“That brings me to the second thing I want to tell you. In 2008, America elects a black man President.”
“What? Really? Like Morgan Freeman in ‘Deep Impact’?”
“No, you anachronistic goober. That movie doesn’t even come out until 1998.”
“So, he’s like Disraeli or Thatcher, right? Only Nixon can go to China? He’s really conservative? Please tell me you don’t elect Alan Keyes President.”
“No, no. His name is Barack Hussein Obama.”
“OK, now you’re just screwing with me.”
“No. Totally serious. He’s liberal, intelligent, deliberative, pretty much everything the country needs after Bush.”
“Bush? But Bush is President now. Please don’t tell me that he’s still around in 2008!”
“Oh, no. You’ve got the good Bush. The other one is who Obama is cleaning up after.”
“Wow! That’s awesome. That’s wonderful to hear. People must be really— Oh. You’re going to do that thing again, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am. A lot of his supporters are disappointed.”
“With what? A liberal black guy got elected President!”
“And in his first year, he prevented a second Great Depression, has stopped torture as official policy, is winding down an unnecessary war, has dramatically opened up the transparency of government and has gone a good way towards restoring America’s place in the world.”
“And people are disappointed?”
“They want more.”
“Like the people disappointed with the computer?”
“Yes.”
“So people in 2010 are dicks?”
“They’re cynics.”
This is so good:
“he prevented a second Great Depression”
wow…
1) We saw the worst recession in any of our lifetimes
2) we never saw a depression
3) we are no longer in a recession
4) statement likely true.
Assuming that the difference between our deep recession and the realization of a 2nd great depression was Presidential action.
That is a pretty major assumption that is open for much debate.
Not really.
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/images/docpage-recoverystats1.jpg
oops. supposed to be responding to dantheman.
That chart proves nothing.
Obama himself said that the Stimulus would take time… “months or years”.. to have an impact. Did it really swing the pendulum the day he was elected? Damn, those stimulus funds flowed through the economy overnight!
A recession typically last 6-18 months. This one began in early 2008. We should expect that 2009 is when it would end, regardless of if McCain, Obama, or Ron Paul had been elected.
And if it is Bush policies that drove the started the recession, why did it only occur in year 8 of an 8 year Presidency? Judging the level of incompetetence people here say Bush had, I wonder why we didn’t see this recession brought on in year 1 or 2.
And if the political party in power really has a major impact on economic cycles (I’m saying it doesn’t), then why did this recession only occur once power had begun to shift to the Democratic side? Barney Frank had as much influence on the financial industry in 2008 as Henry Paulsen did.
Just saying, it is pretty much open for debate.
Bottom line. Obama’s policies are job killers, not job creators.
Actually, Dantheman, we were in recession during years 1 and 2 of the Bush presidency as well. Bush’s time in office was framed by recessions, and in between there was lacklustre economic growth compared to the 1990’s or 1980’s.
And if it is Bush policies that drove the started the recession, why did it only occur in year 8 of an 8 year Presidency
Selective amnesia, DtM? Forgot that Bush cut taxes AND funded a war, keeping the costs off the books? All part of the plan to keep the people in the dark. Then, when the Dems take over congress, started the Rove-esque plot to pin the blame on them, which comes to fruition when Obama steps in and starts handling the books RATIONALLY!
You’re a Bush apologist, DtM. Quit trying to squirm to the center.
“And if it is Bush policies that drove the started the recession, why did it only occur in year 8 of an 8 year Presidency?”
Really, Dan? I thought you were smarter than this. I thought it was from CMan. I’m surprised to see this from you.
Oh well.
Hmmmm. This so-called “liberal” going to court and WINNING in defense of Unitary President’s invoking the “state secrets” doctrine to justify spying on ALL citizens’ telephone and internet conversations … oh, oh, oh, you forgot to say he was “a professor of Constitutional law” in your flashback from the future.
Let’s look at what REALLY DID HAPPEN. In 2000, Junior Bush and Dick Cheney got into the White House after LOSING the election by a half-million votes. Despite the Democrats holding onto the Senate (theoretically), the Bush/Cheney cabal got everything they asked for as the Democrats capitulated and crawled and kow-towed.
So when the tables are finally turned, after 8 agonizing years, and the Democrats control the Senate, the House, and the Executive, what happens? The Republican dictatorship continues as the Democrats repeatedly retreat, cave in, roll over, and sell out.
This is NOT “change we can believe in.” The wars continue, the police state continues, the EPA embrace of polluters continues, the fight for universal health care turns into a bailout of the insurance companies [replete with secret deal-making during closed-door consultations in the White House!], Guantanamo is NOT shut down, NO ONE is held accountable for the past policies of torture and kidnapping — -and there is NO believable assurance that such practices have IN FACT been discontinued; beyond that, all power in Congress is ceded to the likes of Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson, and the national leadership is so inept and so quick to turn its back on the grass roots that they lose the Senate seat from Massachusetts, of all places!
The Atlantic Monthly was on the mark with its description of President Obama as the Herbert Hoover of our times. When FDR took office, he said “Our number one task is to put people to work.” When President Obama got in, it was “First we have to bail out Wall Street.”
Well, it is too soon to say whether we have avoided a “great depression.” Wall Street despite the bailout is beginning to falter.
On the other hand, it is not too soon to say that President Obama has turned his back on the people who put him into power — -either that, or he is simply not up to the job. People’s hope and dreams die hard, so don’t blame the liberals or progressives or the people commenting here for their disappointment with the administration. WE didn’t want them to fail. But these deluded trimmers made a bee-line to the right as soon as they got into office; all we heard over and over was “let’s be bipartisan; let’s compromise with the Republicans; blah-blah-blah.”
The Republicans are fascists, they’re not into compromise and have not been since Roger Ailes, the predecessor of Karl Rove, taught them the Mussolini Mambo. I didn’t vote for this President because of his name or his pigmentation — -I voted for him because people I trusted said that he would stand firm for health care coverage; for civil liberty restoration; for environmental protection; for adherence to international law; for economic justice.
Explain how Republicans can achieve their goals with a stolen Presidency and a divided Congress; but the Democrats can’t do it with a hefty majority in both houses AND a popular winner in the Oval Office. No, you can’t blame it on us liberals. If anything, we were TOO PATIENT in 2009! Barack Obama not only is no knight in shining armor…. he’s just another suit.
“either that, or he is simply not up to the job.”
BINGO!
Have you noticed how increasing numbers of “the people” are having real problems with the goals of the hefty majority and the popular winner…?
And, I’m not sure he’s just another suit. His seems to be reaching embarrassing new heights of “empty” compared to the garden-variety politician.
The premise of the post is totally unoriginal. Patton Oswalt did it first on his latest album “My Weakness Is Strong”. Just saying