Studio8 - Uniting the Arts

The Republican agenda is straight forward - get Obama out of office at any cost. Their outright animosity towards this man confuses me. The words they (politicians on the opposing side of the fence and every 'right wing' commentator), refuse to acknowledge anything Obama has accomplished with any positivism whatsoever. They prefer to distort the President every opportunity with words such as 'dangerous', 'socialist', 'communist' and the whole litany of slanderous remarks we've all heard since Obama was sworn into office.

It's very difficult to have any respect towards these folks, especially the politicians who were hired by the public to perform the best of their ability to do their jobs for their same public.

This is not everyday political business that we have been accustomed to in our lives. No, this is something far more insidious. The attitude of these people is completely unoriginal. The right wing is turning what the Democrats and their followers had in common with their own dislike of Dubya Bush. But the one fact goes right over the heads of the right wing: G.W. Bush and Co were dangerous to our country on many levels. From the two unnecessary wars they started, to the rape and pillage of our National Treasury and the usurping of the Constitution (sounds exactly what the right wing pundits use toward the 'left', doesn't it?).

Exactly what is Obama's crime? This President has accomplished far more in his 18 months in office than any President in history. (I won't bore the reader with a list, but if anyone is interested in knowing any of his accomplishments, 'googling' Obama's accomplishments, will reward the curious with several choices)... and this quite possibly is Obama's 'crime' - working hard to bring positive changes to our country... changes that aid and assist the people of this country that no other President, Democrat or Republican, has ever done before. This must be the fearful thing that haunts the Republican Party more than any President has ever has... doing what he promised in his campaign. : bring change to America.

We generally don't like change in our lives. We're uncomfortable with it... it's too new and we haven't had time to cozy up to the change. We get stand-offish and watch the new with a skeptical eye wondering if this change is good or not. It's a normal thing for we hu'mans to do.

When the change happens to us on a National level, it brings millions of us to the sidelines and watch and wonder about all this change brought on by one man - our President. It's unheard of on the level that Barack has done. But unbelievably to this writer, the man has brought about positive changes that could redefine America and bring her into the present and out of a past that we, Americans all, have been far too comfortable with... far too assured with all the hype about America that is based upon the past, not NOW!

What are America's truly wonderful accomplishments for her people to stand up and proudly cheer her for? The internet? Possibly, but that is still relatively so new, we don't really know how it will pan out in 20-25 years from now. Our auto industry, once a proud feather in America's cap, is struggling with a new future. What has become so powerful and worldwide in power, and does little for respect, is our Corporate Elite - the Fortune 500. It's not that America doesn't have that impetus and cleverness to bring about innovation and job creation as we did for so long. No, it is the contrary that prevents America from it's former glory - the banking and mortgage companies and the corporate giants who control so much that they shadow the innovative with their very presence, doing whatever they want to do at the bidding of the politicians in their pockets to pass laws that favor them to do as they wish.

Can Barack Obama, virtually an army of one, like the proverbial David against Goliath, topple the giants who control America? Is this the man's crime that the defenders of Corporate America see and fear due to his ability to speak clearly and get across his point unlike the last President, who mumbled and acted like joker, exactly like the Corporate powers-that-be want in a leader? Methinks so.

Anti-intellectualism is currently more powerful than even common sense. If anyone doubts this, listen to the Republican leadership - Boehner to Mitch McConnell... look at Sarah Palin and the 'cute little dunce' Christine O'Donnell, or try to comprehend Joe Miller, Sharron Angle or Michelle Bachman. These people are standard fair for the Republican Party/Tea Party... people who intellect has never been a strong point in their favor, but yet their followers number in the dangerously high percentile.

Is this another 'crime' against Obama - intellectualism? Is his ability to think things out and rely on his smarts to grapple with problems only a President would have? Is his ability to draw huge crowds to listen to him speak and describe what is going on within the political world a disadvantage to our President? Intellectualism could definitely be a disadvantage to the corporate good when it comes to a President who does not believe a corporation has an equal vote to the people of the United States. Corporate powers would much rather have stooges like I've named above to do their bidding. What successful intellectual would stoop so low as to go against their belief in doing the right thing for something as dishonest as bribery. It's certainly not Barack Obama.

It is not Barack Obama's crime at stake here, for there isn't one. But it is the crimes of lies and deceit fed to our gullible public on a daily basis that has to be kept in check before the fears that the opposition has towards this man become recklessly dangerous. From the rantings of the Glenn Becks of the media to the inane accusations from Rush Limbaugh and all his ditto-heads who cling to every word that spews from his mouth... to the distorted reports from Faux News. All this opposition is aimed at our President solely because they do not and will not take the time to understand the man's well-meaning intent for the people of our United States of America. Their fear of him dismantling our country which nearly destroyed by the last administration, is unfounded, ungrounded and dumbfounding to anyone who supports Obama.

Although it makes absolutely no difference to the Republican/Tea Partiers, Obama is highly respected, not only among his supporters in America, but with people worldwide. They are scratching their heads in confusion when they hear all the negativity coming out of the extreme right wingers mouths, knowing in their hearts and minds as we do, that it is distortion, lies and fears based upon nothing of substance.



[enough]

cecil

He is a lousy politician. Other than that he is a nice guy, a good man he reminds me of Jimmy Carter a lot.

I guess I been reading too many Maureen Dowd columns in the NY Times.

Can The Dude Abide?

Barack Obama became president by brilliantly telling his own story. To stay president, he will need to show he can understand our story.

At first it was exciting that Obama was the sort of brainy, cultivated Democrat who would be at home in a “West Wing” episode.

But now he acts like he really thinks he’s on “West Wing,” gliding through an imaginary, amber-lit set where his righteous self-regard is bound to be rewarded by the end of the hour.

Hey, dude, you’re a politician. Act like one.

As the head of the Democratic Party, the president should have supported the Democratic candidate for governor in Rhode Island, the one the Democratic Governors Association had already lavished more than $1 million in TV ads on. If Obama was going to refuse to endorse Frank Caprio out of respect for Lincoln Chafee, the former Republican who endorsed him for president and is now running as an independent, the president should have at least stayed out of Providence.

Reductio ad absurdum: After two years of taking his base for granted, the former Pied Piper of America’s youth had to spar with Jon Stewart to try to get the attention of young people who once idolized him.

Obama still has the killer smile, but he’s more often sniffy than funny. When Stewart called White House legislation “timid,” Obama got defensive and offered a less-than-thrilling new mantra: “Yes, we can but ...”

“We have done things that people don’t even know about,” said Obama, who left his Great Communicator mantle back in Grant Park on election night.

In 2008, the message was him. The promise was him. And that’s why 2010 is a referendum on him.

With his coalition and governing majority shattering around him, President Obama will have to summon political skills — starting Wednesday — that he has not yet shown he has.

His arrogance led him to assume: If I build it, they will understand. He can’t get the gratitude he feels he deserves for his achievements if no one knows what he achieved and why those achievements are so vital.

Once it seemed impressive that he was so comfortable in his own skin. Now that comfort comes across as an unwillingness to be wrong.

We want the best people to govern us, but many voters are so turned off by Obama’s superior air that they’re rushing into the arms of disturbingly inferior pols.

Obama admitted to The Times’s Peter Baker: “There is probably a perverse pride in my administration — and I take responsibility for this; this was blowing from the top — that we were going to do the right thing, even if short term it was unpopular.”

But who defines what’s “right”?

With the exception of Obama, most Americans seemed to agree that the “right” thing to do until the economy recovered was to focus on jobs instead of getting the Congress mired for months in making over health insurance and energy policy. And the “right” thing to do was to come down harder on the big banks for spending on bonuses instead of lending to small businesses that don’t get bailouts.

Many of us thought the “right” thing to do was to ratify the civil rights of gay Americans in marriage and the military. (A new Pentagon study shows that most U.S. troops and their families don’t care if gays are allowed to serve openly.)

In an interview with progressive bloggers, the president was asked why he was lagging behind Republicans like Ted Olson on gay marriage.

Noting that he has a lot of friends and staffers in committed gay relationships, Obama conceded only that his attitude was evolving. “I think it’s pretty clear where the trend lines are going,” the president said.

Trend lines? Really inspiring, dude.

One top aide told me that the president — who perversely tried to marginalize a once-captivated press corps — was beginning to realize that he had not used his charm as effectively as he could have.

His inner circle believed too much in the power of the Aura and in protecting the Brand. They didn’t think they needed to sell anything or fight back when the crazies started sliming them. They didn’t care that the average citizen needed an M.B.A. to understand the financial plan and a Ph.D. to fathom what the health care plan would mean.

Because Obama stayed above it all on health care and delegated to Max Baucus, he missed the moment in August of 2009 when Sarah Palin and the Tea Party got oxygen with their loopy rants on death panels. It never occurred to the Icon that such wildness and gullibility would trump lofty rationality.

As the president tries to ride the Tea Party tiger, let’s hope for this change: that he puts some audacity in his audacity.
A version of this op-ed appeared in print on October 31, 2010, on page WK9 of the New York edition.

to have produced too much expectations, maybe..? , no idea, I guess it´s a question for you!. From this side of the world it looked like he was not Bush, maybe it was enough until now...

I wonder what Maureen has to say about this?

President Obama's accomplishments in 20 months, the most of any President -

1. Ordered all federal agencies to undertake a study and make recommendations for ways to cut spending
2. Ordered a review of all federal operations to identify and cut wasteful spending and practices
3. Instituted enforcement for equal pay for women
4. Beginning the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq
5. Families of fallen soldiers have expenses covered to be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB
6 Ended media blackout on war casualties; reporting full information
7. Ended media blackout on covering the return of fallen soldiers to Dover AFB; the media is now permitted to do so pending adherence to respectful rules and approval of fallen soldier’s family
8. The White House and federal government are respecting the Freedom of Information Act
9. Instructed all federal agencies to promote openness and transparency as much as possible
10. Limits on lobbyist’s access to the White House
11. Limits on White House aides working for lobbyists after their tenure in the administration
12. Ended the previous stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date
13. Phasing out the expensive F-22 war plane and other outdated weapons systems, which weren’t even used or needed in Iraq/Afghanistan
14. Removed restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research
15. Federal support for stem-cell and new biomedical research
16. New federal funding for science and research labs
17. States are permitted to enact federal fuel efficiency standards above federal standards
18. Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants) after years of neglect
19. Funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access to K-12 schools
20. New funds for school construction
21 The prison at Guantanamo Bay is being phased out
22. US Auto industry rescue plan
23. Housing rescue plan
24. $789 billion economic stimulus plan
25. The public can meet with federal housing insurers to refinance (the new plan can be completed in one day) a mortgage if they are having trouble paying
26. US financial and banking rescue plan
27. The secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere are being closed
28. Ended the previous policy; the US now has a no torture policy and is in compliance with theGeneva Convention standards
29. Better body armor is now being provided to our troops
30. The missile defense program is being cut by $1.4 billion in 2010
31. Restarted the nuclear nonproliferation talks and building back up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols
32. Reengaged in the treaties/agreements to protect the Antarctic
33. Reengaged in the agreements/talks on global warming and greenhouse gas emissions
34. Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office
35. Successful release of US captain held bySomali pirates; authorized the SEALS to do their job
36. US Navy increasing patrols off Somali coast
37. Attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles
38. Cash for clunkers program offers vouchers to trade in fuel inefficient, polluting old cars for new cars; stimulated auto sales
39. Announced plans to purchase fuel efficient American-made fleet for the federal government
40. Expanded the SCHIP program to cover health care for 4 million more children
41. Signed national service legislation; expandednational youth service program
42. Instituted a new policy on Cuba, allowing Cuban families to return home to visit loved ones
43. Ended the previous policy of not regulating and labeling carbon dioxide emissions
44. Expanding vaccination programs
45. Immediate and efficient response to the floods in North Dakota and other natural disasters
46. Closed offshore tax safe havens
47. Negotiated deal with Swiss banks to permit US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals
48. Ended the previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy is to promote in-sourcing to bring jobs back
49.. Ended the previous practice of protecting credit card companies; in place of it are new consumer protections from credit card industry’s predatory practices
50. Energy producing plants must begin preparing to produce 15% of their energy from renewable sources
51. Lower drug costs for seniors
52. Ended the previous practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug manufacturers for cheaper drugs; the federal government is now realizing hundreds of millions in savings
53. Increasing pay and benefits for military personnel
54. Improved housing for military personnel
55. Initiating a new policy to promote federal hiring of military spouses
56. Improved conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital and other military hospitals
57 Increasing student loans
58. Increasing opportunities in AmeriCorps program
59. Sent envoys to Middle East and other parts of the world that had been neglected for years; reengaging in multilateral and bilateral talks and diplomacy
60. Established a new cyber security office
61. Beginning the process of reforming and restructuring the military 20 years after the Cold War to a more modern fighting force; this includes new procurement policies, increasing size of military, new technology and cyber units and operations, etc.
62. Ended previous policy of awarding no-bid defense contracts
63. Ordered a review of hurricane and natural disaster preparedness
64. Established a National Performance Officer charged with saving the federal government money and making federal operations more efficient
65. Students struggling to make college loan payments can have their loans refinanced
66. Improving benefits for veterans
67. Many more press conferences and town halls and much more media access than previous administration
68. Instituted a new focus on mortgage fraud
69. The FDA is now regulating tobacco
70. Ended previous policy of cutting the FDA and circumventing FDA rules
71. Ended previous practice of having White House aides rewrite scientific and environmental rules, regulations, and reports
72. Authorized discussions with North Korea and private mission by Pres. Bill Clinton to secure the release of two Americans held in prisons
73. Authorized discussions with Myanmar and mission by Sen. Jim Web to secure the release of an American held captive
74. Making more loans available to small businesses
75. Established independent commission to make recommendations on slowing the costs of Medicare
76. Appointment of first Latina to the Supreme Court
77. Authorized construction/opening of additional health centers to care for veterans
78. Limited salaries of senior White House aides; cut to $100,000
79. Renewed loan guarantees for Israel
80. Changed the failing/status quo military command in Afghanistan
81. Deployed additional troops to Afghanistan
82. New Afghan War policy that limits aerial bombing and prioritizes aid, development of infrastructure, diplomacy, and good government practices by Afghans
83. Announced the long-term development of a national energy grid with renewable sources and cleaner, efficient energy production
84. Returned money authorized for refurbishment of White House offices and private living quarters
85. Paid for redecoration of White House living quarters out of his own pocket
86. Held first Seder in White House
87. Attempting to reform the nation’s healthcare system which is the most expensive in the world yet leaves almost 50 million without health insurance and millions more under insured
88. Has put the ball in play for comprehensive immigration reform
89. Has announced his intention to push for energy reform
90. Has announced his intention to push for education reform