I'm sorry, I wanted so damn much to believe, have hope and faith America was changing direction.

[Toots]

But this Administration has been one of the biggest disappointments of my life. He says all the right things and then does all the wrong ones. Republicans have done very well under Obama. They have been enhanced after Bush*/Cheney brought them almost to destruction..I no longer have that wonderful sense of hope I had on election eve..I try and remain optimistic but that optimism grows dimmer and dimmer by the day....I am coming to the realization that my beliefs really are unAmerican. America really does torture and is proud of it..It really does not give one goddamn for the environment but only for jobs even though more and better jobs would be created by going green..Either America has lost all common sense for the common good or I am truly "out there"..Another morning with less hope than when I went to bed. :shrug: Oh well by this afternoon I will be feeling better once more, just a little less hopeful.

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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

[timtom]

3. Hey. Look around.

We're doing ok, right?

[Toots]

4. You are a part of the America I was describing.

Proud of it..

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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

[Cal Carpenter]

5. This is why hope and faith should have nothing to do wtih politics

I think we could all use a little more materialism (not in the consumerist sense, but in using reality, facts, and history as our guide for understanding politics and economics, rather than rhetoric and campaign promises).

Easier said than done, I know, because it's so much easier to believe that some great person will be able to step up and make change happen. But it doesn't really work that way, and we should know that by now instead of relearning it every 4 or 8 years...

Please take this post in the spirit intended - it's not directed at you personally, just our overall political discourse.

[lunatica]

6. We all have reason to grieve

Despair is just one stage of grief. We'll move on to acceptance of facts as they are and then to doing something about it. And hopefully we'll be the wiser for it.

[timtom]

7. Prior snarkiness aside...

I stand with you. Right is right and party loyalty is no justification to deviate from integrity and justice.

[SoFlaJet]

8. the past administration spent almost 3000 days

ruining this country non-stop. Every day was a new outrage and you people expect it to all be put back togther in 500 days.

[Toots]

9. "Beginning on Day One"..."One Brigade a Month"..."I'll Never ask for another War Supplemental again"

Why would I have any expectations? Can't figure that one out...

[L0oniX]

16. +++

[Tailormyst]

19. Just a turn in the right direct would be a start

Instead all I see is a continuation of the same old crap.

[roguevalley]

59. no, but i expect them to drop the shit stuff, you know, the illegal

stuff that the others did and do the right thing. he hasn't, he won't and applauding (allowing his idiots to trumpet against unions) is stupid, idiotic and wrong. that stuff is unnecessary but the frat asses in the white house, that he won't muzzle, enjoy themselves don't they. :(

[frazzled]

10. Health care, stimulus, verge of financial reform

Lily Ledbetter equal pay, unequivocally ending torture as a policy, DADT scheduled to be overturned, EPA will monitor carbon emissions for the first time. One could go on.

This is change. If you think a single one of these things would have happened in a Republican administration, you are truly living in la-la land. We are changing course. It may not be as utopic or as fast as you would like, but no rational person can fail to see progress.

[SoFlaJet]

25. sorry frazzled

not enough for so many here-they want ACTION baby....they need to have a Superhero in the Oval Office and Action figure like Bush was who will say MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY, and BRING 'EM ON, or WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE or DRILL BABY DRILL-they need slogans

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[derby378]

28. Well, let's see...

Health care reform: Still not realized, and corporations now firmly in charge of reform - say hello to RomneyCare.

Torture: Still being practiced no matter what Obama says.

DADT: Still in place.

EPA: Carbon emissions is nice, but what about that disaster in the Gulf?

What else ya got?

[jgraz]

58. Yep. His financial "reform" is bogus, won't hold off another collapse one bit.

And the stimulus? That's been replaced by Pete Peterson's trojan horse 'deficit commission'.

I guess you really *can* fool some of the people all of the time. :banghead:

[KharmaTrain]

11. He's A President, Not A King...

Sorry your expectations haven't been met...that's the problem of our campaign system where all sorts of great things are said but they run headlong into the byzantine beltway. I won't go into the laundry list of messes this administration had to face from Day One, but I will point out that the President can't or shouldn't act arbitrarily...didn't we oppose that Unitary Executive of the last regime? Thus he's tried to restore the balance of power and this is where the disconnect happens. This administration faces a dysfunctional legislative...every vote, including going to the bathroom in the Senate requires 60 votes. This is unprecedented and it's allowed "independent" and blue dogs far more power than they should as they're a swing vote on almost everything. Thus the administration has had to "negotiate" which waters things down and leads to more frustration and disapointment. But is doing nothing better?

Your frustrations are the result of 30 plus years of "deregulation" and the total corruption of our government. Changing the mindset and all the destruction is a heavy lift...and sadly beyond the abilities of our current legislators. But this was to be expected. For some the Election of 2008 was the end of a road, for others its just another step...there's still a lot more work to do. Some of it is starting to happen as a new generation of more Progressive Democrats start working their ways into government, and this trend needs to continue.

[Tailormyst]

22. How anyone can defend the continuing movement to the right by ALL of congress and the WH

blows my mind.

I realize it will take time to fix things, but frankly, the people we worked so hard to get into office have done nothing to turn that around. In fact they have continued to move in those same destructive directions that benefit no one but big business.

[bluethruandthru]

36. I don't get it either!

I never expected Obama and the rest of the party to get things done overnight...but I did expect them to fight for the right things.
The healthcare bill makes a couple of baby steps, but since it's so watered down and so much of it is delayed for years...it will probably be repealed in 2012 by the repukes.
Obama's continued "reaching across the aisle" while slapping down the true democrats in the party (that the administration calls the "far left extremists") has really turned my stomach. The comments against unions was just one more example of where Obama has taken the party.

[KharmaTrain]

38. So Your Solution?

The problem is that "we" didn't elect those people, 435 different districts with different interests did. The sad fact is that money has so polluted the political system...it costs a Congresscritter a minimum of $1 million every two years to keep their job...and that's what being a politician is. There's the disconnect between politics and ideology and this is where I sense much of the frustration is.

While Democrats won large majorities, if you look at them, it's a conglomeration of blocs...each with their own agendas and influences. Unfortunately 30 years of "deregulation" has created "too big to fail" corporations combined with the ongoing downscaling and demonizing of government.

No defense here of much of what I see going on as much as a realization of how dysfunctional and corrupt our society has become. Politicians cater to the money because without it they don't stand a chance of facing voters and then they cater to the voters in their districts first...and in these bad times, each is going to serve themselves first and care about a national agenda last. Ideological purity is what's destroyed the GOOP...and by default gave the Democrats its majorities.

[Tailormyst]

41. I wish I had a solution. I thought we had a solution.

Just get us a majority they said, THEN we can get some things done.

So we did

Just get us a super majority they said, THEN we can get some things done.

So we did.

Just get us the WH they said, THEN, THEN we can REALLY get some things done.

So we did.

And the result is a continued move to the right by the very people we worked so hard to get into office. We've been punked. I think we will continue to get punked. I have no solution, I wish I did. All I know is that these people will never get one more dime or ounce of volunteer energy from me again. I'll all my time and money into causes and issues I believe in.

[old mark]

53. I thought the Democratic party in control of congress and the White House WAS

the solution...now I find most of them are GOP Lites, especially the White House.

I emailed him at the WH email link yesterday and told him he no longer had my support. I will vote for Democrats I believe deserve to be elected but none others and no republicans at all, but not for Obama or those who he supports.

He is no real Democrat at all, and many of the people with him are even worse.

Fuck you, Barry...1 and done.

mark

[flyarm]

12. when you believe in slogans ..just saying...History books are invaluable ..

or perhaps instead of calling older folks names, as many did, they could have listened.

Slogans do not make for good leaders in most cases.

[LaurenG]

13. We are living in scary times, in fact overwhelmingly so.

In my opinion, the BP leak has the potential to be the demise of so much of our old lifestyle. No one on the planet will make it through these times unscathed. We are in big trouble now and it isn't just us, it's most of the world as well. Financial systems are falling apart, our planet has been raped and pillaged to (almost) the point of no return and no one knows what to do to stop it.

All the things we hoped would change are being side tracked because the ongoing and relentless events occurring are forcing us all to spend our time reacting rather than planning and building new systems. The president is busy putting out fires not of his making and we are still hoping he can change the world into our view of a what a progressive America should look like.

Take a break, get out into nature, put politics and the way you think things should be on hold for awhile. Go enjoy your life if just for a day, then come back to politics and world events when you feel better able to take it on again.

[flyarm]

15. unfortunately some of us would rather stay away from nature right now..no telling what we will be

exposed to ..

It is day 53 that our Leader turned over the worst danger to our nature..to BP!

The air in "OUR NATURE" has been compromised with god knows what by the new ruler of our world BP....and has destroyed our water and our air!

Nature?? come see the dead birds of nature, and a now dead ocean.

But if you are so inclined to walk my beach on the Gulf..please let us all know if you spot those Walrus's and Sea Lions !!

I am sure BP and OBama would be glad to know the Spill Plan isn't so damn bogus!

[LaurenG]

18. I'm thinking a park or backyard would suffice.

No doubt our "nature" is in big trouble.

[Name removed]

24. Deleted message

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

[LaurenG]

27. I'm really sorry flyarm. I feel so bad for you guys

What can we do to help, is there anything you can think of that would ease this? I am broken hearted over the destruction and demise of lives and livelihood. :(

[flyarm]

42. well a little late now that the Leader of this country turned over the Gulf and our water, and air

and FAA and the US Coast Guard and media control, and scientist control and wild life and beaches and marine life to the lying SOB's of BP!!

But don't worry ..when he is not playing golf...meeting with the NY Yankess..and other sports stars...or having private concerts at the White House .. he shows up for PR and photo opps and has busses loaded to the gills with people to clean the beach for a couple hours that he is going to show up!

Little late on day 53..

But it is not the people's fault..they have been lied to by their govenrment and a British Corp!

And media has been kept silent by our government turning over all controls to a foreign Oil Corporation until about now.......

By the way..anyone see the walrus's and sea lions in the Gulf yet??

[Lorien]

26. There are still forests, ponds, lakes and rivers

that are far less polluted than the average city street.

[flyarm]

44. yes go see them before the rain carries the oil to a park near you!! eom

[Lorien]

23. We all know what to do to change it

we have the means, but there's no political will to do so.

[Tailormyst]

32. And there is the problem

Not sure how to get people elected who do have political will. Everytime we think we have we find out we were punked.

[Coyote_Bandit]

14. Reality check the candidates

They all fucking lie. Don't believe a word they say.

Follow the money. How do they want to fund the public treasury? How do they propose to use those funds? Who financed their campaign? How did they make their personal fortune? What use have the made of it? What kind of voting record do they have? What do their employees, former employees, spouses, children and other family members have to say about them? Are there any unsavory associations or innuendo? This will give you a glimpse into their priorities, loyalties and character. Incomplete but less likely to be manipulated than mere verbage.

Unfortunately, you'll still find a sorry lot of candidates. But you'll have more realistic expectations and maybe a little less buyer's remorse.

Even though I never had great expectations for this administration I must say they've even managed to disappoint me. It is the administration of lost opportunities.

[texas_ex]

21. Follow the money......

Dad taught me this when I was young.

And it still holds true!

Excellent suggestions here!

[meow mix]

17. yup

same here

[HughBeaumont]

20. You're mad at unbridled corporatism, not Obama.

What you want can only happen by revolting against the 5000-old man cabal that runs this country. They're never going to stop loving money. They're never going to stop enhancing their wealth. They're never going to stop hurting the American people to get that wealth. They're not just going to give you what you want. They live by the motto "It's not enough that I succeed, but that everyone else must fail."

The way the corporcrats think is this: "I got and want EVERYthing. You can TRY to get a smidgen, but at the same time, I'm going to do my absolute godDAMNdest to make SURE you don't get it." Hyperbole? Not at all. That's EXACTLY the way ALL of them think.

The fact is, America as a whole isn't starving. We still, for the most part, have roofs over our heads. We can still eat. We have access to a lot of stuff. Things aren't really that damned bad for 80% of America.

And that's why, part and parcel, there'll never be an all-at-once teardown of this filthy way of life. There'll never be a millions-in-the-street revolt. There'll never be an invasion of corporate boardrooms. There'll never be mass sit-ins on the lawns of the powerful.

We just don't WANT it (unbridled corporatism, that is) to end bad enough. We're comfortable, we're well-fed, we want stuff, we fear arrest. Simple as that.

If you're looking for a progressive president, you'd better start trumping up Sherrod Brown for 2016. This is if the media hasn't by then already marginalized him, dug up dirt on him, shat on his views, painted him as a Communist, etc.

And if by some miracle he IS elected, you'd better get him a bulletproof Popemobile and 24-7 armed guards. Corporate America tends to get very angry if you stifle them and don't give them exactly what they want. At least that's what I'd need if I were ever elected President, because there wouldn't be 400-to-1 CEO-to-worker pay inequality on MY watch.

But as far as now goes . . . I think once the Bush tax cuts sunset this year, things may get a bit interesting.

[HipChick]

30. another day...another DU Obama administration bashing..

yawn...

[SoFlaJet]

35. which is one of the reasons why

I don't post here nearly as much as I used to and when I DO come on I look for the people I know and respect and agree with most of the time. There are a lot of people who have joined this site since the '07,'08 primaries of questionable loyalties and a lot of them have been tombstoned.

[HipChick]

37. I agree...

[Cresent City Kid]

31. I guess disappointment is a function of expectation

I'm not bragging just stating the truth, I expected what we are seeing for the most part. I saw Obama as a business friendly moderate Democrat willing to escalate the war in Afghanistan. I think we are a little better off than we would be under McCain, which isn't anything to celebrate, but it could be worse. I benefitted personally from the stimulus, so maybe I'm biased.

[uponit7771]

33. Obama promise meter (facts) says you're wrong

[impik]

43. Facts are overrated in the world of DU

[uponit7771]

34. What have you done to get more progressives in congress? TIA

[rusty fender]

39. What has Obama done

to help elect more progressive Democrats to office? ZERO!

[SoFlaJet]

40. Has he done anything right

that YOU approve of so far?

[flyarm]

46. yeah..he gives great concerts at the White House each week!! eom

[SoFlaJet]

48. Wow

now I know where you stand

[flyarm]

57. bet you would like to be invited..but don't wait for your invitation!! eom

[dionysus]

45. ...biggest dissappointments.. in your whole *life*?... jesus christ.

:rofl:

[Winterblues]

47. I think everyone has "one of those days" every now and then

I can not even conceive of what shape we would be in with McCain/Palin at the controls...You will feel better tomorrow, it is the weekend..:-)

[closeupready]

49. You're facing up to reality. That's a good thing.

:) K&R

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

50. Obama is a standard issue professional politician doing what professional politicians do.

Thinking about how to get enough votes to remain in office is the principle and the priority. Success is measured only in winning and losing elections. All else are merely "issues" to be dealt with in the way most favorable to ensure election.

"History has tried to teach us that we can't have good government under politicians.  Now, to go and stick one at the very head of government couldn’t be wise." - Mark Twain

[tranche]

51. DU is a great outlet for the depressed. Not so good for the reality based.

This Administration is doing about as good as I expected it to have done. It beat McCain, after 8 years of Bush. Obama started his presidency staring at the worst economic disaster since the great depression. He now has to wait out 2 more months of a live webcam showing hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil gushing into the gulf. He's delivered a large number of things already and looks to be laying the groundwork for more. I'm not sure what people were really expecting.

[Tailormyst]

54. Reality based= believes as I do

Just another snarky little insult.

[global1]

52. I Posted This Elsewhere & It Didn't Get Much Of A Look - So I Post It Again Here......

We hear that "Change takes time" and "Washington is Washington" and we are also fighting an uphill battle with years of melding the system into what we have today; years of destruction by the Right; a media and corporatocracy that don't want the change; greed; etc.

All these - and probably a lot more factors control - just how much change can be made and how fast things could change. It took decades to get us into the situation we are in now - it can't just change overnight because we have - as you say it - an "eloquent speaker" to propel this nation. Think of what that eloquent speaker is up against - including that he broke a racial barrier to get to where he is.

He may be a most well meaning and genuine person - but the forces that got us to where we are today are so embedded and powerful and the greed is so pervasive - that he can't do it all in 500 days, in a term, or maybe not even in two terms. It is going to have to be a concerted effort over many presidency's like his to get things back on track.

Think of the Supreme Court and courts in general - their effect is lasting well beyond a presidency(s). I believe we still have Reagan appointments on the bench. In the case of SCOTUS - those appointments are lifelong.

Look at the pile of crap this President inherited. And we have the additional problem of not knowing what is going on behind the scenes; what he is up against; what forces even within his own party and his own administration might be holding him back.

We don't know the insidiousness of the problems. Come on - how could it have been possible to uncover the problems that have been discovered after this disaster in the Gulf - before we had such a disaster. On the surface I'm sure that things looked like they were ok and by the book. It took such a disaster for us all to find out that the oil companies were writing their own reports - only to be inked in by the minions that were supposed to be regulating them. I'm sure there are countless examples of that sort of thing that we'll be uncovering for decades - after the likes of guys like Cheney, and Rove, and Bush.

So what we are faced with it is frustration. Think of what level of frustration the President has. No matter how well intentioned and how good a person he is - the forces out are such that they are holding him back.

Obama is a very smart man. I have to think that he knows what needs and has to be done - but he has to weigh every single move he makes and every single word he says. If he reacts in a subtle way behind the scenes - he's not decisive enough or not forceful enough. If he gets mad and expresses it - he's the angry black man. If he does some fundraising for his party - they jump on him for neglecting some other issue. If he takes a break from his busy first 500 days in office to be with his family and just rest his mind - he is taking his eye off the ball. These examples can go on and on. Just listen to the cable news and the talking heads. Everybody knows what he should be doing and isn't. Everybody knows what he shouldn't be doing and is. BUT - and it is a big BUT - none of them or us is walking in his shoes and has the inside skinny on what he is up against or what he has to take into consideration before making a decision or even not making a decision. We can only criticize.

The 24/7 news cycle he is thrust into is at such a pace that no other president in history has had to encounter. Bush didn't have it so bad because 1. he was part of the establishment that got us to where we are today and worsened it; 2. the MSM (at least those that weren't on his side) had during BushCo developed their styles that now have been taken to new heights in their quest to make news; and 3. he had the most of the whole Washington establishment working for him - because he kept them in their comfort zones.

And this 24/7 news cycle isn't going to get any better. Those cable news outlets and talking heads aren't going to ease up the pace - it's only going to get more furious.

I don't know how long its going to take or how hard its going to be to get there - But - if we don't have patience; if we don't trust our leader; if we don't give him a chance; if we fall prey to the propaganda and the lies; - it ain't going to change.

We need to keep the faith. We need to keep pushing our President to do the right things. We need to keep up his support and not be influenced by the negativity we encounter on a 24/7 basis. We also need to jump on him when we feel he is veering off the path - but temper that jump with the fact that we are the wind behind his sails that will make him tack straight or relatively straight and in the right direction. We need to continue to be the wind in his sails.

I often wonder what the conversations are between he and Michelle when he gets back to his living quarters in the WH and has some private time. I would like to be a fly on the wall to hear their frustrations and hear Michelle bucking him up to get him ready for his next day and the next and the next.

Bottom line - I still think we were right for supporting his bid for the presidency and getting him in a position to effect change - even if it's not up to the level that we thought it would be or wished it could be.

It's going to take time to get the "Change we can believe in" and we all have to resign ourselves that it won't happen overnight. But the worst thing we can do is abandon him or turn our backs on him at the time that he needs us the most.

[AngryOldDem]

55. Welcome to the real world. n/t

[Javaman]

56. What I have learned...

campaigns are just slogans. Talking points are not the truth. Hope is underwritten by the wealthy. And peace is a state of mind not anything tangible.

It's all about image.

Like I said in a post a while back, Presidents are nothing but game show hosts begging us to guess what is behind door #2.

We always take the bait and we always guess.

We are the fools. And we get fooled time and time again. Regardless of the party or the person.