Young voters at MTV forum challenge President Obama on big issues

[cal04]

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/124327-young-voters-challenge-obama-on-gay-rights-economy

(snip)
“If the economy does not improve over the next two years, why should we vote you back in?” asked one audience member.

Another young voter told Obama she voted for him because of his “alleged” commitment to equality, and then ask why he had not yet ended the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.

Obama responded by defending his economic record with a now familiar checklist of the policies he has put in place and the economy he inherited.

On “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” the president said he believes he has “enough votes in the Senate to go ahead and remove this constraint on me” as the House has done.


President Obama's MTV town hall: Highlights
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/10/blogger-mtv-asked-for-light-qu.html

[tularetom]

1. He believes he has enough votes in the senate?

I want some of what he is smoking.

I seriously believe that if some senator put forth a resolution affirming that the president was indeed an American citizen, it would fail.

Every single republican would vote against it as would a few wimpy Democrats.

He has no reliable support in the senate. It isn't his fault but there it is. The Democrats have been whipped by the beltway media.

[Arkana]

3. Oh, if the damn thing came to the floor it would pass--I honestly believe that.

But Republicans will never allow that.

[Phx_Dem]

2. Go ahead and vote for the teabaggers/Republicans and see how fast

you never get a job. Unless you want to move overseas.

Someone needs to tell them that the President doesn't have a magic wand that creates jobs.

[MadMaddie]

5. Yep! Couldn't have said it better myself!

[Doctor_J]

6. It isn't that much different.

The only big change I can see over the next 2 years of teabagger rule is that the continuing economic disaster will be drowned out by the impeachment.

President Obama doesn't have a magic wand to create jobs, but he could have fired all the Rove political hacks in the US Attorneys office, handed Cheney, Yoo, and Bybee over to the Iraqis, prosecuted, tried, and imprisoned or executed Rove for the Valerie Plame affair, investigated Jeff Gannon, and prosecuted the fraudsters who robbed the treasury blind. Restoring the rule of law to the Executive Branch would go a long way toward rallying the voters.

[howaboutme]

8. Although I will say

that the stimulous package that gave big money to the states to maintain the public sector status quo instead of pouring needed billions into improving new infrastructure was a disappointment.

[nashville_brook]

11. someone needs to tell the president there's no "common ground" to be had with them.

[rug]

4. "remove this constraint on me".

:wow:

Constraint on him?

:wow:

[howaboutme]

7. What about an executive order?

What about an executive order? Bush used them all the time to usurp the public interest and Constitution? DADT usurps no one. This is about pushing the buck around.

[Thrill]

9. Executive order won't change much. The next President can just

come in and undo that. You want it done legislatively and then signed by the President

[rug]

10. It's been tried, adjudicated and declared unconstitutional. Leave it be.

There, constraint removed.

[Jennicut]

12. It would be gone for as long as Obama is President. It is definitely not a long term solution.

If Obama were to lose in 2012 in two years it could be voted on again and DADT could be in place again.

[Clio the Leo]

13. All of the big issues EXCEPT Afghanistan ............

... Wow.