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In reply to the discussion: 7 years! [View all]

sheshe2

(97,506 posts)
88. Yes, actually Obama did start the revolution.
Sat Apr 30, 2016, 09:11 PM
Apr 2016
http://www.democraticunderground.com/110232999


But that's how America works: we have no sense of history. We don't understand just how bad it was right before the 2008 election. In actuality, we were losing 700,000 jobs per month. Unemployment was twice what it was now. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was below 8,000. The financial industry had crashed the global economy and was seemingly continuing those very same actions as if nothing they had done was even wrong. Retirees were losing their life savings. Millennials were unable to find their first jobs and were being crushed by student debt. Our country was bogged down in two costly wars that were contributing to the deteriorating conditions and instability of the Middle East. While all this was going on, the rich in this country, seemingly unaffected by everything going on around them, continued to profit at record levels.


When it came time for him to run for president starting in 2007, Barack Obama did not run on a promise of revolution.

What he did run on was convincing millions of Americans that were was a better way to govern. That we were all in this together and that if enough Americans stood up and voiced their concerns then Washington, D.C. would be forced to listen. His soaring rhetoric was based upon the idea that through hope and change we could advance the mission of our founding fathers and get ever so closer to our perfect union. That was his pitch: not simply that he would go in and overturn nearly 220 years of constitutional governance but that he would advocate for a way to govern more effectively. By voicing their support for his candidacy, Barack Obama's supporters were confirming that they too, agreed that we needed a candidate whose policies and whose views on government would best provide a way to make our system run as it was intended to run.

And so in 2008, America made history with its resounding election of Barack Hussein Obama. It was such a decisive victory that even Fox News had trouble describing it: nearly 69.5 million popular votes, a 365-173 victory in the Electoral College, and the winning of nearly all swing states including Florida, Ohio, and even North Carolina. Even better was the fact that Democratic senators rode Obama's coattails and with the defection of Republican Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and the delayed seating of Democrat Al Franken of Minnesota, Barack Obama found himself in April of 2009 of having a filibuster-proof Senate and a Democratically-controlled House. Here was his chance to enact a progressive wish-list with things like universal healthcare, a way to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, an increased minimum wage, and free colleges and universities.

Does any of this sound familiar?

It should. Because it is the very same platform that now Senator Bernie Sanders is echoing for president. Yet despite this huge "wave" of enthusiasm that brought Barack Obama into the White House, he faced stiff opposition from not only Republicans, who vowed to make him a one-term president but also Blue Dog Democrats who felt Obama's "radical agenda" wasn't in the best interest of the American people. During a bitter and fought-out battle for the Affordable Care Act, not only did the landmark legislation not receive a single Republican vote from either the House or the Senate but Obama had to compromise on the legislation and even the idea of a public option was too much for certain Blue Dogs to swallow. The ACA that we now have in place passed after a nearly eight-month battle on Christmas Eve of 2009 with Obama needing all 60 votes in the Senate as well as having to fend off 34 Democrats who voted against the legislation in the House.


snip//

The American people are living through a revolution. It is not a revolution from a seventy-four-year-old democratic socialist from Vermont. It is the revolution from a fifty-four-year-old biracial man from the south side of Chicago. A skinny man with large ears and a funny middle name who has put our country on the path to prosperity for decades to come. A man staked his presidency on providing affordable healthcare to tens of millions of people. A man whose actions staved off a second Great Depression despite the fact that these actions gave his opponents the ability to misinform the public and to retake Congress. A man who slowly and methodically worked with Congress to improve our crumbling infrastructure. A man whose very first bill was a bill to help protect women in the workplace. A man who has used the bully pulpit to advocate for higher wages and more affordable college. A man who has done all this despite having two of history's least productive Congresses since 2010.






Read More: http://www.thepeoplesview.net/main/2016/2/24/its-all-been-done-how-barack-obama-already-achieved-bernie-sanders-revolution

**********************

Who is going to fly in on BS coattails? No one, he refuses to even raise money for them.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

7 years! [View all] MrScorpio Apr 2016 OP
Great graphic! I'm sick of the idiots who say the two parties are the same! Squinch Apr 2016 #1
Me too! Liberal_in_LA Apr 2016 #93
And also the idiots who jimlup May 2016 #100
Yep. So many idiots, so little time! Squinch May 2016 #113
Same here. Hortensis May 2016 #109
Just a moment, please. I thought Obama was a neocon. A Third Way neoliberal. This doesn't add up. Buzz Clik Apr 2016 #2
Me too! JustAnotherGen Apr 2016 #5
No, but the TPP is a neo liberal deal. liberalnarb Apr 2016 #31
Nope. That's your definition. Buzz Clik Apr 2016 #35
Especially the ones who live overseas. n/t libdem4life Apr 2016 #71
... but not the ones who live entirely in the artificial reality of their twisted minds. Buzz Clik Apr 2016 #73
Strange reply. Have to parse that one a little extra. n/t libdem4life Apr 2016 #76
You're SO sweet! dchill May 2016 #102
A tad over the top, don't you think? Whatevs. n/t libdem4life May 2016 #117
LOL hay rick Apr 2016 #83
How! Our other trade agreements have cost us good jobs (that have been replaced by JDPriestly Apr 2016 #94
I think every seven years democrats forget how shitty La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #48
My line is that Democratic Presidents generally disappoint me slightly whereas GOP ones invariably Warren DeMontague May 2016 #106
Living in a democracy is disappointing La Lioness Priyanka May 2016 #115
+1 uponit7771 May 2016 #119
K&R... spanone Apr 2016 #3
Yes he did a great job Andy823 Apr 2016 #4
I don't think anyone on here is saying continuing what Obama has done would be a bad thing. liberalnarb Apr 2016 #36
Couldn't have said it better...! Surya Gayatri May 2016 #107
Yes those 10s of millions of us who never recovered from the crash fasttense May 2016 #111
So is the solution to sit out the presidential election and allow the White House to Squinch May 2016 #114
You left off the 4,000 plus innocent people killed with drone strikes. rhett o rick Apr 2016 #6
Thanks for bringing a balanced perspective. nt MrScorpio Apr 2016 #7
The Goldilocks "liberal" - no Democrat has ever been good enough. yallerdawg Apr 2016 #9
So what are insinuating? That we should only discuss the good things? rhett o rick Apr 2016 #15
You need to Andy823 Apr 2016 #20
The best thing to happen to the Sanders' legacy and "movement" .. yallerdawg Apr 2016 #25
Yep, us anti everything people want results not words. zeemike Apr 2016 #41
I would like to see something between swooners and haters Skittles May 2016 #103
I'd be willing to bet dollars to holes in donuts that within DAYS of a Sanders inauguration ... Hekate Apr 2016 #61
Thankfully, there won't be a Sanders inauguration. baldguy Apr 2016 #96
I doubt Sanders would waste a couple years trying to play nice with repukes Skittles May 2016 #104
Find myself agreeing with you all over the place, Andy! LOLOL! Surya Gayatri May 2016 #108
Bernie does support The Obama Drone Policy, rick. liberalnarb Apr 2016 #38
Liberalnarb. sheshe2 Apr 2016 #86
well in that perspective hfojvt Apr 2016 #40
Japanese internment? NT 1939 Apr 2016 #23
ouch.. yuiyoshida Apr 2016 #37
FDR and the sainted Earl Warren NT 1939 Apr 2016 #43
Correct and couple of addtional things Ferd Berfel Apr 2016 #13
Sanders supports the drone war JI7 Apr 2016 #47
you have proof of this? shanti Apr 2016 #56
Several links for your delectation Hekate Apr 2016 #63
Thanks for the links Hekate! sheshe2 Apr 2016 #87
"All of that and more" -- Bernie Sanders, when asked by Chuck Todd if he would use drones betsuni Apr 2016 #51
Post removed Post removed Apr 2016 #84
The number I've quoted has come under question. I quoted the number that rhett o rick May 2016 #101
Its certainly a good graphic, but I also like to imagine the bread lines that were avoided BootinUp Apr 2016 #8
Yes, let's inject a little reality in this thread. passiveporcupine Apr 2016 #27
quick takes on the issues you raise BootinUp Apr 2016 #39
The problem with not enough support is who it comes from passiveporcupine Apr 2016 #45
Yes, actually Obama did start the revolution. sheshe2 Apr 2016 #88
The revolution started before Obama. I think the real revolution passiveporcupine Apr 2016 #89
Obama did far more that he is given credit for. sheshe2 Apr 2016 #90
I know Obama has accomplished a lot passiveporcupine Apr 2016 #91
most of the income is NOT going to the top hfojvt Apr 2016 #44
Sorry, I should have said profit, not income. n/t passiveporcupine Apr 2016 #46
you did say profit hfojvt Apr 2016 #50
Well we aren't talking normal bennefits here passiveporcupine Apr 2016 #53
any capital gains they get from that, and dividends hfojvt Apr 2016 #57
capital gains are taxed at a much lower rate than income n/t passiveporcupine Apr 2016 #60
and so are dividends hfojvt Apr 2016 #68
Sarcastic comment about DU followed by emoji. Rex Apr 2016 #10
The Uninsured rate under Bush is deceptive rurallib Apr 2016 #11
k & r! lovemydog Apr 2016 #19
+1 uponit7771 May 2016 #120
He made a promise to the gay community that he would do right by us Politicub Apr 2016 #12
I was skeptical about this when Obama picked warren La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #49
I had forgotten about that name. Politicub Apr 2016 #52
Yup, as I said I was totally wrong to be skeptical La Lioness Priyanka Apr 2016 #54
How about an honest assessment, and not one that would make a fawn blush . . FairWinds Apr 2016 #14
Don't go on ... JoePhilly Apr 2016 #77
Just imagine what he could have done PatSeg Apr 2016 #16
It would also help if he were a progressive. passiveporcupine Apr 2016 #28
I think at his core, PatSeg Apr 2016 #64
the most important thing that needs to be done passiveporcupine Apr 2016 #65
Yes PatSeg Apr 2016 #75
FDR is one of my heroes, but FDR was not God.The rewrite of history on FDR could get to be as bad... Hekate Apr 2016 #66
That was very well said PatSeg Apr 2016 #74
Why is congress like that though?? angrychair Apr 2016 #85
Oh definitely PatSeg Apr 2016 #97
It's been an excellent two terms for President Barack Obama..... George II Apr 2016 #17
"And to think that the RWNJs were afraid that Obama was going to destroy America!" Plucketeer Apr 2016 #18
Don't forget about some of the Andy823 Apr 2016 #21
Well - truth be told Plucketeer Apr 2016 #32
President Obama has more than lived up to my expectations.. mountain grammy Apr 2016 #22
+1 Hekate Apr 2016 #69
Well said, mg... Surya Gayatri May 2016 #110
+1 uponit7771 May 2016 #121
Spectacular! shireen Apr 2016 #24
Yes, but what has he ACCOMPLISHED? (sarcasm) NT PBass Apr 2016 #26
I am proud and happy that this man in our President Gothmog Apr 2016 #29
Kick. (n/t) Iggo Apr 2016 #30
The fact is Obama saved America. SunSeeker Apr 2016 #33
+ 1 ... my neice too. JoePhilly Apr 2016 #79
K&R ismnotwasm Apr 2016 #34
Great thread. Really sums it up. forest444 Apr 2016 #42
K&R! betsuni Apr 2016 #55
Barack Obama was the right President at the right time. jillan Apr 2016 #58
great jlarson Apr 2016 #59
Nice to see you. That's a great graphic. Hekate Apr 2016 #62
Best president of my lifetime...it's not even a close question alcibiades_mystery Apr 2016 #67
Unemloyment numbers are total BS SusanLarson Apr 2016 #70
It has gotten better in many ways PowerToThePeople Apr 2016 #72
Obama will end up in the top tier of all Presidents. JoePhilly Apr 2016 #78
I swear Soxfan58 Apr 2016 #80
I still think Obama is lovely! Rosa Luxemburg Apr 2016 #81
Me too, Rosa!! ailsagirl Apr 2016 #82
The fool, larry elder, says its weakest recovery ever. Cant stand to see a black man succeed Liberal_in_LA Apr 2016 #92
And there are those who would like to erase it all & start from scratch. baldguy Apr 2016 #95
Could have been a lot worse. JEB Apr 2016 #98
We've certainly come a long way over those years GOPblows431 May 2016 #99
"Destroy America"? Fuck, I only wish I'd had some liquid cash to put in the stock market early 2009. Warren DeMontague May 2016 #105
We're supposed to believe these numbers mean anything to people. Madmiddle May 2016 #112
Great graphic underpants May 2016 #116
Is there still time to repeal the 22nd Amendment? Califonz May 2016 #118
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