The problem with Barack Obama is

[undeterred]

[Hassin Bin Sober]

1. "that he raised expectations he can't possibly meet"

Or his fans created those expectations in their own heads.

[cliffordu]

7. Now we're talkin'.

Precisely.

[leeroysphitz]

19. I was never and exuberant supporter of Mr. Obama. I would laugh at silly repubs that

called him a "socialist" when in reality he was even a liberal but even I am surprised at how disappointing this administration has been. So far.

[JuniperLea]

55. How soon did you expect him to fix things? eom

[Selatius]

81. For one thing, he disappointed when he quietly wished to extend the Patriot Act.

There were several provisions that were set to expire, and he signaled to the Senate that he wished to keep those provisions active. That was a loss for the civil libertarians who voted for Obama. As far as the rest of the agenda goes, it's going to take time, but the notion that money is dictating too much of what happens in Congress is one that won't die, anymore than the notion that Obama has appointed wolves in the form of Geithner and Summers to guard the economic hen house.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

85. Fix? lol That's the problem with the apologists

He just wants to restore the status quo. Now, if that's the change you came to believe in, then I can't argue with you. Just be patient. He'll fix things eventually.

[leeroysphitz]

86. I don't know I just didn't expect him to go out of his way to make things worse. n/t

[JuniperLea]

87. What were his choices? Do you even know?

Have you any inkling as to the magnitude of this financial disaster? Can you point to one thing he did to "make things worse" that wasn't already rolling from the previous administration?

[GoCubsGo]

64. Not just his fan club.

The media isn't helping matters, either. Especially the ones who try to peg him as a "liberal" or a "socialist." I wish he WAS liberal.

[JuniperLea]

70. Same media, different administration...

Most are still BushCo supporters.

[undeterred]

71. Its really ironic.

The people who throw the term 'socialist' around don't have the vaguest idea what socialism is or how far we are from it.

[Johonny]

77. winner

[rebel with a cause]

80. +1

'No one is more disappointed in life than someone who hears promises that are not made.'

[LWolf]

2. Other:

That he's a center-right centrist/corporatist/3rd way/"new" democrat eroding what the party stands for while he shifts it further to the right.

[kenny blankenship]

10. OK you did tell us so

Got to give you that.

[Sebastian Doyle]

15. Wouldn't that be option #1?

Too much like Clinton.

[LWolf]

18. Close.

Except that I think he's more extreme than Clinton.

And that's saying a lot.

[kenny blankenship]

25. Clinton talked a lot about jobs and wages

that was like every other word out of his mouth in the campaign and the first year. But then of course Wall Street snared him...and it was off to Bubble-onia, ne'er to return.

[LWolf]

38. Clinton, didn't, though, wage war on public education. nt

[kenny blankenship]

46. You won. There's no need to run up the score.

[LWolf]

59. But not when it counts.

My profession is losing big time.

[Divine Discontent]

84. Other: Rahm, and there are some Bush-era morons who he listens too - huge problem!

[Taverner]

3. Other: that people put hopes in him that weren't reasonable

Face the situation: he's not perfect, not is he everything to everyone

Accept what he is though - which is better than Bush, better than Clinton (he's getting SOMETHING passed re: Health care) and better than Carter (as President. Carter had great hopes, but having gone up against a Democratic Congress, he essentially lost his left flank)

Realize the victories we can, dismiss the losses as, the by products of evolution...

[Cant trust em]

4. After 8 years of George Bush people were dying for change.

We were so far in the shitter that we dreamt up the greatest hope possible. Obama comes in and everyone thinks that the entire world is going to be different. It's like we've been starved and we've been thinking about our first meal back being filet mignon. Instead we're just getting chicken and it's good, but we thought we were getting a lot better.

[JuniperLea]

9. That's the instant society for you...

All the rewards, none of the hard work. Damn him for NOT doing the impossible!

[Cant trust em]

12. It's starting to get to the point though where we can't keep telling people

just give it another year.

That being said, we're in a lot of very deep situations. This isn't like a normal presidency.

Think about the war(s), health care, the economy.

These aren't just simple problems that one piece of policy or legislation can solve. They are deep and interrelated with difficult and controversial solutions. There probably hasn't been a presidency like this since FDR. I really think that Obama will one day be regarded as one of the best presidents ever. But I understand how he might not maintain great popularity when he's in office.

[JuniperLea]

22. Why can't we say that?

It's utter stupidity to think that Obama could have turned this massive ocean liner around in one year, after it took 8+ years to make it FUBAR.

A year ago we thought we were on the slippery slope to The Great Depression V2.0. Seems something happened to change that... or slow it down.

We were in the Titanic, going over Niagara Falls... and somehow, we didn't hit bottom... and the bow has turned to point up. We don't have much momentum, yet, but at least we didn't shatter on the rocks below!

Damn that Obama!

See my sigline...

[Cant trust em]

26. Realistically, how patient are people supposed to be?

If they have health care issues, or are out of a job, or have loved ones in a war?

Is one year enough? Four years? Eight years?

How long do people have to wait to see results before asking when they're supposed to be due?

[JuniperLea]

30. As long as it takes...

This is uncharted waters! Obama is up against more than any other president I've ever known. How does it help to constantly be saying, "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"

The strong, American, thoughtful adult thing to do would be to think about it, hunker down, and keep fighting... with him, NOT against him.

This whole thing is pathetic. Who are they for if not for the only chance we have?

Excuse me if I think them idiots, and part of the problem.

I've got my share of woes too. One kid with a cut in hours, hence no more healthcare... another about to lose his job because the plant is closing, so he'll be out of a job and out of healthcare... and I have two cousins in Afghanistan and one in Iraq... all on their third or greater tour... my house is worth half of my principle mortgage amount, the neighborhood is 30% bank-owned and the meth lab squatters are trashing the place... we all have our own problems, but that's no excuse for stupidity.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going... they don't sit around whining all fucking day.

[Cant trust em]

36. I urge you to not give tasks without deadlines

or a vision without a goal.

We need to keep him accountable. I think some of the message to him has been a little whiny at times, but we need to make sure that our leaders know that we expect results.

[JuniperLea]

40. Who would know what an honest deadline would be?

We're in uncharted waters! This hasn't been done before! Any deadlines would be false, misleading, and dangerous, and could never be accurate in any sense.

There's a huge difference between holding his feet to the fire and throwing him in whole... and that's what's going on at DU these days.

[Cant trust em]

49. Don't confuse me with some of the Obama haters around here.

But now that we're nearing 1 year in office, I think that some of these questions start getting a little more pressing.

Like I said earlier, we are in deep. But I'm not willing to write blank checks either.

It's not just about the individual results, but about priorities and tactics.

[JuniperLea]

52. Priorities and tactics..

All of which we have limited information about. We don't have Obama's access to intelligence reports, most of us aren't in his league intellectually either. I'm not talking about writing a blank check... I'm talking about using a little patience and thought. We're all hurting in some way, there's no question about that... maybe I have a different perspective. You see, I was raised by a Jewish Godmother and an Irish Catholic Grandmother who were best friends... both from very large families... my Grandmother had 14 siblings, all being raised during the depression. My Godmother learned to be a seamstress by making over the hand-me-down dresses her sisters gave her. You learn patience, and you learn to make something out of nothing, and you learn not to allow yourself to have foolish expectations. This is not the norm in 21st century America, but it's something many need to learn. Whining does nothing; it doesn't even make the whiner feel better. It's a waste.





What I'm finding disgusting are the blatant attacks by people who clearly don't know what they are talking about.

[Cant trust em]

53. How much patience do we give?

Does it ever come to a time when we say "Your heart is in the right place, but I think that someone else could be doing this more effectively?"

Someday that's going to have to come if we don't see the results we expect. That day might not be today or even next year, but patience without expectation is ruinous.

[JuniperLea]

57. I expect that what took 8+ years to screw up royally...

Will take a tad longer than a year to fix, don't you think? I don't expect he can fix it all in even four years, but I expect there will be enough evidence that we're heading in the right direction after two or three... maybe 3.5 years. There's just too much to do to expect instant gratification.

There is always someone better, smarter, cuter, faster, stronger than we are. This is always so; always. No doubt there is someone alive in this world that can do a better job than Obama, but we have Obama for the next three years, and I think it makes more sense to fight with him rather than against him. I don't agree with all he's done or said... I want all wars to stop yesterday... I want my cousins home with their families... I want to know that no other Americans are coming home horizontal to grieving families... I want a lot. But I'm not willing to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

[Cant trust em]

58. So you're willing to give him until the end of this term then.

It's only fair to give some expectations, timelines and goals.

[JuniperLea]

60. No, I don't need expectations, time-lines, and none of us here have the wherewithal...

To even set those goals... because we don't have all the tools and information required.

No, like I said and you ignored, it may take a lot longer than a full term... it most certainly will take a lot longer than one scant year to see any real change. Thinking there should be anything seen at this early stage is really idiotic... it truly is.

[Cant trust em]

61. I expect there will be enough evidence that we're heading in the right direction after two or three.

That's your statement.

This whole "Just do your best and it will all work out" mentality is awful.

Sorry, but that's my assessment.

[JuniperLea]

63. Then you just don't get it...

That's not what I've been saying at all. You made it up and put words in my mouth... I call foul.

[Cant trust em]

66. Right. We're clearly not on the same page now.

You just said that you don't need timelines or goals.

[lxlxlxl]

50. i think your right

should have known better than to click on this topic, but i overall agree with you. when i hear this angle of criticism, that 'he hasnt done enough' it seems to be from people that dont know how deep in doo doo we are, and are just latching onto the easiest political talking point. this country is so goddamn stupid sometimes.

[JuniperLea]

62. I'm weak...

I sure wish I could ignore some of these people... oh, wait! I can! Haha!

Yeah, I'm using the ignore on the most vacuous.

[Chemisse]

14. Perfect description of how I am feeling about it all - nt

[baldguy]

16. And he's trying to deal with Republicans as if they actually wish to correct their mistakes.

He negotiates with them to get our chicken, but they're working off the idea that real chicken is really poison, and that a petroleum-based chicken-flavored meat substitute is just as good. (And the fact that their corporate masters have a patent on it & stand to make a ton of money is just a coincidence.)

[donheld]

78. And he spends far too much time listening to those who helped put us in the shitter!

[NC_Nurse]

5. He has to get the cooperation of a bought congress and a lot of very vocal

idiots in the public. Along with a worthless corporate media that gives credence to liars.

[RKP5637]

11. Your posting makes a lot of sense to me! All three of those are at work plus more. n/t

[JuniperLea]

24. Well said!

I'm betting "ignored" just above me didn't say the same thing... just a hunch:)

[JuniperLea]

6. That he's not the magic negro we were promised!

Back to the back of the bus for him!

See my new sigline.

[EnlightenedOne]

8. My God People

its just the FIRST YEAR - "barely". Can we give the man a chance?? We're such spoiled/selfish keyboard warriors - he is not a miracle worker and he's not God. It would take no less than God to clean up after the wrecking crew of the Bush/Cheney 8 LONG FREAKING YEARS of 2 wars, torture, destroyed buildings and cities, free-for-all robbery, destruction of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, etc., etc., etc., etc.

Obama was the right man for the job - and we are EXTREMELY FORTUNATE to have him in the White House as opposed to McCain/Palin - FOR GOD'S SAKE. Alot of premature whining.

[katandmoon]

20. Obama is clearly NOT going to clean up after the Bush/Cheney wrecking crew.

[JuniperLea]

35. You know this how?

Crystal ball? I Ching? Ouija?

[katandmoon]

51. Obama said it himself. He's looking forward, not backward!

[timeforpeace]

68. True. We have the luxury of not moving on, he doesn't.

[JuniperLea]

33. Exactly!

A year ago we thought we were on the slippery slope to The Great Depression V2.0. Seems something happened to change that... or slow it down.

We were in the Titanic, going over Niagara Falls... and somehow, we didn't hit bottom... and the bow has turned to point up. We don't have much momentum, yet, but at least we didn't shatter on the rocks below!

But what do we have here? Whiners.

See my new sig line...

[kimmerspixelated]

13. Other.

He's trying to be too much of a centrist, and he is willingly bending over and helping us all get fucked by corps. just like Bush did.

If the current corporation greed system could die, and he could work on the important issues and be successful, there would be no problem with Obama!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. The real, unspoken problem...

he's black.

[debbierlus]

29. That is pure and utter bullshit - I don't care if he red, white, black, or striped

He approaches policy for the corporate and military industrial complex and shows ZERO initiative to take on the establishment.

That isn't because he is black.

It is because he is a fraud.

Most liberals and progressives probably defer to him MORE because he is black lest they be accused of racism, if they pointed out his flaws on the merits.

Equality is equality. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

[JuniperLea]

42. You are equally ugly... and welcome to ignore... eom

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

45. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Blaming a black guy for all the problems caused by a white guy.

But no... it ain't racism. You're colorblind. And people like him because of reverse racism.

Yeah, that's the ticket.

[Name removed]

47. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

48. That would be a strawman.

:shrug:

[JuniperLea]

69. I had this killer line in a play once...

"War is the white man sending the black man to kill the yellow man to defend the land he stole from the red man... tell me. Who do you love?"

I expect Klan avitars to appear at DU... seriously... some of these guys and gals are just dumb enough to do that.

[JuniperLea]

41. Yep... they will deny it, naturally...

He's no magic negro! He should have never claimed he was!

:rofl:

See my new sigline...

[guitar man]

21. my only real problem is

That he is too hell bent on "looking forward rather than backward" when it comes to prosecuting the Bu$h criminals. He needs to tell Holder to sic em' and don't let up until they are all in jail :grr:

[undeterred]

23. Afghanistan- to me its a war of choice.

Obama calls it a war of necessity... but I am sure he didn't say that before he was elected.

Nothing was very specific during the campaign and now that it is specific, there are things I don't like.

[debbierlus]

27. There should be an other - I have an other -

He was a vain politician who cared more about the party establishment and his own power then taking the unprecedented opportunity he had to LEAD real change.

This man is no leader. He is a fraud.

[Demeter]

28. He Lied, Convincingly

and then sold out. Probably was blackmailed.

[HughMoran]

32. Are you talking about Obama?

??

[Cha]

43. Quit blithering.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

31. Just another establishment pol with his eyes on the next election.

No, I'm not surprised, shocked, dumbfounded, or disappointed. He advertised himself as centrist willing to cave to the right and he's doing just that.

[Naturyl]

34. He knowingly allowed himself to bepainted as an FDR/JFK figure to get elected

And he must have also known that he could not or would not deliver the FDR/JFK goods.

That's the essence of my problem with him. He let a convenient myth be built around him, with no intentions to deliver. Although undeniably better than McCain, he has yet to make any significant break from the status quo, and I'm skeptical that will change.

Obama was willing to ride the "messiah" wave to victory, but now his supporters are telling us we should never have had "unrealistic expectations." I was never a Hillary supporter, but didn't she at least say that from the outset?

[FrenchieCat]

37. That's he is dealing with a nation full of fools......

on both sides of the aisle.

In particular, folks who want to pretend that there was a day
when they had a President that gave them every thing that
they demanded while going against a Corporate media
not interested in the truth. That has never been the case
in this country (not even in the days of FDR),
and those who want to think so are naively stupid,
and will never get it their way, no matter how many times
they repeat the same things over and over again..

[democracy1st]

44. his economic team is destroying his credibilty

[FrenchieCat]

67. Keep repeating the same thing over and over again......

and I'll see you mid year next year....
and we'll see where the economy is.
Till then!

[democracy1st]

73. true or false ?

[Blue-Jay]

39. I don't want to be disparaging about the folks who voted for "Option B".

So I won't.

No, he hasn't been perfect.
No, he hasn't tackled some of the issues that need to be reversed/improved.
No, he's not what most of us on DU would define as a "liberal".
Yes, he's better than a Republican. (a spurious argument to many of you, that's a fact.)
Yes, he's done some good things. (Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Justice Sotomayor, shown an actual commitment to HCR - the results of which are still up in the air)
No, he hasn't worked hard enough for civil rights (repealing DOMA & DADT)
Yes, he has restored some measure of international respect for the USA.
Yes, he has come out in opposition of Bush's support of torture.
Yes, he's in favor of closing the Gitmo prison.
No, the closing of the Gitmo prison is not happening fast enough.
Yes, he is working on getting us out of Iraq (mostly... we're going to be there forever, albeit in a less-combative sort of way.)
No, he's not getting us out of Afghanistan. (He never said he was going to do that, and that's a major issue I have with him.)
Yes, we can once again send foreign aid to countries where abortion is legal.


The list of positives and negatives goes on ad infinitum. Still, the positives outweigh the negatives, and I'm not willing to write Obama off just yet. I still think I made the correct decision in supporting Obama in the primaries and the general election. I realize that quite a few people on DU hate to hear this, but it's still early in his administration, and I'm still cautiously optimistic. Getting an occasional win is still better than getting constantly kicked in the teeth. That's a hard pill to swallow for most of us, but it's true.

/$0.02 YMMV

[grahamhgreen]

54. He supports rendition which often leads to torture

[Blue-Jay]

56. Do you have a link to proof of that?

Again, I'm not a "fan" an "apologist" nor have I ever viewed Obama as The Messiah (a word that only douchebags use.) But I wouldn't mind seeing proof that Obama is personally linked to inhumane practices such as torture. I'm not doubting you, but I need to see credible evidence before I settle on an informed opinion.

[grahamhgreen]

74. Link -this is not to say he cannot change

http://m.guardian.co.uk/?id=102202&story=http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/aug/26/obama-rendition-cia-prisons-us

or google Obama rendition

[KharmaTrain]

65. He Stepped Into A Bigger Mess Than He Expected...

Ah for the halcyon days of April or June, 2008...before the economy imploded...the ultimate "verdict" on trickle down that began to implode as boooosh was in his final days. Imagine a healthcare debate not being compared with the billion dollar bail outs...or two wars for profit that were also dropped into his lap. And this doesn't take into account the massive corruption on all levels of the federal government that is still being uncovered. No President has been confronted by so many problems at one time. It's a damned if he does, damned if he doesn't game now as those who had high expectations are learning harsh reality and those who oppose this Administration (and there are those on the left as much as on the right who root for President Obama to fail) are finding anything and everything to gripe about. To a certain degree this is a problem of President Obama's making as he continues to try to accomodate all and satisfying none. We're stuck in a country that is polarized in many directions...right and left and anyone who dares to take the middle ground is a sell-out. While I could wish President Obama was Superman, I have always seen him as a politician and knew that whomever was going to take over from the previous regime would be spending most, if not all of the first four years just cleaning up the messes. In many ways this President is being hung out to dry that makes finding accomodation to solve problems even more difficult.

[democracy1st]

76. what do you think about his economic team?

[deutsey]

72. He encircled himself with way too many corporatists even before elected, imo

[anonymous171]

75. He's acting like a Clinton/Hoover hybrid. nt

[Lindsey]

79. President Obama hasn't been in office for even a year for God's

sake people. He's committed to getting us out of Iraq. IMHO, Afghanistan is a completely different situation. He's had more horror's on his plate than any other President excluding FDR and Lincoln. Further, he's done a lot that people seem to forget about (for example supporting Stem Sell Research which IMHO is huge). We really need to give the man a chance. I believe he's an incredibly smart man and can't possibly please everyone.

[anonymous171]

82. FDR was able to completely overhaul the nation's financial system in 100 days.

Obama does not need to please everyone. He just needs to please the left and focus on destroying the right (and by "destroy" I mean "completely minimalize their effect on electoral politics.") He could do that in a variety of ways, the most efficient would be to force UHC through congress. That alone would turn the country blue for generations.

[Divine Discontent]

83. you needed an 'other' option, but there's def probs in the white house so to speak