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Obama's George Bush Problem
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Obama ran for president on a pledge to change the tone in Washington. The right’s reaction to the Olympic setback proves he’s failed—just like Bush before him.
Civility really may be dead.
I was not surprised that Chicago did not get the Olympics. I was critical of President Obama for going to Copenhagen because I thought it demonstrated a rare example poor political judgment and instincts. It was high risk and low reward. Not a good use of his time with all the other pressing priorities we face. The trip sent the wrong message.
But I also recognize it for what it probably was. I suspect that Mayor Daley and other good friends of Obama’s from Chicago leaned heavily on the president and convinced him they could cinch the deal if only Obama would show up.
After the Olympic setback, conservative radio talk-show host Mark Levin was spewing streams of hate-filled venom at Obama that were jaw-dropping. His favorite epithet for the president is “jerk.”
So, when I heard the news I was not surprised, but I was disappointed. I would have liked for the Olympics to come to the United States. But when I turned on my car radio and listened to conservative radio talk-show host Mark Levin, I was shocked by what I heard. He was spewing streams of hate-filled venom at Obama that were jaw-dropping. His favorite epithet for the president is ”jerk.” And he was reveling in Obama’s failure.
This is standard fare for Levin, who is truly a hate monger. Levin has proclaimed that “Obama is literally at war with the American people.” He calls the National Organization for Women “The National Organization of Women Who Look Like Men” and the “National Organization of Really Ugly Women.” He refers to Hilary Clinton as “Her Thighness.” He calls Sonia Sotomayor “Ruth Bader Ginsberg Plus 50 Pounds.”
Nice stuff. And for this, he is rewarded the No. 4 ranking among radio talk-show hosts.
And that’s the problem. There is no reward for decency. Just ask George W. Bush or Barack Obama. There are remarkable parallels between their campaigns for the presidency. Both spent a lot of time talking about changing the tone in Washington and creating an atmosphere of bipartisanship and civility.
• Ana Marie Cox: Chicago Dodged a BulletThe 2000 recount poisoned the well for Bush from the beginning. Many Democrats refused to even acknowledge him as a legitimate president. And the hate began. Obama won by a comfortable margin, but not comfortable enough that opponents didn’t start immediately questioning his legitimacy, claiming he wasn't born in the United States and, therefore should be constitutionally barred from holding the office.
At least Bush and Obama campaigned on the idea of civility. I fear in the future candidates for president may not even try.
Tim Pawlenty last week announced hiring some seasoned presidential advisers, a clear sign he plans to run. He was supposed to be the centrist, progressive reformer, but in an unfortunate testament, I fear, to the way things are and they way they are likely to be in the 2012 campaign, Pawlenty’s recent messages include defending Joe Wilson’s “liar” outburst and attacking President Obama’s speech to students.
Next thing you know, he’ll be calling the president a jerk.
As vice chairman of Public Strategies and president of Maverick Media, Mark McKinnon has helped meet strategic challenges for candidates, corporations and causes, including George W. Bush, John McCain, Governor Ann Richards, Charlie Wilson, Lance Armstrong, and Bono.
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Future candidates not attempting civility is a sad cometary on the times. The partisan B.S. is so transparent I am amazed some can keep a straight face.
The Olympic decision is no surprise, the southern hemisphere has been neglected and they want a "coming out party"/ day in the sun.
Obama's trip there was not a HUGE gamble, like some on the right want to tout. His town- what do you expect? Oprah should have stayed home.
Back to the topic, civility seems to be dead.
When you have such an entity known as the GOP, CIVILITY is a foreign element ...
Not like all those civil America-hating demcong members calling Bush "Hitler", etc.
I stop reading responses after your reply. You insinuate that the right has no civility all the while dismissing the lefts hatred for the previous adminstration. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?
A lack of civility is bipartisan. Also, your comment lacked civility.
Wow did Van Johnson not call Republicans A-Holes. How about Maxine Waters and her hate rhetoric for Bush. Seems to me the rule of no civility swings both ways. At least the Idiot who called Obama "you lie" apologized even though he was speaking the truth.
You have hit on the real issue Chicago, and Obama! Everything this man does is in a Chicago style of politics, its corrupt, its left leaning and its all about His HUGE EGO... His speach was again condesending to America, and HE would save the day and make the world love us again, and HE would make it all better. What Obama needs to do is whats best for the ENTIRE Country, not just Chicago... Chicago has no money, & he didnt care, he would have taxed the entire country for HIS CHICAGO. Hey Mr. President JOBS JOBS JOBS for the whole counrty is whats important, not just Chicago...
Hey everyone! HOW IS OBAMA'S STIMULUS WORKIN OUT FOR YOU SO FAR?
Diamond girl, without the Bush Wall Street Bailout, remember infantile one that was W's bill signed into law in Oct. before Obama took office, and the Obama Main Street bailout, the ENTIRE U.S. would be far worse off.
As for politics for the ENTIRE Country, the Olympics represents the ENTIRE United States of America!
I am saddened by the sudden fervor of American Conservatives to change the song to God Bless South America, after watching them cheer for Rio to beat out a U.S. city.
Conservative is just another word for juvenile patriotism. Obama could not have put it any better when he said "I will go anywhere, anytime to talk up this Country of mine..."
stopcon, Can't handle the truth I see. Too bad for you sweetie, I call it as I see it, if you can't handle it, that's just too bad. Hey buddy your Messiah took part and continued to bail out not only Wall Street, but anyone who he has in his pocket. So go preach to some who gives a crap, because it certainly not me...Obama is all about HIM and His EGO
The guts of this administration, they are now talking about a jobs program/tax cuts for small businesses, which tells you that their Porkulus Bill was just that, nothing in it for the ENTIRE COUNTRY. Your guy is a waste of time. Keep on praying to Messiah and believe what he preaches from his pulpit, because I am not going to waste my time...
Chicago didn't get picked because they wouldn't sign a release that they could provide total funding for the Olympics; all the other countries signed it.
Did he think because he is the Almighty God that they would give him a pass like those who voted for him did? NOT
Wow Diamondgirl, I somehow think you missed the point of the article. It's not meant as a lead-in to crazy & cranky though the crazy and cranky amongst us don't really care about little things like context and reality now do they?
HOW IS OBAMA'S STIMULUS WORKIN OUT FOR YOU SO FAR?
To be honest, great. Thanks for asking. The stock market has risen nearly 50% from its low point, the economy is growing at nearly 3% a year, productivity is up, gas prices are down. Yes, the jobs numbers can be better, but so far only 30% of the stimulus has even been spent, that means we will soon be seeing a turnaround in the jobs market.
Republicans= epic FAIL
8 years of Bush and not a single net private sector job was added.
Easton, Most Americans do not have the money to play the stock market, and if they don't have jobs I don't think they are paying attention to it. A lot of those who did play and got burnt are slow to return. I thank God I put everything in a Money market last summer before it tanked., As for your statement on employment during Bush's economy, first of all prove it and just for a minute you are correct, I would rather have Bush's economy than Obama's
Wow, Diamondgirl, you are the perfect example of the lack of civility that Mark is pointing out here. Take a chill pill, would you? Don't you realize that you just made his point with your vile accusations and name calling?
Obama has tried his best to reach out to Republicans, and all they do is spit in his face. They act like a bunch of bratty 12-year-olds and are a national disgrace. Unpatriotic, and unAmerican, too.
Yea, it's going very well, you go ahead and invest in the market, EASTON. That 30% spent on the stimulus package to date went to make big billboard signs for all those "shovel ready" jobs out there that will never get done, because all that money was for his supporters and contributors like Wall Street and big corporations. Recessions come back on their own, always, always, always. We wasted a shitpot full of money for nothing.
castrorita, and yet you prove his point by saying the same lie tht Obama has done everything to work with the Republicans... by that very statement you are proving his point as well...So I guess that makes 2 of US...Who is spiting in his face, what you/he cant take the truth? Thats a problem I hope you both overcome, and soon...
Looks like someone is projecting and doesn't understand economics or current events.
Cheering at the loss of an American city then defending after the fact. This is the state of right wing politics.
I remember many of my liberal friends gleefully counting the dead when the Iraq war was pre-surge to show it and the Bush administration were failures. Progressives are just as guilty of disgusting acts of shadenfreude.
Civility was dead long before Obama got to town. Eight long years of the left spewing hatred and bitterness at W was enough to make anyone sick. I have read Mckinnon's articles before but this one prompted me too join in this site so that I can tell him what a total moron he is. If the mayor of chicago can BULLY the president like that, then GOD help us all through the next three years where with Iran, Russia, Libya, Syria, etc, etc.....Obama is a FAILURE plain and simple. We need him out so we can get this country working again.
Speaking of a lack of civility--
Here's a partial list of people who comment on this site whose lack of civility is ugly and unrelenting. Apparently, they are here to do one thing -- hate.
Plantagenet MaliciousDisorder drevilo Allguns
DD3075 reardongalt Johnnyappleseed
neverlate winston1 Plantagenet
Carole65 MaliciousDisorder misterdon
democracyforall pricklypear Soonchurcher maryfrost2
diamondgirl Joanne38 rtchap2 GrannyRob
Glenda1976 egw7777 Johnnyappleseed johnwr3
ConstitutionalRights rhonda1309 clearthinker
nightdragon83 allonfla
If you belong on this list and I left you off, my apologies.
If you're on here more than once, you deserve it.
deserpenguin, If you call exercising our freedom to speak, as speaking with a lack of civility, so be it. I am honored to be among a bunch of conscientious objectors. For so long I have kept quiet, the last 5 years have been very hard to watch. The Beast has enabled me to finally let what I feel out. You aren't going to agree with me, I know that, but it feels GREAT letting it out...
You're right. This started in 2000 when George Bush got to office. No one ever said a mean word about Bill Clinton. Or were those things the truth and he deserved it because he was a bad man?
Diamondgirl, there is a big difference between a conscientious objector and a crank. I suggest you break out a dictionary.
Ire toward the Bush Administration built after years of deceit, clumsiness, illegal activity and failure. Half of Obama's job is fixing the screw-ups he inherited. The Right, on the other hand is dedicated to Obama's failure full time. Obama has been in office a short time; some things are going well, some not so well. Give him a chance to succeed. Oh, that's right--you don't want him to succeed.
And Boosh WASN'T EVEN TRYING ...
( to change the tone that is ... amongst other things ... )
President Obama NEEDS to give up his FANTASY ...
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Actually it was stated repeatedly by the W administration....The most notable being when Cheney stated "We won the election, we have Congress, we don't need to reach across the aisle, we'll let them know what will happen."
While Clinton met weekly with Gingrich, Specter and other GOP leaders weekly, as outlined in Newt's and Specter's books, W made it a point NOT to meet with Reid and Pelosi.
As for the Cambridge cop, he did act stupidly. The LAW for the Commonwealth is clear and states specifically "You CAN NOT be arrested for "verbal abuse" of a Police Officer." Period...
The officer arrested him for being loud, not cursing, not even being directly confrontational as the transcripts show, for being verbal and loud. That is why the Charges were dropped the NEXT morning by the District Attorney!!!
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StopCon,Prove it, i want to see proof that Cheney stated "we won the election,we have congress, we dont need to reach across the aisle, we'll let them know what will happen." I want dates times and most important VIDEO. Because if you think I am going to believe anything you have to say, just because you say it, Not Happening sweetie! Lets just say I think you are making it up...LOL
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Dems were awful with GW. You cant demand civility just because you like the guy holding the office now. You have to demand it when the guy you dont like is in power.
No, I was not a supporter of Bush, so relax people.....
Yeah they have huge problem with the right treating them with the same kind of disrespect they showed to Bush. They howl about Beck but forget about Olberman which is easy to do since no one watches his show.
Ope and Glenda, VERY clear distinction. W was opposed for HIS ACTIONS, Obama has been opposed BEFORE ANY ACTION!
NO PRESIDENT had a higher Approval rating than W after 9/11, he took that and squandered it himself!
W fabricated WMD to invade Iraq based on the simple fact he had 12 Advisors, including Cheney and Rummy, who signed the PNAC 1998 document calling for the invasion of Iraq.
$1T and hundreds of thousands of lives later, should there not be questions from the American people?
W failed to implement the Kyoto accord, the only industrialized Nation to not do so. After failing to act, the tree huggers came out in force.
Obama has not done anything yet of consequence yet he's being called Socialist, Nazi, non Citizen, death threats against the President have in ceased 5 fold...
Let Obama lie to get us into a war, let him double the deficit like W or Triple it like Reagan did, then start with the hate. The hate with Obama started before he was sworn in!
Even the tea baggers are selective now to focusing on Obama! Deficit spending sooooo important now, yet in 2004 when Moveon.org started running campaigns about the trillion dollar deficits, those same tea baggers turned on their radios and heard Rush calling MoveOn a group of crazy liberals.
Stopcon,
Boy do you have selective memory. The left hated Bush the man so stop crying!
Funny Glenda, the way I remember it W had an absolute pass from the press for a couple of years while he was hiding under the rhetoric of patriotism. That first term of his, man, I could not believe how he was getting away with everything he wanted.
In any case, political discourse is always nasty. It took a brutish turn during Clinton, held steady for W., and went completely insane in the past year.
Nobody talked about a military couip to remove Bush from office, as World Net Daily did just last week. No one openly brought guns to speeches he gave. No one indulged in vile, racist attacks against Bush--he is white. The level of nastiness and hatred against Obama is astounding--and dangerous.
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Blah blah blah... thats what I hear when i read your article...
Whats good for the goose is good for the gander...For 9 years now everyone on the left has bashed Bush, and he did do a lot of things wrong, but you cant expect when Obama goes to Washington, everyone who disagrees with him is going to keep quiet.. The days of the Campaign are over. This guy is killing us with lies and manipulations of the truth, and he hoping something sticks. We see his left leaning agenda and we are not going to accept it on any terms.
When Obama invades another country without justification, illegally wiretaps Americans, is totally incompetent in responding to a natural disaster, and doubles the rate of discretionary spending of his predecessor, then the right can bash Obama. Until then, they are screaming about what they IMAGINE Obama MIGHT do, as opposed to the Dems criticizing Bush based on what he ACTUALLY did.
pennysykid, are you blind, Obama has come into town, and continued the wild spending with Porkulus bill, Pork filled Budget, bail out after bail out, takeover of industries, has ties with Communists, ACORN
You tell them Diamondgirl!!
He's quadrupled the debt Bush left us. How's that. Great economic logic, you have to spend money to save it. Ok, that works...sure. The only people he spent it on were his own special interest groups, you know, the ones he said he'd never have in his administration, and then turned around and gave them ethics waivers so they could be in his administration. Bailed out the UAW with shareholder's money. Those union lackeys didn't deserve their jobs and should have been out in the street like the rest of us, except we didn't have forced union dues being spent in the 10's of millions to get this idiot elected.
PIGGY ACORNS!!
diamondgirl--
Thank you for proving why you're on the list.
If you can do anything here besides hate, let's see it.
I'd like to hear her do anything but parrot Glen Beck, but that's just wishful thinking. Diamond, what was your old username? I can't remember the exact name but I do remember that mostly what you did was encourage people to watch Beck because, "all he did was tell the truth."
BAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAH
Bush agitated the Left, and Obama the Right. There are serious issues at stake here, and we seem to be bouncing back and forth between extremes. Not a good recipe for promoting civility.
Wow I agree with neverlate. Everybody and I mean everybodies crying about how mean or unfair the other side is then they go and do the exact same thing. It's one thing to be snarky it's another to be a hypocrite.
Civility has been dead in Washington for a long time. This is not exactly a news flash. That Obama wanted to change that testifies to his character. That it has not changed has nothing to do with him.
There is a lot more money to be made from a red state/blue state America than from a country united.
The only change that Obama wanted was to fundamentally change the structure of our country to benefit those who vote for him, not for the country as a whole. I'm not on board with that. Sorry.
Agreed!
9 mos and he already has a Bush problem?
What do you mean he ALREADY has a Bush problem? Bush left him nothing BUT problems, in case you haven't noticed. No President in modern history has left such a pile of crap for his successor as Bush did, and he ranks near the bottom of US presidents among historians. Obama is trying to FIX those problems and the far-right loonies won't give him a chance. That is unpatriotic and traitorous!
Politics seems to be the only profession, maybe with the exception of prostitution, where the strategy is to over-commit and under deliver. I doubt the premise of the article that both Bush and Obama were sincere about bringing change. It was simply a good election strategy for both.
Bush demonstrated that he could get along with the Dems when he was governor of Texas. In contrast, Obama demonstrated that he does not tolerate opposition from get-go. He was and is bound to the Chicago Dem machine.
Bush/Rove knew that the American people were disgusted with the Republican culture of smear and hate that had led to the Clinton impeachment, so they campaigned with empty promises of restoring civility to Washington. It was nothing but a cynical pose. As soon as they won, they instituted an extremely partisan, bullying, uncivil manner of governing. After 9/11, Rove even gleefully announced that the tragedy would be used for political purposes, to attack the Democrats as soft on defense. 9/11 presented a huge opportunity for Bush to bring the country together, and he did the opposite. As long as articles like this continue to create a false equivalency between the behavior of Bush and Obama, there will be no hope of solving the problem. There is no fair basis whatsoever for the comparison this article implies.
This is an inane article. To suggest that the Republican Party, which acts like Storm-Troopers in lock step, is comparable to the fractious Democratic Party defies history and all available evidence.
Obama made a sincere attempt to build bipartisanship, in the interest of the country. As usual, the Republicans have shown that what they're interested in is political advantage and they will attack any of his proposals and engage in the politics of personal destruction to smear him.
The Republican Party has almost single-handedly ruined America over the past 30 years. Their policies are insane and immutable. Tax cuts for the rich, belligerence toward any nation that doesn't do what we say, and non-regulation of the financial sector and non-enforcement of anti-trust laws allowing corporations to get too-big-to-fail.
And above all: Destroy anyone who disagrees with the Republican Party using their media-whores at Fake News, Flush Limbaugh, Glib Beck, et. al.
periscope, you are repeating the democrat talking points and its making my brain hurt with you lies, Obama had no intentions on making anything bipartisan. His Words were WE WON.
And that hasn't stopped yet, if they had the democrat votes they would have passed this health care bill already. They passed all the other bills with 99.9% Democrat votes. Who are you kidding; they don't give a crap about any Republicans or the opinions...
Peri! It was the Banks that too big to fail not the corporations, and it looks as though they will be back for more.
You must also cut back on the meds you are taking.
hellooooo.....GM and Chrysler anyone??
The Uba-partisans have spoken!
The article may be inane, but some of the comments are even "inaner."
This back-and-forth, she-said/he-said bickering is sadly not....debate inducing material.
It seems the TDB is desperate to publish "controversial" articles so as to provoke as much response as possible. Perhaps their ad revenue is commensurate with how many responses they get to their "articles."
It's not hard to realize that if you publish inane pieces attacking Obama or comparing him to the depraved moron, Bushboy, you will get the cheers of the witless right-wingers and the heated objections of the progressives.
They did the same thing today with the right-wing's icon, Sarah Palin, suggesting she's fit to lead women, when in fact, she's unfit and unqualified to lead a kindergarten class.
TDB is a red meat outfit, no question about it. Now that they've expanded their gossip/ trash department, they're going downhill fast and STILL not getting the number of responses that other sites get.
In terms of civility, I don't think it is fair to say that President Barack Obama failed just as President George W. Bush did before him. By his selection of Dick Cheney, perhaps the most secretive, judgmental, self-righteous, and partisan national leader in modern history, Bush locked in lack of civility.
It is obvious to almost everyone, including most Republicans, that the GOP has shifted to the Right. Compared to present day Congressional Republicans, Richard Nixon was a liberal.
Imagine the Republican reaction had John McClain been elected President and menacing looking or not Black men showed up carrying weapons at political rallies. When George Bush was leading political rallies people were run off because they had Kerry bumper stickers.
Recall the Republican penchant for lack of civility: Nixon's Donald Segretti and dirty tricks; Watergate, the great Lee Atwater, Ronald Reagan's and George Bush Sr's rabid and ruthless campaign manager; and of course Newt Gingrich the backbencher and later Speaker who was and still is a master of vitriol and propaganda.
Has Obama changed the tone in Washington? No, he hasn't. Did he try? Yes, he did. ~ richard allbritton, Miami, http://rallbritton.com
rigel1 in case you missed the town hall rally that showing the weapon finally showed the person carring it as black, give this racist card a rest.
At least Levin stands for something, McKinnon's simply one of these guys that is more interested in the process and decorum rather than the substance.
The most nauseating aspect of the last campaign was both candidates trying to outcompete one another to convince us that they were somehow unlike all of the other politicians and were genuinely interested in bipartisanship and bringing civility to the white house.
Sounds like McKinnon's just disillusioned now that he found out that Obama's just like all the others -- which shouldn't have been too hard to determine given that he was the most liberal Senator in Washington, surrounded himself with many unsavory characters and radicals, and employed many political tactics to eliminate his political rivals in the past. The new tone is just like the old tone -- surprise!
What bullshit. ".. surrounded himself with many unsavory characters and radicals .." like, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Bob Gates, et. al. ??? Talk about assembling a "team of rivals," no one has done it better since Abe Lincoln.
Are you really that stupid or do you just think everyone else is?
Read a little closer periscope and perhaps you might learn something. I was specifically refering to Obama's past political connections and maneuvers -- particularly in Chicago. You know guys like Rezko, Ayers, Daley, Blago, Emil Jones, Frank Marshall Davis, Jeremiah Wright, etc. This is the history that McKinnon and many others could have drawn upon to realize that the sainted cariacture of The Messiah as a post partisan post racial leader that was going to finally change the tone in Washington was all just a bunch of B.S.
He's really stupid. He gives it way in the first line - at least Levin stands for something. What Levin stands for is sprewing unfactual tirades filled with hate speech. Levin put the douche in douche bag.
Grimmace, Thank you, you are amazing! They won't see it, because is can't penetrate their thick skulls. They don't even understand it when they read it. They think we are the ones without brains. I think otherwise..
I do want to add one thing Obama did change the tone in Washington, but it was to make it a Socialist Government. How's that working out so far periscope?
Agreed -- B.S. -- periscope sees it right.
Grimmace must be that stupid / witless right-winger
The democrats rolled over and gave Bush every single thing he wanted for 8 years...I don't know how the tone could have changed any more than that?
sonofloud, baddchild you are wrong the Republicans gave Bush everything he wanted. That happens to be worse...So now its payback time, for the Dems, in a way I don't blame them, the Republicans deserve it. But now the Dems are going way to far, and all their spending and far left leaning direction, it has woken up the Independents. We decide elections, not the left or right. Oh well
Amazing, the defenders of 0bama only have GW Bush left to blame. They have no policy, no acomplishments and prove on a daily basis that this fraud was never qualified to be President of the Unitd States.
As a word of note, Chicago was added to the final list WHILE GW Bush was president. Chicago was bitch slapped by the IOC WHILE 0bama was president. Not that either being in the white house mattered much to the IOC but trying to blame Bush is just stupid. Sending 0bama to Copenhagen without it in the bag is one of the stupidest political moves of all time and Emanuel's head should roll.
See what happens liberals when you meet without preconditions..... remember that when meeting with your favorite terrorist dictators.
Stupid political move? really? I'd like you to guess the reaction had he not gone and Chicago Lost. Don't know? Here it is:
1. Obama Gave Up Opportunity To Create Jobs
2. Obama Shuns Chicago
3. If Obama Had Gone, Chicago Would Have Won.
In other words, genius, no matter what he did, the Right, the Media would have found a way to make it his fault.
Your reasoning is beyond idiotic.
"0bama gave up opportunity to create jobs"??? he's wasting 787 billion dollars supposedly "saving" jobs as we speak. This had nothing to do with any of that. This was all about helping his political cronies in Chitown to kick backs, union kick backs, Rezko and the like reaping no bid contracts, Mayor Dailey's retirement fund. Plus 0bama would be out by then and he would have been looking for some of those kick backs for himself.
"the Media would have found a way to make it his fault." your so naive, the press is blaming Bush, not the guy who went their and told them he wanted the olympics in Chicago so he could "walk out his front door" and enjoy the games. They blame Bush, not the husband and wif who went to Copenhagen to say what a crappy country America is. the press looooovvvveesss 0bama...
On the flight back from Copenhagen on Air Force One, 0bama sheepishly came out of the bathroom after laying yet another stinker for the day and the press corp immediately reported the smell was left over from Bush....
"Imagine the Republican reaction had John McClain been elected President and menacing looking or not Black men showed up carrying weapons at political rallies."
Do you mean the Black Panthers at the Philly voting station?
You need to watch your own Fox News video. ONE, that's 1, Black Panther, who had a nightstick - NO GUN - was removed from the Philly polling place. Again, I got it from the Fox News video, which is available online.
YO Connie,
They should not have been there in front of the polling place to begin with. And check your eyes, there were 2, dos not uno.
YO, Glenda,
I made no statement about how many people were there. I said ONE (1) Black Panther had a nightstick, NOT a gun, and he was removed by the police.
You're the one who associated the quote about men carrying weapons with the Black Panthers in Philly. You'll have to live with the fact that only one was in any way armed and NOT with a gun.
I think it's safe to say that the Black Panthers were an organization that rooted itself in protecting its own because the people who were supposed to protect them at the time turned their heads the other way. I don't believe it's fair to sugest that the men and women (I wont namecall it just adds to the flame I'm trying to put out) at these rallies do not share the same justification of "defending" themselves as the Black Panthers had. They are not being targeted and they do not fear for their own lives. They are not being persecuted and they are not in any danger where they need to bear arms to show they are willing to physically fight back.
I like the argument but when you look at both situations you see that one side may be a lot more justified to protect themselves than the other.
The Klan could make the same argument you're making for the Black Panthers.
yes because the KKKlan was so oppressed by the Black Man.. Just because one can make an argument does not mean it is justified. and who even used the Klan as a serious rebuttle? stuck in the good ol days im assuming...
It all began with the Kenneth Star investigation - could it have been any worse? The hard right is solely responsible for influencing the "no sex" BJ generation.
Today with so many mean yackers earning a living off of the political kill, the hot air is a never ending assault. But as 2008 proved -it no longer impacts election results in the intended manner so one could assume that that they're blowing off their last breaths. Let's hope - the GOP needs it to stop so it can curb the state of revulsion that occurs when the word Republican is uttered.
Interesting - Bush was trying to bring civility to Washington. Interesting company he chose for the trip - Karl Rove and Dick Cheney. The county is where it is today in terms of nasty politics because of the republicans. It started with Lee Atwater who wrote the playbook and all the republicans have followed his book of dirty tricks, lies, distortions, and doing whatever it takes to get elected. His successors like Rove have used that playbook and added to it. They are a cabal of liars who have no moral integrity and care only for money and power.
I think it started with Joe McCarthy, although we could take it back further than that. The Republicans played every card they had against FDR, Truman and the New Deal, just like they are doing with Obama. And yes, they appealed to nativism and racism back then, as well.
The only civility Bush could bring to Washington was from he and Laura. Bush never spoke up to fight back about anything bad said about him. Thank God he had Karl and Dick to occasionally stick up for him. George was too classy to get messy.
Rahm Emmanuel is a creepy sneaky "don't let a crisis go to waste" jerk as is David Axelrod, please go back to playing Pokemon and let the grownups handle this.
If George and Laura Bush would have gone on "date night" while 10 soldiers were dying. Can anyone honestly say that the news media wouldn't have been there to meet each of their caskets being brought home?
Obama is a LAME DUCK!
Moron: all the caskets that are returning from Iraq were the result of Bushboy's lies about WMDs. And if the depraved moron, Bushboy, had attended to Afghanistan as he should have, we wouldn't still be fighting a war there.
The only "Lame Duck" is in your muddled mind.
periscope and rhonda, Both are right. But the press was all over the deaths of our soldiers in Iraq, and you dont see the Gov run Media covering Afghanistan. Thats the difference.
How much brush did Bush clear while soldiers were dying in Iraq and Afghanistan? How many days was he golfing or on other vacations during his presidency while we were at war? How many minutes did he continue to read My Pet Goat when 9/11 was happening?
George Bush made a big deal out of not golfing during the Iraq war. Would you rather have had George jump up and yell "GOOD CHRIST THE TOWEL HEADS BOMBED NEW YORK" and scare the crap out of a classroom full of children. He remained calm and it looked like he handled that situation very well.
I'd like to know why the press doesn't report on Cindy Sheehan anymore, there's still a war going on in Afghanistan where her son died. I heard she was in Martha's Vineyard when the WON was there, but nothing from the fringe (NBC, ABC, CBS) media on it at all. Is it ok now, that Obama's "good war" is being waged in Afghanistan instead of the "illegal" one that Bush was running. Obama said during the campaign that Afghanistan was neglected for too long, then Obama sits on his hands while guys are dying over there (no reporting on that from the fringe media, maybe since the WON's in office they didn't really die) while his Generals ask for help. Gee Bush had to make quick decisions with regard to the military or you lefties would be all over him for being slow to respond. Where the outrage now?
jaimo62,
Keep telling yourself that Bush looked calm and handled the situation on 9/11 very well. There was a good possibility he was thinking "Maybe I should have read through that Presidential Daily Briefing on August 6th, while I was on vacation, clearing brush, titled "Bin Laden Determined To Strike In The U.S ." I was in the Army at the time and we watched his reaction on CNN. He was scared shitless and didn't know what to do.
Once we found out that the attack came from Al Qaeda we trained up, expecting to be sent to Afghanistan, where the enemy lived and trained, but guess what, the great mass of our forces was sent to Iraq to look for WMDs that didn't exist (and at the same time we kicked out the UN weapon inspectors that had kept the WMDs at bay in that country since the first Gulf War).
Sheehan isn't covered anymore because she was protesting Bush, who in her mind is a war criminal. There are a lot of people who think that way. I'm sure there people who would like to have more coverage on Bush being covered as a war criminal if the Hague would only pay more attention to the charges.
As for sitting on one's hands, see the above reference to Bush during 9/11. There has been a rise in the casualties in Afghanistan, but that is because we have been taking the fight to the enemy rather than being two countries over, hunting for weapons that haven't existed for dozens of years (since the US sold them to Iraq during the Iraq/Iran war) and then changing the focus of the war to finding Saddam and then nation building.
Moron.
That is possibly one of the dumbest things you've said yet, Rhonda. Are you actually stating the George and Laura Bush never set foot out of the White House, once the wars started? I know they had a bunker mentality, but they weren't that nutty.
No Connie,
I didn't say anything like that at all. They lived and entertained at the WH and spent alot of time at Camp David and their ranch. They didn't spend 1/2 million dollars to go on "date night" to NYC and Laura sure never shut down DC to go buy a head of cabbage and a dozen eggs.
rhonda,
And quite a few millions of dollars on trips to Crawford. Over 500 hours of Air Force One flight time at about $65,000 an hour.
Why don't you just admit you hate Obama for personal reasons and you hate that he even wakes up in the morning?
in a conversation about media fairness and civility, my comment is met with name calling, stupid and moron! What a bunch of dumbasses!
Quit whining about poor, poor Barrick and Michelle, if you can dish it out, you better be able to take, that goes for ALL of us.
OBAMA IS NOT GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HE IS NOT THE MESSIAH!!! HE CANNOT FIX DECADES OLD PROBLEMS IN A YEAR OR EVEN A TERM!!!!!!!!!
Listen, the best thing he can do is not act like an a-hole himself. I will be very disappointed if he ever listens to the Left about being as childish as the Right - you know, when they tell him to act like George?
The other thing that can get these guys in line is if the voters speak up and vote these partisan a-holes out of office.
Come on allanfla, he walks, talks and acts like a messiah, show some respect and civility here.
"As it is said let it be written", a line from the movie the KING and I, fits Obama to a tee.
"I am, Who am" Obama quoting the bible, unusual for him.
Obama genuinely tried to be bipartisan, and even appointed more Republicans to his administration than any other Democrat. Indeed, his administration turned out to be DLC-Republican, with no room at all for his own supporters. This is one reason why so many progressives are leery of him now--no longer very enthusiastic for the person they worked so hard to elect.
He bent over backwards to appease the Republicans on the stimulus, on health care, on prosecuting and investigating the crimes and abuses of the past administration, etc, etc, so much so that he has now alienated his own former supporters.
None of this has gotten him even an iota of credit from the Republicans, who attack him all day on every possible issue--real or imagined. I'll tell you one think, many of us will never vote for another Democrat who uses the word "bipartisanship" again. It doesn't exist.
mcmchugh, you are repeating the democrat talking points and its making my brain hurt with you lies, Obama had no intentions on making anything bipartisan. His Words were WE WON.
And that hasn't stopped yet, if they had the democrat votes they would have passed this health care bill already. They passed all the other bills with 99.9% Democrat votes. Who are you kidding; they don't give a crap about any Republicans or the opinions...
Diamondgirl, I'm going to dispense with civility here and tell you to shut the fuck up. Anytime someone posts something in this thread you disagree with and it's "lies" and "democrat talking points." Seriously, just shut the fuck up.
Kobie173, you are not being nice, I hope you realize what you said, now be a person of civility, apologise to the diamond girl, give her a big hug and kiss to make up for the nasty comments.
Now isn't that better?
Who exactly in his administration is a Republican? Luger, yea, ok. He might as well have D after his name. How did he bend over backwards on the stimulus, health care and the CIA prosecutions? What evidence do you have on those things. Obama hasn't met with Republicans to hear about their ideas on healthcare, the stimulus was passed with just the sisters from Maine and one other RINO.
When Obama deserves credit, he'll get it from the Republicans. Nothing to credit so far.
mcmchugh, you still using that stuff?
Obama needs to stop trying for bipartisanship. Republicans are not going to cooperate in any way with any Democrats. I admire President Obama because he tried and has kept right on trying and thinking that these people will be better than they really are, but they won't. He is going to have to work with the Democrats and strong-arm the Conservative republican Democrats to support what is best for America. We are an unstable country that needs the government to work together for the greater good. If republicans continue to only want the failure of Obama and the country, they should be run out of town being tarred and feathers.
Watching conservative Republicans going after a Republican strategist is interesting to say the least.
McKinnon's a RINO. This is the guy that was so limp wristed that he couldn't bring himself to campaign aginst Barry. And McKinnon was working for the poster child of RINO's John McCain, whose timid campaign barely even challenged Barry to break a sweat.
Despite McKinnon's naive love affair with the Messiah going sour, I'd bet that he'd jump aboard the Obama express with nothing more than a half hearted wink in his direction. McKinnon has basically entered the territory of crafting a living being a Republican (or more appropriately a RINO) that criticizes Republicans.
McKinnon had his sorry ass handed to him this morning by none other than Dylan Ratigan because he tried to take a cheap shot and Ratigan wasn't having any of it. McKinnon is a pussy and a wimp and irrelevant
If you want a good look at partisanship at its worst, read this article and the accompanying blogs/comments.
Civility promotes rational discourse between persons with differing ideologies, leading to both workable compromises and creative collaboration dealing with the tremendous issues we face today.
It explores blame only as a tool to discover the root sources of said issues, whenever possible, and discards it immediately when facts render it useless. Such discourse is, quite likely, the ultimate evidence of mature and responsible consideration of problems and solutions.
Whoops. Sorry. Thought I was talking about grown-ups.
Too true finderj, whoops --you thought you were talking TOO adults.
Seems to me like the truth would be a good place to start. Less of the ridiculous statements from the right. "Death camps"- Obama lies- "gramdma dies".et al. That stuff doesn't do any good.
Civility/grace are sorely needed.
Thank you.
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