Why did I think Obama would change things?

[Timefortruth]

Because he said he would.


"Our free market was never meant to be a free license to take whatever you can get, however you can get it. That is why we have put in place rules of the road to make competition fair and open and honest," he said. "We have done this not to stifle, but rather to advance, prosperity and liberty."

Among other proposals in the speech, Obama called for:

• Giving the Federal Reserve system more oversight authority over institutions to which it provides credit as a "lender of last resort." Although Obama did not outline specifics, saying those would depend on the level of the Fed's assistance, "but at the very least, these new regulations should include liquidity and capital requirements."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-03-27-economy-speech_N.htm



Obama: I Will End War In 2009
Huge Crowd Turns Out To Hear Presidential Candidate In Gary

Obama, who has said he favors a measured withdrawal from Iraq, said, "It is time to bring the war to a close.'' He added that the war has lasted longer than the Civil War and both world wars and has distracted from the true mission of fighting terrorists in Afghanistan.

"We should have never gone there in the first place,'' he said. "I will end this war in 2009.''

http://cbs2chicago.com/northwestindianabureau/barack.obama.gary.2.696672.html


......
If elected, Obama says, he would immediately withdraw thousands of ground troops from Iraq and send them to Afghanistan to help undermanned US forces defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

"It's time to refocus our attention on the war we have to win in Afghanistan," Obama said in a speech last week. "It is time to go after the Al Qaeda leadership where it actually exists."

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/07/06/obama_mccain_split_over_afghan_strategy/

......

This isn't an exhaustive list, only two issues that were critically important to me. Perhaps I was a fool to take him seriously, but no one had ever dare say that the promises weren't made. They were.

[bobburgster]

1. I still believe.....in him.

As he has learned, some of the promises he made just can't be done quickly. Let's see where we are in another year.

[LynneSin]

4. +1111111

I'm just shocked at anyone who expected our country's issues would be solved so quickly. I highly doubt they will be solved in 4 years but I think we'll see a brighter future by then.

But hell, it's "I'm going to start a thread to rip Obama because it's guarenteed to get enough recs so I can see my name on the DU homepage day".

:eyes:

Yeah I know I started my pro-obama one but personally - go unrec it just for principle!

[no_hypocrisy]

15. So do I.

We elected him, but we still have a virulent minority in the House and Senate. They'll delay and obfuscate instead of compromise. Whether they do it for spite or whether they're following their orders is irrelevent. They just are. That's why we need super majorities in Congress in 2010.

Plus, I think Obama is a pragmatist. He won't bulldoze anyone to get his "mission accomplished".

[tblue]

32. A lot of us want a bulldozer, but there's nothing in his history to indicate

Obama is or ever would be one. He prizes consensus over all. We'd better get used to it or we'll be disappointed throughout his presidency. Love it or hate it, this is who he is.

[butterfly77]

56. And a lot of the so called Dems...

are really Republicons,and we would never have known this if Obama wouldn't have been elected.

They can't stand the fact that he is the President and that he is trying to do what lying ass Dems have been promising for years so now they are showing us who they really are and that is good.

Now we need to draw out some more of them by bring up issues the Republicons are against,and we need to put real Dems in office and now I see that we really do need the Liberal Dems they seem to be the true Democrats..

[bobburgster]

61. I mostly agree with your comments.

Your first point is right on. I think we have learned a lot about some of our "so called" democrats. I believe we need to get them out, and put people in who are more in line with our beliefs.
Though, I will say the extremes in both parties are equally dangerous.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

37. A double Friedman.

LITERALLY the American political scale...

[LynneSin]

2. Because you forgot who you elected and what he told us.

Shame. I think our country could be alot worse off than what it is right now; however, I do see a glimpse of light at the tunnel. Far better than what we had for 8 years.

Did you honestly think we'd solve everything in 11 months? Did Obama ever promise that? Not sure what campaign speeches and debates you watched, but the ones I watched said this would be a hard road to travel. He said that withdrawel from Afghanistan/Iraq would take about 18 months. He said that he would use diplomacy to work with the other side.

I guess you were watching someone else during the campaign.

[Timefortruth]

3. I honestly thought he would start

No I didn't believe he was capable of the impossible. And I will never argue or pretend that all the nation's ills should be resolved by now.

[LynneSin]

5. I'm just saying that when it comes to presidencies - he's only started with fixing issues.

But hell, not like anyone else started an "I can't believe Obama didn't do what he said" thread today

:eyes:

[Timefortruth]

17. Don''t be so

sensitive. The people who voted on issues are getting plummeted far worse.

[Timefortruth]

19. Don't be so

sensitive. The people who voted on issues are getting plummeted far worse.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

8. We're not going to solve problems that he doesn't perceive to be problems (period)

He's got the Goldman Sachs/Clintonian economic team. The only thing he's trying to solve, there, is restoring what was already broke.

Do we have to wait and see? Apparently, some of you do. I don't.

[DontTreadOnMe]

18. This seems to be a recurring theme on DU

If you are concerned that this Administration is not "doing" what you think is the right direction, it is your own fault.

What a strange point of view, to blame someone for their own vision or goals for the country.

If a voter thinks they didn't get what they voted for, it's the voter's fault? Or did the candidate fail and lose future support?

So the voters were not paying enough attention to the details? What they thought they were voting for was never really there?

[LynneSin]

21. Honestly, we are all being armchair quarterbacks

All of us - you and I too! There are plenty of things I wish Obama was more pro-active doing and others I just wish he had done differently. But I do know what Obama said during the campaign and for the most part he has not totally disappointed me or made me regret my vote. (Like I had options although I did vote for Biden in the primaries - hey I'm from Delaware).

We' democrats have been deprived for so long that honestly that I don't think we know how to react when we have total control. But I do think we have positive things happening. I'll reserve my final judgement when the 1st term draws to a close.

[Timefortruth]

34. I paid attention

What we're getting isn't what was promised. It's not my fault.

[LisaM]

26. I hope it's the opposite of the Bush effect

It took a long time for people to see how much damage he was doing. Let's hope that Obama's laying some prep work and that when the results show, they'll be significant.

[NYC_SKP]

6. He's doing just fine by my account, just fine. Not perfect by a long shot...

...but much better than I think any of the candidates available during the primaries.

Those were our choices.

Period.

[LynneSin]

10. It would be intesting to see how we would have compared to some of the Dem. candidates

I doubt that any of them would be further along that Obama, but I would suspect that each of them would have done it differently but may have come out with the same results.

Oh to play armchair quarterback. It's easy to judge when we sit at home in front of the computers. (btw - not you - I agree with your post!)

[zipplewrath]

42. Likewise

Hate to say it, because I never really supported her candidacy, but I suspect Hillary would have been a better peacenik in the end that what we are getting, mostly because she would have wanted the money. I think Richardson might have been a bit better on the whole "bailout" thing since he had some departmental experience and could have structured it better to ensure we had more control. I'm not sure who could have done better on healthcare, it's not like Dean was running this time. One does wonder though if some of the more experience legislators would have done better. I also don't think anyone but Hillary would have staffed up so many "clintonistas". I suspect none of them would have chosen Rham. And I can guarentee no one else would have honored Warren.

[ClassWarrior]

7. You left "in 30 seconds" off your title...

"Why did I think Obama would change things in 30 seconds?"

:eyes:

NGU.

[Timefortruth]

9. Just stop

Please show where I said I believed the results should be instantiates. On the other hand, unless he starts the process of fulfilling his promises, he isn't going to make any progress. He has not even started.

[LynneSin]

14. Because your OP Title suggests that Obama should have changed things now

He has changed alot of things but I can guarentee that every poster here at DU can find one thing we wish he would have changed but he hasn't done yet.

I would like to think that Obama is changing things and that it is a work in process. I try not to judge the quality of the cake when the cook hasn't even finished mixing the batter yet.

[Timefortruth]

25. It does not

but can you explain the substantive steps he has made to address those promises?

[bobburgster]

63. WHAT!

Come on......seriously? As Katie would ask, "What have you read recently?"

[treestar]

65. He has not even started?

That's a really unfair statement.

[berni_mccoy]

16. She also forgot to mention she didn't get her pony (in 30 seconds).

:rofl:

[Timefortruth]

28. Do you have anything

that addresses the substance? Or is all you can do is make up lies about my point.

Do you people think that mischaracterizing peoples credible concerns creates support for Obama?

[SammyWinstonJack]

48. What, are you ten yrs old?

:eyes:

[LWolf]

45. "I will end this war in 2009." nt

[gateley]

11. It's a process. Although I'm currently mad at him (Afghanistan), I'm always

grateful for what he HAS been doing.

I think anybody who assumes that office has no idea what it will actually be like once they arrive. It always makes sense, seems cut and dried, from the outsider's vantage point, but reality rears its head. Like any job.

I always say that I gave George HW Bush some slack when, after campaigning Read my lips, no new taxes, he asked for a tax increase after taking office. He said to us -- I underestimated and I wasn't aware of all that actually needed to be done (something like that). I thought that was fair, and I was appreciative that he came to We the People to explain. That's the ONLY positive thing I can say about the guy, though. :7

It's my belief that Obama really thought he could accomplish those things and that he WANTS to, but it's not going to happen as he had envisioned it.

I'm giving him time because I think basically he is trying to do what is right, and we haven't had that in the WH since Bushco moved in.

[get the red out]

12. Why do you believe in magic?

I doubted anyone could change things over night. In my mind it was time to stop the horrible trends caused by Republicans. The President cannot do this in a year. I am very grateful we are not moaning over what McCain/Palin would be up to right now. More needs to be done to move us to a more progressive future but our entire nation has been trained like circus dogs to think "no taxes", "win the wars", "universal health care is socialism and BAD BAD BAD BAD". We have a lot to try to undo, yes they were sick of Bush, but these lies that were drilled into people's heads remain. It is hard to battle the Republicans because their backs are against the wall and they have no concern in what they do to get their way. We also have a news media that is more than willing to never call the Republicans on their lying crap, we have zero standards in journalism so that Fox News is still considered a news organization, and the right wing talkers can literally call for people to be killed on the radio and nothing can be done.

So how were all these things to be turned around in a year? People are embarrassed to call themselves conservatives but they are equally embarrassed by anything that can be called "liberal". How do we change the ENTIRE media driven psychology of this nation quickly so that they will see sense? How would the President even begin to function if the media and people were even more against anything good he might try to do?

Our country isn't right in the head after 8 years of Bush and so many years of Limbaugh and his ilk, not to mention the Republican Churches, because that's all most of them are anymore, Republican campaign centers. How do you defeat that propaganda every Sunday?

[Timefortruth]

22. I do not believe he could have made change overnight

Please stop the lies about my position.

My point is it will never happen unless he gets started. Isn't a year long enough to begin reform? How long do we have to wait just to see an acknowledgment that change is necessary. If he never gets started, why would anyone vote for him again.

[get the red out]

49. He has begun

The whole health care debate is a beginning. But look what it has taken, it is absolutly insane what the right has done and is still doing over very modest but necessary reforms. They have managed to make sure this incredibly difficult.

I would call actual attempts at diplomacy with Iran a huge beginning, considering we were just waiting on pins and needles for an invasion or at least bombing of that country before.

There have been beginnings. And why vote for him again? Because he is trying and has made beginnings and Republicans are wretched excuses for sentient beings and cannot be trusted with even the smallest amount of power let alone the Presidency.

Please think on what power the right still holds, the media, most religious institutions in this country, they don't need voters to stop a great deal of progress. This fight is HARD.

[bobburgster]

64. Thank you

My reaction to the comment was pure frustration...thanks for being specific.
I will add he has:

* been repairing international damage from 8 years of Bush
* stopped torture
* stopped economic meltdown
* helped housing market
* helped car industry
* working on undoing Cheney's energy policies

and there is more.

[treestar]

67. That's right. It's HARD and so many think/wish it were easy

[Greyhound]

13. Just keeps on moving the wrong way on a dead-end road. n/t

[timeforpeace]

20. Thanks for the informative links. You painted a target on your chest for the cheerleaders to shoot

at, but a lot of this has been claimed to have not ever been said by him. Kudos.

[NNN0LHI]

23. I don't care if he had promised to hand out free turkeys and hundred dollar bills to get elected

You do what you have to do to keep the Republican wackos out of power.

You haven't learned that by now?

I suspect you are young. Nothing the matter with being young. I was young once too.

Don

[johnnie]

24. This is politics young grasshopper

Sometimes the system is slow.

[Timefortruth]

29. I guarantee that unless

a process is started it will never be finished.

[keith the dem]

27. You can't change 30 years of mistakes in one year.

Our work only began when he was elected. WE must continue to agitate, agitate, agitate.

If we do not and our view is not known, only the tea baggers will have a voice. Compromising is then only moving from center to the right.

[Timefortruth]

31. It's now 31 years

Can the process at least start now? Just start, not finish, just begin the reform at long last?

[keith the dem]

60. When you turn a huge (hugh) ocean liner around you have to

stop it first. Compound that with the ship sinking and where more than half the crew (congress) thinks we were going in the right direction.

We are all frustrated, but we must face reality. I think we must support the president, but at the same time yell and scream for what is important to us. Direct that anger more at the crew than the captain.

[fascisthunter]

30. shame on you for holding that "bar" so High

:sarcasm:

[cbdo2007]

33. Maybe you have unrealistic expectations???

I literally once had a job where my entire work day was spent fixing someone else's mistakes. Then, even after they fired that person it took me about a year to get things in the department back to normal before I could actually start making some real progress on a lot of things.

Now take my story times 1,000 and that's what Obama's dealing with.

I wish things were as easy as "pull the troops out tomorrow" but realistically they aren't. I wish they were as easy as just "insure everybody!!!" but they aren't.

Realistically things happen very, very slowly so just have patience and be thankful McCain didn't win.

[Timefortruth]

36. But he is't making an effort

particularly in financial reform.

[cbdo2007]

47. *spits coffee all over computer screen* Isn't making an effort?!?!

Oh you mean because he isn't fixing it exactly how YOU want it fixed as immediately as yesterday?? I'm really sure if you were Pres right now you would have all the answers and the gumption to just wave your magic wand and fix everything over night.

I'm sorry but the world just doesn't work that way. Not only was he elected into a category 5 sh*t storm economically, he probably has more of the country rooting AGAINST him at this point than any President in history.

Let's say that someone asks you to build a tower 10 stories high. You say, "Ok sure, I can do that!" so you go to the location where they want you to build it. When you get there, you see a 200 foot deep hole in the ground filled with water and you say, "What the hell is this? I'm supposed to build a tower here!" They explain to you that the last guy they hired to build the tower didn't really know what he was doing so he dug the 200 foot hole in the ground. Then, he wanted to cover up his mistake and didnt know how to do that so he filled it all in with water.

Now what's your first step going to be in building the tower there??? First you have to drain the water, then you've got to fill in the hole, then you've got to start the foundation of your tower.

See, I know that was kind of a stupid story but it proves my point. Right now, it will be a miracle if Obama doesn't fail. He started out with such a mess and has so many factors working against him, I kind of wish he wasn't in there now. But he is and he's there for a reason. The last thing he needs is his supporters getting on their high-horses thinking he's not doing good enough when he's still trying to get the water out of the hole. It's a big job, just give him time. Trust me, he's trying every minute of every day. Do you think he wants to go down in history as the guy who came in and fixed everything or the guy who came in and failed? Trust me, he's trying. Just give him time and your support. That's what he needs.

[keith the dem]

57. Plus you got a mindless media fighting him at every turn

Calling him a socialist for having the nerve to do anything!

[HamdenRice]

35. Have you read a newspaper lately? The IRAQ WAR IS ALL BUT OVER. Withdrawal is the main mission.

Combat troops are now out of Iraqi cities.

How on earth can anyone in their right mind not see this as a fulfilled promise???

Can someone, anyone, the OPer or anyone explain why this is somehow discounted or not real???

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6941125&mesg_id=6942311

"US undertaking largest withdrawal of troops and materiel since Vietnam"

Leaving Iraq Is a Feat That Requires an Army

By MARC SANTORA
Published: October 8, 2009

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq — There is no more visible sign that America is putting the Iraq war behind it than the colossal operation to get its stuff out: 20,000 soldiers, nearly a sixth of the force here, assigned to a logistical effort aimed at dismantling some 300 bases and shipping out 1.5 million pieces of equipment, from tanks to coffee makers.

It is the largest movement of soldiers and matériel in more than four decades, the military said.

[get the red out]

50. Mind made up

No talking sense to the anti-Obama folks. I am grateful every day we aren't in Iran right now. We almost were, people forget that pretty easily.

[treestar]

66. A-freakin' men!

McBombBombIran and Apocalypse Barbie aren't in office.

[ieoeja]

38. Based on your examples, you must be thrilled!

The banks are furious with Obama for imposing more regulations on them (the first promise you list).

From your second link, "Later, Obama acknowledged that a fuller withdrawal would likely last into 2010, saying it would take 16 months to implement a drawback of U.S. troops in Iraq." We stopped all combat missions ("stop war") in 2009 and have begun the withdrawal process.

And your third item, move troops from Iraq to Afghanistan, he has also done.


Yet, you seem to be complaining about it. What gives?

[HamdenRice]

41. That was my question! Are people able to understand the words they post? Is it some cognition issue

Posts like these are surreal!

According to what he posted, Obama is doing exactly what he promised.

I wonder whether the OPer will respond to either of us.

It's effing INSANE!

[Timefortruth]

43. You have got to be kidding

There is not serious regulation of the Fed or banking. There is rhetoric, and nothing more.

Tell the Americans in Iraq the war is over, they might not think so.

[HamdenRice]

58. Americans in Iraq?? My nephew has been pulled out of Iraq and there's no more stop loss

so he was able to leave the service. The "Americans in Iraq" will tell you there are almost no more patrols and they are completely out of all Iraqi cities.

"Americans in Iraq" are basically waiting to come home.

20,000 of the "Americans in Iraq" are now quartermaster, supply and logistics troops there just to dismantle stuff and ship it home.

What is wrong with you people??? Is reality completely beyond your grasp?

I mean, really, what is it you want? To fly everyone out tomorrow and just leave all that stuff so that we have to purchase more of it from the arms manufacturers?

Or do you think that Obama can waive a magic wand and transport it home by telepathy?

Really, what on earth do you think is the alternative to having a gigantic operation of shipping all that stuff home, and how is that not keeping the promise to end the Iraq war?

[Deep13]

39. I knew he wouldn't.

I never believed all the unicorn-farting-rainbows claims. I never believed he was devious, aggressive or hard-headed enough to take on the special interests in Congress.

If elections could change anything, they would be illegal.

[Libertas1776]

40. Silly goose,

he just needs time. Give him time to...um...uh, well you know...renew provisions of the Patriot Act and other questionable Bush policies, quietly of course. Hm, but what about him surrounding himself with DLCers, and Clintonites that way we can have..."change." What about him appointing the very same people who fucked up Wall Street to regulate it...oh, huh. But you also forget, he will usher in health care reform...er...rather, health insurance reform that keeps...the status quo, BUT it will have a strong, viable public...moderately strong...pretty weak, watered down option. Oy vey, But I think we are all forgetting repealing DADT...er...I mean ending torture by proxy...NO...I meant to say reform and building up public educa...ending the wars...AW FUCK IT ALL, I GIVE UP!


Just give him time, that's all. Just give him time to morph...
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Into this.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hr8iaA4NHXQ/Si1pk-Tb8eI/AAAAAAAAGZ0/VfFac1MTuec/s400/obama+morph+bush.jpeg

[BirminghamExaminer]

44. Because you didn't realize he is fighting our corporate overlords?

[Libertas1776]

46. You might want to add

"for" between fighting and our.

[get the red out]

52. It was writen correctly

[Libertas1776]

54. I'm sure it was

:eyes:

[get the red out]

51. Thank you, +1000

Exactly. Who needs voters when you own everything including the media and the churches??????

[stray cat]

53. Do you really think nothing has changed from Bush?

[butterfly77]

55. Why did you think that he would change a lot of things he said..

he would when you know there were being obstacles place in his way as soon as they knew he would be the president and they had plenty of time to do it. I also don't want the troops to stay in Afghanistan but, I haven't heard the President announce anything.

The only thing I hear is the media telling us what he said or didn't say when he didn't tell anyone what he was going to do. Even if he does say he will withdraw from Afghanistan it will not be right away anyway. I still do believe that he intends to withdraw but there has to be a strategy which some people don't seem to get, they seem to think that it is sooooo easy to withdraw he is fighting the terrorist over there and the ones in this country which are the media,republiCONS,teabaggers and the moles in the government overall.

These people throw out all kinds of arguments trying to tell him what to do and I like the fact that he is telling them all to go to hell because they aren't in the meetings and they don't know what he is dealing with but they keep running their damn mouths trying to tell him what to do...

[opihimoimoi]

59. Political Locker Room Crap is exploding to no avail...still unable to revive GOP

[bobburgster]

62. The impatience with Obama bothers the hell out of me.

I see it in the media on a daily basis....starting back in June! Their drumbeat seems to have influenced many independent voters. I sure hope I don't start seeing a multitude of members here doing the same.

[get the red out]

68. I feel the same

I worry that we will simply kill off this Presidency to keep from making smaller progress than some would hope, then go back to complete regression and fighting just to hang on to our democracy and some semblance of the constitution. The stakes are pretty high to buy into this crap and people on DU make me angrier than they should.

The good thing I tell myself is that the GOP is worse off, they are completely out of touch morons, but the media sure tries to make them relevant. They try to pump up people like Palin, and when you stop and think about it, could she even get into a decent graduate school? Let alone run the country? Scary stuff, what the media is doing, and "intelligent" Democrats respond by basically saying that our party needs to not be in office if it isn't perfect, the state of the people of this country be damned.

The myopic whining on DU is disgusting, they must just love Republicans the way they run down our President. I will try to make sure not to log on right after Thanksgiving dinner, I don't want to spew a good meal all over the computer.

[bobburgster]

69. Haha, loved that ending!

Have a Happy "no spew" Thanksgiving!