Obama's Downfall

I have one major criticism of Obama. He should stop “reaching out” to Republicans. He should know by now that doing so means shooting himself and the Democratic Party in the foot. It can never work. Republicans don’t want to negotiate or compromise. They are not statesmen–they are politicians–underhanded ones at that. They will stop at nothing to get their way. I wish Obama had figured this out from the beginning. It will do nothing to get Republicans to do what’s best for the country instead of what’s best for the Republican party and themselves. Democrats in Congress should be as uncooperative as Republicans have been since Obama became president. They need to use the same kinds of roadblocks. There is no negotiating with the current crop of Republicans. They will blithely send the whole country down the drain before they will cooperate on anything. Trying to “reach out” to Republicans is like trying to reach out to a nest of vipers.
Lois

I have one major criticism of Obama. He should stop "reaching out" to Republicans. He should know by now that doing so means shooting himself and the Democratic Party in the foot. It can never work. Republicans don't want to negotiate or compromise. They are not statesmen--they are politicians--underhanded ones at that. They will stop at nothing to get their way. I wish Obama had figured this out from the beginning. It will do nothing to get Republicans to do what's best for the country instead of what's best for the Republican party and themselves. Democrats in Congress should be as uncooperative as Republicans have been since Obama became president. They need to use the same kinds of roadblocks. There is no negotiating with the current crop of Republicans. They will blithely send the whole country down the drain before they will cooperate on anything. Trying to "reach out" to Republicans is like trying to reach out to a nest of vipers. Lois
The best part is, Obama no longer has any political need to offer the GOP a thing. It would be fabuless if they tried to impeach him. That would guarantee a democrat in the White House with a democratic majority in congress. I can't wait to see what happens when the GOP starts taking insurance away from people who just got it for the first time in their lives with Obamacare. When the minimum wage is slashed and food stamps disappear and social security and Medicare are gutted while corporations celebrate record earnings and the economic redistribution that we've had for 35 years, flowing into the pockets of the super rich, accelerates. That's wealth redistribution Republican style, and our default ecconomic setting.

Obamacare was a great accomplishment, in my opinion. Universal health care would be better.
Obama screwed up, big time, with the banks. He had chances to make things better over the past six years ago and blew it. Then again, he was never so much of a progressive that way anyways.
I hope that you are right, Handydan, that the republican led goal of stripping away government services in order to put more money in the pockets of wealthy persons and businesses backfires. Judging by Tuesday’s election, it seems like the working masses will never learn.

I have one major criticism of Obama. He should stop "reaching out" to Republicans. He should know by now that doing so means shooting himself and the Democratic Party in the foot. It can never work. Republicans don't want to negotiate or compromise. They are not statesmen--they are politicians--underhanded ones at that. They will stop at nothing to get their way. I wish Obama had figured this out from the beginning. It will do nothing to get Republicans to do what's best for the country instead of what's best for the Republican party and themselves. Democrats in Congress should be as uncooperative as Republicans have been since Obama became president. They need to use the same kinds of roadblocks. There is no negotiating with the current crop of Republicans. They will blithely send the whole country down the drain before they will cooperate on anything. Trying to "reach out" to Republicans is like trying to reach out to a nest of vipers. Lois
A) I'm surprised you're just saying that now. It was true (disregarding my second point) within the first year of his presidency. And B) he should have been smart enough, and advised enough, to realize with the current crop of movement conservatives, his ideal of Lincoln-like cooperation with your enemies was totally unrealistic and should be abandoned. The only reason I can think of that such a smart guy would NOT realize this is that early on he made the conscious decision to worry about his legacy. As in, well at least when I'm no longer prez no one will accuse me of NOT cooperating.
Obamacare was a great accomplishment, in my opinion. Universal health care would be better. Obama screwed up, big time, with the banks. He had chances to make things better over the past six years ago and blew it. Then again, he was never so much of a progressive that way anyways. I hope that you are right, Handydan, that the republican led goal of stripping away government services in order to put more money in the pockets of wealthy persons and businesses backfires. Judging by Tuesday's election, it seems like the working masses will never learn.
Sadly, the old sage, "in a democracy, we get the government we deserve" is spot on.
I have one major criticism of Obama. He should stop "reaching out" to Republicans. He should know by now that doing so means shooting himself and the Democratic Party in the foot. It can never work. Republicans don't want to negotiate or compromise. They are not statesmen--they are politicians--underhanded ones at that. They will stop at nothing to get their way. I wish Obama had figured this out from the beginning. It will do nothing to get Republicans to do what's best for the country instead of what's best for the Republican party and themselves. Democrats in Congress should be as uncooperative as Republicans have been since Obama became president. They need to use the same kinds of roadblocks. There is no negotiating with the current crop of Republicans. They will blithely send the whole country down the drain before they will cooperate on anything. Trying to "reach out" to Republicans is like trying to reach out to a nest of vipers. Lois
A) I'm surprised you're just saying that now. It was true (disregarding my second point) within the first year of his presidency. And B) he should have been smart enough, and advised enough, to realize with the current crop of movement conservatives, his ideal of Lincoln-like cooperation with your enemies was totally unrealistic and should be abandoned. The only reason I can think of that such a smart guy would NOT realize this is that early on he made the conscious decision to worry about his legacy. As in, well at least when I'm no longer prez no one will accuse me of NOT cooperating. I don't thonk he is worried about his "legacy." I think he knows what he's dealing with in the Republican Party. Maybe he has to play the part. One set of fools in Washington is enough, i just wish he could call a spade a spade. Lois

I like the what he said during his concession speech after Tuesdays midterms. Amidst the usual riffraff lip service of both sides calling for the need to “reach across the aisle” and work together, he put in a little zinger about his intention to work for the interests of ALL Americans including those who were too disenfranchised to show up at the polls and vote on Tuesday.

I don't thonk he is worried about his "legacy."
I agree. I think he's genuinely not very progressive on economic issues. He's nothing at all like the sort of "communist" or even "socialist" that the right accuse him of being. His economic views are very moderate to American standards. He complains about inequality but upholds the system which produces inequality.
I have one major criticism of Obama. He should stop "reaching out" to Republicans. He should know by now that doing so means shooting himself and the Democratic Party in the foot. It can never work. Republicans don't want to negotiate or compromise. They are not statesmen--they are politicians--underhanded ones at that. They will stop at nothing to get their way. I wish Obama had figured this out from the beginning. It will do nothing to get Republicans to do what's best for the country instead of what's best for the Republican party and themselves. Democrats in Congress should be as uncooperative as Republicans have been since Obama became president. They need to use the same kinds of roadblocks. There is no negotiating with the current crop of Republicans. They will blithely send the whole country down the drain before they will cooperate on anything. Trying to "reach out" to Republicans is like trying to reach out to a nest of vipers. Lois
Lois I'm happy to admit I totally agree with you on this one. :)
I have one major criticism of Obama. He should stop "reaching out" to Republicans. He should know by now that doing so means shooting himself and the Democratic Party in the foot. It can never work. Republicans don't want to negotiate or compromise. They are not statesmen--they are politicians--underhanded ones at that. They will stop at nothing to get their way. I wish Obama had figured this out from the beginning. It will do nothing to get Republicans to do what's best for the country instead of what's best for the Republican party and themselves. Democrats in Congress should be as uncooperative as Republicans have been since Obama became president. They need to use the same kinds of roadblocks. There is no negotiating with the current crop of Republicans. They will blithely send the whole country down the drain before they will cooperate on anything. Trying to "reach out" to Republicans is like trying to reach out to a nest of vipers. Lois
Lois I'm happy to admit I totally agree with you on this one. :) Thanks. ;) Lois
I agree. I think he’s genuinely not very progressive on economic issues. He’s nothing at all like the sort of “communist" or even “socialist" that the right accuse him of being. His economic views are very moderate to American standards. He complains about inequality but upholds the system which produces inequality.
Obama never stated that he was going to be a "progressive" president and he is in fact a moderate Democrat. The left in the Dem. party has been frustrated with him from the get go and it was very easy for the FOWBs to taint his policies as socialist or even Communist because of his status as an outsider and an African-American, no matter how hard they have tried to deny it, e.g. The right wing cheerleader Donald Trump. He also hit his critics back with a velvet glove and it made him weak and a bidder for continuous compromise with legislators who's agenda was to block any of his programs. Instead of trumpeting his many successes the Dem. candidates played right into their opponent's hands by trying to distance themselves from their own leader! Unbelievable. It left the door open for fundies, climate deniers and hog castrating gun toters. Cap't Jack

Tonight President Obama, took executive action on immigration. The actions that he stated were quite moderate, and most should be consistent with conservative ideology (were conservative ideology rational these days).
He took action despite threats from the right to shut down the government again, or to impeach him, and despite the misguided whining on the right that such action is unconstitutional, and that he “poisoned the well” for any prospect of bipartisan action by the upcoming new Congress.
The reality, as I see it, is that the Republicans would very likely not have done an immigration bill anyway. And they are no less likely to do an immigration bill, now. The President’s action does not prevent them from doing their job. They could get a comprehensive immigration bill through that would make the executive action obsolete. But, instead, if their actions over the past 6 years are predictive, they will continue to admonish and deride the President, continue to threaten to shut down the government (while also claiming that it is Obama who would be shutting down the govt), and continue to talk about impeachment.
If that is the case, then one thought rings in my mind: “F— those mother f------ Republicans.”

Tonight President Obama, took executive action on immigration. The actions that he stated were quite moderate, and most should be consistent with conservative ideology (were conservative ideology rational these days). He took action despite threats from the right to shut down the government again, or to impeach him, and despite the misguided whining on the right that such action is unconstitutional, and that he "poisoned the well" for any prospect of bipartisan action by the upcoming new Congress. The reality, as I see it, is that the Republicans would very likely not have done an immigration bill anyway. And they are no less likely to do an immigration bill, now. The President's action does not prevent them from doing their job. They could get a comprehensive immigration bill through that would make the executive action obsolete. But, instead, if their actions over the past 6 years are predictive, they will continue to admonish and deride the President, continue to threaten to shut down the government (while also claiming that it is Obama who would be shutting down the govt), and continue to talk about impeachment. If that is the case, then one thought rings in my mind: "F--- those mother f------ Republicans."
Agree. Lois

Obama’s legacy can be “standing up to the GOP”. Over the next two years he has no chance of pushing his own policies and the more he keeps them reacting to him, the better 2016 looks for Democrats. He should dare them to impeach him and veto every piece of legislation that defends or cripples social security, Medicare, and Obamacare.
They will be able to damage Obamacare, but the PR costs of the poor loosing their insurance with no safety net, will also make 2016 brighter for the Dems.