Could Obama have done things differently

[howaboutme]

to have retained the enthusiasm of independents and Democrats that were looking for "change we can believe in"?

Obviously the polls are in and enthusiasm has in fact waned. What caused it and what can be done to change it? That is the big question. The cause may have been actions of the administration or the Republicans that worked hard to undermine it and the USA, or a combination of both. I have my own opinions on this but I won't express them now.

Moderators: If a candid discussion on Obama, Democratic Party policy, and Republican methods of hijacking the agenda are not permitted then please just delete this post.

Is there a better way to expose the wrongs and what needs done in the future than by fully and honestly debating them, and not by covering them up?

It still enrages me that the Democrats and Nancy Pelosi took impeachment of Bush and Cheney off the table as a viable option. This was about covering up the truth and keeping elite protected and it was a major impediment to expose the evils and travesty that have been placed upon America by outside interests.

[Demeter]

1. Absolutely

He's in a box of his own construction, and can't even turn around in it.

[yourout]

2. Some of his Cabinet choices really bit him in the ass.

[howaboutme]

10. Tim Geithner for starters

Geithner's loyalty was to Wall Street, the NY Federal Reserve and his own bank account, and not to the 300 million average Americans who need to have figureheads who display a need for honesty. Every financial media outlet pumped Geithner up as the "must have" Secretary of Treasury. A President who appoints czars that represent Wall St, and tax cheats as Secretary of Treasury must expect pushback by Americans who have just be screwed by Wall Street. Secondly the President should have appointed a chief of staff who unambiguously willing to serve America instead of joining the military of another nation during a time at war. That should have been obvious but apparently it wasn't. The most important philosophy that any President display should be about appointing Americans who are honest and are loyal to Americans.

I like Obama's personna and did my best to get him elected. But there was either a hijacking or it was allowed to happen. Hopefully it can be reversed.

[yourout]

11. You hit the two that I was thinking all along.

[impik]

3. Yes. He could have been less trusting in the

Imteligence of the American people and more aware to the fact that those who voted for him really expected him to walk on water and make them all rich and happy in two years.

[Tesha]

9. You know, replies like yours are just pathetic.

He could have simply "danced with them that brung him".

A bunch of us worked very hard to get him elected and it
seemed as though, at every turn, he went out of his way
to toss us and our concerns aside and pander to the folks
who wouldn't vote for him in a million years.

It has nothing to do with him not walking on water and
EVERYTHING to do with him running away from quite a
few of his bigger campaign promises.

Tesha

[GOTV]

22. +1

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

28. +1

[Ignis]

30. Uh-oh, careful there...

The words "campaign promises" are fighting words in GDP.

[KT2000]

4. I think Jeff Toobin

got it right. He said there were worries when Obama was elected that he did not have the experience to govern and manage the White House but he would be good on communication.
The opposite has turned out to be the case. He is good at managing - he has accomplished a lot! - but has dropped it on communication.
He needs to get everyone in his Cabinet on message more. I think he has allowed Congress to overshadow him and his accomplishments - and almost no one likes how they have done business. The RW is organized and obedient. Obama needs to step it up and focus on communication.

[chimpymustgo]

19. Oh, were it only a problem of communication! It's the half-assed policies, the pandering to the

banksters, gangsters and war-mongerers.

Middle class? Meh.

[KT2000]

29. I agree but most of his

policies are never the topic of discussion unless in defensive mode - by him or other Democrats.

[onehandle]

5. Yes. A flaming sword would have been very popular.

A wet noodle, not so much.

The impeachment thing was just a fantasy, btw.

[howaboutme]

7. Expectations that didn't equal results

Americans had high expectations, but they failed to understand that the "elite" (involves money and lobbyists) do control America regardless of political party. The elite control both Parties.

Impeachment may have been a fantasy for those of us who wanted to see true accountability, but it would have raised a much needed bar that the Bush neocon public officials including the President and his VP will no longer skate away after making costly decisions that failed to protect us on 9-11. It subsequently involved the USA in a foolish trillion dollar war in Iraq that had nothing to do with improving our USA security. There is right and wrong and then there is a policy to protect the elite who do most wrong. That policy needs changed by government. Wrong needs to be punished severely.

Until we start holding accountable those whose decisions cost and kill many Americans the media controlled public will vacillate between choosing Ds and Rs one year, and two years later the opposite Party, and both will continue to cover-up what needs exposed.

[emulatorloo]

6. Sure why not? Independents - that's a whole nother ball of wax. They are fickle

and they blow with the wind. They voted for Obama to fix the economy, now that it isn't fixed yet they are going to vote back in the Republicans. Yeah that makes so much sense, doesn't it.

Additionally sometimes people say they are "Independent" but always vote Republican.

[BeFree]

8. Wrong way steering

He should have driven right over the republicans.

And any Dem that gave him lip? An example made of that person: Don't tread on me!

As it is he tried to handle this domestic dispute the wrong way. What he did was try to set himself up in the middle. Result? Both sides wailed away on him.

He should have taken the repubs to jail right from the start.

Metaphorically speaking.

[butterfly77]

12. He didn't have time to dig up..

all of the skulls and bones,and determine what they had shredded,destroyed and tied up so what is going on now would happen. Before he obtained the office the media,CONS and the left started jumping up and down about what he should and should not do when most of them didn't and don't know a damn thing about what he was/is dealing with.

Everyday they wanted him to spend time answering to insignificant bullshit. The media wanted and some still want him to give a speech about every damn issue. Apologize for every little word lying,perpertrating and insinuating pretending he said something he didn't and trying to make him apologize for telling the truth., Example beer summit and other nonsense.

They had to explain why they chose the dog,what school,garden,family members,and the nonsense we went over throughout the primaries. Many were/are ridiculous because they knew what he was facing in the campaign but,then they jumped on board and started complainin as soon as he was sworn in.

They never have asked a President to do a much as they asked him to do even though they could clearly see what was going on. They expected and still expect so when they knew damn well he didn't even and still doesn't have all of his cabinet and judges in place yet, due to republiCON/bluedog obstruction as the media kept/keeps asking "Mr.President you have a majority why can't you get things done" Knowing full well why..

Some of the same people who are bringing up a lot of these issues due to race which they pretend not to be doing will be asking some of the same Obama supporters to jump on board for some issues once they get their asses beat down somemore by the CONS and if they think it is hard now to get out voters keep it
up..

[chimpymustgo]

20. Good grief. The man ran for office for more than a year, on a platform.

Came into office and threw health care to CONGRESS, while he had secret meetings with insurance companies and gave away the store.

Who on this board is bringing up issues due to race?

Damn, you're looking for excuses like Bush was "looking" for WMD under his desk.

[NYC Liberal]

13. The problem is with Congress, specifically the Senate.

Obama has a lot of power, but at the end of the day it is Congress that has to pass legislation so that Obama can sign it.

An overwhelming majority of Democrats (and liberals) approve of the job that Obama is doing. What they don't like and aren't enthusiastic about is Congress, which (thanks in large part to Republicans and also in part to the more conservative Dems) has stalled, stalled, stalled on a lot of things. Obama signed the order to shut down Guantanamo. Why hasn't it happened? Because Congress has refuse to fund the shutdown and the transfer of the detainees there to other prisons.

I'm not saying Obama is perfect, and he by no means is. But when you talk about Democrats, their ire is mostly directed at Congress. There was a poll released just very recently which showed that Obama had more support for reelection than Reagan did at the same point in his presidency (and Reagan won 49 states in 1984).

[Skittles]

14. YES YES YES YES YES

in many, MANY different ways

[donheld]

15. 1. Howard Dean, 2. Paul Krugman

[agentS]

16. Yes and No

There's always crap going on behind the scenes. It wouldn't surprise me at all given what we know about MMS during the oil spill.

[denimgirly]

17. I Just Hope He's Learned His Lesson.

Would suck if he went back to business as usual after November again.

[kentuck]

18. Of course...

We all could have done things differently in the last two years but we are where we are. The only meaningful question is, "Where do we go from here?"

[DemocratSinceBirth]

21. We Will Lose Seats Because The Economy Sucks

We are living with the residue of the worst financial crisis in nearly one hundred years. The economy would suck regardless of who was president.

[brentspeak]

24. The Dems retained and grew both House and Senate majorities in 1934

Smack dab in the middle of the Great Depression. Had a lot to do with who was President, though there's no getting around the fact that today's corporate-funded RW smear machine and corporate media is making things extremely difficult for Obama and the Democrats.

Obama didn't help matters much, though, by signing the dumbest health care "reform" legislation that could ever have been happily written by health insurance lobbyists.

[Greyhound]

26. Oh no, but that was entirely different.

:(:sarcasm:

Yargle, Bargle, Baaa... say the sheeple.

[andym]

23. Legislatively he got as much as he could, but he should have taken the populist route economically

Denounced Wall Street continually, and not reappointed Bernacke.

[Tesha]

31. Here in NH, John Lynch, the "Democratic" Governor, re-appointed Kelly Ayotte as Attorney General.

She's as Republican as they come and upon re-appointment,
continued to prosecute a lawsuit that, had it succeeded, would have
greatly diminished the rights of women to choose abortion here in
New Hampshire. Happily, she finally lost at the U.S. Supreme Court,
but she then resigned to run for the Senate and the odds are very
high that thanks to Lynch keeping her in the spotlight, will be our
next Senator, defeating the far-better Democrat Paul Hodes.

Obama has worked much of that same magic at the National level.
Thanks to his efforts, our next national government is likely to be
a very Republican affair.

Well done, Barack, well done indeed! You and John Lynch are both
working wonders for our Party!

Tesha

[uponit7771]

25. Yes, but for the most part I've really like him as a president and he's done mostly positive things

[zipplewrath]

27. OFA for one

Putting OFA under the DNC was a mistake by many folks reasoning. It did many things, but among them was it took "local" control away and nationalized it almost completely. Local chapters found themselves unable to act on local issues. It could have been a major counter to the Tea bagger crowd, and vastly more grass roots than it has been.