Obama shares in sacrifice of common Americans, returns 5% of salary

[Doc Savage Fan]

Sure you can go on if you want, I'm not even sure why you listed those to begin with? You said something earlier to the effect that Romney would not have been so stupid as Obama in this regard, and I was simply reminding you of how untrue that was.

Oh, and the 'you didn't build that' business was a really sad attempt by a flailing campaign to find an issue. What Obama said was unarguably correct.

We were talking about "tin ears to suffering" and insensitivity the last time I checked. Although Romney gave him a run for his money, Obama clearly takes the cake in this department. Some might call him an "idiot" for such displays of insensitivity and indifference...however, in this case, I prefer to leave this kind of rhetoric to the intellectuals among us.

 

[fskimospy]

We were talking about insensitivity and "tin ears to suffering" last time I checked. Although Romney gives him a run for his money, Obama clearly takes the cake in this department. Some might call him an "idiot" for such displays of insensitivity and indifference...however, in this case, I prefer to leave this kind of rhetoric to the intellectuals among us.

No, Romney definitely wins that by a country mile. It's pretty easy to see when you need to reach back four years to compete with what Romney racked up in about four months but hey, we all make dumb mistakes sometime. I want you to know that I still think highly of you, warts and all.

I'm really happy to hear that you would not stoop to calling someone an idiot, but this does raise a large concern on my part. When I did a quick forum search for your name and the word 'idiot' there were pages and pages of posts by you calling people idiots. As I know that your personal character is unimpeachable I fear that there may have been a security breach for your account. I suggest changing your password immediately.

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

No, Romney definitely wins that by a country mile. It's pretty easy to see when you need to reach back four years to compete with what Romney racked up in about four months but hey, we all make dumb mistakes sometime. I want you to know that I still think highly of you, warts and all.

I'm really happy to hear that you would not stoop to calling someone an idiot, but this does raise a large concern on my part. When I did a quick forum search for your name and the word 'idiot' there were pages and pages of posts by you calling people idiots. As I know that your personal character is unimpeachable I fear that there may have been a security breach for your account. I suggest changing your password immediately.

I also think highly of you my friend; however, I did not say I would not stoop to calling someone an idiot...and your statement that you're happy to hear it makes me wonder about the number of the voices in your head.

Anyway, my point was that you called Romney an idiot for making an insensitive joke yet fail to apply the same label to Obama who's shown many more examples of similar, if not worse, insensitivity.

 

[ivwshane]

Imagine if Romney had said he'd make the "sacrifice" of donating his entire salary to charity if elected. :biggrin:

I also think highly of you my friend; however, I did not say I would not stoop to calling someone an idiot...and your statement that you're happy to hear it makes me wonder about the number of the voices in your head.

Anyway, my point was that you called Romney an idiot for making an insensitive joke yet fail to apply the same label to Obama who's shown many more examples of similar, if not worse, insensitivity.

Yes and the reason he called Romney an idiot is because you brought it up. Do you remember what you posted in this thread? I do.

 

[fskimospy]

I also think highly of you my friend; however, I did not say I would not stoop to calling someone an idiot...and your statement that you're happy to hear it makes me wonder about the number of the voices in your head.

Anyway, my point was that you called Romney an idiot for making an insensitive joke yet fail to apply the same label to Obama who's shown many more examples of similar, if not worse, insensitivity.

I did not say that Romney was an idiot for making such a statement, my statement of Romney's idiocy was entirely independent of any conduct mentioned in my post.

As I know how much you dislike double standards, I'm sure this news will make you very happy.

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

Of course instead he did things like crack jokes to jobless people about how he was unemployed just like them.

If we are talking about tin ears to the suffering, that idiot basically took the cake.

You bring up one insenstive joke by Romney and extrapolate to "tin ears to the suffering" and then call him in idiot in one fell swoop.

I did not say that Romney was an idiot for making such a statement, my statement of Romney's idiocy was entirely independent of any conduct mentioned in my post.

Right...so Romney's joke has nothing to do with calling him an idiot. Got it.

You said something earlier to the effect that Romney would not have been so stupid as Obama in this regard, and I was simply reminding you of how untrue that was.

And I disagreed by giving you several examples where Obama displayed callous insensitivy and indifference that were much worse than Romney's insensitive joke.

If Romney had "tin ears to the suffering" based on one insenstive joke ...how do you feel about Obama and his shovel-ready joke, or his Fort Hood speech shout-out, or his "Polish death camps" and "'When 4 Americans get killed, it's not optimal" statements?

As I know how much you dislike double standards, I'm sure this news will make you very happy.

I'm elated.

 

[fskimospy]

You bring up one insenstive joke by Romney and extrapolate to "tin ears to the suffering" and then call him in idiot in one fell swoop.


Right...so Romney's joke has nothing to do with calling him an idiot. Got it.


And I disagreed by giving you several examples where Obama displayed callous insensitivy and indifference that were much worse than Romney's insensitive joke.

If Romney had "tin ears to the suffering" based on one insenstive joke ...how do you feel about Obama and his shovel-ready joke, or his Fort Hood speech shout-out, or his "Polish death camps" and "'When 4 Americans get killed, it's not optimal" statements?


I'm elated.

I generally don't care about either one, actually. Policies matter, not how nice you are to people. The only reason I cared about Romney's statements at all was for how they related to the election. I could have mentioned far more similar statements by Romney but I chose not to as I had already shown how bad your point was.

I think Romney is an idiot for reasons completely unrelated to him saying something stupid at a rally. His policy positions were cartoonishly horrible and his campaign incompetent.

I am happy to hear about your elation though. Making you happy makes me happy.

 

[werepossum]

IIRC, JFK gave his entire salary to charities throughout his presidency.

Well - he did a lot of work with unwed mothers. Helping get their start and all.

This thread sure went to hell quickly, so I'll just say it's a nice gesture by Obama. Anytime I see a liberal offering the shirt off his own back rather than mine I'm happy, no matter how many shirts he may happen to own. He earned it, he's giving a bit back, it's a completely good thing whether it hurts him or not.

 

[Vic Vega]

Just a point of fact, the president doesn't control the budget, congress does. Perhaps you should put the blame where it belongs and hold those who are responsible, responsible.

A point of fact. He doesn't have to spend it. I can see you have never been put in charge of an allocated budget.

 

[irishScott]

Yeah, when he donates 300,000 of his 400,000 to charity and does similar with any remaining income over 100,000/year I'll be suitably impressed. And that's just asking him to make upper-middle class.

 

[ivwshane]

A point of fact. He doesn't have to spend it. I can see you have never been put in charge of an allocated budget.

Actually point of fact he does have to spend it.

Prior to 1974, Congress had no formal process for establishing a coherent budget. When newly-elected President Richard Nixon began to refuse to spend funds that the Congress had allocated, Congress adopted a more formal means by which to challenge him. The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 created the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and directed more control of the budget to it and away from the President's Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The Act passed easily while the administration was embroiled in the Watergate scandal and unwilling to provoke Congress.[3]

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Budget_and_Impoundment_Control_Act_of_1974#mw-mf-search

 

[zsdersw]

This thread sure went to hell quickly,

Don't they all.

 

[monovillage]

Don't they all.

The Tigerbeat type threads "Ohhhh Justin Obama is just the cutest!" or "Isn't Barack Bieber the best thing that's happened to this country in 300 years" tend to go down real fast.

 

[Incorruptible]

I generally don't care about either one, actually. Policies matter, not how nice you are to people. The only reason I cared about Romney's statements at all was for how they related to the election. I could have mentioned far more similar statements by Romney but I chose not to as I had already shown how bad your point was.

I think Romney is an idiot for reasons completely unrelated to him saying something stupid at a rally. His policy positions were cartoonishly horrible and his campaign incompetent.

I am happy to hear about your elation though. Making you happy makes me happy.

And yet you support obama who is very similar to romney.

 

[Fern]

Well, the Pope makes roughly $200M per year.
-snip-

Seriously?

That's obscene and indefensible.

Edit: Never mind, looks like I took him seriously when I shouldn't have.

Fern

 

[Fern]

-snip-

I even highlighted it for you and I've already shown how his vacations are no different than past presidents and we know he hasn't taken more vacations than past presidents so...

Even though I'm pretty old the only President's vacations I remember were Bush's. I suppose that's because the media made a big fuss about them.

But I mostly (well, actually only) remember him going to Camp David or his ranch in Texas.

That seems quite a bit different that Obama and his families vacations to locations that are exotic by most peoples' standards. Going to a ranch to clear brush? IMO, that's not even a vacation and hanging out at some scrub woods in TX sure as heck isn't exotic.

I don't begrudge Presidents' their vacations. I also suspect some of them are 'working vacations', like those at Camp David. But the context cannot be overlooked. I think Obama's seemingly luxury type vacations would attracted much less attention if the economy were roaring and he wasn't calling for shared sacrifice and berating rich people while at the same time acting like one.

Fern

 

[Fern]

I'm curious to see his 2013 tax return, specifically his charitable deductions.

Money donated to the fed (or even state/local) govt is a charitable deduction. Is it possible he declares he's donating the 5% to the fed govt but ends up curtailing some other charitable giving so he's not really out of any money? I think it possible but unlikely, still I'll be curious to see that tax return.

Fern

 

[SheHateMe]

The Tigerbeat type threads "Ohhhh Justin Obama is just the cutest!" or "Isn't Barack Bieber the best thing that's happened to this country in 300 years" tend to go down real fast.

I think everyone shows up to see what cute new pet names the other side has made up for Obama.

Its like we are in Kindergarten again.

 

[michal1980]

Obama goes golfing for the 2nd time in two weeks. Liberal 'sacrifice'

 

[thraashman]

Even though I'm pretty old the only President's vacations I remember were Bush's. I suppose that's because the media made a big fuss about them.

But I mostly (well, actually only) remember him going to Camp David or his ranch in Texas.

That seems quite a bit different that Obama and his families vacations to locations that are exotic by most peoples' standards. Going to a ranch to clear brush? IMO, that's not even a vacation and hanging out at some scrub woods in TX sure as heck isn't exotic.

I don't begrudge Presidents' their vacations. I also suspect some of them are 'working vacations', like those at Camp David. But the context cannot be overlooked. I think Obama's seemingly luxury type vacations would attracted much less attention if the economy were roaring and he wasn't calling for shared sacrifice and berating rich people while at the same time acting like one.

Fern

The main reason you heard so much about Bush's vacations is because he took so many of them. He spent more time on vacation than any President in history by a VERY large margin. And Obama has in fact in the same amount of time spent something like one third as much time on vacation as Bush did.

 

[marvdmartian]

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/04/0...udget-cuts-obama-to-return-of-part-of-pay.xml

To me, that's a pretty noble gesture, all things considered. I wonder, is Obama gesture unprecedented for American presidents? To voluntarily return a small token of salary?

So he's willing to give up 5% of his $400K salary, but is also willing to furlough federal workers, causing them to lose 20% of their salaries during the furlough time? All the while he continues to collect royalties from his bestselling books??

Gee, what a noble fellow.

 

[bshole]

So he's willing to give up 5% of his $400K salary, but is also willing to furlough federal workers, causing them to lose 20% of their salaries during the furlough time?

We have a winner folks. The first conservative to stand up for federal workers. So all that stuff about too much federal spending has nothing to do with federal workers? Most conservatives I know would be ecstatic about federal workers getting thrown under the bus,,,, (along with seniors, the poor and middle class).

If you are gonna rip Obama, at least rip him for things that go against your core values. Liberals should rip him for furloughing federal workers, conservatives should praise him. Its kind of funny that everything he does is wrong even if he does things that conservatives agree with.

 

[UberNeuman]

We have a winner folks. The first conservative to stand up for federal workers. So all that stuff about too much federal spending has nothing to do with federal workers? Most conservatives I know would be ecstatic about federal workers getting thrown under the bus,,,, (along with seniors, the poor and middle class).

If you are gonna rip Obama, at least rip him for things that go against your core values. Liberals should rip him for furloughing federal workers, conservatives should praise him. Its kind of funny that everything he does is wrong even if he does things that conservatives agree with.

:thumbsup:

The GOP wanted cuts in spending. They got it.

And these right-wingers that now so aghast that cuts are going to hurt people... Guess what - cuts are going to hurt someone - there's no magical cutting that's not going to effect people in some fashion.

 

[Incorruptible]

We have a winner folks. The first conservative to stand up for federal workers. So all that stuff about too much federal spending has nothing to do with federal workers? Most conservatives I know would be ecstatic about federal workers getting thrown under the bus,,,, (along with seniors, the poor and middle class).

If you are gonna rip Obama, at least rip him for things that go against your core values. Liberals should rip him for furloughing federal workers, conservatives should praise him. Its kind of funny that everything he does is wrong even if he does things that conservatives agree with.

Not sure if serious. The policies of liberals would actually result in those things.

 

[zsdersw]

I also suspect some of them are 'working vacations',

The POTUS is never truly "on vacation". If some urgent matter of national security or other major event of presidential significance and relevance occurs, he's going to have to put down his metaphorical parasol-equipped drink and make some presidential decisions. That kind of urgency requires the POTUS be reachable 24/7/365... which is not what we typically think of when we think of "vacation".