What Has Obama Done for You Lately? - Cenk Uygur/YoungTurks/HuffPo

[WillyT]

What Has Obama Done for You Lately?
Cenk Uygur - YoungTurks/HuffPo
Posted: 10/06/2014 11:45 am EDT Updated: 10/06/2014 11:59 am EDT

<snip>

Can anyone tell me what President Obama's second-term goals are? What has he accomplished? What would he like to accomplish?

A little bit of immigration reform? Wow! What else? Still waiting.

I've never seen a guy want to coast this much as president. Even Bush who couldn't wait to get out of office and be an ex-president was at least still trying really bad ideas to the end. What in the world is President Obama's agenda?!

So, in foreign policy, it's apparently "don't do stupid shit." Okay, forget Republican criticism, which is that this strategy does not involve starting enough wars (that problem has been fixed, by the way). But think about the emptiness of that idea. It assumes that you have nothing you want to accomplish and would just like to skate by until you're done.

If at the end of his eight years in office, President Obama's team got to say, "We killed bin Laden and didn't do anything too stupid," they would hang up a Mission Accomplished banner. That's so sad. My God man, what is your vision of the world?

Would you like to push global education? Promote secular values so that we can defeat the ideology behind Islamic fundamentalism? Engagement with China? De-escalating needless tension with Iran? Or go the opposite direction and say it's to go to war against all terrorists everywhere -- okay, don't -- but you see my point. I find it amazing that he hasn't cared enough to come up with an idea of where he would like to lead the world. The most powerful man on earth has hit the off switch.

This is part of the reason he gets pushed around by one storm after another as Republicans and the Washington establishment keep yelling at him to do one thing or another...

<snip>

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cenk-uygur/what-has-obama-done-for-y_b_5939762.html

[geek tragedy]

1. Typical derp from Cenk.

With Republicans controlling the House, no there will not be any notable pieces of legislation passing. And that is a good thing unless you are a fan of Catfood Commissions.

Cenk must also have slept through the negotiations and dialogue with Iran over nukes and Iraq.

He sounds like a guy who went to a drama expecting an action film. Not the President's job to entertain him.

[WillyT]

3. Does Obama Want To Upset The 1%... Does Obama Want To Clear A Path For The "Dreamers:

Does he want open hearings and prosecutions on Gitmo.. Labor... Campaign Finance... Climate Change... And On and On...

[MohRokTah]

18. If he expects prosecutions, he's a moron. eom

[geek tragedy]

40. Obama is interested in governing and preventing

our economy from tanking and the entire planet from descending into chaos.

Annoying the 1% is probably not a high priority.

[Caretha]

61. That is entirely possible

but what a low bar and a pathetic legacy in the most important times in the last 100 years of history.

[geek tragedy]

71. so you're saying he should reach across the aisle and compromise more with Republicans?

Because that is what would need to happen in order for legislation to move.

He has taken a number of important executive actions, but those seem to go unnoticed by a certain segment of observers.

And, what grand achievements have you on your resume to sneer at successful implementation of the ACA, bringing health care to millions, the stimulus package that both saved the economy and was the foundation of the new American clean energy sector, advancing civil rights for GLBT Americans, and diplomatic breakthroughs on nukes with Iran?

Sounds like you are looking for an excuse to whine.

[Blue_Tires]

78. Congress can do those at any time, and more...

and I never see anyone trying to spur THEM into action...

[MohRokTah]

16. +1 eom

[Johonny]

49. I'm with you on this

The American people voted for a split congress. These type of Congress are notoriously unproductive throughout American history. Obama has been effective in areas of the Government he runs, but anyone expecting major ground breaking legislation in a split party congress doesn't know their history. From a boycott of Russia that has been massively effective at punishing Russia to getting surrounding countries to finally act on government destabilization in the middle east and heck even getting Americans to realize West Africa exists Obama continues to chug right on through the lame on productive talk from Congress.

[spanone]

2. 'I've never seen a guy want to coast this much as president' bwahahahahhaaa comedy gold

[WillyT]

5. Yep...Damned Fucking Funny...

And Hillary... is the Heire To The Drone...

[spanone]

7. you're right it's damned fucking funny

[Maedhros]

10. Your reasoning skills are 'comedy gold.'

/bye.

[spanone]

25. ahhh i'm broken hearted...

[sheshe2]

68. Ohhhh yes, that caught my eye as well, spanone.

[oldandhappy]

4. This is cruel.

Affordable Care Act
Stuff out of Syria
and a few others http://pleasecutthecrap.com/obama-accomplishments/

[WillyT]

6. Why Is It Cruel ???

[Maedhros]

9. ACA was his first term; the OP is about his second.

Syria, at this point, goes in the "needless war" category and not the "accomplishment" category.

[geek tragedy]

41. The ACA still has to be implemented and

expanded. That's why they call it the executive branch .

[MannyGoldstein]

8. I have some rich friends who are doing unbelievably well

Sometimes they invite us over for a meal.

So that's been helpful.

[Caretha]

62. I would love to join you

an airline ticket would be helpful.

I'm a lovely guest with a great repertoire an excellent international manners and connections

ps...my pedigree is immaculate

[MannyGoldstein]

69. How are you at chugging beer?

They're old fraternity buddies... it's funny how people can grow up, become masters of the Universe, and they're still basically the same old lunkheads.

[NanceGreggs]

11. Anyone who would say ...

... that Obama's tenure as POTUS could be boiled down to ""We killed bin Laden and didn't do anything too stupid," IS - well, stupid. Stupid in the extreme.

I'll say one thing for Cenk. No one works harder at trying to stay relevant than he does.

[WillyT]

12. His Relavency... Is Truly Important...

From the receding power Newspapers/Magazines...

To the New Paradigm...Of the Power of The Net

[NanceGreggs]

13. Oh, there's no doubt ...

... that the power of the 'net is mighty indeed.

That fact alone doesn't make Cenk relevant. He has a talent for regurgitating whatever he thinks will attract attention, and he sells himself very well.

[WillyT]

14. 2.5 Billion YouTube Views... And Counting...

Asked his members for $150,000 in donations for a new studio, while parked at YouTube Studios...

Got $440,000... Building as we speak...

Wolf-Pac.com...

Has Vermont and California in their pocket to get money out of politics...

What did you do today ???

You really should... get caught up onto what's going on.

[NanceGreggs]

27. If one's "value" is to be judged ...

... based on how much money one can bilk from believers, I'm afraid Cenk doesn't come close to your average, run-of-the-mill, mega-church evangelical pastor.

Are you sure this is the criteria you believe he should be judged by?

[WillyT]

19. Have You Noticed Any... "Shrinkage"... In Most Major Papers Theses Days ???

I have.

[NanceGreggs]

29. It doesn't take a rocket scientist ...

... to recognize that the "papers" - major and minor - are shrinking as more people turn to the 'net for information.

How does that make Cenk relevant?

[Drunken Irishman]

15. His relevancy is almost zero...

The dude has been moving backwards for the last few years and is becoming increasingly irrelevant by the day. His whole career has been regression > popular YT blogger > MSNBC host > CurrentTV > Nothing.

He's like Benjamin Button.

[WillyT]

22. LOL !!! - You Lose...

Disqualified.

[Drunken Irishman]

23. LMFAO

Hey, when I have nothing significant to say, I, too, can post smilies.



CHECK AND MATE!

Derp

Hey, Willy, since you equate success by YT hits, I guess maybe we should be asking these people their opinions on things, eh?

https://www.youtube.com/user/smosh

[Dawgs]

47. You really shouldn't write about stuff you know nothing about.

You left out the one thing that made him popular and continues to grow and make millions.

[MohRokTah]

20. +10,000,000 eom

[Drunken Irishman]

17. Instead of asking what he's done for us, why doesn't the blowhard ask what he CAN do for us.

Sometimes I wonder if Cenk even has the smallest amount of understanding of how politics works. What, exactly, does he expect Obama to do in his second term with a divided congress? Oh, that's right, in Cenk's world, where the only successful people are the bloated assholes who love to hear themselves speak, all you have to do is talk pretty and push a pretty agenda and everyone will hop on board! Those reaction, racist Republicans? They're that way because of Obama! He should push more and they'd give in because, apparently, in this world, that's all it takes.

Cenk is about as politically astute as Sarah Palin sometimes.

[MohRokTah]

21. Because Cenk Uygar thrives on anti-Obama idiocy. eom

[WillyT]

24. Cenk Uygur... Is One Of The Most Honest And Effective Progressives On The Net...

And speaks the truth.

[MohRokTah]

26. Cenk Uygar is a fool who speaks idiocy. eom.

[WillyT]

30. And Yet... Cenk And Wolf-PAC.com Have Two States On The Board...

[Dawgs]

48. Really? Do you watch his show on regular basis.

Because, if you did, you would realize that he defends Obama more than he criticizes him.

[alarimer]

55. But he's under the bus because he dares to criticize Obama.

When everything is all hunky-dory.

How dare he criticize a Democrat?

But it was all good when he was going after Bush.

[geek tragedy]

72. The people who explicitly hate President Obama seem to think Ugur is great.

So, it makes a fair amount of sense that normal, mainstream Democrats would find his whining to lack merit, while those who personally loathe the president and would prefer Republicans to him find his whining to be appropriate.

It's not that he criticizes, it's that his criticisms are so frequently idiotic and uttered not for their own merit but rather to complain and bash in a mindless, knee-jerk fashion-as he is here blaming Obama for not cooperating with Republicans and making compromises to get legislation passed.

If Obama DID reach across the aisle and make policy concessions necessary to pass legislation, then of course Ugur and his Obama-hating fans would bash him for that.

And, for the record, you've admitted that there are people who hate the President here, so please don't Etch-a-Sketch and now deny it.

[JaneyVee]

28. Just preparing the country for climate change...

http://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Executive_Order_13653

And a bunch of other executive orders. Also, and this is extremely important, he's NOT willing to sign any of the oppressive bills republicans are passing in the House. Defense is just as important as offense. Also, he still has until 2017.

[treestar]

31. Who would expect the POTUS to do things for them?

We are part of the process. I'm not a spooled brat, I guess.

[grahamhgreen]

32. Agree.

[pnwmom]

33. For another take on this: WA Post, "Obama's incredibly ambitious 2nd term agenda."

He has been issuing executive orders whenever possible. But as for the rest, that depends on Congress.

Obama laid out his agenda. Cenk obviously wasn't listening.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/02/12/obamas-incredibly-ambitious-second-term-agenda/

Imagine, for a moment, that President Obama managed to pass every policy he proposed Tuesday night. Within a couple of years, every 4-year-old would have access to preschool. The federal minimum wage would be at $9 -- higher than it's been, after adjusting for inflation, since 1981. There'd be a cap-and-trade program limiting our carbon emissions and a vast infrastructure investment to upgrade our roads and bridges. Taxes would be higher, guns would be harder to come by, and undocumented immigrants would have a path to citizenship. America would be a markedly different country.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/07/10/how-obama-has-used-executive-powers-compared-to-his-predecessors/

Obama has also signed far reaching orders on climate change in November 2013 – forcing power plants to cut their emissions by 30 percent by 2030 – which will be much discussed in this year’s elections. The president has instigated 23 separate executive orders on gun control, which have made information about mental illnesses available in background checks and expanded research into causes of gun violence. Obama has promised two new executive actions on gun control but again, there’s no sign of them.

Through his executive powers, Obama has slowly extended the rights for same-sex couples and raised the minimum wage for federal workers to $10.10. But for all the accusations of abuse of power, his actual uses of his executive authority so far aren’t that far-reaching: Not so much the smack of firm government, more nudging in a certain direction. George W. Bush for example managed to gut the Presidential Records Act (greatly reducing access to presidential records), limit federal funding for stem cell research and sidestep the Geneva Convention on interrogation techniques -- all through executive orders, even when he had Congress on his side. Interestingly, all of these orders were later rescinded by Obama.

SNIP

Of course, how far-reaching these orders are is subjective and many of Obama’s opponents would argue that combined with his efforts so far, his latest actions on gun control and immigration will go far beyond what his predecessors have done. But he’s certainly not alone among presidents who have used executive powers to get big things done.

[Andy823]

36. Exactly

But don't expect the nay sayers here to understand this, their only goal is to be negative, and nothing positive will ever change their agenda.

[Major Hogwash]

60. None are as blind as those that refuse to see.

There was someone who raced by your post this morning to say just that.
Hmmmm, I wonder if he saw your post?

[Number23]

65. You just won this thread and it's seven whopping recs

Well done.

[pnwmom]

66. I don't get the people who insist he didn't have any goals. They're being deliberately ignorant.

No, he hasn't met them -- but it's not because he didn't set them out.

[sheshe2]

67. Thank you pnwmom.

Great rebuttal that will sadly be ignored!

[merrily]

34. Depending on your POV, Republicans control of the House is a reason or a cover story.

His first two years and his nominations are fair game.

So are things like proclaiming the necessity of cuts to "entitlements, followed by cuts to fuel subsidies for the poor, cuts to SNAP, the Cat Food Commission, putting Social Security and Medicare on the table and the Grand Bargain Committee and putting Social Security and Medicare on the table, and the Grand Bargain Committee. Those bells can never be unrung and no good can come from them.

Thank goodness Occupy managed to change the national conversation to the vastness and the injustice of income inequality.

That said, Obama is not running in November. I don't know what good thing Cenk thinks this diatribe is going to accomplish. He could at least have waited until after midterms. Why was it so urgent now?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

35. I like Cenk like I like Moore

Both of them are blowhards whom occasionally have some good things to say and are able/willing to say things that make TPTB uncomfortable and shake up the status quo but are sometimes also very blind to the political realities that President Obama and Democrats in general have to contend with.

[woo me with science]

37. He's ignoring TPP, TISA, a trillion in nukes, huge new war of choice...

Obama is much, much more aggressive on behalf of the One Percent than Cenk gives him credit for.

Wealth of the Forbes 400 has increased 90 percent to 2.29 TRILLION since 2009.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025629582

[WillyT]

39. Yep... None Are As Blind As Those That Refuse To See...

[woo me with science]

50. Third Way propaganda

must be catapulted.

[KoKo]

64. And, he opened up most of the U.S. East Coast to Oil Drilling Exploration...

After the initial announcement...it went dead here on DU. Drill and Frack because it's Good for our Economy because Obama says so.

[woo me with science]

73. +100000 Yes, that's another great example.

How much has our military presence in Africa been expanded, too...

[BuelahWitch]

79. War is a given, I'm thinking TPP, TISA, etc. will be rammed through after mid-terms

The blitzkrieg on the American people begins then.

[JoePhilly]

38. Trying to make his vote for Bush in 2000, less terrible.

[theaocp]

80. Who are you talking about?

Cenk voted for Gore in 2000.

[SidDithers]

42. Cenk. LOL...nt

Sid

[woo me with science]

43. Although Cenk vastly ignores Obama's aggressive effort ON BEHALF of the One Percent,

this is an important article because it underscores a recent huge perversion of our election system by both corporate parties.

Voters are now aggressively propagandized that they owe their votes to the parties in order to avoid a greater evil on the other side, rather than BEING OWED actual aggressive effort ON BEHALF of THEIR interests by the parties that claim to represent them.

[KoKo]

75. +1

[WillyT]

77. + 1,000,000,000... What You Said !!!

[dilby]

44. Let's face it after Bush some people actually think things are hunky dory now.

We have become a nation who accepts mediocrity as excellence. People actually believe Obama is the best president in modern History which I find laughable, if you believe that then you are either under 20 or ignored the Clinton years.

[DonCoquixote]

53. the clinton years

were sadly mediocre too in many ways, but Bill got a pass because he was charming.

[dilby]

57. He got a lot done and did not partake in endless wars.

He also was able to charm Republicans into working with him. We would have to go back to FDR and Harry Truman to see a real progressive Presidents at work.

[libodem]

45. Their guys are terrorists

Our guys are security contractors. It's a matter of semantics and proper propaganda. The school of the Americans is a training ground for mercinaries and death squads.

Ours are holy warriors. Their's...not so much.

My 2 cents.

[BKH70041]

46. How was Cenk Uygar viewed during the Bush years at DU?

I wasn't here then.

Was he viewed as one who "works hard at trying to stay relevant"? Or was he, indeed, relevant here seeing that what he was saying tickled the ears of the recipients?

I have a feeling I know the answer since I've seen the same reactions toward other writers whom, I'm sure, were just the cat's meow 10 years ago.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

56. You are correct.

Just as with Noam Chomsky, Michael Moore, Phil Donahue, Glenn Greenwald, and others, Cenk was revered here during the Bush Administration years. But now, a small group of posters (fewer that one might imagine at first) are acting as though he's always been irrelevant, as though he's always been wrong, and so on. They're noisemakers, and not worth anyone's time.

[woo me with science]

58. +1

Same full-time names.

[Major Hogwash]

59. His bio at wiki says he was a Republican.

But now that he is bashing Obama, he must have become a Libertarian.

Maybe he'll vote for Nader next time.
Who knows.

[Mike Nelson]

51. When I get too disapointed with President Obama...

...I think of the Supreme Court with two Justices appointed by the likes of McCain/Palin and/or Romney/Ryan.

[DJ13]

54. At least the Prez could finally give us that pony

...that way we could at least eat ponies if jobs move overseas due to the TPP.

[whereisjustice]

63. Who would expect the POTUS to do things for them? I know! I know!

Monsanto
Goldman Sachs
GE
Halliburton
Lockheed Martin
BP
AIG
Citigroup
NSA
CIA
FBI
TSA
DHS
ATF
INS
DIA
NRO
DEA

Study: US is an oligarchy, not a democracy

Multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organised groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on US government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence.

In English: the wealthy few move policy, while the average American has little power.
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746

[Raine1967]

70. 'What Has Congress Done for You Lately?'

is the question that should have been asked.

cause he can't do a sh*t without congress. What the EF does Cenk expect with a do nothing congress?

[Blue_Tires]

74. DU has thrown everyone else under the bus, so why not Obama?

It's not like there's anyone else left...Unless you want to throw me under the bus next...

[flamingdem]

76. What a turd from Cenk

I'm glad msnbc ditched him.