Why did Obama Cave in again and show no damn backbone.

[MassedPole]

He lets anyone walk all over him. So much for getting a good deal....

[cthulu2016]

1. It's a rather harmless deal, really.

Not good. Not bad. Just meh.

[louis c]

124. (1/2/13) @ 9:15 PM 124 posts and not one REC, I guess that says it all

[Champion Jack]

127. Yup, my ignore list is gettin a work out lately ...

[lamp_shade]

2. ofercrissake.... n/t

[ProSense]

3. Because he wanted

Republicans to take credit for helping low-income and unemployed Americans and preventing cuts to spending.

Damn him!

[awake]

4. I guess that you have a job & no children & no 401K and do not care about paying more tax

[SidDithers]

5. Uh huh...

Sid

[sharp_stick]

6. Nice try

too bad you're incredible lack of originality belies your intentions.

[RomneyLies]

7. .

[Andy823]

13. I second that

[zappaman]

91. in for the three!

[Flashmann]

8. In consideration of stupid things I have said

I won't point out the sheer idiocy of the OP.......Oh wait......

[Skidmore]

9. We need a special forum for spelunkers like you

called "The Obama Cave."

[riqster]

53. Brilliant!

[brush]

65. Thank you

The poster must have been on Huffpo because everyday their lead on the homepage is "Obama about to cave." It's called negotiation actually. You give up a little to reach a larger goal. The 250k number could have easily been 300k or 350k, or 500k, it was not written in stone. It wasn't going to go unchanged. Unemployment was re-instated and revenue was added above 400k. It's called coming out ahead in the deal, not caving. But you can't tell the "alleged lefties-but-really-inflexible-who-knows-what" that flexibility is what works in the real world. And is un-teabagger-like.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

111. It's obvious.

About MassedPole

Statistics and Information
Account status: Active Member since: Wed Oct 10, 2012, 11:27 PM

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

119. Is that like the Bat cave?

Must be were Obama keeps all his nifty toys for fighting the GOP.

[Glitterati]

10. Why is it...

the folks who come here to tell us what a lousy negotiator Obama is are all newbies?

I just notice whenever we DEMs are feeling up and happy, there's always someone running in yelling "the sky is falling, the sky is falling! And, Obama's a lousy negotiator!"

[stultusporcos]

18. Please provide proof of your claim that President Obama is a masterful negotiator

I for one would love to see some proof, I have yet to see any evidence of his negotiation skills in over 4 years.

Or would you prefer to attack the messenger instead because of low post count?

[Robb]

24. Welcome to DU!

[Orrex]

37. Robb's a dingbat

[Orrex]

26. What would you accept as proof of Obama's masterful skills of negotiation?

If you don't tell us what constitutes proof in your mind, then we can only assume that you'll dismiss as insufficient any evidence that we might offer you.

[stultusporcos]

32. Serve up what you got

Provide some actual facts and not opinion and I will accept.

[Orrex]

36. Well, perhaps the question needs to be asked differently:

That is, what factual example would qualify as "masterful negotiation" in your view? I ask because I'm leery of posting a laundry list of successful maneuvers by Obama only to have you turn up your nose at them.

Since I'm not trying to convince myself, I'm less concerned about my definition of masterful negotiator than I am about yours.

It's on you (well, on the poster to whom I replied) to set some guidelines.

[stultusporcos]

39. Your responses have become a boring and pointless

You don’t have jack.

[Orrex]

40. In my defense, your tenure at DU has so far been boring and pointless

And I suspect that it will also be brief.

[Whisp]

38. be careful, or we will have to whack you with The List. n/t

[Cha]

60. Rofl

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013, Whisp!

[Whisp]

99. Happy New Year to you, Cha.

All the best to you and yours.

[Glitterati]

30. Oh goody!

Another newbie showing his true colors!

ROFL!

[OldDem2012]

43. Wow!! 12 whole posts!! How exciting!!....

....should we start a poll on how long you're going to last?

[RichGirl]

50. He could negotiate me...

Into just about anything!!

[Wellstone ruled]

11. It's all about Wall Street Guy's.

If you read the up-dates coming out today,Biden is just carrying water for the Plutocrat's and Oligarch's. The 2014 election cycle will be the next real change agent,now is the time to start getting active. Remember what Dick Durbin said about the Senate;it's a wholly subsidiary of the big Banks and Wall Street. If you have read the PDF on this so called agreement,you will see the majority of worker bees get the shaft in order to save the Markets tomorrow morning. Damn near a Feudalistic document.

[Hekate]

108. What?

What are you talking about?

[phleshdef]

12. He didn't and don't pretend you are even fit to hold up his jock....

...let alone act like you have a fraction of his backbone. You people talk a lot of tough shit, but you wouldn't be able to last a day in Obama's shoes.

[Cha]

67. Good job, phlesh! Oh, and, the OP forgot to use the word

"capitulate" in his sputtering.

[Egalitarian Thug]

14. Not true at all. He has never once let the working class or the poor walk all over him.

In fact, he has shown that he is always ready to sacrifice them in order to protect the richest people in America from suffering any consequences for their actions.

[1StrongBlackMan]

34. This is almost ...

as ridiculous as the OP ... almost.

[Egalitarian Thug]

45. Really? Perhaps you would be so kind as to enlighten me...

[1StrongBlackMan]

47. I won't waste the words. n/t

[Egalitarian Thug]

48. Kinda what I thought. That's the problem with being a fan of a mediocre performer, when it's time

to dish the praise, it only works with other fans. It's like that list of 200 accomplishments that was going around a couple of years ago, some smart-ass with time on his hands actually went to the trouble of examining it and writing the results.


(Here's where you come back with, "I suppose you think Rmoney would have been better".)

[1StrongBlackMan]

49. No ...

Here is where I come back with ...

"I won't waste the words."

[Egalitarian Thug]

58. No problem, NYC Liberal picked up the banner and is behind the charge.

[NYC Liberal]

71. I like to refute bullshit with facts when it's so damn easy.

[Egalitarian Thug]

76. And yet, you continue to post it in the hopes nobody will notice that it stinks.

Go Team Blue!

[NYC Liberal]

86. Oh I have no doubt there are people who think things like

equal pay, repealing DADT, getting Osama, expanding Medicaid, ending the war in Iraq, tax cuts for the middle class, etc. "stink"

Yep, there definitely are people who think that stinks.

[NYC Liberal]

51. Yes, we aren't supposed to mention his accomplishments,

only his supposed failures. What a fucking joke. Yes, unlike the extremely small minority of whiners and naysayers, for whom nothing Big Bad Obama does is or ever will be good enough, many people do take note of all the good President Obama has done. And it's with no help from or thanks to the naysayers -- even though they loudly proclaim themselves to be "the base" (they're not) and to be responsible for anything they think Obama does right (they aren't).

JUST for you, I will post some of President Obama's accomplishments:

1. Extended child tax credits and marriage-penalty fixes
2. Created an Advanced Manufacturing Fund to invest in peer-reviewed manufacturing processes
3. Required economic justification for tax changes
4. Implemented “Women Owned Business” contracting program
5. Changed standards for determining broadband access
6. Established a credit card bill of rights
7. Expanded loan programs for small businesses
8. Extended the Bush tax cuts for lower incomes
9. Extended the 2007 Alternative MinimumTax patch
10. Closed the “doughnut hole” in Medicare prescription drug plan
11. Expanded the Senior Corps volunteer program
12. Required insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions
13. Gave tax credits to those who need help to pay health premiums
14. Required large employers to contribute to a national health plan
15. Required children to have health insurance coverage
16. Expanded eligibility for Medicaid
17. Expanded eligibility for State Children’s Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP)
18. Required health plans to disclose how much of the premium goes to patient care
19. Established an independent health institute to provide accurate and objective information
20. In non-competitive markets, forced insurers to pay out a reasonable share of their premiums for patient care
21. Eliminated the higher subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans
22. Expanded funding to train primary care providers and public health practitioners
23. Increased funding to expand community based prevention programs
24. Reinstated executive order to hire an additional 100,000 federal employees with disabilities within five years.
25. Increased the Veterans Administration budget to recruit and retain more mental health professionals
26. Expanded the Veterans Administration’s number of “centers of excellence” in specialty care
27. Appointed a special adviser to the president on violence against women
28. Fully funded the Violence Against Women Act
29. Directed military leaders to end war in Iraq
30. Began removing combat brigades from Iraq
31. Created a military families advisory board
32. Ended the abuse of supplemental budgets for war
33. Made U.S. military aid to Pakistan conditional on anti-terror efforts
34. Opened “America Houses” in Islamic cities around the globe
35. Allocated Homeland Security funding according to risk
36. Created a real National Infrastructure Protection Plan
37. Increased funding for local emergency planning
38. Extended monitoring and verification provisions of the START I Treaty
39. Appointed a White House Coordinator for Nuclear Security
40. Initiated a grant and training program for law enforcement to deter cyber crime
41. Improved relations with Turkey, and its relations with Iraqi Kurds
42. Launched an international Add Value to Agriculture Initiative (AVTA)
43. Created a rapid response fund for emerging democracies
44. Granted Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send money to Cuba
45. Restored funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program
46. Established an Energy Partnership for the Americas
47. Expanded the Nurse-Family Partnership to all low-income, first-time mothers
48. Required new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliation or contributions.
49. Provided affordable, high-quality child care
50. Recruited math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession
51. Reduced subsidies to private student lenders and protect student borrowers
52. Encouraged water-conservation efforts in the West
53. Increased funding for national parks and forests
54. Increased funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund
55. Encouraged farmers to use more renewable energy and be more energy efficient
56. Expanded Pell grants for low-income students
57. Pursued a wildfire management plan
58. Removed more brush, small trees and vegetation that fuel wildfires
59. Expanded access to places to hunt and fish
60. Pushed for enactment of Matthew Shepard Act, which expands hate crime law to include sexual orientation and other factors
61. Repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy
62. Restored funding to the EEOC and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
63. Reformed mandatory minimum sentences
64. Created a White House Office on Urban Policy
65. Fully funded the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
66. Established program to convert manufacturing centers into clean technology leaders
67. Established ‘Promise Neighborhoods’ for areas of concentrated poverty
68. Worked toward deploying a global climate change research and monitoring system
69. Funded a major expansion of AmeriCorps
70. Created a Social Investment Fund Network
71. Bolstered the military’s ability to speak differentlanguages
72. Appointed the nation’s first Chief Technology Officer
73. Provided grants to early-career researchers
74. Worked to overturn Ledbetter vs. Goodyear
75. Created a national declassification center
76. Appointed an American Indian policy adviser
77. Created new financial regulations
78. Increased funding for land-grant colleges
79. Banned lobbyist gifts to executive employees
80. Signed a “universal” health care bill
81. Created new criminal penalties for mortgage fraud
82. Required 10 percent renewable energy by 2012
83. Released oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve
84. Raised fuel economy standards
85. Invested in all types of alternative energy
86. Enacted tax credit for consumers for plug-in hybrid cars
87. Asked people and businesses to conserve electricity
88. Required more energy-efficient appliances
89. Created a ‘Green Vet Initiative’ to promote environmental jobs for veterans
90. Created job training programs for clean technologies
91. Required states to provide incentives for utilities to reduce energy consumption
92. Supported high-speed rail
93. Supported airline service in small towns
94. Invested in public transportation
95. Equalized tax breaks for driving and public transit
96. Considered “smart growth” in transportation funding
97. Shared environmental technology with other countries
98. Doubled federal spending for research on clean fuels
99. Provided grants to encourage energy-efficient building codes
100. Increased funding for the Environmental Protection Agency
101. Raised the small business investment expensing limit to $250,000 through the end of 2009
102. Extended unemployment insurance benefits and
103. temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits
104. Supported network neutrality on the Internet
105. Reversed restrictions on stem cell research
106. Killed Osama bin Laden
107. Doubled funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a program that encourages manufacturing efficiency
108. Included environmental and labor standards in trade agreements
109. Created an international tax haven watch list
110. Made permanent the Research & Development tax credit
111. Required automatic enrollment in 401(k) plans
112. Required automatic enrollment in IRA plans
113. Created a consumer-friendly credit card rating system
114. Created a $60 billion bank to fund roads and bridges
115. Required full disclosure of company pension investments to employees
116. Provided easy-to-understand comparisons of the Medicare prescription drug plans
117. Invested in electronic health information systems
118. Phased in requirements for health information technology
119. Required that health plans utilize disease management programs
120. Required providers to report measures of health care costs and quality
121. Held hospitals and health plans accountable for disparities in care
122. Implemented and funded proven health intervention programs
123. Prevented drug companies from blocking generic drugs
124. Allowed Medicare to negotiate for cheaper drug prices
125. Worked with schools to create more healthful environments for children
126. Improved recruitment of public health workers
127. Mandated insurance coverage of autism treatment
128. Fully funded the Combating Autism Act and Federal Autism Research Initiatives
129. Doubled federal funding for cancer research
130. Increased participation in cancer-related clinical trials
131. Fully funded the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
132. Set a national goal to provide re-screening for all 2-year-olds for developmental disorders
133. Commissioned a study on students with disabilities and their transition to jobs or higher education
134. Set goals and timetables for implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act
135. Created a best practices list for private businesses in accommodating workers with disabilities
136. Launched educational initiative for employers on tax benefits of hiring employees with disabilities
137. Reduced the threshhold for the Family and Medical Leave Act from companies with 50 employees to companies with 25 employees
138. Provided a $1.5 billion fund to help states launch programs for paid family and medical leave
139. Required employers to provide seven paid sick days per year
140. Streamlined the Social Security disability approval process
141. Expanded Veterans Centers in rural areas
142. Established standards of care for traumatic brain injury treatment
143. Made the Veterans Administration a national leader in health reform
144. Reduced the Veterans Benefits Administration claims backlog
145. Instituted electronic record-keeping for the Veterans Benefits Administration
146. Expanded housing vouchers program for homeless veterans
147. Launched a supportive services-housing program for veterans to prevent homelessness
148. Expanded the Family Medical Leave Act to include leave for domestic violence or sexual assault
149. Fully funded debt cancellation for heavily indebted poor countries
150. Created a fund for international small and medium enterprises (SME)
151. Launched robust diplomatic effort with Iraq and its neighbors
152. Provided $30 billion over 10 years to Israel
153. Limited Guard and Reserve deployments to one year for every six years
154. Ended the “Stop-Loss” program of forcing troops to stay in service beyond their expected commitments
155. Fully and properly equipped troops
156. Created a Civilian Assistance Corps that would organize private sector professionals to help in times of need
157. Included humanitarian international missions in long-term budgeting
158. Reviewed weapons programs
159. Modernized ships and invested more in small vessels
160. Set standards for when the government should hire defense contractors
161. Restored the government’s ability to manage contracts by rebuilding our contract officer corps
162. Created a system of incentives and penalties for defense contracts
163. Establish a Global Education Fund
164. Strengthened the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) aimed at stopping spread of weapons of mass destruction
165. Organized successful Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in 2010
166. Expanded federal bioforensics program for tracking biological weapons
167. Developed a comprehensive cyber security and response strategy
168. Mandated standards for securing personal data
169. Required companies to disclose personal information data breaches
170. Worked to persuade the European Union to end credit guarantees to Iran
171. Seek to negotiate a political agreement on Cyprus
172. Restructured and streamlined USAID
173. Increased the size of the foreign service
174. Urged China to stop manipulation of its currency value
175. Pressed China to end its support for regimes in Sudan, Burma, Iran and Zimbabwe
176. Created a public “Contracts and Influence” database
177. Required Cabinet officials to host Internet town hall meetings
178. Conducted regulatory agency business in public
179. Promoted more pre-school education
180. Expanded Early Head Start and Head Start
181. Reformed No Child Left Behind
182. Doubled funding for Federal Charter School Program and require more accountability
183. Addressed the dropout crisis by giving schools incentives for more dropout prevention
184. Created Teacher Residency Programs that will send teachers to high-need schools
185. Expanded teacher mentoring programs and provide incentives for more planning time
186. Promoted innovative ways to reward good teachers
187. Simplified the application process for financial aid
188. Increased the number of high school students taking college-level courses
189. Created incentives for tree planting and promote carbon sequestration
190. Improved water quality
191. Regulated pollution from major livestock operations
192. Strengthened federal environmental justice programs
193. Increased funding for organic and sustainable agriculture
194. Partnered with landowners to conserve private lands
195. Created a community college partnership program
196. Increased funding for progams that conserve lands and habitat for select species such as the Osceola turkey
197. Supported wetlands protection
198. Promoted economic development in Mexico
199. Supported repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
200. Vigorously pursued hate crimes and civil rights abuses
201. Signed the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act into law
202. Supported regional innovation clusters
203. Helped low-income areas get phone and Internet service
204. Created a Homeowner Obligation Made Explicit (HOME) score for mortgage comparisons
205. Increased the supply of affordable housing throughout metropolitan regions
206. Invested in transitional jobs and career pathway programs
207. Fully funded the COPS program
208. Improved emergency response plans
209. Capped interest rates on payday loans and improve disclosure
210. Expanded public/private partnerships between schools and arts organizations
211. Improved climate change data records
212. Supported improved weather prediction program
213. Offered prizes for advances in consumer technology
214. Encouraged contests and programs to interest students in science
215. Increased research opportunities for college students
216. Strengthened the levees in New Orleans
217. Directed revenues from offshore oil and gas drilling to increased coastal hurricane protection
218. Shook loose federal money for rebuilding the Gulf Coast

Put that in your fucking pipe and smoke it.

[Egalitarian Thug]

57. LOL, of course. By all means, re-post "The List",

and top it off with the false premise that just because some of us are not mesmerized by the mediocre performance of an excellent speaker that consistently under performs when it comes time to do the job, we hate him and are probably racists to boot.

[NYC Liberal]

68. Some people, like you, hate to have your narrative of Big Bad Obama

blown to smithereens by actual facts. Otherwise there would be no issue with posting the many of accomplishments of a liberal, Democratic president, one that fights consistently for the people, one that has seen the best first-termlegislative record of any president in 50-60 years. But see, facts get in the way of whining and pouting. That's why they are derided and mocked in some quarters.

Newsflash: You represent an incredibly small, insignificant minority of the Democratic base and and even smaller minority of the Democratic party as a whole. But keep trying.

1. Extended child tax credits and marriage-penalty fixes
2. Created an Advanced Manufacturing Fund to invest in peer-reviewed manufacturing processes
3. Required economic justification for tax changes
4. Implemented “Women Owned Business” contracting program
5. Changed standards for determining broadband access
6. Established a credit card bill of rights
7. Expanded loan programs for small businesses
8. Extended the Bush tax cuts for lower incomes
9. Extended the 2007 Alternative MinimumTax patch
10. Closed the “doughnut hole” in Medicare prescription drug plan
11. Expanded the Senior Corps volunteer program
12. Required insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions
13. Gave tax credits to those who need help to pay health premiums
14. Required large employers to contribute to a national health plan
15. Required children to have health insurance coverage
16. Expanded eligibility for Medicaid
17. Expanded eligibility for State Children’s Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP)
18. Required health plans to disclose how much of the premium goes to patient care
19. Established an independent health institute to provide accurate and objective information
20. In non-competitive markets, forced insurers to pay out a reasonable share of their premiums for patient care
21. Eliminated the higher subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans
22. Expanded funding to train primary care providers and public health practitioners
23. Increased funding to expand community based prevention programs
24. Reinstated executive order to hire an additional 100,000 federal employees with disabilities within five years.
25. Increased the Veterans Administration budget to recruit and retain more mental health professionals
26. Expanded the Veterans Administration’s number of “centers of excellence” in specialty care
27. Appointed a special adviser to the president on violence against women
28. Fully funded the Violence Against Women Act
29. Directed military leaders to end war in Iraq
30. Began removing combat brigades from Iraq
31. Created a military families advisory board
32. Ended the abuse of supplemental budgets for war
33. Made U.S. military aid to Pakistan conditional on anti-terror efforts
34. Opened “America Houses” in Islamic cities around the globe
35. Allocated Homeland Security funding according to risk
36. Created a real National Infrastructure Protection Plan
37. Increased funding for local emergency planning
38. Extended monitoring and verification provisions of the START I Treaty
39. Appointed a White House Coordinator for Nuclear Security
40. Initiated a grant and training program for law enforcement to deter cyber crime
41. Improved relations with Turkey, and its relations with Iraqi Kurds
42. Launched an international Add Value to Agriculture Initiative (AVTA)
43. Created a rapid response fund for emerging democracies
44. Granted Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send money to Cuba
45. Restored funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program
46. Established an Energy Partnership for the Americas
47. Expanded the Nurse-Family Partnership to all low-income, first-time mothers
48. Required new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliation or contributions.
49. Provided affordable, high-quality child care
50. Recruited math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession
51. Reduced subsidies to private student lenders and protect student borrowers
52. Encouraged water-conservation efforts in the West
53. Increased funding for national parks and forests
54. Increased funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund
55. Encouraged farmers to use more renewable energy and be more energy efficient
56. Expanded Pell grants for low-income students
57. Pursued a wildfire management plan
58. Removed more brush, small trees and vegetation that fuel wildfires
59. Expanded access to places to hunt and fish
60. Pushed for enactment of Matthew Shepard Act, which expands hate crime law to include sexual orientation and other factors
61. Repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy
62. Restored funding to the EEOC and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
63. Reformed mandatory minimum sentences
64. Created a White House Office on Urban Policy
65. Fully funded the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
66. Established program to convert manufacturing centers into clean technology leaders
67. Established ‘Promise Neighborhoods’ for areas of concentrated poverty
68. Worked toward deploying a global climate change research and monitoring system
69. Funded a major expansion of AmeriCorps
70. Created a Social Investment Fund Network
71. Bolstered the military’s ability to speak differentlanguages
72. Appointed the nation’s first Chief Technology Officer
73. Provided grants to early-career researchers
74. Worked to overturn Ledbetter vs. Goodyear
75. Created a national declassification center
76. Appointed an American Indian policy adviser
77. Created new financial regulations
78. Increased funding for land-grant colleges
79. Banned lobbyist gifts to executive employees
80. Signed a “universal” health care bill
81. Created new criminal penalties for mortgage fraud
82. Required 10 percent renewable energy by 2012
83. Released oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve
84. Raised fuel economy standards
85. Invested in all types of alternative energy
86. Enacted tax credit for consumers for plug-in hybrid cars
87. Asked people and businesses to conserve electricity
88. Required more energy-efficient appliances
89. Created a ‘Green Vet Initiative’ to promote environmental jobs for veterans
90. Created job training programs for clean technologies
91. Required states to provide incentives for utilities to reduce energy consumption
92. Supported high-speed rail
93. Supported airline service in small towns
94. Invested in public transportation
95. Equalized tax breaks for driving and public transit
96. Considered “smart growth” in transportation funding
97. Shared environmental technology with other countries
98. Doubled federal spending for research on clean fuels
99. Provided grants to encourage energy-efficient building codes
100. Increased funding for the Environmental Protection Agency
101. Raised the small business investment expensing limit to $250,000 through the end of 2009
102. Extended unemployment insurance benefits and
103. temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits
104. Supported network neutrality on the Internet
105. Reversed restrictions on stem cell research
106. Killed Osama bin Laden
107. Doubled funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a program that encourages manufacturing efficiency
108. Included environmental and labor standards in trade agreements
109. Created an international tax haven watch list
110. Made permanent the Research & Development tax credit
111. Required automatic enrollment in 401(k) plans
112. Required automatic enrollment in IRA plans
113. Created a consumer-friendly credit card rating system
114. Created a $60 billion bank to fund roads and bridges
115. Required full disclosure of company pension investments to employees
116. Provided easy-to-understand comparisons of the Medicare prescription drug plans
117. Invested in electronic health information systems
118. Phased in requirements for health information technology
119. Required that health plans utilize disease management programs
120. Required providers to report measures of health care costs and quality
121. Held hospitals and health plans accountable for disparities in care
122. Implemented and funded proven health intervention programs
123. Prevented drug companies from blocking generic drugs
124. Allowed Medicare to negotiate for cheaper drug prices
125. Worked with schools to create more healthful environments for children
126. Improved recruitment of public health workers
127. Mandated insurance coverage of autism treatment
128. Fully funded the Combating Autism Act and Federal Autism Research Initiatives
129. Doubled federal funding for cancer research
130. Increased participation in cancer-related clinical trials
131. Fully funded the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
132. Set a national goal to provide re-screening for all 2-year-olds for developmental disorders
133. Commissioned a study on students with disabilities and their transition to jobs or higher education
134. Set goals and timetables for implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act
135. Created a best practices list for private businesses in accommodating workers with disabilities
136. Launched educational initiative for employers on tax benefits of hiring employees with disabilities
137. Reduced the threshhold for the Family and Medical Leave Act from companies with 50 employees to companies with 25 employees
138. Provided a $1.5 billion fund to help states launch programs for paid family and medical leave
139. Required employers to provide seven paid sick days per year
140. Streamlined the Social Security disability approval process
141. Expanded Veterans Centers in rural areas
142. Established standards of care for traumatic brain injury treatment
143. Made the Veterans Administration a national leader in health reform
144. Reduced the Veterans Benefits Administration claims backlog
145. Instituted electronic record-keeping for the Veterans Benefits Administration
146. Expanded housing vouchers program for homeless veterans
147. Launched a supportive services-housing program for veterans to prevent homelessness
148. Expanded the Family Medical Leave Act to include leave for domestic violence or sexual assault
149. Fully funded debt cancellation for heavily indebted poor countries
150. Created a fund for international small and medium enterprises (SME)
151. Launched robust diplomatic effort with Iraq and its neighbors
152. Provided $30 billion over 10 years to Israel
153. Limited Guard and Reserve deployments to one year for every six years
154. Ended the “Stop-Loss” program of forcing troops to stay in service beyond their expected commitments
155. Fully and properly equipped troops
156. Created a Civilian Assistance Corps that would organize private sector professionals to help in times of need
157. Included humanitarian international missions in long-term budgeting
158. Reviewed weapons programs
159. Modernized ships and invested more in small vessels
160. Set standards for when the government should hire defense contractors
161. Restored the government’s ability to manage contracts by rebuilding our contract officer corps
162. Created a system of incentives and penalties for defense contracts
163. Establish a Global Education Fund
164. Strengthened the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) aimed at stopping spread of weapons of mass destruction
165. Organized successful Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in 2010
166. Expanded federal bioforensics program for tracking biological weapons
167. Developed a comprehensive cyber security and response strategy
168. Mandated standards for securing personal data
169. Required companies to disclose personal information data breaches
170. Worked to persuade the European Union to end credit guarantees to Iran
171. Seek to negotiate a political agreement on Cyprus
172. Restructured and streamlined USAID
173. Increased the size of the foreign service
174. Urged China to stop manipulation of its currency value
175. Pressed China to end its support for regimes in Sudan, Burma, Iran and Zimbabwe
176. Created a public “Contracts and Influence” database
177. Required Cabinet officials to host Internet town hall meetings
178. Conducted regulatory agency business in public
179. Promoted more pre-school education
180. Expanded Early Head Start and Head Start
181. Reformed No Child Left Behind
182. Doubled funding for Federal Charter School Program and require more accountability
183. Addressed the dropout crisis by giving schools incentives for more dropout prevention
184. Created Teacher Residency Programs that will send teachers to high-need schools
185. Expanded teacher mentoring programs and provide incentives for more planning time
186. Promoted innovative ways to reward good teachers
187. Simplified the application process for financial aid
188. Increased the number of high school students taking college-level courses
189. Created incentives for tree planting and promote carbon sequestration
190. Improved water quality
191. Regulated pollution from major livestock operations
192. Strengthened federal environmental justice programs
193. Increased funding for organic and sustainable agriculture
194. Partnered with landowners to conserve private lands
195. Created a community college partnership program
196. Increased funding for progams that conserve lands and habitat for select species such as the Osceola turkey
197. Supported wetlands protection
198. Promoted economic development in Mexico
199. Supported repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
200. Vigorously pursued hate crimes and civil rights abuses
201. Signed the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act into law
202. Supported regional innovation clusters
203. Helped low-income areas get phone and Internet service
204. Created a Homeowner Obligation Made Explicit (HOME) score for mortgage comparisons
205. Increased the supply of affordable housing throughout metropolitan regions
206. Invested in transitional jobs and career pathway programs
207. Fully funded the COPS program
208. Improved emergency response plans
209. Capped interest rates on payday loans and improve disclosure
210. Expanded public/private partnerships between schools and arts organizations
211. Improved climate change data records
212. Supported improved weather prediction program
213. Offered prizes for advances in consumer technology
214. Encouraged contests and programs to interest students in science
215. Increased research opportunities for college students
216. Strengthened the levees in New Orleans
217. Directed revenues from offshore oil and gas drilling to increased coastal hurricane protection
218. Shook loose federal money for rebuilding the Gulf Coast

[Egalitarian Thug]

75. I can't help but notice that you've overlooked posting any of the numerous

lists found with a 10 second Google search, and from such Reich-wing sources as DailyKos and Cornell West.

Yeah, facts. Ho hum, SSDD and a new year with no signs of change. (BTW, pasting big long lists doesn't lend any additional credibility to your argument, a link will suffice.)

[NYC Liberal]

81. SSDD indeed. Some people can't stand that their narrative of

Big Bad Obama gets exposed for the bullshit it is. They hate when people post facts. They seem to agree with Raygun that "Facts are stupid things."

96% of liberal Democrats (the real BASE) like the job President Obama is doing. There's another inconvenient fact for you.

So go on and wear that 4% badge with pride! Rah rah! WE ARE THE 4%!

1. Extended child tax credits and marriage-penalty fixes
2. Created an Advanced Manufacturing Fund to invest in peer-reviewed manufacturing processes
3. Required economic justification for tax changes
4. Implemented “Women Owned Business” contracting program
5. Changed standards for determining broadband access
6. Established a credit card bill of rights
7. Expanded loan programs for small businesses
8. Extended the Bush tax cuts for lower incomes
9. Extended the 2007 Alternative MinimumTax patch
10. Closed the “doughnut hole” in Medicare prescription drug plan
11. Expanded the Senior Corps volunteer program
12. Required insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions
13. Gave tax credits to those who need help to pay health premiums
14. Required large employers to contribute to a national health plan
15. Required children to have health insurance coverage
16. Expanded eligibility for Medicaid
17. Expanded eligibility for State Children’s Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP)
18. Required health plans to disclose how much of the premium goes to patient care
19. Established an independent health institute to provide accurate and objective information
20. In non-competitive markets, forced insurers to pay out a reasonable share of their premiums for patient care
21. Eliminated the higher subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans
22. Expanded funding to train primary care providers and public health practitioners
23. Increased funding to expand community based prevention programs
24. Reinstated executive order to hire an additional 100,000 federal employees with disabilities within five years.
25. Increased the Veterans Administration budget to recruit and retain more mental health professionals
26. Expanded the Veterans Administration’s number of “centers of excellence” in specialty care
27. Appointed a special adviser to the president on violence against women
28. Fully funded the Violence Against Women Act
29. Directed military leaders to end war in Iraq
30. Began removing combat brigades from Iraq
31. Created a military families advisory board
32. Ended the abuse of supplemental budgets for war
33. Made U.S. military aid to Pakistan conditional on anti-terror efforts
34. Opened “America Houses” in Islamic cities around the globe
35. Allocated Homeland Security funding according to risk
36. Created a real National Infrastructure Protection Plan
37. Increased funding for local emergency planning
38. Extended monitoring and verification provisions of the START I Treaty
39. Appointed a White House Coordinator for Nuclear Security
40. Initiated a grant and training program for law enforcement to deter cyber crime
41. Improved relations with Turkey, and its relations with Iraqi Kurds
42. Launched an international Add Value to Agriculture Initiative (AVTA)
43. Created a rapid response fund for emerging democracies
44. Granted Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send money to Cuba
45. Restored funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program
46. Established an Energy Partnership for the Americas
47. Expanded the Nurse-Family Partnership to all low-income, first-time mothers
48. Required new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliation or contributions.
49. Provided affordable, high-quality child care
50. Recruited math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession
51. Reduced subsidies to private student lenders and protect student borrowers
52. Encouraged water-conservation efforts in the West
53. Increased funding for national parks and forests
54. Increased funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund
55. Encouraged farmers to use more renewable energy and be more energy efficient
56. Expanded Pell grants for low-income students
57. Pursued a wildfire management plan
58. Removed more brush, small trees and vegetation that fuel wildfires
59. Expanded access to places to hunt and fish
60. Pushed for enactment of Matthew Shepard Act, which expands hate crime law to include sexual orientation and other factors
61. Repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy
62. Restored funding to the EEOC and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs
63. Reformed mandatory minimum sentences
64. Created a White House Office on Urban Policy
65. Fully funded the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
66. Established program to convert manufacturing centers into clean technology leaders
67. Established ‘Promise Neighborhoods’ for areas of concentrated poverty
68. Worked toward deploying a global climate change research and monitoring system
69. Funded a major expansion of AmeriCorps
70. Created a Social Investment Fund Network
71. Bolstered the military’s ability to speak differentlanguages
72. Appointed the nation’s first Chief Technology Officer
73. Provided grants to early-career researchers
74. Worked to overturn Ledbetter vs. Goodyear
75. Created a national declassification center
76. Appointed an American Indian policy adviser
77. Created new financial regulations
78. Increased funding for land-grant colleges
79. Banned lobbyist gifts to executive employees
80. Signed a “universal” health care bill
81. Created new criminal penalties for mortgage fraud
82. Required 10 percent renewable energy by 2012
83. Released oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve
84. Raised fuel economy standards
85. Invested in all types of alternative energy
86. Enacted tax credit for consumers for plug-in hybrid cars
87. Asked people and businesses to conserve electricity
88. Required more energy-efficient appliances
89. Created a ‘Green Vet Initiative’ to promote environmental jobs for veterans
90. Created job training programs for clean technologies
91. Required states to provide incentives for utilities to reduce energy consumption
92. Supported high-speed rail
93. Supported airline service in small towns
94. Invested in public transportation
95. Equalized tax breaks for driving and public transit
96. Considered “smart growth” in transportation funding
97. Shared environmental technology with other countries
98. Doubled federal spending for research on clean fuels
99. Provided grants to encourage energy-efficient building codes
100. Increased funding for the Environmental Protection Agency
101. Raised the small business investment expensing limit to $250,000 through the end of 2009
102. Extended unemployment insurance benefits and
103. temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits
104. Supported network neutrality on the Internet
105. Reversed restrictions on stem cell research
106. Killed Osama bin Laden
107. Doubled funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a program that encourages manufacturing efficiency
108. Included environmental and labor standards in trade agreements
109. Created an international tax haven watch list
110. Made permanent the Research & Development tax credit
111. Required automatic enrollment in 401(k) plans
112. Required automatic enrollment in IRA plans
113. Created a consumer-friendly credit card rating system
114. Created a $60 billion bank to fund roads and bridges
115. Required full disclosure of company pension investments to employees
116. Provided easy-to-understand comparisons of the Medicare prescription drug plans
117. Invested in electronic health information systems
118. Phased in requirements for health information technology
119. Required that health plans utilize disease management programs
120. Required providers to report measures of health care costs and quality
121. Held hospitals and health plans accountable for disparities in care
122. Implemented and funded proven health intervention programs
123. Prevented drug companies from blocking generic drugs
124. Allowed Medicare to negotiate for cheaper drug prices
125. Worked with schools to create more healthful environments for children
126. Improved recruitment of public health workers
127. Mandated insurance coverage of autism treatment
128. Fully funded the Combating Autism Act and Federal Autism Research Initiatives
129. Doubled federal funding for cancer research
130. Increased participation in cancer-related clinical trials
131. Fully funded the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
132. Set a national goal to provide re-screening for all 2-year-olds for developmental disorders
133. Commissioned a study on students with disabilities and their transition to jobs or higher education
134. Set goals and timetables for implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act
135. Created a best practices list for private businesses in accommodating workers with disabilities
136. Launched educational initiative for employers on tax benefits of hiring employees with disabilities
137. Reduced the threshhold for the Family and Medical Leave Act from companies with 50 employees to companies with 25 employees
138. Provided a $1.5 billion fund to help states launch programs for paid family and medical leave
139. Required employers to provide seven paid sick days per year
140. Streamlined the Social Security disability approval process
141. Expanded Veterans Centers in rural areas
142. Established standards of care for traumatic brain injury treatment
143. Made the Veterans Administration a national leader in health reform
144. Reduced the Veterans Benefits Administration claims backlog
145. Instituted electronic record-keeping for the Veterans Benefits Administration
146. Expanded housing vouchers program for homeless veterans
147. Launched a supportive services-housing program for veterans to prevent homelessness
148. Expanded the Family Medical Leave Act to include leave for domestic violence or sexual assault
149. Fully funded debt cancellation for heavily indebted poor countries
150. Created a fund for international small and medium enterprises (SME)
151. Launched robust diplomatic effort with Iraq and its neighbors
152. Provided $30 billion over 10 years to Israel
153. Limited Guard and Reserve deployments to one year for every six years
154. Ended the “Stop-Loss” program of forcing troops to stay in service beyond their expected commitments
155. Fully and properly equipped troops
156. Created a Civilian Assistance Corps that would organize private sector professionals to help in times of need
157. Included humanitarian international missions in long-term budgeting
158. Reviewed weapons programs
159. Modernized ships and invested more in small vessels
160. Set standards for when the government should hire defense contractors
161. Restored the government’s ability to manage contracts by rebuilding our contract officer corps
162. Created a system of incentives and penalties for defense contracts
163. Establish a Global Education Fund
164. Strengthened the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) aimed at stopping spread of weapons of mass destruction
165. Organized successful Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in 2010
166. Expanded federal bioforensics program for tracking biological weapons
167. Developed a comprehensive cyber security and response strategy
168. Mandated standards for securing personal data
169. Required companies to disclose personal information data breaches
170. Worked to persuade the European Union to end credit guarantees to Iran
171. Seek to negotiate a political agreement on Cyprus
172. Restructured and streamlined USAID
173. Increased the size of the foreign service
174. Urged China to stop manipulation of its currency value
175. Pressed China to end its support for regimes in Sudan, Burma, Iran and Zimbabwe
176. Created a public “Contracts and Influence” database
177. Required Cabinet officials to host Internet town hall meetings
178. Conducted regulatory agency business in public
179. Promoted more pre-school education
180. Expanded Early Head Start and Head Start
181. Reformed No Child Left Behind
182. Doubled funding for Federal Charter School Program and require more accountability
183. Addressed the dropout crisis by giving schools incentives for more dropout prevention
184. Created Teacher Residency Programs that will send teachers to high-need schools
185. Expanded teacher mentoring programs and provide incentives for more planning time
186. Promoted innovative ways to reward good teachers
187. Simplified the application process for financial aid
188. Increased the number of high school students taking college-level courses
189. Created incentives for tree planting and promote carbon sequestration
190. Improved water quality
191. Regulated pollution from major livestock operations
192. Strengthened federal environmental justice programs
193. Increased funding for organic and sustainable agriculture
194. Partnered with landowners to conserve private lands
195. Created a community college partnership program
196. Increased funding for progams that conserve lands and habitat for select species such as the Osceola turkey
197. Supported wetlands protection
198. Promoted economic development in Mexico
199. Supported repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
200. Vigorously pursued hate crimes and civil rights abuses
201. Signed the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act into law
202. Supported regional innovation clusters
203. Helped low-income areas get phone and Internet service
204. Created a Homeowner Obligation Made Explicit (HOME) score for mortgage comparisons
205. Increased the supply of affordable housing throughout metropolitan regions
206. Invested in transitional jobs and career pathway programs
207. Fully funded the COPS program
208. Improved emergency response plans
209. Capped interest rates on payday loans and improve disclosure
210. Expanded public/private partnerships between schools and arts organizations
211. Improved climate change data records
212. Supported improved weather prediction program
213. Offered prizes for advances in consumer technology
214. Encouraged contests and programs to interest students in science
215. Increased research opportunities for college students
216. Strengthened the levees in New Orleans
217. Directed revenues from offshore oil and gas drilling to increased coastal hurricane protection
218. Shook loose federal money for rebuilding the Gulf Coast

[Egalitarian Thug]

105. Big Bad Obama is your narrative, not mine. You true believers are the ones that have deluded

yourselves. The President has done some good things, but mostly he has worked hard to ensure that we will pay the bill for the ruler's mistakes. So take your crumbs and tell yourself that it is the feast you dream of,

and read the words below...

[NYC Liberal]

113. No, it is yours. The purist crowd lives in a bubble where only they matter

and everyone agrees with them. They don't live in the real world where Congress is filled with right-wing Republicans and conserva-Dems, and where 60 million people voted for Mitt Romney. We do not live in a progressive utopia where everyone is a liberal and liberals win all the elections. It's time to get back down to reality and start the hard work from there.

[Egalitarian Thug]

120. And the fantasy just keeps on rolling.

I am completely aware that I am part of a tiny minority. I am completely aware that the overwhelming majority of my fellow countrymen are ill-educated, incurious, uninformed, short-sighted, frightened, and mean spirited rubes whose primary purpose in society is to work like donkeys so that they can be harvested at will.

Literally nothing would please me more than to come back in 9 months or a year from now and post the most eloquent mea culpa I can muster while eating a gigantic plate of crow. But, I'm pretty sure that will not happen. You've been played like fiddles again and will simply pay the freight you've been saddled with and will convince yourselves that this was the very best that could possibly have been done, again.

Here's hoping that I'm completely and utterly wrong about everything.

[NYC Liberal]

121. Ah yes. All of us dumb rubes bow down to your obviously superior intellect.

We should all just shut up and let you run everything, O Wise One. You'd like that wouldn't you? How about we make you king and then you can just rule by fiat since you know all and everyone else is too dumb to know anything.

I hope you realize how ridiculous you sound. And you wonder why almost nobody agrees with you.

[Egalitarian Thug]

122. No, you should listen to the people that have shown an interest in running things

and, now read this very carefully (sound the words out if necessary), have been proven to have been right time after time. People who have better qualifications than being born into the right family or being able to speak in complete sentences or claiming membership in the right club or party.

People that have warned us what would happen if this is done or that isn't done, and have then been shown to have been right all along.

You keep trying to make this about me when it is about being right. It is about doing what is right for the rest of us.

You keep trying to make this into some stupid team event, like the idiocy that spews from your TV. This is about the future that we will all live in, and people like you keep making bad choices based on bad information and irrelevant prejudices. We know where this course leads, we've seen it followed over and over and over, yet you keep insisting that this time it will end up differently.

[forestpath]

92. +1

[SunsetDreams]

15. It was hair. nt

[backwoodsbob]

16. pissing on the president again?

should I be shocked?

[woo me with science]

17. He never caves.

He works consistently and effectively for the one percent.

[phleshdef]

23. If that were true, then the Bush tax cuts for the 1% would've been extended.

There would've been no need for a fiscal cliff fight. He would've just did what the Republicans wanted to do, no questions asked.

And thats the very percent that is subject to an increase if this deal passes.

You like to talk a lot of dumb shit about the President, but it doesn't tie out with reality at all, whatsoever.

[woo me with science]

41. Wow, that's some spin.

Last edited Tue Jan 1, 2013, 06:16 PM - Edit history (1)

See, the problem with these attempts to rewrite history is that we have all been here the whole time, watching. Obama, corporate Republicans, and corporate Democrats colluded on this Shock Doctrine scam last spring, remember? They deliberately orchestrated it to use Social Security as a hostage to pass an austerity deal and to garner praise for the participants when the contrived axe of SS benefits did not fall...this time.

And look where we are. Here is your "Grand Victory":

Robert Reich: The deal...is lousy...Let me count the ways.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022110382

Eighty to ninety percent of the Bush tax cuts have been *extended,* traded for *temporary* concessions, and we face more Shock Doctrine jerking around to meet austerity goals welcomed by our Democratic President in just a couple months. Calling this a win is like being grateful that there is a little bit of lettuce on your shit sandwich.

The game was rigged from the start, bipartisanly. The people will suffer austerity, the Military Industrial Complex will be fed, and the pathetic little slap to only the very wealthiest of the wealthy will give Democrats, in Reich's words, "an inside-the-Beltway symbolic victory."

And we are already seeing the disgusting spectacle of corporate Democrats trying to claim that they represented us because the contrived axe of SS cuts that *OBAMA* deliberately hung over seniors' heads, twice, as a hostage to get this sham deal did not fall...this time.

The next jerking around is just around the corner.

________________________________
Nothing will change until Americans look clearly at how the game is rigged from the start in every single negotiation, how the possible options are artificially narrowed from the start, and how every negotiation moves us rightward. Every. Single. One.

[phleshdef]

46. Its not spin. Its completely accurate.

I'll repeat it. Obama could've gone along with the Republicans and extended all the Bush tax cuts, including the wealthy. If he was really batting for the 1% as you say, thats exactly what he would've done. You completely lack any way to refute that simple fact. That much alone completely eradicates your argument.

I don't approve of chained CPI. I'm completely against it. Its ridiculous and unnecessary. But having said that, if you got your way and it ends up with no deal being struck at all, the portion of the Bush tax cuts for middle class folks will go away. And that will take a LOT more money out of regular folk's pockets than chained CPI ever would. That makes you a hypocrite.

[woo me with science]

72. The Third Way believes Americans are stupid.

To make the argument you just made presupposes that Americans are stupid.

You argue that, because Obama did not give every single thing away, that we won. That is like arguing that you were victorious against looters who emptied out your house, because they missed a wallet in one of the back bedrooms. Not only does this public relations tax increase affect only a small fraction of the wealthy who should be paying, it is insulting in its size and the amount of money it does collect, compared to the amount of money that will be squeezed from Americans who have already been knocked down and robbed over and over and over again.

Did you even read that part? It will collect 600 billion, out of more than FOUR TRILLION that the White House seeks to collect over the next decade. Guess who's in line to be soaked for the rest?

It is a cruel joke. It is beyond cynical and obscene to pretend that this is a win in any way. *Especially* when the deal is considered in its entirety, and *especially* considering how we got here, how the possible outcomes were narrowed from the start, and how our Democratic President participated in narrowing them.

We are admonished that we are the victors *even though* these numbers spell outrageous pain and unfairness for most of us. We are admonished that we are the victors *even though* the Military Industrial complex will continue to be fed like a pig. We are admonished that we are the victors *even though* corporate sop will continue shamelessly, and *even though* the game was rigged from the outset to ensure austerity as an outcome.

We were hosed. And we were hosed cynically and deliberately, by corporatists in both parties. You can't spin lipstick onto this pig. We have seen this game too many times before, and we are sick to death of it.

Real change will come only when Americans look clearly at how the game is rigged from the start in every single negotiation, how the possible options are artificially narrowed from the start, and how every negotiation moves us rightward. Every. Single. One.

[phleshdef]

78. Blah, blah, 3rd way, DLC, rigged game, corporatists, blah.

Just so sick of this shit. All you guys do is plaster this board with buzzwords and more progressive than thou nonsense. You ignore and dismiss every argument that doesn't lend itself to your constant pissing and moaning.

I'll stick with the judgement of guys like Bernie Sanders, Sherrod Brown and Al Franken. They have credibility. They are real progressive warriors. You have buzzwords and are nothing but a keyboard warrior like the rest of us.

[woo me with science]

80. Ignore the outcome and the numbers and go for the insults.

Then try a desperate appeal to authority. That's all you have.

By any honest assessment of the entire deal, we lost, big time. We got a tiny, token gift, and it is outweighed immeasurably by what was protected for the one percent, and by they will take from us, again.

We were hosed. And this Shock Doctrine game is getting nauseatingly old.

[phleshdef]

83. Oh, yea I forgot "blah blah shock doctrine blah blah". Thanks for reminding me.

Your assessment of the deal is anything but honest.

Middle class folks get to see long term stability in their tax rates. Not just with their income tax rate but with many credits a lot of families rely on, that stuff has been protected.

The richest are going to pay more. If anyone loses out in this deal, its them and only them and you are entirely unable to refute that.

Unemployment insurance has been extended.

And Democrats still have the sequester in place to use as leverage for more revenue later on.

Nothing really radical was done. If the shock doctrine were truly at play here, then they would've used it as an excuse to do something really big to benefit the wealthy, but they didn't do that. The wealthy did not get any enormous gifts out of this. The estate tax might be the only arguable gift they got and thats really not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of budgets. Shock doctrine doesn't mean what you apparently think it means. But I guess you like the way it sounds, so you have to repeatedly use the phrase every other sentence.

And yea, I will defer to guys like Sherrod Brown and Al Franken and Bernie Sanders. They are smarter about this than you are. Deal with it.

[1StrongBlackMan]

88. Just when I tired ...

Thank you. (Not that it'll matter ... they will come back tomorrow and post a thread arguing the same stuff, as if it were brand new and unchallenged.

[phleshdef]

89. Yea I know. Especially this one. He/she is quite pretentious and way too in love with the sound of..

...their own fingers clicking a keyboard. I wouldn't be so mean to them if I were actually convinced for a second that they gave one damn about the middle class and practical solutions for middle class problems or if I thought they had the slightest bit of understanding of the realities of governing with the current makeup of our government. I don't believe they do though. I think they just pick an end result they want to see, they preach about it and then when it doesn't happen the way they want it to, they are too wrapped up in their own ego to admit that the way it turns out is acceptable, because it wasn't exactly their way. The sad thing about it is, I probably agree with this person on 90% or more of what he/she would describe as ideal. But the difference is, I'm grown up and mature enough to realize the how the real world works and I don't fill my fucking diaper when ideal isn't achieved.

[1StrongBlackMan]

93. Yep ...

I think this is called Unicorn chasing.

[woo me with science]

90. You have not refuted the post in any way.

You exclaim that, "The richest are going to pay more," as though that means anything when what they will pay is such an obscenely small fraction of what the poor will be forced to pay in this new round of looting.

None of what you say here changes the main point: that the overall contours of this deal obscenely favor the rich...just like every single offer put forward by both sides during this entire process obscenely favored the rich. You keep ignoring how we got here and what was left off the table, deliberately. You want us to look at the hostage situations that were deliberately created, and conclude that we got a good deal. Well, we watched them set up those hostage situations, so that argument doesn't fly.

Don't pee on us and tell us it's raining. Don't tell us, either, that it will be fixed later. We have heard this ad nauseum, as our families are looted out of the middle class and into poverty.

Spare us the tired lyrics. We know this song too well.

[phleshdef]

97. Theres nothing to refute. You made no real argument of value.

There is nothing in this deal that obscenely favors the rich. Thats made up bullshit.

There were no deliberately created hostage situations. The Republicans really do take hostages and they really will shoot them.

But the main reason I don't really care to give you an honest refutation is I believe you are disingenious. I don't think you give a fuck about middle class families. I think you care about being a pretentious fringe critic keyboard warrior who pretends to fight the power on the internet. I'm sure you are a legend in your own basement. Either way, I just don't buy you as geniune and I don't buy into your premises. You make a bunch of shit up, throw in a Robert Reich article, babble off all the buzz words you can think of (repeating them frequently because those buzzwords are pretty much the extent of your argumentative vocabulary) and then act like you made some kind of point when you didn't.

[woo me with science]

98. I rest my case. nt

[Bobbie Jo]

100. Now that...

Pretty much sums it up.

Nicely done.

[sabrina 1]

125. I have a question for you. Why are the tax cuts for the wealthy permanent

and the tax cuts for the poor, temporary?

And yes, this whole charade called the 'Fiscal Cliff' was not only a sham to take us further down the Austerity Road, it was shameful and it was Congress being derelict in its duties, handing over control of the people's business to a 'gang of eight'. Anyone watching this display from outside this country must wonder 'what happened to democracy in the US'?

But putting SS on the table was the most egregious act of all. And it will be there again in two months, when we go through all of this all over again.


But hey, we've been abused for so long we are now trained to be grateful for crumbs. We willingly give up our rights with each 'team' excusing the betrayals depending on which one is doing it.

On the good side, fewer people are playing along now than ever before and I am placing my hope for the future of this country, NOT in anyone currently in office but in those who see through the game, who have formed coalitions of organizations that prepresent millions of Americans and who are beginning the long, hard work of taking this government back out of the hands of Wall Street. It will take a long time, but at least the work has finally begun thanks to the fact that they all got too greedy making it clear to anyone with any brain cells functioning, that our country has been sold out, slowly for decades, and speeding up over the past several years.

I will never cheer for crumbs. Or for the giving up of rights. The people own this country, they are entitled to far more than the crumbs being tossed by those who stole its resources and bought our government with the proceeds.

[graywarrior]

19. .

[tjwash]

20. trying out a new sockpuppet?

[JaneyVee]

21. I believe the Obama Caves are located in Illinois.

[jberryhill]

52. .

[JaneyVee]

94. Lolz

[mzmolly]

22. Cave on what? Letting Republicans vote for a tax increase?

Extending unemployment benefits and tax rebates for the poor?

[Motown_Johnny]

25. It is a good deal.

The lousy $200 Billion over 10 years that you are crying about is little more than a drop in the bucket.

[Rowdyboy]

27. An epic fail of a thread! Keep trying though, you'll get it right someday.....

[Buzz Clik]

28. +1 ... for this and similar responses

[pinboy3niner]

33. On his next Pass as a Mole?

[lamp_shade]

35. OP was expecting to get a whole shitload of "attaboys" and only got a few. Actually...

I was too. Oh they'll be here.

[intaglio]

29. Thank you for your concern

Now tell me why the Republicans caved on tax increases, budget cuts and the debt ceiling.

[Lugnut]

31. Do you think the Repub House will vote for this deal?

I don't. I don't think PBO believed they'd vote for it either.

[OldDem2012]

42. Let me guess....

....you're doing the following....

[IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[CakeGrrl]

44. Blah blah blah...

symbolic unrec.

[smorkingapple]

54. So we get upset when R's turn down a 10:1 deal but now we're tight over 1:41 deal the Right hates?

Seriously yall? Obama is fisting Republicans and making them say his name, enjoy this while it lasts....

[regnaD kciN]

55. Uh...because he didn't?

He got the middle-class tax cuts, taxes increasing on the wealthy, an additional year of UI, the AMT and Medicare doc fixes, without a single SS or Medicare cut. Plus managed to make the Republicans look clownish and further inflame the (un)civil war among the House G.O.P. Looks like a win-win-win to me. But it seems some progressives can only see surrender even when we get a clear victory.

[muriel_volestrangler]

56. To piss off concern trolls, whose posting in the past 6 days consists of, in full:

My only problem with Obama hes not Left enough. I'd just wish he be more Liberal. But he is what he got. Gotta support him.
Obama better not Cave Ill be pissed
Obama better not Cave Ill be pissed. If he does. Obama is worthless.
How can anyone hate Adam West. He was friggen Batman
God dammit. Obama caved dident he. Shows no damn backbone ever. Usless
Doubt it. Obama is the Caver in Cheif. No backbone no soul,or heart. Just A Caver

I suppose we should be grateful for the Adam West joke.

[Trajan]

66. Nice catch(es)

Another HOFU adherent, stirring up hate and discontent in their own hearts ...

Grandma never promised that DU would be idiot free ...

[Cha]

59. Why did Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Sherrod Brown VOTE FOR IT?

I know! So you could make a stupid post on DU.

[One of the 99]

117. So did Dennis Kucinich

The President got most of what he wanted and the Tea Party caved. How is this not a win?

[msanthrope]

61. Your concern is noted. Please feel free to share more of your concerns, and enjoy your stay. nt

[bluestate10]

62. The President didn't fucking cave in. nt

[cliffordu]

63. hit and run??

[SidDithers]

64. Looks like it...

can't say I'm surprised, either.

Sid

[Cha]

69. Oh? I hadn't noticed.. having too much fun

laughing at the bullpucky.

[pinboy3niner]

70. Probably a safe bet after 5 1/2 hours :)

And does MassedPole = PassedMole? How clever!


Happy New Year, brother!

[cliffordu]

74. LOL!

Happy new year, brother!!!!!

[Cha]

87. Slick "PassedMole" reads the crap around

here and know he can get by with

Good catch, pinboy3niner.

[stlsaxman]

73. 72 replies and zero recc's...

[Pirate Smile]

77. I'm going to assume this is a joke.

[BlueCaliDem]

79. This is sarcasm, right? eom

[ZombieHorde]

82. Welcome to DU.

The deal wasn't a liberal's dream date, but he did have to negotiate, and he is a bit to the right of most of us. Most DUers are very, very liberal. President Obama is more center left, or at least his rhetoric is center left.

I don't think caved, I think he negotiated. Whether or not he negotiated well is subjective.

[RBInMaine]

84. More TeaLeftistPurist NONSENSE. yawn....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

[liberalmuse]

85. Maybe because WE'RE supposed to be his backbone.

Man can't do all this shit by himself, with us sitting here typing on the internets, can he?

[southernyankeebelle]

95. Haven't you heard? He left it at the last fiscal cliff.

[fadedrose]

96. I musta missed somethin...

[longship]

101. Because maybe you do not see the big picture, and maybe he does.

I will say no more.

[Pryderi]

102. Bernie Sanders voted for it. n/t

[still_one]

103. Really. Unemployment benefits, medicare and social security payments

Will continue. People who make over a certain amount will pay more taxes, capital gains taxes go up, etc

I do not see this as a cave

Keep in my the house voted down their own plan. These are the kind of people we are dealing with

If it passes, it allows a new congress to decide. In the meantime it buys time for many who need it badly

[Tarheel_Dem]

104. Hey, if you didn't "hit & run", take a look at this. The American people wanted.....

compromise. Regrettably, these numbers probably don't include the president's vociferous critics on the left, nor indeed the teanutters on the right, but "THE AMERICAN PEOPLE" want this. Nobody gets 100% of what they want, and your ridiculous assertion is designed to piss people off, but I just think you're funny.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/video/thefold/fiscal-cliff-a-deal-on-the-horizon/2012/12/17/c83fa654-4894-11e2-ad54-580638ede391_video.html

[Hekate]

106. All the progressives voted for it. Did they throw themselves under the bus?

Nah. Didn't think so.

[Bluenorthwest]

115. They are also not claiming it is time to celebrate. Here is what Senator Merkley said about his

vote, I support both his vote and his words about the future. Excerpts here, full statement at the link.
“Although it does not do as much as I want, this bill does ensure that the wealthy will be contributing more as we work to bring our deficits under control. I far prefer that choice to further cuts to education, law enforcement, and investments in the infrastructure our economy depends on.

“But let’s be clear: this deal carries great risks as well. This deal sets up more cliffs in the near future, including the expiring debt ceiling and the sequestration, pre-planned cuts to programs essential to working families. And as before, there will be some who use these cliffs to launch renewed attacks on Medicare and Social Security. We cannot let those attacks succeed.

“The way that we address these upcoming battles will determine whether we succeed in building a foundation for a vibrant economy and fiscal responsibility, or lock ourselves into structural deficits and stagnation.”
http://www.merkley.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=C3379965-BB2E-4054-B442-772DE593C24E

I think the last paragraphs are very important going forward, and for that matter useful for this very moment. . The bill has some decent aspects and also some great risks as Jeff says, we did not get concessions for future 'cliffs' and 'ceilings' and so the battle continues. The way we address these battles determines our success. Let us strive to meet those battles prepared and willing to stand together.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

107. Huffington Post said Boehner caved.

After accusing Obama of the same a day or two earlier. Maybe they're in a cellar somewhere sharing a bottle of Merlot.

[Cha]

109. I think huff post is in the cellar getting

loaded on Merlot.

[Hekate]

110. Chas. Krauthammer says McConnell's deal is "complete surrender"

See vid here http://www.democraticunderground.com/101789519

He also thinks Obama is responsible for destroying the Republican Party through ruthless cunning

Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer said President Barack Obama has successfully broken the will of Republicans in the House and has created an “internal civil war” amidst “fiscal cliff” negotiations.

“He’s been using this, and I must say with great skill — and ruthless skill and success — to fracture and basically shatter the Republican opposition,” Krauthammer said. “His objective from the very beginning was to break the will of the Republicans in the House, and to create an internal civil war. And he’s done that.”
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/krauthammer-to-hannity-obama-has-successfully-created-an-internal-civil-war-within-the-gop/

So, so sad.

[akbacchus_BC]

112. No, he did not cave, The President negotiated

to the best of his abilities, considering that he came back to DC earlier than planned. Wonders what you would have done dealing with so much adversity from the teabaggers!

[davidpdx]

114. I found a couple more candidates for my ignore list

in this thread. Thank you for that.

[MineralMan]

116. Since you are relatively new here, you should probably

use the smiley for a while just to make yourself more clear. Otherwise, people might think you're just writing down stupid things.

[NYC Liberal]

118. I don't know what deal you're looking at, but Republicans lost BIG time on this.

They are reeling.

[arely staircase]

123. you arenīt very good at this

you must have missed one of rove´s seiminars

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

126. Aw, fer cryin' out loud!

Not again!!!! I should buy a full page ad o n DU that says:
"Politics is all about compromise and no one, I repeat, NO ONE gets everything they want. Certainly not on the first pass"

[sidramone]

128. Why did the GOP cave

Why did the GOP cave and agree to tax hikes with NO real time spending cuts?