The Obama Problem

Allow me to begin this thread with a few quotes from here so I can show you exactly what I am talking about.

We've had a democratic president and we're still using and discussing right wing methods.
I see absolutely no more reason to support this man. It's one thing for Republicans to re-wrap their agenda in an American flag and call it the Tea Party, but to have a man represent Democrats and give in to all GOP demands is even worse. At least with the former we had a choice. This is like picking up a transvestite.

All the Democrats voted for this guy because they were sick of the spending and the wars and the Bush tax cuts.
We're still waiting for the supposed CHANGE. All I see is a tanner, taller, more educated Bush (and even that is questionable)

– spinalremain

Ya know, I used to support Obama but lately, I'm beginning to wonder if he was
put up by the Republicans. A little too conspiratorial, even for here, but he certainly
moved to the right as soon as he was elected.

- NashvilleCat

Obama was elected as a moderate and immediately moved drastically LEFT! As a matter of fact, many historians already consider him an anomaly among presidents. Every other president campaigned either left or right and then moved to the center after being elected. It is a commonly known phenomenon, and it is a reflection of the responsibilities and knowledge that come with the office.

Obama is the only president to ever become more radical after being elected, and he certainly HAS NOT become more conservative.

The only thing I can agree with is that we have too many politicians making too many compromises!

I've said it in 10 threads already, and I will keep saying it. The Dems absolutely must stick to their guns on killing the tax loopholes, deductions, and credits, and the Reps absolutely must stick to their guns on the budget cuts and debt ceiling. If they can hash out an agreement with those parameters, then we can see a real recovery for the nation, anything less is just lip-service and further deterioration of the nation.

– getreadyalready

As you can see we have a real problem here. Many on the Left are beginning to either call into question Obama’s sincerity to Liberal causes or they have abandoned him altogether. They argue that he is bowing to Republicans on just about everything and is running contrary to the positions he had during the campaign. I have even heard some on the Left call him Bush 2.0. He obviously is having a real problem with his base.

At the same time since him taking his oath of office the Right will not even go near him with a ten foot pole. Why? Because they say his is the most radical President since Franklin Roosevelt and is a devout Socialist attempting to take America away from its past as a capitalist nation in favor of some type of Socialist utopia.

What does that mean? Well it can be seen several different ways.

1. Obama has not clearly defined so far in his leadership exactly where he stands ideologically which allows individuals on all sides of the political spectrum to label him however they see fit because he does not have any clear record to prove otherwise.

2. The division between the Left and Right in America is so far apart that anyone not completely devout to either side is a traitor not only to the party and party voters but to the welfare of this entire nation.

3. He is actually a Democrat with an upper-class Liberal appeal which disaffects many of the more economic populist Democrats and the populist Republicans.

Should #1 be the case then it is easily a failure on his part to establish who he is and where he stands. This is not much of a problem for the nation’s overall health but it is a concern for his political future.

If #2 be the case then this is a very serious problem for the country. At no time since Roosevelt have we ever been so divided politically between the Left and Right where any hint of not adhering strictly to the party and ideological line is forbidden. That should worry us all.

And in the case that #3 be correct then it signifies the great disconnect between the elite upper classes and the populist masses whether they be on the Right or on the Left.

In any of the 3 scenarios it does not bode well for Obama and his political future. When you have the Right locked, refusing to even consider anything you say then they are a voter base which you could never even make a dent in. And you have a Left that is upset because they view you as a traitor to the causes they elected you to pursue then that also makes them a voter base rather hard to get motivated on your behalf.

But what is the real truth in this? Are Americans just so divided on the entire philosophy of this nation that any politician who moves just one foot out of party line is seen as siding with the opposition? This makes compromise on key issues near impossible when every politician is stuck playing the politics of ideology instead of getting the best possible deal from negotiations in fear of a serious reaction from their voting base.

How can we ever expect anything good to happen for this country when none of us on either side want our party to meet the others at the negotiating table and actually negotiate? Republican hard-liners would be in an uproar if the GOP agreed to any sort of tax increases and the Democratic hard-liners would be in an uproar if the Democrats agreed to any sort of social welfare cuts.

So where do we go if our politicians are stuck between a rock and a hard place? I acknowledge they are beholden to powers higher than us voters but it is us they have to win over come election time. And how are they going to go back into their districts and campaign when they have a base that feels betrayed because they did not get everything that was demanded of them?

I am sorry Americans you cannot have your cake and eat it to. Those who are so ideologically hard-line who would feel betrayed if their party was to give an ounce to the opposition are the real problem in this country, Left and Right. No one is saying you should cheer when your party caves but you also should not hold a gun to their heads demanding they not give even 1% to anyone else.

For me Obama is definitely not someone I like, his problem has been in my eyes at least, that he is too cozy with the military industrial complex, the environmentalists, expanding executive power, and playing the class warfare card. I do not see him as a Socialist or even that Left-wing, I think he is just an arrogant Liberal but that is not a crime as Bush was an arrogant Conservative.

Well that is just my take. Thought I would put it out there for anyone who cared to read it.

reply to post by Misoir
Not sure if this fits into any of your paradigms, but I see the biggest problem being;
He is just too inexperienced! He really just doesnt know what to do. In any other circumstance we could laugh at him and the people that voted for him, except for the fact that he is steering a boat we are all riding on to the nearest iceberg.
My take on Obama, anyway.
Beez

reply to post by beezzer


That really could be included as a fourth possibility because it does have substance. But he did have several years in the US and state government so he should have some experience for the job, imo. Yet I guess it all depends on the person. Some people can have experience after a few years while others it takes over a decade.

This is too funny. First, sorry GetReadyAlready, but to say Obama campaigned down the middle and THEN went left is simply off. Obama campaigned as a radical leftist if you were paying attention beyond the "should we fall to our knees and worship him" coverage.

The fact is the reason you guys are upset is because you thought you were getting someone who would LISTEN to you, just like the Republicans thought they were getting someone who would LISTEN to me in 2000. Instead, we have less freedom, more control, and more deficit spending from both.

What you are learning is that the people that are put on the center stage for President are not 'real' candidates - they are hand picked and 'selected' by a small group of people. That is why a guy that campaigned far-right and a guy that campaigned far-left are doing the exact same thing. After being elected they simply abandon their voters and do what they are told and spend 80% of their time or more playing golf, traveling, or vacationing.

Until someone is elected that no one has ever heard of (some random normal middle class person) this is what is going to happen. My theory is that 'real' people stopped running for President when they realized it was impossible to raise and spend $700,000,000 to be elected without being bought and paid for by 'elite' interests. This is why after 'campaign finance reform' we saw the largest amount of money ever spent on campaigning. Its all a sham. Keep thinking - my hero will change things and you'll continue to be disillusioned. You don't run out to the store and buy whatever you see on TV so why did you put so much faith in this guy? He's a snake oil salesman. Bush wasn't a salesman but he had the nearest pedigree that would ensure he'd get over the hurdle - but it didn't matter. Al Gore or George Bush - there wouldn't have been a difference.

I personally have no doubts concerning the origins of Obama's loyalties. His roots are deep in the progressive left as indicated by those he proudly associated with then and now. His choice of czars also speaks volumes ie. Cass Sunstein.

Obama has always struggled with his identity as written in his books. He struggled with which race of his mixed lineage to identify with. He sought solace and identity by mentoring under Frank Marshall Davis during his teen years. He hung out with Marxists professors and the fringe element in college.... blah blah blah. You know the rest.

As a grown man and as a politician he still does not know who he is. He morphs into whatever he needs to be to accomplish a goal. He swings right and pisses of his progressive base then swings back left again with some crazy action to appease them. (ignoring DOMA) Back and forth like a pendulum. You never know where he stands with his words. Follow his actions if you want to even try to figure out who or what Obama is.

reply to post by Misoir
My take: He is a Puppet. Pure and simple. That is how he materialized out of relative obscurity with almost no experience in politics, to become the POTUS.

Just more proof that the whole Right/Left; Rep/Dem; Liberal/Conservative thing is a sideshow.

THEY ARE ALL ON THE SAME TEAM. It's called Corporate Fascism. There is no right or left. All the sheeple are being led down the garden path.

Originally posted by Misoir
reply to post by beezzer

 

That really could be included as a fourth possibility because it does have substance. But he did have several years in the US and state government so he should have some experience for the job, imo. Yet I guess it all depends on the person. Some people can have experience after a few years while others it takes over a decade.

He has several years in state government, voting "present" the majority of the time. He's a consensus builder, a community organizer. Not a leader.

Again, this shouldn't be a surprise coming from me. Been saying it for as long as I've been here.