confused...its politics! beware

[brandy]

ok, from my side of the line, i think obama is doing a pretty good job, ive not been following the presidency every day.. but i do read the news and watch tv every now and again.
what im seeing is a man who is fighting an uphill battle trying to make a failing country into something better for everyone across the board. he is being blasted at every turn by the very people that put him in office, and still carrying on.. all the while trying to tie up all the loose ends from the bush administration.
sarah palin is basically commiting treason with the tea party act, and yet she is cheered on and the actual president may as well be the great satan.
the people who will be benifitting from the new health bill seem to be up in arms due to ignorance thanks to the companies and drs crying out in the night.. and well it just seems to be a bloody mess to me.
talking to people i grew up with on facebook, and other americans back home.. its like they are living in their own little bubble and what ever propoganda is being spewed they belive.
i dont know if its because im removed from the front line or just because im skewed in the head anyway.. but what do you guys think?
is obama doing a good job?
are the american people just that ignorant and fearful of change?
is he a complete failure and bush was the better choice.. (god forbid)
should the republicans have gotten in again?
im at a loss, thought i knew what was going on.. but from all the screaming and tearing of hair ect.. im hearing on the home front... its freaky..

[Tubthumper]

Brandy, I just can't 'get' the USA at all, for precisely the reasons you've presented. Obama's apparently doing a great job for the people and for the world, yet he gets slated. What is it that your 250 million compatriots actually want? And surely they can see that GW Bush was a complete tool?

Over here we've got political people who don't even believe their own tripe any more, yet they are locked into the same old cycle of silliness.

I got a leaflet from Gordon Campbell, the Caithness Capercaillie today. The man's as mad as a bag of cats, but I wonder if he' perhaps has the ideal qualifications to be an MP??

[brandy]

omg ive just been told off by a boy i went to school with.. about how bad obama is.. wait ill reposthis post.. its just sad really
this is why he hates obama
Ok I will say this, he has taken our social security raise for the next 3 yrs, nowwants to cut my check by $150 per month, doing a job on medicare benifits, so if he stays in office much longer I will have no health coverage or social security, then it will be very hard to live, but my biggest thing is ,he isn't even an American

his biggest gripe is that supposedly obama wasnt born on american soil.. and therefor it is the greatest sin ever..
yet arnie is the gov of california?
OooooKaaayy...

[Boozeburglar]

Just about the most interesting post I have seen on here for a long, long time.

[Alan16]

I can't say I keep up to date with what's going on with Obama's presidency, but I watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart basically every day it's on, so I have some knowledge of what's going on there at the moment, and personally I think it all seems madness that there is so much hatred for Obama - of the ideas I've seen, most seem to be pretty damn good and will help America in the long run, but American's don't seem to see that.

[The Drunken Duck]

I think Obama's biggest problem is that he was portrayed as the next JFK and he clearly isnt. From what I can see he is like the American version of Tony Blair, and the American people are seeing the results of voting for style over substance. Just as we did. I had an old American colleague describe him to me as "the guy who says nothing better than anyone" and I cant disagree.

He just seems to be a big dissapointment after the all the hype.

[Tubthumper]

I reckon the whole Obama thing is a Republican/ rich persons ploy:
1. Use GW Bush as the face man to line your pockets and annoy the rest of the world
2. Cowp the board with a worldwide economic collapse
3. Put a no-hoper in as a plausible candidate and lose the election
4. Leave it to the black guy from overseas to try and sort out the mess you've made
5. Sit back & laugh as the gormless US public rail against the incomer
6. Come back with a massive mandate at the next election, and get to make even more money
7. Laugh even more at the democrats, poor people and minorities who got a bit uppity and are now learning that you can't beat the establishment!
8. Carry on as before, except even harder

I just wonder whether Obama is in on the plan, or whether he really is a genuine bloke with no chance of succeding

[brandy]

god that is so true but so scary..
i just hope that he can hold in there and get some good done.. even if it will be the first thing out the door when the republicans get their claws back in.. but you never know.. once obama has come and gone.. and miracles can happen he may get another four years.. if another macain runs.. but maybe another democrat will get in again.. even though they are screaming death to obama.. or more like impeachment to obama.. they have enough sense to want a democratic candidate in the office.
surley they have realised by now that republicans mean .. rich getter richer and poor get poorer.. and anything that they dont want to see gets swept under the rug.

[George Brims]

You can't judge Obama solely by what you read in the mainstream press (much of which is either Rupert Murdoch's empire, or frightened of being called out by said empire for being "liberal" or "un-American"). Twice last week I heard our local news radio station (CBS affiliate) talk about Obama's "plummeting approval rating". Plummeting towards 50% that is. Dubya hovered around 21-24% for most of his presidency.

The best fun is to watch these teabaggers run around talking about how he's "taking away our freedom" (to do what? make an ass of yourself?), "taxing us to death" (98% of Americans just enjoyed a tax CUT), "wasn't born here" (hey if you hadn't stolen Hawaii a century ago, that would be true). Dupes.

Duck, Obama is a whole lot smarter than Blair. Blair sadly turned out to have a lot more style than substance. Even his style grated on me after a while.

[Aaldtimer]

ok, from my side of the line, i think obama is doing a pretty good job, ive not been following the presidency every day.. but i do read the news and watch tv every now and again.
what im seeing is a man who is fighting an uphill battle trying to make a failing country into something better for everyone across the board. he is being blasted at every turn by the very people that put him in office, and still carrying on.. all the while trying to tie up all the loose ends from the bush administration.
sarah palin is basically commiting treason with the tea party act, and yet she is cheered on and the actual president may as well be the great satan.
the people who will be benifitting from the new health bill seem to be up in arms due to ignorance thanks to the companies and drs crying out in the night.. and well it just seems to be a bloody mess to me.
talking to people i grew up with on facebook, and other americans back home.. its like they are living in their own little bubble and what ever propoganda is being spewed they belive.
i dont know if its because im removed from the front line or just because im skewed in the head anyway.. but what do you guys think?
is obama doing a good job?
are the american people just that ignorant and fearful of change?
is he a complete failure and bush was the better choice.. (god forbid)
should the republicans have gotten in again?
im at a loss, thought i knew what was going on.. but from all the screaming and tearing of hair ect.. im hearing on the home front... its freaky..

Brandy, you are not alone!

http://classic.buzzflash.com/

;)

[fred]

So what do you expect? He's broken every promise he made to get into the White House.

He was going to bring American soldiers home from Afghanistan and instead he sent thousands more soldiers to Afghanistan and escalated the war into Pakistan. He was going to bring the troops back from Iraq and close down Guantanamo but the troops and Guantanamo are still there.

The Republicans still run the country, the corporations have enough Democrat Senators and Congressmen bought and paid for and the Republicans the determination to filibuster any legislation they don't like. The Democrats suffered another defeat in the Senate last night when their bill to regulate large financial institutions was defeated. People are losing their jobs, people are losing their homes by the millions but the rich bankers get the people's tax money in bailouts.

The Democrats don't like Obama because they are disappointed, he promised change and things are still the same, the Republicans don't like him because he's not a Republican.

[The Drunken Duck]

Duck, Obama is a whole lot smarter than Blair. Blair sadly turned out to have a lot more style than substance. Even his style grated on me after a while.

Sorry but I dont see it.

Look at Obama's actions over the hissy fit the Argentinians had over the Falklands. Considering we are his closest allies what did he do ?? .. he sent Hilary Clinton to pose with the Argentinian President and state that America stood ready to help with any sovereignty issues. Even our normally spineless Government got upset enough to politely tell him to ram it and remind him there were no soveriegnty issues to discuss. Nice way to treat a country that is fighting by your side Obama.

Look at what he did to NASA recently. After decades of investment and building the ISS what does he do ??, cuts NASA to the bone and scraps the Return-to-the-Moon programme along with the new Ares rocket. In one fell swoop he relegated the US to a third world Space Operator now reliant on the Russians and an ancient rocket system to get into Space once the Shuttle retires in Spetember. Even the old Apollo commanders, including Neil Armstrong who is notoriously media shy, are appalled enough to comment publicly. Then he stands up and starts waffling about his "new vision" for the Agency. All that advantage negated .. and for what ?? .. JFK would be spinning in his grave.

He seems to have the same thought process as Blair. Namely that he will tell you what's best for you and if you dont agree then its you thats the problem.

[Mr Z]

Change the names and it could be Britain you are discussing.
Politics is all about lies and broken promises.

[Boozeburglar]

I recall him talking about going into Pakistan if needs be during his campaign. Seems some have not been paying much attention.

As far as relegating the USA to third world status in terms of space, etc.

I am sure a country that has third world poverty on its streets needs attention to that rather than huge space budgets right now.

[George Brims]

Duck, seeing as I work (16% of my time, officially) for NASA I better weigh in on that bit. NASA has not been "cut to the bone". Obama did not go far enough in slashing the utterly pointless manned space flight program. The ISS is a flying boondoggle that has dragged funds away from what NASA now does best, the unmanned robotic probes. Every major US scientific body with an interest has come out against the ISS. People go to the ISS to do science, it is said. The only significant science that comes out of it, that couldn't be done some other way, is the science of studying people in orbit. The only reason for the "return to the moon" program was Dubya's wish to sound important and presidential. He would have been better off learning how to pronounce "nuclear". Or I should say RE-learning, as he could pronounce it just fine before he decided to run for president by coming across like an average Joe Sixpack.

[brandy]

obama can not help that everone around him is acting like mules with their hooves dug firmly in the ground.. he is doing the best he can with the little he has. if the idiots would get off their buts and actually follow thier leader with a little bit of the faith that they blindly threw behind george W then something may get done.
as for the space program, what use is putting a man on the moon if you cant feed and shelter the ones on the ground?

[The Drunken Duck]

Duck, seeing as I work (16% of my time, officially) for NASA I better weigh in on that bit. NASA has not been "cut to the bone". Obama did not go far enough in slashing the utterly pointless manned space flight program. The ISS is a flying boondoggle that has dragged funds away from what NASA now does best, the unmanned robotic probes. Every major US scientific body with an interest has come out against the ISS. People go to the ISS to do science, it is said. The only significant science that comes out of it, that couldn't be done some other way, is the science of studying people in orbit. The only reason for the "return to the moon" program was Dubya's wish to sound important and presidential. He would have been better off learning how to pronounce "nuclear". Or I should say RE-learning, as he could pronounce it just fine before he decided to run for president by coming across like an average Joe Sixpack.

Ah right. You work for NASA 16% of the time. Obviously a far more credible authority than Apollo Commanders such as Neil Armstrong and Jim Lovell then.

I think that when History is examained the fact that men walked on the moon will be seen as far more important than the fact a robot flew around it and took some pictures. Without the "pointless manned space program" how would the Hubble have got repaired a few years back when it was found that the pics were out of focus after being put into orbit ??, or Skylab in the seventies when the solar cells would not deploy after launch ??, If that's what NASA does best, then thank god there were "pointless" astronauts around to save the day.

[rich]

Obama's biggest hurdle is the Senate - an 18th century institution that continues to do the job it was intended to do by its founders.
That was to hold up and otherwise obstruct any legislation that favored the masses and the classes.
It's called balance of power.
It always favors the wealthy aristocratic classes.
That's why it takes so long to get anything done in the USA.

[George Brims]

Ah right. You work for NASA 16% of the time. Obviously a far more credible authority than Apollo Commanders such as Neil Armstrong and Jim Lovell then.

I think that when History is examined the fact that men walked on the moon will be seen as far more important than the fact a robot flew around it and took some pictures. Without the "pointless manned space program" how would the Hubble have got repaired a few years back when it was found that the pics were out of focus after being put into orbit ??, or Skylab in the seventies when the solar cells would not deploy after launch ??, If that's what NASA does best, then thank god there were "pointless" astronauts around to save the day.

What I said was there is no point to a manned space program NOW. The next generation space telescope (JWST) will not be serviceable by astronauts because it will be a million or so miles out at the L1 point. It's no good harking back to Skylab. Other than its political significance, Skylab was just another example of the only science being done by people in space being about people in space. Nothing else that was achieved was unique.

Armstrong and the other ex-astronauts of course have their sentimental attachment to the adventuring in space that inspired me to get into the scientific field in the first place. So do I. I've stood (for three consecutive days) hoping to see the Shuttle take off. I just got caught watching this http://vimeo.com/4366695 while I was supposed to be working!

But besides the romance and adventure, manned space flight is an expensive distraction. Look at the science you can do with a couple of tiny rovers on Mars, for a fraction of the cost of sending a fragile human being or two in their place.