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The Stone Wall

By Pat Racimora on August 22, 2009 at 10:01 AM in President Barack Obama

I loved Hillary. But my Obama-happy friends were so sure that he would make major changes if he became our President. “Hope” would lead to a better way for us all.

But here we are 8 months into Year One, and I have yet to feel hopeful. What I wanted most was that oft-promised transparency.

He said it so many times that I came to believe he really meant it. But, lobbyists still run amok in Washington despite a promise to curb their influence. Backroom deals have been crafted with Big Pharma, hospitals (and who knows who else?) that hardly include what we were promised on their agendas. Other broken promises that block us off include one that would allow 5 days for public comment before signing bills and another vowing to negotiate health care reform openly on C-SPAN. In short, we are standing on the other side of a stone wall.

It would be unfair to say that Obama has not kept any promises. He has. But some major ones that formed the bases for his widespread support have been scrapped, and most have yet to be dealt with. (We’ll see how those go as time passes.) But, so far I am not feeling included or hopeful. (See a fairly reasonable promise tally here).

JohnnyB

Good one, again Pat. Your cartoon puts the issue in front of the readers.

I think we are looking at the highest levels of Propaganda “Bending the Media to your Message”.
Then what people read, they believe it to be true.
Two days later, when the opposite is said, then those that opposed the earlier comment now say “good, they changed positions. The people supporting the earlier position, don’t believe the change in position is real. They get both sides to be happy (we all get confused).

Media Manipulation.
Happened during the primaries, now carried out with the assistance of the full powers of government and their agencies, led by the Pentagon.
It’s sad when you have to read foreign newspapers on the web to see what is happening in the U.S. and throughout the War(s) Zone. Is citizen involvement futile?
Solara 9

The cartoon says it all–not too much else to add!

I was looking forward to the CSPAN televised hearings on health care. Obama said that would happen with such enthusiasm. I was excepting to learn a lot. Not to be. I guess I should not be surprised.

I guess I am just trying to factor out how much of this is his total inexperience and how much was bamboozling us.
christine from chicago

New Column: Obama’s Brick Wall: The American People

ABSOLUTELY MUST READ COMMENTARY…
NOW THAT WE ARE ALL DISCUSSING BRICK WALLS…
THIS IS BY RUSH’S BROTHER DAVID, WHO TRULY HITS THE NAIL ON THE HEAD!

http://www.davidlimbaugh.com/mt/archives/2009/08/new_column_obam_22.html

Tricia Spiegel

As a former Progressive Democrat turned 100% cynic, I found some of this article right on, but other parts are too much like his brother to seduce me. For example, the Iraq War successful? Yikes…

But I do agree that Obama has totally misjudged what he would be getting himself in to. He is spinning, and unfortunately that takes us with him.

Diana L. C.

Tricia,

What you said.

beachnan

I agree with Tricia and Diana. As a former Dem, I have tried to listen to Rush, and his blatant commentary that left is bad, right is good, always turns me off. His brother David, did make some good comments. I just wish more Americans would declare themselves Independent. That way, both parties would be forced to work hard to get our votes. Pelosi’s and Stoyer’s article painting people who disagree with healthcare reform as unAmerican, was as infuriating as Bush’s and the Right’s attempt to paint all antiwar protestors as unAmerican. I am fed up with both sides and their hipocracy.

Benjamin

I agree with Limbaugh’s article 100%. Many look at Obama’s cozy relationships with certain banks (Goldman Sachs, Citigroup) and say he’s Bush 3. But we have to look at the big picture to truly understand what he’s up to.

With his share of the TARP money, Obama injected money into the banks by buying equity positions in them. Many of the banks were forced to take the money whether they wanted it or not. Banks like Sachs and Citigroup were allowed to pay TARP funds back and operate as usual – but many banks have NOT been allowed to pay the money back. Obama wants to keep control, and he’s reaching into the boardroom controlling pay and bonuses. No one is quite sure to what extent Obama has nationalized the banks.

Then he forcibly imposed bankruptcy deals on Chrysler and GM that took control, punished secured bondholders, and rewarded his buddies in the UAW. Bankruptcy and contract law states that the secured investors are paid firset in the event of a liquidation – but in this case the private sector investors were forced to the bottom. One of the lawyers for a pension fund that was holding out stated that these private investors were intimidated and threatened by the Obama administration.

When Hugo Chavez does this stuff in Venezuela, no one is shy about calling it socialism, or Marxism. But when Obama does the same thing here, many are in denial. “It couldn’t happen in the United States,” they think.

And then we come to ObamaCare, which in my opinion is not really about health care, covering the uninsured, reducing costs or anything else. For Obama, it’s about power and control. Single-payer has always been – and remains – the goal, and Obama himself has stated this a couple of times.

Obama is an Alinsky-trained community organizer who shares the movement’s goal of a “quiet incremental revolution” – a Marxist revolution. It’s a movement that hijacked the democratic party with Obama at the head, and now controls the levers of power in the Federal Government.

At this point, I believe Obama has more in common with Huge Chavez and Mussolini than George W. Bush.

http://www.hillaryorbust.com Hillary or Bust

One of the reasons I opposed Obama so strongly during the campaign is that I had this strange feeling he wanted to be dictator – but not just of America, the world.

This is where I get all NWO conspiracy, but I always felt it was bizarre that Obama was traveling and doing big speeches to Berlin during an election. I think they were trying to pave the way for him to take over a world government.

Thing is, I think “they” (meaning the rich oligarchy) overestimated Obama’s appeal and abilities.

He’s frankly just not likable enough to pull this off on that big a scale.

Benjamin

Agreed. He’s done many things like a dictator. Look at the way ObamaCare has played out. Obama comes out in July and says he wants it done by August, a period of about three weeks. He says, “We’re gonna get this done. DON’T bet against us.” He cracks the whip and Pelosi swings into action, cracking “her” whip.

Each week the talking points are different. One week it’s about covering the uninsured; then it’s about reducing costs; then it becomes demonizing the insurance companies; then it becomes demonizing anybody who opposes him, including many normal citizens (mostly senior citizens) who dare to show up at town halls and oppose the bill.

I’m floored by his latest attempt to play the “God” card. He meets with a group of rabbis, stesses the morality of his plan, states that opponents are “bearing false witness,” and requests that clergy preach in favor of ObamaCare from the pulpit. Unreal. Does this mean that anyone who doesn’t sign on is supposedly committing a sin? If GWB had met with a group of evangelicals and requested that they preach in favor of The Patriot Act, the media and the left would have gone nuts.

http://www.hillaryorbust.com Hillary or Bust

I am reminded of a term that I must have gotten from Jon Stewart or Colbert a long time back – it was how the phone companies had created a “confusopoly.” Basically, they confused you so much about what their rates were, it was an effective monopoly.

Obama appears to be trying to run a “confuserment.” Basically, confuse people enough so they have no clue what you are really up to.

Animal Control

Obama appears to be trying to run a “confuserment.”

This was perfected by Obama’s cousin-Dick Cheney!

Benjamin

Oh by the way, the NWO thinking is not that far-fetched when you look at Obama’s pick for global warming czar, Carol Browner. Until just before her selection, she was listed as one of 14 leaders of a socialist group’s Commission for a Sustainable World Society, which calls for “global governance” and says rich countries must shrink their economies to address climate change.

grayslady

Alinsky isn’t the issue. Too many on the right keep trying to make Obama out to be a socialist. He’s not. Obama is a corporate puppet, as well as a puppet of the DNC. Just like Bush, he’s in constant campaign mode. Whose office do you think is closest to Obama’s in the WH? David Axelrod’s. This is just Bush/Rove all over again. Everything Obama has done so far–everything–is about maintaining the pool of big corporate campaign donors for the Dems and not the Repubs. The same would be true if the Repubs were in power.

The rich have convinced the pols that since they own most of America’s assets, they should have the biggest say-so in how our economy is run. Problem is, most of those individuals who control the major companies have driven those companies right into the ground, but both parties keep giving them more and more political favors while the rest of us remain in serfdom. Hillary and Kucinich were the only candidates running last year who still had a shred of interest in helping the average American.

http://www.hillaryorbust.com Hillary or Bust

I agree. I don’t think Obama is a socialist or a communist. I think he’s out for control. The right senses this and has to label it “socialist” when it’s really just corporate/fascist.

grayslady

Exactly.

http://firefox Martha Washington Collier

Yes, Fascism is when corporations and the government are partners.

Any of you see the documentary “The Corporation” from a couple of years ago (now on DVD)? Perfect fit. That’s why Bush was called a Fascist…same with this guy…seamless. Only their rhetoric is different to soothe their followers.

If you watch it, you’ll see that some of the corporate criminals were actually defeated by popular uprisings. For instance, the South American country (Bolivia?), its water system taken over by the government and massively taxed to 1/3 of their income, forcing the people to collect rain water. When the crooked politicians in the pockets of the corporate thieves passed laws making that illegal, they took to the streets. A few people were killed but finally they won. Bechtel was in the middle of that one.

That’s exactly the reason they mock and try to dismiss the Tea Parties and Sarah Palin. Sarah is way too effective with her populist following and isn’t controllable.

Karma

Excellent summary…

Here it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw5Fon_EjGw&feature=channel_page

http://firefox Martha Washington Collier

Thanks, Karma. I teared up again watching that. The Bolivians did finally win that round but my God, what they lost along with it. That’s Fascism.

The entire film is truly instructional…beginning with the change of how corporations gained the same rights as individuals.

That said, you have to wonder whether the filmmakers were fooled by 0Zer0 and voted for him.

Benjamin

Again, I think you guys are looking at his cozy relationships with corporations like GE, Goldman Sachs, etc., and not looking at the big picture. The expansion of government and the interference in the private sector by Obama has been unprecedented and is the very defintion of socialism/Marxism. All the parts are there, including class warfare, and a desire to redistribute wealth.

If ObamaCare were to pass in its current form, the level of the government’s control over our economy would equal Britain or any other European socialist state.

imustprotest

No, I agree with Hillary or Bust. Obama’s a corporate fascist.
grayslady

First of all, Benjamin, Britain is not a socialist state. Not even close. Secondly, in case you haven’t noticed, the wealth has already been redistributed–away from the average American and into the pockets of big campaign donors. When was the last time you received a big bonus just for showing up?

Benjamin

Okay, we agree to disagree. But I look at Obama’s background, his record, his training, his mentors, all through his life. I feel he is a charismatic demagogue who is driven by his ideology. And it’s an ideology that DOES NOT have a positive view of our society. Obama views America as a greedy, gluttonous society, and he seeks to transform America into something that is totally alien to us. I believe it’s his ideas of social and economic justice that drive him.

Seriously, look at his entire background and the ideology in which he has been indoctrinated. In his book, he stated that his training as an Alinsky organizer was the most important education of his life. He attended a church for 20 years based on Black Liberation Theology, which is a Marxist philosophy.

Finally, in 2001, Obama said the court of Chief Justice Earl Warren, from 1953 to 1969, was not “radical” because it did not wander into the area of redistributive justice: “To that extent, as radical as I think people tried to characterize the Warren Court, it wasn’t that radical.”

You know, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck . . . it just might be a duck.

grayslady

A lot of what Obama wrote in his books was “show biz”, IMO. A lot of it was not. Which President did he think was most transformational? Ronald Reagan.

Obama’s biggest personal influence, IMO, was his rich, white grandmother. I think he’s always been angry at his mother for not ensuring that he was born white. I mean, ask yourself: What kind of son prefers to continue running a campaign for local office instead of being at his dying mother’s bedside? Maybe a guy with a chip on his shoulder? Don’t know, but it’s certainly possibly.

He’s wanted to be part of the white ruling class all his life, but the only way that was going to happen is if he gamed the system–convinced the rich, white powerbrokers that he was a safe gamble. He wasn’t an “angry black”, like say Jesse Jackson. Reverend Wright? He disavowed him as quickly as it becamely politcally opportune for him to do so.

No, Obama’s used anyone and everyone to become part of the inner circle of the ruling class. It’s never been about socialism. It’s always been about oligarchy.

Benjamin

I always interpreted his comment about Reagan was a way to get a dig in at Bill Clinton. By saying that Reagan was transformational, he was specifically stating that Bill Clinton was NOT.

Politically, Obama is the exact opposite of Reagan, in just about every way.

Anyway, no matter what label we put on Obama, I think we can all agree that his presidency is NOT GOOD for America. I think he is a disaster, and it will get worse.

Thinker

By saying that Reagan was transformational, he was specifically stating that Bill Clinton was NOT.

- I agree with this statement 100%!!!

I thought the exact same thing.

It was the things he didn’t say which said the most.
He kept praising Reagan NON-STOP and I always felt that it was a jab against Clinton.

Thanks for confirming that I wasn’t the alone one thinking this.

You bring some very well-thought out opinions about Obama to the table.

I go back and forth. Sometimes I think that he’s nothing but a corporate opportunist. He received the most money from Wall Street, etc. And then I start to look at his background & all of these people who believe in socialism start popping up one after the other.

But like you said, either way, this guy is not good for America.
http://www.hillaryorbust.com Hillary or Bust

Yes, we can agree…whatever Obama’s true motivation is, he wants power and he’s not good for America.

PS We have yet to see a *real* communist society where it’s about the workers owning the means of production. What we’ve had is oligarchies using communist ideals as a way to control the masses and take away their freedoms. Chinese communism is not for the people – China’s communism is for the elite who runs it.
Diana L. C.

Yes, he doesn’t have Alzheimer’s, just NPD.

http://www.hillaryorbust.com Hillary or Bust

Obama has no real intention of spreading the wealth. What he is doing is collapsing the economy so America can be rebuilt as a more totalitarian version of itself under “one world government rule” by a small group of bankers and corporate oligarchs.

http://www.lesstalkmoreactivism.blogspot.com whoframedrudy

I’m not sure. If you wanted to bring total socialism, you’d need a strategy to buy off the corporate power base in America. Corporate welfare might do the trick — make corporations dependent, then absorb them into the govt. Or watch them fail, then replace them with govt. Just as with fascism, it wouldn’t happen overnight.

I do think Obama is as dangerous to liberty as Bush.

http://in Elizabeth

Fascism, communism, authoritarianism, totalitarianism. All of this is simply a futile exercise in semantic debate. The truth of the matter is that the current administration is simply continuing the traditional path of government in general. Government exists to control. And that is exactly what our government is doing.

Any of those ideologies can only exist where there is no scrutiny by the press of those on power. Having the press corps in bed with the President is the first step by the party in power (whoever it is) towards enabling their agenda of complete control. Accountability to the people will come as his popularity ebbs and the media feels emboldened to take more seriously its duty to question him, and to treat him with a healthy dose of skepticism. Plenty of damage has been done already, but Obama is not going to be in a position to end up a fascist dictator.

trixta

Too many on the right keep trying to make Obama out to be a socialist. He’s not. Obama is a corporate puppet, as well as a puppet of the DNC.

Absolutely! But who is pulling the strings of the DNC?

grayslady

The big campaign contributors.

http://www.lesstalkmoreactivism.blogspot.com whoframedrudy

“For Obama, it’s about power and control.”

So so true. Controlling a person’s health is like putting a ring through a bull’s nose. Illness is leverage. A sick person has no choice but to seek healthcare.

Cancer, heart disease, spinal cord, broken bones — these are the levers of power the socialist is ultimately after.

Obama needs to speak to the preservation of the ‘private option.’ And not through his ridiculous UPS metaphor.
christine from chicago

thank you…Benjamin…you echo my sentiments completely!

Diana L. C.

Yes, no one can see through him because he’s too full of it.
Stan Davis

The Pied Piper leads his mesmerized following into a miasma of opacity of riddles wrapped in conundrums encased by enigmas.

What does this guy really believe, anyway? His stake is planted in quicksand.

Stan Davis
Lakewood, CO

J.J. (The PUMA)

Hi Stan,

I knew you never really drank the Koolaid last year, but rather was JUST being a loyal foot soldier.

Welcome to the ranks of Democrats IN EXILE.

Katmoon

I do think the promises O keeps are only for future campaign purposes. This is why the effort to rush everything thru legislation; I don’t believe for one minute he has any intention of being transparent unless it suits his personal agenda. Sorry, but if he wanted to be transparent, then why all the lies, over and over again. I

HOPE

he grows a conscience.

blue orchid

Anyone who really paid attention during Obama’s campaign would have realized all along, that one thing Obama is not is transparent, as I have been telling people. How anyone could think otherwise is beyond me.

William L. Donlon

Go To Drudge This morning, 8/21/09 and do a lap around the major News out lets, ABC, CBS, CNN, NYT, WASH.POST.

Not one is running a story about the Two Trillion miss in the Obama budget. NOT ONE. That would be — racist?

Fox News, The Huffington Post, Drudge and Hot Air are covering it.

A 7 Trillion To a 9 Trillion miss is BIG News. NOT!
A 29% miss is BIG news. NOT!

But you must trust the same gang that can’t file Income Taxes straight, to get Health Care, 1/6th of the American Economy right, or you are a — racist, un-American Brooks Bro. Suit Wearing mobster astro turfer.?.

The Obama Gang predicted a 4% growth in the Economy for 2010 when they put their budget together back in Jan – Feb of 2009.

Think of it. 4% growth following the crash of 08 – 09 I mean really.

EVERYONE KNEW THAT THEY WERE BLOWING SMOKE.

BUT, Not one major news organization had the guts to step up and call them on it. They would have been — racist?

The numbers were supposed to be released by July 15 but were held until now.

No one needs to ask WHY, do you?

We all knew why but again not one News Organization called the Obamas on it. That would have been — racist?

This is a conspiracy of silence by the MSM and FOX’s ratings are going through the roof.

Those racist, un-American, astro turfing, Brooks Bros. wearing mobsters are tuning in to get the — truth?
Ellen D

Next election Obama vs Romney? For the first time in my life I think I’d sit that one out?

J.J. (The PUMA)

I plan to work for Romney, assuming he runs, for five reasons:

1. I think he is more liberal than how he campaigned.

2. He is not Obama.

3. He is not Huckabee.

4. He is not Palin.

5. He is not Obama.

Yes I know number 5 is a repeat. Its that important.

http://in Elizabeth

In my opinion, if anyone is still looking for a silver lining, Obama is just about 100% guaranteed to be a one term President. After all the uproar over his missing birth certificate there is no way states are going to let him on the ballot for re-election without seeing his full, long-form Hawaii birth certificate.

jbjd

I always assumed this explained why he was in such a rush to loot the Treasury. In fact, I think he is anticipating Impeachment at any moment.

http://noquarter foxyladi14

or a serious health problem.remember we only saw one page of his medical records.

Docelder

When you look at Obama… you just know he is like a turtle perched on the top of a fence post… he is just up there and you know good and well there is no way he could have climbed up there on his own. But, the same for Romney. What chance does a Republican who is also a Mormon have of being elected governor of the Peoples Republic of Massachusetts? I believe you are right though about him likely being the next golden child. I am not buying it.

Benjamin

Heh, yeah, a Post Turtle. He doesn’t belong up there, he didn’t get up there on his own, and you wonder just what in the hell he’s doing up there in the first place.
oowawa

Yes, Doc. This metaphor also instructs in the ways it doesn’t apply. The fence turtle is, to me, very tragic–life struggling to get out of its predicament, but incapable of using its limbs at all. How sad! Thee One, on the other hand, is on top of the fencepost, striking poses, waiting for the rest of the animals in the barnyard to bow down and start worshipping him. How laughable!

tzada

I would never vote for Obama. Romney I want never to have to vote for. It’s like the devil and the deep blue sea.

Obamastolemycountry

Well in ’08 I never wanted to vote for McCain either. I voted against Obama. That is what I will do again in 2012. If you learned anything in 2008 it should have been to not sit one out! Obama would not be president right now if republicans hadn’t chosen the sit out! Please. If you cannot stomach voting for something than please vote against Obama. if you can’t do that then make sure you work on making him prove his eligibilty to run in 2012. Make it a law that all candidates must be validated before being placed on the ballot, if not federally, work on it in your state. Please do not sit out on America. Take some action. Please!

When there is nothing to vote for, look for something to vote against!

sowsear

In all of my life, I never expected to vote Republican at any level. I would hope not to have to vote for Rommney either, but I will if that’s the choice. Strange bedfellows and all that!

Thinker

Same here.

I’m only 29, but I never thought I would see the day when I wouldn’t vote for the Democratic nominee, NEVER thought I would actually leave the party to become Independent, and NEVER, NEVER, thought I’d see the day when I would consider voting Republican.

wow.

http://firefox Martha Washington Collier

I will vote for whoever is not an Obama or his supporter. Democrats in exile = the Resistance. And I will not allow anyone to deter me in doing all that I can in seeing him voted out of the White House. Don’t start picking apart the opposition. That won’t fly now.

I plan to re-register from Independent to Republican to have some input for the 2010/2012 Primaries. A Democrat my entire voting history, never again.

helenk

I am 70 and was a democrat all my voting life.
May 31 2008 made me ashamed to be a democrat and I changed to independent. I voted republican for the first time in my life this last election. Until there are drastic changes in the democratic party and they get some principles again I will never vote democratic again.
Dean – Pelosi – Brazille – Kerry – Kennedy – Reid and several more must go. Backtrack is Karl Rove’s wet dream. He did what the republicans could not do. He divided and trashed the democratic party.

WOMEN WITH INTELLIGENCE AND EXPERIENCE,MEN WHO SUPPORT THEM AND COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY ALWAYS

PUMAS,BUBBAS,EQUALISTS AND THOSE PEOPLE RULE

jwrjr

I disagree slightly. I think that it is fair to say that Ozero hasn’t kept any promises. For those (few) times that his actions resemble his campaign promises, he did those things because they were convenient at the time. Not because he promised them.
Clara

Why have I not heard one journalist or reporter ask him about those promised televised negotiations? WHY is this not apparent to anyone who could actually challenge him publicly?

jwrjr

Because to question His Majesty Ozero the First would be “unamerican“.

~~JustMe~~

did we forget it’s what me meant to say?
http://firefox Martha Washington Collier

Don’t you mean racist? They’re still trying to fly that one.

Patterson in NY now saying his troubles are due to racism. Not racist of course when he was put in office. What a bunch of jokers.

Katmoon

Probably because he was busy taping his best wishes for Ramadan message; and no offense intended here. It seems contrary to have this be the message that goes out, close to the time when this terrorist was released. IMHO

Source: http://www.washingtonmoroccanclub.org/articles/president-obama-wishes-happy-ramadan-to-the-moslim-world.html

tzada

Did you know that on his call with rabbis, the background music that was played was some kind of German song? Odd, I really find that odd.

tzada

Played was

“Music on hold is ‘Deutschland uber Alles,’ ” a classical German anthem, the lyrics to which in part say, “Preserve and protect our Kaiser, our land.”

Clara

Are you serious? This is really the sold playing while on hold?

Clara

Meant to say ‘really the song‘ playing…

requiredreading

Clarification: I haven’t heard the music, but from what you write here, it sounds as if it is the Haydn music which was used for national anthems in Germany and Austria. The phrase “Deutschland ueber alles” was never meant to refer to “Germany above everything and everybody else,” — when the original anthem was written to correspond to the unification of the various German states in 1871, it was meant to say that Germany the country should be more important than the individual German states (sort of like people should consider themselves Americans before they consider themselves Texans). This phrase, like everything else, was abused by the Nazis and so continues to have a bad reputation; so of course would be ridiculous to use in any setting of rabbis. (Please, please, please, no anti-German comments here; I’ve lived in Germany and except for the very few far-right extremists in the country, most Germans are as far away from the Nazi-prototype as you can get).

Cathy in Ks.

Why would Obama use any music other than perhaps Jewish religious music for background music when talking to the rabbis? Although I am not Jewish I purchased a songbook of Jewish music several years ago because I entertain for senior citizens and I like to have music for some of the Jewish holidays. Surely someone on the President’s staff could have found a recording of appropriate music for the rabbis?

sowsear

I saw that said, but I wsn’t sure if it was snark, or not. Is there a record of it to check?
tzada

He , being the Repo man said “We are God’s partners in matters of life and death,”

EWard

Liar Liar
Humpty Dumpty
President Wee Wee
President Pantywaist

Obama transparent-give me a break. Look at his record in Chicago and the Senate. The media fawning over Mr. Nothing.

Obama has to lie because his agenda is all about changing the US in radical ways. Lobbyists wrote the HC plan and are funding the campaign to shove it down our throats….the Chicago Way…….

blue orchid

EWard,

I think you got it upside down. The reason Obama is not transparent is because he would like the liberals to believe that he is a pro change liberal, while in fact he is more of a pro status quo conservative.

Tex-Mex Soup

obama has turned out to be everything I HOPED he wouldn’t be but knew deep down inside he was

full of doodoo

pm317

using his own words, full of wee wee..
blue orchid

I would have much preferred Hillary won. Obama has turned out pretty much what I thought/feared he would be. Nonetheless, as much as I like McCain, am relieved that Obama, not McCain, is our president. McCain’s policies on health care and taxes are utterly unconscienable.

Hillary would have been better for the country, because she is not afraid to stand up and fight for what is right, whereas Obama seems more concerned about his personal popularity than the good of the nation.

Someone ought to remind Obama that we send him to Washington to kick butts and bring about change, not to win popularity contest among the Republicans.

Donna Brazile

Blewee:

You SENT him to Washington, not us!

Stop the excusefest!

TeakWoodKite

Stop the weeefest!

Remind him how?
Like the captian of the Lusitania not to leave port?

Donna Brazile

Stop the tweedle dee on the
weedle weeweefest:_)

lorac

Remember this game parents would play with their child’s toes? This is the best I can remember it

This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed home,
This little piggy …..?
And this little piggy went “wee-wee-wee” all the way home

…. maybe BO was signaling that he’s the last little piggy and we’ll soon be done with him!

http://in Elizabeth

Wee Wee Wee is the squeal of a scared pig. Or, he could be saying Congresspeople are so afraid of facing their constituants they are peeing on themselves.

An easily flustered, panicked pig applied to Obama is most appropriate I would think.
oowawa

Very apt and funny association, lorac. Interestingly enough, Wikipedia has an article on this nursery rhyme, “This Little Piggy,” in which it notes, among other fascinating bits of trivia,

The novel Good Omens (1990) by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman depicts an adaptation of the rhyme, sung to the supposed antichrist by his demonic nursemaid.

confusedAmerican

Althought I was Very Against Obama I was still hopefull that a Democrat congress would help our country after all the crap Bush did.

Now I am finding that this is just all a game.
Its a game as to which party can win and then do what ever they want regardless of what us citizens of American want or not.

Its like we won “Ha Ha America” not its the Democrats turn to screw up America.

I am now so ashamed to have ever said I was a Democrat.
yttik

Well there you go, wee weeing on the president’s mojo. He hates that you know.
oowawa

Very pleasing composition, Pat. Beaming Transparent Obama is placed upon an upward-tracking patriotic red-white-blue flag-stripe background that evokes his campaign logo. Inscrutable Brick Obama is running out of the picture through a blank white wasteland, leaving us all alone and puzzled and leaderless. The Promise–The Result. Elegant!

sowsear

Or is that supposed to be Obama’s shadow, as in the shadow government?

sowsear

“Shadows On The Wall”

When the fantasy we live in
Lies in pieces on the ground
And there is no false illusion
That can turn your heart around
Nothing can change the way I feel
Nothing can take your love from me
If only I didn’t worry
If only I could see
If only I could see

Chasing shadows on the wall
Chasing shadows as they dance on the floor
Chasing dreams that were forever young
Now I’m on my own
Chasing shadows on the wall
Shadows on the wall

On the sea of mediocrity
Drifting from a distant shore
No goodbyes no celebration
No-one there to close the door
Only the silence that I feel
Only the lonely road is real
If only I didn’t lose you
If only we could be
If only we could be

Chasing shadows on the wall
Chasing shadows as they dance on the floor
Chasing dreams that were forever young
Now I’m on my own
Chasing shadows on the wall
Shadows on the wall
Chasing shadows on the wall
Chasing shadows as they start to fall
Chasing dreams that were forever young
Chasing shadows on the wall
Chasing shadows on the wall
Chasing shadows as they dance on the floor
Chasing shadows on the wall

[ http://www.azlyrics.com ]

Solara 9

Nice Sowsear!!! Thanks.
oowawa

Thanks, Sowsear, and thanks to The Moody Blues for this song. There is almost nothing worse than a bamboozler, a razzle-dazzler, who manipulates what is noble and vulnerable in the human soul–in this case the hope for a better tomorrow and belief in our ability to get there–and turns it all into a horrible farce, a silly pursuit of “shadows on the wall” that can only result in a painful disillusionment and bitterness.
oowawa

Spamatized again! Peggy Sue is supposed to be around here somewhere, distracting Him so the rest of us can post in peace.

carolhaka

Fox News confirms with WH that they used “our money” to spam us with Health Care, Sonia and ………

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/22/white-house-reveals-identity-firm-sent-unsolicited-e-mails-health-reform/

Sickening. I want that money back from the individuals involved …………

CAROL HAKA

Better yet, impeach the bas “turd” that did it! (Wanted to add to the juvenile “classless” vocabulary of the TOTUS!)
Rich

Wonderful cartoon! Why is Obama the wall?

Does it mean that he is no longer transparent? Was he really ever transparent or just a movie screen that everyone projected their wishes, hopes, and dreams on? People knew that he had no substantive experience and they chose him anyway.

Is he now a wall because he did not keep his word or because he realized that keeping his word made no sense? To give people five days to read over a 1000 pages before asking for a vote, when the people who vote do not even read those pages anyway, makes no sense and just hold up the wheels of government.

Is he now a wall because before he welcomed people into his public meetings and now only wants people who agree with him, something like Bush, and calls people who do not agree with him and voice their disapproval or disagreement a mob and un-American?

Is he a wall because he makes deals and buys peoples’ support with special inclusion of legislation out of sight, on the other side of the Washington Wall, in the middle of the night and hoping no one will find out or talk about it?

So we had the government confidence rating in the toilet and the economy in great trouble and the public figured the answer was to put an inexperienced person in charge to fix everything just because he looked good, sounded good, and we wanted to send a message to the world of how enlightened we are, and now we are complaining? Why??

Rich
CG

Pat R. thanks for the toon. I loved Hillary too.

See a fairly reasonable promise tally here

the link of http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter [here] doesn’t work for me, maybe site is down, and I am curious to know what’s been tallied, ha, ha. Glenn Greenwald has pretty much summed up my feelings on why Obama is backtracking and why he’ll never have my trust.

The central pledges of the Obama campaign were less about specific policy positions and much more about changing the way Washington works — to liberate political outcomes from the dictates of corporate interests; to ensure vast new levels of transparency in government; to separate our national security and terrorism approaches from the politics of fear. With some mild exceptions, those have been repeatedly violated. Negotiating his health care reform plan in total secrecy and converting it into a gigantic gift to the pharmaceutical and insurance industries — which is exactly what a plan with (1) mandates, (2) no public option and (3) a ban on bulk negotiations for drug prices would be — would constitute yet another core violation of those commitments, yet another bolstering (a major one) of the very power dynamic he vowed to subvert.

…

All other things being equal, it’s better — from the White House’s political perspective — that those industries not spend vast sums of money trying to defeat Obama’s health care proposal, that they not pour their resources into the GOP’s 2010 midterm effort, that they not unleash their fully army of lobbyists and strategists to sabotage the Democratic Party. That’s the same calculating mindset that leads the White House to loyally serve the interests of the banking industry that caused the financial crisis (we don’t want to make enemies out of of Goldman Sachs or turn investment bankers into GOP funders). Indeed, that’s the same mindset that leads the White House to avoid any fights with the Right — and/or with the intelligence community and permanent military establishment — over Terrorism policies (there’s no political benefit to subjecting ourselves to accusations of being Soft on Terror and there’s plenty of reasons to cling to those executive powers of secrecy, detention and war-making).

In essence, this is the mindset of Rahm Emanuel, and its precepts are as toxic as they are familiar: The only calculation that matters is maximizing political power. The only “change” that’s meaningful is converting more Republican seats into Democratic ones. A legislative “win” is determined by whether Democrats can claim victory, not by whether anything constructive was achieved. The smart approach is to serve and thus curry favor with the most powerful corporate factions, not change the rules to make them less powerful. The primary tactic of Democrats should be to be more indispensable to corporate interests so as to deny the GOP that money and instead direct it to Democrats. The overriding strategy is to scorn progressives while keeping them in their place and then expand the party by making it more conservative and more reliant on Blue Dogs. Democrats should replicate Republican policies on Terrorism and national security — not abandon them — in order to remove that issue as a political weapon.

…

all that matters is that we beat the Republicans and we should do anything to achieve that, including serving corporate donors to ensure they fund Us and not Them and turning ourselves into war-making, civil-liberties-abridging, secrecy-loving GOP clones in the national security realm.

But that isn’t what Obama pledged he would do when he campaigned. He repeatedly vowed he would do the opposite — that he would reject that thinking and battle aggressively against domination by what he called “the interests of powerful lobbyists or the wealthiest few” who have “run Washington far too long” — and he convinced millions of people that he was serious, people who, as a result, became fervent devotees to his cause…
Doc99

Letter to Madame Speaker.

oowawa

jpg. didn’t come out right, Doc.

TeakWoodKite

I do not bring BO up in conversation. Yesterday, a co-worker did and the other person in the room was a supporter as well, in fact she proffesed love for him. 2 to 1. The co worker volenteered to the other person, a teacher, that I was didn’t like Obama. Yet when the teacher asked why, my co-worker got in between myself and the teacher as I said “He is an immoral man, (which makes my co-worker nuts) …when someone can explain who you can vote for a person that lets his charges freeze and then denies any knowledge of it, then I might re-consider.”
(crickets) ….They could not respond.

So after my co-worker left and a few minutes had passed, I asked the teacher what she thought of the current healthcare debate.
” I don’t much about it.” was her response.
Pat me thinks the brick was constructed with mortor made from ignorance.

I guess it’s not as bad a s telling someone recently they needed a “power strip” and be asked ,”What’s a power strip?”, this from a person who teaches advanced high school classes.
TeakWoodKite

Help Pat, My comment hit the spam wall.
helenk

http://hotair.com/archives/2009/08/22/video-marine-goes-nuclear-on-democrat-over-obamacare/

I would say that this man speaks for a lot of Americans.

Congress do you job

WOMEN WITH INTELLIGENCE AND EXPERIENCE,MEN WHO SUPPORT THEM AND COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY ALWAYS

PUMAS,BUBBAS,EQUALISTS AND THOSE PEOPLE RULE
tek

Pat: Love to read that people love Hillary. Seriously, I think all the “youth” voters got seduced by Obama’s blathering about how much smarter they were than their parents, etc,. etc. And then all that crap about how we can’t have a Dynasty! (Nevermind that Edward Kennedy is running the show). Now we see how badly this country needed an experienced politician who could have truly stood up to vested interests and weirdo special populations with grace and diplomacy.

Oh, well. I’m so disgusted with the politicians in this country.
I’m a Linda too

Gee, the only campaign promise I know he kept, was the ones Democrats hated and Republicans who don’t believe in expanding government-especially for private personal preferences and that is expanding Bush’s Faith Based Initiatives.

Oh, and then the other one to conduct his “right war” with Afghanistan. He added his war and kept going the other [his] “dumb war”, breaking, breaking his promise to end our occupation in a yuear’s time. Now our troops will be in Iraq until the end of 2011, almost 2 years longer than he campaigned on, keeping Bush’s agreement in Iraq.

But heh, the Iraqi’s may fix Obama’s time schedule and vote us out in January when they go to the polls asking if they should throw the American’s out earlier, by a year, than their (ours) scheculded departure in the end of 2011.

And, of course, in his war with Afghanistan, he did still break that promise too, because he claimed we had to fight a smarter war, not blindly bombing and killing innocent civilians, creating more enemies. He sure changed that plan, but dumber, he sped up the bombing and killing and maming of innocent civilians with a price tag surpassing Iraq during the actual war.

What can I say about Obma? His numbers deserve to be where Bush’s are. Americans feel, like the Afghans, PUNK’d.
CentralMass

Regarding Romeny:
I havn’t been a big fan of our former Governor in the past, but after seeing the alternatives in action I have a few positive comments to asy about him.

1. He by all accounts appears to be a stellar family mna. As devoted to his wife and sons as they are to him.
2. His business accumen and fiscal philosphy’s appear to solid. He walks the walk when he talks abou being a fiscal conservative. He opted to take on heading the corruption ridden Olympic Committe a few years back. He passed on the substantial salary and donated a sizeble sum of money and spearheaded a fundraising program that pulled the program out of severe debt.
3. As massachusetts Governor, again, he took no salary. Though the state has a solidly democratically control state legislature, relatively speaking, he kept spending under control, battling the legislature to do so..

In 2012, in the absence of a more perfect candidate, we need a good manager. Someone hwo can bring the federal deficit and budget under control. Since it is unlikely that any democrats will run against Obama in 2012, Romney seem to rise to the head of the pack on the republican side.
Don X

To quote Abraham Lincoln: “You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time.”

I think Obama is an overly ambitious man who inspired a lot of people with flowery oratory, and who managed to fool a lot of people into supporting him with promises he probably knew he could not keep. If he failed to keep a promise, he he knew he could blame it on political chicanery. In his mind, he does his best to deliver, but he is blocked by opponents determined to bring him down. As things are going, he looks like a one-termer, as his support base is waning fast. Perhaps he forgot that “you cannot fool all of the people all the time.”
Joe

I’m just going to go ahead and say that these are worst political cartoons ever. Sorry!