SOme of you do realize that there wont be a significant piece of legislation that passes the House

[LeftyAndProud60]

for a long time, once the next congress takes over. I keep hearing keep pressure on Obama, what can he do when so many people just got elected promising to fight everything Obama proposes?

[leveymg]

1. He needs to now learn how to use agency rules. So far, he has not mastered it at all.

All I see is that agency policies have changed little since 01/08 - it's now or never.

[dennis4868]

4. that's not how everyone sees it....

Under Obama, agencies step up rule-making
http://www.scpr.org/news/2010/05/29/under-obama-agencies-step-up-rule-making/

[Aramchek]

7. you would prefer a Dictator, obviously

[leveymg]

14. I'm a big fan of dictatorship, obviously.

Just read my Journals, it's obvious. :evilgrin:

[WiffenPoof]

38. For Me....

when President Obama goes against dem principles, he is acting more like a dictator. His unilateral negotiations with the right wing leadership on tax cuts is a good example.

-PLA

[treestar]

9. I've seen in daily practice

Working with some federal agencies, that there are changes, all good ones.

[leveymg]

13. Not I. Not DHS, ICE, USCIS, BCP, USDOL, DOS.

Mostly more of the same. More deportations. Longer waiting periods for visas. Greater barriers to entry.

[treestar]

15. Well prove that.

How can there be greater barriers? No new laws have passed, except one allowing widows to file, when they could not before.

[jwirr]

12. Presidents of the past have used rules and regulations interpretations

to make changes when they had no other way. They were not dictators. Also booosh used signing statements etc. to get things he wanted done. Also appointing people to jobs during recess. The veto and bully pulpit are other things he can use if he will. We are not without power to stop them just as they are trying to stop us. But the OP is correct - we should not expect to get much done without using these special means. This is going to be a do nothing congress.

[Clio the Leo]

21. *

[Democrats_win]

2. Don't discount the ability of Obama to work FOR the Republicans.

Recall how Clinton signed the repeal of Glass Steagall. Of course your point is correct that Obama won't be able to accomplish anything legislatively to help America.

[dennis4868]

3. No kidding....

that's why Obama's hands were tied on the tax cut deal....dems in Congress decided not to take up the issue before the election and decided to throw the ball into Obama's corner after election....with time not on Obama's side (since repubs would control the house in just weeks) and the real need for UI for millions of people, Obama was forced to compromise with the devil....people here and other "fighting" liberals don't get that....that's why Obama's is the only adult in the room!

[Exilednight]

35. Obama's hands were not tied on the tax cut dea. He had a nuclear option he could of used ..........

all he needed to say was that Republican infighting over trickle down economics prevented him from getting the bill that is required for a stronger economy.

[emulatorloo]

5. Boehner put Michele Bachmann on the Intelligence Committee

So that gives us a hint of what this new house is going to do.

Pelosi House put out some fine legislation.

This house is mostly going to work to dismantle and defund. And investigate.

Reid is going to have his work cut out for him.

[davidpdx]

27. I didn't know Bachmann was on the Intelligence Committee

Bachmann and Intelligence in the same sentence :rofl:


I have $10 that says the Republicans will try to impeach Obama. Yes, they are stupid enough to try it again.

[RDANGELO]

6. That's called political reality.

A lot of people here have difficulty with that.

[BlueCaliDem]

8. Exactly! "Let's not vote so we teach Pres. Obama a lesson! Let's make

him lose Congress and THEN instead of getting a clue, let's double the pressure, shout a little louder, and whine a little nastier! Yeah, that'll do it. NOW he'll listen.

In essence, tie his hands and ankles, and then whine, yell, shout, cry, and stamp our feet until he agress to walk a marathon for us.

[JoePhilly]

16. +100

[BlueCaliDem]

18. :-) eom

[JoePhilly]

19. My view ... when the left fights the left ...

The government moves to the right.

The majority of Dems in Congress are cowards. And when the left gets mad at them, they run away, and look for votes in the center or on the right.

Our endless infighting hurts us over and over.

It gave Bush II the Presidency in 2000 ... and we have not learned from that.

[Hello_Kitty]

23. The "purist leftists" are an irrelevant fringe. Until you need someone to blame. eom

[BlueCaliDem]

32. The "purist leftists" are NOT an irrelevant fringe. They are a DANGEROUS fringe

so let's get at least that straight.

After the 2000 Presidential elections, and last mid-term elections, only a fool would think the purist leftists are "irrelevant".

[okieinpain]

30. YEAH, NOW THIS IS THE POST RIGHT HERE. NO VOTE,

NO VOTE, NO VOTE, :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[Donald Ian Rankin]

34. The flip side is "let's not give the Democrats any incentive to promote left-wing policies".

There are always going to be a great many people who won't vote for the Democrats because they're two far left. If there isn't at least some threat that some people won't vote for Democrats because they're not far enough left, they'll inevitably move further and further right.

[treestar]

10. Some people are so focused on the Presidency

They don't even get the idea of pressuring congress.

Pressuring Republican reps - gee they won't be able to even think of that.

[BlueCaliDem]

33. I've noticed that sad reality, too. +100 eom

[GSLevel9]

11. nothing... not a thing.

Pubs will pass tea party bills that will die in the Senate.

Rinse and repeat.

[vaberella]

17. For many on DU, there hasn't been a significant piece of legislation.

I just saw someone equate DADT to "a small political victory." This is what we have to deal with. They will just use it as a base to bash Obama and that's the end of it.

[Honeycombe8]

25. You're kidding. Makes me wonder who those people are, because it's not a factual statement...

that he hasn't had significant legislation (besides, its Congress, really, that passes legislation).

It's factually incorrect to state that there hasn't been significant leg. in the past 2 years. So I can only wonder WHY someone would try to make me think that, go against the facts. Tell me the sky is green and the grass is blue.

I'm not stupid. I can see there has been significant legislation. I guess some people only care about the pony they wanted for Christmas and didn't get, like the pubes only care about tax cuts tax cuts tax cuts.

[Sheepshank]

20. It will make for just one more platform ideal to us during elections

1. look at how many hard one pieces of legislation passed first 2 years.
2. Look at all the easy and and difficult legislation that has died during the last 2 years. How productive has this Congress been?

pretty simple to sell really.

[Clio the Leo]

22. He knows where to choose his battles.....

.... the onus is now on the GOP to do something with their "mandate" and all. It's in both of their interest to appear to be getting something done and, eventually, they'll find something on which they can both agree.

Advancing a progressive agenda is not his first priority .... fixing the country is.

[Honeycombe8]

24. Well, he's gotten most done that he wanted to, I think.

START, DADT, health care, the stimulus (if that's what you want to call it), financial regulation (weak as it is, so I hear), setting aside acreage as preserved wilderness, slowing down deep sea drilling, passing that bill about women's rights (I'm still unclear what that was about, but he really wanted to do that), and...what else? I can't recall what else.

He'll have financial things come up, and we have seen that he'll be compromising on all that. I hope he compromises a little better in the future, but compromises are the norm, really, for Democrats.

[AtomicKitten]

26. I far prefer that over GOP garbage. nt

[Dawgs]

28. Don't worry. He will embrace everything that THEY propose.

Just like he always does.

[rasputin1952]

36. Pretty remakable statement considering what the last 2 weeks...

brought about, not to mention the last 2 years.

How quickly people forget, (or ignore), anything positive.

[lunatica]

29. Maybe some Republicans will choose to rescue their party

from the extreme idiocracy of the Tea Party. Maybe that's happening right now.

[rasputin1952]

37. Nah...if anything, they will become more extreme...

if that happens, the more sane elements of the population will get out and vote. One of the main reasons the Teabaggers and R's in general made gains is the simple fact that D's stayed home during the last election...(FWIW, those who sat out the election will be the loudest complainers, the 101st Chairborne are always like that). I'm willing to bet that most here that find fault with PO and congress didn't vote in the mid-term, historically, that's it in a nutshell.

If this is played the way should be, there should be a landslide victory for D's next election.

[Laelth]

40. I don't know.

I suspect people who complain loudly also care enough to vote. I suspect it the was hard-working people who don't have time to pay attention to politics, but who also know that their lives have gotten worse over the past two years, who didn't vote.

But that's just my guess.

-Laelth

[Enrique]

31. you must mean good-significant

I expect plenty of bad-significant legislation to come out of the House.

[Laelth]

39. I certainly HOPE you are right about that.

If something does pass the House, it will be bad. My fear is that the Senate and the President will go along with it, regardless.

-Laelth