This clips sums up Obama’s philosophy on politics and compromise
The story about Abraham Lincoln is powerful. I’ve grown weary of the left taking shots at this president when he doesn’t tow the liberal line 100%.
Also, his dig at the Huffington Post and their hysterical headlines is priceless.
This should have been done months ago but with very little leadership from the top it’s really no surprise we’re in this mess. Clinton would have had a “real” deal in his pocket by now.
@ Midwest – your memory is a little off. Clinton and the Republicans battled all the way through a government shutdown.
The battle wasn’t over the debt limit…was it?? He really isn’t even a player in the talks anymore. (get him off twitter and maybe he can get to work!)
Obama exerted zero leadership because he had no plan aside from thinking an appeal to the masses via twitter would accomplish something. What do we expect from a guy who was elected by bumper sticker slogans of “yes we can” and “hope”? Outside of campaigning, this president looks completely cowed and out his element.
Hmm . . . but he managed to pass Health Care, the stimulus, Financial Reform all while planning to kill bin laden.
The GOP is throwing road blocks to progress at every step of the way, and the debt ceiling hostage situation slowed the economy in July as we’re seeing from the economic numbers.
Obama took a calculated risk and tried to get a grand bargain with Boehner and the GOP. He failed, but he tried. So much for all the haters yelling “socialist.” Obama put everything on the table, including entitlements, but protecting hedge fund managers and big oil from getting tax increases was more important to the GOP.
This Obama economy really sucks and if things don’t improve Bozo the Clown will be able to beat this man with no experience. If he put everything on the table just to get some tax increases from billion dollar babies then what in the hell does he stand for? Run from him as fast as you can!!!
“Hmm . . . but he managed to pass Health Care, the stimulus, Financial Reform all while planning to kill bin laden.” I agree. Obama showed chutzpah with the bin Laden assassination. However, healthcare will be a further job killer, and while it’s supposed to ensure coverage for all, it ends up being another tax on the small folks. Already corporate giants are getting in line and receiving waivers, weaseling out of paying their fair share. You reference the stimulus, but I fail to see how that has stimulated the economy: big business and banks received public monies, yet home foreclosures remain an epidemic and private homeowners remain under water and without access to the bailout dollars. Where’s the private working stiff’s bailout? It’s not there because Obama and the 08-09 Congress gave it to hedge fund managers and bankers, who in turn, ended up giving big multi-million dollar bonuses to their CEO’s in the process. Poverty is increasing and the gap between the haves and have-nots grows wider. Where’s the redistribution of opportunity? How is taking our money and giving it to the scoundrels who squandered it in the first place, “financial reform”? Or are you referring to “financial reform” in the guise of stiffer lending policies, which only serves to make it nigh impossible for working folks to finance a home?
Bottom line: Obama misled us.
Georgie – I understand your frustration, but we’re not going to get out of this hole right away.
The financial reform bill set up a consumer protection agency that the GOP and Wall Street are still trying to kill by denying any support for a leader for that agency.
If we had had that in the past, we would not have had the financial crisis, as the banks would not have been able to peddle those disastrous mortgages.
TARP was a mess, but something had to be done to keep the system afloat. As for the stimulus, a ton of that went to ordinary folks in the form of food stamps and unemployment benefits. That prevented the economy from spiraling out of control.
Things are still bad, but they would have been much worse without those measures.