The Obama administration’s most public face, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, has tried to climbed down from angry remarks he aimed at leftwing critics, calling them “crazy”. In an interview with The Hill newspaper in Washington DC, Gibbs revealed frustration at attacks on the administration from liberal Democrats and others on the left, in terms likely to make relations even worse:
“I hear these people saying he’s like George Bush. Those people ought to be drug tested,” Gibbs said. “I mean, it’s crazy.”
The press secretary dismissed the “professional left” in terms very similar to those used by their opponents on the ideological right, saying, “They will be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare and we’ve eliminated the Pentagon. That’s not reality.”
Within hours of the interview being published, Gibbs tried to walk back his remarks, calling them “inartful”.
His remarks reflect the White House’s sensitivity at criticism from the left of the Democratic party, who are unhappy that Obama has too often appeared to compromise on domestic policy while continuing Bush administration policies on Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as a continued failure to close Guantanamo prison.
Of course he is right, it is crazy to believe in campaign rhetoric.
Crazy Huh?
Silly political kneejerk lack of analysis. We will never know what would have happened had Obama gone for his “own” agenda rather than go with Bush Lite===not even Bush Lite, actually Bush Full On with just better speeches.
Weird given he gives lip service to wanting to do the right thing even if it means one term only.
Yes, weird disconnect between the man and his words/bio and his performance. Not the change I wanted.
Crazy? No, they just have hidden or self-serving agendas. To label Obama as anything remotely like George Bush is not only nuts, it’s Nazi!
See? I can do it, too.
For the life of me I can’t remember anything this president has done right. Everything he touches turns into a cluster fuck. I expected that from Bush. I expected better from Obama. Given a better choice I will be voting for someone else in 2012.
“Given a better choice I will be voting for someone else in 2012.”
That’s the real trick, isn’t it? 🙂
Obama is certainly everything I expected with his lack of experience and dangerous naïveté.
Our commander-in-chief is a just a cat in a dog-eat-dog world. And Obama isn’t even a tough, feral cat. No he’s a fancy cat that only wants to eat the expensive kind of cat food and strut around demanding attention.
The hopemonger is gone.
jbenson…how many presidents come to the job with any experience?
Nahh… Obama Isn’t a clone of Bush in a different party. Nothing to see here move along slaves ignore that man behind the curtain.
The crybaby administration.
Birddog FTW.
A lot of leftwing criticism of Obama is loonie.
They projected their liberal him and then carp and whine that Obama “betrayed” them on positions he never held
Contrary to what the loonies on both the left and right claim, Obama has remained fairly consistent with what he ran on.
Sure, he’s had to adjust some things with new realities, but this is nothing compared to, lets say, Bush’s betrayal of his promise to have a “humble foreign policy.”
Bush and Rove diligently pandered to the GOP base. They then fear-mongered to get enough votes to 50% and didn’t give a damn about the rest of America.
Compare this to Obama who has neglected his base and pandered to the right-center.
I gotta say, the Bush strategy seems like smarter politics, even if bad for America.
Greg–well done.
1. Close Guantanamo
2. Transparency
3. Out of Iraq
4. Legalize gays in Military
5. Rely on Diplomacy instead of Military “implying” no second war in Afghan.
6. Fight for Universal Healthcare
7. Restoration of Bill of Rights violations done by Bush.
8. Repeal Tax Cuts for the Rich
9. Fail on keeping Bank Execs on the Hook for Institutional Failures.
10. Stuck on Bipartisanship for WAY to long.
For a start. And still heads and shoulders above EVERONE the Pukes had/have to offer.
corruption is hard set in our government.
#6 old baggins asked:
how many presidents come to the job with any experience?
The President and Commander-in-Chief should have some previous experience in either Senior Management or Military leadership.
Obama is lacks the fundamental skills in both areas.
JB==you and your ilk have your political heads so far up your business assets, I don’t know how you breathe.
Leadership is more a philosophical state of mind than any set of “business experience” you can name==which I know you can’t.
In fact, it is too bad that there is no test a resume can pass to help us decide. Too many other factors. And thats what you’ll say/are saying now/ when reviewing wannabe’s like Palin.
HEY!!! There is one resume test we could have: please list the number of newspapers or magazines you have ever read.
The notion that Business Men know what they are doing: Lie No 23 in the Big Book of Lies.
Being too sensitive to criticism and believing their own government advisers, are indeed two of the biggest mistakes an elected official can make when in office.
“A lot of leftwing criticism of Obama is loonie.”
The fringe kOOks are simply the loudest. It was the same with Bush, and it will be the same after Obama. These are the people that said Bush was gonna bomb Iran any day now and Bush had a sooper seekrit ranch in Bolivia. They are crazy people for the most part (9/11 truthers, Obama birthers) and the best thing to do is ignore them.
As much as people can make comments about the “right wing” at least right wingers in most cases will give you a somewhat intelligent discussion whereas on the left its driven by mindless repetition of ideology
Anyone who disagrees with the “company ” line is denigrated as having no right their opinion what and have their rights to any differing views invalidated all the while sort of stating “you are entitled to your opinion” ( which is wrong of course)
Here in Canada we have experienced this mantra all too long
The real measuring stick will be:
Who will liberals consider the better president, Obama or Clinton?
Who will Democrats consider the better president, Obama or Clinton?
Bill Clinton knows this, and that is why he is trying to have Obama fail. It didn’t work out on health care where he really needed it.
If Bill Clinton does not succeed in his goal to have Obama fail, then Bill Clinton will be a forgotten president.
If he succeeds, then he will be remembered as the only successful Democratic president in 50 years, and even with LBJ there was Vietnam, so Democrats have to go back to Kennedy, or at least the myth of Kennedy.
Apparently the world of US politics is becoming so lean, due to the economy, that they have taken to eating their own in order to survive. So it doesn’t matter who’s President, and what party he’s from. If congressmen and senators thought it would win them votes back home. They’d bash their own mothers. So now we’ve got splinter groups of Democrats and Republicans. So much for the two party system. It really more like four or five parties. But they don’t want to lose the popularity of being one of the original two. So they add modifiers to their names.
#1
Not the change I wanted.
What is the change you want?
Cursor_
Hey! He’s working diligently to destroy the private sector. He’s not finished reducing us to change. He still has a little over 2 years left! Give him time. He’ll have us all working for him soon enough.
#1- “actually Bush Full On with just better speeches.
Weird given he gives lip service to wanting to do the right thing even if it means one term only.
Yes, weird disconnect between the man and his words/bio and his performance. Not the change I wanted.”
Not _AT ALL_ weird once you actually _GET IT_. They are ALL OWNED by the same moneyed special interests and a massive bureaucratic system. Democrat or Republican makes little difference. They use a few lip service hot button issues to get the perpetual suckers to come out to vote for them, perpetually bouncing back and forth between two parties equally unresponsive to the will of their _supposed_ constituencies. As a result, the only CHANGE you will ever see are those desired by those who actually own them (and that would NOT be you).
“Of course he is right, it is crazy to believe in campaign rhetoric.”
What? Bush had campaign rhetoric which said, “Read my lips; no more taxes.” He didn’t live up to that and guess what, he lost the election. Campaign rhetoric needs to be honest or the voters will not vote for you.
Obama needs to give up the special powers granted in the Patriot Act. It was necessary for the seven years after Sept 11, but now it is time for the act to expire.
What happened to no family making under $250,000 will see a tax increase? Make that the law.
These bailouts, which admittedly were initiated by Bush, were given at out of control rates after Obama took over. No corporation is too big to fail. Let bad businesses who overpay their execs fail. Let good who made sound decisions continue to operated how they are with no government money or new regulations.
I have HOPE that our country can last another 893 days, 4 hours, 43 minutes, and 40 seconds before we get to CHANGE out our President and certain members of Congress
Y’all don’t get it. Us liberals don’t like Obama because of all the Republican-lite things he’s done. Just a short list from Glenn Greenwald:
You may think that the reason you’re dissatisfied with the Obama administration is because of substantive objections to their policies: that they’ve done so little about crisis-level unemployment, foreclosures and widespread economic misery. Or because of the White House’s apparently endless devotion to Wall Street. Or because the President has escalated a miserable, pointless and unwinnable war that is entering its ninth year. Or because he has claimed the power to imprison people for life with no charges and to assassinate American citizens without due process, intensified the secrecy weapons and immunity instruments abused by his predecessor, and found all new ways of denying habeas corpus. Or because he granted full-scale legal immunity to those who committed serious crimes in the last administration. Or because he’s failed to fulfill — or affirmatively broken — promises ranging from transparency to gay rights.
Look at the original article here. It’s full of links to the above points.
http://salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/08/10/gibbs/index.html
Get it? Obama’s lot a liberal. He’s Republican Lite.
gak, Obama’s not a liberal. Geez, typos…
The owners of your government are obviously anticipating the nth ignoramus voter bounce between parties in November as indicated by their political contributions:
http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user5/imageroot/trichet/Donations.jpg
This is the Obama’s administration’s way of trying to seem as though they are in the middle as election day approaches. 71% of Missouri (a bell-weather state) gave a big middle finger to his tactics.
Hope & Change starts this November.
5, JBenson2,
13, JBenson2,
TOTALLY AGREED on both counts.
14, Bobbo,
ROFLMAO. What a WEAK defense for being a community organizer.
What JB was likely talking about was executive experience…. something that seems most appropriate for executive branch. Regardless, successful businesses don’t flourish on hope and change.
You should really pull your head out of where the sun don’t shine.
25, Phydeau,
71% of Missouri voters will beg to differ. He’s far enough left of the middle that he’s got concerns of potentially losing control of Congress after November. If Missouri is a litmus test for the rest of the country, the Democrats had better come up with a game plan other than blaming Bush this November. Otherwise, they’re going to lose independent voters they need to maintain control.
#28 25, Phydeau,
Obama’s not a liberal. He’s Republican Lite.
71% of Missouri voters will beg to differ. He’s far enough left of the middle that he’s got concerns of potentially losing control of Congress after November.
We all see what we want to see, don’t we? I think he’s losing votes because he’s too Republican, you think he’s losing votes because he’s too liberal. But I think the reality (there’s that ugly word for right-wingers) validates my viewpoint. The facts show that Obama is continuing many of Bush’s policies, and the American people didn’t like Bush so much at the end, if you recall.
#21–Cursor==you ask: “What change do I want?”/// See the starting list at #12.
#28–Guyver==you pose the notion that the “executive” branch of government requires “executive” experience to be an effective leader. I wonder just how simple minded you are being. Seems to me not every person with executive experience is qualified for the office==thinking Carly Fiorini. Or BushtheRetard with his MBA from Harvard.
No, seems to me the major critique of Business Executives is that too many of them are “managers” and not “leaders.” So, what are the key features of being a leader:
1. Having a vision
2. building a team
3. Learning from mistakes
4. courage to take risks
5. being reality oriented
etc.
Being a community activist could actually provide all on that list and many others. Its an elusive quality not guaranteed or negated by any specific life experience. I did think Obama had it, but he has turned to the dark force unless he was a stooge from the start.
Big Business in general is evil. Hard to see how the leadership of evil Big Business some how comes out smelling like a rose. That Big Time Wrestling Woman is finding that out now, but Wrestling CEO and the crap it shovels is not much different than any other ceo.
You are over enamored of money, think it is gods measuring rod. Too much of America/The World agrees with you.
Silly Hoomans. Its “ideas” that count.
#28 The President and Commander-in-Chief should have some previous experience in either Senior Management or Military leadership.
Obama is lacks the fundamental skills in both areas.
And Dubya had any of either? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Whew! (wipes away tears of laughter) That’s pretty funny.
Anyone who lived in Texas knew Dubya was a smirking, ne’er-do-well frat boy from the start, constantly bailed out of his failing businesses by his daddy’s rich friends, dodging service in Vietnam thanks to his daddy’s rich friends.
You wingnuts don’t have a leg to stand on criticizing Obama’s experience. Not that reality has ever stopped you before. 🙂