Hate to disappoint Maher and fans, but it only gets better

Appointed a Special Envoy for Middle East peace

Order the closing of Guantanamo Bay

Prohibit use of torture

Obama Orders Secret Prisons and Detention Camps Closed

Obama Sets Bold New Principles for U.S. Energy, Climate Policies

Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act

Omnibus Public Lands Management Act

Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program Act of 2009

Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009 or FERA (PDF)

Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009

Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009 (Kerry-Lugar includes funding for Obama's global poverty initiative)

Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009

End of 22-Year Discriminatory Travel Ban

Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act

Stopping Conflict-related Sexual Violence Against Women and Children

The UN, Women & Girls

New policy steps towards Cuba

Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia

Strategy to address the international nuclear threat

For the Media: "30+ Reasons Obama deserves the Nobel Peace Prize"

Russia on Nobel Peace Prize: Obama thawing 'second cold war'

World Reaction to Obama Winning the Nobel

Turkey, Armenia sign historic accord

Why the Stimulus Worked

Green jobs for real people: The story behind the recovery numbers

Obama's Plan: Financial Regulatory Reform: A New Foundation (PDF)

• Requiring Strong Supervision And Appropriate Regulation Of All Financial Firms (pdf)
  
  
• Strengthening Regulation Of Core Markets And Market Infrastructure (pdf)
  
  
• Strengthening Consumer Protection (pdf)
  
  
• Providing The Government With Tools To Effectively Manage Failing Institutions (pdf)
  
  
• Improving International Regulatory Standards And Cooperation (pdf)

House Panel Moves Derivatives Toward Obama’s Proposal

FACTBOX: Major U.S. financial regulation reform proposals

Obama says Senate bill on tax havens would stop abuses

Statement by President Barack Obama on House and Senate Introducing Legislation to Crack Down on Overseas Tax Havens

Obama to chair historic U.N. council nuclear meeting

G20 to Become Forum for Global Economic Cooperation

Next comes Obama's budget, health care reform and more.

see this list.

Death Tax
Death Panel
Pull the Plug on Grannie
tea party
tea-baggers
compassionate conservatives
fiscal conservatives
where's the birth certificate
secret muslim
Kenyan
clean coal
etc etc

More than half the list is just reversing policy back to "normal" for a Democratic presidency. We need better than average at this point in our history. So it is appropriate to keep pushing and expect more.

with a few key changes.

Clinton's policies were not sustainable. We cannot continue to put a "band aid" on the deeper issues.

Again, compared to Bush Clinton's policies look angelic, but we were still in the mindset that globalization and "free market" idology would solve most every social ill, which I think we know not to be the case now.

I thin Gore understood this. But I am not sure Clinton did....

He exercised his regulatory powers heavily. But he did not call capitalism the root of all evil, either.

that isn't the CHANGE you promised, and we aren't
going to be satisfied with SMALL CHANGE, Mr President


Restore rule of law by prosecuting war criminals.

Restore fiscal responsibility and regulation in the financial sector.

Restore equity to the tax system, so tax the rich, they got all the money. duh.

Pass a robust PUBLIC option health care plan. screw the rethugs, pass medicare for all.


Thats a start Mr. President, come back for more when you got that done.

as we've seen here often, or was too lazy to even comprehend the post.

Go Prosense! Go Prosense!

Did you realize that many of the things you dumped in here have already happened?

celebrate: It only gets better.

I'm surprised you didn't include volume and weight on every crap he's taken since being inaugurated.

You want to celebrate Obama, fine. I've done it myself on occasion. But please don't take part in this financial con job. You're just helping the robber barons to finally and completely finish fleecing the middle class.

That's one informed opinion you got there.

w00t.

Teachers, cops, firefighters, etc...

People we probably don't need and who don't have children to feed either.

some haters never learn.

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O-Fundies!!

know how you can bear being on such a high pedestal patting yourselves on the backs and come up with such stupid name-calling all at the same time.

It was an accurate description of some of the supporters.

It's so much easier to pretend every critic is a hater. That way, you get to keep your presidential binky.

that you had to start a thread to rebuke Bill Fucking Maher. Are you serious? Maher is an idiot. You just gave him free advertising. gOD forbid anybody has an opinion or disagrees with your O Holy One. Sad. Maher gets paid to say shit, sometimes pro, sometime con, towards political figures. Lighten up.

Having an opinion?

Isn't that what people are called out on all the time: broadcasting their shitty opinion? You think Maher is an idiot, but you have issues with him being called out. Do yourself a favor and back out of the thread if you can't stomach criticism of Maher.

Seriously, what the hell are you arguing?

this president when someone criticizes him. The fact that so many here think disagreement=hater. The fact that an opinion no longer seems allowed on DU unless we're all in agreement.

That was my initial argument.

Seriously, that's your problem.

That and the other things I mentioned.
And, obviously, you cannot stomach criticism of the president or we wouldn't have this great thread of yours.

and you claim I have no stomach for criticism? Maybe I have no stomach for BS. You, on the other hand, appear to be twisting in agony that someone criticized Maher.

and having nothing but criticism. While claiming to be Democrats.

OFundies, etc., leave that to the freepers. It is weird to be communicating with people supposedly of the same party and have them be just as mean as freepers are.

trash him, you're some kind of noble sage.

For those paying attention.

....he's a comedian, right? As in, he says things to induce giggles and thought, not to draft policy and dictate direction?

statements after 9-11? Didn't he realize he was just a comedian and didn't have to apologize or back down?

I've seen rational people do that before. After getting new or additional information, they reevaluated the situation. Holding firm and standing your ground is a trait of the daft, not of the resolute.

What's your answer? Comedy or rational opinion?

Have you never heard opinion stated with comedic intent? Since days ancient, the court jesters were the most scathing critics of the ruler. They could afford to go FAR further than any other citizen was allowed in criticism, and the brilliant ones managed to push the envelope and toe the line without being bland or sentenced to death.

If you can't handle Maher's type of comedy, go watch Carrottop take a sledgehammer to fruit.

and not just a comedian. I agree. He can't write off his cowardice as simply "comedy."

He gave his opinions on matters after 9-11 and gutlessly backed down, then started licking right-wing ass to save his paycheck.

See, I was right after all!

hey, i for one am glad you're gonna be miserable for the next 7 years. you reap what you sow.

It'll keep you occupied while we work for *real* change.

but hey, pat yourself on your back for the freeperish name you came up with.

Of course, given how ... um ... excited you are about Obama, I really don't want to know what you're filling them with.

If it was something other than raw hero-worship, you'd be able to have an intelligent conversation about reality. But you all just run around screaming "haters!!!" and trying to shut down any real conversation.

Then when someone complains about that, you start yelling "haters!!!" even louder. It's pretty transparent, actually.

"Talibama" is your idea of "conversation", or "obama sucks and if you don't agree you're a cheerleader"

but hey, i'm *glad* he makes you miserable. really, really glad actually.

must be frustrating to be in that tiny, tiny minority of DUers that can't stand the president.

Idiots who post shit like "I'm thinking you would have preferred McCain" have more than earned the name. The pattern is always the same on these threads:

1. Someone posts yet another Obama fan letter
2. Someone disagrees with it
3. Someone replies with "pony", "hater", "McCain", "PUMA" or whatever other tired-ass talking point they've memorized
4. Someone calls that poster and O-bot or the like.
5. All the cheerleaders start screaming like someone took their binky.

Yes, it's mindless hero-worship. Combined with a good dose of drama-queen martyrdom.

Look at the OP. The subject line starts with an attack against "Maher and fans". That's the M.O. of the Obama crowd: continually attack and then whine when someone pushes back.

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If you'd like, I could have some actual thought come up and bite you in the ass. Do you think that would work?

but I won't hold my breath

to you, maybe. But lately everything's funny ro someone.

Restarting the securitized loan market? Leaving too-big-to-fail banks too big? Requiring a that a lender retain only 5% of a loan they initiate?

You're right. Laughing isn't the right reaction to this.

...all I see is "ignored". I had to eventually give up on that person.

I'd be willing to bet that most of the cheerleaders on this site couldn't answer a single, basic question on Obama's financial proposal. They just see that Obama's proposed something, so it MUST be good.

No thanks. I like my brains functional.

Is it possible they're all malfunctioning?

It's much better use of time than engagin in a bitter-induced tantrum.

You either a) haven't read it, b) didn't understand it, or c) are somehow invested in helping Obama con the general public.

Which is it?

And you still don't understand them?

Oh, the fact that you find them offensive is irrelevant.

And what are the implications for this if it passes?

I think we have our answer. Hence my "mindless cut-and-paste" comment.

laughing at you.

It's much more fun to just fawn over politicians, isn't it? None of that nasty "thinking" involved...

It's much more fun to watch heads exploding, especially those with multiple brains.

I only put the worst of the rabid-no-sense-of-reality-Obama-haters on my ignore list. That means, unfortunately, that this person has no intention of listening to you. Thats a shame because you have a lot of good stuff to say.

It only took one post for him to ignore me, so I'd say his tolerance for dissent is pretty low. It also makes his self-proclaimed deep knowledge of my Obama hatred disingenuous at best.

But I bet I make him peek every time.

doing any legwork, you're just interested in bashing.

could it be that the vast majority of posters here actually like and support our President?

that must make the naysayers feel like whining even more.
what a destructive cycle they are trapped in.
once you have invested so much of yourself into detracting from something, it is damn near impossible to regain objectivity.

good luck coping with the string of Obama successes to come, Haters.

board, Dr..we appreciate all the positive President Obama support.

Ok sure, being simply offensive or rude like someone was earlier in this thread isn't helping anyone.

Still, being critical like Maher serves a purpose. Maher's point all this time has been "not good enough" and "I demand more". That's incentive for further changes and improvement, and it is healthy dissent.

The only thing you should hate more than irrational critics of your government are the people who say things are good. Because the moment the government thinks you're satisfied, it starts to serve itself rather than you. This issue is bigger than Obama, bigger than his cabinet, bigger than the Dems or Republicans. It's the political reality of fighting for the next election.

Those in power always lower the bar and talk of compromise, blowing microscopic changes into huge stories (like single payer has evaporated into a lame disfigured excuse for a solution). That's why the public should be productively critical, raising the bar whenever possible.


There, I said it. Dissent is the highest form of patriotism, please don't gag those voices.

"...the moment the government thinks you're satisfied, it starts to serve itself rather than you."

That could also be applied to political parties!

I say it all the time.... loud doesn't necessarily mean numerous.

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You do know people can actually read posts here without joining, right? With all the hate going on here since the primaries, it's no wonder someone would actually wait to make sure they're at a Democratic forum before joining. You're making a bad assumption.

I have no issues with a list of accomplishments but some of that list is a bit fudged. No one is arguing that the president hasn't said he'd close Guantanamo but as long as Congress has to fund said closing it's not going ot happen. So you may as well leave that off the list.

As to torture, it has always been illegal, that President Obama has said we won't do it anymore is merely following the law. While it's lovely, it really shouldn't be considered one in a list of accomplishments.

I shan't go into the issues with the financial sector. Keeping too big to fail banks too big and worse helping them to become even bigger is not a good idea.

The idea that because someone is critical of Obama means they're some kind of hater is a simplistic and asinine one and clearly not evidence of someone who is interested in intelligent debate.

It's easy to criticize those who are of the opposite party. But if you don't have the stones to criticize someone in the same party you might as well be a cheer-leading freeper with unfortunately, the same amount of intellectual integrity. Personally, I don't find that remotely interesting.

I'm going to give it a little more time, though.

you're doing, you'll keep getting what you've got certainly applies. Trying to return the financial industry and the economy to where it was previously without major reformation guarantees epic failure in the very near future.

But I'll wait until at least next Spring before I get really feisty about it.

list that shows President Obama has been rather busy working with others to make our country a better place to live.

criticism BUSH-haters? You and the frantic RW folks during 2002 seemingly have that "adoration factor" in common.

The problem is not limited to one side. Its the way people talk, think, and frame in this country.
Crazy.

What hate really is.

Again, lots of naysayers posting, but the recs show how many support your post and our president.