I know this is supposed to be Barack Obama’s summer of discontent. The oil spill is still gushing; the economy is still floundering; the Afghan war is deteriorating; Americans don’t find him so charming anymore. But have you noticed that when it comes to actual policy, he keeps racking up the wins? This week it was financial-regulatory reform. One can argue about whether the bill the Senate passed will truly change the way Wall Street operates, but off the top of your head, can you name a more significant piece of progressive legislation signed by either of the last two Democratic presidents? Neither can I. And that goes for Obama’s stimulus package and his health-care reform as well. All of which means that, legislatively at least, Obama has exceeded in 18 months what Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter achieved in a combined 12 years. By summer’s end, he’ll also have shepherded two young liberal justices on to the Supreme Court.
I think it is good for the liberal soul to remind ourselves that even though there are still a whole lot of our pet causes that President Obama has not yet addressed, or seems to be avoiding, he is still busting his ass to get things done in perhaps the most hostile political atmosphere in this country's history.
Those of us who were Obama supporters sometimes get chastised for expecting miracles from this President, but considering what he has managed to achieve while standing against such incessant attacks from the opposition haven't we sort of had those expectations met?
Not to get to superfluous, but could Superman really have done much better?
All I can say is that the guy I worked my ass off to get elected has been doing the job I wanted him to do every single day since he since he took the oath of office. How many of us can make a similar claim about any other elected official that we have supported?
And for all of you Teabaggeers out there who support Sarah Palin, let me remind you that, as an Alaskan, SHE once worked for me as well, and that lazy woman rarely even worked an entire day! Oh yeah she was right there for the television crews and photo-ops, but when it came time to do the hard work of running my state, she was absolutely useless. Ask anybody who ever worked with her, they will tell you the exact same thing.
Word . . . . .
ReplyDeleteThe more the man-child's approval rating goes down the more you attack Sarah.
ReplyDeleteKeep those attacks coming !!
I bow to your total truth sir...
ReplyDeleteObama - 3244
Swag-Hag - ZERO (0)....
Wonder why that scores so imbalanced?? Stupidity sir, sheer stupidity.
THIS IS WHY I FOLLOW YOU EVERYDAY!!!! WHAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN, EVERY PERSON ON THE INTERNET SHOULD READ AND REALIZE HOW LUCKY WE ARE TO HAVE A MAN LIKE PRESIDENT OBAMA. OBAMA 2012
ReplyDeleteWhen it came time to do the hard work of running YOUR state she QUIT.
ReplyDeleteAnon @11:44
ReplyDelete"Man-child" = "boy" = way to alert us that you are a racist dickhead.
I think he's handling Sarah's illiterate tweets exactly the way he should--ignore her. She gets more and more het up the more she is ignored and since she is physically incapable of acting like an adult and ignoring insults to herself, his behavior just highlights the striking difference between how an intelligent adult handles personal attacks and how an emotionally immature narcissist does. She is becoming less relevant by the minute. Now if only the 'LSM' would get that message.
ReplyDeleteExtraordinarily well said.
ReplyDeletePalin doesn't deserve her name mentioned on the same page as this.
She is a lazy undereducated hypocritical white supremacist.
Right now, Palin's status is that of a crazy person who screeches incoherently about issues she is incapable of understanding. It would be beneath the President's dignity to respond to every psycho out there. That's all she is right now, just another psycho.
ReplyDelete"All I can say is that the guy I worked my ass off to get elected has been doing the job I wanted him to do every single day since he since he took the oath of office. How many of us can make a similar claim about any other elected official that we have supported?"
ReplyDeleteYep. Me too. I know we're not alone.
I go with insignificant, less than a gnat.
ReplyDeleteI would say he doesn't even consider her.
ReplyDeleteAnon@11:44,
Your bigotry and ignorance are showing (although I doubt you'll stick around for a rebuttal.) We don't have to attack your High Priestess of Hatred; every time she opens her mouth she demonstrates how inept, incompetent, incoherent and unintelligent she is. She begs for ridicule. Who are we to deny her?
Racist alert at 11:44.
ReplyDelete"All I can say is that the guy I worked my ass off to get elected has been doing the job I wanted him to do every single day since he since he took the oath of office."
ReplyDeleteAmen!
Also...don't miss the Todd Purdum, Vanity Fair piece.
http://is.gd/ekBFF
Pres. Obama has managed monumental achievements in spite of unprecedented obstruction. And he's doing it with class, civility & integrity & for the good of the country rather than for his own personal power.
Hey, Anonymous 11:44. Since the whole purpose of this blog is to point out Sistah Sarah's many shortcomings, it would be faulty thinking to assume a correlation. In other words, the attacks would continue in the event of a rising approval rating also.
ReplyDeletePlease explain, anon 11:41, in what way is the president a "man-child?" Do you think he's immature? In what way, exactly?
ReplyDeleteI say you are just throwing out random phrases with absolutely nothing to back it up. Just as Sarah's head is empty, so is your insult.
11:44
ReplyDeleteHahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
You so funny!!
Okay, Anon @ 11:44
ReplyDeleteIf you support Palin, why don't you please give us a list of her policies, (facts not rambles), that could help our economy and other priorities in our Country.
I would be interested to read what she has offered other then critism, untruths and a general desdain for basic education.
What can she DO to help us? FACTS not a generalized word salad.
Palin fans might want to focus on her waning popularity.
ReplyDelete"Sarah Palin's appearance next week in Jacksonville has been moved to a new venue."
An Evening of Hope with Sarah Palin was moved from the 2,936-seat Moran Theatre to the 609-seat Terry Theatre. (tickets are still available)
http://jacksonville.com/news/politics/2010-08-17/story/venue-change-palin-appearance
My goodness, the trolls are active today. You must be hitting a nerve or two, Gryphen. Good for you.
ReplyDeleteSeems the more Sarah Palin makes a fool of herself and her ratings fall (into the toilet, 11:44, be prepared to flush soon, the more trolls have shown up here. Great indicator of her decline, really.
I, too, am proud that President Obama leads our country. He is doing is job which is more than can be said of Congressional Republicans. They should refund their salaries and the cost of their benefits. If all they can do is say "NO" or "Hell No," then who needs them? If the Congress were a business, their asses would have been fired long ago.
How the American people can abide the Republican time-wasting is beyond me. I think we should have a strong and competent opposition party - but the key word is competent. Competent implies working. Republicans are not doing that at present. The current crop are lazy, greedy, dogmatic and loud. Period.
My brothers-in-law and I are pretty darn conservative. One is periodontist in the Air Force, one is a Special Agent with the FBI, one owns a couple of car dealerships, and I am an engineer who served in the USN. This past weekend we were all discussing how wrong we were about President Obama. Not a single one of us voted for him because he had the most liberal voting record in the Senate. Biden, I believe, had the third most liberal record. He was a ¨liberal¨ - not even a Democrat - who voted strictly along the party line. We were discussing how the stock market took a nose dive after the election and how President Obama knew many of us were afraid. And he did something about it. He began to announce his transition team and a lot of the fear began to wane. A few months into his administration he something else remarkable. He refused to fire the Bank CEO´s and refused to politicize an issue that had split the Republican caucus and would´ve kept us Republicans on the defensive to this day. We talked on and on about the increase in troop levels in Afghanistan, increase in Spec. Ops. forces into 75 nations, and the ramped up drone attacks. And how the HRC was closer to what we Republicans wanted than what the Democrats wanted.
ReplyDeleteWe gave reason after reason why we would vote for him if the election were held today.
But not a one of us could figure out what the Republicans who are against President Obama want from him.
She is pretty insignificant no matter what the media may try to portray!
ReplyDeleteanon 11:44 - Sarah loves to think being called out on the facts is an 'attack' so she can play the victim card and dupe all her fans. Just try this exercise - make a list of what the Obama administration has accomplished since January vs. what Sarah has accomplished. Now what has Sarah accomplished that has directly impacted YOU in a positive way? Prevented an economic depression? Consumer protection? Health Care? Ending combat missions in Iraq? She continues to deride and dive with tweets and FB while her bank account balance gets bigger and bigger.
ReplyDeleteForgot to mention: The news article I linked above had it wrong about ticket availability. There are still plenty of both $100 & $50 tickets left...unless ticketmaster screwed up and forgot to allow for tickets already sold for the larger venue.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a mess. Surprise!
Hell Palin rarely ever went to work when she was pretending to run this state. In her first 18 months she was in Juneau - where her job was - about 85 days, the rest of the time she was charging Alaska to stay her ass at home.
ReplyDeleteI don't see anyone making buttons asking where Obama is - we know he's at work doing what he was elected to do. But they sure made MIA buttons for Palin.
glad to know I am not alone.....CNN just had a report on Scerrers approval rating with Democratic women falling and falling fast!
ReplyDeleteIn Many ways she reminds me of a presidential stalker... I keep thinking squeeky from, Oswald etc... is she going to blow and take a potshot at MY President????
I just read about this open source site for Obama's achievements. I have not looked through it yet, but it is a good idea.
ReplyDeletehttp://obamaachievements.com/
TWO women on the court is good enough to last me awhile....
Gryph: Trolls who call the President "man child" are really just dog-whistling BOY. Would you consider deleting and banning them?
ReplyDeleteTo anonymous at 12:49. Thanks for those comments. And...what do they want from him? Total failure no matter what the cost to our country.
ReplyDeleteCan I choose both?
ReplyDeletePalin - The new Orly Taitz!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 1:33, I usually DO delete comments that use terms like "man-child" or other derogatory remarks about our president. However today I thought it might be informative for all of you to see the kinds of ridiculous name calling that the teabaggers and other angry Obama haters use when they are confronted with the facts about the job he is doing.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't it kind of remind you of the nasty tweets that Palin has directed toward Obama lately?
Anonymous 12:49
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments - very refreshing.
Anonymous 12:49
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comments - very refreshing!
Hey, Gryph - FWIW, I'd prefer you delete the comments from the goons.
ReplyDeletePerhaps you could save offensive comments and dedicate a post to them every now and then.
I won't bother with the racist at 11:44. Ya'lls have already made appropriate comments for the reality challenged. I just want to say, as a liberal, that Obama has kept his promise to be a policy wonk, in spite of attacks from both sides. I'm not really happy with him buddying up to some of the Bush power-grabs (rendition, etc), but for basic get-it-done policy stuff, he has quietly kept going while the talking heads talk. Sarah is irrelevant, as we all know. She would get NOTHING done, as we already know from her lovely stint as governor (hey, 11:44, why don't you actually LOOK at her record, what she ACTUALLY achieved (not much), instead of being an ideology whore who is fact-challenged (okay, had to get in my own dig)). In this political atmosphere, it is amazing if we elect anybody who gets something done, but I'm pretty pleased overall, minus some of the spook stuff. I mean, the guy isn't even a socialist, but heck, he's still getting stuff done. I imagine the repugs would love to keep waxing eloquent about what a Muslim, socialst, fascist, nazi, left-wing, community organizing "man-child" he is, but they couldn't do shit in the last 8 years so a big fat neener to them.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 12:49
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments - very refreshing.
Anon @ 12:49,
ReplyDeleteQuyana, thanks for sharing you and your family's insights.
I have many conservative relatives and it us astounding how much they trot out the Fox News and GOP propoganda points on all matters.
I am well rounded enough to get my news and white paper facts from a number of periodicals and blogs, being an independent doesn't make me a lib or a progressive, it makes me a well informed citizen.
People who call out populists aren't just liberals, anyone should take issue with how the Party of No conducts itself as a representative facet of our government.
I'm off to pay my respects to our former Republican Senator, a statesman who knew how to represent the State of Alaska in and out of party lines.
I thank whatever gods there may be DAILY that Obama is our president and not gramps and that vapid airhead.
ReplyDelete(I do really think that McCain would have met with an "accident" by now, had he won the election.
His concession speech was the most relaxed and gracious moment of his entire campaign, maybe even his whole political career.
Of course, Granny Palin was on stage, furious that she could not snatch a few more seconds in the spotlight. Such an angry, petty woman.)
Gryph-
ReplyDeleteAMEN BROTHER!
Once again you've done a great job of expressing how I feel about our president. He's made me proud every day he's been in office. He's calmly and resolutley doing the best job he can to do what's best and right for our country in very difficult times.
Thanks to you for being there and saying so well what you say!
anon 11:44, nope, we're still sticking it to the quitter queen with the same frequency. you are imagining things.
ReplyDeletecuriouser at 12:48, i think that says it all.
ReplyDeleteGryphen, you are right. It says a lot to readers to see comments from those who get their talking points from Palin tweets. Kinda ties together all The Crazy.
ReplyDelete12:49, thanks for the honest commentary. for the life of me, i can't figure out why anyone accuses president obama of being a liberal, much less a socialist. heck, the progressives accuse him of being bush II. goes to show, fox news' goal is all just tossing labels into the air to see what sticks without any connection to actual reality.
ReplyDeleteHere are President Obama's accomplishments in the *first 100 days alone* (always remember to take it in light of the last eight years...) :
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/cv5kk3
The below is what I (partially) wrote to someone who praised gwb and could not find a good word about President Obama:
Where were you during the last eight years?
Where were you
-when our "president" spent us into oblivion?
Where were you
-when our "president" put our nation into more debt than ALL 42 PRESIDENTS BEFORE HIM TOGETHER?
Where were you
-when our "president" got us into an illegal war?
Where were you
- when our "president" used TORTURE to get invalid confessions out of so-called 'terrorists' that were not even 14 years old?
Where were you
- when our "president" deemed it OK to have young children watch their mother raped in front of them, and their fathers being tortured in front of them, just so the kids would say whatever the tortures wanted to hear?
Where were you
- when our "president" OKd that torture was fine, and when he made sure that for generations to come, our brave soldiers will be in danger of being tortured, because there is now precedence for it that the US has OKd torture?
Where were you
- when our "president" made the corporations stronger than ever?
Where were you
- when our "president" lied blatantly to our nation and the world about ' weapons of mass destruction' that he later admitted never existed?
Where were you
- when our "president" insisted not to put the unknown TRILLIONS of $$$$ that the illegal war cost OFF THE BUDGET?
Where were you
- when our "president" was a total joke in the international community opinion?
Where were you
-when our "president" made a total joke out of our beloved country, the good old US of A?
Where were you
- when our "president" started the TARP program?
Where were you
- when our "president" let the corporations write their own rules?
Where were you
- when our "president' let the mining companies and the oil companies regulate themselves?
Where were you
- when our "president" played the guitar, while New Orleans drowned, and when he said 'Browny, you are doing a heck of a job'?
I could go on and on and on. Instead, please allow me to show you SOME of the accomplishments our President Obama has achieved so far (next post):
1. Ordered all federal agencies to undertake a study and make recommendations for ways to cut spending
ReplyDelete2. Ordered a review of all federal operations to identify and cut wasteful spending and practices
3. Instituted enforcement for equal pay for women
4. Beginning the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq
5. Families of fallen soldiers have expenses covered to be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB
6. Ended media blackout on war casualties; reporting full information
7. Ended media blackout on covering the return of fallen soldiers to Dover AFB; the media is now permitted to do so pending adherence to respectful rules and approval of fallen soldier’s family
8. The White House and federal government are respecting the Freedom of Information Act
9. Instructed all federal agencies to promote openness and transparency as much as possible
10. Limits on lobbyist’s access to the White House
11. Limits on White House aides working for lobbyists after their tenure in the administration
12. Ended the previous stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date
13. Phasing out the expensive F-22 war plane and other outdated weapons systems, which weren’t even used or needed in Iraq/Afghanistan
14. Removed restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research
15. Federal support for stem-cell and new biomedical research
16. New federal funding for science and research labs
17. States are permitted to enact federal fuel efficiency standards above federal standards
18. Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants) after years of neglect
19. Funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access to K-12 schools
20. New funds for school construction
21. The prison at Guantanamo Bay is being phased out
22. US Auto industry rescue plan
23. Housing rescue plan
24. $789 billion economic stimulus plan
25. The public can meet with federal housing insurers to refinance (the new plan can be completed in one day) a mortgage if they are having trouble paying
26. US financial and banking rescue plan
27. The secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere are being closed
28. Ended the previous policy; the US now has a no torture policy and is in compliance with the Geneva Convention standards
29. Better body armor is now being provided to our troops
(Source: http://tinyurl.com/2arsr6o )
21. The prison at Guantanamo Bay is being phased out
ReplyDelete22. US Auto industry rescue plan
23. Housing rescue plan
24. $789 billion economic stimulus plan
25. The public can meet with federal housing insurers to refinance (the new plan can be completed in one day) a mortgage if they are having trouble paying
26. US financial and banking rescue plan
27. The secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere are being closed
28. Ended the previous policy; the US now has a no torture policy and is in compliance with the Geneva Convention standards
29. Better body armor is now being provided to our troops
30. The missile defense program is being cut by $1.4 billion in 2010
31. Restarted the nuclear nonproliferation talks and building back up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols
32. Reengaged in the treaties/agreements to protect the Antarctic
33. Reengaged in the agreements/talks on global warming and greenhouse gas emissions
34. Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office
35. Successful release of US captain held by Somali pirates; authorized the SEALS to do their job
36. US Navy increasing patrols off Somali coast
37. Attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles
38. Cash for clunkers program offers vouchers to trade in fuel inefficient, polluting old cars for new cars; stimulated auto sales
39. Announced plans to purchase fuel efficient American-made fleet for the federal government
40. Expanded the SCHIP program to cover health care for 4 million more children
41. Signed national service legislation; expanded national youth service program
ReplyDelete42. Instituted a new policy on Cuba , allowing Cuban families to return home to visit loved ones
43. Ended the previous policy of not regulating and labeling carbon dioxide emissions
44. Expanding vaccination programs
45. Immediate and efficient response to the floods in North Dakota and other natural disasters
46. Closed offshore tax safe havens
47. Negotiated deal with Swiss banks to permit US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals
48. Ended the previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy is to promote in-sourcing to bring jobs back
49.. Ended the previous practice of protecting credit card companies; in place of it are new consumer protections from credit card industry’s predatory practices
There is way more at the source I quoted in my ase check it out.
Oh, yes, has anyone seen this right0wing survey? "Carter, Obama top list of US’s worst ‘gangsters, killers’ "
ReplyDeleteSource: http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0814/carter-obama-top-list-gangsters-killers/
Dear 11:44 am,
ReplyDeleteYou're kind of stupid. Actually, you're really stupid. Really, really stupid. Maybe you should shut the Glenn Beck and step away from the RedState or DrudgeReport or whatever inflammatory shit those with shit for brains read these days and try reading a book. Start small. Maybe try a magazine. Or a Curious George. A Highlights. Something. Because you're really stupid. It saddens me that people as stupid as you exist, even as we have some many opportunities for education.
And it angers me that YOUR stupid-person vote counts the same as my educated-person vote. So not fair!
Hard work and no money made her bitter,
ReplyDeleteso lying Sarah became a Quitter.
Everyday’s a new drama,
she’s still pissed by Obama,
“Why doesn’t he follow me on twitter?”
Hey Gryph, I'm a new fan/follower. Have you on my "favorites". Just want to let you know you're fantastic. I also am proud of our president and fully support him. Thank you for standing up to and exposing the Witch from Wasilla.
ReplyDeleteMore than half of Americans now disapprove of President Barack Obama's job performance, new polling found, as the Ground Zero mosque controversy appeared to further erode ratings that the nation's stagnant economy already had damaged.
ReplyDeleteGallup's tracking poll for Saturday through Monday found Obama's disapproval rating at 51 percent, a new high, the organization said Tuesday. For the third day in a row, the president's average approval rating was 42 percent, also a low for Obama.
"It's certainly a reasonable hypothesis that the mosque comments are a cause of his lower approval ratings and his higher disapproval," said Frank Newport, Gallup's editor in chief.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/17/1780434/poll-majority-now-disapprove-of.html#ixzz0wvIT6tKG
Wow! Fed Up, Thanks for the list. Very informative.
ReplyDelete5:17,
ReplyDeleteHILARIOUS!
5:17,
ReplyDeleteHILARIOUS!
7:07, it's the Economy Stupid. He's the Prez, so he takes the heat for everything. When it comes back, thanks to Obama, so will the numbers.
ReplyDeleteIt is of no consolation, I am sure, that Palin's failing ratings have nothing to do with the economy, and everything to do with the fact that she offers nothing except snark and ignorance.
Just remember at least 25% of Americans cannot find Canada on a map, and yet we expect them to be informed about policy decisions. Polls are a joke.
ReplyDeletePresident Obama is doing an amazing job. He's the first Democratic candidate I ever voted for the office of President.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I voted Republican for 40 years, I became uncomfortable with the GOP in the last 10 years. They simply repulsed me with their blatant pandering to ignorance, bigotry, and divisive cultural issues in order to maintain their influence in the public debate.
The final straw was when John McCain selected Palin as his VP, an unqualified idiot with a padded resume and venomous tongue. I immediately went out and changed my party affiliation from Republican and have never regretted it.
The GOP has become the "little tent" for overwhelmingly white bigots and morons. That's what happens when a national party has a platform based on "scary" social issues. Think about it! Here's what they've been running on in the last two years (and their mouthpiece, FOX news, has been pushing for them):
--scary Muslim Center
--scary Muslims in America
--scary illegal immigrants
--scary "anchor babies"
--scary New Black Panthers
--scary gay marriage
--scary gays in the military
--scary Healthcare reform
--scary "Death panels"
--scary Black Muslim Socialistic President (the really scary one)
--and on and on
I'm so thrilled we have a brilliant, hard-working President who understands the constitution. God really was watching out for this country when McCain and Palin were defeated.