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[Buckeye_Democrat]

1. Key and Peele...

[Akamai]

4. A major problem is that often Obama did not use the right amount of anger at the right time

at the right people. Too often he offered to compromise when he knew that there was no compromise they were willing to make.

And he did not tell the press time and time again that the Republicans were totally intransigent, refusing to negotiate in good will. Only in the last several months as he hinted at that, but it has been true for the eight years he was president.

I could not imagine a better person as president of the United States, but one of his deep feelings is that he did not ring the warning bell like Paul Revere did, this to point out the enemies of America--the Republican Party.

[HassleCat]

2. Obama's delicate balancing act.

Please keep in mind, many members of his own party, our party, ran away from him at the first hint of trouble.

[hibbing]

3. Yes, and many ran fast and far from ACA n/t

[Akamai]

5. But still--I would like someone to warn us about dangerous people, and he did not.

Obama is certainly better than I could ever be, but in his failure to raise the alarm bell, the trumpet to warn us of the desperados pillaging our country, he failed us.

And I think perhaps he is now more aware of that, as he now says that he should have done more to sell his ideas.

Yuh think? Duh!

I do not know how he got in the habit of not naming and shaming the Republicans, but it was a dreadful habit and it led to much pain and to future harm.

I remember about six years ago someone saying that he did not vote for Barack so he would compromise with Republicans. And I sure agree with that view. His idea of compromise seems to be accepting whatever they say as a bargaining position, and then retrenching on his own views to reach their position.

What utter bullshit! Especially if the lives of American citizens -- now and in the future -- are on the line.

[brer cat]

6. Exactly who do you think would

have heard or believed President Obama who didn't already know it?

[Akamai]

8. For eight long years he was faced with the media who said, "Why can't you compromise?"

He could clearly have said time and time again that given the Caucus Room Conspiracy, and the intransigence of the Republicans it was clear that the Republicans would not compromise. Instead he suggested that he could meet them halfway and this indicated that they were not totally opposed to him from day 1. But he knew they were.

I have repeatedly heard (for the past eight years) that he could have made a bargain with Republicans, but this is absolutely untrue. There utterly, utterly, utterly opposed to any agreement with him whatsoever. But he did not say that until the end of his eight years, and no other Democrats said that as well.

And as a result of that, a narrative was created in the media (and believed by a lot of voters) that the only problem with not getting things done was that Obama was not willing to compromise.

Bullshit squared and cubed.

And if one asks the "average" voter these days about what slow down progress in the congress, that voter would be likely to say that Obama did not reach out enough to Republicans, this given the media's statements and their refusal to name the problem as they really knew it to be.

On the other hand, the mainstream press makes a hell of a lot of money pushing the Republican agenda. And that is the name of their game--to make "a hell of a lot of money."

[redstateblues]

7. Please stop the Obama bashing.

Considering the circumstances, Obama did a great job. If you couldn't tell what Republicans are all about then you weren't paying attention.

[Akamai]

9. That's your opinion. I don't happen to share it. Ted Strickland lost in his race for Ohio Gov.

Last edited Mon Jan 16, 2017, 01:46 AM - Edit history (1)

in 2010. And he said that the reason he lost (a very close contest to John Kasich) was that Obama did not call out the Republicans. I sure as hell agree with that. Too often he said that he could work with Republicans, could reach across the aisle, etc.

He was incredibly naïve or incredibly hopeful about the chances of working with Republicans who had rebuffed him at every single god damn turn.

As I say, Obama was a fine president, and certainly was a far better person than I would be.

But not being the canary in the coal mine was a hell of a deficit.

And as for your statement, "If you couldn't tell what Republicans are all about then you weren't paying attention" -- you truly think most of the country was paying attention to what the Republicans were doing behind closed doors, supported by the mainstream press?

If you think that, you are incredibly naïve, kind of like John Kerry in 2004, who felt that he did not have to counter the Swift Boat's ads because he felt the American people would just know better.

If you don't respond to attacks with equal fervor, people will believe those attacks against you to have utter merit.

[Akamai]

10. Holy crap! On sixty minutes with Steve Kroft, Obama said the current system was "too corrosive."

Last edited Mon Jan 16, 2017, 01:42 AM - Edit history (2)

Yuh think? And what party is totally responsible for that?

To repeat, Obama is a far better person than I am -- no doubt about that. And his awareness of the various requirements of the office--including geopolitical, political, every day requirements has been extraordinary.

But I sure wish he could point at the Republicans and say, "They were the reason we did not get more done. They are the reason that more Americans are going to be dying in the future."

And he has never, ever done so.

Or am I wrong?

**************************

Someone told me to STFU about this, and I thought I would answer this person.

Obama is a far, far better person than I am. Every day in every way. And I admit that time and time again.

But if we are not willing to call the Republicans out for the evil they do, we are making a tragic, tragic mistake, and Obama was not willing to do that nearly as clearly, stridently, repeatedly as he could have.

I remember several months ago that I was willing to propose that we label Trump with negative labels as well, and someone said, "We are Democrats. We are better than that." Or words that were very close to that.

I do not want someone who brings water balloons to a knife fight, or who will not call people out for the devils they are. And unfortunately Obama did not call the evil Republicans for the things they did.

I sure as hell hope that the next group of Democrats will be clearer in who the evil people are.

At the same time, Obama was better than anyone I know in all other ways -- bar none.