Obama: The Good Stuff

“I like how he is directly asking legislators to come up with some ideas on how to help the country instead of just trying to add up political scores. - Dunadan

Asking for ideas, and listening to ideas, are two different things. I see him doing the former (after the SOTU, and a year later), but not the latter.”

“For you fools who say that Palin represents the tea party movement, and Republicans, explain this:

http://www.politico.com/largevideobox.html?bcpid=15202024001&bclid=1201016315&bctid=66118554001

You're dreaming.”

“Well, there was quite a loud and prolonged chant of "Run Sarah Run" at your convention.”

“Again, that "convention" did not represent the tea party platform.

You can't claim that the tea partiers are paranoid for thinking their platform is being infiltrated by the neocons, and then deny that the neocons took over the convention.”

“Obama makes a mockery of his own lobbyist ban
By: Timothy P. Carney

February 3, 2010


More than 40 former lobbyists work in senior positions in the Obama administration, including three Cabinet secretaries and the CIA director. Yet in his State of the Union address, Obama claimed, "We've excluded lobbyists from policymaking jobs."

Did Obama speak falsely?

Well, it depends on what the definition of "excluded lobbyists" is.

I asked the White House if he chose his words poorly, but the media affairs office defended the president's statement: "As the President said," a spokeswoman wrote in an e-mail, "we have turned away lobbyists for many, many positions."

So, the country may have heard, "we haven't hired lobbyists to policymaking jobs," but the White House tells us Obama meant, "we only hired some of the lobbyists who applied for policymaking jobs." In other words, they've excluded some lobbyists.

And this was in the context of reducing the "deficit of trust."

So Obama has, indeed, taken a Clintonian turn, but not toward the center. Instead, he has adopted our 42nd president's use of clearly misleading statements that can be parsed so as to be factually correct, at least in a general sort of way.

Using Obama's grammar, we can say George W. Bush avoided wars in the Mideast (he didn't invade Iran), and Bush's father refused to raise taxes (repeatedly, for months).

On the day after the State of the Union, when Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, asked Obama about his campaign pledge on lobbyists ("They will not work in my White House"), Obama explained that he had made some worthy exceptions: "For example, a doctor who ran Tobacco-Free Kids technically is a registered lobbyist, on the other hand, has more expertise than anybody in figuring out how kids don't get hooked on cigarettes. So there have been a couple of instances like that. ..."

Sure, some of Obama's 40 ex-lobbyists are like that anti-smoking activist, but many are of a different stripe, such as William J. Wilkins, the general counsel of Obama's IRS, a former lobbyist for the Swiss Bankers Association.

Or Monsanto's former VP for public policy, Michael Taylor, who Obama tapped as deputy commissioner for foods at the Food and Drug Administration.

William J. Lynn became Obama's deputy defense secretary within 10 months of being a lobbyist for Raytheon, a giant of the military-industrial complex. By the way, Raytheon's fourth-quarter profits were up 20 percent from a year ago.

Joe Biden's chief of staff, Ron Klain, was a K Street lobbyist who represented Fannie Mae during the housing boom, opposing regulation of the now-bailed-out mortgage giant. And Biden's deputy chief of staff is Alan Hoffman, a K Street veteran who helped oil giant Unocal avoid U.S. sanctions against its natural-gas partnership with the military dictatorship of Burma.

Obama touts the ethics executive order he signed his first day, and none of the above lobbyist appointments violate it (which should suggest how toothless Obama's lobbyist regulations are). Wilkins, for instance, stopped registering as a lobbyist for Swiss bankers and the like in 2003, while Obama's restrictions reach back only two years. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack avoids issues dealing with his former employer, the National Education Association.

William Lynn at DOD? He got a waiver from the president, and so he's exempt from the new rules.

But then there's Mark Patterson, a Goldman Sachs lobbyist until April 2008 (apparently, back then, Wall Street lobbyists weren't all evil in Obama's eyes) who now serves as chief of staff at the Treasury Department. He's one of those lobbyists whom Obama neither "excluded" nor granted a waiver.

But whether or not Obama is living up to his executive order, he's not living up to his rhetoric.

That candidate Obama would pledge lobbyists "will not work in my White House," but President Obama would hire many of them, reflects what we already knew during the campaign: Obama was inexperienced and naive about the realities of governing.

That President Obama would say, "we've excluded lobbyists," when he really meant, "we've included them, too," tells us something more surprising: That he's willing to mislead us, as long as he's left himself a semantic back door to escape through if he gets called out.

Now we're forced to parse all of Obama's claims and promises. Now we always have to try to guess what the president actually means. Obama might soon learn, as Bill Clinton did, that a "deficit of trust" carries a steep price”

“Imagine in a few years if we find out Palin was just a target to deflect the attention of the libbies...LOL”

“Why would the Tea Party go and fvck themselves by aligning with Palin?”

“Dick Armey's check book says Sarah, Tea baggers say Sarah.”

“You know I can hardly believe there is ANYONE who can actually say what the "tea party" stands for at this time.

Its really easy to be opposed to A,B,C but offer no real direction. Thats how the hell we GOT to this point. Everyone was demanding we "change the status quo" but NO one was setting any direction.

Hell in the last election you had
Dems _ Obama - Hope and Change

Reps - McCain -UM...change and....Da#n where did my notes go...oh thanks sorry left em on the counter the bathroom"

Libertarians _ this war is not a big deal we are at fault.

So truly there is NO direction set so what exactly do we get. This is the problem with the Tea Party, great they oppose taxes, Good. They oppose government Spending, GOOD, but WHAT do they propose as an alternate?”

“You know I can hardly believe there is ANYONE who can actually say what the "tea party" stands for at this time.


and therein lies your problem.”

“Sadly HPD its the same thing with the Libertarians.

Look I have gone to some Libertarian meetings and while we find sane normal people I have also turned around and seen some dweeb with a "legalize drugs" pin and a Star Trek Insignia on.

It reminds me of the old Solidarity thing in the 80s. It started out to support the Polish workers and fight Socialisim and then fell apart because people wanted to make fringe ideas part of the central platform.”

“The fact that you don't see the value in a legalize drugs pin again demonstrates your problem. You're a Republican who thinks he's a tea bagger.”

“HPD, as I have stated ad infinitum, I think drugs should be a state by state thing. The PROBLEM is that if you make it a central part of your platform there are TOO Damn many Bill and Sue Averages out there who are going to pull back in fear.

They are not educated and all they see in the debate are the drug heads on the corner. Or they think about "little Billy" who got loaded on "goofinthal" and died.

I don't know how much you actually "deal with the real world" but there are people (sadly a large majority) who are basically sheep. They may actually believe that "gullible" is not in the dictionary. To them the "legalize drug crowd" have nothing to do with "personal responsiblity' they have seen too many who start out with "Legalize Drugs" but follow it up with 'take care of me for life when I become a vegetable."”

“a "pin" is making it a central part of their platform?”

“Well neither is having your candidate say we are responsible for the 9/11 attacks...but you know I mean YOU KNOW that the media will harp on that.”

“Dance XL Dance!”

“Actually XL is right.”

“WK...HEY DUDE!...HOW BOUT THEM COLTS (ROTFLMAO)?”

“Snappy comeback! I am a Bears fan”

“Mutt, I know you're a Ron Paul fan but don't want to admit it. You're so cute.”

“PrezBO meets with Dalilama....and BOY are his BOSSES (the Chinese) mad...LOL”

“LOL..here it comes....who wants to wager we will "drop the ball" with military support to Taiwan? The PrezBo has GOT to do something to make it up to the Chinese...Just bowing and scraping will be too little too late.”

“OOOH the ONE is going to get BEEEYOTCH slapped by his Chinese handlers...but he did handle it with class...he ushered the Dali out the BACK door....(ROTFLMAO) there is irony here that is killing me.”

“Taiwan is not a big deal Formosa us.”

“Your request is being processed...


Obama Bicycle Policy Wins Love From Cyclists, Scorn From Trucking Industry

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a weekend bicyclist, might consider keeping his head down and his helmet on. A backlash is brewing over his new bicycling policy.

LaHood says the government is going to give bicycling – and walking, too – the same importance as automobiles in transportation planning and the selection of projects for federal money. The former Republican congressman quietly announced the "sea change" in transportation policy last month.

"This is the end of favoring motorized transportation at the expense of non-motorized," he wrote in his government blog.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/14/bicycle-policy-ray-lahood_n_536791.html”

“Excellent. At least someone has vision.”

“@ ngl sng hpst.”

“Obama: Australia's prime minister and I are awesome because we're both so humble

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/15/2873224.htm”

“Someone's too dumb to figure out thread themes. *snicker*”

“They say that what differentiates humans from apes is the ability to reason.

I think we know where Stove is with this...”

“That would exclude the entire progressive movement.....”

“But not your mama!”

“you should be more careful what you say....”

“Sorry. What I meant to say was, but not Arkansans...”

“Being humble is a good thing, but nigie and rosey wouldn't know that.”

“Mumbling is not a good thing, Stove. Try using your dick...shun.”

“Poor Stovey just can't help but hate. Even when someone finds the good in something he tries to snuff it out with his negativity. Poor Stovey.”

“Nigie enjoys his butthurt. LOL”

“Butthurt? OK CrashBang. LOL!

FAIL”

“Don't you have a "tard", as you call your "patients", to give an enema to, nigie?”

“Poor Stovey. So much hate. *VBG*”

“memefight!”

“Good....around ehre they have been starting to work on more bike routes but most of the roads are dangerous to bike along. Either way too busy, or too narrow and the cars don't like to share.”

“Ya have to "claim the lane". The safest place to ride is 2-3' out into the lane. If you are closer to the side cars will try and pass within your lane. If you are out there claiming the lane they will wait until they can use the other lane which gives you more room. I want one of these jerseys...

”

“Keep off the f*cking back roads, you effeminate spandex wearing a$$holes!!! Why in blue blazes do bicyclists insist on riding on the most dangerous country roads? I can't tell you how many near misses I've seen because these JACKASSES don't see the danger of being on a twisty, hilly little backroad with no shoulders. It's dangerous e-f*cking-nuff with the slow moving farm machinery, but at least that's mostly high profile, high vis sort of stuff. I swear to God I'm considering putting one of air horn kits in my car. You put me at risk of hitting you or putting my car into the ditch? Well how about 150db five feet from your ears, a$$hole? I don't care if you have the right to be on the backroads - that doesn't mean it's safe or a smart thing to do! You're putting everyone at risk of an accident just so you can recreate.

I swear to God bicyclists have the same sense of entitlement and mindset as welfare leeches. But, if this gets these attention whores off the road and onto their own little lanes, I guess that's a good thing.”

“If you weren't so busy playing with yourself while driving, you'd have more time to react to bicyclists.”

“Mutt, your trolling is not going to get any takers.

Nigal, I find 2'-3' to be the minimum safe distance to be off of the right fog line. If the lane is too narrow for another vehicle to pass safely with both me and it in the lane, then I typically ride further left, closer to the center of the lane. This allows the automobile drivers to both see me better and make the better decision of waiting for clearance to their left to pass me.”

“Eh, part troll, but mostly rant. Every f*cking spring the hippies take to the backroads on their bicycles, usually riding two abreast. Nobody (myself included) who actually lives and/or works out in the country appreciates these idiots putting themselves and ourselves in danger.”