Topic: Oh! Bama (Read 50535 times)

Mongrel · « **Reply #680 on:** October 13, 2011, 10:50:47 AM »

Oh wow, what a clusterfuck.

Yeah, the instant I read "We're gonna let these guns escape to Mexico" my first thought was "Lord, what idiot though that was a good idea."

Thad · « **Reply #681 on:** January 04, 2012, 09:27:51 AM »

Obama to recess-appoint Cordray.

On the one hand, I like Cordray, believe he should get the job, and am irritated with the Senate's constant stonewalling.

On the other, well...if we're to switch limbs for a moment, I didn't like it when the shoe was on the other foot and Bush was the one thwarting filibusters with recess appointments. And, if truth be told, I have to acknowledge some wisdom to the argument that czars are a generally-bad thing and agencies like this should be overseen by elected officials.

So I'm torn. I think we're legitimately better off with a Consumer Protection Agency, with Cordray at its head and the Senate given minimal power to impede him. But both on principle and from a long-term standpoint, I don't like that it happened this way.

Brentai · « **Reply #682 on:** January 04, 2012, 10:13:01 AM »

On the one hand, we've been asking Barack to display some cajones for years. On the other hand, we've recently stopped because it became apparent that he's actually legitimately terrible and should be kept down. So now he's displaying some cajones.

Argh.

Thad · « **Reply #683 on:** January 04, 2012, 10:24:25 AM »

Again, I like Cordray -- I just don't think the ends justify the means.

Quote

House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) blasted Obama's move as "an extraordinary and entirely unprecedented power grab." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Obama had "arrogantly circumvented the American people" by breaking with long-standing precedent on recess appointments.

...huh. That's not the icon I clicked. Still works!

Büge · « **Reply #684 on:** January 04, 2012, 11:33:10 AM »

I have the weirdest Boehner right now.

Thad · « **Reply #685 on:** January 04, 2012, 12:01:01 PM »

I guess the distinction they're trying to draw is that Obama's making recess appointments when Congress is only gone for THREE days, and BUSH only did it if they'd been gone TEN days. Which is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

Zaratustra · « **Reply #686 on:** January 04, 2012, 08:22:35 PM »

I think Obama just realized there is practically no way he is losing the elections.

Shinra · « **Reply #687 on:** January 04, 2012, 08:29:19 PM »

Or alternatively, he's trying to get as much done now as he can to stave off long term damage because he's expecting to lose.

At this point I really don't know either way. Obama looks worse every day and I am not confident he is going to be anything but a one term president anymore.

Brentai · « **Reply #688 on:** January 04, 2012, 09:48:22 PM »

I think he'll win, but I don't think it'll be what people call a "victory".

Shinra · « **Reply #689 on:** January 04, 2012, 09:53:27 PM »

I still have a faint sliver of hope he turns into progressive superman in his second term.

Probably not though.

Brentai · « **Reply #690 on:** January 04, 2012, 09:58:14 PM »

I wasn't sure if I meant "because he's a douche" or "because he's pretty much going to get back in by default" there, so we'll go with both.

TA · « **Reply #691 on:** January 04, 2012, 11:28:42 PM »

Quote from: Shinra on January 04, 2012, 09:53:27 PM

I still have a faint sliver of hope he turns into progressive superman in his second term.

Probably not though.

The obstructionist Republican Congress is still gonna be an obstructionist Republican Congress. Pretty much everything he's tried has been stymied.

Thad · « **Reply #692 on:** January 05, 2012, 07:01:14 AM »

And whose fault is that?

The Republicans are doing what they were elected to do. The Democrats are not.

The same was the case during the Bush Administration. And he never needed fifty-nine fucking members of his party in the Senate to get any of HIS red meat passed.

Shinra · « **Reply #693 on:** January 05, 2012, 07:43:00 AM »

Yeah, as we've discussed before, Obama's complete failure to rally his party to do anything during the two year supermajority is pitiful. His attempts to be a uniter and bipartisan completely fucked any hope of the democrats getting major peices of their agenda passed intact.

Thad · « **Reply #694 on:** January 05, 2012, 09:49:43 AM »

Credit where it's due: military spending cuts are a good idea (inasmuch as ANY spending cuts are a good idea in this market, which is a separate argument).

Quote

Obama said that the military will indeed be leaner, but the U.S. will maintain a budget that is roughly larger than the next 10 countries' military budgets combined.

That...sounds pretty reasonable.

Classic · « **Reply #695 on:** January 05, 2012, 10:32:39 AM »

The US economy uses its ridiculous defense spending as a cornerstone which is the real reason nobody wants to reduce it.

Zaratustra · « **Reply #696 on:** January 05, 2012, 10:39:36 AM »

Quote from: Thad on January 05, 2012, 07:01:14 AM

And whose fault is that?

The Republicans are doing what they were elected to do. The Democrats are not.

The same was the case during the Bush Administration. And he never needed fifty-nine fucking members of his party in the Senate to get any of HIS red meat passed.

I really think the Democrats were much more spineless when they had the hold of the congress. The Democrats are willing to work with the Republicans, and the Republicans are also willing to work with the Republicans.

Meanwhile, the US is now threatening economic sanctions for countries that don't implement major copyright-protection laws:

https://torrentfreak.com/us-threatened-to-blacklist-spain-for-not-implementing-site-blocking-law-120105/

Thad · « **Reply #697 on:** January 05, 2012, 10:44:52 AM »

Quote from: Zaratustra on January 05, 2012, 10:39:36 AM

I really think the Democrats were much more spineless when they had the hold of the congress. The Democrats are willing to work with the Republicans, and the Republicans are also willing to work with the Republicans.

Well yes, "The Congressional Democrats are useless" is as much my point as "The Democratic President is useless."

Though at least they passed some good shit at the very end of 2010.

Quote from: Zaratustra on January 05, 2012, 10:39:36 AM

Meanwhile, the US is now threatening economic sanctions for countries that don't implement major copyright-protection laws:

https://torrentfreak.com/us-threatened-to-blacklist-spain-for-not-implementing-site-blocking-law-120105/

You'd think they'd wait until AFTER SOPA passes to give us constant examples of why it's a terrible idea.

Thad · « **Reply #698 on:** January 09, 2012, 08:36:03 PM »

So the Obama Administration has refused to expand uranium mining around the Grand Canyon.

My first thought was that I was going to write a post along the lines of "You know, I have my issues with Obama and Salazar, but I'm going to give credit where it's due; they made the right call on this one."

Instead I am writing a post where I point out that my expectations for Obama and Salazar are actually SO LOW at this point that I briefly considered a decision not to expand uranium mining at the Grand Canyon to be PRAISEWORTHY.

Brentai · « **Reply #699 on:** January 09, 2012, 08:51:10 PM »

He also released a carefully worded statement against Lex Luthor's Plan for Beachfront Property in Nevada, stating that "the potential for property damage, in this case, outweighs the potential for American job creation" and stating that he may "consider launching an investigation" if Luthor failed to renegotiate his contract with Jean-Pierre Dubois.

News:

Author Topic: Oh! Bama (Read 50535 times)