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To be honest, I can't tell exactly what President Obama stands for. On one hand, he seems like a Far Left Extremist, and on the other hand it seems like he doesn't stand for anything at all.
Did the election force him into being a Born Again Moderate, or does he simply not stand for what he believes in? He hasn't forced anything he's asked for, and the lastest tax compromise has everyone howling. The way Democrats and his liberal base are whining right about now, it would seem that the President's priniciples are more like the Flavor Of The Day. That's not a leader, that's a puppet.
To be honest, I can't tell exactly what President Obama stands for. On one hand, he seems like a Far Left Extremist, and on the other hand it seems like he doesn't stand for anything at all.
Did the election force him into being a Born Again Moderate, or does he simply not stand for what he believes in? He hasn't forced anything he's asked for, and the lastest tax compromise has everyone howling. The way Democrats and his liberal base are whining right about now, it would seem that the President's priniciples are more like the Flavor Of The Day. That's not a leader, that's a puppet.
What say you?
He has always been a moderate, it is only that the right has labeled him some extreme Liberal Marxist type. Right now the far left is looking for a primary challenger for him and there is talk of Bloomberg making a go at it. Reason is that Obama has not sated the will of the far left, while the right still inaccurately characterize him as such.
Obama in my view is a 1968 moderate Republican, since Clinton moved the Democratic Party to the right of where it was, taking a more centrist position. The new right is now the very extreme right of 1968. Meanwhile I think Obama sees himself as a Lincoln type figure trying to heal a nation at war with itself. While a noble intention, he is failing to address the concerns of his own base by taking more moderate and compromising positions. Take the recent tax cuts gig, Obama was willing to meet Republicans but Democrats were not.
However, trying to be everything to everybody doesn't always work if you cannot lead, and this is where I see Obama's biggest failure. He gives the perception of being rudderless and as you point out, "he seems to stand for nothing". Well he does stand for things, but he seriously has a major problem communicating this with the people. Perhaps if someone told him the next two years is a campaign, he might do a better job of speaking to the people than he is currently.
I would also add that the American people seem to desire a President who "will stay the course, even unto disaster" as opposed to a more flexible and nimble President who can change course depending upon the weather. People seem to demand a kind of authoritarian perspective from the President, but I am one who does not.
Ask Bill Clinton.
Ask George Bush --or anyone who has held this office.
Amazed that anyone would need to ask this question.
So you believe 16 years and two President's accurately answers the question?
I would disagree wholeheartedly with you on George W. Bush. If there's one thing that could be said for the man, it's that he stood on his principles and his values. Bush was probably the least malleable President we've had in decades.
I would disagree wholeheartedly with you on George W. Bush. If there's one thing that could be said for the man, it's that he stood on his principles and his values. Bush was probably the least malleable President we've had in decades.
Clinton..on the other hand...was a pushover.
So, what's your opinion of Obama?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TnHilltopper
I would also add that the American people seem to desire a President who "will stay the course, even unto disaster" as opposed to a more flexible and nimble President who can change course depending upon the weather. People seem to demand a kind of authoritarian perspective from the President, but I am one who does not.
Politics is the art of the possible. Obama, on the tax issue only, after seeing that there would be no gains made if the Republicans dealt with the issue in January, chose to negotiate and get what was possible for his side. In January it will not be possible for the Progressive agenda to move forward. Obama saw that; the liberal left in the House doesn't care about the possible, rather, only what they want, and continues to stand on ideology. So be it. We'll end up with a better bill, one that will actually address the reduction of spending, without them.
I take it nobody listened to Obama's press conference yesterday. He explained in great detail why he did what he did and I personally don't have a problem with it. I have been critical of some of his decisions in the past, but to be honest I think this is one of the few times when he has actually shown some balls. It's just that in this case he did it against the Dems.
For anyone to say that Obama is somehow siding with the Republicans just to get along with them is just crazy. If he allows the Bush tax cuts to expire and allow taxes to go up on everyone, he breaks the promise he made to middle class America that those who make $250K and below would not see a tax increase. In the mean time, he managed to get a 13 month extension on unemployment benefits. And I personally know of people who this will benefit and are grateful.
President Obama has said this time and time again (and I agree with him), that at some point we have to stop playing politics and simply learn now to govern. We are so damned stuck on our own philosophical views that we don't know how to get anything done.
You know this from a personal sexual encounter with GW?
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