what are barack obama's flaws?

agreed

like...this is seriously the best he can offer? why even bother

so that when it's time for you to donate money again people can say "he tried"

eh, poor attempt at damage control.

I am really surprised at his poor political instincts here. I can understand not wanting to throw the repeal of DOMA into the current legislative agenda, but he could at least be laying the groundwork for it, both rhetorically and behind the scenes.

x-post

so that when it's time for you to donate money again people can say "he tried"

?? He hasn't tried shit!

altho the irony of him being on the hook for cleaning up Clinton's fuckup is ... well not delicious but its somethin

Barney's angry

haaa this is great:

http://www.obamasplanforgayrights.com/

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0609/Obama_Just_a_start.html

Not the world's biggest Conan the Barbarian expert:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW7OPByRGDY

haaa this is great:

http://www.obamasplanforgayrights.com/

oh how fucking clever
good thing boyo got that copyrighted

In general, how much one criticizes Obama is largely a function of the areas on which one tends to focus. If I had spent the week writing about Iran, I would be largely defending -- and praising -- Obama's very wise restraint, even in the face of bipartisan political pressure, when it comes to interfering in Iran's internal political disputes. His private and public refusal to cheer on all of Israel's policies is also commendable. Conversely, those who focus on gay issues have been understandably furious with the administration, and in the areas of civil liberties, secrecy, and his Justice Department generally, the administration has been nothing short of abysmal. Criticizing the Right for its support of these positions is understandable, but in our modern political culture, the President is, far and away, the driving force, and those who supported him can have far more of an impact pointing out, rather than ignoring, the role he is playing in advancing these policies.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/06/20/dna/index.html

what's michelle been up to lately?

Staying the fuck out of the health care debate?

serious question

performing abortions for welfare queens while dressed as Hitler

http://www.vanityfair.com/images/politics/2009/08/qaddafi-0908-ps01.jpg

Little Richard misjudging the tone slightly.

Sooo... the Patriot Act* will extend to 2013?

*"If someone wants to know why their own government has decided to go on a fishing expedition through every personal record or private document — through library books they've read and phone calls they've made — this legislation gives people no rights to appeal the need for such a search in a court of law. No judge will hear their plea, no jury will hear their case. This is just plain wrong."

Barack Obama
12/15/2005
US Senate Floor

http://www.clevelandleader.com/files/tigerobamagolf.jpg

In that case, all this 'bipartisanship' talk makes me worry he'll let the plutocrats walk all over him in the name of unity. It's too early to tell, of course.

― Oilyrags, Wednesday, April 30, 2008

TIME TO START TELLING

hush steve and albert, can't jeopardize the reelection

count me as "not surprised, but not pleased either"

wtf with this shit

"shit" from BHO yes, wtf not so much

oh for the record i'm wtfing at golf digest

patriot act bullshit makes me angry and sad and this combined with other things means i don't see myself voting for him in '12 (and definitely not defending him at the holiday dinner table)

an unsettling depression has landed on me, most of it to with events utterly outside of the realm of politics, but what I'd hoped would be the only good thing out of the past year (Obama's election) has turned into another incredible disappointment. I voted and supported him as a realist as well, knowing full well that we would not have some kind of miracle return to...(what? don't know, things were never that great, ever) or the dawning of the Age of Aquarius or something. But fuck me if I can think of anything he's actually accomplished that's been of any benefit. Might be my mindset though. But I think he might have overpromised. I'm not going to be surprised if he looses the next election and we enter into some hellist right wing military state.

dude.

stabilizing the economy, ARRA, healthcare reform, closing Gitmo, withdrawing from Iraq, putting the EPA back to work (regulating greenhouse gases, letting CA fuel efficiency standards go forward, etc.)

these are all good things

Man I was so pleased with those first couple months. No extraordinary rendition! Withdrawing from Iraq! Cap&Trade! Closing Guantanamo! Obama World Tour '09! But then a bunch of rabbit punches of non-symbolic actual centrism and concessions to the right and a whole waterfall of :/

xp

how has he overpromised? To me he's fulfilling every one of his campaign promises: enlarge the war in Afghanistan, ban torture, allow secret renditions, cut the easiest, most compromised deal to get something close to universal health care coverage.

gitmo doesn't seem to be closing anytime soon

^

yeah i don't think he really overpromised so much as created a false image of himself that a lot of people bought
i only voted for him because i was in an important state but i'm not anymore & i was never pumped about him so i don't feel so conflicted about it. lucky me, rite

three provisions of the Patriot Act are up for renewal, and Obama always supported them: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/09/obama-backs-expiring-patriot-act-spy-provisions/ so what are you guys surprised about

x-posts

gitmo doesn't seem to be closing anytime soon

this is Congress' fault, not Obama's.

anyway Alfred OTM

ok but we still can't say that's a success for him yet, whoever's fault it is. same with healthcare.

it's gonna happen. healthcare reform is gonna happen too.

yeah most of my issues probably boil down to congress to be honest.

healthcare reform is going to happen but even in the best plans, no-one seems to actually benefit from it for another four years.

A return to the Third Way with some anti-war window dressing is exactly what I voted for, if not what I wanted. I suppose center leftism just looked that much more starry and wonderful after years of watching talking heads actually argue about the acceptability of torture.

its important to bear in mind how bad the last 8-12 years were - that shit isn't gonna all get washed away in 12 months by some Executive Branch magic

and it's not our fault that our culture overrates presidents.

that is a very good point^^

healthcare reform is going to happen but even in the best plans, no-one seems to actually benefit from it for another four years.

hahaha wait you expect gov't to work QUICKLY now? As someone who's personally impacted by the ARRA funds disbursement, that shit was passed at the beginning of the year and is only JUST NOW getting out to actual projects. The federal gov't is huge and slow.

its nice to see people pushing obama to his left but its also important to remember that he is just one dude who is very visible and whose power is not by any means absolute

hush steve and albert, can't jeopardize the reelection

― a full circle lol (J0hn D.), Saturday, December 5, 2009

y'know, no one EVER says this to you so it'd be nice if you would stop endlessly parotting yr favorite strawman argument k thx bye

and yeah I agree with max - the left's job right now is to relentlessly pressure Obama. they're needed as a counterweight.