I guess that the elections are really just a formality after all..

[WCGreen]

I mean the tone has changed slightly, after all, people in DC are actually paying lip-service to our issues instead of our crazy opposition.

But when you really get down to it, the old adage that money talks and bull shit walks is pretty accurate. When have the people in DC ever really cared all that much what we have to say. Well unless it gets so bad they have to do something.

I guess some might say that, at the very least, it is better than the old days, but that is just an excuse because at least now we have a load of information about what goes on in front of closed doors. You know in front of the doors marked private, you have no access you have to trust us because we can't trust you...

So along came Obama, no one's favorite guy except the people out beyond the collective (purposeful communistic word) beltways of New York and Washington DC. And we rallied behind him, gave him power and money and wow, we got him elected. That glorious day in Chicago really was a great public moment in US history.

But then the real power brokers, those safely ensconced inside the beltways, said enough from the rabble and started wearing down Obama, setting up false arguments and spreading innuendo and rumors with the furious pace of 12 year old girls texting each other in Algebra Class,

And now, 50 days in, we are left, as it was at the beginning, with Jon Stewart, Kieth, Stephan and Rachel. The rest of the country, well they are angry, of course, but some are angry at Obama that Gul Darn Commie, some are angry at bankers and others are just too shell shocked to know which was is up.

In 1933 we only had fear to fear...

Now we have thousands of talking heads on radio and cable tv telling us what we have to fear is everything but the fear of being afraid.

All we can do is hang tough and hope.

Now that Mr. Obama is in Washington things can only get better.

That can't get any worse, can they?

[960]

1. What if Obama was never really a grass roots outsider?

What if the beltway insiders created him and supported him to keep real change from coming?

[WCGreen]

3. Compared to what came before, Obama is a populist...

[babylonsister]

4. Bwhahaha! Busted! nt

[960]

9. Que?

[morgan2]

5. since when was obama an outsider?

he was being groomed to be president for a long time. Its not a secret he was chosen to speak at Kerry's nomination in 2004. At that point everyone knew he would run for the president one day, the only question was what year.

[960]

10. Then why the shock that he is now bending to the will of the beltway crew

rather than following his supposed populist message for change?

[babylonsister]

11. Who are you listening to? And who is he bending to? Like I said,

edumicate yourself.

President Obama is doing fine unless you listen to r/w trash. :shrug:

[960]

14. I think he's doing just fine. A little to the right of the other D candidates,

but certainly an improvement over the last 8 years.

I was responding to the OP and others who seem to think that what we're seeing is Obama being influenced by Washington. I think Obama is doing exactly what anyone paying attention would expect.
He is governing from the center right at a time when it would seem easier to govern from center left.

[WCGreen]

18. I think you really missed the point and that is my fault...

If you look at what I wrote it was that Obama is basically on his own, fighting against entrenched interests that are more beholden to the power elite and lip-service to the rest of us...

[960]

20. I got your point. I disagree with it.

I think that Obama is part of the entrenched interests. He always was. A sort of manchurian candidate.
He's bringing plenty of change compared to Bush, but was never meant to and never intended to revolutionize politics.

[WCGreen]

28. I don't think anyone ever thought he was going to revolutionize politics...

I think a lot of people were projecting, well lionizing would perhaps be the better word...

But I am concerned that he is basically on his own. The media established this ridiculous 100 day agenda and then immediately went after him for acting with deliberation.

[mahina]

31. Manchurian candidate?

OK, that's it. Alerted.

[960]

37. I didn't break a rule, but you did.

Yes, he is a made for tv production of Axelrod-Daley Inc. A Good ol' Chicago pol.
Anyone who doesn't see it isn't paying attention.
You can oogle him all you want, at the end of the day he is just another politician.
The hero worship is really starting to make me ill.
There is a vast amount of WORK to be done, and it is not going to get done by thinking EVERY thing Obama does is just find and dandy.

[burythehatchet]

40. But he look soooo good body-surfing.

[mahina]

42. You are mistaken.

Hello!!! He is not a made for tv production, and you are 100% full of shit.

Barack Obama is from my neighborhood in Honolulu. He grew up in this neighborhood. He attended my son's school. Our teachers were his teachers, and they love him. Our friends are his friends. His grandma lived up the street. He is a very real person. This community knows him very well. We have dozens of close friends in common.


Secondly, I don't accept everything he does, and I don't see anyone else doing that either. You have no data to support that assertion. Where have you been? You think Democrats don't criticize?

If you imagine for one second that I am not doing the work you are also mistaken.

When you call our president a Manchurian candidate, you showed your hand.
I believe that you are here to stir up shit and throw mud on our President.

Welcome to ignore.

[960]

43. Everyone starts out in life.

It's how he was groomed for the presidency that changed who he was. Duh.

[morgan2]

16. Im not shocked at all

that's why I voted for Kucinich in the primary and Nader in the general..

[960]

19. You're not shocked and I'm not shocked, but the shock is widespread.

Hence numerous posts and conversations like the OP's.
Obama offers a change from Bush (as anyone would. Hell, even McCain would have been a step up)

But he is not the "revolutionary movement" that many of his worshippers see.

[mahina]

24. You mean like appointing Van Jones to head up green jobs?

http://www.vanjones.net/page.php?pageid=3

Or my old Prof John Holdren to energy and science advisor? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_P._Holdren

Yep. The beltway crew. You bring tears to my eyes. I needed a good laugh, mahalo.

[KittyWampus]

13. Really, just vote for Nader or write in Kucinich

[readmoreoften]

32. Yes, wanting someone who represents the people, not the banks is such a crime.

Last time I check DK was a Democrat.

[mahina]

21. Oh mercy. Please.

We were there all along, begging him to serve. We know him very well, and your fears are not based in any reality. It's not your fault, people are selling a steady diet of fear and amnesia. Please don't be afraid. Barack Obama is just who and what he says he is. Thank God in heaven that he was willing to serve his country. We needed him desperately.

Obama has a clear brilliant mind and a heart that comprises all of this huge beautiful nation. Hannity and OReilly are just selling lies.

From his old neighborhood to you, aloha~

[960]

23. I am glad that he is pres, and I am glad that you are so happy with him, but I

definitely think you've got too much faith in one man. He ain't Jesus.

[mahina]

25. Never thought he was Jesus.

Where do you get this stuff?

[babylonsister]

2. Wrong premise. President Obama is doing his job beyond my

wildest dreams, 50 days in. Don't let anyone tell you differently.

[WCGreen]

7. He is fighting an up hill battle against the folks all ready in power...

Why else would anyone take seriously the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Boehner and the rest of them...

[babylonsister]

8. He is fighting for all of us, and doesn't give a damn what the rethugs

and conservatives are saying. He's making a very strong case, we're in the majority, and so it will go.

And the rethugs are so far away from any real 'power', as it should be. They think their opinions count, but without legitimate alternatives, no one is taking them seriously.

[orleans]

39. well...not exactly all of us....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29550694/

[960]

15. If that is true, and not more fanboy worship, then you don't have very big dreams.

[babylonsister]

17. You don't even know, aren't paying attention, or mouthing off.

This has nothing to do with 'fanboy worship' and everything to do with finally having a President who I can trust to do the right thing and have our best interests at heart.

Get a clue about what's happened in 50 days. Lots.

[960]

22. Obama has done alot of good, but he's royally dropped the ball on the economy

and his war policies are eerily similar to bush.

[Name removed]

26. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mahina]

30. Actually, I heard that Obama was an alien from outer space.

Explains the "birth certificate!"

[mahina]

29. ? Dropped the ball on the economy?

Remember when the rating agencies stopped accurately rating securities, and Wall st. started selling junk rated AAA? Tons of it? Be honest. No, right?

Have you got a handle on the money in play out there in totally unregulated credit default swaps and naked short selling? Do you know what those are? Those regulations that Bush thought were irrelevant? How about the 2005 bill for the financial services industry that changed all the rules to fit Wall st., that King George and his hoodlums pushed through? Remember that?

The deregulation that caused some really greedy bastards to bleed us dry is being fixed now. The Dow is not an indicator of the President's job approval. I know the right wing media is telling you that all day, but it is false. It is a very small group out of thousands of securities. The banking crisis was created long before Obama came to office. Remember October 08?

I'm not going to sit here and debunk Fox news propaganda. There's an economics forum here, I recommend you go do some reading. All the best to you.

ps It'll be about two years fixing King George's mess. The corporate media is not going to tell you about the real work Obama is doing. You're welcome.

[mahina]

27. Here's the problem from what I understand of your points.

If you're waiting for Hannity and OReally to come out and tell you the real work that is being done, forget it. You have to read the paper, and look for information. A few papers, if you really want to know what's up.

Seriously, did you know about Van Jones before? No, right? Doesn't that make you wonder what else you aren't being told?

[960]

33. Who listens to Hannity? I am talking about the REAL issues

Like what Krugman writes about. Obama is not doing enough. In another post you said it would take Obama 2 years to fix this mess... I wish.
We are fucked for more like 10-20 years. And NO it is not Obama's fault, but he is the one in charge now, the one who can make a difference NOW.

[babylonsister]

34. Ha! What Krugman writes about, like he's the know-it-all? He's not. nt

[960]

35. Well, he certainly knows more about economics than Obama or his

team of free marketers.

[woodwrite]

41. Hell of a fight, 960,...

In the long run, your view will be vindicated,... just not among the cloistered set clinging to one half of a political industry that is ultimately and wildly afoul of the Jeffersonian ideal. So much for "Thus ever to tyrants," eh? (or matriarchs, for that matter. Check out Dave Swanson's "2 Steps to Monarchy" piece.) And being labelled seditious is almost always a clue that you're on to something, so take heart. It is NEVER a bad idea to question. Again, hell of a fight.

[blues90]

44. And you know this how?

You appear to think you have all the answers and your answers are all based in faith and hope. Your own personal faith and hope.

What makes you think for a second that there are not still much larger forces at play here and Obama is not in control of everything.

I tried my best to find out about Obama and got the same info on every site I looked up his mane in and on this forum I was refered to his two books as if that tells me a damn thing.

The media and even the other dems as well as the progressive talk show hosts did their best to tear down every other Dem candidate and build up Obama. The media brought in this insane american idol crap saying Kucinch was an odd looking fellow who didn't look presidential and bashed the hell out of Hillary because of her pants suits. Yea , I know the campaigns over so spare me that crap.

Face the reality the damn media picks the president and Obama got all the boost he needed during the campaigns from people like Oprah and these grand stages and crowds all set with signs of hope and change.

He voted for FISA and had many voting present not taking any stand that may cost him votes.

Now people act like it is Obama alone running the entire show and making all the decisions when the reality is quite different.

Tear down the opposition , compare Obama to GW as if there were no other candidates who could run rings around GW. It's all part of the enormous fake political media driven fucked up game filling peoples heads by talking heads. Don't want the 90's yet he picks most of Clintons people.

Some of you people talk out of both sides of your mouth and continue the drum beat and never question anything.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. In 1933 there was an attempted coup

and we had plenty of talking heads on the radio too

Why the Fairness Doctrine came to be

Keep manning the barricades, as it were though

[corruptmewithpower]

12. Things can get worse.

The great depression lasted over twelve years and Franklin Roosevelt did enormous things to restore the economy. Economics is anything but an exact science. The stimulus package and all the bank bailouts etc. are an enormous risk in the debt they are amassing and the potential for future runaway inflation. We sure hope it all works, but there are no guarantees.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

36. Things can always get worse, and we all know that.

We stand on the cusp of success vs. failure for our country...

Right now, it's anyone's guess which way it'll break.

Obama's doing everything he can to rescue the economy, but we don't know yet if he'll succeed.

I trust him, though, and I think he can do it. He sure as heck wants to.

All we can do is hang tough and hope.

You got that right!

[Imagevision]

38. A lot of tension, stress kicking in, blame Obama that'll make your day (?)

get prepared to hear next months job losses - why should it be less then 651,000 pink slips handed out, it took the Bush crowd 8 years to get us here and we're still unprepared for the worse that is yet to come. They didn't call it a recession when it was one - do you think they'll cop to a depression when it becomes one?