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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Sugar Makes the Poison Taste Sweet
President Barack Obama reviews his speech one last time while waiting in a room at the U.S. Capitol
prior to delivering the State of the Union address in the House Chamber in Washington, DC, January 28, 2014.
(Photo: Pete Souza / White House)
The Sugar Makes the Poison Taste Sweet
By William Rivers Pitt
Truthout | Op-Ed
Thursday 30 January 2014
The President of the United States gave the annual State of the Union address on Tuesday night, and if you ask the right people, they'll tell you it was well and truly a barn-burner. President Obama dropped so many left-leaning, frown-inducing lines on the Republicans arrayed before him that Speaker Boehner, visible over the president's shoulder, changed hues from his standard orange to alarming red to call-the-paramedics purple on several notable occasions.
(snip)
But then, if you're smart, you read the damned speech in detail...and if you did, like as not you have some serious questions to ask.
(snip)
And then...and then, there was Cory Remsburg, the last invited guest Mr. Obama made note of. Remsburg, an Army Ranger, was injured by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan during his tenth deployment.
His tenth deployment.
His tenth deployment.
Cory Remsburg rose up before that parliament of whores, disfigured, maimed for life, and was duly recognized for his service and devotion to country. He received a deafening ovation from a room filled with the worst people in the country, many of whom voted over and over again to send him back to war ten times over, who cheered so loudly to cover over their shame...including the president himself, whose Afghanistan "surge" played its own part in putting Cory Remsburg in the path of the bomb that left him barely able to stand, blind in one eye, and forever damaged.
The President of the United States made no mention of the insanity of any soldier having to endure ten deployments, made no mention of the concept of actions and consequences, even as he stood before the loudest microphone on the planet. Perhaps he and his people thought the face of Cory Remsburg said it for him, and if so, that is another sorry example of the eleventy-dimension chess being played by an administration which is trying to run a country that only knows, politically, how to play checkers.
There are times when real leaders have to say things out loud into microphones, even when those things are so obvious that they bleed on the pavement. What happened to Cory Remsburg was wrong. It was, in fact, a crime, a long act of profiteering that has fed tens of thousands of men and women like him into the meat grinder, to be spat out into a VA system that is utterly overwhelmed and paralyzed before the avalanche of bodies it is tasked to help.
Instead, Mr. Obama said this: "My fellow Americans, men and women like Cory remind us that America has never come easy. Our freedom, our democracy, has never been easy. Sometimes we stumble; we make mistakes; we get frustrated or discouraged. But for more than two hundred years, we have put those things aside and placed our collective shoulder to the wheel of progress..."
We have put those things aside? Cory Remsburg, and the tens of thousands of soldiers who share his damage, cannot put those things aside. Mr. Obama turned that soldier's plight into a pep rally for the country that fed him to the bomb that almost killed him. "Sometimes we stumble; we make mistakes" was the only apology that ravaged Ranger got from his Commander in Chief. He deserved far more than that, as do all the men and women not lucky enough to get applause from Congress on television.
It is easy peasy for politicians to talk about putting difficult issues "aside," out of mind, away. That's the bread and butter of the Teflon not-my-problem political hack. Leaders, real leaders, address those difficult issues head-on. They challenge we the people to take them head-on, as well, and that is how we heal and rise and move on. That did not happen on Tuesday night. Again.
If you ask the right people, they'll tell you it was a great speech.
Ask me, and I'll tell you I saw a man talk like an Occupy protester while promoting the same tired, failed economic principles that spawned our yawning inequality in the first place. I saw a man talk like a Greenpeace activist while promoting or ignoring the dirtiest fuel industries in the business. I saw a man honor a ten-times-deployed wounded veteran with an "Oops." I saw a man talking very eloquently out of both sides of his mouth, again, and it made me sick in my soul.
"Between the idea and the reality," said a poet, "falls the Shadow."
It's the sugar that makes the poison taste sweet.
The rest: http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/21542-the-sugar-makes-the-poison-taste-sweet
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,178 posts)You have nailed it, and it fills me with despair.
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)jsr
(7,712 posts)PowerToThePeople
(9,610 posts)Thank you Mr. Pitt for your voice of sanity in this insane world. In a country where there are only two teams and neither is fighting for the cause of justice, what is a just person to do? Keep speaking truth to power...
Alamuti Lotus
(3,093 posts)LuvNewcastle
(16,813 posts)After all we've been through, this is what we're left with. Cory Remsburg is a symbol of where we've been since 9/11 and where we've come to. Do you ever feel like the country has been spinning its wheels for the last 13 years? That's how I feel. I've just been getting older and I have no prospects to make a better future. A total fucking waste of time.
KoKo
(84,711 posts)We have put those things aside? Cory Remsburg, and the tens of thousands of soldiers who share his damage, cannot put those things aside. Mr. Obama turned that soldier's plight into a pep rally for the country that fed him to the bomb that almost killed him. "Sometimes we stumble; we make mistakes" was the only apology that ravaged Ranger got from his Commander in Chief. He deserved far more than that, as do all the men and women not lucky enough to get applause from Congress on television.
MineralMan
(146,116 posts)Too bad.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)MineralMan
(146,116 posts)I saw what he did. It was a good address. He honored a man who served faithfully and bravely in our military, and then called for an end to being on a permanent war footing. I agree with him. We shouldn't be in a situation that requires 10 deployments for anyone, and that's just what he said.
Will Pitt doesn't get it. So, I'm not going to bother with Will Pitt's posts.
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)Last edited Thu Jan 30, 2014, 10:43 PM - Edit history (1)
despicable....I come from a career military father 21 yrs in service to our country. I think what is being said about that young man is despicable and not deserving of any respect. I think those calling this man a "prop or a tool" are "tools" themselves.
I suppose by this standard we should just tear down The Wall and the Korean and WW2 memorials....because ALL of those represented there are just "tools and props".
FSogol
(45,312 posts)Whisp
(24,096 posts)par for course
The OP just doesn't get it - he is calling Cory a helpless child that the OP has to speak for. That is about as disrespectful as one can get is to assume you can speak for someone else, and speak over with a message opposite of Cory's was.
I wasn't much of a fangirl to begin with - as I know some history of DU.
Lydia Leftcoast
(48,217 posts)in an endless war that seems to have new goalposts every time you turn around.
It's one of those "just because" wars.
I have no doubt that he was brave. But that doesn't mean the cause he fought for was worthy.
There are brave soldiers in every military force.
Let's never confuse bravery with fighting for the right cause.
kelliekat44
(7,759 posts)He seemed proud to be there and so did his dad. I take it for the spirit in which it was given....we should not be on a permanent war footing like so many in Congress want to ensure with more sanctions against Iran,
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)is the tough thing to do. Propaganda sells the war as defending our freedoms. But it isnt those in the room with the President that we condescendingly applauding that sacrifice, it is the lower classes that sacrifice. Yes many "volunteer" because they have very limited options.
I have a hard time controlling my temper when I go to a movie and the USofA advertises that to be a man, a real man, you must join the service and learn to kill.
Titonwan
(785 posts)MineralMan
(146,116 posts)He called for us to get of the permanent war footing that caused those ten deployments. Perhaps you did not hear his speech.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)He gives a lot of good speeches, says a lot of good things, but his policies are just the same old tired unjust corporate bs.
That said, I agree with Will on this one.
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)rtracey
(2,062 posts)you are correct... that is the statement I was waiting to see and didn't throughout all these posts calling this soldier a prop. He didn't need to go and be a part of the SOTU speech, he went, why, (imo) he doesn't think he is a prop, he is a soldier, and an honorable one at that.
pocoloco
(3,180 posts)grahamhgreen
(15,741 posts)before he was elected? Sorry if we don't see it that way. Honoring him would be ending the war and bringing those to justice who fuel this debacle, IMHO.
sulphurdunn
(6,891 posts)The situation never required 10 deployments for anyone. Creating an all volunteer military did. The spending allocations did. Grunts are lower on that allocation list than ever before. So, you might want to look at where the money goes and then you might get it. Soldiers are expendable. F-35s aren't. The VA is expendable. General Dynamics isn't. Get it?
Skidmore
(37,364 posts)to maintaining a military force. Otherwise, the President has it right...get off of war footing. If materials aren't needed for war, then shutting down the industrial programs that support war should be easier to accomplish.
sulphurdunn
(6,891 posts)is the biggest business in America. The President knows that and so do we. Our government will put millions of us to sleeping under bridges and begging in rags before it makes any substantial cuts to the Military Industrial Complex. That will not change until the status quo changes, and I'm afraid doing that will be messy.
Logical
(22,457 posts)grantcart
(53,061 posts)you have to regularly douse yourself with cynicism and burn a bright flame.
Just wait until he finds out that Senator Warren is not only not running for President but has endorsed Secretary of State Clinton for the nomination of the Democratic Party.
Phlem
(6,323 posts)-p
Marr
(20,317 posts)sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)since the Bush years. But some people clearly have, a minority thankfully. Issues don't change, even when Political Parties switch places. Not for people who care more about this country than politics.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)it was crime for which no one has yet been prosecuted. Hopefully on day when we have leaders how, as Will points, we so badly need, who will make no excuses for the 'mistakes', the prosecutions will begin. There is no statute on crimes of such magnitude.
Some 'mistake' that was, costing the lives of thousands of our own troops and hundreds of thousands of innocent human lives for which no one was even fired and some still have the audacity to think they are qualified to take over the highest office in the land.
Will is not the one in this case, who doesn't understand. Perhaps if you had been here on DU when these criminal wars began, this OP would sound more familiar to you. Good to see DUers have not altered their principles since then.
Titonwan
(785 posts)Sabrina. I've seen this pull to the right here for a while. I can't and won't defend things that go against my principles as I am a strong civil libertarian with a side dish of liberal. It makes no political sense to propose things a democratic people wouldn't want, yet we're told they're necessary- by both parties. War is a damned racket.
I don't forget the drone strikes on innocents or the 140 secret wars we're engaged in right now. We still have off shore sites for detainment and interrogation that the IRC and UN do not sanction or approve of. We're told indefinite detention doesn't run foul of the constitution and targeted killing of American citizens without due process is cool, as long as the president is doing it. (Dat you, Nixon?)
Ten tours is a horrid thing to do to a human being- full stop.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)horror created and built on lies, TEN TIMES. Even in Vietnam they did not do that. Yes, the swing to the right here by a few, a minority thankfully, has been very noticeable and disgusting. Either this is a Democratic Forum which promotes Democratic ideals or it is not. Someone is going to have to decide one way or the other.
The Wielding Truth
(11,410 posts)has shamed us. 10 deployments was stressed by our President and it was not in pride of administration. It was in the fact that this man would not quit as we are not to quit. Afghanistan is waning and Remsburg is a symbol how the tolls of this war and all wars do awful damage and should not be easy to repeat.
LordGlenconner
(1,348 posts)You did it!
You really did it!
Bravo sir!
ProSense
(116,464 posts)We have put those things aside? Cory Remsburg, and the tens of thousands of soldiers who share his damage, cannot put those things aside. Mr. Obama turned that soldier's plight into a pep rally for the country that fed him to the bomb that almost killed him. "Sometimes we stumble; we make mistakes" was the only apology that ravaged Ranger got from his Commander in Chief. He deserved far more than that, as do all the men and women not lucky enough to get applause from Congress on television.
It is easy peasy for politicians to talk about putting difficult issues "aside," out of mind, away. That's the bread and butter of the Teflon not-my-problem political hack. Leaders, real leaders, address those difficult issues head-on. They challenge we the people to take them head-on, as well, and that is how we heal and rise and move on. That did not happen on Tuesday night. Again.
...you implying that the President is a "Teflon not-my-problem political hack"?
WTF?
Meet the other SOTU "props"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024412101
Obama Slams GOPs Booing Of Gay Soldier: Thats Not Reflective Of Who We Are
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024412056
JoeyT
(6,785 posts)In the course of two weeks we went from a promise of a return to the rule of law to "Looking forward" on any crime that involved people that had the money or power to fight back.
It's a different issue, but yes, he's willing to utterly ignore things when it suits his purpose.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)As I suspected though, this disgusting attack on Cory Remsburg is being fueled by Obama hate.
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)same cast of characters...and they are willing to tear down a decorated Military Veteran to do their dirty deeds!
ProSense
(116,464 posts)Note the attempts anytime anyone starts dissing Hillary.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023950882
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)you and I both will be
mstinamotorcity2
(1,451 posts)And dammed if he don't. Funny Dubya/Shooter get eight years to fuck up, Obama gets 1 hour to fix it. After all wasn't obstruction being planned during the Inauguration????? For some reason it seems that what ever they don't like about the President makes them want to throw the baby out with the bath water. I don't like everything he does. But I do know that there are underlying circumstances to his decisions that I and others are not privy to. Seems to me that a lot of the things we and others want that are progressive in Nature can only be achieved through a working congress that gets the bills to his desk to sign. Or did the passage of bills take another route that wasn't taught in eight grade civics?????? Hey I'm just a bus driver Shouldn't we be planning how to conquer the House and keeping the senate so some of the things we really need can be made possible???
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)I didn't take the speech in AT ALL the same way that the OP is reinforcing.
dammed if he do and dammed if he don't...so true.
And the "I'm cool cuz I'm so cynical" stance....I wonder how many of the jaded ones were too cool to vote in 2010....so we're stuck and PBO's stuck with that House full of teaturds.
Cha
(295,509 posts)left and the teabagging right.. but, there are plenty of people who don't jump on that ship of fools.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)disagree with him, and point out that Hillary is partly responsible for these wars. And that there is some disconnect between between being passionately opposed to those criminal wars and turning around and supporting someone who played a role in getting them started.
Why would think people might have difficulty remaining consistent? It's never been a problem for me, or it seems for most DUers.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)Because they judge others as they would act themselves. To some here, blind loyalty is a substitute for having your own principles.
bvar22
(39,909 posts)Did these same people praise Bush when he used soldiers as props?
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)And if a Republican gets back in the WH, they will do a quick about turn and RAIL AGAINST it again.
grasswire
(50,130 posts)There is no attack on Cory Remsburg.
Your twisting is sickening.
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)So yes. Fitzmas has indirectly attacked a wounded vet twice and the haters are lapping it up because of their blind rage against the president.
grasswire
(50,130 posts)Paranoid and delusional thinking.
Seriously, man. Think about what you wrote.
You are attacking the greatest voice DU has. A reliably progressive/liberal voice. A mature voice. A NEEDED voice.
There is no blind rage at President Obama here. There is criticism of his policies and perceived lack of consistency.
There is no hatred of Obama here.
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)Titonwan
(785 posts)Critical thinking and questioning authority are paramount to a functioning democracy. Good on ya, grasswire. Peace.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)You just can't see that Obama deserves criticism because he does the same shit the R's do, policy, political ploys, etc...
Where is the attack of a wounded vet? I don't see that at all.
Haters? Where? I see dedicated citizens speaking out for their country, criticizing bad policy and bad actions that exploit the working people. It's called democracy. Something our president doesn't seem to hold very dear even though he claimed he was going to have the most transparent admin in history. But then he claimed a lot of things he has done the opposite of, so whatever.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)in the open though.
lark
(22,941 posts)except in your mind.
Do I think Will's tone is more strident than needed, yes! Should Obama have talked about the insanity of 10 deployments - yes! He is first and foremost a politiican, so he didn't, probably because his government is still trying to get Iraq and Afghanistan to sign a treaty that American troops can stay in their country (forever?).
Just wondering, do you get paid for your position as head of the Obamabots who get the vapors and run on posts every time anyone says the president isn't perfect?
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)Titonwan
(785 posts)I don't own pom poms. I see no need.
JoeyT
(6,785 posts)you're certainly willing to use him as a human shield to stifle criticism.
bobduca
(1,763 posts)Last edited Thu Jan 30, 2014, 08:41 PM - Edit history (1)
cui bono
(19,926 posts)LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)I used to call different opinions "disgusting attacks" too. However, I'm certain you'll rationalize it to others (if not yourself) a distinction without a difference...
ReRe
(10,597 posts)You are one of the brightest members of DU. You're a pandora's box of information. You actually astound me at times with your posts. I don't always agree with everything you espouse, but I do agree with you most of the time.
Nobody "hates" Obama. They are upset with his inability to do what needs to be done. To say what needs to be said. We all voted for PO. Twice! We all wept like babies the night he was first elected.
Nobody "hates" Obama. They are frustrated with decades upon decades of behind-the-scenes shadow government, endless profiteering wars, socioeconomic engineering that has impoverished us all. Truth and justice has been placed on the back burner, or thrown out all together at this point.
Please try to refrain from calling your democratic fellows "Obama haters."
Phlem
(6,323 posts)He's thinking about his retirement cause a mans gotta get paid! None of that's gonna happen till you start greasing some palms.
That's been apparent for some of us early on but it's much easier to call me a hater.
-p
grahamhgreen
(15,741 posts)sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)The Iraq War was a CRIME. To even suggest that it was needed for our 'freedom' is worse than saying nothing at all. This is what Bush said, isn't it but we KNEW he was lying.
I sure hope one day we get leaders who will just TELL THE TRUTH to the American people about these criminal wars.
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)frylock
(34,825 posts)arely staircase
(12,482 posts)frylock
(34,825 posts)arely staircase
(12,482 posts)He wouldn't be Bush.
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)you people...I suwannee! If this were Bush...we would have 2 more wars started by now!
zeemike
(18,998 posts)But I know that with some it is impossable...
The first step in solving problems is admitting you have one...and some have problem with that first step.
grahamhgreen
(15,741 posts)sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)they were not allowed here, frankly. Thanks for giving them hits, I'm sure they are grateful.
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)As many times as it takes to call out nutcases like breitbart and fox for sinking sonfar into the mire as to attack a wounded vet as a helpless prop.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)Just USING Breitbart to do it. If I had a point to make I would NEVER use a vile, right wing site to it. If I believed I was right, I could argue my point without dragging that garbage into it. But to each their own. I also thought that even thinly veiled call outs of DUers was against the rules here.
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)are the lowest scum there is.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)with the President on Snowden. Along with Karl Rove and Bush and Cheney. What's your point?
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)on breitbart, fox and freerepublic are pathetic losers who need to get a life. That is my point.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)Republican freaks like Paline, Cheney, Bush, King, Limbaugh, Hannity et al and every other war supoorting Chickenhawl in the Right support the President regarding Spying on the American people. The MSM is where I got that information. So if those right wing trash support the President what does that mean to you?
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)But I will call them out on their right wing talking point crap. If calling out the likes of breitvomit for attacking the president isn't your cup of tea ignore it.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)the NSA? Who cares what morons on the far right propaganda sites do or say? Most Democrats just ignore them which is why they are no longer getting ratings. But you are giving them ratings, why?
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)Please
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)position against anyone, no matter how nasty they choose to be.
Can't answer my question, why?
I will be straightforward with you, because that is the fair thing to do. I despise deviousness which is what we are seeing here on DU.
You disagreed with the hundreds of DUers who agreed with Will Pitt's OP. Rather than make your case directly to him, you chose to try to discredit his position by using the 'Hitler loves dogs, you love dogs, therefore you and Hitler are the same' argument by going to vile Right Wing sites hoping that this would discredit him. IT DOESN'T.
I am being perfectly honest with you. We are very familiar, we Dems who have been fighting Republicans for over a decade now, with these tactics.
IF you had simply made your point, which very well may be valid, by being direct and straighforward instead of playing this game that now two of you have done, it's possible you could have persuaded people to see your point.
He was direct, he gave his opinion, right or wrong, without draggeing in right wing garbage. You were devious and that is a fact. I don't always agree with Will Pitt, not particularly a fan, however his position on this is the position Democrats ALWAYS had and so I agree with him as a majority of Democrats do.
If you find my questions too difficult to answer, put ME on ignore. It won't stop me or anyone else from continuing to oppose what WE ALWAYS opposed. But don't tell me what to do. I don't use ignore.
Puglover
(16,380 posts)there is a behavior any more amusing on DU then a poster requesting or in the case of one my favorites demanding that other posters put them on ignore.
I mean think about it, walking up to someone that you have issues with and saying "IGNORE ME!!!!!!"
I realize that I digress but again, it never fails to crack me up.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)I've seen here also.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)Why not be honest and have the courage to say it to him directly? Hm?
Do it.
If you asked me, I just might say that cowards are pretty lowly scum.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)directed at him.
snooper2
(30,151 posts)Truth-out more clicks eh, EH EH!!!!
LOL
I'm kind of disappointed you didn't use the word "prop" here actually, stay true to form!
Cha
(295,509 posts)Whisp
(24,096 posts)from prop to profit.
Whisp
(24,096 posts)no way I am clicking. Cheesey!!!!
create a shitstorm, then create clicks for a follow up.
kentuck
(110,916 posts)Meet nail.
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)bang bang bang....that's ALL ya got.
kjones
(1,053 posts)"But then, if you're smart, you read the damned speech in detail..."
Some of that good old ad hominem.
ctsnowman
(1,903 posts)Response to WilliamPitt (Original post)
tridim This message was self-deleted by its author.
Capt. Obvious
(9,002 posts)*high five*
QC
(26,371 posts)Capt. Obvious
(9,002 posts)That would make her an apologist.
Skittles
(152,918 posts)*YOU*
tridim
(45,358 posts)You're the poopie head.
Yes, I like the President. I voted for him twice. Got a problem with that?
Skittles
(152,918 posts)and.....poopie head?
tridim
(45,358 posts)Skittles
(152,918 posts)what were the other choices - McCain & Palin? Mittwitt & Ryan?
Titonwan
(785 posts)team spirit.
Tierra_y_Libertad
(50,414 posts)Capt. Obvious
(9,002 posts)You never liked Obama anyway!
Logical
(22,457 posts)geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)what this is really about is that some people think wounded soldiers should only be acknowledged as part of an ideological/policy argument against war.
If one is not going to give a speech worthy of Cindy Sheehan, wounded soldiers should be ignored seems to be the message du jour.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)You really need to stop frequenting Fox as I have suggested to you many times. You are bringing that garbage to DU where most people are boycotting those right wing propagandists.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)yourself. Shameful to mock a mother who lost her son in a war that the country was lied into.
I am almost without words. And yet you are claiming that we should 'honor the troops'?? What is your point again regarding this issue? You hate the mother of a dead soldier because she felt abandoned by the Democrats she supported? But you claim to support the troops otoh?
The ONLY people I have ever met who have mocked Cindy Sheehan who single handedly, because of her immense grief and without fear when all of our elected reps were too frightened to do so, took on BUSH the LIAR and reduced his ratings forever when she pursued him relentlessly and demanded that he tell her 'What noble cause did my son die for'.
Shame, shame to see this here on DU. I saw plenty of it back when I used to engage the rabid Bush supporters, they really hated that grief stricken mother, but I NEVER saw it on Democratic sites, until now.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)does not change the fact that LaRouchies are fucking insane.
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2011/05/cindy_sheehan_osama_bin_laden_facebook_conspiracy_theories.php
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/05/27/cindy-sheehan-joins-veterans-for-peace-chapter-to-impeach-obama/
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)GET IT? I support the troops who were lied into war. And fyi, MOST OF THEM WERE REPUBLICANS. So what you are now revealing to us is this. You are running around DU claiming to support the soldier who was invited to the SOTU because you believe that it is right to honor the troops?? Am I right so far?
BUT you only care about their sacrifices IF you agree with their politics?? Am I still on the right track here?
How do you know the politics of this soldier?? What if, a few months from now, he comes out against the policies of THIS ADMINISTRATION? It's happened before, what then? Will you trash him the way you are trashing a grieving mother then?
I'm so glad we had this conversation, it explains so very much that I always wondered about.
Sorry to all the Republican mothers who lost children in these criminal wars. Sorry to all mothers and fathers who lost children in these criminal wars no matter what your politics are!
So to you, because you disagree with someone's politics and they lose a child in these criminal wars, it's 'fuck them'?? I sure hope that soldier is a Democrat because if not and if he speaks out against the policies of this administration some time from now, I shudder to think of what you will have to say about him.
I don't fucking care what someone's politics are, IF their child is slaughtered in a criminal war they deserve our understanding for however they express their grief.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)This soldier has a pretty moving story, and an unusual connection with the President. It should surprise no one that the President would try to find meaning in his story.
That does not mean we are obligated to respect political activists who push batshit insane ideas if they have experienced personal tragedies.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)person, father, mother, sister, brother who lost a loved unnecessarily in these criminal wars. Not one of them deserves the attacks you just made on the mother of a dead soldier. Not one of them has 'more deserving story'. ALL of them are victims of the lies of the war criminals who used them to profit from these wars.
Cindy Sheehan should never, EVER be mocked on this site for whatever choices she made to try to deal with the tragic loss she suffered.
She will never see her son again. Do you have any fucking clue what that can do a person? All those Republicans who lost their children in these criminals wars have pretty moving stories also. I could tell you dozens of their stories. Using them for political purposes is vile. When this country protects them from being sent to fight for Corporations, we will know that they care about them. When this country stops droning innocent men, women and children, who have EQUALLY moving stories, for profit, then we will know they care about them.
I completely understand now where you are coming from. If a soldier supports your politics whatever they are, he's 'has a moving story' if a soldier or his family has different political views from you, they are insane.
Cindy Sheehan is a hero, she tried to get the truth about these horrific wars and did what none of our media had the guts to do, she faced Bush and his criminal gang DOWN, one, sad, lonely mother of a dead son. She gets a pass from me on how she decided to deal with her enormous grief.
Generic Other
(28,979 posts)we stood wholeheartedly behind Cindy. I don't know what we believe anymore.
When Cindy Sheehan pitched her tent in front of Bush's ranch, half of DU was with her. Today they spit on her and the memory of her son because it doesn't fit their narrative, their need to engage in uncritical hero worship of a president who talks like a Democrat and acts like a rightwing tool way too much for my liking.
And anyone who marched against the madness of the wars since early 2003 must now switch their positions and defend endless unlawful worthless wars of aggression against innocent people because that's what party loyalty demands? Well hell no.
I didn't back LBJ when he escalated the war in Vietnam either. Good thing DU wasn't around then.
Well, here I sit in this rice paddy
Wondering about Big Daddy
And I know that Lyndon loves me so
Yet how sadly I remember
Way back yonder in November
When he said I'd never have to go
And Lyndon Johnson told the nation
Have no fear of escalation
I am trying everyone to please
Though it isn't really war
We're sending fifty thousand more
To help save Vietnam from the Vietnamese
--"Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation" by Tom Paxton
heaven05
(18,124 posts)bobduca
(1,763 posts)VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)that is the truth!
great white snark
(2,646 posts)Lots of ankle biting and straw men.
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)will keep that in mind for the future...
I guess this time his "facetiousness" is epic fail!
JTFrog
(14,274 posts)Capt. Obvious
(9,002 posts)Says the person who had to have it explained to them.
*high five*
Titonwan
(785 posts)Capt. Obvious
(9,002 posts)That's news to me.
SammyWinstonJack
(44,129 posts)SamKnause
(13,009 posts)Different day, year, or decade and the same old bullshit.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)him..
Oh--did you contact Sgt. Remsburg for his thoughts????
President and Soldier: 3 Meetings, and a Lesson in Resilience
By JACKIE CALMES
Published: August 22, 2013
WASHINGTON Three times, mainly by chance and in very different circumstances, Sgt. First Class Cory Remsburg has met President Obama.
They were introduced near Omaha Beach in France in 2009, when Sergeant Remsburg was part of a select Army Ranger group chosen to re-enact a parachute drop for celebrations of the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings in World War II. The second meeting came less than a year later at a military hospital outside Washington, where Mr. Obama was stunned to see among the wounded troops from Afghanistan a familiar young man now brain-damaged, a track of fresh stitches across his skull, and partly paralyzed.
The third time was two weeks ago in a private visit in Phoenix, where Sergeant Remsburg did something that neither Mr. Obama nor military doctors would once have predicted: he stood up and saluted his commander in chief.
There was more. Grasping his walker, Cory took a step, then another, and then another, Mr. Obama said later, all the way across the room.
In more than four years in office, Mr. Obama has met privately with nearly 1,000 men and women injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet his repeated encounters with Sergeant Remsburg stand out for bringing a president face to face with the resilience of the wounded and the brutal costs of the wars.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/23/us/politics/obama-and-a-soldier-3-meetings-and-a-lesson-in-resilience.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Oilwellian
(12,647 posts)Too bad the Obama/NSA efforts to sabotage the Copenhagen talks didn't break before you published. It's yet one more example of that sweet tasting poison.
K&R
840high
(17,196 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)Skittles
(152,918 posts)gawd they are pathetic
Rex
(65,616 posts)Must really suck worshiping someone all day long 24/7.
Skittles
(152,918 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)the BOG echo chamber.
DU's version of a romance novel
Puglover
(16,380 posts)And that is the funniest part of that pitiful little echo chamber.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Sounds like something from a Twilight movie or the diary of a tween.
Even the Tea Party response wasn't this hysterical.
I bet $10 million emoprog dollars that Corey Remsburg didn't feel "sick in his soul."
trash thread
arely staircase
(12,482 posts)Number23
(24,544 posts)And you just made me realize (YET AGAIN) how stupid and pointless all of this is and that the reason these folks bray so loudly with the same whines over and over and over and over again is because this is the ONLY place in America where they have even the slightest taste of power or influence.
This is the ONLY place that has harped on the good Sgt outside of the right wing media. If that doesn't say all that needs to be said, I don't know what will. So, instead of being angry, I laughed my ass off at this OP. Which is exactly the response it and its many clones here deserve. Your post did that so, thanks.
Response to geek tragedy (Reply #45)
tridim This message was self-deleted by its author.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)diplomacy as the way to deal with Iran, or the need to move off a 'permanent war footing'--nope, he publicly respected a wounded vet and FAILED to use him as a political prop as the DU Emoprog Squad demanded.
Ergo, soul sickness and weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
Cha
(295,509 posts)too bad the "sick in the soul" isn't for something real instead of some made up shit only in that "sick soul". How fucking bamboozled can you get?
No, they shouldn't have hidden SFC Cory Remsburg away like bush-cheney did with wounded soldiers..
Emotional moment: Rep. Tammy Duckworth wipes tears from her eyes during a standing ovation for U.S. Army Ranger Sgt. First Class Cory Remsburg, injured while serving in Afghanistan, who was a guest in first lady Michelle Obama's box
First meeting: President Obama was first introduced to Sgt. 1st Class Cory Remsburg in France in 2009 at the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings
The president's speech drew an eclectic mix of visitors to the House chamber.
More "Props".. "Among those sitting with Mrs. Obama were two survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing, as well as Jason Collins, an openly gay former NBA player."
Proud steps: Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman, who had to have both his legs amputated after being injured in the blasts, arrives before the start of U.S. President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech on Capitol Hill which he attended with Carlos Arredondo (right)
More..
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2547839/He-never-gives-does-not-quit-President-honors-war-hero-injured-10th-tour-Afghanistan-State-Union-address-leading-emotional-standing-ovation-honor.html
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Cha
(295,509 posts)for them.
sheshe2
(83,126 posts)Whisp
(24,096 posts)sheshe2
(83,126 posts)Thank you.
Cha
(295,509 posts)I was hoping it was you who commented.
Whisp
(24,096 posts)Adrahil
(13,340 posts)DainBramaged
(39,191 posts)could give a shit.
One day we'll reach them, maybe not through words, but one day...........
Autumn
(44,686 posts)The fight seems harder the longer it goes on.
Titonwan
(785 posts)but what do we tell our children? We give up? I can not.
Agreed, amigo- Will is a fighter and we sorely need more of his cut. Critical thinking is key.
great white snark
(2,646 posts)I miss Nance Greggs.
Phlem
(6,323 posts)Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater
-p
lapfog_1
(29,147 posts)We do not have an imperial presidency.
President Obama cannot simply issue executive orders to do the things you would like him to do.
He can't mandate that the minimum wage be raised to $12/hour.
He can't increase the taxes on millionaires and billionaires to pay for things we might want the government to do.
He can't actually cause the military to spend less money.
He could change the rules at the NSA... so let's wait and see if he does.
He can't mandate that women receive equal pay for equal work.
He can't mandate an end to global warming.
so let's talk about the soldier.
Let's be truthful about this. President Obama says he met the soldiers when he was part of an honor guard at a D-Day event. The soldier went back to Afghanistan and was wounded, horribly wounded.
Afghanistan was Obama's "war of choice" because Bush fucked it up. Bush invaded Afghanistan to "get Osama" and then a) didn't get Osama, and b) left it to invade Iraq (where the oil was).
Obama decided years later to try to "finish the job" in Afghanistan with a "surge" of his own.
Reasonable people can debate if that was a good idea or not. I think the invasion of Afghanistan was justified and we should have won the war, arrested the Taliban and Osama, and put them on trial. We should have done it with 200,000 troops and all of the coalition forces we could get to help. And then we should have run the country for 10 years and build schools and hospitals and roads with the direct involvement of the local village leaders and the Afghan people, not outside American contractors. And then we should have left. Completely left.
Obama was too late, even though he did "get Osama"...
So we have the wounded soldier on his 10th deployment.
I don't know how Presidents deal with what they do... I think certain ones of them ("W" comes to mind) really don't care about the decisions they made and the young men and women who pay for those mistakes. I think other Presidents really do care. I think that's why, after 8 years in office, Presidents look like they have aged 20 years. It's not a job I ever want.
But I don't think Obama used this young man as a "prop" in the way you are thinking. I think he was truly trying to honor his service to our country AND demonstrate the cost of these wars to everyone, including those in Congress that want to "bomb, bomb, bomb Iran". So maybe the young man was a prop, but a prop against "future entanglements".
We are mostly disconnected from the wars... they get very little coverage, the soldiers that die or are maimed are not named or shown on TV that much... we don't spit on them like some people did to the Vietnam vets were when they came home, but we don't really think about them much either.
You don't like this President very much... many here in DU don't like him either.
Of the Presidents who have been President since I was old enough to think about such things, I've been disappointed in all of them.
Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama. Only 3 Democrats in the list, none were a progressive (yup, Carter was not a progressive). All of the Democrats were better than any of the Republicans. Obama ranks as number 1 or a close second (Clinton did a bunch of things I didn't like too, but overall, he was likely the best of this bunch).
Will Hillary be any better? Any more progressive than Obama? I doubt it.
So where does the current hatred (yes, it's hatred when you accuse the President of using a wounded soldier as a cheap applause prop in a SOTU, a very cynical thing for a President to do... something worthy of Bush at his worst) come from? I think it's just disappointment, coupled with some realization that you will likely never see a President you really want. One who can accomplish all of the things I listed at the beginning of this response.
Hekate
(89,974 posts)Rational, comprehensive, well-informed.
Btw, "all the presidents I can remember" go back to Eisenhower. Though I was just in elementary school then, I was impressed that he sent federal troops to integrate schools in the South -- some of those black children were my age, some of the white mommies screaming at them were my mama's age.
I was in high school when JFK was killed -- that is seared in my memory, but so much more. Almost out of the blue one time my husband made reference to "all the high school students with Peace Corps packets in their desks at home," and I realized that was one more thing we shared. He lit us up with idealism and the desire to do good in the world. JFK botched the Bay of Pigs and he was a relentless womanizer that Newt Gingrich would have loved to impeach (Newt wants to drag others down to his own level, have you noticed?) -- but he was so much more.
They all disappoint -- they're human. You're right about Obama -- he's the best of the lot in the toughest job in the world.
joshcryer
(62,265 posts)I highly doubt Cory would advocate Wills message.
mike_c
(36,191 posts)uppityperson
(115,674 posts)disagree strongly with what you write and your take on this.
DevonRex
(22,541 posts)Whatever man.
Hell Hath No Fury
(16,327 posts)to the good fight, Will.
Welcome to the underside of the O bus. We kept a seat warm for you.
BelgianMadCow
(5,379 posts)I also have to admit at times I coudn't follow when comparing to the "old" Will from pre-O. I like this one much better. Whether the specific allegation ("using as a prop" is true or not, that Obama speaks out of two sides of his mouth is a no-brainer.
Titonwan
(785 posts)Owl
(3,626 posts)Bravo
BumRushDaShow
(126,616 posts)Phlem
(6,323 posts)"Hater" Ha! Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater Hater
-p
BumRushDaShow
(126,616 posts)Phlem
(6,323 posts)you and you ilk use the word "Hate" all to frequently when no one agrees with you? OK, I agree that's pretty funny.
-p
BumRushDaShow
(126,616 posts)MisterP
(23,730 posts)1000words
(7,051 posts)These folks will undoubtedly wield their poison pens, and attempt to kill the messenger.
Rec
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)1000words
(7,051 posts)The louder they wail, the more I smile.
Phlem
(6,323 posts)Thank You for that.
-p
frwrfpos
(517 posts)onethatcares
(16,119 posts)and the country of Afghanistan is left in the hands of the CIA, Special Operation units, and the Taliban, what would have been the
great result of our invasion?
When the debt ceiling or the deficit again rises its head in ten years and the vets with no limbs and traumatic injuries are again
being shuttled to the back of the line. What will we say then?
When they can't find employment or feed their kids.
What will the country say then?
We fucked Iraq up, it doesn't look like we did much better in Afghanistan. I keep wondering if it was worth the trillions spent and the lives shattered.
Tierra_y_Libertad
(50,414 posts)The handwriting on the wall was flashing "FAIL" in neon before we even started.
Ichingcarpenter
(36,988 posts)for me for a long time.
I admire your writing and wish I had that talent.
BelgianMadCow
(5,379 posts)and when I saw the recs. DU has broken through the illusion - well, in any case much more than before.
Even when saying that, I can respect people that respect Obama & his admin for the good things he has done, and I'm not sure whether that one soldier was right to focus on. But in this OP, Will has broadened it, and it's now much better.
Me, I had the same "false" feeling throughout. Even some moments when I thought it was clear that Obama didn't believe what he was saying. Faking concern.
G_j
(40,366 posts)[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]
PowerToThePeople
(9,610 posts)Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)Patriots!
G_j
(40,366 posts)BelgianMadCow
(5,379 posts)polynomial
(750 posts)What might you have in your wallet? So after working in the free market after fifty years and follow the rules but get punked by the system you wind up to retire in poverty, half of us will, as I am one. Or support our one percent or others like Remburg participate in the industrial complex with your life and wind up with a fractured body with combined infinite rehabilitation with a standing ovation from those that profiteer, inspiring the next wave of volunteers.
An incredible mix of hubris with the loud sound of hand claps on and on fill the spirit that understands this oddessy is worse than any of Dantes real imagination. The hell we are in is the clapping sound as measured by this capital chamber. They love you America support the cause and join the team to savor in the clapping the media accolades while your wrecked body along with all the souls that are displaced and murdered for political retribution and worse drooling profits. This bottom line has no end and the applauds always like Jell-O there is room for more.
Here is a commander in chief who now expresses what we now know, a shallow reality of what really is the moment or that yes we can do something. From my view its more like do it now. I voted for this guy two times for this moment of yes we can, two times, can twice two time disappointed. Now its time to do it now. Stop the war. Close Gitmo. Start more jobs. Stop jacking around and let the Republicans bitch. Other wise curl up and shut up.
alsame
(7,784 posts)Indeed.
secondwind
(16,903 posts)grahamhgreen
(15,741 posts)Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)Stop pretending you have Cory's best interests at heart, Will. It's clear you don't give two shits about him and instead are the one using his service to manipulate your point. You are the one who devalued him into a prop with your suggestion that he is too stupid or naive to think for himself.
You saw what you wanted to see. But you know what? I don't really care what you saw because your view on this matter doesn't mean a lick. You're not Cory. You haven't gone through half the battles he did and to imply you speak for him, or for his greater justice, is absolutely disingenuous. You're in it for you - and the hackish articles from Truth-Out you've been pimping on this website for the last decade. You use his plight to drive views to your article attacking Obama for honoring a friend.
Fitting, I guess.
Cha
(295,509 posts)a "prop"?
Well Done, DIrishman!
Skittles
(152,918 posts)really beneath you
Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)Why doesn't he use his big connections to contact Cory and ask him if he felt like a prop? Of course not. Because that would go counter to his whole bullshit, slimy argument.
Skittles
(152,918 posts)it's NOT about the soldier - it's the NEVER-ENDING SENSELESS WAR
are you SERIOUSLY going to tell people like William Pitt, and ME - a VETERAN - that we don't care about soldiers, that we don't care about disabled soldiers? PLEASE STOP.
Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)A President honored a friend, and soldier, in front of millions. The heartless OP decided to make it a sideshow by suggesting he was stupidly being used as a prop. Cory ain't a fucking dog.
This post is absolutely shameful and pathetic and why liberals have a hard time shaking the image of being troop hating fools. Will wants to pretend it was Obama who used him as a prop when he is the one who's using Cory as a prop to push his flawed agenda.
More power to Cory and President Obama.
Skittles
(152,918 posts)it's NOT WHAT HE SAID - IT'S WHAT HE DIDN'T SAY
Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)He called him a prop. He portrayed a naive, stupid individual who didn't know he was being played by the President of the United States. How about we let Cory speak for Cory and not Will? I doubt Cory felt he was being used as a prop and you know what? His opinion is the only one that matters.
Nothing pisses me off more than so called outraged liberals telling us what the troops think about their situation.
Skittles
(152,918 posts)Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)I find it interesting no one even wants to ask Sgt. First Class Cory Remsburg whether he felt he was being used. His opinion is more valid on this subject than some hack writer who hasn't even gone through half the hell Remsburg witnessed in Afghanistan.
grasswire
(50,130 posts)KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)"base" and after a time stop offering anything insightful.
Like a Picasso stuck in a color period, endlessly churning out the same old thing cause there's a market for it.
Since you are the market Pitt is writing for, of course you think the comment is "disgusting".
But there is validity to the criticism of Pitt's last two OP's.
And the fact so many DU'ers can't even consider that is why I spend so little time on DU.
And it's sad to say, but Pitt seems to have become mostly a "niche blogger".
Personally, as a fan of his, I think he should stop writing about politics entirely for a while and write about parenting or something else
and let politics be a subtle thread when he writes about a different topic.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Though, they were far too respectful of the President for your liking, I'm afraid.
Union Scribe
(7,099 posts)Skittles
(152,918 posts)all people who like dogs are like Hitler!!!!!!!!!!
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)way as the Obamahaters here did.
Except Fox was milder in their crazy-ass commentary.
When it comes to President Obama's character and fitness for office, Mr Pitt and Mr Gutfield are in complete agreement, though Gutfiled is more restrained and less hateful in the way he puts it
Skittles
(152,918 posts)THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT OBAMA *OR* OUR TROOPS
Speak us, sonny, I can't hear you.
I know, right. Like if you admire Edward Snowden's bravery that means you love Rand Paul and want to have his babies. Jeebus cripes.
Skittles
(152,918 posts)yup
Cha
(295,509 posts)hate-filled talking points.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)Crewleader
(17,005 posts)Generic Other
(28,979 posts)So good to see you here.
Crewleader
(17,005 posts)Good to see you too!
marble falls
(56,027 posts)Titonwan
(785 posts)And the MIC figured that out. Allow the poor to volunteer for inhuman amounts of tours and use more toys (which gainfully employs people in many states). A few get rich and a lot of poor folks never walk, talk or move around anymore. Much better for the bottom line, doncha know, ol' chap. *wink wink*
The draft would make people consider the cost of death and destruction. It would become very real. I know.
uppityperson
(115,674 posts)can get out of, how about getting them to pass ending the war instead?
ProSense
(116,464 posts)...from the "Teflon not-my-problem political hack," who is not a like the "real leaders" who address "difficult issues head-on." Presenting, the "political hack":
Today in America, a teacher spent extra time with a student who needed it, and did her part to lift Americas graduation rate to its highest level in more than three decades.
An entrepreneur flipped on the lights in her tech startup, and did her part to add to the more than eight million new jobs our businesses have created over the past four years.
An autoworker fine-tuned some of the best, most fuel-efficient cars in the world, and did his part to help America wean itself off foreign oil.
A farmer prepared for the spring after the strongest five-year stretch of farm exports in our history. A rural doctor gave a young child the first prescription to treat asthma that his mother could afford. A man took the bus home from the graveyard shift, bone-tired but dreaming big dreams for his son. And in tight-knit communities across America, fathers and mothers will tuck in their kids, put an arm around their spouse, remember fallen comrades, and give thanks for being home from a war that, after twelve long years, is finally coming to an end.
Tonight, this chamber speaks with one voice to the people we represent: it is you, our citizens, who make the state of our union strong.
Here are the results of your efforts: The lowest unemployment rate in over five years. A rebounding housing market. A manufacturing sector thats adding jobs for the first time since the 1990s. More oil produced at home than we buy from the rest of the world the first time thats happened in nearly twenty years. Our deficits cut by more than half. And for the first time in over a decade, business leaders around the world have declared that China is no longer the worlds number one place to invest; America is.
Thats why I believe this can be a breakthrough year for America. After five years of grit and determined effort, the United States is better-positioned for the 21st century than any other nation on Earth.
The question for everyone in this chamber, running through every decision we make this year, is whether we are going to help or hinder this progress. For several years now, this town has been consumed by a rancorous argument over the proper size of the federal government. Its an important debate one that dates back to our very founding. But when that debate prevents us from carrying out even the most basic functions of our democracy when our differences shut down government or threaten the full faith and credit of the United States then we are not doing right by the American people.
As President, Im committed to making Washington work better, and rebuilding the trust of the people who sent us here. I believe most of you are, too. Last month, thanks to the work of Democrats and Republicans, this Congress finally produced a budget that undoes some of last years severe cuts to priorities like education. Nobody got everything they wanted, and we can still do more to invest in this countrys future while bringing down our deficit in a balanced way. But the budget compromise should leave us freer to focus on creating new jobs, not creating new crises.
In the coming months, lets see where else we can make progress together. Lets make this a year of action. Thats what most Americans want for all of us in this chamber to focus on their lives, their hopes, their aspirations. And what I believe unites the people of this nation, regardless of race or region or party, young or old, rich or poor, is the simple, profound belief in opportunity for all the notion that if you work hard and take responsibility, you can get ahead.
Lets face it: that belief has suffered some serious blows. Over more than three decades, even before the Great Recession hit, massive shifts in technology and global competition had eliminated a lot of good, middle-class jobs, and weakened the economic foundations that families depend on.
Today, after four years of economic growth, corporate profits and stock prices have rarely been higher, and those at the top have never done better. But average wages have barely budged. Inequality has deepened. Upward mobility has stalled. The cold, hard fact is that even in the midst of recovery, too many Americans are working more than ever just to get by let alone get ahead. And too many still arent working at all.
Our job is to reverse these trends. It wont happen right away, and we wont agree on everything. But what I offer tonight is a set of concrete, practical proposals to speed up growth, strengthen the middle class, and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class. Some require Congressional action, and Im eager to work with all of you. But America does not stand still and neither will I. So wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, thats what Im going to do.
As usual, our First Lady sets a good example. Michelles Lets Move partnership with schools, businesses, and local leaders has helped bring down childhood obesity rates for the first time in thirty years an achievement that will improve lives and reduce health care costs for decades to come. The Joining Forces alliance that Michelle and Jill Biden launched has already encouraged employers to hire or train nearly 400,000 veterans and military spouses. Taking a page from that playbook, the White House just organized a College Opportunity Summit where already, 150 universities, businesses, and nonprofits have made concrete commitments to reduce inequality in access to higher education and help every hardworking kid go to college and succeed when they get to campus. Across the country, were partnering with mayors, governors, and state legislatures on issues from homelessness to marriage equality.
The point is, there are millions of Americans outside Washington who are tired of stale political arguments, and are moving this country forward. They believe, and I believe, that here in America, our success should depend not on accident of birth, but the strength of our work ethic and the scope of our dreams. Thats what drew our forebears here. Its how the daughter of a factory worker is CEO of Americas largest automaker; how the son of a barkeeper is Speaker of the House; how the son of a single mom can be President of the greatest nation on Earth.
Opportunity is who we are. And the defining project of our generation is to restore that promise.
We know where to start: the best measure of opportunity is access to a good job. With the economy picking up speed, companies say they intend to hire more people this year. And over half of big manufacturers say theyre thinking of insourcing jobs from abroad.
So lets make that decision easier for more companies. Both Democrats and Republicans have argued that our tax code is riddled with wasteful, complicated loopholes that punish businesses investing here, and reward companies that keep profits abroad. Lets flip that equation. Lets work together to close those loopholes, end those incentives to ship jobs overseas, and lower tax rates for businesses that create jobs here at home.
Moreover, we can take the money we save with this transition to tax reform to create jobs rebuilding our roads, upgrading our ports, unclogging our commutes because in todays global economy, first-class jobs gravitate to first-class infrastructure. Well need Congress to protect more than three million jobs by finishing transportation and waterways bills this summer. But I will act on my own to slash bureaucracy and streamline the permitting process for key projects, so we can get more construction workers on the job as fast as possible.
We also have the chance, right now, to beat other countries in the race for the next wave of high-tech manufacturing jobs. My administration has launched two hubs for high-tech manufacturing in Raleigh and Youngstown, where weve connected businesses to research universities that can help America lead the world in advanced technologies. Tonight, Im announcing well launch six more this year. Bipartisan bills in both houses could double the number of these hubs and the jobs they create. So get those bills to my desk and put more Americans back to work.
Lets do more to help the entrepreneurs and small business owners who create most new jobs in America. Over the past five years, my administration has made more loans to small business owners than any other. And when ninety-eight percent of our exporters are small businesses, new trade partnerships with Europe and the Asia-Pacific will help them create more jobs. We need to work together on tools like bipartisan trade promotion authority to protect our workers, protect our environment, and open new markets to new goods stamped Made in the USA. China and Europe arent standing on the sidelines. Neither should we.
We know that the nation that goes all-in on innovation today will own the global economy tomorrow. This is an edge America cannot surrender. Federally-funded research helped lead to the ideas and inventions behind Google and smartphones. Thats why Congress should undo the damage done by last years cuts to basic research so we can unleash the next great American discovery whether its vaccines that stay ahead of drug-resistant bacteria, or paper-thin material thats stronger than steel. And lets pass a patent reform bill that allows our businesses to stay focused on innovation, not costly, needless litigation.
Now, one of the biggest factors in bringing more jobs back is our commitment to American energy. The all-of-the-above energy strategy I announced a few years ago is working, and today, America is closer to energy independence than weve been in decades.
One of the reasons why is natural gas if extracted safely, its the bridge fuel that can power our economy with less of the carbon pollution that causes climate change. Businesses plan to invest almost $100 billion in new factories that use natural gas. Ill cut red tape to help states get those factories built, and this Congress can help by putting people to work building fueling stations that shift more cars and trucks from foreign oil to American natural gas. My administration will keep working with the industry to sustain production and job growth while strengthening protection of our air, our water, and our communities. And while were at it, Ill use my authority to protect more of our pristine federal lands for future generations.
Its not just oil and natural gas production thats booming; were becoming a global leader in solar, too. Every four minutes, another American home or business goes solar; every panel pounded into place by a worker whose job cant be outsourced. Lets continue that progress with a smarter tax policy that stops giving $4 billion a year to fossil fuel industries that dont need it, so that we can invest more in fuels of the future that do.
And even as weve increased energy production, weve partnered with businesses, builders, and local communities to reduce the energy we consume. When we rescued our automakers, for example, we worked with them to set higher fuel efficiency standards for our cars. In the coming months, Ill build on that success by setting new standards for our trucks, so we can keep driving down oil imports and what we pay at the pump.
Taken together, our energy policy is creating jobs and leading to a cleaner, safer planet. Over the past eight years, the United States has reduced our total carbon pollution more than any other nation on Earth. But we have to act with more urgency because a changing climate is already harming western communities struggling with drought, and coastal cities dealing with floods. Thats why I directed my administration to work with states, utilities, and others to set new standards on the amount of carbon pollution our power plants are allowed to dump into the air. The shift to a cleaner energy economy wont happen overnight, and it will require tough choices along the way. But the debate is settled. Climate change is a fact. And when our childrens children look us in the eye and ask if we did all we could to leave them a safer, more stable world, with new sources of energy, I want us to be able to say yes, we did.
Finally, if we are serious about economic growth, it is time to heed the call of business leaders, labor leaders, faith leaders, and law enforcement and fix our broken immigration system. Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have acted. I know that members of both parties in the House want to do the same. Independent economists say immigration reform will grow our economy and shrink our deficits by almost $1 trillion in the next two decades. And for good reason: when people come here to fulfill their dreams to study, invent, and contribute to our culture they make our country a more attractive place for businesses to locate and create jobs for everyone. So lets get immigration reform done this year.
The ideas Ive outlined so far can speed up growth and create more jobs. But in this rapidly-changing economy, we have to make sure that every American has the skills to fill those jobs.
The good news is, we know how to do it. Two years ago, as the auto industry came roaring back, Andra Rush opened up a manufacturing firm in Detroit. She knew that Ford needed parts for the best-selling truck in America, and she knew how to make them. She just needed the workforce. So she dialed up what we call an American Job Center places where folks can walk in to get the help or training they need to find a new job, or better job. She was flooded with new workers. And today, Detroit Manufacturing Systems has more than 700 employees.
What Andra and her employees experienced is how it should be for every employer and every job seeker. So tonight, Ive asked Vice President Biden to lead an across-the-board reform of Americas training programs to make sure they have one mission: train Americans with the skills employers need, and match them to good jobs that need to be filled right now. That means more on-the-job training, and more apprenticeships that set a young worker on an upward trajectory for life. It means connecting companies to community colleges that can help design training to fill their specific needs. And if Congress wants to help, you can concentrate funding on proven programs that connect more ready-to-work Americans with ready-to-be-filled jobs.
Im also convinced we can help Americans return to the workforce faster by reforming unemployment insurance so that its more effective in todays economy. But first, this Congress needs to restore the unemployment insurance you just let expire for 1.6 million people.
Let me tell you why.
Misty DeMars is a mother of two young boys. Shed been steadily employed since she was a teenager. She put herself through college. Shed never collected unemployment benefits. In May, she and her husband used their life savings to buy their first home. A week later, budget cuts claimed the job she loved. Last month, when their unemployment insurance was cut off, she sat down and wrote me a letter the kind I get every day. We are the face of the unemployment crisis, she wrote. I am not dependent on the government Our country depends on people like us who build careers, contribute to society care about our neighbors I am confident that in time I will find a job I will pay my taxes, and we will raise our children in their own home in the community we love. Please give us this chance.
Congress, give these hardworking, responsible Americans that chance. They need our help, but more important, this country needs them in the game. Thats why Ive been asking CEOs to give more long-term unemployed workers a fair shot at that new job and new chance to support their families; this week, many will come to the White House to make that commitment real. Tonight, I ask every business leader in America to join us and to do the same because we are stronger when America fields a full team.
Of course, its not enough to train todays workforce. We also have to prepare tomorrows workforce, by guaranteeing every child access to a world-class education.
Estiven Rodriguez couldnt speak a word of English when he moved to New York City at age nine. But last month, thanks to the support of great teachers and an innovative tutoring program, he led a march of his classmates through a crowd of cheering parents and neighbors from their high school to the post office, where they mailed off their college applications. And this son of a factory worker just found out hes going to college this fall.
Five years ago, we set out to change the odds for all our kids. We worked with lenders to reform student loans, and today, more young people are earning college degrees than ever before. Race to the Top, with the help of governors from both parties, has helped states raise expectations and performance. Teachers and principals in schools from Tennessee to Washington, D.C. are making big strides in preparing students with skills for the new economy problem solving, critical thinking, science, technology, engineering, and math. Some of this change is hard. It requires everything from more challenging curriculums and more demanding parents to better support for teachers and new ways to measure how well our kids think, not how well they can fill in a bubble on a test. But its worth it and its working.
The problem is were still not reaching enough kids, and were not reaching them in time. That has to change.
Research shows that one of the best investments we can make in a childs life is high-quality early education. Last year, I asked this Congress to help states make high-quality pre-K available to every four year-old. As a parent as well as a President, I repeat that request tonight. But in the meantime, thirty states have raised pre-k funding on their own. They know we cant wait. So just as we worked with states to reform our schools, this year, well invest in new partnerships with states and communities across the country in a race to the top for our youngest children. And as Congress decides what its going to do, Im going to pull together a coalition of elected officials, business leaders, and philanthropists willing to help more kids access the high-quality pre-K they need.
Last year, I also pledged to connect 99 percent of our students to high-speed broadband over the next four years. Tonight, I can announce that with the support of the FCC and companies like Apple, Microsoft, Sprint, and Verizon, weve got a down payment to start connecting more than 15,000 schools and twenty million students over the next two years, without adding a dime to the deficit.
Were working to redesign high schools and partner them with colleges and employers that offer the real-world education and hands-on training that can lead directly to a job and career. Were shaking up our system of higher education to give parents more information, and colleges more incentives to offer better value, so that no middle-class kid is priced out of a college education. Were offering millions the opportunity to cap their monthly student loan payments to ten percent of their income, and I want to work with Congress to see how we can help even more Americans who feel trapped by student loan debt. And Im reaching out to some of Americas leading foundations and corporations on a new initiative to help more young men of color facing tough odds stay on track and reach their full potential.
The bottom line is, Michelle and I want every child to have the same chance this country gave us. But we know our opportunity agenda wont be complete and too many young people entering the workforce today will see the American Dream as an empty promise unless we do more to make sure our economy honors the dignity of work, and hard work pays off for every single American.
Today, women make up about half our workforce. But they still make 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. That is wrong, and in 2014, its an embarrassment. A woman deserves equal pay for equal work. She deserves to have a baby without sacrificing her job. A mother deserves a day off to care for a sick child or sick parent without running into hardship and you know what, a father does, too. Its time to do away with workplace policies that belong in a Mad Men episode. This year, lets all come together Congress, the White House, and businesses from Wall Street to Main Street to give every woman the opportunity she deserves. Because I firmly believe when women succeed, America succeeds.
Now, women hold a majority of lower-wage jobs but theyre not the only ones stifled by stagnant wages. Americans understand that some people will earn more than others, and we dont resent those who, by virtue of their efforts, achieve incredible success. But Americans overwhelmingly agree that no one who works full time should ever have to raise a family in poverty.
In the year since I asked this Congress to raise the minimum wage, five states have passed laws to raise theirs. Many businesses have done it on their own. Nick Chute is here tonight with his boss, John Soranno. Johns an owner of Punch Pizza in Minneapolis, and Nick helps make the dough. Only now he makes more of it: John just gave his employees a raise, to ten bucks an hour a decision that eased their financial stress and boosted their morale.
Tonight, I ask more of Americas business leaders to follow Johns lead and do what you can to raise your employees wages. To every mayor, governor, and state legislator in America, I say, you dont have to wait for Congress to act; Americans will support you if you take this on. And as a chief executive, I intend to lead by example. Profitable corporations like Costco see higher wages as the smart way to boost productivity and reduce turnover. We should too. In the coming weeks, I will issue an Executive Order requiring federal contractors to pay their federally-funded employees a fair wage of at least $10.10 an hour because if you cook our troops meals or wash their dishes, you shouldnt have to live in poverty.
Of course, to reach millions more, Congress needs to get on board. Today, the federal minimum wage is worth about twenty percent less than it was when Ronald Reagan first stood here. Tom Harkin and George Miller have a bill to fix that by lifting the minimum wage to $10.10. This will help families. It will give businesses customers with more money to spend. It doesnt involve any new bureaucratic program. So join the rest of the country. Say yes. Give America a raise.
There are other steps we can take to help families make ends meet, and few are more effective at reducing inequality and helping families pull themselves up through hard work than the Earned Income Tax Credit. Right now, it helps about half of all parents at some point. But I agree with Republicans like Senator Rubio that it doesnt do enough for single workers who dont have kids. So lets work together to strengthen the credit, reward work, and help more Americans get ahead.
Lets do more to help Americans save for retirement. Today, most workers dont have a pension. A Social Security check often isnt enough on its own. And while the stock market has doubled over the last five years, that doesnt help folks who dont have 401ks. Thats why, tomorrow, I will direct the Treasury to create a new way for working Americans to start their own retirement savings: MyRA. Its a new savings bond that encourages folks to build a nest egg. MyRA guarantees a decent return with no risk of losing what you put in. And if this Congress wants to help, work with me to fix an upside-down tax code that gives big tax breaks to help the wealthy save, but does little to nothing for middle-class Americans. Offer every American access to an automatic IRA on the job, so they can save at work just like everyone in this chamber can. And since the most important investment many families make is their home, send me legislation that protects taxpayers from footing the bill for a housing crisis ever again, and keeps the dream of homeownership alive for future generations of Americans.
One last point on financial security. For decades, few things exposed hard-working families to economic hardship more than a broken health care system. And in case you havent heard, were in the process of fixing that.
A pre-existing condition used to mean that someone like Amanda Shelley, a physician assistant and single mom from Arizona, couldnt get health insurance. But on January 1st, she got covered. On January 3rd, she felt a sharp pain. On January 6th, she had emergency surgery. Just one week earlier, Amanda said, that surgery wouldve meant bankruptcy.
Thats what health insurance reform is all about the peace of mind that if misfortune strikes, you dont have to lose everything.
Already, because of the Affordable Care Act, more than three million Americans under age 26 have gained coverage under their parents plans.
More than nine million Americans have signed up for private health insurance or Medicaid coverage.
And heres another number: zero. Because of this law, no American can ever again be dropped or denied coverage for a preexisting condition like asthma, back pain, or cancer. No woman can ever be charged more just because shes a woman. And we did all this while adding years to Medicares finances, keeping Medicare premiums flat, and lowering prescription costs for millions of seniors.
Now, I dont expect to convince my Republican friends on the merits of this law. But I know that the American people arent interested in refighting old battles. So again, if you have specific plans to cut costs, cover more people, and increase choice tell America what youd do differently. Lets see if the numbers add up. But lets not have another forty-something votes to repeal a law thats already helping millions of Americans like Amanda. The first forty were plenty. We got it. We all owe it to the American people to say what were for, not just what were against.
And if you want to know the real impact this law is having, just talk to Governor Steve Beshear of Kentucky, whos here tonight. Kentuckys not the most liberal part of the country, but hes like a man possessed when it comes to covering his commonwealths families. They are our friends and neighbors, he said. They are people we shop and go to church with farmers out on the tractors grocery clerks they are people who go to work every morning praying they dont get sick. No one deserves to live that way.
Steves right. Thats why, tonight, I ask every American who knows someone without health insurance to help them get covered by March 31st. Moms, get on your kids to sign up. Kids, call your mom and walk her through the application. It will give her some peace of mind plus, shell appreciate hearing from you.
After all, thats the spirit that has always moved this nation forward. Its the spirit of citizenship the recognition that through hard work and responsibility, we can pursue our individual dreams, but still come together as one American family to make sure the next generation can pursue its dreams as well.
Citizenship means standing up for everyones right to vote. Last year, part of the Voting Rights Act was weakened. But conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats are working together to strengthen it; and the bipartisan commission I appointed last year has offered reforms so that no one has to wait more than a half hour to vote. Lets support these efforts. It should be the power of our vote, not the size of our bank account, that drives our democracy.
Citizenship means standing up for the lives that gun violence steals from us each day. I have seen the courage of parents, students, pastors, and police officers all over this country who say we are not afraid, and I intend to keep trying, with or without Congress, to help stop more tragedies from visiting innocent Americans in our movie theaters, shopping malls, or schools like Sandy Hook.
Citizenship demands a sense of common cause; participation in the hard work of self-government; an obligation to serve to our communities. And I know this chamber agrees that few Americans give more to their country than our diplomats and the men and women of the United States Armed Forces.
Tonight, because of the extraordinary troops and civilians who risk and lay down their lives to keep us free, the United States is more secure. When I took office, nearly 180,000 Americans were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, all our troops are out of Iraq. More than 60,000 of our troops have already come home from Afghanistan. With Afghan forces now in the lead for their own security, our troops have moved to a support role. Together with our allies, we will complete our mission there by the end of this year, and Americas longest war will finally be over.
After 2014, we will support a unified Afghanistan as it takes responsibility for its own future. If the Afghan government signs a security agreement that we have negotiated, a small force of Americans could remain in Afghanistan with NATO allies to carry out two narrow missions: training and assisting Afghan forces, and counterterrorism operations to pursue any remnants of al Qaeda. For while our relationship with Afghanistan will change, one thing will not: our resolve that terrorists do not launch attacks against our country.
The fact is, that danger remains. While we have put al Qaedas core leadership on a path to defeat, the threat has evolved, as al Qaeda affiliates and other extremists take root in different parts of the world. In Yemen, Somalia, Iraq, and Mali, we have to keep working with partners to disrupt and disable these networks. In Syria, well support the opposition that rejects the agenda of terrorist networks. Here at home, well keep strengthening our defenses, and combat new threats like cyberattacks. And as we reform our defense budget, we have to keep faith with our men and women in uniform, and invest in the capabilities they need to succeed in future missions.
We have to remain vigilant. But I strongly believe our leadership and our security cannot depend on our military alone. As Commander-in-Chief, I have used force when needed to protect the American people, and I will never hesitate to do so as long as I hold this office. But I will not send our troops into harms way unless its truly necessary; nor will I allow our sons and daughters to be mired in open-ended conflicts. We must fight the battles that need to be fought, not those that terrorists prefer from us large-scale deployments that drain our strength and may ultimately feed extremism.
So, even as we aggressively pursue terrorist networks through more targeted efforts and by building the capacity of our foreign partners America must move off a permanent war footing. Thats why Ive imposed prudent limits on the use of drones for we will not be safer if people abroad believe we strike within their countries without regard for the consequence. Thats why, working with this Congress, I will reform our surveillance programs because the vital work of our intelligence community depends on public confidence, here and abroad, that the privacy of ordinary people is not being violated. And with the Afghan war ending, this needs to be the year Congress lifts the remaining restrictions on detainee transfers and we close the prison at Guantanamo Bay because we counter terrorism not just through intelligence and military action, but by remaining true to our Constitutional ideals, and setting an example for the rest of the world.
You see, in a world of complex threats, our security and leadership depends on all elements of our power including strong and principled diplomacy. American diplomacy has rallied more than fifty countries to prevent nuclear materials from falling into the wrong hands, and allowed us to reduce our own reliance on Cold War stockpiles. American diplomacy, backed by the threat of force, is why Syrias chemical weapons are being eliminated, and we will continue to work with the international community to usher in the future the Syrian people deserve a future free of dictatorship, terror and fear. As we speak, American diplomacy is supporting Israelis and Palestinians as they engage in difficult but necessary talks to end the conflict there; to achieve dignity and an independent state for Palestinians, and lasting peace and security for the State of Israel a Jewish state that knows America will always be at their side.
And it is American diplomacy, backed by pressure, that has halted the progress of Irans nuclear program and rolled parts of that program back for the very first time in a decade. As we gather here tonight, Iran has begun to eliminate its stockpile of higher levels of enriched uranium. It is not installing advanced centrifuges. Unprecedented inspections help the world verify, every day, that Iran is not building a bomb. And with our allies and partners, were engaged in negotiations to see if we can peacefully achieve a goal we all share: preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
These negotiations will be difficult. They may not succeed. We are clear-eyed about Irans support for terrorist organizations like Hezbollah, which threaten our allies; and the mistrust between our nations cannot be wished away. But these negotiations do not rely on trust; any long-term deal we agree to must be based on verifiable action that convinces us and the international community that Iran is not building a nuclear bomb. If John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan could negotiate with the Soviet Union, then surely a strong and confident America can negotiate with less powerful adversaries today.
The sanctions that we put in place helped make this opportunity possible. But let me be clear: if this Congress sends me a new sanctions bill now that threatens to derail these talks, I will veto it. For the sake of our national security, we must give diplomacy a chance to succeed. If Irans leaders do not seize this opportunity, then I will be the first to call for more sanctions, and stand ready to exercise all options to make sure Iran does not build a nuclear weapon. But if Irans leaders do seize the chance, then Iran could take an important step to rejoin the community of nations, and we will have resolved one of the leading security challenges of our time without the risks of war.
Finally, lets remember that our leadership is defined not just by our defense against threats, but by the enormous opportunities to do good and promote understanding around the globe to forge greater cooperation, to expand new markets, to free people from fear and want. And no one is better positioned to take advantage of those opportunities than America.
Our alliance with Europe remains the strongest the world has ever known. From Tunisia to Burma, were supporting those who are willing to do the hard work of building democracy. In Ukraine, we stand for the principle that all people have the right to express themselves freely and peacefully, and have a say in their countrys future. Across Africa, were bringing together businesses and governments to double access to electricity and help end extreme poverty. In the Americas, we are building new ties of commerce, but were also expanding cultural and educational exchanges among young people. And we will continue to focus on the Asia-Pacific, where we support our allies, shape a future of greater security and prosperity, and extend a hand to those devastated by disaster as we did in the Philippines, when our Marines and civilians rushed to aid those battered by a typhoon, and were greeted with words like, We will never forget your kindness and God bless America!
We do these things because they help promote our long-term security. And we do them because we believe in the inherent dignity and equality of every human being, regardless of race or religion, creed or sexual orientation. And next week, the world will see one expression of that commitment when Team USA marches the red, white, and blue into the Olympic Stadium and brings home the gold.
My fellow Americans, no other country in the world does what we do. On every issue, the world turns to us, not simply because of the size of our economy or our military might but because of the ideals we stand for, and the burdens we bear to advance them.
No one knows this better than those who serve in uniform. As this time of war draws to a close, a new generation of heroes returns to civilian life. Well keep slashing that backlog so our veterans receive the benefits theyve earned, and our wounded warriors receive the health care including the mental health care that they need. Well keep working to help all our veterans translate their skills and leadership into jobs here at home. And we all continue to join forces to honor and support our remarkable military families.
Let me tell you about one of those families Ive come to know.
I first met Cory Remsburg, a proud Army Ranger, at Omaha Beach on the 65th anniversary of D-Day. Along with some of his fellow Rangers, he walked me through the program a strong, impressive young man, with an easy manner, sharp as a tack. We joked around, and took pictures, and I told him to stay in touch.
A few months later, on his tenth deployment, Cory was nearly killed by a massive roadside bomb in Afghanistan. His comrades found him in a canal, face down, underwater, shrapnel in his brain.
For months, he lay in a coma. The next time I met him, in the hospital, he couldnt speak; he could barely move. Over the years, hes endured dozens of surgeries and procedures, and hours of grueling rehab every day.
Even now, Cory is still blind in one eye. He still struggles on his left side. But slowly, steadily, with the support of caregivers like his dad Craig, and the community around him, Cory has grown stronger. Day by day, hes learned to speak again and stand again and walk again and hes working toward the day when he can serve his country again.
My recovery has not been easy, he says. Nothing in life thats worth anything is easy.
Cory is here tonight. And like the Army he loves, like the America he serves, Sergeant First Class Cory Remsburg never gives up, and he does not quit.
My fellow Americans, men and women like Cory remind us that America has never come easy. Our freedom, our democracy, has never been easy. Sometimes we stumble; we make mistakes; we get frustrated or discouraged. But for more than two hundred years, we have put those things aside and placed our collective shoulder to the wheel of progress to create and build and expand the possibilities of individual achievement; to free other nations from tyranny and fear; to promote justice, and fairness, and equality under the law, so that the words set to paper by our founders are made real for every citizen. The America we want for our kids a rising America where honest work is plentiful and communities are strong; where prosperity is widely shared and opportunity for all lets us go as far as our dreams and toil will take us none of it is easy. But if we work together; if we summon what is best in us, with our feet planted firmly in today but our eyes cast towards tomorrow I know its within our reach.
Believe it.
God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/01/28/president-barack-obamas-state-union-address
How the hell is this "political hack" still President?
ProSense
(116,464 posts)contact your Senator and tell her she is completely mistaken about the leadership abilities of the "political hack."
Washington, DC United States Senator Elizabeth Warren today released the following statement in reaction to President Obamas State of the Union address:
President Obama laid out an encouraging plan for how we can move our country forward. The President showed he is ready to take action now to help level the playing field for hard-working families. Raising the minimum wage for federal contract workers and expanding access to early childhood education are important steps, and I applaud the president's leadership. Even so, we need to do more together to ensure that all of our kids have a chance at a quality, affordable education and real opportunities for success. Im committed to working with my colleagues in the Senate to make the kinds of investments in education, research, and infrastructure that help us build a future not just for some of us, but for all of us.
http://www.warren.senate.gov/?p=press_release&id=325
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024407391
Set her straight.
sheshe2
(83,126 posts)Agony
(2,605 posts)"Ask me, and I'll tell you I saw a man talk like an Occupy protester while promoting the same tired, failed economic principles that spawned our yawning inequality in the first place. I saw a man talk like a Greenpeace activist while promoting or ignoring the dirtiest fuel industries in the business. I saw a man honor a ten-times-deployed wounded veteran with an "Oops." I saw a man talking very eloquently out of both sides of his mouth, again, and it made me sick in my soul. "
this is a pandering that I am _extremely_ tired of... sick even, as you say.
"I'll tell you I saw a man talk like an Occupy protester while promoting the same tired, failed economic principles that spawned our yawning inequality in the first place."
...that's nonsense.
By Heather C. McGhee and Amy Traub
When it comes to boosting economic opportunity, President Obama isnt going to wait for Congress anymore...the President made a powerful statement about employers obligation to reward work -- starting with his own obligation as the executive in charge of millions of federal contracts.
In a study we released last May, Demos found that nearly two million private sector employees paid with federal tax dollars through contracts, loans, grants, leases and health spending, earn wages too low to support a family. These are people working on behalf of America, doing jobs that we have decided are worthy of public fundsyet theyre being treated in a very un-American way. Thats why federal workers have been walking off the job for the last year...Now the President has taken a major step to lift up hundreds of thousands of those workers. In the process, the president will help families work their way up out of poverty and give new momentum to efforts to raise the minimum wage for everyone laboring too hard for too little in todays low-pay economy.
The truth is that preferring contractors who pay workers at least $10.10 an hour will have benefits far beyond the workers themselves and their families. When our tax dollars subsidize and promote the creation of low-wage jobs rather than positions that enable workers to afford the necessities of life, there is a ripple effect throughout the economy: poorly-paid workers have less to spend in their communities, and businesses facing less consumer demand in turn hire fewer workers, stunting economic recovery. Low-paid workers also contribute less in taxes and more often need public benefits to provide for their families....From the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act onward, the idea that the federal government should be a model employer and that employees working on behalf of the public should have strong workplace protections has an extensive history in our country. The use of executive orders to improve the employment practices of companies granted federal contracts also has a long precedent. Beginning in 1941, successive presidents from both parties signed executive orders aimed at preventing employment discrimination by federal contractors. President Obamas order raising wages for companies that do business with the federal government follows this successful precedent.
If the cost of federal contracts is a concern, the spotlight should be not on the employees who will finally see a raise to $10.10 an hour, but rather on the over $21 billion a year the government spends on the pay of their bosses, the top executives at contracting firms. After Demos put a number on this subsidy of executive excess in a September report, Congress included a lower maximum pay reimbursement for contractors in its December budget deal. But even the lower cap still provides executives a roughly $234.00 an hour subsidy. When you consider that our current contracting system fuels inequality through both lavish compensation for CEOs and poverty wages for front-line workers, it becomes clear where cost-cutting efforts should be focused.
- more -
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-budget/196837-executive-order-on-federal-contracting-means-real-action
On the lower cap for maximum pay...
By Josh Hicks
Federal worker unions have applauded a new limit on pay for government contractors, but one industry group has warned that the arbitrary cap will cause problems for those who do business with federal agencies.
The restriction, which came as part of the new budget deal Congress and President Obama approved last month, reduced the highest level of contractor compensation from its previous annual limit of $952,000 per individual to $487,000 per individual, a drop of nearly 49 percent.
The Professional Services Council, a group that represents the professional- and technical-services industries, said in a statement on Friday that the rule will inhibit the ability of companies to attract top talent.
<...>
The American Federation of Government Employees has argued since at least last year for lowering the limit to $230,700, which would match Vice President Bidens salary in 2013. The organization included that proposal in its list of 2014 legislative priorities.
- more -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2014/01/03/varied-views-on-new-contractor-pay-cap/
Obama pushes to limit federal spending on corporate executive pay
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022927167
Agony
(2,605 posts)is not leadership. No one here hates President Obama.
"nibbling at the edges while an Apollo Program is required is not leadership."
...the "teflon not-my-problem political hack" is just "nibbling" away providing health care to tens of millions.
Medicaid Expansion Has Already Cut The Number Of Uninsured West Virginians By A Third
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024366112
From 'I don't want any part of Obamacare' to 'It's a godsend'
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024349685
by TomP
Obamacare is far from perfect. Many of us have long sought a single payer system, but that was not doable in 2010. Perhaps a public option was, and it is unfortunate that we did not achieve that. It is one of the reforms to Obamacare that progressives should fight for.
My post today is about some good news. A study from the Brookings Institution shows that Obamacare will help reduce income inequality. Of course, much more is needed, but it all adds up. This is a step forward. (Raising the minimum wage also is very important because it will cause a bump in wages at minimum wage and wages above it (and it likely will have to be done state-by-state).)
Here's the study on Obamacare and inequality:
THE ARCHITECTS OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (ACA) sought to expand health insurance coverage, slow the growth of health care spending, and improve the quality of care. Changing the distribution of incomes was not a stated objective. Nonetheless, the ACA may do more to change the income distribution than any other recently enacted law. It does so by requiring employers to offer affordable health insurance to their full-time employees, by providing refundable tax credits to help make private health insurance affordable, and by expanding eligibility for Medicaid. The law penalizes nonpoor adults who are offered affordable coverage and do not buy it. It reduces subsidies for some Medicare plans and imposes new taxes on the labor and investment incomes of high-income families. In each of these ways, the new health law will change the net incomes of Americans at all income levels.
Brookings Institution: POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT ON INCOME INEQUALITY
You can read the entire study at that link. Here is a synopsis from TPM:
Obamacare is poised to mitigate soaring inequality by raising the incomes of the poorest Americans, according to a new study by the Brookings Institution.
By 2016, when its core provisions will have fully taken effect, the law will lift the average incomes of the bottom one-fifth of earners by nearly 6 percent, and the incomes of the bottom one-tenth by more than 7 percent, the study found.
The "great majority" of beneficiaries of the law's subsidies and Medicaid expansion will be in the bottom half -- and the "overwhelmingly majority" in the bottom third -- of the income distribution.
Obamacare is worth defending.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/01/27/1272820/-Obamacare-Will-Help-Reduce-Income-Inequality
Krugman: Obama and the One Percent
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024391415
The new heatlh care law raised the payroll tax for high income earners and taxed investment income.
A new Net Investment Income Tax goes into effect starting in 2013. The 3.8 percent Net Investment Income Tax applies to individuals, estates and trusts that have certain investment income above certain threshold amounts. The IRS and the Treasury Department have issued proposed regulations on the Net Investment Income Tax. Comments may be submitted electronically, by mail or hand delivered to the IRS. For additional information on the Net Investment Income Tax, see our questions and answers.
Additional Medicare Tax
A new Additional Medicare Tax goes into effect starting in 2013. The 0.9 percent Additional Medicare Tax applies to an individuals wages, Railroad Retirement Tax Act compensation, and self-employment income that exceeds a threshold amount based on the individuals filing status. The threshold amounts are $250,000 for married taxpayers who file jointly, $125,000 for married taxpayers who file separately, and $200,000 for all other taxpayers. An employer is responsible for withholding the Additional Medicare Tax from wages or compensation it pays to an employee in excess of $200,000 in a calendar year. The IRS and the Department of the Treasury have issued proposed regulations on the Additional Medicare Tax. Comments may be submitted electronically, by mail or hand delivered to the IRS. For additional information on the Additional Medicare Tax, see our questions and answers.
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Affordable-Care-Act-Tax-Provisions
Agony
(2,605 posts)the ACA is a reasonable step in the right direction however Will's article only mentioned health care in passing.
Like I said, no one here hates President Obama.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)"There you go again changing the subject...
the ACA is a reasonable step in the right direction however Will's article only mentioned health care in passing.
Like I said, no one here hates President Obama."
...changing the subject if health care was "mentioned"?
Yeah, you said that, but I beg to differ. I mean, a speech full of proposals is reduced being dismissed by the OP, hiding behind his disdain for a tribute to a soldier.
It's transparent.
Skittles
(152,918 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)On the one hand he claimed he is against the gross wealth inequality and on the other hand he works hand in hand with Penny Pritzker on the TPP which will exacerbate that same wealth inequality. That is insanity. But it does fool the loyalists.
I think the real heroes are those vets that line our streets in the rain begging for food because their society failed them.
Dont get me wrong, my heart goes out to Cory Remsburg. But my stomached turned to see the 1% condescendingly applaud him. Thanking him for serving them so their loved ones wouldnt have to serve. The war profiteers thanking him as they count their ill gotten gains.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)DevonRex
(22,541 posts)All the different Democratic and Progressive activist groups I belong to would have the same reactions we've had. But does DU deserve to be associated with it? It seems fairly representative if replies and recs are the judge. And if treatment of the posters who disagree with it is anything to go by. Perhaps people need a heads up on that as well, without actually putting it into words of course. No need anyway. It's as plain as day.
What do you think?
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)accountability from an elected official isnt hate.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)"Asking for accountability from an elected official isnt hate."
The OP isn't a call for "accountability," it's knee-jerk nonsense. It's a predetermined response that found a crutch, the tribute to the soldier.
I mean, that's what this is all about.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)Titonwan
(785 posts)I agree with your sentiment and Mr. Rivers as well. If these barf bags really cared, they'd be restricting tours to two at max. They depend on the poor, minorities and illegal aliens to tote the barge line when there should be a draft if we're really serious about just war. No, this is a money racket and always has been.
Save that fake applause for when they fund real veterans in their plight after hell. Most wounded vets will live a life just above abject poverty. And people buy stickers that state 'Support our Troops' and they feel somehow they've done enough.
I know people that 'only' did three tours in VN and some of them are way strong on the kray kray. Can you imagine ten?
joshcryer
(62,265 posts)It's basically an intellectual property agreement which would harm US interests but geopolitically it is seen as a necessary step to prevent Russia from further leveraging against us. This is not my opinion this is the opinion of RT.com.
Obama's biggest issue is he has shitty advisers. I hope the next President we elect refuses to put GOPers in their cabinet. This isn't the way to run government. The idea that US economic interests should cede to US geopolitical interests is abhorrent.
And no I'm not a fucking loyalist. Would a loyalist say Obama had shitty advisers and was wrong to put GOPers in his cabinet?
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)To me a loyalist is one that puts loyalty above principles. One that wont discuss the merits of an issue but defends their leader with ridicule and ad hominem attacks. They are easy to spot. When you ask them to discuss an issue like the TPP, they will not. They rely on ridicule and mockery to try to shut up opposition.
Political speeches are full of rhetoric and I dont mean that in a pejorative way. The Pres didnt say he supported the TPP and he didnt say he opposed it. I dont think anyone believes that he opposes the TPP. It's absurd to argue over his exact words when he is using rhetoric.
Again I am not aiming these comments at you.
KoKo
(84,711 posts)"Dont get me wrong, my heart goes out to Cory Remsburg. But my stomached turned to see the 1% condescendingly applaud him. Thanking him for serving them so their loved ones wouldnt have to serve. The war profiteers thanking him as they count their ill gotten gains."
L0oniX
(31,493 posts)I can tell you from personal experience that at least 20% of those that showed up at a outdoor food line every weekend I helped out at for 5 years were vets.
AngryAmish
(25,704 posts)I am continuing my personal ironman streak of skipping the sotu. It is several decades long. I would have thrown up in my lap. I'll leave it to the crotch-grabbing war loving losers.
radiclib
(1,811 posts)
the kind that were not debatable on this board at one time. Apparently, there are many on this thread who don't "get" what those are, and maybe never did.
t
ProSense
(116,464 posts)radiclib
(1,811 posts)Please cite an example of "hate" in the piece. And maybe you think 10 deployments is exaggeration. Or what "free trade" is doing to this country is overblown. Or what happened in West Virginia was some liberal dystopian fantasy.
"Hyperbole"? I don't think so. Nice pom poms, though.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)"Please cite an example of 'hate' in the piece."
...I'm wonder if it's really hate. I mean, I'm sure the OP donated, supported and voted for the "teflon not-my-problem political hack" twice.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024414439#post120
radiclib
(1,811 posts)It's all about what team you're on. Thanks for reminding me, Pro. You're really good at that
ProSense
(116,464 posts)"Of course. He voted for him, so he can't criticize him."
I think "teflon not-my-problem political hack" is appropriate criticism, you?
radiclib
(1,811 posts)It is easy peasy for politicians to talk about putting difficult issues "aside," out of mind, away. That's the bread and butter of the Teflon not-my-problem political hack. Leaders, real leaders, address those difficult issues head-on. They challenge we the people to take them head-on, as well, and that is how we heal and rise and move on. That did not happen on Tuesday night. Again.
He's not calling Obama a hack. He's saying he's acting like one. But I guess he hurt your feelings.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)"He's not calling Obama a hack. He's saying he's acting like one. But I guess he hurt your feelings."
I guess, that makes it OK, right? Still, are you sure?
Exact quote:
We have put those things aside? Cory Remsburg, and the tens of thousands of soldiers who share his damage, cannot put those things aside. Mr. Obama turned that soldier's plight into a pep rally for the country that fed him to the bomb that almost killed him. "Sometimes we stumble; we make mistakes" was the only apology that ravaged Ranger got from his Commander in Chief. He deserved far more than that, as do all the men and women not lucky enough to get applause from Congress on television.
It is easy peasy for politicians to talk about putting difficult issues "aside," out of mind, away. That's the bread and butter of the Teflon not-my-problem political hack. Leaders, real leaders, address those difficult issues head-on. They challenge we the people to take them head-on, as well, and that is how we heal and rise and move on. That did not happen on Tuesday night. Again.
If you ask the right people, they'll tell you it was a great speech.
Ask me, and I'll tell you I saw a man talk like an Occupy protester while promoting the same tired, failed economic principles that spawned our yawning inequality in the first place. I saw a man talk like a Greenpeace activist while promoting or ignoring the dirtiest fuel industries in the business. I saw a man honor a ten-times-deployed wounded veteran with an "Oops." I saw a man talking very eloquently out of both sides of his mouth, again, and it made me sick in my soul.
I guess the wrong "people," like the OP, is here to tell you the speech sucked! Why did it suck: Three threads on a tribute to a
LOL!
bobduca
(1,763 posts)ProSense
(116,464 posts)Welcome to DU.
bobduca
(1,763 posts)ProSense
(116,464 posts)?
bobduca
(1,763 posts)But i'm glad to see Mr Roffles is back on the job!
Change that narrative with your constant spam, you can do it! Pete Peterson is depending on your brave cosplay act here!
ProSense
(116,464 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)If the OP seems to be hateful, it's hating income inequality and the exploitation of our middle and lower classes. Those that will not question their leader apparently are satisfied with the status quo.
You cant be against income inequality and support the TPP. Penny Pritzker and the TPP will be the final nail in our coffin.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)"If the OP seems to be hateful, it's hating income inequality and the exploitation of our middle and lower classes. Those that will not question their leader apparently are satisfied with the status quo.
You cant be against income inequality and support the TPP. Penny Pritzker and the TPP will be the final nail in our coffin. "
Please, spare me the self-righteous rant.
Tens of millions of people gained access to health care, and a lot of self-righteous people had no problem advocating "kill the bill."
A lot of self-righteous people don't give a damn about the gains there, but being against TPP makes you an uber progressive? Spare me.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)are ecstatic.
But demands at local food banks are also at an all time high.
What message would you have me tell those that come in once a month for 3 days worth of food, those who are losing their food stamps. Maybe I can tell them that Goldman-Sachs profits are up.
High school students use our bath room to change in the morning and clean up a little before school. We are trying to scrape up funds for a shower.
Most of our donations come from middle class families which have been hit hard by the recession. Therefore donations are down. The soup kitchens are overwhelmed. But I bet this is falling on deaf ears. Yeah TPP, yeah 1%.
Tell us how much you admire Penny Pritzker.
Generic Other
(28,979 posts)to criticize folks who have a lifetime of consistent liberal stances on issues. Folks who are not comfortable bending themselves into pretzels to back policies they 100% do not agree with. Folks who are able to be introspective, think for themselves, write from their hearts, share their misgivings. But there is no room on the new DU for anyone who isn't posting a daily dose of fanfiction.
I am not a belieber. Obama's "Yes we can" became "No you didn't" very quickly, and nothing you say or do will change this one incontrovertible fact.
He used the soldier in much the same way Bush used to do it, exploiting men and women in uniform to serve as backdrops for his speeches. It was sickening then, and it is no less so now.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)"Mostly since you showed up to criticize folks who have a lifetime of consistent liberal stances on issues. Folks who are not comfortable bending themselves into pretzels to back policies they 100% do not agree with. Folks who are able to be introspective, think for themselves, write from their hearts, share their misgivings. But there is no room on the new DU for anyone who isn't posting a daily dose of fanfiction."
...get over yourself. No self-respecting liberal or progressive would support such a nonsensical OP.
Joke: "think for themselves"
Yeah, following behind a handful of posters and hi-fiving any nonsense they post qualifies.
Generic Other
(28,979 posts)Blind unquestioning loyalty to your fearless leader. Laugh at those who question. Label our concerns as "nonsense." Anything to promote your brand. Write fanfiction day in and day out to mitigate, explain away, and detract attention from the bad choices Obama has made since the day he took office.
He is the one who has divided Democrats. And you have been his sycophantic cheerleader all the way.
I have not really responded to you before as I didn't think it was worth the effort, but there are times when people of conscience need to stand up and be counted. You are the divisive element at DU. Your perpetual need to make fun of others when we have serious issues reflects your lack of a real argument. ROFL smilie as a defense of one's position makes one look like a buffoon not a person worthy of debating.
Sadly, you seem to be a one dimensional thinker -- one sided, biased, and slanted. Your posts are propaganda. It does nothing to help our party move forward. In fact, you accomplish the opposite. You drive away the only allies you will ever likely have.
When Obama leaves the White House, I don't know what you will do with yourself. But go ahead and congratulate yourself on the division you've caused.
The "handful" of posters who are brave enough to speak out in the new DU grows larger by the day. And many of them are the ones who were here fighting from the start when we were a community that cared about one another. We preferred hi-fiving and hugging each other to rolling on the floor mocking and putting each other down.
I think people a lot more eloquent than me have already told you this, but you are so bent on unifying us by destroying us that you can't see how your plans backfire and creates the exact opposite outcome you expect. What you create is more people questioning, not less.
Skittles
(152,918 posts)the hypocrisy will wear off
ProSense
(116,464 posts)Hillary Hillary Hillary Hillary Hillary Hillary Hillary Hillary Hillary Hillary Hillary Hillary
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023950882
sheshe2
(83,126 posts)Titonwan
(785 posts)I feel the same way, Mr. Pitt.
bvar22
(39,909 posts)The State of the Union Address is no longer about the State of Our Union,
but has devolved into a Marketing Scam, much like the Presidential Debates.
I feel much the same way about the SOTU as the League of Women Voters when they refused to host
the debates in 1987.
The League of Women Voters is withdrawing sponsorship of the presidential debates...because the demands of the two campaign organizations would perpetrate a fraud on the American voter. [font size=3] It has become clear to us that the candidates' organizations aim to add debates to their list of campaign-trail charades devoid of substance, spontaneity and answers to tough questions. The League has no intention of becoming an accessory to the hoodwinking of the American public.[/font]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election_debates
My Impression of the SOTU:
campaign-trail charade devoid of substance, spontaneity and answers to tough questions
KoKo
(84,711 posts)Last edited Fri Jan 31, 2014, 11:52 AM - Edit history (1)
with the families and friends we've all LOST to these "9/11 WARS" and how we have been deceived.
I give Pitt a HUGE ...K&R for Daring to Come Out about this.
It can't have been easy for him to speak his mind about this... But, he did...and he deserves to be heard....
THERE NEEDS TO BE A "Turn in the Tides" every so often and PITT has managed to do this in his "own time"....but he's never given up...he's only "watched and waited" like the rest of us and when he'd had enough he SPOKE OUT!
and
Response to KoKo (Reply #157)
Post removed
bobduca
(1,763 posts)sickening for sure.
Phlem
(6,323 posts)It truly does feel like one is surrounded by Republicans in DU sometimes.
-p
sheshe2
(83,126 posts)the post you gave a +10000 just got hidden.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)Doesn't make it untrue.
bvar22
(39,909 posts)...and agree,
and add another +10000.
Titonwan
(785 posts)Critical thinking is verboten, apparently. I think it's perfectly acceptable to criticize our leaders when they're trying to bullshit us. It amazes me that people that used to cheer Glenn Greenwald- when he was railing against Baby Bush's illegalities now scorn him for illustrating Obama's transgressions (oh and there's been a few). That's not independent thinking- that's addiction to a belief with no standing in fact.
You know... cheerleading! Yay!
Phlem
(6,323 posts)This place will definitely challenge you but I'm glad your here and I hope you stay. I'm so glad to meet another person who requires Empirical Evidence.
Hope to see more of you!
-p
Titonwan
(785 posts)I just don't speak much. Mebbe that's a good thing since I've gotten four 'post removed' in the last freakin' month. This used to be a liberal joint. Don't know about now... (note to self: ignore cheerleaders with massive post counts)
I hear and obey. I mean really, thanks for pointing out the obvious that I could not see.
-p
Whisp
(24,096 posts)does Obama still hurt your soul, Will? Is he still the evilest man in the world?
gawd.
bobduca
(1,763 posts)to the gut
blue neen
(12,305 posts)We're all disappointed in someone we previously respected.
One side is definitely NOT disappointed.
-p
blue neen
(12,305 posts).
Phlem
(6,323 posts)If you can't discern that from the posts, then you are a bit metaphysical for me.
Of course there aren't sides as we all want the same thing it's the path to that, and right now there's a discrepancy.
I think a major part of this discrepancy is the lack of "face to face" thanks to the internet. On a web page we're all doing great, in real life, not so much. Why emphasis on a particular topic is more shrill than others in posts, history or the "lack of" on particulars in debates, etc...
What's your answer?
-p
WilliamPitt
(58,179 posts)Heh. Nicely done.
Skittles
(152,918 posts)I can play that game too
Generic Other
(28,979 posts)The adulation at the altar of Obama is way to reminiscent of the GOP and their Reagan worship. These are unhealthy and delusional obsessions. I will probably be banned from posting on this thread soon because that is what passes for debate around here these days, so just wanted to thank you and Will for your courage, and for continuing to speak your mind.
L0oniX
(31,493 posts)blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)WilliamPitt
(58,179 posts)Agony
(2,605 posts)lost opportunity is fucking sad...
Agony
Phlem
(6,323 posts)I posted about lost opportunity when O lost the majority, of which William Pitt, was one of the first to douse me in flames and demean me. That was ABOUT "lost opportunity"!
Now that Will says it it's cool!?
This place is fucking upside down. Sorry Will, I'll never support you in any thread ever again.
-p
Response to Phlem (Reply #221)
WilliamPitt This message was self-deleted by its author.
Titonwan
(785 posts)"And there have been disappointments. A great, great many of them. The words we heard were beautiful back then, soaring and sure, and many believed. How could they not? Here was this new president who could sing the birds down from the trees, who was introduced to the country in 2004 by way of a convention keynote address that blew the roof off the joint. Some years later, along the jagged, wending path of a brutal primary campaign, candidate Obama was carried to the nomination by the power of his words, and yes, many believed, even in spite of themselves."
And they still do. It's a sickness wrought by full scale propaganda and nationalism.
Response to WilliamPitt (Original post)
blkmusclmachine This message was self-deleted by its author.
davidthegnome
(2,983 posts)He is not an Occupy protester. He's not a Greenpeace activist. He is not even really a liberal. We have all known this for some time.
However, the way you speak of him, Mr. Pitt, makes him seem some kind of really evil, vicious man - but he isn't. What he is, is a President who has been falling behind in the polls, who has been fighting with a completely obnoxious, completely moronic congress to accomplish anything at all. When he does get something done, the left rips him apart for it as much as the right. I'm as guilty of this as anyone here - I've certainly criticized a number of the President's plans and accomplishments because I felt they didn't go far enough.
To say though, that this is all some kind of smoke screen, some kind of sickening play put on to pull the wool over our eyes... I think you go too far. I DO think that the President respects and honors that man's sacrifice. I honestly believe that Mr. Obama gives a damn - if I didn't think so, I wouldn't have voted for him.
I guess what it comes down to is that I still believe in him. He's done things I don't like (Arne Duncan, Tim Geithner, WTF? NSA, drones...) - and he's doing things even now (pushing for this trade deal) that make me wonder what the hell he could possibly be thinking... but I still think he's a man with a good heart and good intentions.
There's all kinds of things to be angry with the President over - to criticize him for. I do not believe this to be one of those things. I believe that he was honestly attempting to thank and to honor a man's service and sacrifice for his Country. I do not question his intent here. I believe it was honest and decent.
What is it you want, Mr. Pitt? Did you expect him to be hand in hand with the Occupy movement? With Greenpeace? We've always known he's far more moderate than that. I think that, overall, it was a good speech and I am grateful that he is at least making the attempt to move forward. He needs our support right now, not our condemnation. What happens in the next several months to come, is going to play a big part in whether or not democrats hold on to the senate... in the future of our Country. Obama is far from perfect - but for now, he is what we have to work with - and he's not such a bad guy.
I'm just not sure what you really expected of him. I think he did the best he could.
akbacchus_BC
(5,700 posts)Very insightful. I have no idea what people's expectations are from the American perspective, but to me, your President is trying his best. I do not always agree with his stance but man, he is trying given all the obstructions by the GOP. He must be having bad hair days!
akbacchus_BC
(5,700 posts)but if I were you, I would delete this screed. You are so wrong in so many ways. This President has tried his best for Americans and you are now bashing him. I suppose we see things differently. By the way, I used to like your articles on Truthout!
President Obama is not the enemy, he is trying given what he inherited. May I remind you that he inherited shit and after 5 years, shit does not turn into progress, it takes much longer.
Be well
DeSwiss
(27,137 posts)- K&R
LuvNewcastle
(16,813 posts)joshcryer
(62,265 posts)If only because you compared Obama's mediocre speech on policy positions he's held for many years to OWS. I doubt you ever watched an OWS speech much less understood how radical they were in comparison to Obama's entire political career.
A "Greenpeace activist"? The environment barely hit on his radar, it is fitting, since he's been the one pushing hard for Keystone since day one. TPP? Rio+20? Environmental tragedies. He got rid of Lisa Jackson from the EPA, after she was the first to call CO2 a pollutant. She would've given him too much trouble going forward on Keystone. (Yes, the US's coal plant CO2 guidelines are an improvement, but they match the US's energy independence roadmap and are not a real commitment. The only thing good the administration did was fuel standards, but those were easy to get from car companies going under as political extortion for the bailout.)
But, hey, I can see why you'd be upset with Obama closing with a military guy after being oh so enamored by his speech. It bugged you. I think honestly if he saved the Iran stuff and ending war state stuff for the close, you wouldn't have given two shits about Remsburg's applause.
I don't see how that merits the hyperbole and hubris and overall exploitation of Remsburg to score some political talking points.
Don't worry, I won't expect a response, my phone has issues too sometimes.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)Same as the Republicans who fling shit and hope it sticks, they are beyond considering what will be deemed "embarrassing." They don't care.
heaven05
(18,124 posts)always hits home. The truth will keep us free, I hope.
Hotler
(11,325 posts)Response to WilliamPitt (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
daleanime
(17,796 posts)Puglover
(16,380 posts)when Brian Williams does one of his fluffy cotton candy feel good pieces on one of our soldiers that (for example) has lost both legs and comes home to complete an ultra marathon in 10 min.
Those happy clappy segments always smack of "Look he's BETTER then new!"
OF COURSE the soldier has triumphed over insurmountable odds. That isn't the point.
The disgusting part is that they have to do it in the first place.
Amazing that whooshes over so many heads here.
"It's the sugar that makes the poison taste sweet."
Indeed.
polichick
(37,152 posts)helps the medicine go down in a most delightful way."
from Mary Poppins
k&r
mountain grammy
(26,552 posts)and yet we sat there, stunned. My husband, who did ONE deployment in Vietnam, looked stricken.
Like I said, we all know this is happening, but when the president says it and points to a soldier with half his face gone, we are horrified.
WilliamPitt
(58,179 posts)Because I'm a Freeper, apparently.