Mr. President, many of us thought we were voting for greatness. Instead, we got you.

[Cyrano]

Last edited Sat Dec 17, 2011, 04:09 PM - Edit history (1)

Like millions of other Democrats, I will hold my nose and vote for you next year. My only other choice is to vote for some brain-diseased Republican.

There are always disappointments in life, but Mr. President, you seem to be well on your way to becoming one of the greatest disappointments in American history.

I know that you understand we have no where else to go with our votes. And I know you must be aware of the various ways in which you have betrayed us.

Have you no conscience? Have you no decency? Have you no sense of self-betrayal?

You won’t prosecute your war criminal predecessors.

You won’t veto the most despicable Republican legislation that comes down the road.

You won’t stand up to the some of the worst domestic enemies this country has ever seen.

You won’t represent “We the People.” And you evidently won’t defend the Bill of Rights that protects us.

Yes, I know what you’ve accomplished against Republican intransigence and insanity. But that doesn’t measure up to the things you gave away before any “negotiations” ever began. (For example, Universal health care off the table before discussions even started.)

Sir, if you win a second term, how about throwing more than a few crumbs to a drowning American population? How about standing up and speaking out about what America is supposed to be?

If you are sworn into a second term on January 20, 2013, how about making that Day One of the restoration of how we used to view ourselves? A free people living in a just society.

Yeah, that may have always been an illusion. But why not be the guy that begins to make it a reality?

With Hope,

Cyrano

[jannyk]

1. Kick & Rec!

[stonecutter357]

102. get the money out of politics.

Keystone XLPipeline.

[olegramps]

231. What a crock of crap!

[Vincardog]

238. Cyrano speaks for me, except for that hold your nose and vote part

[Peregrine Took]

248. ++++++ well said.

[MADem]

2. He didn't give you everything you wanted, when you wanted it. Life is like that, sometime.

Calling Obama "the greatest disappointment in American history" because he didn't follow YOUR agenda and YOUR timetable, though, is a bit hyperbolic--to put it as kindly and mildly as I can manage.

[FarLeftFist]

5. True, Obama's magic wand must be in the shop for repairs.

[tblue]

18. What if he didn't give Cyrano ANYTHING he wanted.

Some of us have standards and a line we are not willing to cross.

Attacking people for having more than a morsel of integrity and supporting those who don't is the reason this country is headed down the toilet.

Obama is a huge personal disappointment to me. You gonna tell me I'm not disappointed too? You can't. And you can't change the facts of what this president has done.

I usually don't put it so bluntly but he has not met even my MINIMUM needs from a president. And he is about to sign a couple bills that neutralize much of the finagling he's done that people send around in a laundry list of largely half-measures he's touting. Excuse me if I don't lie to myself.

You think Occupy would be happening if our president was truly great? You think torturers and war criminals would walk free? You think we'd be cutting heating assistance for poor people in the winter? You think single payer healthcare would not have been an imperative? You think I'd even have to wonder, let alone BEG, that our president say a flat-out NO to the Keystone XLPipeline?

I could go on, but why? He gives us NO peace of mind. Just look at the number of petitions to him we are asked to sign, and then look at how many he defies. Please.

[FarLeftFist]

27. Then I would say let's judge him on at least a full term, possibly 2, maybe he WILL get things

He wanted. Btw, Occupy has nothing to do with Obama and EVERYTHING to do with the entire system. Obama can only play by the rules of the Constitution, he is not a dictator.

[eomer]

222. We gave him a Democratic majority in 2009/2010, that may have been his only decent chance.

During 2009/2010, he and the Democrats in Congress could have done a number of important things by using the budget reconciliation process, which can't be filibustered. He chose instead to play bipartisan BS with the Republicans and I personally can't believe he really thought that would work.

Some do believe he was sincere and credit him for trying to change how Washington works. But even if true, that's obviously not the change we need. At best that would have been two parties working together to not do what the American people want and need, but rather what the corporations want for their bribe money.

What he and the Democrats in Congress should and could have done was use reconciliation to fix our tax system, for example. Raise the rates on the wealthy and permanently cut taxes on the middle class.

They could have done that without Lieberman, Baucus, Collins, Snowe, or others who were on the 60 vote margin. They needed just 50 Senators plus the VP at a time when they had 59 Democratic Senators (counting Sanders) to work with.

That opportunity has been lost now, unless we can get a Democratic majority in both houses again. We can wait all we want for the rest of this term and possibly a second one; what do you expect he could accomplish if Republicans control one of the houses?

[FarLeftFist]

234. So lets concentrate on winning back the House.

[cstanleytech]

241. Actually we need to make more headway at the state level of government

because thats what sets the districts and what passes the varies state laws.

[MADem]

35. I'd say he's terribly hard to please, then.

You don't, apparently, understand what "attacking people" is all about.

Having a different view from yours is not an "attack."

Not agreeing with a statement is not an "attack."

I'd say you're terribly hard to please, too, if he has not met even your "MINIMUM needs." Gee, how have you survived all these years?

The GOP will associate OCCUPY with Obama, whether you like it, or not. No matter what they do, no matter how much they insist that the movement is apolitical, as far as the GOP is concerned, they're working for Barack. So, you can go on all you'd like, but that's the bottom line as far as they are concerned. Do with that fact what you will.

As for the President, he has work to do--expecting him to sign "petitions" like he's been approached upon coming out of a supermarket is just a naive expectation on your part. He's the President of all the people, not a wish granter, not a King.

I think there's just no pleasing some people, and you are proudly standing with that group. I will make a prediction that I think will materialize for you in the future--you're probably not going to be any happier with Obama in his second term, and I'll wager there will never be a sitting President who will make you very happy, or even meet your "MINIMUM needs."

That's life.

[MADem]

67. You are free to go where your conscience takes you.

I disagree with your assertions and your opinions, and I won't encourage them.

[MADem]

158. As I said, you're free to go where your conscience takes you. nt

[MADem]

184. You have one of those nice days, now. nt

[stillwaiting]

62. It's like this for me.

Obama gave me a few things I wanted,

Obama didn't give me a lot of things I wanted (and campaigned deceptively on in some cases), AND

Obama gave me A LOT of things I absolutely never, ever, wanted (and certainly didn't expect).

The scale is tipped here.

I'm not upset with Obama because he didn't give me a pony or EVERYTHING I wanted, and every single time I see someone use that line of reasoning around here I think troll because there just isn't any way that a regular poster around here can take in all of the information posted here, observe the frustration over the past three years, and come back with you didn't get EVERYTHING you wanted. The posters that tend to do this around here are seemingly intelligent (with maybe one or two exceptions).

Phuck that...

[emcguffie]

161. Hear, hear to you!

And many thanks.

[tblue37]

123. Hi, Cuz! I actually think Obama has done better than you think, though

not as well as I had hoped he would be able to do.

But I wrote a post some months ago entitled "Is Obama a 'stealth' progressive? (Could be.)" that might persuade you to consider a slightly more positive view (or not):
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x631285

The other tblue

[SemperEadem]

197. excellent post

I tend to lean towards that way of thinking, too.

[MissDeeds]

217. Excellent post, tblue

Unfortunately, this president has been a huge disappointment for me as well.

[rhett o rick]

121. I wanted him to dump the Patriot Act. Is that too much to ask? The republicons didnt force him to

extend it.

[MADem]

159. Apparently his National Security Staff continues to find some utility in it.

Those "republicons" would be having a field day had he dumped it, too, I suspect.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

223. The time is way past for giving a shit what Republicans think.

By doing so one gives them political cover for their failed policies. Look where that's gotten us.

[MADem]

271. I didn't list that as a cause, simply as an effect.

None of us presently serve on the national security staff, nor do we have any role on the intel committees of the House or Senate. As I said, they plainly see some continued utility in the thing, which is not an amendment to the Constitution, but merely an ACT, and can be easily jettisoned when no longer needed without too much drama.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

275. The only info they have that "we" don't have is who the players are.

Everyone knows the mission.

[MADem]

276. Not entirely. nt

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

290. You don't have to serve on the "National Security" staff to understand handing out $$$.

Think.



No!

REALLY think.

[MADem]

291. It helps to have access to classified material when making decisions.

That's what we, sitting at keyboards, do not have, by and large.

Think, indeed. No! REALLY think!

Have one of those nice days.

[rhett o rick]

262. Of course his admin would find it's far reaching powers useful. But it violates the

Constitution.

Maybe you dont think he will abuse such powers, but what about future presidents?

The fact that the republicans would have a field day is beside the point. We have already caved in too much for fear of the republicans.

I was counting on Pres Obama to undo some of the egregious violations of our Constitution by the previous administration, but he seems to like the expanded powers. We must stop this erosion of our freedoms.

[spicegal]

210. Totally agree.

I think Obama has done the best he can with the hand he was dealt, and dealing with an opposition Party that borders on nihilism has made it even worse. He's not a dictator and must work within the confines of the Constitution. The alternative to Obama would be so much worse.

[ooglymoogly]

252. Well you'll be happy to know

He gave the pugs everything THEY wanted.

Perhaps his magic wand only works for pugs...

Politics often works that way these days.

As for Dems.....Meh...they don't really count in the new world order....truth and integrity are just too inconvenient.

As for the much vaunted bi-partisanship...well they have enough pugs with a D after their names to keep that afloat and screaming.

To put it as mildly and kindly as I can manage.

[MADem]

272. Well, all I will say is that I disagree with your POV. Beyond that, there's little point in debate,

as your mind is made up and plainly set in stone.

[Phlem]

265. True but he's also

given up of a lot that we had chief. Just cause he's satisfied you doesn't mean everybody else is wrong.

-p

[FarLeftFist]

3. Greatest disappointment in American history?! Congress thanks you for letting them off the hook.

It's weird because IMHO he's the best President of my lifetime. I respect your opinion, hope you respect mine.

[otohara]

53. Do Nothing Congress

plus they can't stand him.

Never in my lifetime have I heard the POTUS be called names daily by some member of congress or a pundit. Liar, dick, scaredy cat, socialist, etc, etc, etc....

I think the GOP has crossed the line on too many things and things will change in 2012.

[MADem]

274. If you think, for a second, that every US senator, and many representatives, too, don't wake up each

morning, look in their mirrors, and see a POTENTIAL US PRESIDENT looking back at them (in their minds, anyway), I have a bridge for sale! They are a profoundly hubris-laden lot, and ALL of them think they're "presidential timber" of the finest quality.

You are quite right in your view of Congress--they DO dislike him, and for the same reason they disliked JFK (though they kept their opinions more to themselves in his case--probably because they were scared of his daddy and his VP). They felt he hadn't "done the time," spent the years in the legislative chambers, moved up the line in an orderly fashion....and plenty thought that they "deserved" the job more than he did. They're jealous, frankly, because he made "the bold move," and they either didn't when the moment was right for them--or they never had a "right moment" in their entire careers.

See, what he did do was cut in line--but he did it at the direct recommendation of that talkative old bastard who now serves as his VP, Joe Biden--who specifically said that BHO needed to run NOW--before he had too much of a record to pin on him.

Biden figured, rightly, if the guy won, there'd be something in it for him--he was actually thinking SECSTATE, but he ended up in the Number Two Slot instead!

Funny, the lack of a record was a topic of great consternation here on DU (well, the old DU) and a lot of the individuals who were pooh-poohing those who were concerned about BHO not having a sufficient record are, today, the very same folks who are now flinging shit at him for not being "whatever" enough to suit them. It's amusing, in a sick way. Talk about buyer's remorse!

Some people are happiest when they are unhappy and have something to complain bitterly about, is what I take from studying the "BHO: candidate-to-incumbent" story arc in this little corner of the online world. If Congress took half the shit here than BHO does, it still wouldn't be a tenth of what they deserve.

[emcguffie]

163. Well, I must be a great deal older than you are.

I have never been as exhilarated as I was the night Obama was elected. And to date, I have certainly never been as disappointed.

I hope information comes out someday that excuses his many and extraordinary disappointments. That is possible. But otherwise, nothing in my middling-long life has equaled those disappointments.

[tabatha]

4. Obama is NOT a dictator.

And although he works late at night, he still needs sleep.

Anger should be channeled to the worst congress in history.

[LibDemAlways]

108. No, anger should be channeled toward the people who voted for

the worst Congress in history. Unfortunately, these clowns are only in office because people voted for them. I blame an apathetic, ignorant populace.

[Maccagirl]

133. I also blame the public.

Majority rules. Majority isn't always right.

[fasttense]

196. Majority Rules?

Like when the Supremes select the bushes, ignoring the Constitution? Like the Ohio votes being sent to Tenn. before they were counted electronically in 2004 and the man who did it died with no investigation by the DOJ despite him leaving a letter clearly indicating who was trying to kill him? Like when millions of American citizens objected through e-mails, letters and telegrams, to amnesty for telecoms, yet Congress (including Obama) voted for it anyway. Like when millions of Americans objected through e-mails, letters, and telegrams to TARP yet Congress (including Obama) voted for it anyway.

No, majority does NOT rule in America, nor does law. A handful of greedy, ultra rich, white men rule America and their whim is law.

[rhett o rick]

122. Did he support extension of domestic spying? Cant blame that on Congress. nm

[ProSense]

6. Here's what

you won: the most accomplished President in decades.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/100219885

Yup, that's stuff people have been wanting for anywhere from two decades to a century.

Obama 2012

[Tanelorn]

13. Thanks for this reminder

Unless we get everything we think we have gotten nothing.
Is he the greatest President only history will tell.

[Number23]

77. This web site would be absolute and utter rubbish without you

And I seriously mean that.

[polmaven]

80. And I could not agree more.

We can always count on ProSense to do what needs to be done and say what needs to be said.

[quakerboy]

186. Well, At the very least

we can count on exactly what Prosense will say in response to any given scenario involving our President.

[SammyWinstonJack]

250. Yep without fail. nt

[Rex]

203. lawl

[CakeGrrl]

237. +10000 to that, Number23.

[The Wielding Truth]

172. Obama is not Adlai Stephenson or Paul Wellstone. He is the president who ran on the middle

ground. To those who have forgotten the message he truly gave. It was one that promised to represent all the people. He

promised to stop the divisiveness and listen to all sides. It promised to take the middle. That is what he did. He brought about

liberal change with a middle that had been pulled so far to the right that it seems like he has not even heard us, but let's

get real. He has been and done almost exactly what he said he would. He is not Gandhi. Even though we could have used

another Gandhi. He is not JFK and I thank all that's good, that he is not Bush or anyone one of the fools who would sell us all

for one gold coin.

What he need now is a wall of progressives so tall and wide that all he can see and hear is progressive

change. He will move to the middle again and we will see a more socially just country.

[sabrina 1]

294. The only people he didn't listen to, or give a seat at the table to during the HC debacle, were

those who worked hard to get him elected. So, no, he bent over backwards, which he admitted himself, to cater to Republicans. Too bad he did that, as Republicans are wrong about just about everything. Being president of all the people doesn't meant catering to those who do not have the best interests of all the people in mind. It means doing what IS BEST for all the people. There seems to be confusion over this. Unless we are to agree with Rahm who thinks Progressive Democrats' ideas are retarded.

[The Wielding Truth]

295. You and I both know you are correct. Yet until there is someone else better to run this country I

will choose Obama.

[MattSh]

221. Hey, that would be great, IF...

If these were ordinary times. These are not. These are extraordinary times that requires an effort at least five times as great. Considering the mess the country is in, this is just plain tepid.

[BklnDem75]

225. So the argument isn't that he's not great...

It's that he's not five times as great as any other President. This is why he's a failure?

[treestar]

7. Why were you voting for greatness?

Why does this particular President have to be "great?"

What is greatness? Vetoing bills because they are not 100% perfect is what it sounds like.

So what would you be saying had there been no Obamacare? Say he'd vetoed that over the public option. I would hope you'd be celebrating the "greatness" of that and telling us we ought to vote for this Great Man - no legislation and no progress, but standing on principle for sure.

I also wonder if the prosecute Bush thing would have worked out so well. Wouldn't there be a lot of grousing about not getting anything done on the economy, etc? The resulting media circus would have had the Republicans making themselves out to be victims.

[immoderate]

150. Veto? The public option was never an option. Never even mentioned.

--imm

[asjr]

8. Don't do this sort of thing again unless

we have prior notice. I had no time in which to put on my hip boots.

[MADem]

9. That post is an argument for being able to rec individual posts--A++++ for you!

And you don't have to take the final!!! Well done!

[Odin2005]

10. Obama has been so disappointing, and I was one of his earliest supporters

I was so enthusiastic about him as far back as 2006, and then he stabbed us in the back.

[WillyT]

15. + 1,000,000,000... What You Said !!! - HUGE K & R !!!

[Odin2005]

25. Thanks!

the last 2 & 1/2 years have been horribly disillusioning to me. I used to have faith in American democracy, thinking that Bush was a aberration caused by Culture War politics and that Obama's election was a return to virtuous government. I was wrong, Obama is just as bought as most other politicians.

[coalition_unwilling]

44. Odin2005, have you watched any of the Repuke debates yet? I ask, b/c I watched

my first this past Thursday and am horrified and terrified at the prospect of any of those Repukes (save possibly Huntsman) getting anywhere near the White House.

As disappointing as Obama has been, the current crop of Repukes demonstrate why sometimes voting for the lesser of two evils is not necessarily a bad thing and can even constitute a civic virtue.

I write this as one who had flirted with voting third party or not voting at all. Thursday's Repuke debate scared me straight.

One example should suffice: under a President Bachmann, there is zero doubt in my mind that we would be in a land war with Iran within 3 months of her inauguration. A land war with Iran would make Iraq look like a picnic in the park.

[Odin2005]

128. I try not to watch national political debates because nowadays...

...they are totally empty of actual debate about policy and are just spewing talking points and flinging mud.

[coalition_unwilling]

129. Well, I can't tell you what to do, but I think if you watched one of these Repuke

debates live you might have an epiphany similar to the one I had after last Thursday's.

Goldwater and Reagan seem positively sane and good-hearted by comparison with the current crop of Repukes. Color me deeply alarmed. I would be remiss in my duty as a citizen if I did not raise the alarm as much as I am able.

[Hawkowl]

213. And stabbed. And stabbed, stabbed, and stabbed again.

I will not hold my nose and vote for him again. I will vote straight Democratic ticket, except at the top where I will vote left wing third party.

[lunatica]

11. I never thought I'd say I miss the unrec option

How old are you?

[polmaven]

82. +++!

I was thinking something very similar.

[housewolf]

107. Ditto

n/t

[jaxx]

12. It's great to be able to see who rec's this kind of stuff.

Reads like a who's who.

[Fuddnik]

104. What you said!

Fuckin' A, Bubba!

[Peregrine Took]

251. Me, too.

[golddigger]

48. Damn straight!

[Kahuna]

114. LOL You made me look.

[Number23]

130. "Reads like a Who's Who." You got that right

Though it probably wouldn't be very nice to specify exactly which "Who's Who" these folks belong to.

[HangOnKids]

148. Your little smile face at the end does not negate your crassness

You sound like a fifth grader.

[Number23]

168. Could you stalk someone that actually cares about your opinion?

Lovely. Thanks.

[HangOnKids]

175. Stalking? Don't flatter yourself. n/t

[certainot]

243. just curious, could you explain the Malcom X avatar? if you're suggesting he's picking his ass

then i'd say it was you who smell.

if i got it wrong then i apologize.

[Puglover]

259. Like this swills rec list?

Back at ya.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/100232148

[Number23]

273. Oh, how I loved that thread

And it seems to be pissing off all the right (wrong?) people too. Thanks for the reminder.

[Union Scribe]

153. Ooops, thanks for the reminder.

Rec!

[ozone_man]

227. A who's liberal.

[Puglover]

258. Wow I was thinkin the same thing

when I read this piece of swill.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/100232148

[shanti]

296. So sorry you feel that way

What do you plan to do with this information?

[MrTriumph]

14. CAPITULATION will be how his administration is remembered.

x

[RBInMaine]

91. You must have amnesia. Please go back and review your middle school civics lessons and get a clue.

[JoePhilly]

16. Obama Bad Obama Bad Obama Bad

[frazzled]

17. And all WE got was the most hyperbolic, poorly argued post of the year

Congratulations! I can almost see you rending the threads on your shirt. Wringing your hands in despair. Ratcheting up the hyperbole machine.

It's these kinds of posts that make me think more and more each day of making a clean break with this place. It's like living in a community of mad people who have lost their grip on reality.

[nobodyspecial]

23. Yep. I keep checking in hoping things have changed

and each time it just seems worse. I think the many of the sane, reality-based posters have left the building. I'm all for criticism and it's certainly warranted in some cases, but stuff like this seems to suck all of the air out of the room.

[frazzled]

28. It's true: a lot of the sane people have left

(Not a great comment on you and me, I guess!) Which leaves people who remain here thinking that this tiny corner of the universe represents the thinking of most people. Are they ever going to be in for a shock when they emerge into the real world.

There's a certain amount of vanity in all this: thinking that your opinion is somehow reflective of "the people's," or that you can even convince people with this kind of stuff. I'm sad today. I don't want to cede this place to teh crazy, but I also don't want to get dragged down and depressed by it.

[nobodyspecial]

38. This used to be an awesome place

and I learned a lot. That said, I find much less value in it and pop in for amusement purposes only. I don't stay too long when I visit because, as you said, it's depressing.

I think the worst are the people actually cheering for the destruction of America or at least most of its underlying foundation as some sort of glorious revolution that will usher in a utopian golden age. Granted the balance of it is seriously out of whack right now. but I don't think we fix it by destroying it. And, there is no guarantee that it will actually improve. The violence of '68 scared people so much that it ushered in Nixon.

When I argue that people will suffer greatly if the system collapses, they say that people are already suffering. True. But this will pale in comparison to the nightmare that will result if they get their way.

And, any destruction or change is not going to happen overnight. I'm not willing to concede my country's next generation to that hell. To me, these so-called progressives are as ghoulish as the Christians who cheer for the Apocalypse. And, unfortunately, their voices have grown far too loud.

[coalition_unwilling]

50. I agree in general with the thrust of your post, but I think you are positing a false

cause-effect relationship when you write that "The violence of '68 scared people so much that it ushered in Nixon."

It is true that the violence of '68 scared people. But Nixon flat out lied to the American people when he told them he had a 'secret plan' to end the Vietnam War 'with honor.' There's a reason Nixon's nickname was 'Tricky Dick.'

LBJ's obduracy and Humphrey's obsequiousness may have also been contributing factors to the ushering in of Nixon in '68.

[Number23]

94. You'd better not EVER leave

I have just recently discovered your greatness. You are not only smart, but enlightened. And you also have perspective, which if this OP does nothing else, proves so poignantly how rare that quality is around here.

I agree with you and nobodyspecial that many of the sane and great have moved on. A bunch of us are just here for the laughs. And they are ABUNDANT even if most of them are (probably) inadvertent.

[juajen]

105. Bullfeathers!

People will meander back. Like me, they eschew change. I decided that I would just step in the stream and get my feet wet. Believe me, once a DUer, always a DUer. Besides, you have me. Don't complain. I'll be here to correct your grammar and your horrible spelling and set you straight politically, as needs be. Love, me

[Number23]

90. "It's like living in a community of mad people who have lost their grip on reality."

Are you SERIOUSLY just coming to this realization?

I posted downthread that I couldn't believe I was supposed to take this post seriously. And yet, there are 45 very SPECIAL souls that somehow relate to it.

Sometimes, it seems like someone could type "BLARRRGHHH!! Argle bungle ben bang Obama has LET ME DOWN!!! grrrrr GoooonyGumbo" and SOMEBODY here would rec that crap without the slightest trace of irony or awareness.

This place has become THAT special.

[SwampG8r]

140. just so we can say we shared an honest laugh together

because usually we are on different sides of a discussion let me make a proposal to you
tomorrow night after i get home from work i will post an OP
the title will be BLARRRGHHH!!
and the only text will be
Argle bungle ben bang Obama has LET ME DOWN!!! grrrrr GoooonyGumbo
i will post it in GD and we will see how many recs it gets
if you agree to this as an experiment and a pretty good joke then it will need to be kicked until the mod/host/admins kill it
so we will need to keep it kicked
i am game if you are
might be instructive

[HangOnKids]

151. Rock The House Swamp

Amen.

[Number23]

166. Why not?

Let the blarging begin!

[SwampG8r]

230. ok then tonight before 11 pm est

blarrrrrrrgh!!!

[Skittles]

149. sometimes it feels like people here will approve of ANYTHING

as long as it's a so-called Democrat DOING IT

[HangOnKids]

152. There Is A Thread Or Two Up Above

Where the posters need to get a room. Baffling and bizarre. "Don't ever leave." This is a political discussion board not a cheerleader sleep over for fuck sake.

[Number23]

167. lol You mad 'cause nobody's probably ever said that about you?

My God. When it comes down to "I am mad because someone said 'don't ever leave' to another poster on a message board" it's time to TRULY call it a day.

[HangOnKids]

174. Did I say I was mad?

Reading comprehension hamster.

[Number23]

177. Yes because your "get a room" comment didn't express any type of emotion

But perhaps it was "jealousy" rather than anger. Makes more sense

[Skittles]

181. THAT'S ANOTHER THING

they seem to have very poor reading comprehension skills - VERY POOR INDEED

[Number23]

189. AND YOU WouLD KNoW ABOUT THat!

YES INDEED

[Skittles]

277. I would

I am very trained in that area; yes INDEED

[Number23]

278. Yes, we've all seen the efforts of your "training"

What would this site be without your misspelled, nonsensical rantings full of bizarre punctuation and superfluous capitalization?

You call it "training." There's another set of words the rest of use for it.

[Skittles]

280. LOL

you are too funny

[Number23]

281. Backatacha, dollface!

[Skittles]

180. it is very disturbing

honestly, I think they are paid - no one can be that stupid

[RBInMaine]

92. I think this original poster is having a temper tantrum and needs a cookie and blanket. Boo Hoo...

[HangOnKids]

155. Are you talking about your OP? n/t

[jefferson_dem]

211. So true.

But please, stick around. Reality-based perspectives are required for balance.

[ermasdaughter]

215. I could not agree more...

Folks are spewing madness. An utter lack of of critical, rational thinking. You can be disappointed with this president. But to suggest that he's a failure in the face of all he's accomplished given the tattered state of our economy and the hateful congress he had to work with, is just wrong.

I am most disappointed in his tenacious grip on the idea of bi-partisan government. But he truly believed he could do it and badly under estimated the level of vitriol out there working against him - in some cases because of his policies and in many cases because he is black.

A black man had to be extraordinary to make it to the presidency and as it turned out he was only human. It seems to me that people are more angry with him because he didn't turn out to be the GOD we desperately needed him to be. Just a good-intentioned man.

That's okay with me. I can respect and support him even if I don't agree with some of his decisions. That is the nature of a democracy.

[nobodyspecial]

24. Change to Republicans?

Last time I looked, Obama doesn't have any challengers.

[nobodyspecial]

52. Who?

Seriously. Do you have a list? Are they eligible for the primary ballot?

[nobodyspecial]

68. You keep telling yourself that

but it's not true. I'm sure the Republicans you want to regain in control will be sure to prove it to you. Too bad the rest of else have to suffer because you want to cling to the mistaken belief that they are all the same. It's simply not true. You would think people would have learned after the whole Gore-Nader fiasco.

[polmaven]

85. And we can make that happen

by taking back the House and seeing that there are at least 63 or 64 Democrats in the Senate. It is up to US to get the government we want. The president cannot do it by himself!

[polmaven]

214. Your recollection is correct..

and the Pelosi led House of Representatives passed a ton of good, progressive legislation, which never made it to a vote in the Senate because of the obstructionism.

There were 60 elected Senators for a total of something like 44 days betweed 2009 and 2011, but during that time Senator Kennedy was too ill to be able to be there. Without 60 votes, nowadays, cloture doesn't happen, and bills don't get voted on. ANY president would be ineffective with these obstructionist tactics.

[Doctor_J]

111. Talk about living in fantasy land

Jesus Christ, get ahold of yourself. There will NOT be 63 D Senators in the enxt Congress. So if you claim that Obama is useless without that, you've given up

[Zalatix]

20. I don't care who you put into office

The Plutocracy will come to that new President and put him/her under their thumb. The Plutocracy has the power to destroy America's increasingly fragile economy and throw the whole country into chaos. They can do it through the banks, through a ruinous oil embargo, through all kinds of methods. Just about any President who comes into office and faces such threats will choose to cave rather than oversee a currency collapse* or a massive oil crisis, etc., on their watch.

Obama has handlers who got a hold of him shortly after taking office. It's the same people who kicked Jimmy Carter out of office. It's the same people who shackle every President and most of Congress as soon as they get into office.



* Although I would call their bluff on both cases. The Plutocracy has more to lose in a collapse than the rest of America does.

[BeHereNow]

54. Oh, what a refreshing post! [phone]!

Now and then, true intelligence emerges in a DU post,
which is what keeps me coming back.
Thanks.
Sincerely,
BHN

[FirstLight]

267. + a Brazillion!

I agree...It matters not...however at least our current Pres has some of his wits still about him. (i shudder to think of anyone else in that office right now) BUT

they are ALL bought and paid for...all three branches of govt. so for all the people saying Obama could do better with a different congress, or they want obama to pick the next person to the SC...it just doesn't matter anymore. the money, the corps, the 1% are who truly rule us.
...there's stuff going on and we the people are being mobilized against in our own country, IMO

[samplegirl]

21. So go vote for Ron Paul

or Mitt or Newt!!!! That will fix things.

[Control-Z]

55. I assume that is what you all are saying and will do.

Or not vote at all. Otherwise what is the purpose of this kind of post? To make it harder for Obama to get reelected? I really don't understand and would be happy to hear the purpose.

[Union Scribe]

143. Did you not even read the first line of the OP? The first damn line. nt

[Control-Z]

145. Actually, I did.

That's one who will hold their nose. Most don't say, or claim they won't vote at all. None of them do anything to help reelect Obama, though, do they? Did you miss the point of my response? I still don't understand the point of these OPs. Maybe you can tell me how they will help us in 2012.

[Skittles]

182. it's called the thinking of simple minds

like children, really

[quickesst]

22. Horse-shit......

"Mr. President, many of us thought we were voting for greatness. Instead, we got you."

You voted for a magical, mystical, fairy tale wrapped up in the unrealistic, and false trappings of the ultimate liberal ideal. Go ahead and hold your nose, but, don't forget to breath through your mouth. Just a helpful reminder. Thanks.
quickesst

[sendero]

73. We voted for someone.

.... who would do what he said he would do. Boy were we fooled, but not a second time.

[quickesst]

195. It took you this long?

..."won't be fooled again" GWB You're welcome. thanks.
quickesst

[Kahuna]

112. Epic!

[HangOnKids]

162. Does the laughing emoticon make you feel powerful?

It is ridiculous and makes you look like you have nothing to say. Oh I just realized it worked.

[Kahuna]

228. Don't worry about how I feel. Just like I don't worry aboiut how you feel...in the least.

[jpak]

26. I voted for greatness and that is what I got

yup

[FarLeftFist]

29. I could think of WAAAY more disappointing things in American history.

[monmouth]

30. This sh&*% is getting so old. This place is really becoming disgusting....

[samplegirl]

31. Yeah this what my republican friends all say too.....

in hopes I won't vote!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I guess they let anyone become a member of a "Democratic" forum these days.

[BklnDem75]

32. That tends to happen when expectations are beyond unrealistic

Greatness? Did you expect him to fly, too?

[Cyrano]

42. No, I didn't expect him to fly.

I just expected him to be what we used to call a Democrat.

[BklnDem75]

125. From what I see...

You expect him to be what you claim to hate. A unitary executive.

'Yeah, that may have always been an illusion. But why not be the guy that begins to make it a reality? '

That's not looking for what we use to call Democrat, that's looking for someone with special godlike powers. We have a Congress. Pretending they don't exist doesn't make Obama the unreasonable one.

[MADem]

185. You expect him to be what you claim to hate. A unitary executive. +1000000 nt

[JohnnyRingo]

244. Like Bill Clinton?

If this forum was online then I would no doubt be reading your post about how upset you are because he passed NAFTA, crushed welfare as we know it, and murdered Vince Foster. I'd have to endure outrage about him bombing an asprin factory in a foreign land and that he kowtows to the whims of Newt Gingrich.

How far back in your fantasy world do you have to go to get what you call "a democrat"? The great warmonger LBJ? Carter the one term president?

What I'm seeing on DU these days are egocentrics who think the entire country thinks like them. So many seem to think if Obama led a prosecution team in charging Cheney for war crimes the rest of the country would get behind him. They think Obama standing up to congress and running the country by rules of fiat would garner support from coast to coast instead of being labeled a dictator.

If you were an Obama advisor we'd be complaining about President Biden today.

[BeyondGeography]

33. You can't be serious

[madamesilverspurs]

34. I didn't vote for 'greatness.'

My vote went to the person with the best skills set to dig us out of a huge mess. He happened to campaign with the slogan "Yes We Can", and we happily chanted it with him. But following the inauguration waaaay too many of us decided that it's "Yes He Can" and promptly forgot that this is a group effort. I have a sneaking suspicion that the "We" are now populating the Occupy movement, joining voices together in effective answer to those determined to say nothing but "no".

There's a difference between walking into a dark room where a flick of the switch will bring the lights on, and walking into the wreckage of a building where the damage is so extensive that much of it needs to be rebuilt before a functioning light switch can even be installed. Obama knowingly walked into the second situation. Normal expectations didn't apply.

He has my enthusiastic support because I still believe in the "We".

[nobodyspecial]

39. Very well put.

[emulatorloo]

59. An excellent post

Thank you.

[Zalatix]

144. Why don't we Democrats take "Yes we can" seriously?

1) If we took "Yes We Can" seriously, we would have STORMED the Tea Party in 2009 when they started raising hell about the Public Option. I was there to counter-protest them and there were VERY few Liberals around to back me up. I know there was no "Yes We Can" there. Everyone was "Yes He Can" - relying on Obama to save the Public Option. Liberals did not stand up to the Tea Party. Can anyone deny this?

2) In 2010 Democrats got swept out of office in almost every state in the Union and Congress. "Yes We Can" wasn't happening then - a lot of liberal voters CLEARLY stayed home. Can anyone deny this?

3) I was there at OWS for the first Oakland port rally. I donate to OWS as best I can. "Yes We Can" was acted out by OWS. Where were the rest of the Liberals then? Why aren't we supporting OWS? Why is OWS's donations drying up suddenly? Can anyone deny that liberals aren't doing enough for OWS? If we were, OWS rallies would be orders of MAGNITUDE bigger.

When we say "Yes We Can" that means "Yes We Should". That means ALL of us have to get together and take meaningful action. Donations, protesting, getting out and voting.

To rip off Kennedy:
Ask not what Obama can do for us, but what we can do for Progressivism.

[HangOnKids]

165. Somebody Has Eaten Too Many Cheerios Today! n/t

[SemperEadem]

204. wish I could recommend this post a thousand times over

well said.

[golddigger]

36. I wasn't looking for greatness. Just someone who would

stand up for democratic principles. Instead we got republican lite.

[graywarrior]

37. Yeah, yeah, yeah....we've heard it all before

Z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z.

[ElboRuum]

40. Voting for "greatness?"

You know, I always take it with a grain of salt when people accuse the Obama detractors of having voted for a "savior" rather than a President. I mean, unless you've been sleeping under a rock for the last 50 years, we all know that the political landscape in this country is fraught with moral ambiguity, relativism, corruption, graft, and in the middle of it all, humanity's marginal material. Indeed, only a person without a particularly fierce sense of idealism can even operate in such an environment. Yet here it is, the savior post written by the betrayed acolyte. He's involved in politics and you expected greatness? You expected progressive purity from a centrist?

So here I find myself responding to a post written by someone who, when he/she looked at this centrist candidate, managed to convince him/herself that it was the Progressive Jesus Christ. The amount of I am experiencing at this moment is quite literally off the scale.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the die was cast for your disappointment long before Barack Obama even announced his candidacy.

[JoePhilly]

64. YUP .... I used to make fun of right wingers who claimed that the left thought Obama was ...

"The Messiah"!!!

And what I have learned is that some on the left actually DID think he was the Messiah!

[unionworks]

47. republican lite gives me the runs

I will vote for Obama. But in all seriousness, how do you justify, even for a second, taking prosecution of Bushco off the table? Oh, wait, it was Nancy Pelosi who did that. Come on, step right up. I want to hear someone defend poor Bush and Cheney. (Sarcasm)

[zbdent]

49. many of us were not "enamored" to the point of believing in a whole other reality ...

(unlike what many in the "liberally-biased media" would have you believe).

As I stated once Obama was announced as the winner ... "now the hard part begins". Fighting against the "liberal bias" in the media which parroted the RWers and glossed over the roadblocks that Repugs and some Dems would throw in the way of getting things done.

And I did not have this glass mentality that, once in office, Obama would force through every liberal idea ... hence, the Repugs being able to say "Hey, look! He's made his liberal base angry!"

The "liberally-biased media" allows the claim of "Hey, Obama had a majority in the Senate, why didn't he get them to pass bill X?" without pointing out that the Repugs pulled the "filibuster" lever so many times that the mechanism got stuck, making it impossible to get a bill to the point where it COULD be voted on.

[Modern_Matthew]

51. There is no magic wand with capitalism...

Revolution is required to overthrow this economic system.

And that won't be done from the office of America's CEO.

[great white snark]

56. One could accuse you of ungratefulness and selfishness if all you see is "crumbs".

That has nothing to do with expecting more or better, it's about appreciation of things that may not affect you personally.

[jimlup]

57. Well said! nt

[MjolnirTime]

58. I quit reading after you said you were voting for him next year. The rest is just vitriol.

[bvar22]

60. To REC, ... or Not?

I was under no illusion that I was voting for "Greatness".
Obama WAS my 2nd to last choice among ALL the Candidates,
but I DID believe that he would provide some impetus for "CHANGE",
in THAT belief, I WAS disappointed.

He never even bothered to show up for the fight on his Campaign Promises to the Working Class:
EFCA,
the re-negotiation of NAFTA,
the "comfortable Shoes",
the Public Option,
ending the Bush tax Cuts

..I could go on, but why?

President Obama had the opportunity for Greatness:
[font size=5]Obama's Army, Jan. 21, 2009[/font]

[font size=5]"Oh, What could have been."[/font]


...but he declined the challenge,
and instead sought "Bi-partisan Consensus".
Mediocrity WAS his choice.

He coulda been a Contender!



After reading the replies on this thread,
I will go back and give it a Rec.

[gael]

99. Beautiful

[Kahuna]

110. Nonsense. That army deserted in 2010. They believed their job as citizens was

done for the next four years.

[bvar22]

116. The ARMY deserted?

No.

The really sad part is that The ARMY is NOW marching without Obama
who has turned his back on them.
SEE: OWS



You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their excuses.
[font size=5 color=green][center]Solidarity99![/font][font size=2 color=green]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/center]

[Kahuna]

202. Ha ha.. An army without a leader. Don't make me laugh.

When has that ever worked?

[JohnnyRingo]

246. Just like guitar solos ended the Viet Nam war.

Protest has it's place in a democracy by shedding light on a problem, but it seldom brings the change people credit it for. Walter Cronkite did more to end the war than any sit-in.

Then again, I burned my draft card in the local court house square, and I imagine that may have been impossible for our leaders to ignore. It only took two days before I realized I needed it to buy beer.

[One of the 99]

120. That's true

While the tea party was mobilizing, the left went home.

[Kahuna]

206. So true. And now they have ten times more to complain about..

because they couldn't be bothered to stick it out. Yep! They sure showed Obama.

[bvar22]

242. No.

While the tea party was mobilizing, The Democratic Party Leadership went home.
Where WAS our "Leadership" during TeaBagger Summer?

If Leadership had called us to Stand WITH Him, Millions, including myself
would have answered the call.
Leadership declined the opportunity to LEAD.
Leadership was AWOL.

The JOB of Leadership is to MOTIVATE the troops.
It is beyond absurd to expect the troops to motivate and direct themselves.
The more conservative members here call THAT anarchy.

Blaming the Troops or the Voters for a Failure of Leadership might feel nice,
but it IS counterproductive,
and only ensures future failures.

The Troops or the Voters can't be Fixed.
But if Leadership has the courage to address their Failures,
THEN the problem CAN be corrected.
THAT is the road to SUCCESS.


[font size=4]Leadership! "The Buck Stops HERE!" NO Excuses![/font]





You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their excuses.
[font size=5 color=green][center]Solidarity99![/font][font size=2 color=green]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/center]

[One of the 99]

282. Where were the people during the teabagger summer?

They stayed home. You can try to blame the leadership all you want but the left thought their job was done after the election and went home.

[ChadwickHenryWard]

61. I didn't have particularly high hopes for him

but I didn't expect him to pursue the conservative agenda so vigorously as he has done. Between the numerous corporate handouts, pushing Romneycare, cap and trade, and acquiescing on numerous tax cuts, and expanding the War on Drugs and the War on Terror (not to mention the absolutely unconscionable human rights abuses) I am left to wonder how exactly he is better than a Republican.

[nobodyspecial]

69. Well, with the help of you and all the others here

I'm sure the GOP will be happy to show you.

[ChadwickHenryWard]

113. What's the difference?

They're already in charge of the national agenda. I don't want they Republicans to be in charge, but I've got news for you: they already are.

[Kahuna]

207. If the left gets its act together we can kick the gop to the curb next November. nt

[Islandlife]

63. Do you think you were mislead by marketing or hopefulness?

It was a great campaign with great slogans and catch phrases. Many good sentiments.

Perhaps expectations were accidentally raised too high. Maybe it was mob mentality taking over. Or maybe it's not over yet.

[kenny blankenship]

70. I'd have settled for Average. Give me an average man or woman as President

An ordinary person with their heart in the right place. An average person who stays loyal to the 99% while in office. A Great mind who uses their talent to betray the 99% to the 1%, who sells us out, we need like bread riots and a competent & well-funded police state. May their limo run out of gas as they dash to the airport "to catch the last plane out".

[randome]

74. So you're blaming Obama for YOUR unreleastic expectations.

[Number23]

75. "Have you no conscience? Have you no decency? Have you no sense of self-betrayal?"

I'm sorry, but are we supposed to take this seriously? Is anyone else trying not to laugh at this or is it just me?

[FunMe]

135. Some rose-colored glasses last a long time.

And the poms poms are still going strong.

Denial is not just a river ...

[Number23]

136. I'm sorry, is this supposed to mean something?

[HangOnKids]

169. What It Means You Clearly Don't Want To Get

Is your hamster still running in it's cage?

[Number23]

171. Do I know you or is there a reason you keep responding to me?

If your comments were this weak in your last iteration, I can understand why you had to get another persona.

Third time's the charm, maybe?

[Number23]

178. Because I like playing with trolls that probably won't be around for too much longer?

But the Malcolm X avatar is a nice touch. Throws off the scent for about 9 minutes.

[Ship of Fools]

76. Two words come to mind: FOX *NEWS*

The first dem pres in the era of fake news. That should explain a lot.
Should you need further assistance, well ...

[quinnox]

78. Interesting post

I think it is a little over the top in the "melodrama" but to be honest I enjoy that. DU threads should be interesting and provocative as well as entertaining to read and this post does those things well.

[ProSense]

79. Would

"Mr. President, many of us thought we were voting for greatness. Instead, we got you."

...you settle for historic?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/100233108

[BklnDem75]

229. Hysterics seems to be the order of the day

[AtomicKitten]

81. You voted for "greatness?" That's odd. I voted for president.

The difference being I never underestimated the resistance he would face and I never overestimated the powers of the office of the presidency.

[tammywammy]

127. +1 n/t

[Whisp]

83. what bald faced b.s.

'''You won’t represent “We the People.” And you evidently won’t defend the Bill of Rights that protects us.'''

get a fricken grip

[laylah]

84. He won't hear this and even

if he did, he would not listen. We were played, plain and simple, IMVOHO!

My children worked for him! I have pictures of him, taken by my daughter, in Ft. Collins...schmooooozing everyone.

I agree his message was NOT "Yes, I can"...it was, and still IS, yes, WE can.

Unfortunately, I now believe it is yes, WE can, without him. Sure, he has done some good things; however, to have CAVED as often as he has, with the HELP of the DAMNED members of Congress...no words.

My forefathers fought for this Republic...I am saddened to see their efforts, and the efforts of those after them, were for naught.

[RBInMaine]

87. Sorry that they didn't issue him a magic wand and a superman suit.

[RBInMaine]

93. Please grow up before you post anymore tantrums. Now go get some milk and cookies.

[laylah]

205. You are a real piece of work.

But I am pleased you have encouraged me to figure out how the new "ignore" function works.

[bigtree]

95. I wish you'd been more realistic

. . . looked at the record, looked at his promises, listened to what he was saying in the campaign.

I know you think you did all of that, but it doesn't really sound like it.

[gael]

97. Cyrano, my thanks

That's all I can say, as well, disappointed and betrayed.

But, it looks like we will have a third and Forth party. It was Obama's to loose, and unfortunately for him, us, and the Democratic Party I believe it will happen. Whether the two new parties, the Justice and American Elect are succesful, or not, dividing the vote will
have enormous consequences to the future of the two party system. Personally, I rather doubt that either of these parties will
sponser a candidate like Bernie Sanders, the man I would have faith in, but if the President signs NDAA, I am unable to vote for him and will actively work to defeat him.
The huge surprise to me, is the Republican like loyalty to Obama, see no evil, hear no evil, march in line and genuflect, I hardly recognize my party anymore.

[nobodyspecial]

103. dividing the vote will have enormous consequences

Yes, but I don't think in the way that you want.

Nader used to advocate the same. Look where that got us. I hate having a two-party system, but that's what we have.

BTW, despite your portrayal, the reality-based community sees that there will be two choices in the election. Facing up to that fact hardly is the same as genuflecting in loyalty.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

146. You REALLY need to work on your punctuation and spelling. n/t

[themadstork]

98. very unlikely, in a system so reliant on contributions from the wealthiest,

that you are ever really voting for greatness, especially in the country's largest election.

i did think obama would stink less than he has, though.

[Scurrilous]

100. Garbage. n/t

[Maine-i-acs]

101. Yep, a McCain presidency would've been much better

McCain already knew where OBL was anyway, and he would've ramped up the Bush economic tailspin for a few more years, etc.

/sarcasm

[JoeyT]

142. Yeah, a McCain presidency would have been awful.

We might have gotten drone strikes on multiple countries, continued Bush tax cuts for the rich, mandates with no caps for health care, further erosion of the bill of rights, fucked around in Iraq for three or four more years, more free trade, and a whole bunch of libertarian/Republican economic and social policies.

Oh wait, we did all that anyway. Huh.

Either you got confused in the middle of your only sentence, or you don't know what the word sarcasm means. But good for you for getting that far.

[Kahuna]

106. The problem isn't with the president. It's with the citizens who think they've

fulfilled their civic duty by voting every four years. They forget that elections are held every two years. that's why we're in the mess we're in right now.

[DeathToTheOil]

109. Cry me a FREA-KIN' river!

Obama's a better leader than Cameron, Sarkozy, Merkel, and definitely Stephen Harper! Wake up and smell the Real World!

[Kahuna]

115. I see a lot of people are still pining for Hugo Chavez. nt

[Zhade]

117. KandR

NT!

[whistler162]

118. Gotta love people who vainly attempt to talk for everyone else.

I voted for a President and got a dang good one.

[dionysus]

156. +1

[One of the 99]

119. Universal health care was never on the table.

This is where the President is criticized unfairly. None of the major Dems running in 2008 were pushing universal health care. It was never part of then candidate Obama's platform. Everyone knew that when they voted for him and if they didn't it is their fault not his. So to attack him now for not pushing for it is using it as an excuse to attack the man.

[StarsInHerHair]

124. the people on this thread who try to say crap about wanting a pony are = to Republicans

who say Obama was supposed to be the "messiah"......I find that disgusting

&feature=player_embedded here is candidate Obama on healthcare

[certainot]

126. as long as there is no organized opposition to the RW radio monopoly most of your complaints are

based on faulty evaluations of what a dem president can do relative to politics and media.

the right uses it to beat the crap out of everything liberal, progressive, dem, just, logical, rational, and democratic all day long from 1000 radio stations, reaching 50 mil a week, without a whimper from those people who pledged to get their reps backs, and you expect a black president to waltz into the white billionaires house and kick ass.

[Skip Intro]

131. Hopefully fewer people allow vauge catch phrases and fuzzy imagery to substitute for critical

analysis and factual detail in the future.

[Zorra]

132. We'll have to elect a traditional progressive Democrat to get greatness.

Neoliberals are always going to do exactly what Obama has done.

[FunMe]

134. WOW! Battered wife syndrome.

No matter what he did to betray his base, you are still going to "hold your nose".

Wow! Even Rihanna left her abuser.

Many of us Democrats are in shock more than anything that Obama ran and won as a Democrat but is running his administration as a REPUBLICAN.

We are not in denial. GEEZ! No wonder I limit my visits here.

[treestar]

187. I think you've managed to put your finger on what is wrong with the attitude

You were voting for President, not a husband.

Running his administration as a Republican. That's just too much. Exaggeration that is almost funny.

[nashville_brook]

240. "battered spouse syndrome" is a metaphor -- people really do know they're not voting for spouses...

with the metaphor, they're describing the ways in which their trust has been betrayed, and with every hippie-punching event from the administration, the metaphor gains strength in describing the abuse aspect of the relationship.

on the other side of the fence, there's the folks who drool over the shirtless, body surfing, or black tie Obama as if he's a Ken doll. these folks are not employing metaphor. they're expressing their fandom the same way a young girl pines/fawns for Justin Bieber. there's not meta here. there's just fandom.

this crosses the line from funny to sad and disturbing.

[treestar]

255. But there is no one on one relationship

So the metaphor just doesn't apply.

This is a political position, not a relationship.

This is not a person who we should expect to meet our needs. It is a person we want to hold that office. In that office, there is no one person who can do all or even most of what we want.

[NYC Liberal]

137. "greatest disappointments in American history" Yawn. Another hysterical, hyperbolic anti-Obama rant.

How about this: don't vote for the man you obviously despise and vote for someone who you do like.

Nobody is stopping you from writing in another Democrat who meets your approval.

[ProSense]

141. "greatest disappointments in American history"

[Shaky]

138. Obama short coming

Cyrano
You are right!
The majority of the posters here wish to hide their head in the sand
and not look at how Obama has let the base down.
Remember the Public Option? Lasted 2 wks before it was taken off the table.
I think he has proven that the corporate desire is greater than the people's.
I hope he is re-elected but unless he proves that he truly represents the masses
I have my doubts

[JoeyT]

139. I voted someone who would do what he promised to do.

Which wasn't particularly great, but was decent. Instead we got someone who didn't even bother to make an effort on many of his promises.

Edited to remove pointless insult.

[Tx4obama]

147. Of Obama's Campaign Promises (the ones being tracked) so far 159 have been KEPT.

Promises KEPT: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/rulings/promise-kept/

And that does not include ALL the other good things that President Obama HAS done: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022255

[dionysus]

154. "one of the greatest disappointments in American history. "

[RZM]

157. Honestly

I find it hard to believe that you bought 100 percent into Obama the candidate.

I don't know you of course. Maybe you did. I'm not the smartest guy on the block by any means. But I was pretty damn skeptical from day one about the Obama phenomenon.

I gave him my vote, but I never expected him to heal the country or the world. I expected him to govern as moderate Democrat. That's essentially what we've gotten.

While I do think he should share some fault for selling himself as a transformative figure, there was no reason anybody had to believe it. The real question here isn't why he hasn't lived up to everything, it's why so many people thought he would. It's not like it's news that politicians can be full of it sometimes. Why did so many people believe Obama would be any different?

I'm not trying to bash him here either. He's performed pretty much as I expected. He's not the kind of president I would necessarily build from scratch. But he is the one I voted for, for better or worse.

[dionysus]

179. thank you. a post of clarity.

[Dewey Finn]

183. Your recklessly realistic (and very smart) take on things

is a real breath of fresh air to stumble across here.

Of course, that's why it will mostly be ignored.

[RZM]

256. Thanks! n/t

[ohheckyeah]

160. After 8 years of what

many people believe was the worst president in history, when Obama was elected there were many people filled with hope for a new direction for the country. Many of those people now feel let down. Were the expectations too high? Probably.

The disillusionment many people now feel is painful. I remember when I first dealt with that kind of disillusionment and that is why I don't jump on someone venting those feelings.

Has Obama done many good things? Yes, of course.

Has Obama done some bad things? Yes, of course.

He's neither saint nor sinner, all good or all bad. And I think it would serve us all well to moderate our reactions to our disappointment and disillusionment and quit fighting over how perfect or imperfect Obama is. We aren't supposed to be our own enemy and we aren't convincing anyone of anything.

[abq e streeter]

170. With great regret, I have to agree with this.

I keep thinking, I got out of bed on election day for one last day of phone banking to try to get every last vote, with a back in so much pain that I only lasted a couple of hours before I couldn't take it anymore, for this? I went door to door with a social anxiety disorder so severe I practically hyperventilated before virtually every door I finally worked up the nerve to go knock on , for this? (BTW, I was also falsely promised by his local staff that I would NOT be knocking on doors alone: I specifically inquired about that for that very reason; they lied to me and I went and did it anyway). I begged and pleaded with my potentially non-voting and/or undecided friends to vote for him , for this? I literally jumped for joy and almost was in tears from the emotion when it was announced he'd been elected, for this?

Not trying to make myself out to be some kind of martyr; many did far, far more than I did, but there always seems to be the accusation from certain quarters that those of us who are so profoundly disappointed in him never wanted him to succeed anyway, have been against him from day one etc. I wanted to make my case that ,while I had some reservations about him early on (which I have to say, seriously UNDER-estimated how deep that disappointment would be), I did my tiny part in helping get elected , and I vigorously reject the idea that those of us who feel as you and I do, are somehow undermining him, have been against him from day one, want the republicans to win, or whatever the accusation of the day is.
And yes, I WILL vote for him again; the alternative is so much worse...But I am angry and disgusted at having once again been put in that position: "where else ya gonna go, kid?"

[truebrit71]

173. How about if he gets elected he once, just ONCE, does something he SAYS he will do...

..you know, give us a little taste of that 'Change' we had 'Hoped' for...??

Either that, or once just grow a fucking spine and tell the rethuglicans to fuck off...Once would be nice...but I ain't holding my breath...

[Whisp]

190. he said he'd get rid of DADT

and he did.

There are plenty more, this is one example of how wrong you are.
If you are interested in a list of all Obama promised he would do, and did, one can be provided.

[JohnnyRingo]

193. How about that time he told the Republicans to screw off when they wanted GM to fail?

As a GM retiree that saved my pension. The Republicans wanted to drive a stake through the heart of the UAW by dissolving Chrysler and GM, but Obama and his task force loaned them the money to bounce back. I literally owe the man my livlihood.

You on the other hand, must have suffered tenfold over the thousands of retirees who would now be washing dishes if Mitt Romney had his way. I don't know what Obama did to you, but he's helped a lot of people in his first term alone.

I know you only asked for "one thing" he did, but here near Youngstown his stimulus (which was vehemently protested by Republicans) also resulted in a comeback for V&M Star, a closed steel mill. Now hundreds have jobs there. Tell them how Obama failed you.

That was only two, but I could go on & on with good deeds Obama has done for working class America. It appears you hear only bad news and seem amazingly ignorant to the good, so here's a good contrast between Obama and what you appear to have forgotten about a Republican White House:

This is a Democratic president signing the Lilly Ledbetter Act that protects women in the workplace:


This is a Republican president signing a bill that restricts certain abortion procedures:

[HughBeaumont]

216. Notice what's missing in the bottom photo compared to the top one.

Yet they're both women's issues. Telling.

[The Doctor.]

199. Oblivious much?

The other posters pretty much covered it.

[Whisp]

188. *blows fart

that is all

[Whisp]

191. Cyrano holds his nose. . .

*snort

[JohnnyRingo]

192. Would you mind if I post this in Free Republic?

I have a sign in name there for when I want to screw with them, and after the bad couple months they've had with their candidates, I'm sure their misery would love some company. I'm betting you'll make their day and give them a forum to boast about how Obama's a one termer because even the DUers hate him.

I'm serious, I want to post it, but I want your permission first. I'll put the comments up in DU if you don't mind.

[The Doctor.]

200. That's a sure way

To have your profile there deleted.

They may not be very bright, but even they can sometimes add 2+2.

[Cyrano]

219. You do not have my permission to post this on Free Republic.

There is nothing unDemocratic about my OP. If you happen to disagree with me, fine. But I do not want my words showing up in the sewer that calls itself Free Republic.

[Sherman A1]

194. I had "Hoped" for much better with Obama, however I am not terribly surprised by the lack of

"Change" we have seen over these last 3 years. To think that we will see any different in a second term I believe to be simply wishful thinking, which perhaps was what helped to get him elected....

Fool me once............

[The Doctor.]

198. "I will hold my nose and vote for you next year. My only other choice is to vote for some brain-

diseased Republican."

Why is it that so many can't grasp this odious truth?


If he wanted 2 terms to do good, he couldn't blow the game in term one.

[Botany]

208. Please

Do you have any idea of the size and scope of power that the right wing and military/industrial/energy
complex has over huge areas of government and the economy? If Obama had went after bush/Cheney
/and others "they" would have been an unholy mess. Although we are the majority "they" run things
and President Obama has gone on record that he feared a "right wing coup" if he pushed too hard.

<Have you no conscience? Have you no decency? Have you no sense of self-betrayal? > Barack Obama
gave up tons and tons of money so as to work for the poor and working class people of the Chicago
area as a community organizer.


Remember Google is your friend

http://obamaachievements.org/list

FUNDING:
Provided $12.2 billion in new funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Act though the American Recovery and investment Act. ref
TARGETED ACTIONS:
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act; Instituted equal pay for women. ref, ref, ref
Presidential Memorandum extending benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. ref , ref , ref , ref
Presidential Memorandum protecting gay and lesbian partners’ visitation/healthcare decision-making rights (4/15/2010). ref
Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act to include gender, sexual orientation and disability. ref
Supported the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT). ref
Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act. ref
Established White House Council on Women and Girls (Executive Order 13506 ). ref
Financial agencies must establish Offices of Women and Minorities to promote more diverse hiring.
Increased minority access to capital. ref
Pushing through settlement in the black farmers lawsuit against USDA. ref, ref
Signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. ref
Increased Federal Employment of Individuals with Disabilities (Exec Order)(celebrating 20th anniversary of the ADA). ref, ref
Section curator: ^roytoric

[jefferson_dem]

209. "I will hold my nose and vote for you next year."

All that matters at this point. Thanks for doing the right thing.

Oh, the rest of your OP is pure hogwash.

[JTFrog]

232. Indeed.

[CakeGrrl]

263. Yep.

[ScottLand]

212. K&R.

[HughBeaumont]

218. K & R.

1. I never envisioned Obama as this progressive hero nor did I expect him to be. Anyone who still buys into Strauss/Friedman hogwash . . . well, don't get me started. I only voted for him because I didn't want to run the chance of McCancient dying and getting President Grifterella. And while he has fixed some things, the very damaging flaws of pure capitalism that are obviously hurting this nation still have not been addressed.

2. The U.S.A. has been a corrupt pile of corporate and military coordination against the middle/working/poor since 1963. This is why our voting choices are between wealth-appeasing Republicans posing as Democrats and neo-Fascist wealth-fellating lunatics not-so-disguised as "Republicans". Oh, and the symbolic but wasted vote.

3. My line in the sand was when he extended the immensely wasteful and damaging Bush II Tax Cuts. It's absolutely disgraceful and laughable that anyone with a brain stem still believes the "Tax Cuts Create Jawbs" myth. It's even worse to have a president cave to a weak congress cowardly holding UI hostage to get them.

4. At the same time I'm reccing this, let's not give free passes to a myriad of other problems that plague this country: Corporate purchased politicians (resulting in the joke Congress we're dealt), an apathetic voting population that seems to like neo-fascism as long as they have a job, historically bad Republican governing (mostly by the Right) that led us to this crapcake, corporate purchased media and the wealthy themselves (the cause of pretty much everything I highlighted in point 2).

[newspeak]

249. thanks hugh

we've been sliding for quite awhile now. Reagan got us rolling full speed, especially against labor; ergo, there goes the middle class. When clinton signed poppy's nafta-gatt, and then publicly stated that we were going to be the new service industry to the world, I saw the BS writing on the wall.

that boulder rolling down hill is heading full speed over the cliff-but it has been policy after policy that has brought us to this state. Two years before the economic bottom fell, there were people on this board who knew little boots was spending, shoveling money to his "friends", war profiteers, money missing in iraq; while cutting taxes to the wealthiest. All of this happening at a time of war, when taxes should be increased. Allowing his friends to screw california (enron) and did nothing when the governor pleaded with him for regulation, reigning enron in. Allowing those bad loans, letting them go into states with stricter regulations. The whole administration was nothing but a corrupt sham.

And now, it's "we must all sacrifice." Well, some of us have sacrificed our pensions, our decent jobs, our homes, our lives. We have no more to sacrifice. And, the rich keep getting richer, CEO's make obscene golden parachutes, and the disparity grows.

some negotiating can have more deleterious affects on the public for what little is won. If you go back to the threads before the 2010 election, you'd see that there were some who were shocked and disappointed in obama's cabinet choices, shocked that he'd keep little boot's sycophants. yes, some didn't vote because they were disillusioned; and, the corporate funded teabaggers with the aid of media helped install the repugs, after the media was questioning whether or not the repugs (after destroying the country) were dead. They just rebranded themselves, preaching the same deregulating BS and the people ate it up.

we don't need democrats embracing friedman's damaging economic policies. we don't need democrats embracing privatizing public institutions, we don't need democrats passing more anti-civil liberties regulations, we don't need democrats weakening SS instead of strengthening it (and that doesn't mean giving the rest of our money to WS). I'll vote for obama if there is no challenger; however, i'm thinking he's there to maintain the status quo over the well being of most of the american people.

[TBF]

220. You're assuming he can do anything against this system -

I know he's made a little $$$ from his book royalties, but he's not so far from some of us in the professional ranks. He's working for the 1% just as we do. Anyone who thinks he can freelance is naive.

[SammyWinstonJack]

224. +1000000!

He won't and I don't think he ever intended to throw the majority of us any thing more than a few crumbs.

I think that the majority of us are just an after thought and probably an most unpleasant one, at that.

[COLGATE4]

226. Kick & Rec X 100

[tavalon]

235. Integrity sucks, huh?

I really liked 2008 because I bought what he was marketing. I voted joyfully. I shall vote with my usual clothespin on my nose this year, same as it's been for so damn long. You get my vote President Obama, but it's not because you are stellar, even though you made every indication of planning to be stellar. You are mediocre. You are not batshit crazy like the Republicans so of course, I'll clothespin my nose and vote for you.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

236. "If he were a King he might have had more luck?"

It is not easy for one man in a 3 branch government to get what he wants. He has had no support from some Dem congressmen.
I agree that he should have had Cheney and Bush thrown in jail (there's still time!) and that he was too nice to the Republicans. Sometimes I think it is like being in the classroom you can't be too nice to your students or they will walk all over you. I am hoping that we get a Dem house and senate and Obama as president. Then he can suspend or even expel the Republicans.

Shopping list:

Universal healthcare
All troops out of Afghanistan
No more wars unless completely necessary
Give the working class and small businesses a chance to thrive
Tax the rich and corporations a lot more
Don't take away our rights
Kick start alternative energy so we are not dependent on oil

etc....

[fascisthunter]

239. wow... the nastiness from the most loyal Obama supporters

If you can't argue against what is said, maybe it's because it is true and you can't admit it to yourselves that it is a reason not to be a supportive as you want the REST OF US to be.

[Cyrano]

245. I've read all of the 200+ responses to my original post.

Last edited Sun Dec 18, 2011, 01:50 PM - Edit history (1)

Obviously, we here on DU will never agree on everything. That's our nature. And it's great.

We are not Republicans. We don't march in goose step. We see the world through our own experiences. Some of us are more trustful than others. Some of us don't trust anyone or anything anymore.

I've read all the posts of those who attacked my OP. I've read all the posts of those who agreed. And I've read all the posts of those who were amiguious as to my meaning.

So let me say this. I am a Democrat. I never again want to see another fascist in the White House. I want to see Obama reelected. And I also want to see the Democratic Party take total control of the House and Senate next year.

But let's face it. Over the last four years, our lives, our politics and our country have not improved. I know Obama can't work magic. But I did expect some sort of strenuous resistence to the forces of insanity that inhabit the Republican party. It hasn't happened.

So, to repeat, I will vote for Obama next year. And I will vote for every other Democrat in my district.

But here's my question. Supposing they all win? What changes can we expect to see in our lives?

Having said this, I no longer trust most of the elected Dems who are supposed to be representing us. We've all been screwed since the day that Ronald Reagan became president. And far too many elected Dems have sold us out over the years.

I have no idea of how to change the state of our country. OWS has made a start, and we're going to have to see how that turns out.

But in the meantime, each and every elected Dem has to be held accountable for their votes, and how they stand up for all the values we hold dear.

Edited for clarity.

[aikoaiko]

247. I voted for Obama because he was a better choice than McCain-Palin. I chose well.

I had my hero fantasy busted with Bill Clinton 15 - 20 years ago.

[scentopine]

253. It isn't about what he gives us - consider what he takes away

We have no protection from torture. Torture has been decriminalized.

We hold people indefinitely in secret prisons without cause for any reason that shall remain secret.

We are not protected from leaders who slaughter 100,000+ using American lives and tax money to wage their personal wars, justified by lies and criminal behavior.

Obama has taken the freedom from assassination away from us. We are not protected from presidential ordered assassination.

Freedom from search and seizure has been taken away from us. AT&T is allowed to sit with NSA and CIA and spy on us. For any reason. We are not allowed to know why or what information they are collecting.

Freedom to investigate the massive disaster that poisoned thousands of square miles of public beaches and waters has been taken away from us. Access to data denied. Research confiscated.

We are not protected from Wall Street CEOs whose criminal activities cause global economic disaster. In fact, these CEOs were rewarded for their efforts and continue to use tax payer money to award themselves bonuses for outsourcing jobs to unregulated labor markets in Asia.

The above list tests the will and integrity of the executive office. These are the democratic principals that define us as a nation to the rest of the world.

The only thing worse than a republican is a "sensible" democrat who complains about republicans while giving fascism a warm pat on the ass.

[Cyrano]

268. I agree with your entire post, scentopine. And our choice next year is to vote for bad or worse.

[4dsc]

254. I voted for someone else, or so I thought

so I must agree with Cyrano on this one. I am a person of few word but my expectations of this administration were far off from the reality.

[Yon_Yonson]

257. Thank for a well thought out and point on article! Could not agree more!

[donttazemebro]

260. You are about to see greatness

With the new powers just added you are about to see greatness. We now have the solution to all of the dissenters, tea baggers and birthers.

We have this election in the bag and just watch what happens at the DNC no one will dare oppose us again.

Obama = GREATNESS

[a2liberal]

261. K&R (n/t)

[whathehell]

264. K&R!..n/t

[cstanleytech]

266. I am wondering what exactly the OP expects Obama to do exactly when

he is only president and when he cant get the support of the majority of the senate and congress?
I dont know of any president in fact who would be able to even do the job when they have one of the two parties declare their sole intent is to stonewall him at every turn even if it means destroying the nation as the republicans in washington have been doing.

[Cyrano]

269. Historically, FDR had the Reprublican establishment against him.

So did Lyndon Johnson.

Nonetheless, we ended up with social security, a minimum wage, union rights, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment insurance, civil rights, voters rights, and so much more.

Republicans have been dedicated to oppossing anything and everything that benifited the "unwashed masses."

It's been done in the past and it can be done again. But we have so much damage to repair after their years of tearing down the accomplishments of FDR and LBJ.

Somehow, it must be made clear to the majority of the American public that today's Republican party is among the worst domestic enemies in the history of our country.

[cstanleytech]

283. And did they (the republicans) control congress and have a major news corporation like news corp

on their side aiding them and have enough votes to stall the senate to and did they attempt such a thing during and when it came to those specific issues of which you are quoting as examples? Perhaps you could enlighten us on how FDR overcame all those problems together at the same time.

[ooglymoogly]

293. +1 well said...nt

[spanone]

270. greatness? i voted for Obama. never thought he was 'great'.

he's another politician up against every fucking thing washington can throw at him.

[Whisp]

279. That's a lot to hold, do you use both hands?

[NorthCarolina]

284. I expect a hard right turn in store for the second term.

He's already shown himself to be right of center for the first term, whats to stop him from going full tilt during a final term? Nothing.

[Cyrano]

285. I don't believe this will happen.

IMO, he has done what "advisors" and "gurus" have advised him to do during his first term in order to win a second term.

In today's world, the instant a newly elected president takes office, virtually every action he takes is directed toward winning a second term.

Will he turn right? Will he turn left? Who the hell knows? The actions of politicians of any and all stripes cannot be predicted.

My hope is that he will turn hard left if he is reelected. But hope in one hand, pee in the other, and see which one fills up first.

Hope is our own personal fantasies. So I guess we're just going to have to wait and find out what happens if he wins a second term.

And it goes without saying that the world will be a much more horrible place if one of the beasts who call themselves Republicans win or steal the election. I really don't believe the fools who vote for Republicans are ready for the horrors of that particular world.

[Brooklyns_Finest]

286. Obama

Has done a fantastic job on the foriegn policy front. He has gotten us out of Iraq, taken the fight to the taliban; killed Osama; killed as many terroist as possible; expanded our role in the Pacific; help overthrow Lybia; etc, etc.

Looks like the economy has picked up a bit as well. I wish he didn't waste political capital on a vey confusing healthcare bill, but all in all, I think he has done a fantastic job.

[bhikkhu]

287. Trying to think of the best analogy here...

I thought it was obvious by 2008 that we were in big trouble on several fronts - climate change is arguably past the tipping point, population is pushing us up to the limits of the planet's resources, energy supplies (upon which the economies of the world depend) are perhaps at the maximum capacity they will ever reach, and the monetary system of the world was teetering on the brink...who did everyone expect?

If this was the Titanic, the republicans would be the captain who'd lead everyone back into the ballroom for free drinks and good times, and yet we handed them congress in the mid-terms...

All things considered, in the big picture, a better president would never stand a chance of election in this country; or if one somehow slipped through, would be quickly cut down to size, to popular acclaim.

[T S Justly]

288. K&R (nt)

[krawhitham]

289. Thats for the ignore list

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=32317

[Old and In the Way]

292. No Sale.

But extra points for drama and truthiness.

[Puzzledtraveller]

297. We either

Traded one tyrant for another, OR

Got the best president EVER!, OR

Got what we voted for, OR

Heck, when does it end?

Perhaps the fault lies within us, each voter, hearing what we want to hear, dismissing what we don't want to hear. The idea being, what was supposed to be different this time around. Presidential politics and the office itself has always been like this.

The test would be: Place yourself in the WH, map out your legislative goals, and predict which ones you will succeed at and which ones you know you will not. I imagine we would be hard pressed to match Obamas successes if we point our own against his.