Your Uncle Dave’s often wondered if the Republicans threw the election by rigging voting machines (circumstantial, but been shown just too easy to do for a reason) and by nominating a doddering old fool for Prez (watch some of his speeches since then and say I’m wrong) and a wacko for VP because they knew they had screwed the economy and whoever was in the White House would be unable to fix it. And the Dems made sure it couldn’t be fixed by getting elected a first-rate speech reader and… well, that’s about it. And we fell for it all. Read the whole commentary for a no holds barred analysis of failure.
When Barack Obama rose to the lectern on Inauguration Day, the nation was in tatters. Americans were scared and angry. The economy was spinning in reverse. […] In that context, Americans needed their president to tell them a story that made sense of what they had just been through, what caused it, and how it was going to end. They needed to hear that he understood what they were feeling, that he would track down those responsible for their pain and suffering, and that he would restore order and safety.
[…]
In contrast, when faced with the greatest economic crisis, the greatest levels of economic inequality, and the greatest levels of corporate influence on politics since the Depression, Barack Obama stared into the eyes of history and chose to avert his gaze. Instead of indicting the people whose recklessness wrecked the economy, he put them in charge of it. He never explained that decision to the public — a failure in storytelling as extraordinary as the failure in judgment behind it. Had the president chosen to bend the arc of history, he would have told the public the story of the destruction wrought by the dismantling of the New Deal regulations that had protected them for more than half a century. He would have offered them a counternarrative of how to fix the problem other than the politics of appeasement, one that emphasized creating economic demand and consumer confidence by putting consumers back to work. He would have had to stare down those who had wrecked the economy, and he would have had to tolerate their hatred if not welcome it. But the arc of his temperament just didn’t bend that far.
I do not care what went wrong, I need this Hope and Change to stop, now!
#2, I can only say that there are those who are emotionally swayed by fancy speeches (“I listened to him last night. Wow, what a breath of fresh air! He’s really articulate!”).
And there are those who saw through the bullshit and saw he was really just another shill for the two-party system (“I listened to him yesterday. He’s said he was gonna spread the wealth.”).
We all had a chance to vote for someone who would fix it but that didn’t happen (and if you think I’m talking about voting for McCain, you are part of the problem).
It is hard to imagine that there isn’t a single party, as the NFL is to the NFC and AFC, that pretty much sets the match up with an expected outcome.
Really, if people were serious and intelligent, would they have selected Sahara Painin (devoid of life-giving thoughts) as the Republican VP? It is as if they wanted McCain to fail.
The side show clowns, throughout time, seem to be there to entertain the dim witted. Jesse Jackson, really, he was a serious contender for the job? Walter Mondale? Dukakis, you’ve gotta be kidding!!
I can’t help but think it is all a set up, with a points spread allocated between the expected winners and losers.
What went wrong with Obama: not a damn thing!
It is as if this outcome was planned, at least sketched out on a napkin, and is moving along more-or-less as expected.
I think Obama reads the telepromted script he is handed, and because he is an ambitious young man, wants to do a good job to make the people who he hired (née hired him) happy.
“And the Dems made sure it couldn’t be fixed by getting elected a first-rate speech reader”
I’m no Democrat but why in the hell would the Democrats nominate someone to “make sure it couldn’t be fixed”? That makes no sense to me unless your implication is that both parties continue to pass the buck…
#3, I agree with your first and last paragraph!
Skull and Bones is now well on the way to screw the Chinese (which is fine by me) by printing the 10 trillion dollar bill, hopefully on a big Publisher’s Clearing House type of posterboard, and dropping it off in front of the Chinese consulate with Barry proclaiming that “Now…we’re…uh…um…errr…EVEN!”
This is the best summation of Obama’s failed presidency I have read.
And in 2012? America will be presented with two sides of the same corporate coin again. What we have left is the illusion of choice. History is riddled with what we’re seeing now and the end result is predictable.
Hmmmm let me see… the people voted for the LEAST EXPERIENCED candidate, and now everyone’s surprised that he hasn’t worked out?
Behold, Obama, the “welfare President”. Do you believe in that change yet? No? Well, don’t worry there’s a plenty more of that “change you can believe in” on the way!
Change Change change, can you spare some change ?
And the utter audacity of people trying to pin the blame someplace other than where it belongs.
That’s the Democrat way ! Obscure truth, re-write history to your needs.
How about we place the blame right exactly where it belongs: President Obama.
Oh , don’t worry about him getting re-elected: THE USA has way more stupid lazy shiftless people on welfare who will keep him in office.
those Dems just love Somalia and Ethiopia et al soooo much that they want to re-make the USA into a country just like that! Everyone equal and everyone equally miserable. To make everyone dependant on the government and to starve em off.
A few years from now I expect to see a “guns for food” program.
” What’s that citizen? Hungry? Sure We’ll trade you a case of Government MRE’s for that gun, you won’t need that anyway”
Just to be clear Jim,
Social Security is welfare for the old and disabled.
Unka Dave says: “And we fell for it all.”
Uh, not all of us. I didn’t vote for either one of these morans. I guess that makes me part of the problem eh?
Sorry Derek, that was for Jim. My mistake. ED please?
[fixed- ed.]
there is only one party in america.. corporate fascists, look back at wwII propaganda remember the big posters of leaders plastered all over the place, to remind the populace who is in charge? ever notice this in america? it is called advertising… just look at any billboard or hey the ultimate, times square… you will see who is really in charge of the us..
i could go on, but the attention span of those living here is too short either pre-occupied by the latest laday goo goo gaga look alike, boy singer clone, burned out actor, or trying to work as many hours in a low paying job just pay all the taxes that corporate america cant be bothered to., so their community that sold them out can keep running.
You just can’t spend more than you receive and the ones paying into the pot are tapped out. This is something he never can understand.
Don’t even bother with that crap about the rich.
Every time he is on the brink of being a leader he screws it up. He screws it up not Bush, The Tea Party, Big Oil, etc.
# 12 What? said, “Social Security is welfare for the old and disabled”
You mean something I pay into over 40 years is welfare?
How does that work?
#5: It’s called a fall guy.
Social Security: Money paid into a fund by hard-working people investing for their retirement years.
Welfare: Lazy shiftless people who have done NOTHING for the money, but are somehow entitled to recieve money for nothing.
Yeahh I agree with all of the opinions here..What should have been done after Bush screwed up everything is a big Magic blanket put on the world (by republicans of course) and a few Magic words of choice such as “Abra caa Dabra” or similar. Now sprinkle with Magic Powder, Call Congress back from a Well deserved Month vacation, and Bicker some more, then sell the public on more crapola, then claim the Magic trick did not work as planned. darn.
Is Social Security (SS) a Welfare Plan?
1. You’ve been paying taxes for 40 years right? SS is one of those taxes. Only the upper income (“rich” isn’t PC) are regressively excluded from paying SS tax.
2. SS is a transfer of money from party B to party A, via a tax. There isn’t a pool of money you’re contributing to, waiting for you when you retire or become disabled.
3. You can’t decide to use another retirement plan, to avoid the tax, unless you’re under a qualifing State retirement fund.
4. SS is paid because the recipients are expected to need it (though no means test is applied).
5. If SS were insurance, the premiums would go up in cost as more people were expected to live longer, or the retirement age would increase to track the average life expectancy. Welfare is just handed out given a relatively fixed set if criteria.
I think this sounds like welfare to me.
Not that there is anything wrong with it, just calling a spade a spade.
Jim, you’re an idiot who refuses to call a spade a spade!
Ed, you are a God, and thanks.
I as so pleased that so many people are seeing this Presidency as a failure. A huge mistake by people who just wanted to elect a black man president. When he was elected, and when Obamacare got shoved up our yoohoos, I just kept wondering, “How the fuck did this happen….?” The sleazy manner in which Pelosi’s health care crap got through was absolutely unbelievable. Even Dennis Kuchinich voted for it! Unbelievable. All it would have taken was ONE Democrat with a moral compass. No. None exist. The Republicans are no better. I don’t think I will be voting along party lines ever again.
The majority of Americans are so ensnared and invested in the Democrat/Republican, Liberal/Conservative make-a-believe world that they’re blind how easily they they are manipulated as result.
Suppose that the trend of the last fifty years holds true again in the next election and both major party’s candidates pretty much suck.
Does anyone here believe that we still won’t end up electing one of them anyway?
I once saw a random post somewhere where a the poster told a story about a Russian visitor he met up with during the cold war.
They got talking about politics and the Russian’s comment was “The main difference I see between elections here and in my country is that they give you two choices”.
Obama is a rare individual. More than any other joker in Washington, he regularly turns the other cheek, refuses to lower himself to the bullshit level of ordinary politics, and conscientiously makes decisions based on the best evidence available.
So, of course your headline needs to assume the opposite. Without a prejudiced headline like that, you can’t drum up the drama you need.
Buzz, you assume the guy in the center of a Three Ring Circus, who’s job it is to only tell you where to look (look here, look over there, look up) is controlling the acts.
I contend he does nothing but smile and tell you what to look for.
It seems the Circus’ acts are following the script, and the MC justs follows his script too.
No matter how many times you lefties say it, it ain’t gonna make it true.
Liberal social engineering caused the bubble and crash, period. And Barney Frank is at the top of heap.
But if you want to get into conspiracy theories, perhaps those in the most inner of circles were engineering a worldwide financial meltdown to facilitate their one world government. But they didn’t figure in a mercilessly vilified Texan having the courage to bail the banks out (or the fear not to). Oh well, there is more than one way to pluck the eagle. Send in the clown Obama and get back to the destroy-America-agenda to achieve that coveted King of the World crown.
Here’s a little perspective from north of the border.
Your country started with a revolution that was borne out of frustration with distant political masters who were out of touch with the people and the problems in the colonies.
Now you are faced with a resident political class who are out of touch with the people and who don’t have the balls to make the the tough decisions to fix the problems they are elected to solve. Your political class doesn’t fear the people anymore so they don’t work for the people anymore. Now that your political class has put your country so deep in debt that you have become beholden to your biggest banker – China.
Are you going to sit around and let your banker tell you how to run your country?
It’s time to make the changes yourselves. Make your own new revolution. Get out in the streets in large numbers, take your guns with you if you have to, and show the political class that they need to fear the people.
Fix the problems yourselves.
I believe if the Right had nominated an electable candidate, the Dems would be licking their wounds. It was a landslide only in the outdated Electoral College. In the popular vote, McCain only lost by, I think, 4% or thereabouts. McCain was too old, too feeble looking, a poor speaker and too liberal. (I’m from Az and never liked the bastard. Your mileage may vary.) Then they saddled him with Palin. Yep, Unca Dave, it could certainly be true they intended to let the Dems have the reins.
The sad thing is, it looks like they are setting it up to do the same thing again! Who will get the nomination? Mitt (O’Bama Lite) Romney? Michelle (My hubby can pray away your queerness) Bachman? Rick (Yes I’m Texan But at least I’m Not a Bush) Perry? Newt (I’m Baaaack!) Gingrich? Jon (Yes, I’m Mormon, too) Huntsman? Tim (I Got Pawlenty of Nuthin’ to offer) Pawlenty? Ron (Audit! Audit! Audit! Where’re my prunes?) Paul? Okay, we’ve elected a black man. Does that mean we’re really ready to elect a Mormon? Or a female tent revivalist?
I’m depressing myself.
All I’m saying is O’Bama is in over his head. Even The Donald could do better than this idjit!
Of course, this all assumes there’s a fundamental difference between the Republican and Democratic agenda… which I’d argue, there isn’t. Sure, there’s surface differences, but that’s just about branding and political theater. Obama or McCain wouldn’t have made a difference, because both poltical parties are beholden to the same lobby groups and influences.
Who ever wrote that article, up your meds.
First of all, anyone who votes for a professional politician gets what they deserve. That being said I love how it is NEVER the Dems fault when their plans fail. (which is always) It is always someone else’s fault. They are such whiners, they try and tell us how we should live our lives, micro manage everything we do and think, then get surprised when their Ivory Tower plans fail.