Someone Else's Fault

[irwincur]

You run for president, claiming that you have a better solution to every problem. You run on the fact that you are better than the other guy, and that other guy that you are about to replace. You argue that the current guy is ignoring the constitution and fucking everything up. You are in congress, so you know how really screwed the economy is – well you would know if you actually ever showed up at work. Hell, you technically had a part in screwing it up.

The people love you for this. They adore your speeches about making things better and change. You get elected with a comfortable margin. You have both houses of congress to do your bidding.

And…. You get NOTHING DONE. But, it is not your fault. It is the previous guys fault. Everything is his fault, the war, the economy, the deficit, everything…

Oh, wait. You ran for this job knowing full well that for better or worse you will have to deal with it. You knew that the economy was about to tank (you better have you were closer to it than the rest of us), you knew we were at war, you knew we were a target, you knew it all.

No one wants a leader that blames others for their problems. There is a word for that, and it is not leader. If Obama is a real leader, he would quit blaming others and get something done.

 

[Patranus]

Why do you think his poll numbers are dropping?
Because he is still in campaign mode.

 

[JEDIYoda]

You run for president, claiming that you have a better solution to every problem. You run on the fact that you are better than the other guy, and that other guy that you are about to replace. You argue that the current guy is ignoring the constitution and fucking everything up. You are in congress, so you know how really screwed the economy is – well you would know if you actually ever showed up at work. Hell, you technically had a part in screwing it up.

The people love you for this. They adore your speeches about making things better and change. You get elected with a comfortable margin. You have both houses of congress to do your bidding.

And…. You get NOTHING DONE. But, it is not your fault. It is the previous guys fault. Everything is his fault, the war, the economy, the deficit, everything…

Oh, wait. You ran for this job knowing full well that for better or worse you will have to deal with it. You knew that the economy was about to tank (you better have you were closer to it than the rest of us), you knew we were at war, you knew we were a target, you knew it all.

No one wants a leader that blames others for their problems. There is a word for that, and it is not leader. If Obama is a real leader, he would quit blaming others and get something done.

This is the most ignorant post in the history of P&N!!
The republican have come out and said they would obstruct anything and everything that they could.
Why?
because if they do whats right and become part of the solution the Dems will certainly win another 4 years...and OMG who would want that....

 

[sandorski]

This is the most ignorant post in the history of P&N!!
The republican have come out and said they would obstruct anything and everything that they could.
Why?
because if they do whats right and become part of the solution the Dems will certainly win another 4 years...and OMG who would want that....

I disagree. It is not the most idiotic post, but it sure ranks up there.

Completely agree on one of the main problems though. The Republicans are like a guy who says a boat sucks, puts a hole in it, it sinks, and then yells "See, I told you so!"

His post is also quite Ironic, being that again the attempt is made to ignore the Obama inherited all the issues the OP claims are Obama's alone. They(probably himself as well) started blaming him before he was even inaugurated. Someone elses fault indeed.

 

[blackangst1]

This is the most ignorant post in the history of P&N!!
The republican have come out and said they would obstruct anything and everything that they could.
Why?
because if they do whats right and become part of the solution the Dems will certainly win another 4 years...and OMG who would want that....

Thats called politics. Both parties have done it. But you know what? Obama is alot of things, but a leader isnt one of them. Its now a year into his presidency and he has yet to own anything. He lets congress lead him around like a puppy dog. He doesnt motivate. He lacks conviction. He lacks ownership. He cant even energize his own party.

That said, I believe his intentions were good; however, he is acting like a lost child. And the OP is correct: he blames everyone else. He thinks everyone is his enemy...Fox news, the GOP, bank presidents, Rush Limbaugh, insurance companies, even the American people who dont agree with him. But you know what? It is these very people that built this country he now is (supposed to be) leading. All he is doing is alienating, making excuses, and pointing fingers.

 

[Patranus]

I disagree. It is not the most idiotic post, but it sure ranks up there.

Completely agree on one of the main problems though. The Republicans are like a guy who says a boat sucks, puts a hole in it, it sinks, and then yells "See, I told you so!"

His post is also quite Ironic, being that again the attempt is made to ignore the Obama inherited all the issues the OP claims are Obama's alone. They(probably himself as well) started blaming him before he was even inaugurated. Someone elses fault indeed.

The Democrats on the other hand say the boat sucks, punches a hole in the side and continues to load it with people.

 

[bamacre]

Isn't it ironic that the Dem's are blaming Republicans for their obstructionism? I mean, when Bush was in office, the Dem's just went along with almost every single bad idea coming from the Bush admin. War in Iraq? Sure, go for it. Patriot Act? It sounds patriotic!

 

[Starbuck1975]

The Dem's just went along with almost every single bad idea coming from the Bush admin. War in Iraq? Sure, go for it. Patriot Act? It sounds patriotic!

The Democrats only grew a spine against Bush once it became politically convenient to do so. Shortly after 9/11, Bush was quite high in public opinion, attributed to the very cavalier and arrogant but nonetheless decisive posturing of his Administration, especially after we invaded Afghanistan. Not everyone was on board for expanding the WoT to Iraq. Many had reservations. Few had the courage to challenge Bush until it was too late.

It is not obstructionism to question the President. It is not obstructionism for the minority party to challenge the majority. The Senate election in MA is a clear indicator that momentum is on the Republican's side.

Continue to blame Bush if you want, because it is convenient to do so. Sure, Obama inherited a mess from his predecessor. But it was a mess he was well aware of going into the election, and one he promised to CHANGE. That he has been largely unable to deliver has nothing to do with Bush or the Republicans. It is that his own party is too busy squabbling amongst itself, with no clear leadership from the White House. The measure of a leader is his or her ability to deal with the realities of NOW...able to learn from but not get caught up in the past, but also not focused so far into the future to lose sight of the present.

Obama, and the Democrats, had a full year, with momentum on their side, to enact many of their priorities. If anything, Obama enjoyed a rather long honeymoon period with the American people. The Democrats lost their window of opportunity. I doubt come November they will be afforded an opportunity to win it back.

 

[Red Dawn]

You run for president, claiming that you have a better solution to every problem. You run on the fact that you are better than the other guy, and that other guy that you are about to replace. You argue that the current guy is ignoring the constitution and fucking everything up. You are in congress, so you know how really screwed the economy is – well you would know if you actually ever showed up at work. Hell, you technically had a part in screwing it up.

The people love you for this. They adore your speeches about making things better and change. You get elected with a comfortable margin. You have both houses of congress to do your bidding.

And…. You get NOTHING DONE. But, it is not your fault. It is the previous guys fault. Everything is his fault, the war, the economy, the deficit, everything…

Oh, wait. You ran for this job knowing full well that for better or worse you will have to deal with it. You knew that the economy was about to tank (you better have you were closer to it than the rest of us), you knew we were at war, you knew we were a target, you knew it all.

No one wants a leader that blames others for their problems. There is a word for that, and it is not leader. If Obama is a real leader, he would quit blaming others and get something done.

In a year? It took a long time to get in this mess, it's not going to be solved in a year. Now if things aren't better after his first term then it's his fault.

 

[yuppiejr]

This is the most ignorant post in the history of P&N!!
The republican have come out and said they would obstruct anything and everything that they could.
Why?
because if they do whats right and become part of the solution the Dems will certainly win another 4 years...and OMG who would want that....

Wait - with a super majority in the senate (until the special election in Mass. anyway) and 256 Democrat versus 178 Republican votes in the house how exactly were the Republicans able to obstruct anything?

Fact is Obama has squandered one of the greatest political opportunities for a single party to effect this country in our collective lifetimes to further their agenda. He is also one of the most divisive presidents in history who has no interest in the perspectives of those who disagree with him (nor has he needed to care until the Tuesday before last).

Reagan, Clinton and even "W" got far more done for the country and their own party's agenda without the same commanding majority in the house and senate ("W" was fairly close in terms of divisiveness but actually managed to further his party's agenda with more examples of bipartisan support early on in his presidency than BHO). It's going to be a tough 3 years now that the voters and media are done with the honeymoon and starting to unravel the political stillbirth of this presidency.

 

[Bitek]

Quite rich for a thread titled "Someone else's fault" to be a long diatribe on how everything is Obama's fault.


Oh dear oh dear, if just anyone else won in '08 we'd have 5% unemployment, Dow 15K, $500B surplus, and have won in Iraq & Afghan, and bin Laden and AQ would be a footnote in the history books!

 

[highland145]

Wait - with a super majority in the senate (until the special election in Mass. anyway) and 256 Democrat versus 178 Republican votes in the house how exactly were the Republicans able to obstruct anything?

This.

If I remember correctly, the same happened to Clinton during his first term. So much infighting with the Dems nothing got done.

 

[Jhhnn]

Remarkable diatribe from the OP, blaming somebody else. The things that need to get done are the very things he and his fellow travelers oppose quite bitterly.

Standing in the epic and very messy aftermath of a top-down free-market looting spree, he blames the cleaning crew, and will obviously oppose any effort to prevent recurrence.

Denial and blame shifting. It's what the right wing thrives on...

 

[Mursilis]

This.

If I remember correctly, the same happened to Clinton during his first term. So much infighting with the Dems nothing got done.

Yup. I've said this before, but it's worth saying again. The GOP haven't been especially brilliant in the past 20+ years; they haven't had a truly charismatic leader of, say, the Clinton/Obama level since Reagan, most of the press is against them, and the 'brand' is pretty tarnished. So why have they had any success at all? Because the Dems have all the intelligence of a circular firing squad. They usually fail to deliver what they promise, they infight constantly, and most of them have no idea what they stand for. Plus, their Congressional leaders are all a bunch of spineless wet noodles who fold at the drop of a hat. The last time they held the White House and both chambers of Congress, it lasted all of two years before they left the public with no choice but to elect Republicans. When you make the GOP look like the lesser evil, you've truly failed as a party.

 

[irwincur]

This is the most ignorant post in the history of P&N!!
The republican have come out and said they would obstruct anything and everything that they could.
Why?
because if they do whats right and become part of the solution the Dems will certainly win another 4 years...and OMG who would want that....

You know what is ignorant. Ignoring the fact that the Dems have (or at least had) a clear cut majority in both houses. Frankly, blaming the republicans for the dems complete and utter failure is about the stupidest thing I have ever heard.

They are like children. Always passing blame, never getting anything done.

 

[irwincur]

The point is, in the real world - outside of politics. If you were to say get hired to do a job. But you spent the entire first year complaining that the job is too hard because the guy before you screwed it up. You would have been fired about one month into it.

In the real world, people could care less about who you have to blame for your problems. If there is a problem, and you step up to the plate to fix it. Just fix it.

This is a huge reason why 'regular' people out there are fleeing his camp en mass.

 

[sandorski]

The point is, in the real world - outside of politics. If you were to say get hired to do a job. But you spent the entire first year complaining that the job is too hard because the guy before you screwed it up. You would have been fired about one month into it.

In the real world, people could care less about who you have to blame for your problems. If there is a problem, and you step up to the plate to fix it. Just fix it.

Beyond the Powers given a President.

 

[highland145]

Beyond the Powers given a President.

Considering Congress formulates the laws, I would agree any Pres. is a figurehead if they can't get on the same page.

 

[blackangst1]

Considering Congress formulates the laws, I would agree any Pres. is a figurehead if they can't get on the same page.

Then you have no problem giving the GOP credit for the boom of the 90's then. Good deal. At least YOU get it.

 

[blackangst1]

Yup. I've said this before, but it's worth saying again. The GOP haven't been especially brilliant in the past 20+ years; they haven't had a truly charismatic leader of, say, the Clinton/Obama level since Reagan, most of the press is against them, and the 'brand' is pretty tarnished. So why have they had any success at all? Because the Dems have all the intelligence of a circular firing squad. They usually fail to deliver what they promise, they infight constantly, and most of them have no idea what they stand for. Plus, their Congressional leaders are all a bunch of spineless wet noodles who fold at the drop of a hat. The last time they held the White House and both chambers of Congress, it lasted all of two years before they left the public with no choice but to elect Republicans. When you make the GOP look like the lesser evil, you've truly failed as a party.

Wow...you must be a Democrat lol WTG for acting Obama-like!

 

[highland145]

Then you have no problem giving the GOP credit for the boom of the 90's then. Good deal. At least YOU get it.

Of course I give the credit to the GOP and a Democratic pres that acted more like a conservative. (Except for the Monica thing. But, hey, big girls need lovin' too.)

 

[blackangst1]

Of course I give the credit to the GOP and a Democratic pres that acted more like a conservative. (Except for the Monica thing. But, hey, big girls need lovin' too.)

hehe fair enough. And yah they do. But as a good friend of mine says, its not lady-like to not swallow

 

[highland145]

hehe fair enough. And yah they do. But as a good friend of mine says, its not lady-like to not swallow

She didn't hence the DRESS.

 

[kage69]

I find many of these points to be completely without merit, simply because I watched and listened to Bush supporters blame Clinton for almost everything for Bush's first 6 to 7 years. On top of that, 8 years under that admin gave this country very little. Those who questioned the White House on the war, taxes, etc had their patriotism questioned and their intellect ridiculed.

So Obama wins, and immediately the hacks proclaim the previous president and his policies to be off limits to discussion. Any mention of Bush is automatically met with a flatulent retort of "B B But Bush!!!" On top of that, Obama is somehow expected to deliver more in one year than Bush did in eight.

I think Obama critics are jumping the gun in a big way, showing a lot of gall while holding up their partisan double-standard for all to see. Makes them look like petulant children really. Behavior they accepted from Bush is now the latest affront from Obama and oh my god the whole country is going to burn! Reparations! Muslim socialist! Blah blah blah..

When Bush was in office and his critics complained, a common sentiment among his supporters was "Well we tried it your way for awhile, the election says we're going to try something different now. Don't like it? Then vote at the next election."
Guess what? Time to live up to your own advice.

You guys will have something to bitch about when Obama violates his oath of office a la Bush, or decides to throw away American blood and money on some elective military adventure. Till then, you would do well to temper your current opinions with some contemplation over the ones you've made in the past.

 

[irwincur]

The big difference is, Bush never blamed Clinton. His supporters may have, but I never recall him uttering a single negative word about his predecessor in public.

The only issue I really have with Obama is that he is the only president that I know of that actually thinks blaming the other guy is an accomplishment. Not to mention his pissing all over the old gentleman's agreement that was long unspoken - you do not speak evil of your fellow presidents. At least while they are alive.