It’s been said that Obama will have the first billion dollar campaign for 2012. What do you think about this staggering amount of money?
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/04/04/am-obama-announces-reelection-campaign/
Elizabeth Chang, of the Post Sunday magazine, was disappointed with Obama’s racial self-designation as black on his 2010 Census Form. Chang, the mother of Asian and Caucasian children, thinks that Obama’s “accurate” portrayal of himself as biracial would serve a useful purpose of helping rid our society of the needless construct of race. She makes some compelling arguements.
Chang points out that Obama was rasied by a white mother and grandparents. She fails to point out that his current extended family include a wife and daughters widely seen as black. Obama says he self identifies as being black and that he is proud of that racial designation.
I ask, why can’t we let him decide on these types of personal questions?
Filed under Obama
According to a BBC poll, the influence of the U.S. is seen as more positive than negative by a number of countries. This contrasts with poll results during the Bush years.
I heard these results on a BBC news program which is broadcast overnight by KMUW. They, of course, interviewed a conservative talk radio host, who viewed the positive views of Obama by “Democratic/Socialist countries” as less than reassuring. The BBC host did a fairly good job of ridiculing this bumpkin on how it is hard to see how positive views can be so negative.
My president is not perfect, but I am still proud of him and support him.
iggydonnelly
Filed under Obama
Dana Milbank of the WashPo reports on Obama’s alleged hostility to the press. I am inclined to see these reported actions as “smart management” of the 4th estate, rather than supression of my right to know.
I had not seen this amusing photo before.
iggydonnelly
Filed under Obama
The ultra-conservative New York Post recently commented on the reversal of fortunes of Palin and Obama. This time last year Obama was the sensation, this year it is Palin’s turn.
To quote the article:
“This flip-flop in fortunes stems from many factors, war and recession chief among them. Yet ultimately, Obama has mostly himself to blame.
“He’s aligned himself with the left wing of his party instead of the ordinary Americans who identify with Palin. His Ivy League eloquence seems tired next to her wrong-side-of-the-tracks passion.”
It is stunning to me how people like Rupert Murdoch and his employees can get reality so completely wrong. Obama has not aligned himself with the left. He has bent over backward to not do so. Rather than being a non-partison solution, this strategy, is in fact, his major failing – i.e., refusing to work for and with his base.
On what alternate universe do conservatives camp out?
Filed under Obama
Only three of the president’s 23 nominations for federal judgeships have been confirmed. Not only are his nominations not being confirmed, but he is slacking on making nominations. In the same period that Obama has named 23 nominees, President George W. Bush forwarded 95. Caseloads are beginning to clog the federal judicial system, with 10 percent of judicial seats remaining vacant in appeals and district courts.
Read more here.
fnord
Filed under Democratic Party, Obama
The economy, Afghanistan, the charges of radical leftist/communist/Marxist/Maoist agenda, all the controversy around reforming health care and the inexplicable opposition to anything Obama should indicate success for Republicans in the 2010 mid term elections. All those factors should also point toward this president likely being a one-term president. If you listen to the people who seem to be Republican spokespersons, that’s what they will tell you will happen. But if you study the numbers, that’s not what’s going on.
The Wall Street Journal has an interesting story that contends Tea Party activists are energizing the Republican Party, but all that enthusiasm comes with a price: They may be scaring away the moderates that would help the GOP retake the House in 2010. With closed primaries, the smaller “more pure” Republican party will nominate only the most far right-wing movement conservatives they can find, further alienating moderates.
Yes, the loudest of the Republicans are predicting a big comeback and just may be the reason the party stays out of power until they get their heads on straight.
fnord
Filed under Elections, hate groups, Obama, Political Reform, Radical Rightwing groups, Republicans
Regardless of what Obama might do, it will always be wrong. We all know this and such a position is undoubtably true, regardless of any evidence to the contrary.
The above affirmations of FACT make me wonder why Eugene Robinson would utter such foolishness:
“The problem for the addlebrained Obama-rejectionists is that the president, as far as they are concerned, couldn’t possibly do anything right, and thus is unworthy of any conceivable recognition. If Obama ended world hunger, they’d accuse him of promoting obesity. If he solved global warming, they’d complain it was getting chilly. If he got Mahmoud Abbas and Binyamin Netanyahu to join him around the campfire in a chorus of ‘Kumbaya,’ the rejectionists would claim that his singing was out of tune.” Read the full editorial here.
Obama wasn’t born in this country, he has no right to be president. He wasn’t born of a Virgin birth, therefore he is not the legitmate leader of this country. How silly can the rightwing nuts get?
Any predictions on the next silly attack on Obama? I suspect the exteme right will harp on him about investments in a failed Arkansas resort. Anyone else have ideas about the next accusations?
Iggydonnelly
Filed under Obama
E.J. Dionne considers the question posed by this thread’s header. While it is likely racism drives some of the opposition to Obama, it is also true that the antagonists have some ligitimate concerns.
For example, Dionne points out: “Middle-income men, especially those who are not college graduates, have borne the brunt of economic change bred by globalization and technological transformation. Even before the recession, the decline in the number of well-paid jobs in manufacturing hit the incomes of this group of Americans hard. The trouble in the construction industry since the downturn began has compounded the problem.”
Interestingly, Dionne has an Austrailian friend who lived through a similar “Angry White Men” period in her country. “Gillard [Dionne’s friend] argued that the key to battling the politics of rage is to acknowledge that it is driven by ‘real problems’ and not simply raw feelings.”
What would be the best way help the disenfrancised white men? Does Obama have the political skill to reach out to this group?
Read the editorial here.
iggydonnelly
While the LGBT community has been understandably disappointed in Obama’s implementation of his professed support for gay rights, some, including Representative Barny Frank, contend that real progress is being made. The progress Frank is referring to is the Hate Crime legislation that will include attacks motivated by the victims’ sexual orientation.
Also the LGBT community is reportedly pleased by the Obama’s appointment to his staff of approximately 100 openly gay persons. Obama has taken heat from right wing groups who have attacked two gay members of his team: Kevin Jennings (Education Department) and Chai Feldblum (nominee to the Equal Opportunity Commission).
The reason the Team Obama gives for being so slow in implementing much for the LGBT community is that with wars, the economy, and joblessness, he already has “a lot on his plate.” Okay, but human rights seem like an issue worthy of the POTUS’s attention, as well.
Read more here.
Filed under Marriage Equality, Obama
This came in an email from our friend Mary — the heading is the words she used.
fnord
Filed under hate groups, Obama, Radical Rightwing groups, Republicans, Wingnuts!