Thursday, January 19, 2017

Thanks, Cap

9 comments:

D. said...

*mike drop*

Um, as it were.

Ed Moloney said...

So when all's said and done you're just another Dem hack?

Habitat Vic said...

If I may step in for Drifty, I'll answer the accusation of being "just another Dem hack" in the vernacular of a Chicago precinct captain:

"Got a problem wit dat?"

Back in the 80s I was a Republican and owned or read nearly all of Ayn Rand's works. I regret both those facts now, and became a Dem in the 90s. Sure I supported Obama. Contributed, canvassed, phone banked and, of course, voted for him. But he certainly had his flaws, and I railed against them (not with the erudition of Drifty, however) online and IRL. He was far too trusting/accommodating with the opposition, and he let Wall Street skate away untouched. But he also did a lot of good. The image of Obama I return to is of him is bending down to let that 6 year old touch his hair. I can't truly understand how much he has meant to African Americans by being president, but its a hell of a lot. In the end, I think Obama was a decent, intelligent, caring man. Trump is greedy, amoral asshole.

Guess that makes me a Dem hack as well.

Charlesdillon said...

Hack away Drifty!

R White said...

I guess you can consider me a fellow Dem hack as well.

Yes, Obama had his flaws, specifically for seeing the "better angels of our nature" in us americans that quite honestly doesn't exist anymore. Given his unique upbringing, he was never going to strike a scorched earth policy against an intransigent opposition party after the previous documented 8 years of conservative debauchery and fiscal carelessness. A man, who overcame the numerous double standards that the white community places on minorities, who thought before he spoke and who tried to lead not only with his mind, but with his heart.

We truly did not deserve Obama and it will be us progressives who will remember who he really was and not the evil cartoon caricature that will be created by the conservative media which will give reassurance to so many of our fellow americans who lack empathy, curiosity and courage as they go about their daily lives willingly ingesting the numerous lies, ethical crises and unfounded opinions by a petty, vindictive, incurious and arrogant failed businessman in his futile effort to make america "great" again.

trgahan said...

I think Obama's "fault" is liberal/democratic governance fault in general, which is we want to make substantive changes with an eye to long term. Therefore, Obama was "nicer" because he wanted to build things that actually helped Americans that would outlast his time in the White House.

Republicans from Reagan to Trump were/are oriented toward the short term, immediate gain for a small percentage of the Americans (and world population). They can afford to be this way for two reasons:

1) some things (abortion, "political correctness", immigration, etc.) are NEVER meant to be solved. Because when they betray their voters, their voters respond by voting MORE Republicans in....who do it all over again. Compare that to Democrats, who politically, are still suffering from passing the Civil Rights Act.

2) since at least WWII, Democrats have worked to blunt conservative policy, progressive states subsidize conservative states so they survive, and we always rebuild the steaming pile left behind by Republican governance when we get into power. Yet, because of point 1, Republicans are always able to politically cut off any Democratic administration once it has cleaned up the mess and starts looking to push its agenda. Obama was progressive enough that had he had more than 7 months to actually govern we'd be looking at a completely different country right now....but like 1994....2010 happened.

The only thing that will break this pattern is for liberals/progressives to start making a electoral difference locally, down ticket during non-presidential years. And what could be more fun than reading Trump's twitter rant if they lose seats in 2018?

dinthebeast said...

I got my cataract surgery last year because of his ACA, so I'm not blind right this minute.
Count me in with the hacks too, please.

-Doug in Oakland

Ed Cooper said...

Habitat Vic is much nicer than me. When all's said and done, you are judt another ReTuglican Troll.

Robt said...

Going down this path of "hacks" will only lead to being placed in baskets.

This was covered in Campaign 2015- 101.

If anyone feels the need to find fault and point to fault and blame. Find those voters from the 2010 midterms and point away.............

This goes for state and local elections as well.

Perspectively, of course Obama had faults.
The GOP, Koch Brothers, Breitbart, FOX, MSNBC, The state of Texas, most of the southern states, a 5-4 SCOTUS, Bush/Cheney apocalypse (I can pile on).
Just being the first black skinned president alone. Does anyone recall stories of the first major league black baseball player. The threats hank Aaron received for his homers. First African Americans allowed in top universities and what was expected of them to pave the way for those in the future to be given that consideration of privilege (at the time). Obama was President as Justice Scalia waddled about the halls of the Supreme Court House making court decisions that "Black people might be better off going to lesser stringent schools of higher learning for it would be slower pace for them to achieve", unquote.
You really did not see the white shades of rulings from Justice Alito and Scalia. And Justice Thomas waiting patiently to see how them two vote that he could join in and hold favor just like a real justice.

The flaws were not of Obama looking for angels in the GOP congress.
It was American voters that said when the GOP says no and only they can make law and govern this country. By displaying it by the disrespect to all Americans that a 27 year federal bench veteran with distinguished record is not even considered to be sat down with and spoken to like a human being.
Not providing him a yes or a no at all. Like he did not even exist.
(many GOP decried of SCOTUS pick will take guns away but now say a SCOTUS pick will take a woman's right to pursue happiness away. That silly constitutional preamble wasn't really meaning anything.

Any faults were the American voters in the mid terms for obama. Snitting the Tea Pot. Denying Obama what Trump got and does not deserve let alone has he earned. That is a majority rule in Congress and soon the SCOTUS.

The reconciliation method for the ACA was the fight against the obstruction. Obstruction that continued by the GOP for 8 years. Only to be rewarded for it?

No. Obama;s faults are minimal in comparison to the American voters. Too many who fall prey to the obstructive destructive nature of a misguided partisan ideological worshipping of power and the bidding of their owners.

As I am to blame for never being invited by Trump to his clubhouse in mara Lago.

I am not one of those to blame for voting to obstruct Obama ADM.. Not even Ole Rushbo could convince me otherwise. Not that he and his minion ilk haven;t and aren;t still trying to.