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cali

(114,904 posts) Wed Jul 10, 2013, 01:37 PM Jul 2013

I wish I had some sense of what President Obama believes and why he supports [View all]

some of the policies he does. I used to feel that I did.

I don't care whether some of you don't believe it, but I feel more sorrowful than anything else about my changed sentiments toward the President.

How can a guy who was a big pot smoker in his youth, support policies with harsh sentences for that act? How can he support his Justice Department's policy of going after marijuana dispensary owners in states where that's legal?

How can a man who was a Community Organizer on Chicago's South Side, (one of the things that made me enthusiastic in my support of him), support the chained CPI which will hurt vulnerable seniors? How can he support "trade" agreements that help the corporations and the world's wealthy and hurt the poor, the middle class and poor nations?

How can a man who so vocally spoke out against government secrecy, shroud himself in so much of it; from the TPP and TTIP negotiations, to secrecy about targeting U.S. citizens for death, and other drone policy.

For that matter, how can a man so avowedly committed to the rule of law have a drone policy that runs rough shod over other nations' sovereignty and engage in war crimes; to wit, the confirmed 'double tapping'?

http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/obamas-secret-habit/

I get that being President could change your perspective and challenge previously held beliefs, but to me, it's been like watching a transformation. To some, I may seem to have been hopelessly naive about the President and to others a basher/hater.

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I wish I had some sense of what President Obama believes and why he supports [View all] cali Jul 2013 OP

I feel the same confusion as you, Cali. Myrina Jul 2013 #1

*sigh* Roy Rolling Jul 2013 #79

Beautifully Stated. bvar22 Jul 2013 #139

I think he can not do this: fasttense Jul 2013 #120

He's a fairly mainstream Democrat who's more pragmatic than ideological. geek tragedy Jul 2013 #2

Except that Democratic legislators are leading the fight against the drug war RainDog Jul 2013 #20

To be blunt, a black dude with a very public use geek tragedy Jul 2013 #38

I agree. but... RainDog Jul 2013 #78

That IS true...but Bonobo Jul 2013 #154

Far from mainstream - he is a far right ideologue perpetrating the values of the hoarding class, grahamhgreen Jul 2013 #52

The cartoon character you describe would geek tragedy Jul 2013 #59

I hear hs also kicks puppies competitively for distance and accuracy ... JoePhilly Jul 2013 #109

That gave me the best laugh I've had Skidmore Jul 2013 #118

LOL. Nah, just wants to starve our grannies is all. grahamhgreen Jul 2013 #147

I was going to say also..."mainstream"? Not by any measure. Safetykitten Jul 2013 #152

Remember the right wing mocking the left wing in 2008? JoePhilly Jul 2013 #107

If you read what his positions were in the 2008 campaign, virtually none of this geek tragedy Jul 2013 #110

That particular difference, small is it was, is one of my favorites. JoePhilly Jul 2013 #116

Of course, Hillary was right on the merits. Obama's position was more or less, we'll reduce costs geek tragedy Jul 2013 #123

Yup ... it does seem like some folks really weren't paying attention. JoePhilly Jul 2013 #124

From 2007: geek tragedy Jul 2013 #126

If I recall, that quote came ... JoePhilly Jul 2013 #129

Dodd, Biden and Clinton all tried to hit Obama with that language. geek tragedy Jul 2013 #131

Nor should anyone have been surprised when Obama JoePhilly Jul 2013 #132

"post a list of accomplishments, and its denounced." Jamaal510 Jul 2013 #141

Amen - and we need pragmatists treestar Jul 2013 #149

Well, the ACA is perhaps not the best example tularetom Jul 2013 #151

He did not give it away as you state treestar Jul 2013 #155

So you are telling me it's either still in the act or he fought mightily to keep it there tularetom Jul 2013 #162

It is not hard to connect the dots Harmony Blue Jul 2013 #3

Policy decisions have always been made behind closed doors and will be for the foreseeable future. n geek tragedy Jul 2013 #5

Which is exactly what he ran against. ie, he has no core. grahamhgreen Jul 2013 #53

sometimes when you move up you lose touch with what is important to the citizens. liberal_at_heart Jul 2013 #4

Obama promise meter is still a pretty good guage uponit7771 Jul 2013 #6

Actually many of us can figure it out for ourselves. We don't need a "promise meter" to see it. Dawgs Jul 2013 #14

Thank god we have somebody to let us know what is forgivable and what isn't. renie408 Jul 2013 #29

I know what is unforgivable for me. Race to the Top. That is unforgivable. liberal_at_heart Jul 2013 #47

Seriously? This trumps all other things for you, including the increasingly conservative bias on the renie408 Jul 2013 #81

Yes we all do have to draw a line somewhere, and it was a personal experience that drove that liberal_at_heart Jul 2013 #87

I was going to say renie408 Jul 2013 #98

ohhh there is plenty of marching in lockstep around here frylock Jul 2013 #125

"Unforgivable." melodrama much? geek tragedy Jul 2013 #127

how's that bit about ending the "revolving door" going? nashville_brook Jul 2013 #103

How did a constitutional law professor end up with his policies? truebluegreen Jul 2013 #7

Can you call an adjunct a professor? Wasn't he just a part timer? Peregrine Took Jul 2013 #67

Yes, just a part-timer. And he may have been a volunteer lecturer, an unpaid part-timer who was AnotherMcIntosh Jul 2013 #71

That is certainly the most important aspect of my question truebluegreen Jul 2013 #100

You're ignorant to try to make this insult RainDog Jul 2013 #157

Do you believe that all professors agree with you on all subjects? treestar Jul 2013 #150

I think he's answered most of those questions in interviews. JaneyVee Jul 2013 #8

I've seen and heard interviews with him, and I don't believe he did. cali Jul 2013 #9

Questions like why he is so enthusiastic about eliminating the availability of medical marijuana rhett o rick Jul 2013 #28

President Eisenhower warned us long ago about... polichick Jul 2013 #10

That is one of two possibilities in my mind. Maybe there are scary ass invisible forces at work. GoneFishin Jul 2013 #27

I've thought about the snake oil thing too, and to some extent... polichick Jul 2013 #36

If that was the case, I still believe that bottle of snake oil was less damaging than... Amonester Jul 2013 #90

No argument here. GoneFishin Jul 2013 #119

This /\ renie408 Jul 2013 #32

boy ain't that the truth. The guy in the White House definitely is not the decider anymore. liberal_at_heart Jul 2013 #41

I first noticed it when he laughed about legitimate questions from his base about pot legalization. Dawgs Jul 2013 #11

He just wants us to learn from the mistakes of his youth Fumesucker Jul 2013 #12

I think he wants to pass laws in the world that exists Recursion Jul 2013 #13

say what? that made no sense. cali Jul 2013 #17

We're not crushing global corporatism any time soon Recursion Jul 2013 #19

I think you're patently wrong. If that were so, we wouldn't see him appointing cali Jul 2013 #24

You will call whomever he appoints a corporatist Recursion Jul 2013 #161

Im so pissed off at the TPP thing that Im beside myself. bunnies Jul 2013 #15

Same here. And re: TPP, there is NO transparency. truedelphi Jul 2013 #72

Monsanto. bunnies Jul 2013 #84

It is strange, how Obama seems to have morphed into quinnox Jul 2013 #16

I actually believe that much of it is because he's a caring father. Dawgs Jul 2013 #18

maybe if he knew somone with glaucoma or AIDS or cancer who has benefited from liberal_at_heart Jul 2013 #23

During the debates he compared himself to an old school Republican. pa28 Jul 2013 #50

he contradicted himself many times. Making many promises to many different groups. That liberal_at_heart Jul 2013 #55

Is this close enough? GeorgeGist Jul 2013 #122

I didn't care for Go Vols Jul 2013 #138

Politics without priniciples is the foundation of the 3rd Way. Tierra_y_Libertad Jul 2013 #21

just a matter of poor spelling ChairmanAgnostic Jul 2013 #30

Yep. And the Father Knows Best wing of the party just love daddy. Tierra_y_Libertad Jul 2013 #35

What ProSense Jul 2013 #22

this stuff is just sad. do you ever post things in your own words without endless cali Jul 2013 #26

Well, I understand ProSense Jul 2013 #42

you just can't do it. you meaninglessly throw back my words cali Jul 2013 #48

its not a lack of writing skills galileoreloaded Jul 2013 #75

I do. Puglover Jul 2013 #160

Thread hijacking with a filibuster. AnotherMcIntosh Jul 2013 #31

you just hit the nail on the head. cali Jul 2013 #40

kinda reminds me of all that stuff OFA spews in their emails before they pitch you for money lol nt msongs Jul 2013 #70

Aaaiiieee! Its the attack of the links! quinnox Jul 2013 #37

Useless without a picture of the adorable White House dog NoOneMan Jul 2013 #39

stealing that one quinnox Jul 2013 #43

Hey now, that's one promise Obama actually kept leftstreet Jul 2013 #136

Ugh.. G_j Jul 2013 #54

I have the exact same feeling I had in the Clinton ..... Bonhomme Richard Jul 2013 #25

I'm not sure its relevant what he believes NoOneMan Jul 2013 #33

So in other words, in our current day, banana republic style of truedelphi Jul 2013 #74

The people get a turd-polisher that the majority of the people approve of NoOneMan Jul 2013 #80

Now, That is Transparent. Thanks for posting. Amonester Jul 2013 #96

No, I have zero on ignore. :) NoOneMan Jul 2013 #101

I agree with what you wrote here, and that Dream World was not the endah-dah-worl Amonester Jul 2013 #105

We knew everything we needed to 40 years ago to have that world NoOneMan Jul 2013 #111

I left the USA on May 18th 1979 for truedelphi Jul 2013 #135

There is no utopian world but there are socialist countries that get a hell of a lot more out liberal_at_heart Jul 2013 #112

I think the link below could be an explanation for what's going on: snappyturtle Jul 2013 #34

And it could well be. zeemike Jul 2013 #68

I'm right there with you, Cali. I am an intelligent person and I cannot make head nor tails out Nay Jul 2013 #44

It goes deeper than Holder or Obama Life Long Dem Jul 2013 #45

Cali, your voiced concerns have us all wondering and the single simple answer to all would seem: indepat Jul 2013 #46

I would like an explanation when one of Obama's upaloopa Jul 2013 #49

Right On Cal, it's very confusing! Radicalman Jul 2013 #51

His beliefs are irrelevant, he is employed by the elite to represent their interests. nt Demo_Chris Jul 2013 #56

Well said. Sad to see a man lose his core to unpricipled behavior, but such are small men. grahamhgreen Jul 2013 #58

It's a job, and he is well compensated for doing it. nt Demo_Chris Jul 2013 #60

In my view, as he said of Rmoney, Obama has no core. Or, he has a core, but it is antithetical to grahamhgreen Jul 2013 #57

His family background may hold the key. AnotherMcIntosh Jul 2013 #61

Are you suggesting that his grandfather was a 'British collaborator?' nt msanthrope Jul 2013 #86

I know I sound like a broken record but he does not work for US. MrSlayer Jul 2013 #62

I was thinking something similar when I was at the gym. I became disillusioned Cleita Jul 2013 #63

Obama has offered to relinquish some of the executive power Billy Pilgrim Jul 2013 #64

No one is calling him a tyrant. rhett o rick Jul 2013 #73

My point is, we'll see. Billy Pilgrim Jul 2013 #94

Obama claimed the power to execute U.S. citizens Maedhros Jul 2013 #89

I find him to be a complete enigma. Peregrine Took Jul 2013 #65

I think big money is such a huge part of our government now that he has to Flaxbee Jul 2013 #66

I felt it at Rick Warren. A thumb in the eye, a kidney punch. rhett o rick Jul 2013 #69

The Script for his administration was Written-On-the-Wall when he did this: bvar22 Jul 2013 #140

And it looks glum for 2016. THe Oligarch Cabal has us right where they want us. nm rhett o rick Jul 2013 #156

I'm not at all confused by this... RevStPatrick Jul 2013 #76

I don't think that your conspiracy theory is logical. totodeinhere Jul 2013 #88

Progress on the wedge issues yes. But not on $$$ issues. GoneFishin Jul 2013 #114

I agree, GF senseandsensibility Jul 2013 #146

K&R MotherPetrie Jul 2013 #77

Me too. He's clearly a different person than the man who ran for the office... ReRe Jul 2013 #82

The best way to judge him is by his actions Freddie Stubbs Jul 2013 #83

Here's a few things we know... raindaddy Jul 2013 #85

$$$$$ forestpath Jul 2013 #91

My feelings exactly, Cali. JDPriestly Jul 2013 #92

US reaction to 911 showed two things - what an incredible motivator fear is... NRaleighLiberal Jul 2013 #97

Agreed. JDPriestly Jul 2013 #99

You're not alone. But there's no sense in crying over spilled milk, hon. Zorra Jul 2013 #93

similarly confused, but sadly, not all that surprised - power, greed, money, politics. NRaleighLiberal Jul 2013 #95

this may go down as the worst "revolving door" White House yet nashville_brook Jul 2013 #102

I knew the fanatics would be the first to jump ship. aquart Jul 2013 #104

except I'm not remotely a fanatic and nor or most others here who share the sentiments cali Jul 2013 #117

Of course. aquart Jul 2013 #121

He sure isn't what he claimed to be, either time. And I don't buy that he sold out, as an excuse. SammyWinstonJack Jul 2013 #106

took the words right out of my mouth.... mike_c Jul 2013 #108

I wish I understood also. felix_numinous Jul 2013 #113

Washington has ALWAYS been WAY behind where the rest of the country wants to be.... Spitfire of ATJ Jul 2013 #115

"Despite being called Madame Obamahater, I'd vote for him again" ProSense Jul 2013 #128

The NSA and the MIC felix_numinous Jul 2013 #130

I believe Cheney threatened to eat his children. Or possibly space aliens are controlling .... Scuba Jul 2013 #133

consider what he was thrown into ellennelle Jul 2013 #134

Look at a billionaire Sec. of Commerce and torturer as FBI head, then Corruption Inc Jul 2013 #137

I have tried to keep believing but it is very hard when so many of the things I was hoping for do jwirr Jul 2013 #142

you misread him from the beginning. DCBob Jul 2013 #143

I'm going by his own words as candidate and Senator cali Jul 2013 #148

Actually he's done quite well keeping his campaign promises.. DCBob Jul 2013 #158

all campaign promises do not have equal weight. cali Jul 2013 #159

Sure, but defining the weights is the issue. DCBob Jul 2013 #163

Those are all good questions . . . markpkessinger Jul 2013 #144

troubling questions about this president; even more troubling questions about any possible president carolinayellowdog Jul 2013 #145

I have some insight... Bonobo Jul 2013 #153