One point needs to be made perfectly clear.

[kentuck]

President Obama did not create the mess we are in.

You may argue that he has not done enough to get us out of it. Or you may argue that he did the wrong things to get us out of it. But you cannot argue that he got us into it.

I can see the media and the Republican Party slowly propagating the false impression that Barack Obama got us into this mess and we need to put the Republicans in charge to clean it up.

We have to keep them honest.

[Flashmann]

1. We have to keep them honest

Can't be done....Instead,you must constantly call bullshit on them.......

[kentuck]

2. Your comment is probably more accurate.

[Iggy]

3. Are we a Monarchy?

I'm tired of all of the emphasis on Obama.

I want to talk about the more or less worthless congress we have-- and yes, that includes numerous
so called democrats.

Congress crafts the legislation, congress pays for legislation, not the POTUS.

[graywarrior]

13. It all starts with the idiots that vote them in.

More and more I realize that you can fight stupid.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

21. Or Diebold.

[graywarrior]

35. That's a possibility.

[Iggy]

36. Agreed

But not so sure we can fight Teh Stupid... if we had 20 years, maybe, but I don't think we have
that long

[graywarrior]

39. I know.

I'm disappointed and exhausted.

[Iggy]

40. Yep

What the heck is that cat, BTW (Not Frank- the other cat)?

[graywarrior]

43. A Pallas cat. Lives in China.

&feature=related

[Iggy]

46. Awwwwwwwww

Look at that face! looks smarter than some people I know!

thx for sharing.. I'm a Leo, so of course I'm into cats

[graywarrior]

56. Apparently, they will rip your face to shreds if you try to touch them.

[Xyzse]

54. Well...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002905138#post4
I don't have FB, but if you do, perhaps call attention to the fact that Driving with no hands people are liable to cheat and the true test of faith is to do it blindfolded!

Like I said in that post: "If they do so, perhaps it will clean the world of a few stupid people and then cite a facebook page in the Darwin awards. ".

[dionysus]

37. a lot of people here make everything about the president, and congress and the republicans get a

free pass

[Iggy]

41. BEENGO!!

congress more or less stinks.. look at their public approval rating- ten percent?

[babylonsister]

44. Thank you! Me, too! nt

[daybranch]

48. you nailed it but let me elucidate for some others

Obama said early on if we want him to do the right thing then we shoud make him do it-- this means that we have to elect those members of Congress which will work to create the laws we want. For me that means Progressive candidates in the House of Representatives and in the Senate.
We have just witnessed what a disaster, election of the tea party members to Congress has been. We must prevent this craziness from occurring again as we work to put in more progressive candidates. We can move our country forward by instilling the American way of every vote is equal back in our elections. Today when elected politicians from all parties as soon as elected begin to work for their reelection. They do this in the same and in different ways depending on whether they are in the House or the Senate. Members of the House and the Senate both start requesting money and we all know that this must be paid back in some way tothose who gave the money. If it is the common people, it is fine and an indication the representative is working for them. If it is the very waelthy or vtrade groups, not so much. The Senators may actually try to serve people in their state because the redistricting path to reelection is not open to them. Redistricting is a tool that members of both parties apply to here in Ohio to subvert the will of the people. Both parties use this tool to make voters irrelevant by and large once they have won the primary. By redrawing district lines incumbents load uptheir district with voters of their own party and therefore assure themself of wining again and again. While I listen to complaints of foul from both sides, I am sure that democrats and republicans cooperate as good ole boys to help maintain most of the status quo.
In Ohio we are putting an amendment for an independent redistricting commission on our ballot in November. Passage of this amendment will do much to rid us of those radical politicians who serve the rich and not the people by making the districts competitive. We will do this here and now. Look at it for your states. It is a good idea. Obama is not supposed to have to do it alone.

[lumpy]

58. Are we a monarchy? Now, that is a good question.

Some people seem to think so. The prez can't solve all our problems,of course. Even a monarch has to depend on cooperation.
This country will only get better when the President has the cooperation of the House and Senate. Cooperation that consists of what is best for the country to survive.
Until we are blessed with Congressional members with a grain of common sense, dedicated to the common good, we will continue to fail. Self-serving ignoramuses only manage to foul it up.

[sarge43]

4. They're not capable of honesty.

What we can do is present the facts.

"I never did give anybody hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell." Harry the T

[Doctor_J]

9. Present the facts how?

and where?

[sarge43]

14. Anyway and anywhere we can.

What's the alternative? To stay silent implies consent.

[Doctor_J]

26. And to repeat a futile gesture implies insanity

"Anyway and anywhere" is not an answer, btw

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

29. "Anyway and anywhere" is an answer.

Its in checkout lines, on the bus, at work, with friends and yes, with strangers too.
It may not be very effective, but its better than being silent.

[Iggy]

38. Obviously

progressives have to get much better at propaganda.

Better, smarter, more prolific propaganda. since we don't take this seriously, we're going to continue
to fail. I can more or less guarantee it.

[underpants]

5. They sadly have been very successful in blurring the line

"Obama...bailouts" is now considered the truth even though his only bailouts were extending the AIG bailout THAT BUSH CREATED and fixing the GM deal so that it would work.

The fact that they have Mitt Romney running based on the fact that he is rich so he MUST know how to be President doesn't connect for them to Bush which is surreal.

[Surya Gayatri]

6. Keep them honest???? Now there's a sisyphean

task. You can clear up one of their half-truths or obfuscations and 10 more appear in its place.

Endless, thankless task, but necessary if the US is to survive these traitors.

[Wounded Bear]

15. I think the Augeaen Stables might be a more apt myth...

given the "material" being moved.

[Surya Gayatri]

16. Well played! +1000!

[Buns_of_Fire]

22. (Damn! Beat me by six seconds!)

[Buns_of_Fire]

19. ...or, if you wish, like cleaning the Augean stables.

republicans and cattle are a lot alike in more ways than one. And one similarity is that, no matter how much of their crap you clean up, they'll generate more to replace it.

[Surya Gayatri]

24. You and Wounded Bear--great minds and all that...

See post N° 15:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002900309#post15

[Firebrand Gary]

7. I'm really sick of hearing about the jobs numbers, no matter which way they swing!

The fact of the matter is we live in a democracy with multiple branches of government. Congress has not done shit to assist the people of this great country, and we all know why.

Congress should be hammered for this! I should look and see how it compares to the original do nothing Congress.

[dtom67]

11. I know what you mean...

I seem to recall an 8 year period where nobody ever talked about the jobs numbers.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

51. Come to think of it

I believe you're right. At least, nobody was much talking about it breathlessly when discussing President Bush's re-(s)election in 2004.

[kentuck]

17. Bingo!

This Congress has done nothing...except hinder everybody else from doing anything.

[Doctor_J]

8. How do you suggest we do that?

I don't like these silly vanity posts. I miss unrec.

[kentuck]

18. We can be silent ...

and keep our mouths shut. Why say anything? Everybody knows everything already...

[Doctor_J]

27. Now, back to my question

How are you going to "make it perfectly clear"?

Like I said, vanity threads are silly.

[kentuck]

28. We communicate with words.

Words have power. If we give up our voices, we have lost everything. We hope we can change people minds and hearts with our words.

That's all I have to offer. What is your suggestion?

[99Forever]

31. Well then, since you don't care for..

... the responses you were given, how about you give us all a life lesson and impart your own action plan? Or do you just sit on the sideline and critique others who are trying to do what they can?

[spanone]

10. you can't 'keep' them honest when they've never been

[DCKit]

12. Even my Republic family members are suddenly coming around.

It's like the Grinch got a heart. Please tell me it's not just me, that y'all are experiencing the same. They're offering help and cash. It's Hugh (for me), but no bueno if we're not all reaping the rewards.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

20. What mess do you believe that the Republicans are talking about? It can't be the economy.

Things are fine. If they weren't the Obama Administration would not be negotiating another wage-lowering, anti-union, let's-send-more-jobs-to-foreign-countries "free-trade" agreement.

Trans-Pacific negotiations have been taking place throughout the Obama presidency. The deal is strongly supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the top lobbying group for American corporations. Obama's Republican opponent in the 2012 presidential elections, Mitt Romney, has urged the U.S. to finalize the deal as soon as possible.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/13/obama-trade-document-leak_n_1592593.html

[DonCoquixote]

23. K and R

We do have to keep them honest, especially since billions are being offered for them to lie.

[asjr]

25. This morning some "journalist" was in Indiana asking

people who they were going to vote for and I got so tired of hearing last time they voted Obama but this time they will vote for Romney because Obama didn't do enough for them. When people take that attitude I am afraid I will ruin my televsion set. I am beginning to think somone got to them and bribed them to say those things. At least two of them did say the car companies were doing better.

[99Forever]

32. These are examples of why I avoid most MS media's..

... weak sauce that pretends to be "news." Most of it, just like most of our government, is in the pockets of the 1%. I get links to much better coverage of what is ACTUALLY happening on this planet, right here on DU and a couple of other alter net sites.

[permatex]

30. Give the Repubs the keys to the economic car?

Why, so they can drive it off the cliff again? Yeah, right. Unfortunately, there are enough idiots in the country that will do just that.
While I agree that Pres. Obama hasn't done enough, It's the repub. in congress that keep thwarting his plans for recovery. They would rather ruin the country than see Pres. Obama accomplish an economic recovery.
My rant for the day.

Fuck the Repukes.

[Gregorian]

33. I have one explanation for why they believe we need a new administration.

I'm looking for a property. Last week I spoke with two men. Each one owns large acreage. One is without a doubt very wealthy. So neither is uneducated. Both made it clear that the only way to improve the real estate market is to get a new administration. In other words, Obama sucks. I actually responded to one of them by saying that the problem started before Obama.

After the initial disgust and shock, it donned on me what is going on. And I think it's important to more than just this one area.

How did the real estate market inflate so much? Wasn't it deregulation? That's what I've always thought. There was corruption from appraisers on up. There was free money flying around. People were getting no doc loans, and bankers were raking it in with their financial weapons of mass destruction. What, credit default swaps? I don't even remember it all. Maybe that was something else.

But what I see is that in order for the market to inflate again, we need deregulation and corruption. There is no other way the market is coming back. Not unless we increase population, and start a new baby boom, among other things.

So what these people want is more free-for-all. And Obama is a responsible president doing what is best for THE COUNTRY. Not what is best for a few businessmen and their friends.

[siligut]

34. Yes, counter their bullshit, but also create honeypots for them to fall into.

Lead them as many fool's errands as possible.

[bvar22]

42. OPen & Honest DURec!

[allan01]

45. re:One point needs to be made perfectly clear.

we all know that it was ron reagan , geo bush sr and geo bush jr whose faulty policies got us into this mess. happy july fourth you all

[AnotherMcIntosh]

53. Nixon's the one. It started with Nixon. His Far-East trade policy, his hiring of Cheney, ...

[daybranch]

47. Sounds like an invitation to the 1 percent to divide and Conquer

As a Briar who now lives in Ohio , I must disagree very strongly with your comment. There is no evidence or any valid observation based on accepted objective economic teaching that Obama's actions in dealing with the jobs problem was wrong. He followed Keynesian principles which have been shown to work both here and overseas numerous times. When you make sucha statement , you are allowing the liars to have credibility. Obama is guilty of nothing when it comes to fixing the economy. He has done what he can in an atmosphere of ankle biting republicans and bluedog democrats. I thank God for him and certainly do not allow the republicans to frame their attacks on civilization as we know as rational analysis as you would.
I suspect you do have Obama as your favorite and if you do , you should say so. Your willingness to admit potential relevancy to republican talking points does not serve you or this country.
I suggest you read George Lakoff. If you really want to help elect democrats, you will be very happy you did. While Iunderstand the desire to be objective, lack of knowledge on your part is serving those among us who care least about our people.
I wonder do you have an independent multiparty redistricting commission in Kentucky? If not look at what we are doing in Ohio inh this regard for the November 6 election.
Sometimes we have to point out the political environment to judge Obama's actions.

[kentuck]

49. Do you understand...?

What the words "you may argue" mean? Each sentence was prefaced with those words. Anybody can argue anything - that doesn't make it facts. Those points were only to emphasize the meaning of the post, which you seemed to have missed? Sorry if I was not clearer in what I was saying. Most people seemed to grasp it quite well. If you wish to "argue" otherwise, I will still stand firm for for the President for any "mess" that might be perceived, real or unreal.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

50. They've been doing that for awhile now

It's like the media is suddenly "discovering" all of these problems, most of which have been festering for the past 20-30 years but the corporate media never much cared about (and in some cases never really reported on) and then making it seem like it's all President Obama's fault- as though life in this country was one long uninterrupted happy hour until the election of Barack Obama brought the whole thing crashing down.

[Uncle Joe]

52. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, kentuck.

[kentuck]

55. Thank you Uncle Joe.

It's disturbing to think that the Republican Party would believe that voters have such a short memory that they cannot remember what happened under their watch the last time they were in charge and the god-awful mess that was left, after they inherited a balanced budget and no deficits as far as the eye could see. They figured out a way to fuck it up. And they will do it again.

[Uncle Joe]

57. There is no doubt about it, kentuck

The Republicans count on the people having short memories and the vast majority of the corporate media does its' best to aid the Republicans in this endeavor via omission, obfuscation, false equivalency, just plain bull shit or all of the above.

I also agree the Republicans will fuck it up again.

Peace to you.