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jobeterob
11-13-2010, 07:21 PM
Editor's note: Roland Martin is a syndicated columnist and author of "The First: President Barack Obama's Road to the White House." He is a commentator for TV One Cable network and host of a Sunday morning news show.

[[CNN) -- The day after Republicans trounced Democrats in congressional, gubernatorial and statehouse races, one of my CNN colleagues asked The Best Political Team on Television what's the first thing President Obama should focus on.

Others said he should show contrition; immediately move to the center in order to attract independent voters; drastically scale back his "liberal" agenda; and make massive changes to his staff and bring in some new blood.

For me, the answer was simple: He must go to his base and make some serious amends for ignoring many of them over the last two years, as well as heal some seriously wounded souls.

My colleague Alex Castellanos, a Republican strategist, immediately began to shake his head, saying that wasn't the most important thing. I stand by what I said that night: It doesn't matter if you make an all-out attempt to go after independent voters. If Obama has a shaky base leading into 2012, he doesn't stand a chance of winning a second term.

Prior to the election, and in the last two weeks, I've traveled to Los Angeles, California; Norfolk, Virginia; Fort Valley, Georgia; Cleveland, Ohio; Jackson, Mississippi; as well as chatted with religious leaders from Chicago to New Jersey to Texas; as well as Democratic [[and Republican) donors and activists. And it is safe to say that there is considerable frustration, anger and resentment with the White House and the Democratic National Committee's failure at Retail Politics 101.

Early in Obama's first few months in office, major donors to the Democratic Party grumbled that the usual perks weren't coming their way, and they were not happy. The response from White House officials was pretty much, "So what?" Sure, the average person is trying to make ends meet and really doesn't care what a fat-cat donor has to say, but when you look up and are desperate for them to fund get-out-the-vote initiatives and bolster candidates in need, then you care how they feel.

Obama may frown upon such things as having to take White House Christmas party photos with donors, but it comes with the territory, and when donors close their checkbooks due to an inattentive White House, it has repercussions beyond the president's own campaign.

One of the surprising aspects of the 2008 campaign was Obama's religious outreach. It was a robust effort that was shocking to Republicans and Democrats alike, who were not accustomed to seeing such an aggressive effort.

But in the wake of the midterm election, religious leaders have been particularly upset with the president's faith-based initiative. It has clearly not been as public as under former President George W. Bush, and some say that played a role in Democrats' losing significant portions of the Catholic vote this year. The White House responds with a litany of things they've done in the area, but are those visible and known to those pastors who talk to thousands of congregants each week?

Religious leaders often tried to get the White House to link the economic agenda and health care to a moral calling. They felt that by engaging church leaders they would have been able to stem a lot of the misinformation that was running rampant. But when angry town hall meetings took place, they were largely led by congressional members, rather than in places where a more civil discourse could be expected. Some believe religion and politics shouldn't mix, but they go hand in hand.

Any advertiser will tell you that they covet the 18-49 demographic because they are highly impressionable and will change their minds when it comes to what products to buy. Older purchasers are set in their ways and are much harder to reach. The same goes for politics.

The hype surrounding Obama's candidacy was palpable among young voters. The energy and excitement was stunning, and it even led folks like Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill to admit that it was her children who leaned heavily on her to back Obama's presidential bid. Yet the enthusiasm generated has been replaced by pessimism. These voters are not going to simply come out and vote every time on general principle. They must be cultivated over a longer period of time; and engaged.

Yet the White House has missed many opportunities to do so.

For instance, last year, when college students used social media to organize simultaneous protests in 31 states against tuition increases, I called the White House to see if the president was going to make some kind of comment about the protests to send a signal to them that he supported their efforts. That would seem right up the alley of a community organizer. But the response was no. I asked why and the response was that the emphasis at the time was on health care.

You would think that aligning with students to protest a dramatic increase in college tuition would have been a perfect way to get them to back his financial aid changes. But that didn't happen. The issue isn't that the bill was eventually passed. The critical need was to reach out to young voters and tell them, "You were with me. I'm with you." The White House missed a perfect moment. And holding a rally on a college campus two weeks from Election Day is too little, too late.

Lastly, Democrats collectively lost the white vote in the midterm election, but drew a majority of minority voters. An Obama victory in 2012 will require a massive turnout among black and Hispanic voters, and that will require more than a media outreach plan two months before Election Day.

In the first 21 months of his presidency, Obama appeared on "The Tom Joyner Morning Show" one time. Heard on more than 100 stations and by 8 million listeners, Joyner is the most influential voice in urban radio. I'm a senior analyst on Tom's show, and blasted the White House for the failure to make the president available to Joyner's show, as well as other minority media outlets. In the last three months of the campaign, Obama was on Joyner's show three times, as well as on other nationally syndicated shows; and he talked to minority columnists; bloggers; and networks like Telemundo and Univision.

This massive outreach can't be a one-time thing. It has to take place throughout 2011 and 2012 if the president expects to rebuild the coalition that put him in office in 2008. He spent a lot of time talking to NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, MSNBC and Fox, but his team better be smart enough to put him on TV One, BET, Telemundo, Univision, and other outlets.

There is no way a Republican president would ignore the power and reach of Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck. In fact, the Republicans would hold conservative radio day at the White House, inviting those hosts to do their shows from the White House. Are Dems not smart enough to do the same for progressives and urban radio?

Will the liberal/progressive base desert Obama? No. But he needs them to be highly energized and not passively backing him. It's not the percentage of young voters, women and minorities; it's a huge turnout among each demographic.

Right now, Obama has ticked off both his friends and his foes. We all know that his foes will never support him, but if he has a lackluster response from his friends, he will have a lot more time to spend with them at home in Chicago, rather than at the White House, in 2013.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Roland Martin.

soulster
11-13-2010, 09:33 PM
I am disappointed in Obama's lack of a pair in pushing his agenda without compromise. He didn't take advantage of the many opportunities that presented themselves. He demoralized his base that would have pushed to help him. Instead, he allowed the far-right to dictate the agenda and guide public opinion. He repeatedly attempted to engage in the minority opposition that had no interest in any dialouge unless it was their way. And, lastly, he should have thrown out all of the old guard and brought in fresh blood. Of course, he also had to deal with a spineless Democratic congress.

The last thing Obama needs to do is move to the right. He needs to do what his supporters put him in there for.

ms_m
11-15-2010, 11:29 PM
I'm more inclined to agree with Ezra Klein


There's a chasm between perceptions and reality when it comes to the White House's policy accomplishments. Ezra Klein wrote this:

"A $787 billion stimulus? Yes, it was too small. But everything Washington does is always too small. And within the confines of that stimulus, the Obama administration and the Democrats in Congress managed to make a host of long-term investments that would've been considered huge accomplishments in any other context, but are largely unknown inside this one.

Huge investments in green energy, in health information technology, in high-speed rail, in universal broadband, in medical research, in infrastructure. The Making Work Pay tax cut. The Race to the Top education reform program. No recent president has invested in the country on anything like that level."


Although, I agree President Obama should reach out and speak to his base. I don't think the WH messaging has been very good in overcoming the reality versus the perceptions.

I do not agree with the way he has handled certain things but I continue to support him. Hard for me to be disappointed in a leader that has accomplished so much in a 2 year period of time.


Signed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, the first piece of comprehensive legislation aimed at improving the lives of Americans living with paralysis
http://www.christopherreeve.org/site/c.ddJFKRNoFiG/b.4506337/apps/s/content.asp?ct=6866203

Developed stimulus package, which includes approx. $18 billion for nondefense scientific research and development
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/science/18sfstimulus.html

Signed the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act to stop fraud and wasteful spending in the defense procurement and contracting system
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weapon_Systems_Acquisition_Reform_Act_of_2009

Issued executive order to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/22/guantanamo.order/index.html

Ended Bush administration's CIA program of 'enhanced interrogation methods' by requiring that the Army field manual be used as the guide for terrorism interrogations
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/22/guantanamo.order/index.html

Increased minority access to capital
http://www.sba.gov/idc/groups/public/documents/sba_homepage/news_release_09-58.pdf

Established Credit Card Bill of Rights, preventing credit card companies from imposing arbitrary rate increases on customers
http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/promise/33/establish-a-credit-card-bill-of-rights/

Health Care Reform Bill, preventing insurance companies from denying insurance because of a pre-existing condition
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/obama-signs-bill-on-student-loans-health-care/

Health Care Reform Bill, allowing children to remain covered by their parents' insurance until the age of 26
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/obama-signs-bill-on-student-loans-health-care/

Tax cuts for up to 3.5 million small businesses to help pay for employee health care coverage
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/obama-signs-bill-on-student-loans-health-care/



Tax credits for up to 29 million individuals to help pay for health insurance
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/obama-signs-bill-on-student-loans-health-care/

Expansion of Medicaid to all individuals under age 65 with incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/22/your-money/health-insurance/22consumer.html?_r=1&ref=policy

Require health insurance plans to disclose how much of the premium actually goes to patient care
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/obama-signs-bill-on-student-loans-health-care/

Added 4.6 billion USD to the Veterans Administration budget to recruit and retain more mental health professionals
http://www4.va.gov/budget/products.asp

Significantly increased funding for the Violence Against Women Act
http://www.justice.gov/jmd/2010summary/html/ovw-bud-summary.htm

Lifted restrictions granting Cuban Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send remittances to the island
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103030021

Eliminated subsidies to private lender middlemen of student loans and protect student borrowers
http://www.smartmoney.com/personal-finance/college-planning/the-health-care-bill-and-your-student-loans/?print=1

Increased funding for national parks and forests by 10%
http://www.npca.org/media_center/press_releases/2009/park_funding_102909.html

Significantly expanded Pell grants, which help low-income students pay for college
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/obama-signs-bill-on-student-loans-health-care/

Expanded hate crime law in the US to include sexual orientation through the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act
http://www.hrc.org/13699.htm

Provided stimulus funding to boost private sector spaceflight programs
http://www.commercialspaceflight.org/?p=458



Appointed nation's first Chief Technology Officer
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp

Signed financial reform law establishing a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to look out for the interests of everyday Americans
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20008835-503544.html

Signed financial reform law requiring lenders to verify applicants' credit history, income, and employment status
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20008835-503544.html

Signed financial reform law prohibiting banks from engaging in proprietary trading [[trading the bank's own money to turn a profit, often in conflict with their customers' interests)
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20008835-503544.html

Signed financial reform law allowing shareholders of publicly traded companies to vote on executive pay
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20008835-503544.html

Cut prescription drug cost for medicare recipients by 50%
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-4872&tab=summary

Provided $12.2 Billion in new funding for Individuals With Disabilities Education Act
http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/factsheet/idea.html

Extended Benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-memorandum-extension-benefits-same-sex-domestic-partners-federal-emplo

Appointed more openly gay officials than any other president in US history
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/oct/26/obama-has-appointed-most-us-gay-officials/

The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009: a $789 billion economic stimulus plan
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ5/pdf/PLAW-111publ5.pdf

Created more private sector jobs in 2010 than during entire Bush years
http://newsjunkiepost.com/2010/10/08/its-official-more-private-sector-jobs-created-in-2010-than-during-entire-bush-years/

Voluntary disclosure of White House visitors for the first time in US history
http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/disclosures/visitor-records


Appointed first Latina to the US Supreme Court
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104648062

Promoted social responsibility through creation of serve.gov, a national database of volunteer opportunities
http://www.serve.gov/

Reversed 'global gag rule', allowing US aid to go to organizations regardless of whether they provide abortions
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/23/barack-obama-foreign-abortion-aid

Signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, giving the FDA the authority to regulate the manufacturing, marketing, and sale of tobacco for the first time
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h1256enr.txt.pdf

Signed New START Treaty - nuclear arms reduction pact with Russia
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/world/europe/09prexy.html?_r=1

Increased average fuel economy standards from 27.5mpg to 35.5mpg, starting in 2016
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/01/AR2010040101412.html

Signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, restoring basic protections against pay discrimination for women and other workers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilly_Ledbetter_Fair_Pay_Act_of_2009

Provided travel expenses to families of fallen soldiers to be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/pentagon-will-help-families/

Reversed the policy of barring media coverage during the return of fallen soldiers to Dover Air Force Base
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7986203.stm

Launched recovery.gov to track spending from the Recovery Act, providing transparency and allowing the public to report fraud, waste, or abuse
http://recovery.gov

Provided the Department of Veterans Affairs with more than $1.4 billion to improve services to America's Veterans
http://www4.va.gov/budget/products.asp



Signed the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization Act, which provides health care to 11 million kids -- 4 million of whom were previously uninsured
http://themiddleclass.org/bill/children039s-health-insurance-program-reauthorization-act-2009

Issued executive order to repeal Bush era restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/09/obama-administration-stem-cell-funding

stephanie
11-16-2010, 06:33 PM
People dont understand you have to give a little in DC to get a little. If he had never gotten health care reform through it would never have gotten through. Perception is everything and people who dont know any better think our President is weak! No we didnt get single payer but he had to get something through to work on the process. If you look at the accomplishments that Miss M has listed he has done a hell of a lot that is not talked about not only that the perception of the US is much different overseas than it was before now that he has taken office. Hasnt anyone noticed they never talk about what he has done its what he has not done. Some blacks thought once he got in all of these wonderful things were going to happen and its not that way! I hate to say it but these things take time and I dont doubt for one bit that he has not forgotten his base. I tell people you try sitting in that chair in the oval office and see what happens and the compromises you have to make.

When the repubs won I think it was Mitch McConnell I forget but they said that the first thing on the agenda was to get rid of President Obama not work with him! That was when I made up my mind not that I would have done it anyway but Im not going to abandon faith in this man. People overseas say better things about him than the ones here who have abandoned him. I hate when he is compared to Jimmy Carter because he is a lot quicker and swifter than Carter but Jim has great character. Im sorry its too late to judge O give him a chance.

ms_m
11-18-2010, 08:55 AM
Ran across a few interesting tidbits that should be noted. Stories and comments from everyday people whose families and friends have been helped by the accomplishments of President Obama. They are NOT disappointed either but I do share their frustration because at times, I DON'T GET IT EITHER!


As a person whose life was personally enriched because of Obama's policies, I seriously don't get it.
This year my family got an astonishing tax return from the Earned Income Tax Credit. We're talking a fixed car. We're talking a significant about of paid off family debt. We're talking several months of staying in a home...or a YEAR's worth of groceries to feed the family. Or a year's worth of health insurance premiums.
I'm not talking about a few bucks to buy some beer. I'm talking about an amount that made a REAL difference in my family's life in 2010.
So when people are upset about Obama, I SERIOUSLY don't get it.
I don't get it.
You know...the Industrial states were facing a very real meltdown. The domestic automotive companies that people LOVE to hate very literally uphold the industrial supply chain for everything from toasters to bread to Toyotas, and Obama chose the politically damaging pathway of rescuing GM, a company that everybody HATES. And because of that, Michigan did NOT COLLAPSE.
You know...TOYOTA was freaking out about the prospect of a GM collapse because it would mean their supply chain would be broken for the better part of a year. And you know if TOYOTA was anxious for the US to rescue GM, it was serious. That the MILLION person unemployment collapse in the US that was said to follow a GM termination would actually have happened.
I was freaked out in 2008. My friends were freaked out. The whole STATE held its breath expecting to just slide off a goddamn cliff with the collapse of GM. And you're looking at a state with a lowest estimate of 13% unemployment right now. It would have been worse. It would have been a LLLLLLLLLLLLOT worse...
But for the Obama administration who took it on the chin for this state. He "manned up" and did what was RIGHT. Not what was popular. Not what would help him. He SAVED Michigan. He SAVED hundreds of thousands of jobs and families and what did he get for it?
But he helped us.
And when he made 9 billion dollars in Federal loans available to small manufacturers in 2008, I KNEW he GOT it. He GOT it more than anybody else in America. That the US supply chain was a massive interconnected web and if any other part of it was to survive, he needed to preserve even the very bottom of it. While everybody saw the Fed rescuing GM, they missed the part where the Federal Government rescued the small manufacturing plants peppered throughout America.
When NOBODY else was giving out loans to these small time manufacturers to help keep people on their payroll, the Federal Government DID. OBAMA did!
And when Americans lost their jobs and their previous employers told them they qualified to keep their insurance benefits through COBRA.....for $1200 a MONTH, the Obama administration subsidized COBRA so that regular people...REGULAR PEOPLE, people I KNOW, regular people could actually keep their insurance and pay for their kids to see doctors.
And we're talking just a few MONTHS into his presidency. I personally KNOW people whose asses were saved by this administration. Personally.
And $10 million for clean up of Muskegon Lake. And an unprecedented $400 million for Great Lakes restoration, plus an allocation each year for the next five years. Unprecedented. And enforcement of ballast water restrictions to keep invasive species out of the Great Lakes.
And $1 billion in Michigan alone for advanced battery manufacturing plants, one of which is coming to Muskegon to hire over 700 people! SEVEN HUNDRED FAMILIES!
I realize there are issues where this president hasn't met peoples' expectations but he has very literally and very personally touched my family's life, my friends' families lives, and my city's life, and my state's life more than ANY president I have ever known or any public official I've ever known.
I sincerely don't GET it when I read these articles about Soros saying that Obama might be a bad investment. I don't get it. I just don't.
I swear. It's rough down here. My own family has been getting its ass kinda kicked for about four years, and Michigan has been kicked around for most of a decade with end over end declines in jobs from 2000 on, except for a brief period in 2006. 2010 has seen the biggest 9 month job INCREASE since 1997, with 65,000 jobs added. GM added and restored a combined total of 7,900 jobs, including 600 new jobs in Lansing building a small Cadillac...and that wouldn't have happened without Obama.
For me, this guy has personally touched and enriched my family's life and kept us and tons of others from slipping off the edge. I cannot comprehend how others feel it's reasonable to bash this guy. Without his policies, my own family would have been screwed.
I just don't get it.







Because we hardly own any media

Not even much of the informal media. Where is the DNC's online radio station? Online video? Too often I hear that a particular official should say "something". Sorry folks, but it's up to other people to get the message out-the Republicans figured that out years ago when they bought the failing AM radio stations.
We need to have NAACP radio/video, DNC radio/video. Even this blog needs to have original audio/original video content that can be mailed around.

Barack Obama is a great president.
Thank you for providing real life examples of the good he's done. There are a lot of people who seem determined to criticize our president no matter what he does. I don't get it either. History will be the ultimate judge of the Obama Presidency but I have no doubt that Mr. Obama will be looked upon as one of the most brilliant and most effective presidents in our country's history.
Excellent diary Muskegon Critic! Thank you!



The unemployment chart at the top of

this page, the Michigan Labot Market Information [[http://www.milmi.org/), shows the unemployment trajectory bent downward in 2009. The trajectory was changed because of the Recovery act, with details here. [[http://www.michigan.gov/recovery)
Yes, too many people are hurting. But the statement, "It could be much worse," isn't an excuse, it is fact.

ms_m
11-18-2010, 08:56 AM
This comment below was a personal fave.....not the best politician but but a great legislator
but I'm cool with that, politicians talk about what they're going to do, legislators GET THINGS DONE



Great comment and great diary
Though O's insistence on civility and bipartisan chasing made him an easy target.
I read the criqtique of the Dems 2010 reelection campaigns in AD AGE. The Dems had serious problems with messaging. We can complain about the righting media--who do exist--but the fact is there was a dirth of fact slinging from the Dems. Every time a Dem talking head went on a show, he/she should have carried 5-10 facts like the ones you stated about Michigan above, and inserted them into the discourse. These are called "Talking points"--the GOP used them to great success in 1994. You have to learn to take over the show with your narrative. The Gop does it ALL the time. Sane people watching think, wait, that wasn't the question he was asked, but it gets your message and facts out to the audience above the heads of the jerks who just want a narrative of why the DEms are in trouble.
Not enough facts like the above got out. David Axelrod isn't good at this game, and Rahm loved the streetfight, but he didn't recite accomplishments.
This crowd--me included--needs to be reminded by facts like those cited int he diary above just how much O accomplished as a legislator, even if he's faltered somewhat as a politician.




Helped all of my family members too
From increased unemployment benefits, to reduced student loan repayment, to the $400 workers' tax credit, and a lot more - he helped my family too. None of us would have schools to send our kids and grandkids to, if not for Obama's bailing out the schools, Twice. I don't understand what some of these people are looking at either.
I know what the media is looking at, the asses of their corporate masters. That's obvious. I just thought progressives were smart enough to not get sucked into those games anymore.



"work twice as hard for half the credit"
That's the way it's been in this country for blacks since the 1600's, and that's been applied to President Obama times 10. It's as simple as that. This is the first time I've seen a President work so hard [[harder than any president in my lifetime) and get pretty much ZERO credit for anything.

ms_m
11-18-2010, 08:57 AM
[QUOTE]you know what the MI election story tells me?
It tells me [[among other things) that the '10 elections probably wouldn't have gone any better even if Obama & Congressional Dems had gotten a much more massive stimulus through, say one with twice the infrastructure and other jobs spending. Because the diarist is right, Obama couldn't possibly have saved Michigan's economy any more dramatically than he did, yet this seems to have had no traction even right there, in the face of the rw media propaganda and whatever else was operating. Had Obama somehow found the means to effect a similarly-scaled rescue of a dozen other states -- would that have made any difference in the face of CrossRoads GPS? Not in any of the rustbelt and southern states where Ds were going to get creamed anyway. Our best states in this election were hardly the ones that benefited most from his policies since 08; they were simply the most reliably blue states.
The rest of the U.S. needs to smoke what CA is smoking...

ms_m
11-18-2010, 10:20 AM
People often let their egos get the best of them because I ask people to THINK, THINK THINK but the truth is, there is so much garbage and lies being thrown at the American people, plus shiny baubles to divert their attention and cloud the issues, it is IMPERATIVE we start developing and using critical thinking and reasoning skills to understand what's really happening out here.

To put it another way, think of the little girl as your brain, the old man is your brain on drugs.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h74/mmandmusic/cartoon.jpg

ms_m
11-18-2010, 10:39 AM
"US launches criminal probe into bank officials"

...Also, in another largely under-reported action of the Executive Branch, US gov't launches criminal probes into nearly 50 executives, directors of failed banks: [[http://finance.yahoo.com/news/US-launches-criminal-probes-apf-3230749655.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=9&asset=&ccode=)

....but how can this be, President Obama is a sellout, a corporate shill, a spineless wonder and disappointment. He's nothing more than Bush lite because we ALL know Bush Jr. would have done the exact same thing, right?

Sure he would...wink , wink

ms_m
11-18-2010, 08:16 PM
I try so hard to be disappointed in this man but he just won't let me.:)

Yeah Ralph I know, that was snarky and unnecessary but I'm too busy cheesing to care....I'll try harder to do better later.

Toodles:)

Transcripts for those with slow modems
Remarks by the President on General Motors
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
4:14 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody. Good afternoon. Today, one of the toughest tales of the recession took another big step towards becoming a success story.
General Motors relaunched itself as a public company, cutting the government’s stake in the company by nearly half. What’s more, American taxpayers are now positioned to recover more than my administration invested in GM.
And that’s a very good thing. Last year, we told GM’s management and workers that if they made the tough decisions necessary to make themselves more competitive in the 21st century -- decisions requiring real leadership, fresh thinking and also some shared sacrifice –- then we would stand by them. And because they did, the American auto industry -– an industry that’s been the proud symbol of America’s manufacturing might for a century; an industry that helped to build our middle class -– is once again on the rise.
Our automakers are in the midst of their strongest period of job growth in more than a decade. Since GM and Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy, the industry has created more than 75,000 new jobs. For the first time in six years, Ford, GM and Chrysler are all operating at a profit. In fact, last week, GM announced its best quarter in over 11 years. And most importantly, American workers are back at the assembly line manufacturing the high-quality, fuel-efficient, American-made cars of tomorrow, capable of going toe to toe with any other manufacturer in the world.
Just two years ago, this seemed impossible. In fact, there were plenty of doubters and naysayers who said it couldn’t be done, who were prepared to throw in the towel and read the American auto industry last rites. Independent estimates suggested, however, that had we taken that step, had we given up, we would have lost more than 1 million jobs across all 50 states. It would have also resulted in economic chaos, devastating communities across the country and costing governments tens of billions of dollars in additional social safety net benefits and lost revenue.
That wasn’t an acceptable option –- to throw up our hands and to quit. That’s not what we do. This is a country of optimistic and determined people who don’t give up when times are tough. We do what’s necessary to move forward.
So these last two years haven’t been easy on anybody. They haven’t been without pain or sacrifice, as the tough restructuring of GM reminds us. And obviously we’ve still got a long road ahead and a lot of work to do -– to rebuild this economy, to put people back to work, to make America more competitive for the future and to secure the American Dream for our children and our grandchildren.
But we are finally beginning to see some of these tough decisions that we made in the midst of crisis pay off. And I’m absolutely confident that we’re going to keep on making progress. I believe we’re going to get through this tougher and stronger than we were before. Because just as I had faith in the ability of our autoworkers to persevere and succeed, I have faith in the American people’s ability to persevere and succeed. And I have faith that America’s best days and America’s -- and American manufacturing’s best days are still ahead of us.
Finally, I just want to embarrass a couple of people. Ron Bloom and Brian Deese are key members of the team that helped to engineer this rescue of GM and Chrysler. So it had not been for these two gentlemen, a whole lot of people might be out of work right now. We are very proud of them and I figured that I’d go ahead -- you can see they’re all looking sheepish -- point them out to you.
So thank you very much, everybody.


Can't get the video to embed....I'll keep working on it.

ms_m
11-18-2010, 08:19 PM
the two sites are not playin nice but here is the link to the video

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/11/18/president-obama-gm-one-toughest-tales-becoming-a-success-story

bankhousedave
11-20-2010, 06:23 PM
I'm looking across the pond at this - and forgive me for not getting the nuances - but it seems like the pres has a lot of bases to cover that depend on other people - not necessarily even doing things, but getting what the overall plan is. In Bush's time, you had a brilliant [[if bonkers) team, and a kind of bombed out mouthpiece. Now, you have a reforming and visionary [[not saying always right) pres and a a hell of a lot of other people to keep pushing back up the hill.

In our [[the British) elections, we wound up with Cameron in charge, but he got a sort of governing buddy in the shape of Clegg, so he can keep the worst monstrosities of the Duncan-Smiths and so forth in some kind of compliance. It also means that one of them can get a night off once in a while, though none of the British voters can tell which one.

It might be Wednesday.

Is it a better arrangement? Who knows? But two is stronger than one - and they sure as hell aren't going to be kicked out of office until they've changed any laws that make it possible. Joe Stalin had one thing right.

If only he'd grown a beard to go with it.

jobeterob
11-20-2010, 07:49 PM
LOL........you mean David Cameron grow a beard?? LOL

I'm not sure what you guys are talking about here but to me..........President Obama stopped communicating with the public; maybe he has to govern and can't communicate anymore; but the message is lost. And he's coming across as pretty academic, high falutin, and above most of the population and they don't like that. I'm not sure what is going on.

Also, in the USA, as opposed to Britain and Canada, they seem to need such consensus with Congress and the Senate on legislation and direction and in the end, they get nowhere. I think that has become a real flaw in the American system. Ms M.........what do you think? Is that a problem down there now?

bankhousedave
11-20-2010, 08:57 PM
Dead right, Rob. Grow a beard and you get the beardy vote. Obama thinks you have to do things. Once he might have been right. He's out of time on that, just like the security services who have destroyed our way of life in order to stop the last terrorist atrocity.

You need to SEEM to do things in politics. You need a doppleganger to mug at people on TV. We're aleady getting the same way in the UK. We haven't seen Cameron since he got the job. Forgot what he looks like. Never had that problem with swivel-eyed and swivel-moralled Tony, so he must have had somebody doing the donkey work, or he was just the drugged out frontman. Jury's still out, but the voter [[I've got a picture of him somewhere, but it's not pretty) wants to hear from his elected representative [[please, calm down, this is serious). How can he tell he's doing something, if he and the television can't keep him from doing it?

Ask yourself. It's as plain as any of the noses on Cher's face.

jobeterob
11-20-2010, 10:22 PM
Somewhat related to this discussion...............I heard an interview with the Former Director of Security at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, apparently one of the safest airports in the world and one that has not had a terrorist related problem for many years.

This man says the body scanner is totally the wrong way to deal with a terrorist threat; he says you are looking for a 1 in 10,000,000 man and that he could take enough explosive through a body scanner to blow up a 747 Jet; he would not say how, but he said he could do it.

To get on a plane at Ben Gurion Airport, you have at least 3 interviews; they look you in the eye, they watch your face, they ask you questions; and he says the scanner is the wrong approach. And he says you are being profiled, profiled to pick out a terrorist, and everyone is treated the same.

Unfortunately, Barack Obama's approach hasn't been great since the election; it makes me very apprehensive for what is coming.

ms_m
11-24-2010, 12:43 PM
For those of you looking for a comprehensive source to finding the truth of what President Obama is doing for this country, the link below will take you to the right spot.

I know this young lady via another site. Her support for the president is unwavering and her research is above reproach Her pics are awesome:)

If you're looking for controversy don't bother to click on the link, this is a

NO DRAMA OBAMA site
enjoy!

The only adult in the room [[http://blackwaterdog.wordpress.com/?blogsub=confirming#subscribe-blog)