President Barack Obama blamed congressional Republicans on Tuesday for blocking his efforts to address the economic concerns of the American people before President-elect Donald Trump and others exploited it for political gain.
“And frankly that was — that's been my agenda for the last eight years,” Obama said at a joint news conference with Greece Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Athens. “I think raising wages, investing in infrastructure, making sure that people have access to good education that equip them for the jobs of the future, those are all agenda items that would help alleviate some of the economic fractures and dislocations that people are experiencing.”
That was the objective all along wasn't it?
To undermine Obama's presidency and keep it from being successful so that you could then convince disappointed voters to support your candidate.
It doesn't make any difference how much you add to the American people's suffering, or block them from receiving any kind of relief, just so long as they then become desperate enough to believe your bullshit.
Anybody who does not think that the Obama administration was trying to help ALL Americans, is either a complete idiot, an internet troll, or a Trump supporter.
I do not know if President Obama was trying to help ALL Americans, but he certainly was trying to do what was in America's best interest, which is ultimately what is best for all Americans.
ReplyDeleteYour logic is astounding.....
Delete8:29, are you being snarky, because 6:28 is absolutely correct.
DeleteGreat big word from such a simpleton.
DeletePresident Obama was definitely working to help all Americans, every single one of us. And he did an amazing job, given that he was met with a seditious opposition party January 21, 2009, and they never cooperated. Too many Americans rely on Fox for their information.
DeleteBeaglemom
A Constitutional Law Professor and President of the United States of America is handing over the Office to Mr. Trump Foundation. It has been determined that China and Russia enjoy our election process as well as our defunding security infrastructure. It has truly made a difference. Love those products from china folks and the 4 yr recorded trump tv reality show coming soon. Oh those communist are sneaky. Republicans own this, they built that, they are the righteous and law and order guys and gals, they love deplorable everything.
ReplyDeletewww.gregpalast.com Pretty much sums it all up.....Rigged indeed :(
ReplyDeleteHe's been on top of this stuff for so long and he catches what is wrong, yet people who should be listening and fixing things don't take advantage of this resource.
DeleteI thought about the issues he repeated and pointed out that they blocked him on. Another was high speed rail which would create jobs also.
ReplyDeleteHumans often prefer things change back instead of them adapting to change such as training for a new job. Republicans gain support using education as an us versus them arguement.
Trump was elected on a promise to bring manufacturing back to make things great again and promising wealth. Meanwhile he bashed his opponent with lies sabotaging her although she had concrete plans for people and economy.
They shut down the government then blame shifted consequences to Obama then used those to attack him as anti military.
I expect the poor who put blind trust in Trump will be worse off.
Excellent post. Thank you.
DeleteI was told way back int he 70's to be prepared to have four careers. My degree is in English, communication and teaching. I taught school briefly, got married, had kids, and went back to work after about 7 years. My first job back was elementary cafeteria, and then classroom aid in my son's room. I stayed there for seven great years. After a brief sojourn in Switzerland for my husband's job, I returned to subbing, all levels, all classes, and teaching private music lessons. Then I got a great job in our local library. Another move with hubby meant a new library, for three more good years. When we finally landed back in Michigan, I started teaching lessons again, and now have 17 students. I also help out at both high schools and middle schools with band, invidious capacities. I have been working for 45 for my 63 years, and I am extremely angry that Ryan wants to wipe out all the money I have paid into both systems just because he can. A voucher for health care? What if I have a heart attack? What if I need a knee replacement? What if? This is so stupid and cruel. Medicare works fine, and should be extended to all Americans like the rest of the civilized world does. The GOP, the party of God (according to them), is never about giving-always about taking. Take away rights. Take away health care. Take away abortion for this that need it. Take away take away. The only giving they do is mMY tax dollars to their buddies and themselves. Enough, Ryan. We are sick of the GOP's lies and fake promises. Put up or shut up.
DeleteThe Deplorable Republicans have had quite a time since? well since they became the Republican party that use be the Democrat party. But lets just start with bubba Clinton 1992. Poor guy was set up continuously by them. Then W. Well dubya was just there and dick ran the show....got us that 911 gig. Then Our first Mulatto president was way too smart and bright for them to control. So the promise was Obstruction of everything America. And now they want to get to work after destroying as much of America as they could. These simple criminal fools are really pathetic the worst bunch of deplorable people that one could bring to the table. I don't believe that our forefathers could foresee the un-American treasonist traitors in the whitehouse.
DeletePresident Obama was obstructed by the Republican party (led by McConnell of Kentucky who is still in the US Congress - in a leadership role) throughout his nearly completed two-term presidency.
ReplyDeleteIt was horrible to watch on a daily basis and many of us paid close attention due to being involved in politics and/or those learning about national, state and community politics for the first time in their adult lives.
Plus, many of those Republicans in the U.S. Congress and throughout are blatant racists, making no bones about it! And, I point directly at McConnell again. He's an extremely hateful and bigoted individual!
It was amazing that President Obama was able to accomplish the things he did. Since he was constantly stopped, or his suggestions going nowhere, he did some things by Executive Order.
Trump is saying he will purposefully negate all that President Obama accomplished as soon as he takes his oath of office.
Trump and the Republican party are already saying they will redo AFCA, make changes to SS, and eliminate Medicare and Medicaid!
How frightening for ALL of us! Most especially our senior citizens, the sick and minorities. Everyone will be affected by these changes in some manner!
I'm a frightened white American and angry as Hell at the Americans who put this jerk in the highest office of our country! He has zero experience, is not a bright individual, is sexists, is a racist, has used women as sex objects all of his life, is horribly temperamental and vindictive!
Families have been split apart and the coming holiday season will be the saddest we've experienced in years!
All because of fucking politics and the election of Donald Trump!
That the rest of the world reels over the notion that this country would elect the likes of Drumpf after eight years of President Obama goes to show how respected he is.
DeleteI agree with everything you said.
Yes, complete agreement. And the "daily basis" statement just about brings tears to my eyes. The GOP House and Senate members' behavior has been unconscionable. But the GOP voters are too uninterested on a "daily basis" in following what is going on. If they followed, they'd not tolerate what their reps do. Well, except for those who are racist and sexist and xenophobic. I really don't give a damn what happens to anyone who voted for Trump.
DeleteFor Georgia Peach
Delete'FUCK MITCH McCONNELL" with a 'RED HOT' pitchfork up the a$$, all the way to his eyeballs.
POTUS is not an entry level position, nor can an entry level brain be trusted to surround itself with experienced people, as we are seeing. I hope Bannon faces charges and is kicked out of the mix. And I hope Ryan's truly awful plans are nixed by even the GOP. I find it hard to believe that Trump voters will want their SS stolen by the GOP, and their parents' Medicare gone. We shall see. I think the goose will cook itself, but it will sure help having Warren turn up the heat.
DeleteAmerica is not the only country this has happened to. Britian, Iceland, and others have been hacked in the same fashion to get the same results. Communist China and Russia are playing games and wish to fight.
DeleteI hope people saw that fucker McConnell's reaction when he was asked a question yesterday about Bannon. He sat there with his usual bug-eyed smirky frozen expression and said nothing. He looks plastic, like someone with a face transplant, and every time I see him I want to rip that donor skin right off his head. He actually always makes me think back to Lon Chaney’s character in the original Phantom of the Opera. If you go to this link, go to the 1:45 mark where you’ll see the phantom walk into the masquerade ball. He is so McConnell:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPV3j3TYLkI
Now RePukes will take credit for a very short burst..Fix a FEW bridges and roads the 1st year and BUILD
ReplyDeletein OIL pipelines....then ALL done....
Drain the $wamp? Hell NO, THEN you FIND the MONSTER!
ReplyDelete"“It doesn’t look like they’re draining the swamp, it looks like they’re pouring the swamp into the transition,” Whitehouse said. “And if nothing changes, they’ll be pouring the swamp into the Oval Office as well.”
BERN THEM!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bernie-sanders-drain-the-swamp-trump_us_582b9564e4b0e39c1fa6f71d
It smells like a swamp they drained from their nasty mouths. The entire bunch is rot and decay.
Deletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/reported-trump-immigration-advisor-says-hes-drafting-plan-for-muslim-registry_us_582c59bde4b01d8a014b6328
ReplyDeleteAnd it begins.
DeleteGeez Louise we won let it go.
ReplyDeleteBullshit. No winning at all. You STOLE the election, you asshat.
Deletewww.gregpalast.com
Nope we will not let trump foundation be president and run the show. NOPE.
Delete"we won let it go"
Delete-------------------
Well, no. You see, we care about this country. The election wasn't a game, despite the republicans putting up a game show host as nominee.
We would not be good citizens if we did not do everything possible to keep the country from harm.
I realize this must be difficult for a simpleton to grasp.
You keep the country from harm by ranting on a blog all day?
DeleteYou are truly an American hero Nefer lol.
The republicans are so funny. The look on their face that they are in full control. It is absolutely telling. China and Russia arranged the hacking, trump interjected the hate, most republicans hid in the corner and the teabags brewed some tea from pee. It was fabulous and bright. Not brilliant but bright. Unfortunately it wont look good in history books unless? They hack that too.
ReplyDeleteSen. Reid began by stating a fact, “A man who lost the popular vote by more than two million votes is now the President-elect, and his election has sparked a wave of hate crimes across America. This is a simple statement of fact. But it raises a critical question for us as a country: how do we respond to the election of Donald Trump?”
ReplyDeletehttp://www.politicususa.com/2016/11/15/harry-reid-tore-trump-shreds-floor-united-states-senate.html
WE the people will respond with demands of his resignation, impeachment, committing treason, espionage and extreme personal debt to foreign courtries, extreme debt to us the taxpayer, extreme amount of serious lawsuits around the world. Sex problem, health problems, mental problems and family problems. Its bad.
DeleteI loved that Reid wanted his comments there on the books. To say nothing is to accept what Trump does. Harry Reid stood up for every group that Bannon and Trump have offended. Schumer this morning, though--wow. I have always liked Schumer, but today was a day when he should have said something in support of what Harry did yesterday and to make it known that he supports the many people who are feeling offended and afraid.
DeleteWell, apparently the response is to roll over and pleasure Trump by working with him. At least according to Chuck Schumer, Reid's successor. Exactly the OPPOSITE of what they should be doing. Working with Trump is tantamount to condoning his racism, bigotry, misogyny, lying, cheating, stealing, AND INCOMPETENCE.
DeleteThere's your change of leadership.
I don't think I need to wait until the March vote to see the direction the Democratic Leadership is going to go.
Bunch of pansy-assed cowards, spineless, weak, naive, neutered.
No wonder Trump won.
Elizabeth Warren Vows To Oppose Trump Every Step Of The Way For The Next 4 Years
ReplyDeleteSen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told President-elect Donald Trump to get the Wall Street insiders off of his transition team, or she will oppose him every step of the way for the next four years.
http://www.politicususa.com/2016/11/15/elizabeth-warren-vows-oppose-trump-step-4-years.html
Are those some of the big financial wizards who crashed our economy, decimated my retirement plan and that of my parents', the same ones that President Obama neglected to prosecute?
DeleteI'm with HER!
DeleteRepublicans want Democrats to shut up and get in goose step, I mean lock step behind trump for the good of the country. It 2008, 58% of registered voters turned out. Obama won the EC, 365 to 173, and the popular vote by almost ten million. But on the night of his first inauguration, Republican leaders met to plan how to totally obstruct anything Obama wanted to do. Right after Obama took office, he was to meet with GOP congressmen to introduce his recovery plan to them. Hours before he met with then, Boehner leaked to the press that they would reject it, without even knowing the particulars. During Obama's first term, mitch McConnell said their top priority was to make Obama a one term president. Talk about hypocrites.
ReplyDeleteTrump will never be my President, and his open model wife will never be a role model for any of my kids or grandkids.
DeleteWhen you said goosestep you were right the first time.
DeleteThat is exactly what the Democrats should be doing to the Republicans right now.
DeleteThey won't be obstructing attempts to help the people and make their lives better. They will be obstructing attempts to rape the country of it's resources, rape the people of their assets, widen the equality gap but enriching the 1%ers and possibly preventing WWIII.
They need to dig in and obstruct the Trump administration at every turn.
They're already planning their wall, registering Muslims, eliminating Medicaid, turning Medicare into a voucher system, privatizing social security, overturning Roe v Wade, rolling back LGBTQ rights and the list goes on.
If there were *EVER* a time for the Democrats to stand together and obstruct everything that comes up before Congress it is NOW. No Mr. Nice Guy. No bipartisanship. No hands across the aisle. No compromises.
To work with Trump is to excuse every nasty, criminal thing he has done.
OT, but it's about friggin time some attention was once again paid to what Trump has done to numerous women. I posted last night a link to an article I'd found that helped me deal with the fact that the whole topic has simply been dropped. At least HuffPo's talking about it today.
ReplyDeleteI noticed that. Gloria Allred said she would defend any woman who wanted to pursue legal action against trump free of charge. But I imagine they are now too frightened and I can't say that I blame them. His followers are scary.
DeleteI actually expected more to come forward before election day, but things went quiet.
DeleteOur ancestors were scared too. They fought and died for the simple freedom of speech, of religion, of being treated fair. Sadly we must defend this right today and we must apply the constitution to this tragic election and correct the loophole that allowed it to happen. Oh and fund major security and infrastructure grid and net. We are very vulnerable as we found out.
Delete"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help." RR.
ReplyDeleteIt was a stupid saying then and it's a stupid saying now.
DeleteOr, more likely, you are just nutty and losing your marbles.
DeletePeople can believe what they want. The silent majority gets by just fine without government help. Thants why they don't see the need to pay for it.
It is a great saying. A famous quote that will never be forgotten by true patriots lol.
7:59, up your lol trolling ass.
DeleteInteresting.
ReplyDelete"The Democratic Coalition has filed an FBI complaint against Trump Campaign Chairman Steven Bannon, which alleging that he violated a federal campaign finance law coordinating Super PAC activities with the Trump campaign, and receiving payments from it after becoming officially part of the Republican campaign."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/582b772ae4b0a904ef59ece6?timestamp=1479243707235
CREEPY>
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rawstory.com/2016/11/wisconsin-radio-station-replaces-atheist-show-with-24-hour-christmas-music-day-after-election/
So.... what have the Democrats learned from this election?
ReplyDeleteApparently nothing at all .... Could have been Warren. Could have been Sanders. Instead they appointed a pro-Wall Street Politico.
Dumbasses.
"Schumer’s done more than anyone except Bill and Hillary Clinton to intertwine Wall Street and the Democratic Party. He raises millions and millions of dollars from the finance industry, both for himself and for other Democrats. In return, he voted to repeal the Glass-Steagall Act in 1999 and voted to bail out Wall Street in 2008. In between, he slashed fees paid by banks to the Securities and Exchange Commission to pay for regulatory enforcement, and eviscerated congressional efforts to crack down on rating agencies.
Schumer voted for the Patriot Act in 2001, and sponsored its predecessor, the Omnibus Counterterrorism Act of 1995. During a Senate hearing, Schumer explained that “it’s easy to sit back in the armchair and say that torture can never be used. But when you’re in the foxhole, it’s a very different deal.” In certain cases, he said, “most senators” would say “do what you have to do.” Schumer also defended the New York Police Department’s surveillance of Muslims across the region, which Trump has cited as a national model."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/16/chuck-schumer-senate-democrats-elect-minority-leader
Schumer is already preparing the Democrats to roll over and play dead. He wants them to make nice and cooperate in the spirit of bipartisanship.
DeleteThis guy needs to be handed his hat.
WE NEED NEW LEADERSHIP!
I can't remember the exact number of jobs bill President Obama proposed,but the rethugs blocked every single one.EVERY single one. They do not care about the American people. They only want to wield their power for their own ends.They serve the corporate masters.We are so fucked.
ReplyDeleteHis initial job creation bill, which would have solved infrastructure problems all over the country as well as build new rail lines, etc., was cut and cut by the GOP so that it was a mere shadow of what it was intended to be. And after the GOP took the House in 2010, not a single employment bill came to the floor of the House for debate. I'm not sure if any went to committee or not. Republicans are NOT the friends of the working class.
DeleteBeaglemom
fuckers. all of them.
ReplyDeleteFUCK UM ALL>
Deletehttp://www.rawstory.com/2016/11/this-is-our-moment-trumps-win-emboldens-activist-behind-effort-to-make-rape-legal/
I used to support the electoral count. I saw it as flawed but was glad to see that small states were not simply ignored. But now, what I see is that the small states are getting what they want and the many votes in the larger states are not counting enough. One person, one vote is not holding true for millions of people. And by the way, many of the states whose votes are getting run over by the smaller states have economies that support the whole of this country. CA is one of the largest world economies. Their success benefits the whole of this country. I get that small states can feel unimportant compared to large ones, and I like the idea of the electoral college making it so that small states get attention and also corruption is better kept in check, but it now seems that the small state vote is more important than the large state vote. The fact is that here in CA my vote didn’t matter. And to the yahoos who want to claim that what really matters is their own vote, not mine, I say fuck off and I’d actually be all for the coastal states seceding so that all the I’m-so-important population of the smaller states could see just what would happen without the rest of us. I’m originally from OH. I’m not some CA person who’s always lived here and not known what it’s like to be from a smaller state and a more conservative population. And I wish there were a way to have the vote truly represent all of the people. I get why the electoral college exista. But the small states are getting so much say and their population is being deemed more important than that of the larger states. And while I don’t want to diss entire populations, the truth is that many small states barely affect other states. They live in a state of racial and economic and political homogeny and they are happy to—until something happens that has them crying for the government to help them. They have no idea that they get to live as if they are isolated from all the complications and realities of life in the rest of the country, but they are always quietly benefitting from the wealth of the rest of this nation and help from the government. If you looked at maps of the percentage of unemployment over the past years, a number of small states had unemployment at 4-5% while much of the rest of the country was reeling. Those were the GOP states that were most conservative and relied on one (sometimes it was the military) or two industries and that stuck to themselves. They didn’t think about the rest of the country, and they don’t now, even when the fact is that they so benefit from the huge amounts of money and resources that do come into their lives because of the coastal states. They work as hard as they can to keep the progressive world at bay and they want to live as if they are some kind of utopia, and they live this way as much as they can and trash anyone who is different, but the fact is that they need the rest of us. And I am sick and tired of their votes counting more than mine. If there isn’t some solution in terms of modifying the electoral college, then I say get rid of it.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I had inserted paragraph breaks in the above. I had to type in Word and copy/paste. Sometimes my posts don't post, it says, because other people are posting at that same moment, so for long posts I now type in a doc. Usually my paragraph breaks show.
DeleteAll states are ignored except for the battleground states.
DeleteCalifornia is reliably blue so we're ignored except when the Democrats need money.
A Venn diagram of your last sentence would appear to the naked eye to be a circle, eh Gryph?
ReplyDeleteYup. Eight years of seditious behavior by the GOP in Congress has rewarded us and the world with Donald Trump. It just sickens me that we'll all go down with them.
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
When betting on the American people, you'll never lose when betting on their ignorance and gullibility.
ReplyDeleteThe mulatto Muslim only helps minorities and queers
ReplyDelete12:47 PM Your aging mother loves him.
DeleteIn my rural Virginia county, 35% of us are over 65. My county is bordered by the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River, so, we have a lot of prime waterfront land with very expensive homes with boats, airplanes, and other toys.
ReplyDeleteHowever, most of the over-65 crowd here are in the same boat I am -- retired military on a nice but fixed pension; retired living on 401K and social security; retired teachers or mid-level managers living on small fixed pension, 401k and SS.
I'm on the county electoral board, thus, I spent election day checking the polls for backups, etc. I was overwhelmed by the long lines of grey-haired folks, all of whom I suspected were Trumpsters. They were. He won our county by 3 to 1.
Now that Paul Ryan is going to replace Medicare with a system of vouchers and private insurance, I know I'll be in a rough spot . . . private insurance will bust my budget, even with a guvmint voucher . . . I'm in excellent health at age 72 and I hope to stay that way.
However, I will laugh my ass off at my rightwing neighbors, most of whom are in declining health, when they discover Trump has killed the Medicare they rely on and, in its place, has dumped them into the VERY expensive private insurance market.
I'll also double over laughing at the Rust Belt Trumpsters who, 4 years from now, will still be waiting for those jobs to come back from China. Ditto for my friends over in WV who'll never mine another shovel of coal in spite of the claim that Trump Digs Coal.
"is either a complete idiot, an internet troll, or a Trump supporter."
ReplyDelete---------------------
"is a complete idiot, an internet troll, AND a Trump supporter.