Obama is a thousand times better than George W Bush...

[kentuck]

But that does not mean he is perfect or beyond criticism. We have a duty to speak up when we think he is wrong. Many think he is wrong with the bailouts of the big banks. Some think it will blow up in his face. We do not want to see him fail. We do not want to see the Party fail. However, that seems to be the direction we are headed.

Personally, I agree with Barack on just about every issue. I just happen to think he is getting advice from the wrong people on these bailouts. I reserve the right to disagree with my President when I think he is wrong. I am no expert on this economic crisis. But, I do not believe we can fix the old order. I believe we need a strong transformative President, a president that sees the need for change in this financial system. I believe the President thinks it can be done without pain or sacrifice. Just because I don't agree with the President on every issue does not mean I do not support my President.

[ulysses]

1. heretic!! naderite!!! EVIL ONE!!!!!!

:) Hey, kentuck.

[Cant trust em]

7. Criticism is one thing, pretending that just another corporatist whore...

bent on sticking it to the American people is totally different.

There does seem to be a faction on DU who is promoting that idea.

[LakeSamish706]

2. You forgot that he is a thousand, thousand times better than McCain/Palin as well...

No he is not perfect and I can honestly say that he has pissed me off on a number of choices for sure. The however is he is still headed in the right direction, albeit not as direct as I would like.

[Richd506]

19. I agree

We cannot expect him to be a miracle worker but he is moving in the right direction and he should get the credit that he deserves. Besides, people seemed to have not been paying attention to him back during the campaign. Many of the things he said that he would are things he's doing now.

[natrat]

3. please, he is overseeing massive and unprecedented theft-he sucks

[The Wielding Truth]

9. And you would rescue the economy..... how?

[Bluebear]

4. PUMA! Right winger! Imitario!!!11

[BlooInBloo]

5. Kindly point me to ANYONE who says Obama is "beyond criticism"...

Else admit you're just making shit up.

[ulysses]

10. define "criticism".

[Richd506]

20. Nobody said that

But neither is anyone beyond perfect. He isn't a messiah but he certainly isn't Bush...

[Enthusiast]

29. No left leaning person

that I have talked with has claimed Obama is a any kind of messiah. That is a Reich Wing talking point.

[Mike 03]

6. Kentuck, I always listen to you and read your opinions closely

And take them seriously.

I'm glad you are here, even though we may not agree on every issue.

What you have to say is always important.

[Mike 03]

8. And Kick and Rec, BTW. NT

[No.23]

11. It all depends on where your highbar is, of course.

If you're a liberal, then you're probably looking through the lens of reform (changing or modifying the old system).

Whereas, and if you're a leftist, you're probably looking through the lens of revolution (creating new systems).

The former highbar is certainly lower than the latter one.

It pretty much depends which on lens you peer through for change.

[Double T]

12. doubling and tripling the national debt will not lead to an economic recovery..........

but will certainly become our ruination. washington politics and legislation is about the preservation of the wealthy, the rest of us truly do not matter.

[OhioChick]

15. You have a point there. n/t

[MadMaddie]

17. If by reporting the actual cost of the wars in the budget

is doubling the debt than so be it. The previous administration willingly excluded those numbers and many others. This is of no fault of President Obama. We now know those numbers and we can deal with them realistically.

The country is so caught up in the banking system and it's grasp around our damn necks that we can't let them all fail. (I hate to say it)

Once the shovel ready projets start in earnest we will see a return on our money. It's not going to happen overnight.

[kentuck]

21. Why can we not let 3 or 4 of the big investment banks fail??

I do not doubt that it would be traumatic for our markets and for overseas markets, also. How would that manifest itself? Our foreign lenders would be very nervous and upset, I would suspect? They might refuse to lend us any more money? Even if we promise them that our debts are good. We just have to figure out what percentage to help AIG pay off the foreign lenders, but not at 100% of their debt. They are part of the world economy, but in a capitalist system, there is still the old rule, caveat emptor.

Then if these countries refuse to lend us any money, we will no choice but to cut our deficits. That would mean that we would have to cut spending and/or raise taxes. Sounds like the way we used to do business, don't it?

But this would upset the entire world banking system, they would say. As if it could be more upset than it is now?

But it could be worse, they would say. There are still $50 trillion of guaranteed credit default securities out there, they would say. So? And you expect the American people to back up the bad decisions that bankers in Europe and Asia made with American investment banks?? Otherwise?

Otherwise, we will freeze all the money supply and all the world economies will go into recession or depression. Did you really think you had a choice? What do you think this is, a democracy??

[Double T]

28. WHO is saving the banks? WE the people are saving the corrupt banks.

And to thank all of US for saving their miserable asses, they jack-up the interest rates and fees on our accounts. Meanwhile do nothings like chris dodd continue to hold office. Ongoing trade deficits, exponential increases in the national debt, stagnant and declining wages, ever escalating inflation, continued decrease in home values and business as usual by corporate america and criminal wall street will not allow there to be a recovery for the majority of US. america has become the nation ONLY of the wealthy, by the wealthy and for the wealthy so help it god. An economy based on bailouts, stimulus packages and shopping is doomed to failure.

[lostnotforgotten]

13. Being Better Is Not Being Perfect - No Doubt, Obama Is A Significant Improvement

And yet more improvement is called for.

[jimlup]

14. If we must quantify Obama per Bush it isn't 1000

It's undefined - Because Obama per Bush is a division by zero!

[Starry Messenger]

16. Oh noes!

You must be one of those ihateobama people. :sarcasm: I hope this place finds some equilibrium soon. There is more fingerpointing on DU right now than at a fucking mime convention.

[spag68]

18. Obama-bush

1000 times 0 is still 0

[Skittles]

22. being 1000 times better than bush just makes him average

[lutefisk]

27. I was just thinking that Dan Quayle would be about 700 times better than Bush.

.
.
.
:shrug:

[MADem]

23. Disagree on matters of policy all you want.

So long as you don't use the hyperbolic language (He LIED!!! HE BETRAYED the CAUSE!!! He's an EVIL POLITICIAN!!!) then your concerns will be noted and people won't, if they're not jerks, excoriate you for your reasoned views.

I'm not in love with a few of his positions, but I weigh the good with the not-so-good, and the good wins out on my scale. I want to give him room--I figure he deserves at least half the wiggle room that Bush got (and no one expected shit from Bush until September the Twelfth of his first year in office...and he was slow to deliver on that day, IIRC).

So, I'll stay off his ass for a few months yet.

People aren't binary. They can object to Item A, cheer for Item B, and be neutral or moderately approving of Items C, D and E. If something gets your goat, mention it. Carping for the sake of carping, though, is not on.

[kentuck]

24. I can agree with that sentiment...

One can disagree with his positions but there is no use to jumping all over his ass after what we have experienced for the last eight years...

[silverojo]

25. Your post should be required reading on DU - n/t

[Vidar]

26. Beware of multiplying by zero.