General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI am proud today to say I voted for this president.
Maybe I won't be tomorrow. The only constant is change, and my capacity for disappointment these days is only rivaled by my capacity for astonishment. If he pisses me off, or lets me down, or goes back on his word, or retreats when he should charge, I will surely make my feelings plain.
But in this moment, I think my vote was very well spent.
This was a good day. Cleanly, clearly, unequivocally.
This was a good day.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Dawgs
(14,755 posts)WilliamPitt
(58,179 posts)Dawgs
(14,755 posts)WilliamPitt
(58,179 posts)Aristus
(67,864 posts)Twice!
gateley
(62,683 posts)brush
(56,726 posts)Has anyone noticed how the President seems to be putting VP Biden forward and having him lead on big issues? What a generous man who doesn't hog all the credit and spotlight. He's rewarding the Vice President for his loyalty, and possibly setting him up to run for president if Hillary doesn't want it.
rhiannon55
(2,704 posts)Cha
(303,638 posts)in the spotlight doing his thing for our Country. They have each other's backs as well as ours.
h/t She.. More pics of Obama&Biden http://www.democraticunderground.com/11027031
brush
11 Bravo
(24,064 posts)The moment arrived, and he neither ducked nor equivocated.
thucythucy
(8,666 posts)Well said.
Vietnameravet
(1,085 posts)I said after he was elected the first time and I will say it again; If Obama fails, if these forces of darkness and hate manage to defeat him, that will signal the beginning of end of this nation.
I know it sounds drastic to say that but there is a crisis in this nation that has been building for many years as right wing extremism and hate have been growing like a cancer.
That cancer has focused on Obama and if it can succeed with its disregard for the truth, its appeals to fear and bigotry, its constant obstructionism, it's putting party over country and it's divisions and hate and sense of self pity, then I just dont see how we can continue as a nation..We will be two different peoples with drastically different values living in the same land area..a true house divided..
defacto7
(13,485 posts)BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)GetRidOfThem
(869 posts)He sounded good. Maybe even great.
ReRe
(10,653 posts)..for your post. It allows us to chime in in saying we too are proud of President Obama today.
GOPO!
Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)grantcart
(53,061 posts)On the days where we are frustrated it always comes down to complexities to the big fucking mess he was handed, the vitriolic hatred of the Republican Party, or the need to compromise to establish a foundation today for even more change tomorrow.
Read that Democratic Congresspeople are coming with a proposal to reduce expenditures by introducing a pubic option.
That can only happen of Obamacare is there to provide a structure.
May not get it this time. May not get it the next time. But we just have to win once and then we got it.
We were seeing a lot of 4 steps forward and 2 steps back in the first administration.
Seems like we are seeing a lot less of the 2 steps back in the second.
I am pessimistic about the gun action.
But a lot more optomistic about immigration and reducing defense budgets.
I think he has checkmated the Republicans 7 ways to Tuesday on the Debt Ceiling.
I almost hope that they go completely fucking crazy and close down the government and let the markets spank them senseless.
We have a leader, a direction and a movement.
They have a civil war.
reeds2012
(91 posts)a continuation of Bush at the same time. The National Defense Authorization Act is disgusting.
If Bush were doing drone strikes that invariable hit children (oh, I am sorry, that's just 'collateral damage') we would rightly be shouting our complaints from our rooftops.
Let's get some consistency DU!
Plucketeer
(12,882 posts)I'm proud to say I didn't vote for Rmoney.
reeds2012
(91 posts)Last edited Thu Jan 17, 2013, 03:18 AM - Edit history (1)
Rmoney would never have gotten rid of the National Defense Authorization Act, and he would have continued the drone massacres that also kill children.
We get mad about Sandy Hook (rightly!), but how loud are we to stop Obama's drone strikes? Obama (the Military Industrial Complex) is doing Sandy Hooks every day in the Middle East. But "I'm glad he's our president"!
When will we, the United States, get a president who actually DESERVES a peace prize?! SMH!
Plucketeer
(12,882 posts)We'll get a president who responds to "the people" when the people are the ones who get said president elected. As it is now, we have wealthy folks being bought a term in the oval office by other wealthy folks
It's like my corporate-owned Congresscritter. He doesn't give one smelly turd who I am or what I think. Of the myriad times he's exersized his GOP rubber stamp, he's NEVER consulted his constituents (that I'm aware of). Hell, he wouldn't even debate the legitimate challenger he had in this past election. Wouldn't even acknowledge the challengers existence. Henever even had a "town hall" meeting in the runup to his reelection! And that's because he's wholly owned by his corporate masters.
reeds2012
(91 posts)this democratic republic is one big lie?
LOL!
Of the corporations, by the corporations, and for the corporations is... corporatism... and corporatism is fascism, as defined by Mussolini, who knew a thing or two about it.
Plucketeer
(12,882 posts)How can we argue that the people aren't WELL represented. Of course, for me, the "rep" part gets deleted. They're just resented by me!
zipplewrath
(16,672 posts)That can only happen of Obamacare is there to provide a structure.
Give me a break. Another name for the public option is "Medicare". It's only been there for 50 stinkin' years. The structure has existed for a long time. Obama just failed to find a way to leverage it. (And continued to block their ability to negotiate lower drug prices.)
They have a civil war.
Now THAT'S the truth!
grantcart
(53,061 posts)and probably won't understand for some time in the future is:
Expansion of federal power has always been accomplished on a narrow principle and expanded as people see the results and gain confidence in that role.
That is not simply an American process either. Single payer coverage in Canada started with a very narrow hospital coverage in a single province. It then went on to cover catastrophic illness. After a process of about 15 years they finally got single payer coverage. Mind you this came in a system that combines executive and legislative power in a single party through Parliament.
You can look at the same thing happening in all of our federal insurance programs as well. Social Security had a very narrow mission in the beginning. Look at any federal agency, CDC, FDA, USDA, they all started on narrow missions and expanded as people gained confidence in it. Flipping the switch and going national with a direct challenge to the entire health insurance industry would be difficult in a Parliment system but would is impossible under our divided divided power system where 40 Senators from the 20 smallest states accounting for less population than the 2 Senators from our largest state can bring everything to a halt. While it is true that the UK flipped the switch on a big conversion, they did so only after a prolonged war that brought together all classes under a shared sacrifice and with the defense sector already overtaking most of the medical resources of the private sector. In addition to that after getting it passed in our system you then have to get a Republican supreme court to pass that it is constitutional.
For 100 years progressives have wanted to establish legislation establish federal jurisdiction in controlling the health insurance industry and the health system. For 100 years we have failed. We now have that and it has passed the Supreme Court. It will never be taken away.
The real point of the Public Option is to reduce the Medical Loss Ratio to single payer levels. Before the AHCA medical loss ratios in many plans were 35%. Single payer systems typically cost about 7-9%. The ACHA capped it at 20% (25% for small plans). Billlions were saved on premiums and billions were refunded. Moreover, and this is the key point, the structure is in place to bring it down to 18% or to add a public option, maybe on a state by state basis first.
Your cynacism is hard earned and you wear it proudly so I don't expect things like establishing the principle of federal involvement in health care, the reduction of the MLR, the comparing of the context of countries like ours (Canada) or a restatement of the non Parliment radical division of political power to have any impact on your practiced bashing of President Obama. However I will leave you with this: Continuing to diminish the historic achievements of this President is exactly what the reactionary right wing wants you to do.l
zipplewrath
(16,672 posts)You keep moving goal posts:
For 100 years progressives have wanted to establish legislation establish federal jurisdiction in controlling the health insurance industry and the health system. For 100 years we have failed.
The goal was universal health CARE. We have still "failed". All we did was federalize the health insurance industry. This act no more made the "public option" a possibility than did Medicare. Without the ACA, we could still have arranged for a "public option" by allowing people and companies to "buy in" to the Medicare system. Of course, we STILL wouldn't have universal CARE.
Your cynacism is hard earned and you wear it proudly so I don't expect things like establishing the principle of federal involvement in health care, the reduction of the MLR, the comparing of the context of countries like ours (Canada) or a restatement of the non Parliment radical division of political power to have any impact on your practiced bashing of President Obama. However I will leave you with this: Continuing to diminish the historic achievements of this President is exactly what the reactionary right wing wants you to do.
Actually, overstating the accomplishment is exactly what the reactionary right wing wants YOU to do. It makes the ACA seem all that more of a "government takeover" than it really was. I realize you have a deep need to declare it an "historic" achievment, but Biden's declaration not withstanding, it was merely a federalization of the health insurance industry. It was the stated goal of the legislation NOT to change most of our insurance very much, if at all. It increased coverage for somewhere between 7 and 12% of the poplation, and did little to nothing to ensure that the newly covered could actually afford the underlying care. Costs of health CARE are still projected to increase annually (by the White House) to increase at around 7% per year for the foreseeable future. This will be unsustainable and THAT, more than anything in this piece of legislation, will bring around something vastly closer to single payer/universal care than anything in the ACA.
I've said long before the ACA that single payer is coming, and the GOP will most likely bring it to us. The multinationals will tire of paying for health care as a direct cost, when so many other economic competitors handle it as a shared cost. And when the GOP brings it to us, wait until you see what THEY mandate. They brought us Medicare Part D, and it came with a donut hole, and a restriction on federal negotiation that Obama kept.
Duval
(4,280 posts)I'm proud that he is our President, that he is so "real", and that he is respected world wide. I really enjoy seeing him with kids and I like Michelle very much. Besides this touchy issue, he had the guts to take on health care. Today thanks to him, the cost of my only medication was over $30.00 lower. At the same time, I am very concerned about the "far right wing crazies" and where they are trying to take our country. Thank you for your Post, WRP.
progressoid
(50,499 posts)choose your words carefully if you are disappointed in the future. Some people don't look too kindly on that.
calimary
(83,680 posts)The money I sent to his campaign is money VERY well spent. Glad I did. It wasn't much but I hope it helped.
THANK YOU Mr. President! I stand so with you and have your back so much that you might as well have me laminated to the back of your jacket.
Chorophyll
(5,179 posts)Third Doctor
(1,574 posts)Mira
(22,462 posts)unity and good will towards each other while ready to do battle for us all was really glorious.
What a difference from some of those others whose intelligence usually glimmers like small appliance light bulbs while prefacing their crap by claiming they are speaking for "the American People".
GentryDixon
(3,005 posts)I just got my new "Four More Years" Obama-Biden magnet today.
defacto7
(13,485 posts)n/t
Dpm12
(512 posts)Obama is a good president.
Joey Liberal
(5,526 posts)Skittles
(157,408 posts)is A-OK with me
Response to Skittles (Reply #25)
Post removed
Sissyk
(12,665 posts)Completely.
rivegauche
(601 posts)Paladin
(28,660 posts)longship
(40,416 posts)At least since the election.
Hopefully, he will remain firm in his convictions.
Hekate
(93,904 posts)... one of this country's best choices in a long long time.
HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)Let us show him that by signing every petition we can, and calling and contacting our local polliticians, especially if we live in RED Gun Happy States.
MindandSoul
(1,817 posts)Even when I didn't totally agree with his "giving in" to the GOP black mail, I knew he was doing it for the people of this country, not for political gain.
President Obama needs all our support. Anything else is giving in to the haters.
freckleface
(57 posts)Contrast PBO signing EO's with children who wrote him letters of concern with the drugster flailing his arms and spewing his poison on his radio show...'exploiting children...blah, blah,blah'.
femmocrat
(28,394 posts)I really feel like we are getting OUR country back, at last.
Historic NY
(37,739 posts)DinahMoeHum
(22,358 posts)hfojvt
(37,573 posts)that makes up for screwing the pooch on the Bush tax cuts - twice.
The country will seemingly be paying for that betrayal for as long as it lasts.
And probably be paying for it with more gun violence too.
CakeGrrl
(10,611 posts)I think he's the right person for this job to handle the circumstances and the type of relentless opposition he faces on a daily basis.
humbled_opinion
(4,423 posts)that is good but his rhetoric in no way is matching his actions, which has been a long time complaint of mine. I studied the 23 points, there is absolutely nothing in any of them that will do anything to stop gun violence, in fact many are nothing more than reiterations or clarifications on things that are already being done, I don't know it just feels like he wrote a strongly worded letter but took no real action...
I know I have been flamed on here by those that think this issue is a loser for the broader Democratic coalition, but I can't help but think that if we mobilized and marched on D.C. to show that we actually have his back by demanding that Democrats and Republican lawmakers put a ban on assault weapons and limit the capacity those actions would be real not just words... I know he can't do it alone and I also know we can't let him down...
A very wise man once said We are the ones we have been waiting for. Lets act like it.
marions ghost
(19,841 posts)spanone
(137,357 posts)SHRED
(28,136 posts)...he was very good today.
(Jill Stein in a solid Blue state)
Sekhmets Daughter
(7,515 posts)SHRED
(28,136 posts)Of course
Sekhmets Daughter
(7,515 posts)hue
(4,949 posts)disndat
(1,887 posts)I stood in line , in the cold, for over an hour, to cast my vote for Obama, even though I live in the middle of a place that is the most liberal, progressive possible area in the U.S.
VOX
(22,976 posts)Little bit of hope and change IS happening!
Auntie Bush
(17,528 posts)If not prouder!
Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)Bake
(21,977 posts)Corrrect me if I'm wrong.
The serious stuff has to be done by Congress: assault weapons ban, etc.
Bake
oldandhappy
(6,719 posts)A good day indeed.
williamc1967txlib
(25 posts)Sure, he's made some mistakes. And he hasn't fulfilled all my expectations, such as getting universal healthcare implemented. But frankly, considering the extreme circumstances (e.g. the Tea Party), he's done a pretty good job as President. Hope he has more success in the next 4 years.
Cha
(303,638 posts)I got a few gripes, too.. but, I've never been nothing less than grateful that this man is our President.