Obama and Jobs: Why I Don't Believe Him Anymore - by Matt Taibbi

[kpete]

Obama and Jobs: Why I Don't Believe Him Anymore
POSTED: SEPTEMBER 6, 9:17 AM ET

....................

I remember following Obama on the campaign trail and hearing all sorts of promises before union-heavy crowds. He said he would raise the minimum wage every year; he said he would fight free-trade agreements. He also talked about repealing the Bush tax cuts and ending tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas.

It's not just that he hasn't done those things. The more important thing is that the people he's surrounded himself with are not labor people, but stooges from Wall Street. Barack Obama has as his chief of staff a former top-ranking executive from one of the most grossly corrupt mega-companies on earth, JP Morgan Chase. He sees Bill Daley in his own office every day, yet when it comes time to talk abut labor issues, he has to go out and make selected visits twice a year or whatever to the Richard Trumkas of the world.

Listening to Obama talk about jobs and shared prosperity yesterday reminded me that we are back in campaign mode and Barack Obama has started doing again what he does best – play the part of a progressive. He's good at it. It sounds like he has a natural affinity for union workers and ordinary people when he makes these speeches. But his policies are crafted by representatives of corporate/financial America, who happen to entirely make up his inner circle.

I just don't believe this guy anymore, and it's become almost painful to listen to him.

the rest:
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/09/06-6

[Warpy]

1. Well, I never did, I'd paid close attention to his record.

The only thing that could possibly push him to the left is getting the right wing dead wood in both parties out of Congress.

That's one hell of a tall order.

Still, things would have been far worse under Gidget & The Geezer.

[slay]

46. +1

i don't see how those who continue to praise Obama can still do so and feel like decent human beings at this point. the guy is so far removed from progressive goal it's blinding in its obviousness.

[paulkienitz]

53. that's why I've been saying all year

that this election is all about congress, not the presidency.

[AikidoSoul]

93. Wow! The news item on the "Christian" church closing its food bank

is a perfect example of what is wrong with today's "Christianity".

Yep. Poor people are "in denial" and "don't take responsibility."

Tell that to the unemployed who have worked all their lives, would love to work if they could find it, and who are hungry.

Christ would puke if he saw these idiots who call themselves "Christians" rationalizing not feeding the hungry.

"Social unrest" was described as occurring at the church when the hungry arrived.

It must be too much for them to see people who are desperate.

:mad:

[DollyM]

96. but many food banks still carry on . . . ours does . . .

our local food bank is still carrying on (also through a church)and their numbers go up every month. I know because we both volunteer there and get food baskets every month. It helps stretch our budget just a little more every month even though there is more and more bread in the basket and less of a variety of nutritious food. There are indeed more people coming to "our" food bank, people that have never been there before. With all the lay offs and factory closings, you see people who are embarrassed to be there but have came down to the choice to pay the light bill or feed their families.
If the church in the article made a choice to not feed the poor and hungry then they are not observing the true teachings of the gospel. They are not a church, they are a country club.

[Skittles]

57. same here, Warpy

having to watch that shit go down was extremely painful, knowing what was coming

[MineralMan]

2. Someone else beat you to posting this by a short time.

Oh, well...there's always room for more, I suppose, when it comes to negative posts about President Obama.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

5. Yup

There's some people (and media outlets) that have yet to meet a negative screed about President Obama that they don't feel compelled to write and blast all over the intertubes, forums, etc. :puke:

[MineralMan]

10. So it seems. Oh, well...

[Wind Dancer]

15. You aren't making a case in favor of Obama...

simply by trashing the OP. If you disagree, back up your words by showing the policies that Obama promised to enact during his campaign.

He's obviously anti-union, anti-tax cuts on the wealthy, opposed to ending the war in Iraq, ending the Patriot Act.... and the list goes on and on. Were you happy when Bush was President?

[MineralMan]

16. I'm not trying to make that case. I'm just pointing something out.

I most certainly was not happy when Bush was President. President Obama is not Bush. My post in this thread was to point out that negative stuff about Obama tends to be posted multiple times. That is certainly a true statement. I'm not defending the President in this thread. I have done that many times in other threads. Thanks for your interest.

[Wind Dancer]

29. Fair enough!

Do you think Obama warrants ANY negative discussion given his policies so far?

[tblue]

30. So post some positive stuff about Obama.

There's no law against it. In fact I see flattering and defending posts here everyday. But I've never seen anyone telling people not to post it. Never once.

[JTFrog]

66. Bullshit.

Never once. Nope.

Cheerleaders. Fan club. Cult of Personality. Enablers. Stupid MotherFuckers. Corporate shills.

Nope. Never once. :eyes:

My ASS.

[xiamiam]

33. i respect taibbi..he's been relenteless re wall street..wish that obama had been the same

i missed the first one and saw this..only negative comment thus far is yours..

[tblue]

38. Me too. A lot.

And he's not the only one saying this.

[truedelphi]

98. Obama might wish he could be all relentless against Wall Street

But the deal is, he works for Wall Street.

How do we know this?

By his appointments. Especially Tim Geithner, who is really running the Financial Show.

[Fuddnik]

61. Yeah right.

[TBF]

71. As for the posting - yes people sometimes screw up and post things twice -

but that also happens with smiling Obama pictures in the GD: P forum. And I also see the same bs propaganda talking points repeated over and over.

I can point out that President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. He did do that one thing. What else has he done for labor? And I don't mean things for corporations that *supposedly* trickle down to workers... I mean direct things he has done for labor.

[Rex]

83. I doubt it was meant for that effect.

Many things get reposted here over and over, so I doubt there is a conspiracy afoot. Just people that don't read past the first page imo.

[Mojorabbit]

48. So are we throwing this author under the bus also?

I want the President to succeed badly but this article is pretty much spot on. I am hoping The President wakes up soon to what is happening in this country and changes direction.

[roguevalley]

21. given that Labor is giving him the finger after three years of nothing,

I would say I agree with Taibi

and make the case that those ceo fuckers are good for everyone and not their 'class'

[Fumesucker]

6. My take on it is that when the Republicans *and* the Democrats both hate your guts..

You're probably coming a little too close to uncomfortable truths.

Edited for redundant redundancy.

[roguevalley]

23. then again, if you stand for nothing, you will be sure to offend

everyone.

[Hawkowl]

65. Nonsense

Pissing everyone off means you are doing EVERYTHING wrong.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

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

[MineralMan]

8. I haven't been to FR in weeks. The last time I was there was to see

a thread someone linked to here. I'm not really sure what it is you're trying to say. I no longer visit Free Republic, and haven't posted anything there since 2006. DU is the only political forum I post on any more. Has been for quite some time.

You seem to be confusing me with someone else.

[Bluebear]

27. What are you doing "all over" FR?

[bahrbearian]

28. Actually I never go over there, I was making an assumption , Waiting to be corrected.

[MineralMan]

41. And you were corrected. I'm not sure what you were implying,

but it was misplaced.

[JoePhilly]

9. Expect at least 2 each in GD and GDP

[frylock]

11. why not base your argument on the content of the posted op-ed?

sell us on why, in your opinion, Taibbi is incorrect.

[MineralMan]

12. Because I don't choose to do that.

It's Taibbi's opinion in that article. He can hold any opinion he wishes to hold. I have a different opinion. My opinion is that I'm going to wait until I hear President Obama's speech before criticizing it or agreeing with it. Seems reasonable enough, it seems to me.

[frylock]

74. taibbi bases his opinion upon stated facts

[paulk]

36. Taibbi makes a valid point in his article

you don't.

[tgal]

3. Me too Matt

Love Taibbi, he gets it.

That is why the right wingers HATE him.

Thanks for the article kpete.

[teddy51]

4. The problem still remains....

If not Obama, who? Does a Rick Perry or Michelle Bachmann do a better job? Unless someone that can win the WH primaries Obama, we are screwed!

[bvar22]

13. Obama doing what Obama does best.

Who can forget the rousing speeches given in front of LABOR and Working Class Crowds in 2008?
They were truly inspiring.

EFCA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMNVIQqatyU

Cadillac Tax
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8wmN3wvhNM&feature=player_embedded


Support for Striking Workers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA9KC8SMu3o

NAFTA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LtbLEKHsi0&NR=1


Looks like Obama has found the old Campaign Mojo which has been missing for a while.


You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their Campaign Performances.

Solidarity!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[roguevalley]

24. I don't care about campaign mojo. campaigns are nothing. I want

results afterwards an keeping ceo's around him you won't get it. Unless your a zillionaire.

[Jim_Shorts]

80. Obama is just a - flim flam man

His words have lost all meaning for me , it's like Taibbi says "It's become almost painful to listen to him".

Actions speak louder than words. One example:

Obama could have put on those comfortable shoes and stood with Wisconsin workers, he didn't even have to make a speech or stay that long but it would have made a strong statement. The gesture Obama did make was to take a bus (on a campaign tour) to all the states surrounding Wisconsin after the recall elections took place. "I hear you Barack"

Matt Taibbi is what old time investigative journalism looks like.

[bvar22]

89. That really was the point of the clips I posted.

Every single one was a Broken Promise to LABOR.
I was not surprised to see him donning the old campaign disguise from 2008 as a friend of LABOR.


You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their excuses.

Solidarity!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[banned from Kos]

14. More bullshit from Taibbi - Obama's #1 WH guest for two years was

Andy Stern.

But Taibbi has his fan base - like Justin Beiber does.

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

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

[banned from Kos]

31. I am an Obama supporter! Should we all leave DU? (the few left)

Serious question!

[tcaudilllg]

94. After tomorrow, probably yes.

I'm waiting to see what he says tomorrow, but I'm prepared inside to dump him, and I think much of the rest of the Democratic party is, too.

I still think he's gonna get re-elected -- if nothing else, a surprise left-wing figure will give him centrist appeal that would cut into the Perry vote. But he's more of a Joe Lieberman type figure than a real Democrat... I think he's tried all his life to "be" America, and he's doing rather well at it, for all its virtues and its vices.

We are emotionally attached to a situation that should be apprehended objectively. Obama had his chance... he turned out to be a disloyal candidate under pressure. We should give someone else the opportunity.

[newspeak]

81. yeah, Taibbi has actually put his life on the line

and actually is a journalist. I agree with Taibbi-when I heard Obama's cabinet picks, my first thought was "what the fek?" Because Little boots basically flushed the economy down the toilet, I actually did think the Obama would come out more like FDR instead of Hoover. Not appointing wall street to his cabinet-the same ones who helped get us into this mess along with a free for all unaccountable corporate giveaway by little boots.

And I see a rather disturbing MO here. Let's face it, poppy bush was the "in loop" under Reagan and the BCCI banking scandal-iran contra, plus the alleged theft of the PROMIS software, are major felonies. when clinton came into office and I thought "now we will see justice." Nope, gotta look ahead. The same with Obama-billions of our money lost on the Iraq boondoggle, money not accounted, shoddy rebuilding by contractors, and lying us into a lucrative war for global corporate interest, and don't forget the "enhanced interrogation or torture charges. Nope, we got to look ahead.

These same cretins come back to harm us in a big way when the rule of law is abandoned. Do we even have a rule of law anymore for the most wealthy, the most powerful OR is it something that is applied for the plebes, to keep the plebes in line?

[gulliver]

17. Matt Taibbi is a very hard working writer. n/t

[spanone]

18. taibbi never did.

[flamingdem]

20. yes, exactly nt

[KoKo]

47. He has become very hard to listen to. I couldn't watch much after "eat your peas."

that was kind of my last straw. I still try to catch him...but turn it off quickly. I do try to read the transcripts of what he says though. Even though it starts to get tiring. Still hope for him to wake up one day ...and get out of campaign mode..where it's not about him...but really about us out here.

[creon]

19. Then don't

It is a free country.
Obama can say whatever he says.

You have the right to ignore him.

[Fuddnik]

62. Yes he can.

And I will. I've heard it over and over again.

I'm watching football and Comedy Central.

[creon]

100. No problem.

[closeupready]

22. "almost painful to listen to him" - agreed. Partially, that's because he's so good

at talking like a progressive. But when it comes to actually implementing liberal policies or fighting for progressive causes, he folds before he even starts. So it's a waste of time, IMO, to listen to his speeches.

[tblue]

32. Why should we believe him?

Really.

[closeupready]

40. Observe with a cynical eye, knowing that the alternative WILL be worse.

And hope that in the event he wins the nomination (and we all know he will), that Republicans fuck up their nominations again, royally.

Equally important is to work DAMN HARD to make Congress blue, blue, blue. More Nydia Velazquez' and Marcie Kaptur's, please.

[truebrit71]

34. Yup. Fool me once. etc, etc, etc...

I'm not buying his bullshit this time around..

[hifiguy]

67. +1 nt

[xiamiam]

35. same here..and that is really sad because he is a great speaker

i can't listen..after the afghanistan surge speech, i was unable to listen.. the only one i really listened to was the one in texas after the giffords shooting...and that was a good speech and sucked me in again...i read them if available..but the spoken words are grating now

[Skittles]

52. that's called being a LIAR

[UnrepentantLiberal]

56. That's exactly what Obama is. He's not week. He's not indecisive.

He lied when he ran as a progressive. He has nothing but contempt for progressives. The nerve of this guy giving a speech praising unions. He has no shame.

[immoderate]

72. That was CampaignObama, a different guy than PresidentObama.

CampaignObama is programmed to tell us what we want to hear. He should not be confused with PresidentObama, who ignores us, and implements Republican policies.

The idea is to elect him again so he can screw us and split the goodies with the super rich.

Or he could be making a key move in 147-dimentional chess and we will be amazed! B-)

--imm

[Little Star]

25. Taibbi's right!

[dreamnightwind]

37. Exactly how I feel

I saw his exaggerated black civil rights activist accent (sorry I don't know what to call it really) was back when he was outside of DC speaking on jobs recently. I used to like it, now I laugh so I don't puke. It's phony. He will do a great job making himself sound like a guy that cares about working Americans until he either gets re-elected or loses. Then it'll be more Republican-lite, or even worse.

Clearly he's on the side of corporations, not the side of labor.

I've always felt like Taibbi gets it.

I wish we had a way to more directly challenge Obama's statements when he tries to sound progressive. His progressive stances are like a Hollywood set. They look real from the street, but they're nothing more than an empty facade, or the curtain behind which hides the Wizards of Wall Street.

Can anyone clearly articulate the differences between Obama and someone like Romney? There may be a few areas of difference, but they look incredibly similar to me when it comes to policy.

[bvar22]

39. Taibbi nails it again.

One can NOT be Pro-LABOR,
and push for MORE "Free Trade" at the same time.
The two are mutually exclusive.


You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their excuses.

Solidarity!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Fuddnik]

64. Don't forget more tax cuts! And budget cuts!

According to White House hints, it's going to be another woefully inadequate bi-partisan half gesture.

The Progressive Caucus is already up in arms.

[merkins]

42. The economy is so bad Exxon-Mobil had to lay off 25 Congressmen.

:party:

[truebrit71]

70. Nice!!!

:rofl:

[DirkGently]

76. Bam!

[sfpcjock]

43. You can say he didn't try to compromise with punk anarchists in Congress.

Everyone I know is frustrated. Maybe he had to do it that way. Or, maybe he was forced to.

[Odin2005]

44. The anti-progressive brigade is out trashing Taibbi, I see.

[Major Hogwash]

45. Bill Daly is hardcore when it comes to politics. I wouldn't fuck with him if I were you, Matt.

Seriously, writing articles in Rolling Stone or on some blog like common dreams is one thing, but winning a campaign for a black man in this country is a completely different ball game.

Obama has already been thwarted by the Republican party for the last 3 years.
Mostly by the Rethuglicans in the Senate.
I guess you weren't paying attention to the number of filibusters they put up since January of 2009.
Or the number of times they called for a recorded vote rather than accept a voice vote.

Why don't you write about that, Matt?
Doesn't seem like such a hard thing to do.
Unless you only want to tell one side of the story.

[dreamnightwind]

49. Hogwash

Obama and the Repubs are playing good cop, bad cop while the people get the shaft.

We need a real Democrat to get us out of this mess.

[Mendocino]

54. That we do.

But is there one out there that the right won't "rub out"? I don't put anything beyond them.

[Major Hogwash]

103. You wouldn't know a real Democrat if he stood in front of you.

Here I am.

[RaleighNCDUer]

68. Funny, I don't recall a single filibuster.

There were repeated threats of filibuster, threats to which the Majority Vote Counter folded every time.

Not once did he say "OK, run your filibuster. We'll go with that, and do nothing else. And when you're through making fools of yourselves, we'll have a vote and get the legislation we want anyway."

Fuck the filibuster.

[truebrit71]

69. Yup, Harry was too busy keeping his powder dry to ACTUALLY call their fucking bluff...

...he's another spineless bastard that needs to go...:grr:

[Major Hogwash]

102. You sound like Alberto Gonzales -- "I don't recall"

Watch Maddow and she'll learn ya something.

[FedUp_Queer]

105. Ok. Genius, Ms. "Real Democrat", Obama Toady or whatever your name is.

Let's see it. Show is the real filibuster.

Buehler? Buehler? Buehler?

[FedUp_Queer]

78. When...WHEN!!!!???

When are you Obama toadies going to take responsibility for anything? Your "last 3 years" meme sounds like the GOP regarding 9/11.

Obama had majorities IN BOTH HOUSES of Congress for two years...TWO F-ING YEARS!!!!

Your "last 3 years" meme is just like the GOP saying no terrorist attacks happened on W's watch.

Take some f-ing responsibility for this right-winger's actions. Hell, Bush "won" a contested election in 2000 and got TWO TAX CUTS passed...all he wanted with much smaller majorities.

Here was the make up. Note Bush NEVER had anything close to the majorities Obama had...and Bush "won" two contested elections:


Bush Senate
2001-2003
D – 50
R – 50
Bush 2003-2005 R+3
D – 48
R – 51
I – 1
Bush 2005-2007 R+11
D – 44
R – 55
I – 1
Bush 2007-2009
D – 49
R – 49
I – 2
Obama 2009-2011 D+26
D – 57
R – 41
I – 2


House
Bush 2001-2003 R+9
D – 212
R – 221
I – 2
Bush 2003-2005 R+24
D – 205
R – 229
I – 1
Bush 2005-2007 R+29
D – 202
R – 231
I – 1
Bush 2007-2009 D+35
D – 233
R – 198
I – 4
Obama 2009-2011 D+78
D – 256
R – 178
I – 1

Forgot to source: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0774721.html

[davidwparker]

99. +1

[Major Hogwash]

101. I can't help myself. See, I'm a real Democrat.

Unlike you, honey.

[FedUp_Queer]

104. Are you still here? Hasn't your check from Obama for America arrived yet?

[Mendocino]

50. We elected a dem

we got Repub-lite. Good golly I wish Paul Wellstone was still here.

[newspeak]

85. yes, I miss Paul Wellstone

He listened to the people. I remember when some miners, I think they were from PA--they had gone to their own congresscritters first about safety issues that weren't being address by the corporation. Their representatives wouldn't give them the time of day, so they approached Wellstone. Even though, he wasn't from their state, they knew he would listen. And, he did listen and act. Unfortunately corporate greed trumps human life.

[Skittles]

51. corporate whores LOVE high unemployment

[YOHABLO]

55. Actions Always Speak Louder Than Words

Yeah, Obama is out there stumping for votes and talking the talk. Will he walk the walk though? We progressives are tired of the well mastered speeches .. But like Taibbi points out .. look who he surrounds himself with. He can't be trusted. No, I'm afraid not. But then do we want a president Perry or Romney? Obama and the Dems have been spineless.

[newspeak]

87. oh, we'll vote

let's see if the DNC can do what howard dean did? Yes, we need to vote and throw out the teabaggers and get a majority in both houses. A solid one--I want to see all of those "for the people" policies enacted by a democratic majority. If if doesn't materialize, then we'll all know it's been kibuki theater from the start. Of course, some will still be in denial. There's still repugs in denial over little boots and his greedhead crony administration.

[blkmusclmachine]

58. Phony "bi-partisanship:"

Bi-partisanship means never having to say that you agree with the other guys.

[orbitalman]

59. K & R

[tpsbmam]

60. Once again....best predictor of future behavior is past behavior....

He has good reason not to trust him.

[maddiemom]

63. OBAMA/JOBS

Love ya, Matt. Are you married? My lovely thirty-something daughter, also a fan of your writing and a journalism major (ok. she works in advertising/public relations) broke up with her long-time boyfriend last year. Joking ,of course, but still we both appreciate your writing in RS as a kinder, gentler Hunter S. Thompson.

[Beacool]

73. Accurate assessment.

"Listening to Obama talk about jobs and shared prosperity yesterday reminded me that we are back in campaign mode and Barack Obama has started doing again what he does best – play the part of a progressive. He's good at it. It sounds like he has a natural affinity for union workers and ordinary people when he makes these speeches. But his policies are crafted by representatives of corporate/financial America, who happen to entirely make up his inner circle."

:(

[emsimon33]

75. I was skeptical but hopeful during the campaign, BUT Rahm & the others

soon set me straight. Obama is merely a puppet. He has some good speech writers who can talk the talk but Obama can't walk the walk for the American people or for democracy. He is a low-budget shill. That's all. The man's heart is as black as his skin. At least while Clinton was selling us down the river, he was eloquent about it and I think that he was sincere at times. Obama has no heart, no care for those less fortunate. I wish he would simply not run in 2012 and let the Democratic Party nominate a real Democrat.

[femrap]

77. I guess tonight is his

first national 'campaign' speech. He loves to 'campaign.' He loves to make promises that he knows damn well won't materialize.

I hear you, Matt...it's f*cking painful to listen to him anymore. It's painful to listen to any of the candidates...and we are looking at 14 f*cking months of listening to them. So I'll turn on TV only when necessary and keep the mute button close by.

I'm sick of it. I wish we had someone to primary the dude.

[Alcibiades]

79. Obama has governed like a midwestern moderate Democrat

Which is exactly who he said he was. I don't understand why so many of my fellow progressives made the mistake of assuming any differently.

I made the choice to support Obama early in the primary season, right after Edwards dropped out. Yes, it was "settling" for an electable moderate candidate, but, after 8 years, that was a choice I was willing to make, and it's one I'd make again: he's governed better than the electable alternatives would have.

Folks have said that there are lots of things they wish the president would have done when the Democrats were in the majority, but they forget that health care reform sucked all the air out of the room. This was the greatest legislative accomplishment of any Democratic president in my lifetime, so I'll "settle" for that.

There was a fake memo from Karl Rove circulating recently that encapsulates nicely what is going on:


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/27/1010778/-BREAKING:-Leaked-Rove-email-singles-out-Daily-Kos

I believe this e-mail to be a complete and total fraud (he says some things that would never be said even in a "confidential" e-mail, including "Anybody but that grotesque, hideous beotch from the Klondike!", "Look, we suckered all those nutjob Christian fundies out of their votes and their money. LIberals are almost as easy to fool!" and "Mmmwahhh" Even Karl Rove does not bother to actually type out an evil laugh, much as a dying man would not write "Castle Aaargh.") Nonetheless, it is true, eve if its attribution is false. Just look at the join date of the loudest of the complainers: you'll find few who were here before 2008.

Despite the claims of the right, I did not expect Obama to hike the top marginal tax rate to 90% and confiscate the wealth of the capitalist class and give it to working people. And he has done some things that i strongly disapprove of, such as trading the investigation (not the prosecution, but the mere investigation) of the crimes committed under Bush to secure the confirmation of Eric Holder (it's nonsensical to trade away the principle of the rule of law to secure the confirmation of the attorney general).

NONETHELESS

▄██████████████▄▐█▄▄▄▄█▌
██████▌▄▌▄▐▐▌███▌▀▀██▀▀
████▄█▌▄▌▄▐▐▌▀███▄▄█▌
▄▄▄▄▄██████████████▀

You simply cannot underestimate what the value of having Obama in the White House has been. For those of you who thought he was going to govern like Noam Chomsky would have, I'm sorry. Meanwhile, back in Realityland:

President Obama has appointed 96 federal judges. I am willing to bet that all of them are better than any of the judges we would have seen from McCain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_judges_appointed_by_Barack_Obama


Obama is siccing Eric Holder on the banksters. Why did it take so long? Because these cases are complex. Maybe you don't do complexity, but that's the fact, Jack.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14774420


He promised to end the war in Iraq, and he's ending it. The worst-case scenario is that we will have 3-4,000 troops in Iraq after the withdrawal deadline. You know damn well McCain would have found a way to keep us there forever.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/62793.html

It's not "ponies and unicorns": these are real differences. Should we try to push this administration in a more liberal direction? Absolutely. But any activist Democrat who does not see what this president has accomplished is worse than the Republicans.

[newspeak]

82. What? Obama to me looks like

a privatizing wall street corporatist. Oh wait, we who believe in government programs for the public good, the welfare and health of people and communities and people over profits--we are bleeding far left liberals now, not the democratic party of FDR. that's how far around the bend we've gone. We're the frogs in the boiling water-one party wants to throw you in while the water is boiling and the other, apparently wants you to climb in while it's still cool.

We've been eroding since Reagan-that includes the poppy bush-clinton NAFTA-GATT and welfare deform and Obama's "shared sacrifice", austerity measures.

[Alcibiades]

91. That doesn't quite address the specific accomplishments

of this administration. For example, the fact that the Justice Department is going after the banksters stands in contradiction to your claim that Obama is a "privatizing Wall Street corporatist."

While I agree with your claim that we have been going backwards since 1979, a demoralized and demobilized Democratic activist base is exactly what the Republicans want. When you compare where we were headed as a party and a nation now and in 2007, we are better off, and we will be better off with a second term than with a president Romney.

[county worker]

95. Today and everyday, the gap between the haves and have nots grows.

The class warfare is putting Americans into poverty. Unions are disappearing. Growing numbers of children are homeless. The unemployment level is really well over 10% and growing. We are becoming a third world nation.

The future for our kids and grandkids is bleak.

Obama does nothing about these issues. What he has accomplished diminishes in the face of that!

If you live in poverty Obama has done nothing for you and ever day more of us fall into poverty.

I don't know how anyone who calls him or herself a progressive can live with that.

[Alcibiades]

107. I don't disagree with the premise

But rather the conclusion. What it would take to reverse 30 years of the assault on working people's ability to have a middle class standard of living is a complicated question, but would probably have to include tariffs, real, progressive tax reform, job training, corporate welfare reform, corporate governance reform, the re-unionization of America and probably lots of other things as well.

I don't think the Obama administration has done "nothing," however. They have expanded Pell grants, suspended taxes on unemployment benefits, extended unemployment benefits, expanded Medicaid eligibility and some other things. Is he LBJ? No, but he's not bad, certainly better than Clinton, and worthy of our support, rather than the endless bashing. The conservatives do enough of that.

[angry citizen]

84. Mat got it right

I think that Matt hit the nail on the head.  I am tired of the
President talking like FDR and acting like W.

[FreedomVoice]

86. +1

I truly will only trust actions and records from now on. Speeches and words are pointless and will be ignored.

[Ganja Ninja]

88. Yup and for people who say "What could he do?"

He could have put on those comfortable shoes and joined the people in Wisconsin fighting for their labor rights. He could have but he didn't because he's a phony. Time to admit it.

[Fire Walk With Me]

90. Yes, yes, yes. (Slaps forehead)

[OwnedByFerrets]

92. Yes, it is painful in many ways

[RowdyRacer]

97. I don't believe him either...

When obama's "people" start calling me and asking for money and volunteer time, here is what I am going to do...I plan to make a rousing speech, promising donations and labor in a way that lifts their spirits and leads them to think that they have reached the one Great Supporter that they have been searching for. Then, I plan to keep my money in my pocket and spend my time doing something else. Fuck them.

[dreamnightwind]

106. LOL

Good one, I hope you really do it! Great way to get your point across to them.