Will the real Barack Obama please stand up? | Bleader

What name calling?

How about this?

I agree that Obama has been way too accommodating with the do-nothing Republicans in Congress who wrongly call themselves Conservatives.

He took way too long to realize that the Republican Party doesn't really care about America as long as their friends and themselves continue to make a fortune off the misery and suffering of the Middle Class and the Poor whiling lying about their own nonexistent accomplishments.

He has finally realized that it's useless to try and compromise with the Republicans in Congress while they lie about everything and make hypocritical statements that pretend that they're actually trying to help the economy rather than tank it, so there's no point in even trying to work with them.

He'll have to do what he can within the power of his office to mitigate the damage caused by the Republicans in Congress that call themselves Conservatives, but that's the best we can hope for until we vote a bunch more of them out of office later this year and can begin to fix the mess that they've created.

The Republicans in Congress that Obama has had to deal with have done nothing but lie about everything they've done, and everything that Obama has done, so how can anyone expect Obama to actually work with people like that?

the unempolyment numbers are a sham..and both sides do it. They use the U3 number instead of the U6 number. If they had used the U6 number, you would see unemployment would be near 16%. This includes:

U-6, total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers.

as opposed to U3 numbers:

total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor force (this is the definition used for the official unemployment rate)

in other words, the U3 does not include the people who have exceeded their unemployment benefits and/or just dropped out of labor participation and are not even counted anymore, as well as those who are considered underemployed...meaning they can't find full time work.

http://www.bls.gov/lau/stalt.htm

http://portalseven.com/employment/unemployment_rate_u6.jsp

Looking at the total Labor participation rate which is accelerating the decline under Obama, and is sliding to a record low...meaning fewer are participating in the labor force - there's your true unemployment number...

http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300000

Hope this helps you understand it better...

Until the Republicans are willing to COMPROMISE and work WITH Democrats then there's no point in attempting to work with them.

They've had 3 years to work with Obama, and as the Article YOU seeded said, Obama has been the one doing all the compromising while the Republicans have done absolutely NOTHING but attack him.

Obama has been far too willing to compromise with the Republicans, and so far they have yet to do ANYTHING to help this economy.

There is absolutely no point in trying to work with the Republicans anymore, so yes we do need to get rid of as many of them as is necessary to get things done.

Maybe their replacements will be more willing to work with the opposition rather than just obstruct everything that isn't exactly what they want.

Expecting BOTH SIDES to be willing to compromise is a terrible attitude?

THAT'S a completely ridiculous attitude itself.

If one side refuses to compromise and even says that compromising is treason, then it's completely pointless to try and work with them. All you can do is try to get rid of them, that's why the Republicans MUST go.

It takes both sides to govern, and if one side refuses to work with the other side unless they get things 100% their way, no one can govern.

The Republican refusal to work with the Democrats is what's sad.

Nope.

Sorry, but I only blame the side that actually does the deed for the crime that's been done.

Just because there are two sides involved, it doesn't mean that both sides are equally responsible.

The Democrats haven't been the the ones refusing to compromise, the Republicans have.

What you're trying to do is like blaming the homeowner for being burglarized because they didn't have strong enough locks on their doors and windows. Or blaming Poland when the Germans invaded them.

I lay the blame at the feet of those who deserve it.

Terry,

If the Democrats have been willing to compromise, why hasn't the Senate debated the economic bills sent to it by the House?

If the Democrats have been willing to compromise, why hasn't the Senate debated the economic bills sent to it by the House?

Ain't it the truth!

wolf..its a never ending mess..the back and forth non decision making administration..and when they do finally make a decision its the wrong one...come on elections...its time for change.

The bills that have been sent to the Senate have just been Tax Cuts for corporations and Handouts to Republican supporters. No Jobs Bills have been passed by the House since Republicans took over.

If the Republicans were willing to compromise, then why haven't they sent ANY real Jobs Bills to the Senate? All they've sent is more of that failed trickle-down nonsense that has already caused most of the deficit.

Compromise isn't Republicans sending Partisan BS from the House to the Senate and the Senate Democrats going along with it while the Senate Republicans Filibuster everything that the Democrats put forth. There needs to be compromise in the House before it ever gets sent to the Senate.

Terry

If what you say is true, why wouldn't Leader Reid bring the bills to the Senate floor, debate them and vote on them sending them to a crushing defeat?

It is not like they are busy doing anything else?

What does Leader Reid fear about bringing the House passed bills to the floor for a vote?

Makes you wonder doesn't it?

As long as the Republicans continue to Filibuster EVERY Democratic Bill, I don't believe that Senator Reid should allow ANY Republican Bill to go to the floor.

What goes around, comes around.

As long as the Republicans continue to use these Dirty Filibuster Tactics, they'll get no sympathy from me.

Republicans can't claim the moral high ground while they're wallowing in the fetid swamp of Partisan Politics.

Terry

So you advocate the very adult approach of "if the game doesn;t go my, then I am taking the ball and going home".

It sounds like you (and Leader Reid) are unsure of how the votes on some of those bills might go. Interesting

ANd when the Republicans take control of the Senate in Jan 2013, will you be just as disgusted when the Democrats filibuster bills to keep the Republicans from passing legislation?

Or will you then make the argument that they are doing the will of hte people?

No, I advocate FAIRNESS!

If you use the rules to screw me over, then I have NO problem using the rules to screw you back.

Apparently you think that the Democrats should deal with the Republicans with one hand tied behind their back.

The Republicans need to stop whining about how Senator Reid won't play fair, even though they aren't playing fair themselves.

If they want sympathy, they'll find it in the Dictionary, tell them to look somewhere between $hit and syphilis.

The Republicans aren't going to take control of the Senate, they're going to lose control of the House.

But, I would be just as annoyed with the Democrats if they abused the Filibuster like the Republicans are doing. I don't have a problem with the Filibuster being used occasionally in order to force a compromise on an important piece of legislation that is being ramrodded through the Senate, but that isn't what the Republicans are doing, the Republicans have even Filibustered their own legislation just because the Democrats agreed with it.

I'm not a Democrat, I'm an Ex-Republican and Ex-Libertarian independent who CURRENTLY favors the Democrats because the Republicans are just the Political Arm of the Evangelical Christians, and the Libertarians have morphed into a Club for Selfish Conspiracy Theorists. I'm still a Libertarian on Social Issues and a Moderate on Fiscal Issues, and if the Democrats ever start acting like the Republicans or Libertarians do now I'll stop supporting them.

I believe in self-defense and justice.

If there is no justice available, then you can expect vengeance instead..

It's not like there is anyone who can make the Republicans use fair tactics, therefore it is up to the Democrats to defend themselves.

Do you expect the Democrats to just lay back and take whatever the Republicans dish out?

I expect the Democrats to defend themselves using the Rules of the Senate.

Terry

You are an ex a lot of things

Identity issues.

If Leader Reid had any confidence that the legislation would not pass in the Senate, then he would bring the bills to the floor debate and vote on them and then do the "in your face" dance in the well of the Senate.

Nope, until the Republicans stop filibustering everything in sight, Senator Reid shouldn't bring ANY Republican legislation to the floor.

I have NO problem with the Democrats retaliating for Republican intransigence. If they want Reid to cooperate with them, then they're just going to have to learn how to compromise.

If they refuse to compromise, then they can go to hell for all I care.

drummerboy, I'm so glad you introduced that Gallup poll for discussion. It gives us a great opportunity to see how rightward slanted the Gallup organization is. For that poll, Gallup decided not to look at the generally used "official" unemployment number, seasonally adjust U3 but the unadjusted number, which even it admits is subject to various transient fluctuations. (Just for perspective, whenever right wingers pull out Bush's unemployment record, it's always the seasonally adjusted U3 that gets used). Furthermore, Gallup decided to ignore the U6 for that period which many right wing critics of the President have said should be what we are looking at -- and only what we should be looking at. During that period Gallup chose to focus on the rising of the unadjusted unemployment rate (U3) the U6 dropped a full .6% -- a very large drop. In fact, the most dramatic improvements in the various unemployment categories over the past year have been occurring in the U6 category (seasonally adjusted or not). Yesterday's numbers (link below) for Feb showed significant improvement in nearly all categories, but especially in the U6. Many economists expected the U3 to rise even if jobs were added since more people would be actively seeking work but apparently the job creation was sufficient to absorb new seekers (i.e. those leaving leaving the U4-U6 categories). Finally, I'd suggest you be careful about using polls to decide what facts are. A poll of "affluent" people (defined as households with more than $100k income) that came out yesterday revealed that 63% of them thought we were still in a recession (second link). We've officially (by definition) been out of the recession for 30 months.

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm

http://www.cnbc.com/id/46672702