Obama may be the 99 catalyst

[salinen]

For two reasons.

1. He described what the 99% own, and what they contribute by way of taxes. He developed the "Buffet" rules that spoke of the imbalance that the super rich receive. He's attempted to push for jobs and health care and save medicare and social security (non-entitlement programs).

2. He ran as a changer, which could only mean moving in the direction of progressivism. And his failure to produce meaningful progressive legislation helped us to realize that the government is not there to represent us. Therefore, we must represent ourselves. No leader can help in this action as Washington is corrupted entirely.

[msongs]

1. the great liberal hope turned out to be a closet republican lol nt

[KG]

14. he was never in the closet about his republicanism.

anybody paying attention knew where he stood....

[sendero]

15. I am SO SICK......

... of reading that UTTER BULLSHIT.

Numerous campaign speeches repeatedly and clearly outline a solid progressive agenda. Is you argument one of "you should have known he was a liar"?

Because that is all you have.

[KG]

17. too bad.

[sendero]

19. Yeah...

.. he's not the only liar.

[KG]

20. ha-ha.

so, that's all you have?

[sendero]

21. I don't need anything else...

... your assertion is demonstrably and completely false and anyone with google knows it.

[Lizzie Poppet]

30. Oooh, campaign speeches!

All politicians make campaign speeches. 99.99+% of them are bullshit. Obama sure hasn't been an exception to the rule.

[sendero]

40. Go figure..

.... I expect exaggerations in campaign speeches but I draw the line at outright fabrications.

Maybe our government wouldn't suck ass quite so much if people stop putting up with blatant lies.

When Bush did it there was non stop outrage. But since it's "our" guy it's just ok. Hypocritical much?

[LWolf]

39. Yes.

I'm glad so many others are FINALLY paying attention.

[KittyWampus]

26. Obama as "closet republican" is the folly of a very tiny slice of ideologues.

[Marr]

2. Oh, he was a catalyst for the demonstrations, alright.

He proved to everyone that the 1% has the entire political establishment on a leash.

[rug]

38. +99

[salinen]

43. That's really the story

sad.

[yurbud]

3. ironically, I expected him to be more progressive to PROTECT the 1% from revolution

which is exactly what FDR did.

By taking too obviously token action and protecting the wealthy criminals in the financial sector and even letting them still dictate policy, he made the occupy movement and even some form of revolution (hopefully non-violent) inevitable, thereby putting the 1% at a much greater risk than if he had taken appropriately ''radical'' action in the first place.

[Kaleko]

11. I've thought about the exact thing you're describing.

What if Obama knowingly made a revolution and collapse of the existing system inevitable by taking the course he did?

Hmmm...

So far, I always come back to saying, "Naaw, he's in the pocket of Wall Street."

[Huey P. Long]

23. Naww for sure. The dude isn't ant closet revolutionary! That just desperate

thinking to try and give him some redeeming quality. He completely in the bag for them and oblivious to us. He began his term by keeping liberals out, and will continue to.
He is no 'chessmaster', he is a servant of corporations.

[yurbud]

31. both could be true. Like a taxi driver collecting a generous tip from a lone klansman for a ride

to an inner city black neighborhood.

You could know the outcome but still gladly pocket their money for the trip.

[Kaleko]

41. Right. The duplicity needed to pull off such a trick,

and consistently deceive both, your democratic base AND the Powers behind the Presidency, would be way out in the stratosphere. But then again, the best lawyers are capable of considering every angle from different perspectives and have to be the most convincing liars by necessity.

[Exilednight]

34. He's not smart enough to do such a thing. People keep expressing how intelligent Obama is, but

he can not be all that smart if he loses the messaging war to a group of morans who can not even spell moron properly.

[patrice]

4. Really! NOT sure that it is/was intentional, but fascinated by the fact that that is the way it has

worked out, especially since that would not be the case if each and every one of us were not exactly who we are, including a guy named Barack Obama.

[Firebrand Gary]

5. Let's be clear, just as V called it.

We did this to ourselves, Obama did not do this to us. The vast majority of people stayed home or voted republican in 2010. We did this to ourselves.

[WiffenPoof]

6. Perhaps...

As far as I'm concerned, the 2010 election was a result of the Democratic electorate being extremely disappointed (and feeling betrayed) by our President in that he did NOT follow through on his campaign promises. Further, the time between the 2010 election of "disappointment" and the beginning of the Occupy Movement was the slow realization that if we wanted anything done, we would have to do it ourselves. It is ironic....and had unintended results...President Obama is the catalyst for the current movement whether he intended it or not. At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter. The ball is rolling and I think we can see where this is all heading.

-P

[emsimon33]

7. I agree. I voted but I did not volunteer

or contribute or call or knock on doors, etc.

[Firebrand Gary]

8. Then this will blow your mind.

The President got done what was in his power. Congress who is wholly owned by Wall St strategically slowed down and has now stopped the Presidents agenda. When we say we were disappointed in the President, lets be clear, the President took it as far as he could. Democrats and Republicans alike stopped this administration. I just posted this link earlier, it a SHOCKER.

Dive in and have fun.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2250374

[OnyxCollie]

9. Obama's predictable pattern of "bad" negotiating

suggests an unseen variable- that he is in on the scam.

[Firebrand Gary]

10. Do you think that is it or is it that he has no control over it?

My optimism is wanting to check my cynicism. He has proven himself to be a great strategist and I have to wonder if on some of these things that he has negotiated poorly if he did it to gain an upper hand in some way.

[Huey P. Long]

27. Does it explain how he loaded up all his assistants and advisors w/ Goldman Sachs?

Does it explain how he kicked all the liberals in the teeth?

[KittyWampus]

28. "as far as your concerned" indeed. The facts prove you wrong. But so many DU'ers love clinging to

this fantasy.

[salinen]

44. Yep

OWS has that "betrayal" element. The 99% became the only place to rob from, since the 1% bought congress and decided they only wanted to pay 0 for the commons. After all, there's nothing "common" about zillionaires.

[Edweird]

18. It's cute how 2010 is used as an excuse while ignoring what did/did not happen 2008-2010.

By 'cute' I mean pathetic and dishonest.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

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

[malaise]

13. He also told them that they would have to

participate

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/01/obama-michigan-graduation_n_559688.html

The last ingredient in a functioning democracy is perhaps the most basic: participation.

I understand that one effect of today's poisonous political climate is to push people away from participation in public life. If all you see when you turn on the television is name-calling; if all you hear about is how special interest lobbying and partisanship prevented Washington from getting something done, you might think to yourself, "What's the point of getting involved?"

The point is, when we don't pay close attention to the decisions made by our leaders; when we fail to educate ourselves about the major issues of the day; when we choose not to make our voices and opinions heard, that's when democracy breaks down. That's when power is abused. That's when the most extreme voices in our society fill the void that we leave. That's when powerful interests and their lobbyists are most able to buy access and influence in the corridors of Washington - because none of us are there to speak up and stop them.

Participation in public life doesn't mean that you all have to run for public office - though we could certainly use some fresh faces in Washington. But it does mean that you should pay attention and contribute in any way that you can. Stay informed. Write letters, or make phone calls on behalf of an issue you care about. If electoral politics isn't your thing, continue the tradition so many of you started here at Michigan and find a way to serve your community and your country - an act that will help you stay connected to your fellow citizens and improve the lives of those around you.

It was fifty years ago that a young candidate for president came here to Michigan and delivered a speech that inspired one of the most successful service projects in American history. And as John F. Kennedy described the ideals behind what would become the Peace Corps, he issued a challenge to the students who had assembled in Ann Arbor on that October night:

"...n your willingness to contribute part of your life to this country...will depend the answer whether a free society can compete. I think it can."

This democracy we have is a precious thing. For all the arguments and all the doubts and all the cynicism that's out there today, we should never forget that as Americans, we enjoy more freedoms and opportunities than citizens in any other nation on Earth. We are free to speak our mind and worship as we please; to choose our leaders and criticize them if they let us down. We have the chance to get an education, work hard, and give our children a better life.

None of this came easy. None of it was preordained. The men and women who sat in your chairs ten years ago and fifty years ago and one hundred years ago - they made America possible. And there is no guarantee that the graduates who will sit here in ten or fifty or one hundred years from now will enjoy the same freedoms and opportunities that we do. America's success has never been a given. Our nation's destiny has never been certain.

What is certain - what has always been certain - is our ability to shape that destiny. That is what makes us different. That is what makes us American - our ability at the end of the day to look past all of our differences and all of our disagreements and still forge a common future. That task is now in your hands, as is the answer to the question posed at this university half a century ago about whether a free society can still compete.

If you are as willing, as past generations were willing, to contribute part of your life to the life of this country, then I, like President Kennedy, still believe we can

[Exilednight]

35. That's bullshit. It's been well documented that Obama Inc has done everything possible to keep

us from participating in the political process.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

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

[Edweird]

22. He ran as a 'changer', but for some reason he always ends up advocating FAR RW policy.

THAT is why people are pissed - no hope and no change unless you count change for the worse. If you're trying to insinuate this is some kind of 27 dimensional chess strategy, go right ahead. All I see is a RW'er that fooled a bunch of Dems into voting for him.

[Motown_Johnny]

25. fair pay act, hate crime legislation, food safety, DADT repeal, student loan reform

all FAR RW policy?



Could you please provide some examples of what got passed that you think is far rw policy?

[Edweird]

42. The first item I'm going to bring up is the 'individual mandate'. Far RW policy.

[Motown_Johnny]

24. he did produce meaningful progressive legislation, it is just that some people refuse to accept it

Not that it is as much as we wanted, nobody will argue that.



Here is my, out of date, copy and paste response to these kinds of posts, that I run into here almost every day.



you seem to be ignoring:


Two great choices for Supreme Court.

The Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

The Matthew Shepard Hates Crimes Prevention Act (which they said could not be done)

Children's Health Insurance

Tobacco Regulation

Credit Card Reform

Student Loan Reform

The Stimulus (including the largest tax cut ever, the largest investment in clean energy ever, the single largest investment in education in our country ever)

Health Reform

Wall Street Reform

The New G.I. Bill

The Food Safety Modernization Act (the most expansive food reform bill since the 1930s)

The Don't Ask Don't Tell Repeal

The New Start Treaty (even when the (R)s said he would never be able to get it passed)

Locking up over half the loose nuclear material in the world in less than half of his first term, something most (R)s thought impossible.




Most of that list is from The Rachel Maddow Show and is included in this clip
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#4077 ...

In that clip she also estimates that ~85% of what President Obama said he wanted to accomplish in his first term had been accomplished in the first half of his first term.

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

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

[robdogbucky]

33. Yup, I suppose all those foreign press articles are dead wrong also?

about the state of things, to wit, from NHK in Japan:


Obama losing supporters

President Barack Obama has recently been going on a bus tour and addressing students at universities to emphasize his resolve to improve the employment situation.

Obama initially enjoyed a high support rate of 68 percent. But the rate has recently declined to the lower 40-percent range.

The ongoing demonstrations across the United States against economic inequality are a good example of voter discontent.

Many young people who have supported Obama are taking part in the protests. One common problem of these people is outstanding education loans...


Sunday, November 06, 2011 12:17 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/06_08.html

[Exilednight]

37. There's not a progressive thing on that list. Most of it is centrist police and the few remaining

items are barely left of center.

[Odin2005]

32. Mr. Hope-Change became Mr. Defend-The-Status-Quo.

If that doesn't make you pissed off, nothing will.

[lonestarnot]

36. I am so conflicted about some of the reality here, but felt it right after his initial

appointments. Not pulling out right after we kill Osama bin forgotten. Still want to hope those feelings are wrong.