Am I the only one here who believes that Obama plays it as straight as he can?

[Writer]

:shrug:

I think he's a straight-shooter who doesn't give a damn about appeasing his ego. Am I alone?

[EC]

1. I agree ... n/t

[zipplewrath]

2. No, just wrong

He plays it like anyone else, to win. His tactics include versions of Rahm, Reagan, Lincoln....

You can't call him a "straight shooter" when he comes out and makes some claim like he didn't campaign on a public option.

[Captain Hilts]

3. He's not been straight on the public option, FISA, DC gun ban, offshore drilling..he's a politician-

And, yes, he's got an ego.

[roguevalley]

53. agreed times ten. if he was playing it straight he wouldn't have

campaigned on public option and then sold us out to the pharma and the rest.

[Solomon]

57. Yeah. He's only in it to make money.

That's the only reason he ran for the presidency. Nothing but personal motives. :sarcasm:

He don't give a damn 'bout nobody but himself.

[roguevalley]

68. I'm not talking about him. The 'advisers' around him would protect

their economic future.

[gateley]

4. I think he plays it as straight as he can, too. I don't think it's his ego that

makes him hesitate, but the potential opposition and fallout. He's walking a fine line, and I think he may not have enough courage and confidence of his role yet to become truly fearless. But he's done some pretty ballsy stuff, nonetheless. I sense he'll be getting and acting stronger and stronger.

[Cosmocat]

55. Yeah ...

I agree that he is as straight a shooter as you can get to get as far as he has gotten ...

The people saying he "campaigned" on a public option are falling into the left wing version of his campaign where he was what everyone WANTED him to be - righties think he is a "socialist" and lefties think was the great liberal - never CAMPAIGNED on a public option ... His health care reform package was always the least left leaning out of him, Hill and Edwards ...

I think he is flat out a pragmatist, and also is VERY adapt at having a good sense of what CAN get done ... Of course he has an ego, htf do people think someone can run for any office, much less POTUS and not have an "ego?"

I do agree that he seems to be getting his legs under him a little more, but I don't know that "courage" is the issue, again, I think he flat out knows how far he CAN push things, and is a pragmatist about it ...

[gateley]

70. I agree to a point -- he is a pragmatist, and we're pretty much idealists. But

I still think he needs a little more courage, or maybe confidence in his position and power may better explain what I'm trying to say. Yeah, confidence. I think of LBJ and FDR and those who pragmatically may not have taken the steps they did, but had the courage to push the boundaries. That's what I mean.

[Clio the Leo]

5. He definitely gives the impression....

... that he could walk away from the job if he wanted to. He doesn't NEED to do it .... to feed his own greed/power lust or ego. Does it like many other politicians do (there are so many bad apples, they all get a bad rap) they do it because they WANT to. Because they WANT to make the country better.

[lamp_shade]

6. You didn't get the memo, did you? Now watch the pile-on.

[Writer]

8. The memo on the TPS reports?

Narp.

[lamp_shade]

14. No. The memo that says posts supportive of the President are not

warmly welcomed on DU. Oh... and... you are not alone. Most here feel the way you do, they just stopped posting anymore.

[elocs]

7. Yes, you are absolutely the only one. You are alone. Why would you believe differently?

:shrug:

[Cha]

9. Hardly..President Obama

has an amazing base of activists/supporters who are working with this Pres to make it successful.

He can't do it alone..but, thanks for your support, Writer~

[Proud Liberal Dem]

10. Everybody has at least somewhat of an ego

and every politician acts somewhat like a "politician" (it just goes with the territory), however, like with Bill Clinton and just about every Democratic (and occasional Republican) President going back to ?????, I believe that Obama genuinely cares about the American public and wants to help as many people as he can. I don't think he's in it for himself at all.

[gleaner]

11. I don't know if you are alone but...

I don't believe it. I think he is just another politician who lied to get into office and is still lying to promote his own agenda. It seems like a Republican agenda to me, and after being called a "liar," a "hater," and told that I should not be in the Democratic party at many different and sundry times because that is what I think, I have no sympathy whatsoever for Obama or the people who use these tactics to support him.

I think you are mistaken and wasting your faith. I do not intend to do the same and I will keep saying what I think of his policies until I can help him get voted out of office. I'm sorry if it makes you feel bad to hear it. That is not what I want to do, but if you have enough of a doubt about your feelings to ask the question you have asked you might want to go over the things about the situation that bother you and make a reassessment.

[inna]

21. good post. thank you.

[gleaner]

51. You're welcome n/t

[impik]

12. You're not alone. Not at all. All those

conspiracy theories from the Left use to make me mad, but now i'm just laughing. These people obviously didn't really follow Obama over two years of campaign and they clearly didn't read his books or really listen to his speeches.
This guy is unlike any other president ever. He has no pathological need to be presdient, he was very happy in his life before, and it's clear that all the perks that comes with the position really means nothing to him. He is there to try and help people as much as he can and make progress on all issues. He is a true progressive - A man who believes in constant progress, big or small - Unlike many of those who call themselves "progressives", but object anything that isn't 100% purity.
When he'll leave the WH - and for the sake of this country, it better be in 7 years - people will look back and be amazed by the huge progress that he brought with him, simply by rejecting fanaticism and using facts and common sense.

[gleaner]

13. I think you are wrong too. n/t

[zipplewrath]

17. Um, I read both books

And I did follow. I had my suspiscions, but supported him anyway in the general election. Then the dominos started to fall. In the end, he's done nothing "progressive" yet. Makes alot of promises. And yes, he did campaign on the public option. By the end of his administration I suspect he'll be as "progressive" as Clinton. Clinton was so progressive we are currently trying to clean up the messes he left behind (DOMA, DADT, NAFTA....)

I can take a lack of purity. Heck, I was telling people they weren't gonna get everything they were asking for. I was just shocked when they didn't get ANYTHING they were lead to believe. I could make a list, I've done it before. But you folks never answer so....

[bvar22]

39. Oh, I must not have listened.

Here is a speech where Obama campaigns AGAINST the "Cadillac Tax" which he just included in HIS HCR Bill:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x420430

Would you like a clip from the debates where Obama ridiculed Hillary for supporting the Individual Mandate?

How about a clip where Obama says he will pay for Health Care by raising taxes on the top 2%?

Guess I didn't listen too well, because I thought he campaigned on "a Public Option like Medicare". :shrug:

Where is THAT Obama?

Individual Mandates + No Public Option + Massive Public Wealth Transfer to Private Pockets + Tax increase on Working Class = Republican Health Care Scam.



"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans. I want us to compete for that great mass of voters that want a party that will stand up for working Americans, family farmers, and people who haven't felt the benefits of the economic upturn."---Paul Wellstone

[BigBearJohn]

54. A-fucking-men

[liquid diamond]

50. Great post. This line sums up so many malcontents here:

"A man who believes in constant progress, big or small - Unlike many of those who call themselves "progressives", but object anything that isn't 100% purity."

Using an all or nothing approach is self-destructive. I prefer baby steps forward rather than no steps at all.

[saracat]

15. Obama is just another politician. It is just about winning. Why think otherwise?

[freddie mertz]

16. He has not been straight with us on the public option.

So, no, I don't agree with you.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

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

[Peacetrain]

19. That is the biggest load of horse hockey I have read in ages..

[Bluenorthwest]

20. Do you claim that he supports equal rights? He does not.

And he has an ego. We all do. That bothers you? You need to believe he is ego free?
The fact is the man is opposed to equal rights for minorities his religion tells him to hold in contempt, he has said so many times.
The truth bothers you. But it is still the truth. Flinging phrases from Col Potter will not alter the facts as they stand. Obama is opposed to equal rights for all. Due to his religion.

[Writer]

22. Wait - hold on... "Obama is opposed to equal right for all. Due to his religion."

Where are you getting this from?

[Bluenorthwest]

32. Obama is opposed to marriage equality due to his

faith. This is what he himself says. The Chairman of the Party, Tim Kaine, chosen by Obama, expands his prejudice to include opposition to even civil unions for GLBT people.
Do you claim that Obama does support equal rights for all minorities? If so, show some proof of that. He himself says he is opposed to equality, and he says that is because of the faith he holds. This is what the man says, directly.

[Writer]

38. But I have neither heard nor read him ever utter such things...

so where in the heck are you getting this from?

[Bluenorthwest]

41. It is something he says all the time. Here's from the Chicago

Daily Tribune: "I'm a Christian. And so, although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition, and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman."

That is just one. This is his position, it is not a hidden one. I wish he did not hold those superstitions, but he does. I'd not make such a thing up, my friend. I assume he is proud of his words, or he would not have said them. Many here do not like that I will not look the other way and pretend this is not the way it is, but I do not care. This is about the people I love. And about the truth. And the truth is what it is.
I do wish it were different. But it is what it is.

[Peacetrain]

23. Oh please..peddle that crap somewhere else..

[Bluenorthwest]

37. He is opposed to equal rights for GLBT people

And I'm merely stating that FACT. If you can not deal with it, I do not care. I'm not the one pushing falsehoods, you know Obama is opposed to equal rights but wish to silence that fact. Sorry, it is a fact.
If you can not counter with anything but personal attacks, your position is weak. And weak it is, because you know that Obama is opposed to equal rights. So you lash out. But you stand where you stand, and it is what it is.
And by the way, this is not your site to show the door to people. Again, you wish it were otherwise, but it is not otherwise.
Oh please, you say. But the fact is the fact is the fact.

[jefferson_dem]

34. So Obama is a bigot.

Thanks for letting everyone know where you stand.

[Bluenorthwest]

40. That's right, I stand with my family. Got a problem with that?

Do you expect me to praise views that claim God wants my family to suffer under unfair laws? I will always stand with my own, over and against anyone who claims we are less, that we are not to be treated equally. Obama is welcome to join the righteous side anytime, and stand with us. But I will not be betraying my family and my friends for some politician's dogmatic prejudices.
Those who believe their neighbor should not have equal rights because of how they were born are in fact bigots. Don't you agree?

[jefferson_dem]

42. I stand with you and your family.

My biggest beef with the Obama administration up until this point is his weak position on equal rights for the GLBT community.

That being said, I don't toss the word "bigot" around like you apparantly do. And I certainly wouldn't toss it his way. But that's just me. Peace.

[Bluenorthwest]

43. thank you

I offer that the level of rhetoric being engaged in calls for strong language. When the argument begins with 'God agrees with me', what follows is probably not going to be couched as loving kindness and good humor.

[Prism]

48. Well, he is a bigot . . .

By definition, people opposed to marriage equality are bigots.

I mean, what do you want people to do, lie to you and claim it is otherwise?

[QC]

63. We are supposed to avert our eyes and make polite small talk when that subject comes up.

Otherwise people might get their feelings hurt.

[FrenchieCat]

24. You are not alone....

And it is the way that it is.....
and to be honest, he certainly is a politician,
and he does have ego (how could he not?),
but in the end he is more interested in restoring this democracy
to what it should be, as opposed to what it has become....
and does want to make this country more effective at what it has always been known for,
and I'll tell you, if he can do that, than the results will be priceless.


but he has many distractors too....

Some folks want to see him fail cause he wasn't the Tan Tall Kucinich that they had wished he would be....

and some folks are mad cause McCain lost the election.....

and there are others still have been acclimated to believe that he should be able to snap his fingers and everything should fall into place,

but even all together, they are still in the minority....

So what you are seeing is a big pile on, from different folks who have their own agenda,
and if they feel the President hasn't addressed their very own issues, then they are mad,
and might as well be mad at him...instead of the real forces who have put us where we are,
and where he's working hard to get us out of in his way, not Kucinich's.

[saracat]

29. Tall tan Kucinich? You're kidding.And human rights are issues that concern everyone.

[slipslidingaway]

46. Why so many people bring up Kucinich is interesting....

maybe Kucinich represents the wishes of many people, although the big money would never give him any credence for his positions.

:shrug:

[Romulox]

25. You don't remember the primaries too well, huh? NAFTAgate ring any bells? nt

[Vinca]

26. It pains me to say this, but he seems to have a need to be loved by all.

If LBJ had acted like this, we would never have had Medicare.

[Name removed]

28. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[amborin]

27. he told voters whatever it took to get elected, & now implements his real agenda; follow the $$$$$

[jefferson_dem]

35. Oooga Friggin' Boooga. Obama the Manchurian! He's a stealth...

(fill in the blank). :crazy:

[quiet.american]

30. Absolutely not alone. Thanks for having the guts to say it. :) nt

[polichick]

31. Don't kid yourself - he's a politician...

He wouldn't have cut that pharma deal if he played it as straight as possible - and that's just one example.

[jefferson_dem]

33. No, you're not the only one who believes that.

He is a good man. Period. There's no questioning his character or motives.

In my opinion, the only criticism of Obama, the man, is that he's too politically "soft".

[lamp_shade]

36. Most DUers feel the way you do, but you don't find them posting much anymore.

[ChicagoSuz219]

44. No... you're not alone.

But, then, I've 'known' him a lot longer than most of you. He was my Senator... :-)

[Hekate]

45. Given that he IS a politician, "as straight as he can" has some qualifiers, but yes I agree with you

His job has an incredibly steep learning curve, and pitfalls most of us can't even imagine, plus I think there are forces both inside and outside Washington DC that are literally gunning for him... I'm glad he wanted the job, and got it. I hope for all our sakes he manages to succeed.

As for his ego -- anyone who runs for US President has to have a pretty healthy ego ;-)

Hekate

[Fire1]

47. Nope, you're not alone. n/t

[Prism]

49. I'm not sure how anyone can say that with a straight face

Anyone with the ambition to rise to the Presidency has very healthy doses of ego. For an individual too say "I can run this country. I can be the most powerful person in the world," requires an ego that you rarely find in your average citizen.

As far as straight-shooting without appeasing ego, if what you say were true, the State Senator Obama who cheerfully supported marriage equality in the 90s would now be a President Obama who ardently supports marriage equality.

That is not the case.

So your characterization is wrong on at least one major issue alone.

[cherokeeprogressive]

52. As straight as the finger he holds up to see which way the wind is blowing. n/t

[grytpype]

56. He is a very straight shooter but he has to deal with reality, unlike some people.

Namely teabaggers and screaming libs.

[crikkett]

59. I wonder what he thinks about more: teabaggers, or loose nukes?

Mortgages and pensions, or liberal poll numbers?

I think that he's doing a great job of prioritizing.
(PS That means I'm in agreement with you, I think)

[tanyev]

58. To quote Kelly from The Office:

I mean, who says exactly what they're thinking? What kind of game is that?

[depakid]

60. Howard Dean's a straight shooter- you know what he stands for and who he stands with

Obama- more than most politicians I can recall, constantly tries to have it both ways.

Quite frankly, I've never been able to figure out what he actually stands for (or what, if anything he's actually willing to go to the mat and fight for) and that goes DOUBLE for who he stands with.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

66. So why did he change his mind on the Senate HCR bill?

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/12/dean-softens-on-senate-health-care-bill-if-the-gop-hates-it-it-cant-be-so-bad.php

[Name removed]

61. Deleted message

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

[goclark]

62. You are absolutely not alone + 1

[spiritual_gunfighter]

64. Maybe he is doing what he sets out to do

Making you think he is that way. He is a politician he has a huge ego.

[Name removed]

65. Deleted message

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

[readmoreoften]

67. Yes, you're alone.

I think Obama is a politician who sold his soul for the presidency and sold a line of bullshit to the American people to get it.

[Bobbie Jo]

69. No, you're not alone.

...not by any stretch.