'Anything possible,' Obama tells roaring crowd
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0
Molenir
Ya know, based on all the rhetoric I've heard from Obama and his team, as well as their many supporters, if The day after Obama is innaugurated, the worldwide economy isn't fixed, then the man is a failure. And everyday that goes by he becomes a greater and greater failure, and more and more a liar.
Looking forward to the next 4 years, of being able to call the new administration the most corrupt, biggest liars etc ever. Hehe. I'm thinking by some time next year, everyone will be thinking Bush was a saint in comparison.
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Sarge
This inauguration is going to be truly immaculate.
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Betzee
Your arrow of causation is runnin' in the wrong direction there. In fact GWB's standing in the eyes of history now depends, ironically, on the fortunes of his successor, BHO. If Obama is able to withdraw troops from Iraq and Afghanistan under conditions of relative stability, Bush's decision to take us into those countries will look better. Ditto for the economy; if the new president can revive growth sooner, rather than later, Bush's repeated claims "the fundamentals are sound" won't look so out of touch bordering on the incompetent.
When Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of California in a special recall election in 2003, nobody expected him to improve things overnight. Things did improve and then took a nosedive when the economy went bad. Sacramento won't even be able to issue tax refunds this year. I think it's less a reflection of Arnie's shortcomings than an indication of just how broken things really are in the Golden State's government.
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GJDailleult
I must have missed the speech where he said he was going to fix the worldwide economy. Anyways, nice to see some people are still cheering for failure. Nothing wrong with being skeptical or even cynical about Obama, but the cheering for failure bit just shows you don't know what you can't afford.
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USAFdude
Molenir - believe whatever you like. But we Democrats have said time and again that Obama will NOT fix all of bush's mess due to the enormity of bush's mess. It'll take the next five presidents to fix America after bush's fourth reich. But, it will eventually happen. America has realized its mistake in "electing" bush; we will NOT allow one of his ilk near the White House again.
As for Obama, feel free to show your blatant anti-Americanism by talking smack about our new President before he even takes office; you do so not because of fear of our new President and the hope he's bringing to the rest of us, but rather because his potential for success challenges the beliefs you so desperately want to cling to.
Bottom line: you'd rather see Obama (and by extension, America) fail than simply admit you were wrong. Pathetic. Tell me, what's it like to be in the dying, fading minority?
0
rajakumar
Obama is biggest is election funds,biggest in voter support ever,biggest in inaugration spending,concert spending and much more big spending coming.
Do not worry America,don't worry be happy. America still richest, despite huge number of economic ballon scammers and economic thiefs you attract.
Just sell a huge chunk of land in many states, to rich foreign buyers ,there is huge source of income in land, in all states in USA.
President Obama can be good american , do good sales promotions and public relations worldwide.
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sailwind
I'm going to be sick.
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/congressdebatesadding_elaborate
What a waste of tax dollars.
0
telecasterplayer
..
Sorry, you fellows are wrong. The latest New York Times/CBS News Poll says Americans approve of the incoming President and are willing to give him at least two years to make progress. And I gotta tell you, I have faith in Americans to be realistic about what's going to happen. Every report says the recession is going to last into 2010, at least.
I'm thinking by some time next year, Bush will either be on trial for War Crimes, or spending his life like Henry Kissinger (ducking his War Crimes trial).
Yes! I hope so, even conservative economists are saying that we need big government spending.
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smithinjapan
sailwind: Dude, you're putting a link from The Onion... did you know that? You're not THAT desperate to believe a bunch of lies, are you?
Anyway, I just find it funny how much people misuse the song "This Land is My Land", and that even the writer himself took part in the singing of it. Have any of you ever listened to the lyrics? It's not a song about how racially in tune Americans are, nor how tolerant of others, it's a song critical of the fact that people proclaim to be tolerant but really are not.
"As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there And that sign said - no tress passin' But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin! Now that side was made for you and me!"
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SushiSake3
'Anything possible,' Obama tells roaring crowd.
Heck, even though I'm an Obama supporter, I'd say he's being a bit over-optimistic claiming 'everything is possible' after the destruction and mismanagement of the bush years.
That said, I think Inauguration Day is going to be H-U-G-E for Americans and America....wow!
Sailwind - "What a waste of tax dollars."
Paid for by private donors. What's the problem?
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SushiSake3
A survey conducted by The New York Times and CBS News found a US public eager to give the president-elect a wide berth as he attempts to turn around a faltering US economy, tackle global warming, help solve the intractable Middle East peace process, along with a plethora of other mammoth challenges.
Of those surveyed,** 79 percent were optimistic about the next four years under Obama, the highest level of goodwill attained by any of the past five incoming presidents.**
By contrast, outgoing President George W. Bush is leaving office with just 22 percent of Americans offering a favorable view of how he handled the eight years of his presidency, according to the poll -- a record low.
More than 80 percent of respondents said America is in worse shape today than it was five years ago.
The telephone survey of 1,100 adults was conducted between January 11 and 15, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.
Says it all.
0
timorborder
"Anything Possible"
Hey, I am glad that Barack Obama won the election, but this lovefest is getting ridiculous. If "anything is possible," Obama should prove it. Here are a couple of ideas that would help in convincing me that Barack is beyond politics, he is in fact the new Messiah.
OK Barack, you have your challenge, now go to it.
0
gogogo
sailwind: The onion is a satire network.
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sailwind
sailwind: The onion is a satire network.
My apologies, I'm so embarrassed that I thought it was real. It seemed so true with all the hype about Obama, forgive me for using it. :)
0
SezWho2
**. . .**
http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/eecummings/poems/14289
It's good to have a president who offers hope and vision without devolving into Pollyannaish sentiment. That is soooo preferable to one who offers fear and ideology while pursuing internal demons. There's the coach who coaches from possibility and the coach who coaches from separation from perfection. That's not to say that Coach Knight didn't win a lot of games. It's just to say that Coach K wins games and keeps your program intact.
Nonetheless, I cringe when Axelrod says "it’s going to take not months but years to really turn this around". Turning this around is not what we need to do. Turning this around puts us back in the direction we were going when we got to the place we're now at.
It's not turning around we need, but a completely new direction and a completely new destination. And even though Obama says that anything is possible in America, I doubt that we can get out of the twin ruts of progress and power.
0
Tatanka
The only thing that's possible is that he and his family are going to have nice digs for four years. A year from now Gitmo will still be open, the wars in Iraq and Afganistan will still be in the news AND the dollar will have plummeted to the mid 70's to the yen to pay all the waste-of-money social programs.
0
Betzee
I don't really think too many Americans want to go down the "no entitlements" road. Rather it's a matter of, "I want the programs which benefit me and those that don't can be cut."
Farm subsidies are a big budget item in the US, relative to the number of people who benefit. It's a form of socialism, defined as income redistribution. Communism, by contrast, is state ownership of the means of production, something quite different. Other than the bank bail-out, there's very little evidence of that on the horizon (despite Obama's claim of "anything's possible"). And we got the worst of both worlds; Wall Street, on life support, accepted an infusion of public funds but can't account for how it's been spent. And they will soon want more.
0
wuzzademcrat
True enough, anything is possible.
It is possible, and quite likely, that Obama comes in as an FDR wannabe and is forced, by economic realities, to go out as a reluctant Reaganite.
Will be interesting.
0
USAFdude
Corrections: The only thing that's possible is that he and his family are going to have nice digs for eight years. A year from now Gitmo will still be open, the war in only Afganistan will still be in the news AND the dollar will have plummeted to the mid 70's to the yen to pay all the waste-of-money Iraq programs.
There, you see? Far more in tune with reality.
0
hakujinsensei
FDR gave us beer... The whole country could tie one on and forget that their house was in foreclosure. What miracles does the Bamessiah have to offer?
I do think it is ironic that in this time of financial uncertainty, that Bama's inauguration should be the most expensive ever by a huge margin. Hearing that the event needs to befit the nature of the event that it is... doesn't make it any more palatable. It seems that he has missed his chance to really make a statement. A spartan affair to underscore his resolve would be much more befitting a messiah.
0
smithinjapan
hakujinsensei: "It seems that he has missed his chance to really make a statement. A spartan affair to underscore his resolve would be much more befitting a messiah."
I agree, to an extent, that the costs are ridiculous, but keep in mind it is by donation. What's more, while I think some of the extravagance can be cut (the food, for example), things like security need to be higher than ever, and that is a HUGE cost in terms of the inauguration.
Anyway, regardless of cost, it's all going down tomorrow. I agree with Obama that 'anything is possible', because it is. Unfortunately, that includes a whole lot that can go wrong, too. None of us on here said or suggested that Obama is going to fix the economy by the day after tomorrow, or even by the end of his first term. Likewise with some other things people expect instantly reversed (mostly the few remaining bush supporters, who are praying for Obama to look bad so that they themselves look less so), they are going to take time to fix from the current situation.
Good luck, Obama!
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smithinjapan
sailwind: The Onion can be a very tricky little satire site, my friend, so no worries. Do you remember when a whole bunch of us on here, myself included, were tricked by the news clip about the little girl who said all the bad things about bush, and was donating money to Obama's campaign? I can't remember the details of it now, but it was VERY well done and looked absolutely real. Plus, it was what a lot of people WANTED to hear, so they believed it easily. You just have to always be wary of the words 'theonion' in the URL. I saw it (this time) in the link immediately and so didn't even have to check.
They do a good job, that site.
0
VOR
there certainly is a lot of hope out there. i've never seen anything like it in my life time. some of it is awe inspiring, a lot of it is people just being stupid. some still think he is going to pay their mortgage, put gas in their car and deliver them a george foreman grill. i'm not sure he is going to be able to live up to everyone's expectations. ijust hope he provides the same level of security george bush did and that he doesn't make the economy worse. a george foreman grill would also be nice.
0
smithinjapan
VOR: "some still think he is going to pay their mortgage, put gas in their car and deliver them a george foreman grill."
A George Foreman grill would be pretty cool. Anyway, I agree with what you're saying... the people who think he's going to do the things you said are ridiculous, and are going to be jaded from the get-go when they realize Obama is not quite the miracle maker they think he is. Unfortunately, I think said people are many, and in part Obama got the vote because people were utterly fed up with Republican politics, not so much because they thought Obama would do a good job.
Still, I also think you're right about your first observations, that there is a lot of hope out there. That kind of inspiration, if nothing else, is a very, very positive change. Inspiration and hope can lead to people doing all sorts of things they never thought possible, and Obama is therefore correct when he says, "anything's possible". It's not just a message of what will happen and/or what he can do, but it's what he can instill in others for them to do themselves. You see, on the one hand while some situations cannot be helped, for the most part it's people who are helpless that create their own helpless situations. The economy has exacerbated it to the point where it's pretty hard to distinguish the difference, but my point is that hope is a far better and much more powerful tool than fear... at least if you want to accomplish anything long term.
So, in that respect, already Obama has been making some pretty big changes. It'll be hard for him to change anything greatly in a short time, but hell, people have stated they are ready to sit it out for a little while, and I think that's pretty amazing.
Like it or not, the economy will probably grow a tiny bit after inauguration, then drop a lot for a long time. That cannot be avoided because it's been put in place some time ago. BUT, he can put the brakes on the causes and hopefully improve the economy through some short term (but expensive) spending. As for security, that can be improved in two ways... one is by eliminating some of the threats the US face via the GWB policies put in place, and the other is through positive diplomacy. These are not quite the security measures Georgie introduced, but then his success is debatable, while the fact that world opinion of the US is at its lowest level ever is not. I fully believe positive dialogue with other nations, despite the fact that some of the Obama-fever will die down and be replaced by skepticism as they see he too is pretty strong-willed, will make people dislike the US and Americans less, and that will lead to less need for over-security, racial profiling, torture camps/prisons, etc.
0
skipthesong
I for one, I had to cancel out on going, am excited about the US right now. Perhaps tomorrow when things go back to normal, I won't be as excited. Just have to wait and see and that's what I'll do with O. I am happy about this outcome for several reason: All my African American friends would tell me a black man would never get elected in the US, well, they were wrong and a lot of whites came through on that. Hispanic Americans, not just the Mexican American which usually dominate everything related to our communities, have a whole different view of things. I believe/hope the next guy to come would be Puerto Rican or Cuban (Dominican too. Obama being a guy from a single mother who was white, just a great many of my Anglo friends who had lived in trailers for generations (the ones most white libs would prefer to disappear) have a different view now as well knowing that through hard work, advancing education does make things like this possible.
While the above really don't mean much for what is necessary to get things moving, its a nice feeling seeing people coming together and looking like a Kaleidoscope even if it is only momentarily.
I don't believe he is going to be able to do much to reverse the economy, as much of the fault does lie on those who are still in power. I don't believe he is going to be able to keep Americans safe from Terrorism.
And I am concerned that should anyone stand out and speak their mind against Obama they would face an onslaught of criticism or worse.
0
SuperLib
And here it is once again:
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/11/thenextpresidentoftheunit.html?p1=WellMostPop_Emailed1
0
shiuu
Yeah, many people are going to be disappointed when it turns out Obama is not the messiah after all.
Best of luck to him all the same.
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Betzee
He was dubbed "the messiah" in straw man fashion, not by those who supported him.
Your comment was also aimed at GWB's second inauguration, namely that he should have followed FDR's war-time example and toned it way down to reflect resolve and the need for all to sacrifice to achieve victory. "Oh, no, the American people need a party to lift their spirits and make them forget about their troubles....."
In this case, one can say all the spending is a much-needed injection of cash into the DC regional economy. It's certainly not enough to restore prosperity given the damage done by the bursting bubble economy.
Specifically, the effects of plunging home and stock prices as well as the failure of other major economies, specifically Japan and China, to be independent sources of growth do not bode well for a restoration of prosperity for the foreseeable future. Nobody really knows how to create an alternative model of growth since the post-industrial model forged under Ronald Reagan, comprised of cheap credit and cheap imports, has been exhausted.
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wuzzademcrat
"In this case, one can say all the spending is a much-needed injection of cash into the DC regional economy."
The three wealthiest counties in America are exurbs of DC.
0
zurcronium
The schrub just laid out $500k for new china for the whitehouse. That is tax money. Just like the $3 trillion for the Iraq invasion based on WMD that didnt exist.
You rightwingers can think of Obama as the black Jesus. He will save you all from your selves.
0
Betzee
Sounds like they fit the housing bubble demographics then.
I did a little research on the cost figure and found the following:
The Internet and cable news were filled with chatter about the jaw-dropping (and unsubstantiated) number suddenly attached to Obama's swearing-in. But the sloppy reporting and online gossip about the price tag illustrated what happens when journalists don't do their job and online partisans take advantage of that kind of work.
It also highlighted the type of news you can generate when making blatantly false comparisons. In this case, it was the cost of the Obama and Bush inaugurations. The connection was unfair because the Obama figure of $160 million that got repeated in the press included security costs associated with the massive event. But the Bush tab of $42 million left out those enormous costs. Talk about stacking the deck.
http://mediamatters.org/columns/200901170003
0
ca1ic0cat
with headlines like "Chef Waters sees healthier US eating under Obama" in Reuters and the other fish wrappers (http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE50I2KB20090119) I think Obama is going to be doomed to failure by the high (and impossible) expectations.
As far as right wingers go, we don't expect to need any saving by the government. We take care of our selves, thank you. It's you left wing layabouts that need government support.
0
sailwind
And then they complain when we don't fork our hard earned cash...never undertsood that myself.
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wuzzademcrat
The usual Democrat hypocrisy:
"In 2005, Reps. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., and Jim McDermott, D-Wash., asked Bush to show a little less pomp and be a little more circumspect at his party.
"President Roosevelt held his 1945 inaugural at the White House, making a short speech and serving guests cold chicken salad and plain pound cake," the two lawmakers wrote in a letter. "During World War I, President Wilson did not have any parties at his 1917 inaugural, saying that such festivities would be undignified." "The thinking was that, with the nation at war, excessive celebration was inappropriate. Four years later, the nation is still at war. Unemployment has risen sharply. And Obama pressed Congress to release the second half of a $700 billion bailout package in hopes of rescuing a faltering banking industry." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090117/ap_on_go_pr_wh/inauguration_spending
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Taka313
I look forward to seeing you on the highways you drive on, resurfacing and fixing potholes.
It'll be tough, considering the time you must spend home-schooling your children (assuming you have some).
And if not, at least the children you don't have won't have to worry about missing out on going to national parks, as you don't expect, nor apparently want, any support from the govt.
Taka
0
Betzee
How many people are already in Washington? Their presence alone is going to rack up a hefty police overtime bill which will be part of the inauguration expense. To reduce it, should we tell them to go home?
Great legacy.
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Betzee
Do you plan finance your own retirement? As I asked Whitehawk in a post that got deleted, if you object to a prescription drug benefit for seniors, and there were certainly different ways to do than the one we got where the government is paying retail prices for drugs, do you plan to pay out of pocket yourself? Do you have an idea of what you will have to spend to do so? Most entitlement spending goes to the elderly.
0
Taka313
Betzee,
C'mon. Quit throwing softballs. Why not ask our friends on "the right," who don't want govt. support, if they are willing to defend themselves against....(long dramatic pause)...DUN DUN...the terrorists?
Watch how quickly govt. support becomes, not so bad.
Taka
0
OssanAmerica
True, anything is possible. But the only thing that's certain before the party starts is that it's going to be over.
As embarassing as it is, yes. That's how he got to be President.
0
Betzee
One thing that has got to change is Americans are going to need to save more, in part to fund their own retirement. These new fangled financial instruments that propelled the bubble, namely home equity loans, sub-prime mortgages and other innovations that provided easier access to credit were shown to be ponzi schemes. But they fostered a "free lunch" mentality.
You could buy a house with literally nothing down and the appreciation would put money in your pocket. This resulted in an expansion of America's share of global economic activity, since we were able to consume more, and heightened Japanese and Chinese dependence on our seemingly insatiable appetite for their goods.
What replaces this consumption-driven model of economic growth has yet to be revealed.
0
USAFdude
Nope, we're quite realistic about the challenges President Obama faces. But we're still gonna support him to the fullest... well, we good Americans will. THAT'S truly how he got elected President, Ossan.
0
AlfGarnett
USAFdude: What change i hope Mr Obama can do like, is to stop the US army and airforce from killing so many civilians, and calling it collatoral damage.
Bet he don't change Americas war like policies, i hope he does, but i doubt it mate.
0
Molenir
Apparently people took my earlier post seriously. I'll admit it was semi-serious, as I've heard about how Obama is the "savior". I've heard people talk about how they won't have to pay their rent or their groceries because Obama is going to take care of that for them. Really! Basically silly stuff. So my response to this is... If Obama hasn't fixed everything the day after innauguration day, he is a failure.
For years here, all I've read is people criticizing Bush, calling him the most corrupt, most incompetent, most, well fill in the blank with a derogatory comment. I'm sure someone here said it. Most of the time, there has been no basis, or justifiable reason for this kind of abuse. I didn't like Bush myself, but seeing the unreasoning rabid hate against him, made me think, well he must be doing something right.
Because of this though, I am very much looking forward to the day after the inauguration, when Obama officially becomes a failure, and officially becomes the most corrupt, most incompetent, biggest liar ever. Though to be fair, whoever replaces him likely will be given all those titles as well.
0
Wolfpack
And so the cult of Obama begins. I do have to give the guy credit though -he has made a secular political movement (Liberalism/Socialism) into a religeous one. Well, a religeous cult of personality anyway. I'm sure that his picture will hang proudly next to that of Che' in Leftist salon's the world over.
This inauguration is going to be truly immaculate. - Sarge
Well said...
0
USAFdude
Molenir says:
But before that, he says:
Pot, meet kettle.
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Molenir
Exactly my point in making the statement.
0
cleo
If Obama starts as many wars as Bush, and for the same kind of non-reasons, he'll deserve the same criticism Bush got.
War mongering is plenty of basis and justifiable reason.
0
Taka313
Cleo,
As is the politicalization of the Justice Dept., defiance of Congressional subpoenas, "mysterious" disappearance of millions of emails sent from accounts that should not have been used for govt. business in the first place, blatant sloth (more vacation days than any other U.S. president in history) and cronyism leading to incompetence in major govt. posts.
Taka
0
cleo
Taka -
I'm still having trouble swallowing the war mongering. All the other stuff you mention is the rancid icing on a maggot-ridden, mouldering cake.
0
Taka313
Yes, Ma'am, it is.
Taka
0
Molenir
This isn't really the place for this, but politicizing the justice department? Because Bush fired a couple people he was well within his right and power to fire? I mean hell, if he didn't like the way one of them looked, he could say, ugly, you're fired, and there would damn all anyone could do. That was a tempest in a teacup.
Warmongering... I don't disagree with you here. However, getting back to the point I was making previously, about there being no real basis for the hate, or justifiable reason, I don't see it. The man made a case for war, took the US in, then had to spend the next 6 years continuing to fight a war he couldn't pull out of. Not smart, regardless of how you look at it, but reason for hate? Maybe if you are one of the victims of the war. Or if you lost a loved one to it. Its just hard to understand.
Getting back to Obama. The biggest problem I have with the guy, apart from some of his obvious biases, and that he is significantly more socialist then I would like, is that whenever he speaks, its always a soundbyte. Hope, Change etc... All flash, no substance. I'm looking forward to seeing him have to make some actual decisions, rather then just talk about things in a general way. If he can't handle the details, then he will be much more of a failure then Bush ever was.
0
Taka313
Molenir,
Here's the rub on that. You are absolutely correct that the Attorney Generals work at the "pleasure of the president." However...if they were fired as a form of coercion to influence policy, which has been alleged and is still being investigated, technically (and don't take my word for this, look it up) they are in violation of the USA PATRIOT Act because of the expanded definition of domestic terrorist. ;-)
Scoff if you like, but if you look at what is being investigated for the cause of the firings and compare it to the definition of domestic terrorism oulined in the USA PATRIOT Act, you'll see it.
Taka
0
Molenir
The problem with this, is that if one of Bush's advisers doesn't like the look of an AG, he can go to Bush, tell him I hate this guy, mind firing him... Bush does it, and yet doing this, no law has been broken, despite what is alleged. The President has the absolute right to get advice from his people, and these people, the AGs included, all serve at the pleasure of the President. Claiming there is coercion or an attempt to influence policy, when there is a complete lack of evidence is a serious problem. Not the idea of coercion, but the unfounded allegations, and unwarranted investigations.
We are getting off topic here though, so I'll just leave it at that. Assuming this comes up in the news elsewhere, we can pick up the discussion there ok.
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