A Changed President

[babylonsister]

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/03/25/a_changed_president.html

A Changed President

Joe Klein says President Obama "became a very different President" in the process of getting his health care reform bill through Congress.

"After a first year in office that promised consequence but never quite delivered on it, he had done something huge. The comparisons with Jimmy Carter would abruptly come to an end. He was now a President who didn't back down, who could herd cats, who was not merely intellectual and idealistic but tough enough to force his way. This is bound to change the landscape of American politics. It makes significant progress on other issues -- financial reform, immigration, perhaps even the reduced use of carbon fuels -- more plausible. It may give Obama new stature overseas, in a world that was beginning to wonder about his ability to use power."

Klein's article here:

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1974989,00.html

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. He's got momentum.

I hope he keeps it.

[louis-t]

2. Next should be reforming banks.

Maybe the teabaggers will calm down a little.

[kimmerspixelated]

24. I think if a jobs bill passes and Bubba gets some work

he'll have less to complain about, so it will act as a calmative, hopefully.

[Mojambo]

3. Politically, it was a HUGE victory

Policy wise, I remain unconvinced.

But politically, it's a KO punch.

[BlooInBloo]

4. Except that Obama didn't change, the narrative around him did.

[Radical Activist]

7. Exactly what I was going to write. n/t

[Radical Activist]

8. Exactly what I was going to write. n/t

[BlooInBloo]

9. Guess I beat you twice then.

:P

[prolesunited]

10. I agree

This past year I would hear so many things swirling about. I would think "Where was the man I campaigned for?" Then, he would appear on TV and all the doubts would disappear.

[Cha]

16. Precisely.. another Geeze.

[graywarrior]

5. A President Who Can Herd Cats

I love it.

[keepthemhonest]

12. that is too true,eh?

that was my favorit line as well.

[graywarrior]

23. Yeah, it needs to be a bumper sticker and t-shirt.

[keepthemhonest]

38. OK how about....

"If Obama can herd cats he can herd anything"

[DearAbby]

44. what on a t-shirt

He can herd cats - It's a big F-cking deal!

[graywarrior]

48. BFD, He Herds Cats!

[Hekate]

49. How about some Kliban cats? A President who can herd cats can do anything!

http://www.eatmousies.com/intro.html

Of course, non-copyrighted LOLcats might be easier to use.... it's just that I love Kliban.

Hekate

[Dappleganger]

57. Want!

That would be an excellent muscle shirt. :)

[stopbush]

6. Obama is like the parent who resists the urge to slap their kids

because they know that using a more-humane and rational approach will produce long-term dividends that far outweigh the immediate "results" one gets from the old way of doing things. Yes, there are times when you're ready to boil over and when patience is truly a virtue, and there are times when you think you're failing and the easy thing to do is to strike out violently...but that only shows a lack of control and discipline on the parent's part, not the child (because - after all - kids will be kids).

Obama knows that he's dealing with spoiled children who have gotten their way for decades, but he's man enough to find another way, to stick to his guns and to truly change the atmosphere in DC - and to accomplish major things in the process.

[zipplewrath]

11. So what promises will he break next?

Cadillac tax? Check
Mandates? Check
No public option? Check
No drug price negotiation? Check

So, where do we go from here?

Can't wait to see what happens with Gitmo.

[FrenchieCat]

13. Like a needle stuck on that scratch LP,

you don't move...while the rest of us march towards progress.

Makes you the slow one.

[zipplewrath]

15. Could be

Just doing the whole "past behavior is an indicator of future behavior" schtick. Now that he feels so empowered, I wonder what he'll lurch right on next. Since he's negotiating with Grahm on Gitmo, I'd bet it'll be there.

[Radical Activist]

19. Maybe he'll give more funding to clean energy and efficiency than Clinton and Carter did combined.

Oh wait, he ALREADY did that. If past behavior is an indicator then I can't wait to see what happens next.

[newspeak]

52. maybe social security reform

I mean if * couldn't do it, I'm sure a democrat might be able. Just feed us shite and tell us it's cake.

[Cha]

17. Cheap pot shots are a dime a dozen

[zipplewrath]

21. Dunno if they're cheap

His signature accomplishment is based upon reversing major key elements of his campaign. Kinda makes one wonder how he'll achieve his next signature accomplishment.

He brags of "rejecting" progressive ideas, so I'm not looking forward to his next opportunity to do so on a piece of "landmark" legislation.

[Cha]

22. They don't come any cheaper.. zero is zero.

[zipplewrath]

28. Kinda like campaign promises?

I'm mean, I note you don't deny the basic facts.

[treestar]

47. If Congress had gone along, I'm sure he'd have gotten all of that

You don't take their promises literally! Subject to agreement by congress.

He was running for President, not Dictator.

[zipplewrath]

54. He negotiated with Big Pharma

Congress wasn't even aware until Pharma threw him under the bus. He is the one that negotiated away the power to, well, negotiate drug prices. Congress just went along. Congress passed a tax on the rich in the House and a Cadillac Tax in the senate. He let it be known he preferred the Cadillac tax. There is no doubt that to some extent he is always trying to "divine" what congress is willing to do, but in the end Congress also tends to follow a president's lead.

[Mopar151]

51. Cheap pot for a dozen bux a dime bag?

Beats the hell outa a chicken in every pot.....

[Radical Activist]

18. You didn't see the news about Gitmo?

He already moved most people out and started holding real trials. Congress blocked his proposal to shut it down. Be mad at Congress but accusing Obama of backing out of his promise to close Gitmo is dishonest.

[zipplewrath]

20. You mean it's closed?

The reality is that he isn't going to "close Gitmo". He's going to give it a change of address.

[Radical Activist]

25. They've already released or given trials to many of them.

Is it too much to ask that people who criticize Obama at least be honest and accurate about the positive things he has done? You're really going to accuse Obama of breaking a promise when it was Congress who denied his request? You're going to pretend he hasn't let nearly 80 prisoners go since taking office?

[zipplewrath]

27. So he's presented a plan to congress?

He's broken plenty of promises. You're not really going to suggest that his assertion of the right to indefinitely detain people without trial is somehow in keeping with his campaign are you?

[impik]

32. So what? Dishonesty is what they do.

[impik]

31. Go read some history books instead of quoting Right-Wind/FDL talking points

Pathetic.

[zipplewrath]

35. Ha!

You should only see my bookshelves.

[dionysus]

63. filled with copies of das kapital?

[zipplewrath]

65. 4 categories

Early American: mostly around the founding (Quickey, who put the "inalienable" in the declaration?)
Modern: '50s through today, alot of biographies and first person stuff
War: Mostly stuff about why we got into them. My favorite actually is "A country made by war" by Geoffrey Perret.
Gear Head stuff: History of various scientific and engineering articles
Light weight: History of paper clips, that kinda stuff (Lies your teacher taught you).

[dionysus]

68. sounds like a nice collection.

:thumbsup:

[Hekate]

50. Tsk. Bye.

[dionysus]

62. banky will make it allll better;

[FirstLight]

14. ...more please...

This is the man I elected, the one with humor, vision, humility and an unwavering ability to remain calm, but still let you know he'll kick your ASS...

:applause: all I can say is MORE!!!!

[BlueIdaho]

26. Our President has found his voice, his footing, and his determination

I can't wait to see where we go next. There's lot's of work to be done.

My sleeves are rolled up - I am fired up - and I'm ready to go!

[zipplewrath]

29. I'm worried where he goes next.

If this is what he does when he's just gettin' started, I wonder what he'll do when he's feeling empowered.

[Name removed]

30. Deleted message

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

[impik]

33. :) Yea.

[zipplewrath]

34. I believe the expression is "fail"

there's a profile. Location, gender, not much else to put there that applies to me.

But if you can't handle an actual discussion, in a discussion forum, I'll understand.

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

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

[zipplewrath]

39. Actually, I'm waiting for a major effort I can support

I've been amazed how hard it's been. The extended effort on the HIR bill has sucked the oxygen right out of the room. It's also made me very sensitive to his future plans. I keep "hoping". I actually do really wonder what is coming next. I'm not hopeful with respect to the Dodd bill. I'm cautiously optimistic about DADT. The whole clean energy thing is a bit vague right now. Most of the effort seems to be around nuclear and clean coal, but this truly is going to take time. I'll actually be surprised if congress wants to take on SS this year. Immigration is boiling around but I'm dubious that congress wants to move on that too. The education reform is starting off as more of a union bust, at least here in Florida. I'm holding my breath in Iraq that the Kurds don't stir something up, and that we don't end up leaving 50K troops there. And I'm concerned because he's working with Grahm on Gitmo and the trials.

[tallahasseedem]

40. It is absolutely...

frustrating, especially given the massive opposition that we face.

Rome wasn't built in a day...

Come on, join us in just a little bit of joy! Just a little? You know you want to! ;)

[zipplewrath]

41. About what?

DADT n the hands of Gates?
Gitmo in the hands of Grahm?
The Dole/Baker Health insurance industry stimulus package?
Rick Warren?

I didn't "stand in Grant Park" for this.

[tallahasseedem]

42. Well, I tried...

We can definitely agree on one thing...living in Florida stinks.

Take care! :)

[Sheepshank]

59. I'm sure there's a tea bag

somewhere with your name on it. The whines are so much more meaningful when sung in a choir don't you think? Your endless and fruitless attempts to find the negative in all Obama's actions is getting ridiculously old. Next you'll be complaining that the Chinese monetary system is a result of another failed Obama policy. That School busses are putting out too many emmissions...another failed policy, that lack of Single payer is a burden solely on Obama's shoulders. Bull and crap. I think Obama said it best, (paraphrased) you are complaining that he's not mopping fast enough when you could be picking up your own mop and helping rather than snapping that mop handle in half..

[zipplewrath]

60. My primary complaint is the large number of reversals

My core complaint is that, in a single year, he's had some significant position reversals. He has even tried to deny that he did. And expressions like "I rejected progressive ideas", when they are ideas upon which he campaigned, don't help. I am amazed he can come out and admit that his signature bill is basically a Dole/Baker bill and then try to pass it off as some sort of democrat/progressive success.

All of that is fact and none of that is about "mopping fast enough".

[babylonsister]

67. Oooh, snap! Excellent! nt

[BlueIdaho]

36. Somebody call Domino's...

[Crunchy Frog]

43. Impose total communism. What else would he do?

:shrug:

[leftynyc]

56. Wow

I just read the same thing on a right wing site.

[zipplewrath]

61. You can imagine they're even more afraid.

This was suppose to be his waterloo, and stop him from any further advancements. In their case they have NO hope of getting what they want. At least I have a fightin' chance.

[dionysus]

64. whatever it is he'll do.. it'll be to piss you off, personally.

[mzclinton05]

69. The Classic President

We had some good presidents in the over the years. Some good, some bad(bush,nixon) but this an opinion only. These are my top five presidents.

1.Bill Clinton
2.John F. Kennedy
3.Abraham Lincoln
4.FDR
5.Barrack Obama

Anyone out there who has an opinion feel free to comment and or name me your top five presidents of all time.

[mindwalker_i]

45. For a minute I thought Vitter got elected as prez

That would suck

[BlancheSplanchnik]

46. I think it's the need to herd cats that makes people THINK he's breaking promises

because it looks that way on the surface.

just my semi-educated opinion.

[Glenda]

53. good point.

[zipplewrath]

55. I'd accept that explanation, if....

The problem is that he won't acknowledge that he is. "I didn't campaign on the public option" just didn't wash. Even he backed away from that claim. When he is going to back off a campaign promise, especially when he apparently has a choice (as with the Cadillac tax) he needs to at least acknowledge that reality, along with what is preventing him from doing so.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

58. hrmmm, I can't discount your point either

hrmmm....

I think I partially agree....

Based on what I know (and when I said "my semi-educated opinion", the emphasis was on "semi"), I did frown at the "I didn't campaign on the public option"...but again, I don't feel I've read/seen/digested enough of his actual speeches to say much more there.

At the same time, I feel that part of the cat-herding involves diplomacy. Something I've never been able to do myself, and I kind of don't get it, but I think it involves not letting the cats in on the fact that that is what you're doing. You have to sound like you're on their side.

[Vidar]

66. I really want this to be right. We'll see.