and important. Sigh...

[girl gone mad]

72. This list is bullshit.

How can he take credit for small business lending and credit card reform when these initiatives have proved to be total failures?

"No. 502: Get his daughters a puppy"?? Is this some kind of joke?

Here in the real world, millions of pets are being abandoned as people lose their homes, jobs, savings, possessions. I'm sure glad that the Obamas found time to get that pure bred boutique puppy, though.

[upi402]

18. "They didn't fight against the bank bailout"

Ha! They were the actors that continued the BushCo/banksters looting of our treasury. Please....
They do have a core principal, it's CORPORATISM.
Obama installed the same Clinton_Republicans that caused this mess. See; The Warning on PBS' Frontline - a must see!
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/warning/view/
:fistbump:

[luckyleftyme2]

22. FIDHT BACK GUYS

It is time we told the leaders of the right "Mitch (the bitch) McConnell and Jon(i'll bone ya) Boehner we have had enough of their bull shit!
We tell them no we won't start over With the bill democrats were elected as a majority because your party forgot the working man!
Stand tall you democrats and make us proud of you. stand tall Pelosi and Reid in spite of the rhetoric we have had,the bias media and the billions the health insurers and drug companies are spending to muddy the waters and stall this bill or kill it we the american people need it!
the president is right about 2010 we will walk away as voters if you fail!
if you don't pass this bill you will devastate the hopes of millions and ruin
the democratic party.

[Individualist]

43. FIDHT, FIDHT, FIDHT, EVERYONE!

[luckyleftyme2]

25. WAY TO FIGHT BACK

Yeah, there's lots of ways
to point out the imperfection of this admin who is doing all the work while those who complain about it not being good enough..do.

I admire and support them for what they have done.

"Many of his detractors, and even some of his wavering supporters, will be surprised to learn that in his first year, Barack Obama has already fulfilled at least 79 campaign promises. This is one of the most accomplished records of any first year in office, and it has come with considerable difficulty in working with and around a Congress fraught with obstructionism and distracted by its own mythology regarding specific points of policy, and in the face of the most uniform and inflexible opposition any president in recent decades has faced."

The 79 promises kept, as fact-checked and reported by PolitiFact.com, the Pulitzer Prize-winning fact-checking service of the St. Petersburg Times, are as follows:

■No. 6: Create an Advanced Manufacturing Fund to invest in peer-reviewed manufacturing processes
■No. 15: Create a foreclosure prevention fund for homeowners
■No. 16: Increase minority access to capital
■No. 33: Establish a credit card bill of rights
■No. 36: Expand loan programs for small businesses
■No. 40: Extend and index the 2007 Alternative Minimum Tax patch
■No. 50: Expand the Senior Corps volunteer program
■No. 58: Expand eligibility for State Children’s Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP)
■No. 76: Expand funding to train primary care providers and public health practitioners
■No. 77: Increase funding to expand community based prevention programs
■No. 88: Sign the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
■No. 110: Assure that the Veterans Administration budget is prepared as ‘must-pass’ legislation
■No. 119: Appoint a special adviser to the president on violence against women
■No. 125: Direct military leaders to end war in Iraq
■No. 132: No permanent bases in Iraq
■No. 134: Send two additional brigades to Afghanistan
■No. 154: Strengthen and expand military exchange programs with other countries
■No. 167: Make U.S. military aid to Pakistan conditional on anti-terror efforts
■No. 174: Give a speech at a major Islamic forum in the first 100 days of his administration
■No. 182: Allocate Homeland Security funding according to risk
■No. 184: Create a real National Infrastructure Protection Plan
■No. 200: Appoint a White House Coordinator for Nuclear Security
■No. 208: Improve relations with Turkey, and its relations with Iraqi Kurds
■No. 212: Launch an international Add Value to Agriculture Initiative (AVTA)
■No. 215: Create a rapid response fund for emerging democracies
■No. 222: Grant Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send money to Cuba
■No. 224: Restore funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program
■No. 225: Establish an Energy Partnership for the Americas
■No. 239: Release presidential records
■No. 241: Require new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliation or contributions.
■No. 247: Recruit math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession
■No. 266: Encourage water-conservation efforts in the West
■No. 269: Increase funding for national parks and forests
■No. 270: Increase funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund
■No. 272: Encourage farmers to use more renewable energy and be more energy efficient
■No. 277: Pursue a wildfire prevention and management plan
■No. 278: Remove more brush, small trees and vegetation that fuel wildfires
■No. 284: Expand access to places to hunt and fish
■No. 290: Push for enactment of Matthew Shepard Act, which expands hate crime law to include sexual orientation and other factors
■No. 300: Reform mandatory minimum sentences
■No. 307: Create a White House Office on Urban Policy
■No. 325: Create an artist corps for schools
■No. 326: Champion the importance of arts education
■No. 327: Support increased funding for the NEA
■No. 332: Add another Space Shuttle flight
■No. 334: Use the private sector to improve spaceflight
■No. 336: Partner to enhance the potential of the International Space Station
■No. 337: Use the International Space Station for fundamental biological and physical research
■No. 338: Explore whether International Space Station can operate after 2016
■No. 342: Work toward deploying a global climate change research and monitoring system
■No. 345: Enhance earth mapping
■No. 346: Appoint an assistant to the president for science and technology policy
■No. 356: Establish special crime programs for the New Orleans area
■No. 359: Rebuild schools in New Orleans
■No. 371: Fund a major expansion of AmeriCorps
■No. 380: Bolster the military’s ability to speak different languages
■No. 391: Appoint the nation’s first Chief Technology Officer
■No. 394: Provide grants to early-career researchers
■No. 411: Work to overturn Ledbetter vs. Goodyear
■No. 420: Create a national declassification center
■No. 421: Appoint an American Indian policy adviser
■No. 427: Ban lobbyist gifts to executive employees
■No. 435: Create new criminal penalties for mortgage fraud
■No. 452: Weatherize 1 million homes per year
■No. 458: Invest in all types of alternative energy
■No. 459: Enact tax credit for consumers for plug-in hybrid cars
■No. 460: Ask people and businesses to conserve electricity
■No. 475: Require states to provide incentives for utilities to reduce energy consumption
■No. 480: Unprecedented expansion of funding for regional high-speed rail
■No. 483: Invest in public transportation
■No. 484: Equalize tax breaks for driving and public transit
■No. 494: Share enviromental technology with other countries
■No. 498: Provide grants to encourage energy-efficient building codes
■No. 500: Increase funding for the Environmental Protection Agency
■No. 502: Get his daughters a puppy
■No. 503: Appoint at least one Republican to the cabinet
■No. 506: Raise the small business investment expensing limit to $250,000 through the end of 2009
■No. 507: Extend unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits
■No. 513: Reverse restrictions on stem cell research
Most of these items are complex campaign pledges that Pres. Obama has been able to follow through on. Some just show he’s a man who follows through on his word, something the media should take more note of. But PolitiFact’s research shows a long list of serious political accomplishments, many of historic import, yet the mainstream media continues to report on the delays seen in enacting the most complex and comprehensive reforms undertaken in a generation, many of which —like healthcare reform, energy policy reform, terror prosecutions and financial regulatory reform— are actually moving forward at a historically meaningful pace, and will likely be achieved in the first half of 2010.

There are a further 226 campaign promises officially listed, after extensive fact-checking, as “in the works”, as of this morning. Many of these will be accomplished in 2010, giving Pres. Obama the most extensive record of success in fulfilling specific campaign promises in US history. We can expect this fact will not be widely reported, as the mainstream news media appear determined to posture “objectivity” by refusing to report successes Obama’s opponents refuse to acknowledge.

The perception that Pres. Obama has failed to aggressively pursue the progressive agenda he ran on is owing largely to the fact that his legislative and governing style is rooted in principled coalition-building. As both state senator in Illinois and as US senator from Illinois, Obama had important legislative successes that required building consensus across the aisle, with often ideologically-opposed allies on specific issues, like predatory lending and ethics reform.

It is likely the legislative schedule of 2010 will demonstrate that no president in recent history has had so many major legislative achievements, and that will be due to Obama’s insisting that principled policy-making move forward, even where compromises need to be made with ideological opponents, all in the interests of progress. Perhaps no president since John F. Kennedy so deliberately sought to move a progressive legislative agenda forward, and Obama is already being compared to Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson in terms of the scope and historic import of his legislative agenda."


WAY TO GO CHA!!!!!!!!!

[NM_hemilover]

53. Is that really the list of accomplishments,

that President Obama, with a Super Majority Senate, a Majority House ... nevermind.


Christ, ..........I'm more depresed than I was. Someone should be sent to bed without dinner for including, #460 #502 and #503 as "accomplishments".

Nevermind, I'm looking closer at the list, and it only gets worse.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

66. Psssst....

It doesn't get any better no matter how often the BOGers post it. Just sayin'.

[Jefferson23]

23. Yep, Obama hired Rahm, and those that focus condemnation exclusively

to Rahm, puzzles me too.

I thought this was an interesting observation though about Emanuel, via Scott Horton.

Why Has WaPo Become the Voice of Rahm Emanuel?
By Scott Horton


Not long after the tiresome bootlicking recently furnished by Dana Milbank, Jason Horowitz steps in to report that a “contrarian narrative is emerging” about the heroic Rahm Emanuel:

Emanuel is a force of political reason within the White House and could have helped the administration avoid its current bind if the president had heeded his advice on some of the most sensitive subjects of the year: health-care reform, jobs and trying alleged terrorists in civilian courts.

Horowitz presents his panegyric as a pastiche of comments from members of Congress and anonymous sources. But the tone still leaves one wondering exactly who provided the clipping service. Maybe he’s hoping to be named a White House Fellow, like Jonathan Finer, the former WaPo war correspondent who apparently now works as Rahm’s gopher?

http://www.harpers.org/archive/2010/03/hbc-90006630

[luckyleftyme2]

30. HOW BOUT DICK ALMY

HE WAS PART OF THE NUMB-CHUCK SQUAD FOR THE BUSH -CHENY CREW! JUST ONE OF THE ARM TWISTERS WHO NOW IS TRYING TO CLAIM HE IS THE TEA PARTY FOUNDER! THE ONLY THING ANY OF THE BUSH CREW DEEDS THEY ACHIEVED WERE STOLEN FROM SOMEONE ELSE OR GIVEN TO THEM TO CARRY OUT BY THE TOP 1% OF THE POWER GROUP!
2000-2008 HAS ALREADY BEEN DECLARED THE WORST ADMINISTRATION AMERICA HAS EVER HAD! BUT A FEW OF YOU DIE HARDS ARE TRYING TO BRING IT BACK!

[Jefferson23]

34. Try and calm down a bit, then maybe you can explain to me

your point. At this point I have no idea what you're trying to say...that Obama is not responsible for the decisions he has made, but when Bush made decisions for the country he was responsible?

[muffin1]

39. Do your parents know you're on the computer? n/t

[TokenQueer]

64. Lol!

:spray:

[asdjrocky]

58. Please stop yelling at people.

You're making yourself look very, very foolish.

[Marr]

27. They weren't nearly so willing to compromise on money for Wall Street. Odd, huh?

That line about all things being negotiable, save "success", really just means, "PR is all we're concerned about". But that only concerns middle class issues, apparently. When it comes to big corporate interests, they will fight tooth and nail to get everything on the list.

[luckyleftyme2]

36. SURELY YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT THE RIGHT

YOU MADE YOUR POINT-AS WELL AS MINE THE RIGHT IS ONLY INTEREST IS THE BIG BOYS THAT STUFF THEIR WAR CHESTS AND KEEP THEM IN POWER-OF COURSE YOU KNOW THEY GET AA DAILY MEMO -A LIST ON WHAT TO TRASH AND PUSH SO BIG NUSINESS CAN CONTIMUE THEIR TAX DODGES AND PROFIT SCAMS!
LMAO!

[tekisui]

41. Your caps lock is on, BTW. Make's it damn near impossible to

read. Not that it is worth reading, anyway.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

29. They are both professional politicians whose only goal is winning elections.

That is the motivating force behind all of their decisions.

And, they're doing a piss-poor job of even that pathetic goal.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

47. That is it in a nutshell.

That has been the goal from the Rahm-Wing from the beginning - win at ANY cost, even if it means knifing someone in the back, flip-flopping, ignoring, lying -- anything and everything is allowed so long as there is victory in the end.

Fuck Rahm with a chainsaw for unleashing this crap on our party and fuck O if he follows in those footsteps.

[asdjrocky]

56. My principals don't change based on who is in office.

That's not true for everyone. I'm starting to wonder if these people have any principals

[Hell Hath No Fury]

65. Democratic Party principles?

That would be a big, fat "no".

[Kalun D]

70. FOR

""They didn't fight against the bank bailout.""

Obama fought FOR the bank bailout, he was leading the charge. $700 BILLION for a few hundred crooked bankers that intentionally caused the problem in the first place. And now Obama is offering $1.5 BILLION for the 10's of 1000's of victims of the bankers, those in foreclosure. Thank you president Obama, you lying corporate dem.

[Name removed]

71. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[gleaner]

73. I don't think much of Obama ....

I supported him when he was campaigning, but he has gone back on everything he said he stood for then. Now he is just another politician. Nothing special and in my mind not much good for himself or anyone else.

I agree with all the points you have cited and I have been saying much the same thing since last July. Funny how it all came true. Maybe it was because I looked and saw what he was doing. I listened and heard every lie he told. I watched his actions as he threw us under the bus. I didn't make excuses for him and I would not hear any. I still won't. No matter how much I am vilified, or accused of being a "bad" Democrat or whatever else people want to say. It doesn't change the facts, and the facts are in your post and right in front of everyone's eyes. By the way, "bad" Democrats like me aren't gutting the party. Obama and his merry men are. He's not stupid, he just doesn't give a damn.