Thursday, September 2, 2010

At the Risk of Being Referred to (By Slade Leeds) as a Systematizer

I submit to you folks the following - categories of U.S. citizens/voters - this, as determined by their "relationship" to President Obama: A) People who flat-out think that Obama has done a boffo job and that his philosophy has been AOK. B) People who think that the President has been far too liberal (other, significantly less benign, terms have included extreme, radical, socialistic - anti-American, even). C) People who think that the President hasn't been liberal/progressive enough, that he's clearly spent far too much time trying to woo Republicans, independents, Whigs (I'm kidding) etc.. D) People who think that the President has basically been a decent guy, but one who clearly hasn't lived up to the hype. They don't necessarily think that the problem, however, has been one of "too liberal" or "too conservative", but rather one of weak leadership, questionable judgement, etc.. I guess that, yeah, you could probably put me into this category.

7 comments:

Commander Zaius said...

People who think that the President has basically been a decent guy, but one who clearly hasn't lived up to the hype.

Put me down for that one. Hey, I'm a liberal but no issue with me is strictly black or white and I defy a logical person to prove me otherwise. Obama is a decent fella but I think his approach and methods has just about been as ass backwards as they come.

As for the hype, I squarely put the fault for that with my fellow liberals. Some of these people seem to have expected the guy to wave a magic wand and fix things. As for the conservatives any effort to "work" with the president was laughable.

Will "take no prisoners" Hart said...

The President does have one thing going for him, double b - namely, the shrillness of his opponents. I mean, seriously, have you seen Mr. Sean Hannity lately? That frigging dude is nuts!!

Rusty Shackleford said...

Is Obama smart...you bet.

Is Obama a Harvard grad...yep.

Does Obama give a good speech...yes again.

Did Obama run a great campagain...oh yea,ask Hillary.

Did Obama get out the independent vote...hell yes.

Did Obama's base think he was the second coming...absolutly.

Has Obama been a success....nope.

Is Obama a good leader....nope.

Have Obama's policies been well recieved....nope.

Do dems want Obama campaigning for them...nope.

Does Obama still give a good speech...yep.

Does Obama like to play golf...hell yes.

Is Obama the black Jimmy Carter...looks like it.

Dervish Sanders said...

The correct answer is "C". I did not expect any waving of a "magic wand" to occur, nor did I think he was the "second coming". I believe Bill Maher (another political commentator, who, like Keith Olbermann, I am a fan of) got it right when he said...

"Barack Obama is not a socialist -- he's not even a liberal....this country needs a left wing. It doesn't have it, and part of the reason is the media... We have the Democrats, who are what the Republicans used to be when I was a kid. They're a pro-business party, a corporate-friendly, pro-business party. And then we have the Republicans, which are just a club for angry white people and Jesus freaks".

Rusty* ... I am a huge admirer of President Jimmy Carter, and believe his detractors have it wrong. He was a victim of some circumstances beyond his control, but I believe he otherwise did a good job. Certainly better than the President who followed him (who was unquestionably one of the worst). I have nothing but respect for Mr. Carter.

As for Obama, a recent Siena College Research Institute Survey of U.S. Presidents ranked Mr. Obama 15th among the 44 U.S. presidents - ahead of, among others, Ronald Reagan (who belongs near the top of a list of WORST presidents, IMO).

It's Right-wing hypocrisy to single out Obama for playing golf because "nearly every president of the past century, including Bush and his father, has been a regular golfer".

The reason they say anything about Obama's playing golf is, IMO, quite obvious. Doesn't anyone remember how "now watch this drive" bush (the record holder for the most vaction days taken) lied about not playing golf during wartime?

(* "Rusty Shackleford"... an individual with no blog of his own or any information at all in his blogger profile... makes me wonder if he is a real person or a sock puppet).

Will "take no prisoners" Hart said...

There isn't a "correct" answer, wd. This is all about our opinions......I could care less if Obama plays golf. In fact, I wish that politicians would play MORE golf. It would keep out of Washington and they'd probably screw things up less......Are you old enough to remember Jimmy Carter, wd? I am. He was not (at least not in my opinion) a good President (a good guy, yes, but, no, not a good President; high interest rates, high unemployment rates, high inflation rates, gas lines, an overall malaise). I mean, why in the hell did Teddy Kennedy challenge him for the nomination? Why in the hell did Eugene McCarthy endorse Reagan in the general election? There had to have been some reason......Rusty, a sock puppet? Of who?

Rusty Shackleford said...

I just love the leftys who try to revise history...Carter was a "victim of circumstances." Tell that to the hostages who were held in Iran while Carter did absolutly nothing....oh yea he did get some brave soldiers killed in that friggin futile attempt.

He was a failue...a one term president who got crushed...and I mean crushed in his re-election bid.

I think thats why the old peanut farmer is so damn bitter to this day.He's pushing 90 and knows most of his fellow countrymen view him as a eunuch.

Dervish Sanders said...

I hold no such view of Mr. Carter, who happens to be one of my personal heroes. Rusty (if he exists) is revising history. If not for Reagan's October Surprise, the hostages would have been released on President Carter's watch and he would have been elected to a second term.

Gerald Ford: presided over what was then the worst economy since the Great Depression, with growing inflation and a recession during his tenure.

Jimmy Carter (from Wikipedia): substantively reduced both unemployment and the deficit but had not able to completely eliminate the recession. Carter is credited by some with ending the double-digit inflation of the 1970s ... by early in the Reagan Administration, [Carter's economic policies tamed] inflation and lead to a long period of relative prosperity for US financial markets.

Will, are you one of those people who believe that anyone who suggests it is the former president who is responsible for the recession is "blaming bush" to deflect attention away from the fact that this is "Obama's economy"?