The Ten Best and Worst Actions of Obama's First Term

[IMPress Polly]

Wow. I would have expected better than THIS (http://peoplesworld.org/ten-best-and-worst-of-obama-s-first-term/) from a source like People's World! The author lists ten things he liked the most and the least about President Obama's first term in office. Unfortunately, most of the stuff he lists do not constitute actual achievements in one direction or the other. We're talking mostly stuff like "support for marriage equality", "affirmed workers' right to collective bargaining", and "inability to close the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo, Cuba". Policy-wise, those are non-actions. That doesn't count.

Joe Sims list is so terrible, in fact, that I feel compelled to try drafting a parallel list of my own to show us all how stuff like this is done. Here are when I consider the ten best and worst POLICY ACTIONS of President Obama's first term in office:


THE TEN BEST ACTIONS OF OBAMA'S FIRST TERM:

1. Passing the Affordable Care Act.

2. Saving the U.S. auto industry from the prospect of imminent collapse.

3. Getting the U.S. auto industry to agree to double its fuel-efficiency standards.

4. Ending the Iraq War.

5. Ending the use of torture as an American war policy and closing American prisons abroad (except Guantanamo, and he tried to close that too).

6. Reaching agreement with Russia for both countries to cut their nuclear arsenals by one-third.

7. Signing the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, re-establishing enforcement of equal pay laws.

8. Getting GBLT people covered under hate crime laws.

9. Getting GBLT people covered under anti-discrimination (i.e. "affirmative action") laws.

10. Issuing a "temporary Dream Act" executive order.


THE TEN WORST ACTIONS OF OBAMA'S FIRST TERM:

1. Tripling the scale of our occupation of Afghanistan.

2. Escalating the drone-bombing of Pakistan, alienating a key ally.

3. Deporting more immigrants in four years than George W. Bush did in eight.

4. Supporting Arne Duncan's scheme to privatize the public school system by appointing him Education Secretary.

5. Partially privatizing space travel, cutting funding for NASA in the process.

6. Agreeing to across-the-board spending cuts, including in public welfare programs generally (food stamps, school lunches, unemployment benefits, etc.) as part of a debt ceiling deal when he should have simply raised the debt ceiling by executive order instead of negotiating on the "issue".

7. Renewing the Patriot Act.

8. Consistently renewing the National Defense Authorization Act.

9. Carrying out the targeted assassination of multiple (albeit treasonous) American citizens. No trial. No nothing.

10. Accepting Super PAC campaign donations allowed only as a result of the Citizens United verdict, thereby setting a precedent.

[Mister D]

Polly, how can discrimination be anti-discrimination? Also, why am I not covered under hate crimes laws?

[Cigar]

Polly, how can discrimination be anti-discrimination? Also, why am I not covered under hate crimes laws?



Because you're only a harm to yourself ... :)

[GrassrootsConservative]

I do not agree with a lot, but I do agree with some:



5. Partially privatizing space travel, cutting funding for NASA in the process.

9. Carrying out the targeted assassination of multiple (albeit treasonous) American citizens. No trial. No nothing.

Agree with the above being negatives.



5. Ending the use of torture as an American war policy and closing American prisons abroad (except Guantanamo, and he tried to close that too).

When did he try to do this?



3. Deporting more immigrants in four years than George W. Bush did in eight.

I assume we're talking about legal immigrants, not illegals?

[IMPress Polly]

People often confuse the purpose of "affirmative action" laws. Their purpose is to compensate for statistically demonstrable existing discrimination that may be present in a given workplace or what have you, not to favor this or that group. There are no quotas. That's bullshit. I call them anti-discrimination laws because that's what they're actually called. Rightists prefer the term "affirmative action" to confuse the point of such laws as reverse discrimination.

At that, these laws only accomplish so much in any event. For example, even WITH anti-discrimination laws in place, African Americans are still about twice as likely as white people to find be unemployed at any given point. Now imagine what their condition would be without such laws.

[Mister D]

Because you're only a harm to yourself ... :)

Can you answer these question for me?

1. How can discrimination be anti-discrimination? It's illogical.

2. Why am I not covered under hate crimes laws?

[Mister D]

People often confuse the purpose of "affirmative action" laws. Their purpose is to compensate for statistically demonstrable existing discrimination that may be present in a given workplace or what have you, not to favor this or that group. There are no quotas. That's bullshit. I call them anti-discrimination laws because that's what they're actually called. Rightists prefer the term "affirmative action" to confuse the point of such laws as reverse discrimination.

That's nice but the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The intention is irrelevant. If we went by intent you would have solved all the world's problems by now.

Please explain to me how discrimination can be anti-discrimination. It's illogical.

[Mister D]

Oh, and why am I not covered under hate crimes laws?

[Cigar]

That's nice but the road to hell is paved with good intentions. The intention is irrelevant. If we went by intent you would have solved all the world's problems by now.

Please explain to me how discrimination can be anti-discrimination. It's illogical.



Oh ... Stop crying, you're not important anymore. :)

[Mister D]

Oh ... Stop crying, you're not important anymore. :)

Not sure what that was supposed to mean.

Anyway, so you don't have an answer?

[Deadwood]

Polly, how can discrimination be anti-discrimination? Also, why am I not covered under hate crimes laws?

Obama "tried" to close Gitmo?


It was a specific promise......and it has not been done. All it requires is a stroke of a pen.

Please demonstrate how Obama did anything more than talk about Gitmo....


How did he try?

And he didn't so much "end the Iraq war" as simply withdraw troops on an arbitrary date.

and there are a lot of people who would put your number one on the "best" list as the number one in the "worst" list

[Cigar]

Republicans were afraid of Terrorist in Maximum Security Prisons that were never escaped from ... they're so afraid of everything.

[IMPress Polly]

Mister D wrote:
Please explain to me how discrimination can be anti-discrimination. It's illogical.

It's not discrimination! It's leveling the playing field! Equal opportunity!

[Agravan]

Republicans were afraid of Terrorist in Maximum Security Prisons that were never escaped from ... they're so afraid of everything.

Do you want them in your backyard, Goober? Maybe they could be housed in your basement.

[GrassrootsConservative]

Obama "tried" to close Gitmo?


It was a specific promise......and it has not been done. All it requires is a stroke of a pen.

Please demonstrate how Obama did anything more than talk about Gitmo....


How did he try?

And he didn't so much "end the Iraq war" as simply withdraw troops on an arbitrary date.

and there are a lot of people who would put your number one on the "best" list as the number one in the "worst" list

I was trying to not be so hard on her.

[Agravan]

I think all the terrorist at Gitmo shuld be released TODAY. We should apologize to them for their treatment at our hands, give them a decent meal, load them onto C-141s and fly them home to their countries, open the rear door and release them ... at 30 thousand feet.

[Mister D]

It's not discrimination! It's leveling the playing field! Equal opportunity!

U mad bro?

Penalizing whites on the basis of race is discrimination pure and simple. Again, how can discrimination be anti-discrimination? Discrimination is either wrong or it's not. Which is it?

[GrassrootsConservative]

I think all the terrorist at Gitmo shuld be released TODAY. We should apologize to them for their treatment at our hands, give them a decent meal, load them onto C-141s and fly them home to their countries, open the rear door and release them ... at 30 thousand feet.

And make a movie out of it.
Glorifying violence indeed. ;)

[Cigar]

Do you want them in your backyard, Goober? Maybe they could be housed in your basement.



Dude ... we're talking SuperMax Prisons ... they are not in anyone's backyard. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermax

Don't be a Women

[IMPress Polly]

Wow, you are SO cool, Agravan! All macho and everything with the gun avi and the advocacy for mass killings. Hardcore dude! Can I go out with you??

[Mister D]

Wow, you are SO cool, Agravan! All macho and everything with the gun avi and the advocacy for mass killings. Can I go out with you??

You're the one advocating racial discrimination.

[Agravan]

Dude ... we're talking SuperMax Prisons ... they are not in anyone's backyard. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermax

Don't be a Women

Are they in a state where nobody else lives? Do we have those? Are they not adjacent to anyone's property?
Is this like when someone wants to build a nuke reactor and liberals start whining about it being in their backyard?
Do the other prisoners in Supermax have groups of followers that may attempt to break them out or commit terrorist act to get them out?
You really have no life experience do you, Goober? What, have you lived a sheltered life all these years?
“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Sir Winston Churchill

[Agravan]

Wow, you are SO cool, Agravan! All macho and everything with the gun avi and the advocacy for mass killings. Hardcore dude! Can I go out with you??
I don't think so, I'm faithful to my loving wife.
Besides, these men are nothing more than animals and mass murders already. Killing them would be better than releasing them and would allow us to close Gitmo, as you want. We should also refuse to take any more muslim prisoners. Just dispense battlefield justice. After all, they are captured while shooting at US troops. Sure would prevent a lot of headaches from you guys.
I am an advocate of mass killings for wanting a few terrorists killed? That's hypocritical from someone who advocate the mass slaughter of millions of babies per year because thay are inconvenient.

Oh, and the avi? It is a takeoff on the Gonzales battle flag during the Texas war of independence. But then, I would not expect a lib to undersand or know that.

[IMPress Polly]

Okay, anybody have anything to say about the OP or is this just gonna be a 'pick your own topic' thread?

P.S. I never said anything about "releasing" people who might seriously be dangerous. I'd simply prefer they have a real trial (no, a military trial is not a real trial) for the sake of humanity and the rule of law.

[Mister D]

Okay, anybody have anything to say about the OP or is this just gonna be a 'pick your own topic' thread?

You posted something and I asked about it. I have more questions but you don't seem to feel like discussing your OP. Perhaps those questions are uncomfortable for you. Do some thinking.

[IMPress Polly]

Sorry, lol. I haven't been very well able to keep up with everyone's posts. They've come in too quickly and they so far seem to be going in pretty random directions. I was just listing what I consider accomplishments and drawbacks. I had kind of been thinking more along the lines of people responding with what they think have been the positives and the negatives of the first term here as it draws to a close. But okay, whatever. It's all good.

(And there was just no way I could resist poking a little fun at Agravan's posturing.)

[Mister D]

Sorry, lol. I haven't been very well able to keep up with everyone's posts. They've come in too quickly and they so far seem to be going in pretty random directions. I was just listing what I consider accomplishments and drawbacks. I had kind of been thinking more along the lines of people responding with what they think have been the positives and the negatives of the first term here as it draws to a close. But okay, whatever.

lol Okay whatever. :smiley:

[Chris]

Passing the Affordable Care Act.

I thought Congress did that.

It's the worst thing done.

Worse even than Bush's Medicare Drug Bill.

[IMPress Polly]

Chris:

I guess "pass" may not have been the most totally applicable word. He signed it. But what I was aiming to get at with the term "passed" was that he didn't JUST sign it. He advocated aggressively for it for the better part of a year. Do you see what I mean?

[Kabuki Joe]

Republicans were afraid of Terrorist in Maximum Security Prisons that were never escaped from ... they're so afraid of everything.


...which is why they are trying to ban guns?...


Kabuki Joe

[Agravan]

Sorry, lol. I haven't been very well able to keep up with everyone's posts. They've come in too quickly and they so far seem to be going in pretty random directions. I was just listing what I consider accomplishments and drawbacks. I had kind of been thinking more along the lines of people responding with what they think have been the positives and the negatives of the first term here as it draws to a close. But okay, whatever. It's all good.

(And there was just no way I could resist poking a little fun at Agravan's posturing.)

Hey, it's all in fun, right?
Besides those terrorists are not entitled to anything besides military tribunals. They are barely human, much less entitled to trials under our law or in civil/criminal courts in this country.

[Kabuki Joe]

It's not discrimination! It's leveling the playing field! Equal opportunity!


...not when it only targets specific people...


Kabuki Joe

[Chris]

Chris:

I guess "pass" may not have been the most totally applicable word. He signed it. But what I was aiming to get at with the term "passed" was that he didn't JUST sign it. He advocated aggressively for it for the better part of a year. Do you see what I mean?

OK, if we want to be loose about it. It's still the worst thing he did.

[Chris]

It's not discrimination! It's leveling the playing field! Equal opportunity!


...not when it only targets specific people...


Kabuki Joe

Indeed, leveling is discriminatory, if not racist. So is redistribution of wealth.

[Mister D]

Let me add that "leveling the playing field" is not only discrimination it's also a fool's errand. It's not possible. Worse still, it creates resentment and exacerbates the problem progressives attempted to solve.

[Chris]

The French Revolution did a bloody good job if it!

[Mister D]

The French Revolution did a bloody good job if it!

Their legacy of gratuitous murder has been a sad one.

[hanger4]

Wow. I would have expected better than THIS (http://peoplesworld.org/ten-best-and-worst-of-obama-s-first-term/) from a source like People's World! The author lists ten things he liked the most and the least about President Obama's first term in office. Unfortunately, most of the stuff he lists do not constitute actual achievements in one direction or the other. We're talking mostly stuff like "support for marriage equality", "affirmed workers' right to collective bargaining", and "inability to close the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo, Cuba". Policy-wise, those are non-actions. That doesn't count.

Joe Sims list is so terrible, in fact, that I feel compelled to try drafting a parallel list of my own to show us all how stuff like this is done. Here are when I consider the ten best and worst POLICY ACTIONS of President Obama's first term in office:


THE TEN BEST ACTIONS OF OBAMA'S FIRST TERM:

1. Passing the Affordable Care Act.

2. Saving the U.S. auto industry from the prospect of imminent collapse.

3. Getting the U.S. auto industry to agree to double its fuel-efficiency standards.

4. Ending the Iraq War.

5. Ending the use of torture as an American war policy and closing American prisons abroad (except Guantanamo, and he tried to close that too).

6. Reaching agreement with Russia for both countries to cut their nuclear arsenals by one-third.

7. Signing the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, re-establishing enforcement of equal pay laws.

8. Getting GBLT people covered under hate crime laws.

9. Getting GBLT people covered under anti-discrimination (i.e. "affirmative action") laws.

10. Issuing a "temporary Dream Act" executive order.



1. Passing the Affordable Care Act. - Subjective at the very lest. There is a lot that could have been done without attempting the slow take over of the American health care system.


2. Saving the U.S. auto industry from the prospect of imminent collapse. - Also subjective. The normal bankruptcy routes would have made the big three leaner, more compitive and stronger in the long run. Now they know daddy gov will bail them whenever they make bad decisions again.


3. Getting the U.S. auto industry to agree to double its fuel-efficiency standards. - That's cool, but be prepared to pay the price.


4. Ending the Iraq War. - The SOFA was already signed, Obama carried on with Bush's policies.


5. Ending the use of torture as an American war policy and closing American prisons abroad (except Guantanamo, and he tried to close that too). - Water-boarding was not considered torture, all Obama did was claim it was. Wonder how much intelligence gleaned by said water-boarding has helped the Obama war machine ??

Obama's pen must have run out of ink when signing all those EO's when he got to Gitmo.


6. Reaching agreement with Russia for both countries to cut their nuclear arsenals by one-third. - Always good thing assuming the Russians keep their word.


7. Signing the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, re-establishing enforcement of equal pay laws. - The Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act has nothing to do with equal pay for equal work short of defining when the the start of the 180 day period in which to file suit. So it did not re-establish enforcement of equal pay laws.


8. Getting GBLT people covered under hate crime laws. - All hate crime laws are an abomination and nothing but progressive feel good legislation. A crime is a crime regardless of why it was committed.


9. Getting GBLT people covered under anti-discrimination (i.e. "affirmative action") laws. - Anti-discrimination is fine, affirmative action is discrimination.


10. Issuing a "temporary Dream Act" executive order. - Legalizing illegals is a slap in the face of all those who follow/ed the rules and does nothing but encourage others to break the rules of immigration.

[hanger4]

Wow. I would have expected better than THIS (http://peoplesworld.org/ten-best-and-worst-of-obama-s-first-term/) from a source like People's World! The author lists ten things he liked the most and the least about President Obama's first term in office. Unfortunately, most of the stuff he lists do not constitute actual achievements in one direction or the other. We're talking mostly stuff like "support for marriage equality", "affirmed workers' right to collective bargaining", and "inability to close the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo, Cuba". Policy-wise, those are non-actions. That doesn't count.

Joe Sims list is so terrible, in fact, that I feel compelled to try drafting a parallel list of my own to show us all how stuff like this is done. Here are when I consider the ten best and worst POLICY ACTIONS of President Obama's first term in office:


THE TEN WORST ACTIONS OF OBAMA'S FIRST TERM:

1. Tripling the scale of our occupation of Afghanistan.

2. Escalating the drone-bombing of Pakistan, alienating a key ally.

3. Deporting more immigrants in four years than George W. Bush did in eight.

4. Supporting Arne Duncan's scheme to privatize the public school system by appointing him Education Secretary.

5. Partially privatizing space travel, cutting funding for NASA in the process.

6. Agreeing to across-the-board spending cuts, including in public welfare programs generally (food stamps, school lunches, unemployment benefits, etc.) as part of a debt ceiling deal when he should have simply raised the debt ceiling by executive order instead of negotiating on the "issue".

7. Renewing the Patriot Act.

8. Consistently renewing the National Defense Authorization Act.

9. Carrying out the targeted assassination of multiple (albeit treasonous) American citizens. No trial. No nothing.

10. Accepting Super PAC campaign donations allowed only as a result of the Citizens United verdict, thereby setting a precedent.

THE TEN WORST ACTIONS OF OBAMA'S FIRST TERM:


1. Tripling the scale of our occupation of Afghanistan. - NO, changing the Rules Of Engagement is the worst action. You go to war you fight the war, the left still hasn't learned that lesson from Viet Nam.


2. Escalating the drone-bombing of Pakistan, alienating a key ally. - Pakistan's only an ally as long as we give them money. I don't have a problem with drones in this situation, but ya got to be very, very careful.


3. Deporting more immigrants in four years than George W. Bush did in eight. - Bush nor Obama are deporting immigrants. Jeebus Polly I know it's hard to say illegal but that's what they are and I wish Obama had deported 10 times as many as Bush.


4. Supporting Arne Duncan's scheme to privatize the public school system by appointing him Education Secretary. - Do you really believe the public school system is top notch ?? or just upset because private schools and home schooling ain't unionized ??


5. Partially privatizing space travel, cutting funding for NASA in the process. - That's a good start Polly, but the feds are running trillion + deficits now and you're looking to spend more ??


6. Agreeing to across-the-board spending cuts, including in public welfare programs generally (food stamps, school lunches, unemployment benefits, etc.) as part of a debt ceiling deal when he should have simply raised the debt ceiling by executive order instead of negotiating on the "issue". - Don't believe he has the constitutional authority to do that.


7. Renewing the Patriot Act. - Took ya 4 years to realize Obama's a hypocrite ?? Most on the right be tellin' ya that for 5 years.


8. Consistently renewing the National Defense Authorization Act. - Took ya 4 years to realize Obama's a hypocrite ?? Most on the right be tellin' ya that for 5 years.


9. Carrying out the targeted assassination of multiple (albeit treasonous) American citizens. No trial. No nothing. - On this I agree, it's terrible policy, but on the other hand if we engage them in a fire fight, kill em all.


10. Accepting Super PAC campaign donations allowed only as a result of the Citizens United verdict, thereby setting a precedent. - Took ya 4 years to realize Obama's a hypocrite ?? Most on the right be tellin' ya that for 5 years. Not to mention we still have our freedom of speech right ??

[Peter1469]

Okay, anybody have anything to say about the OP or is this just gonna be a 'pick your own topic' thread?

P.S. I never said anything about "releasing" people who might seriously be dangerous. I'd simply prefer they have a real trial (no, a military trial is not a real trial) for the sake of humanity and the rule of law.

Military trials under the UCMJ would have more protections than a trial in US Federal District Court. Now the military tribunals do have left protections when it comes to the release of classified info.

And it would be odder to try military combatants caught on foreign battlefields in civilian court, than before a military court.

[Pete7469]

The best thing about the moonbat messiah's administration is that it will end in 4 years. The worst thing is that it happened to begin with.

[Cigar]

The best thing about the moonbat messiah's administration is that it will end in 4 years. The worst thing is that it happened to begin with.

Then ... Ironically ... The (R) will have to deal with a Woman ... or worse than that ... A Hispanic :roflmao:

I love it ... :roflmao:

[Captain Obvious]

Obama ended the Iraq war?

[Shoot the Goose]

Best ? The rise of the Tea Party, and the removal of any doubt that Democrats are the enemy of the Republic.

Worst ? The enormous tonnage of dead weight that this poseur has heaped on our kids and grandkids.

May Obama rot in Hell when his time comes due. Biggest pile of shit ever to occupy to Oval Office.

[Chris]

There is no Tea Party but tea parties, grassroots, leaderless, for lower taxes, less government and more liberty. We're still here.

[Pete7469]

Best ? The rise of the Tea Party, and the removal of any doubt that Democrats are the enemy of the Republic.

Worst ? The enormous tonnage of dead weight that this poseur has heaped on our kids and grandkids.

May Obama rot in Hell when his time comes due. Biggest pile of shit ever to occupy to Oval Office.

How dare you equate piles of shit, which can be used to fertilize soil, to the moonbat messiah and his bolshevik minions. Piles of shit deserve more dignity.