The USA is Leaderless...

[leper84]

People actually think Obama controls anything? Lol.

He's a puppet, with the exact same damn policies as the puppet before him, as the puppet before him. But he's got a (D) in front of his name so instead of calling him a Nazi fascist like Bush we call him a communist. Loves the same out of control deficit spending as Bush, the same kind of illegal war as Bush, the same patriot act as Bush, the same NSA, the same TSA, the same Homeland security. Bush expands medicare/medicaid, Obama creates the "affordable care act", with is nothing more than a gimme to the health insurance companies and the derivative douchebag bankers that own them.

The last real President we had got shot in the fucking head for acting like one. And the one right before him warned us all this shit would happen. GJ America.

/rant
/tinfoil

 

[shadow9d9]

I'll address your points.


1. The Saudis hate us as of today. - yes, continuously interfering with Middle Eastern affairs and invading and occupying random ME countries are likely to do with this. Republican warmongers(both from the same family) are a major part of this problem.


2. Obama was shown who is boss by Putin during the Syria mess. Made himself look even weaker. -This is your opinion.


3. The NSA is out of control. (Merkel had her phone tapped as well.)- Yes. Bush should not have started this program. Did you post here about how he was not a real leader when implementing this? Obama is middle/right, so it is no surprise that it continues. Congress also does nothing. They are ALL to blame.

4. All of our allies hate us because the NSA hasn't been reigned in by Obama but rather given a blank check.- Citation needed. Bush started the program btw.


5. Health Care reform is / was a joke because Congress went out of control and wasn't reigned in by a strong leader.- It is a joke because Obama is so middle/right that he STARTED with the Republican healthcare plan and it continued to get watered down because of a lack of 60 democrats in the Senates and the Republicans taking their ball and walking home. In an environment where Republicans have doubled ALL PREVIOUS RECORDS of fillibusters, have had our credit downgraded, just shutdown our government, have stated on the record that their primary goal is to hurt Obama, and even FILLIBUSTERED THEIR OWN BILL, there is no one to be led. Hell, the Republicans could not even reign in their own members during the shutdown, allowing their minority to stop putting it up to vote, knowing it(CR) would pass. Additonally, the Republicans had 12 years of full congressional control, 6 of which with their president, and brought up healthcare reform 0 times. This should tell you how much they care about it. Blame those responsible.


6. Afghanistan is still a money pit without end.- That is what happens when you start endless occupations of foreign countries. Bush shouldn't have brought us there.

7. Guantanamo hasn't been closed.- The Republicans blocked this


8. Job growth is nill.- Citation?

9. The economy is not growing.- Stop allowing outsourcing, destroying unions, and allowing companies to withhold money overseas until the Republicans give them a tax holiday. Give some incentives to keep jobs in the country and penalize companies who ship them out. Hell, the Republicans just nominated a presidential nominee who RAN A COMPANY THAT SHIPPED JOBS OVERSEAS!


10. Debts and deficits are still growing uncontrollably.- We spend more on the most insane military machine in the world than the next 10 countries combined. 1 trillion+ a year. Republicans won't touch them.

 

[shadow9d9]

Uh, what?

The senate doesn't have a self imposed rule where the majority of the majority have to agree just to bring a bill forward. In fact the senate has routinely had bi-partisan support on many bills. So I have no idea what you are talking about.

Uh, yes they do. Unless you have 60 votes, you can't even bring a bill up for DEBATE!

 

[CanOWorms]

(Merkel had her phone tapped as well.)

Nothing wrong with that. Germany has a history that makes it deserve intense espionage operations.

Obama has shown great leadership in acting against European interests. Every other president had too much affinity to Europe.

 

[unokitty]

Obama's Credibility Is Melting
Here and abroad, Obama's partners are concluding they cannot trust him.

Bluntly, Mr. Obama's partners are concluding that they cannot do business with him. They don't trust him. Whether it's the Saudis, the Syrian rebels, the French, the Iraqis, the unpivoted Asians or the congressional Republicans, they've all had their fill of coming up on the short end with so mercurial a U.S. president.

LOL

Uno

 

[shira]

obama was elected and people expected leadership out of him? It's not going to happen since he isn't a good leader.

Yet he's so powerless and weak that he got Obamacare shoved down your throat and up your rectum (to hear you complain about it), and he's so weak that he slam-dunked the Tea Party and the rest of the Republican party last week.

He's so weak except when he's too powerful. Have I got that right?

 

[rudder]

Yet he's so powerless and weak that he got Obamacare shoved down your throat and up your rectum (to hear you complain about it), and he's so weak that he slam-dunked the Tea Party and the rest of the Republican party last week.

He's so weak except when he's too powerful. Have I got that right?

That power does not come cheap... it has cost Obama $3.7 trillion over the last 5 years to keep his voters happy. Subsidized healthcare is icing on the cake and may ensure him a third term.

 

[ivwshane]

Uh, yes they do. Unless you have 60 votes, you can't even bring a bill up for DEBATE!

Umm no! You just think 60 votes is required because republicans will threaten filibuster. There is no rule that requires 60 votes for a bill (unless a filibuster is used/threatened).

Now compare that to the house where bohner requires a majority of his caucus to approve of action before action can be taken.

That's quite different.

 

[shady28]

I'll address your points.


1. The Saudis hate us as of today. - yes, continuously interfering with Middle Eastern affairs and invading and occupying random ME countries are likely to do with this. Republican warmongers(both from the same family) are a major part of this problem.

Don't need to read any more of your post to know you're clueless.

The Saudi's hate us because we didn't attack Iran, and because we didn't attack Syria. Search it up and learn the difference between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

 

[shira]

That power does not come cheap... it has cost Obama $3.7 trillion over the last 5 years to keep his voters happy. Subsidized healthcare is icing on the cake and may ensure him a third term.

You're changing the subject. The OP says that Obama is weak. Now you're saying he's not weak because he spends so much money to keep everyone happy.

So which is it? Make up your mind.

 

[IronWing]

The Saudis can suck my butt. When they were our friends they paid people to kill Americans. Maybe having them as enemies would be better. Other than that, I can't disagree with your list. Obama has been pathetic as a leader.

 

[Jhhnn]

I do love all the lame & maudlin mewling about the current rift with the Saudis.

Despite the wealth of the Royal Family, the KSA has the structure of a medieval kingdom where they rule, quite literally, by claim of divine right & by the imposition of religious law by radical Wahhabi clerics. They are the funding, source & inspiration for radical islamic teachings all over the world, the fountainhead of Jihad. It's their chief export, other than oil. If the Bushistas had really wanted to wage a war on terror, they'd have invaded the KSA rather than Iraq.

It's astounding that the same voices supporting them are the voices condemning Iran, whose religious leaders are utter milquetoasts by comparison.

 

[sao123]

Correct me if I am wrong. The $1.4 Trillion for FY 2009 also included the $430 Billion Tarp which is getting paid back during current budgets? Remove the Tarp you and you get a $1 Trillion deficit for 2009 and you lose the "Higher than expected paybacks" for 2013 according to the CBO giving you a lot more than a $642 Billion Deficit for 2013.

Yay... the amount we are overspending per year is half as bad as it was 4 years ago.

Until we have a balanced budget and the cumulative national debt is decreasing, every single politician in washington should be fired.

 

[shadow9d9]

Umm no! You just think 60 votes is required because republicans will threaten filibuster. There is no rule that requires 60 votes for a bill (unless a filibuster is used/threatened).

Now compare that to the house where bohner requires a majority of his caucus to approve of action before action can be taken.

That's quite different.

A majority of his caucus did approve:

"In the hours working up to the government shutdown on Sept. 30, Republican members of the House Rules Committee were developing a strategy to keep a clean CR off the floor, guaranteeing the government would remain shut down.

Though at least 28 House Republicans have publicly said they would support a clean CR if it were brought to the floor -- enough votes for the government to reopen when combined with Democratic support -- a House rule passed just before the shutdown essentially prevents that vote from taking place"

"Where any member of the House previously could have brought the clean resolution to the floor under House Rule 22, House Resolution 368 -- passed on the eve of the shutdown -- gave that right exclusively to the House majority leader, Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/13/house-republicans-rules-change_n_4095129.html

Please don't lie here.


A fillibuster is threatened almost every time the Democrats bring up legislation. We have doubled all previous records for actual fillibusters, not including the threatened ones. Cloture is a rule.

 

[shadow9d9]

That power does not come cheap... it has cost Obama $3.7 trillion over the last 5 years to keep his voters happy. Subsidized healthcare is icing on the cake and may ensure him a third term.

It takes money to clean up the Republicans' destruction of the worldwide economy through greed and deregulation...

Presidents can't have third terms... Welcome to reality. If you go in the opposite direction, you will end up like anarchist.

 

[ivwshane]

A majority of his caucus did approve:

"In the hours working up to the government shutdown on Sept. 30, Republican members of the House Rules Committee were developing a strategy to keep a clean CR off the floor, guaranteeing the government would remain shut down.

Though at least 28 House Republicans have publicly said they would support a clean CR if it were brought to the floor -- enough votes for the government to reopen when combined with Democratic support -- a House rule passed just before the shutdown essentially prevents that vote from taking place"

"Where any member of the House previously could have brought the clean resolution to the floor under House Rule 22, House Resolution 368 -- passed on the eve of the shutdown -- gave that right exclusively to the House majority leader, Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/13/house-republicans-rules-change_n_4095129.html

Please don't lie here.


A fillibuster is threatened almost every time the Democrats bring up legislation. We have doubled all previous records for actual fillibusters, not including the threatened ones. Cloture is a rule.

Yeah, I think you are confused. House =/= senate. The house currently operates under a non standard rule where nothing is brought up unless the majority of the majority party wants it brought up. There is no such thing as a filibuster for the house.

While the use of the filibuster has been ridiculous, the senate has been able to work together to get things passed (it may not happen a lot but it happens) where as in the house there is basically zero compromise or bi partisanship happening. See the senate passed immigration bill that the house won't look at.

 

[shadow9d9]

Yeah, I think you are confused. House =/= senate. The house currently operates under a non standard rule where nothing is brought up unless the majority of the majority party wants it brought up. There is no such thing as a filibuster for the house.

While the use of the filibuster has been ridiculous, the senate has been able to work together to get things passed (it may not happen a lot but it happens) where as in the house there is basically zero compromise or bi partisanship happening. See the senate passed immigration bill that the house won't look at.

I responded to the 2 points separately. The first to the house, which showed that he had the votes, and that the republicans did a maneuver to make sure he wouldn't be allowed to use it.

As for the Senate, you can't bring it up for debate without 60 votes. The Republicans there threaten fillibuster all the time.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Who were the great leaders of your lifetime?
(American Presidents)

Can't think of any. The President who was probably the most forward looking was Carter, but perversely was probably too good a man to be a great President, coupled with fallout from things like wage and price control fallout as well as the economic downside of the VN war. What we really have is who looked and sounded best and appealed to people. That would be Regan and Carter. Note I didn't mention "great" but they were perceived as better than many, and Ron R was a better actor in office than in Hollywood.

 

[drebo]

The obsession with economic growth caused some of the others.

No, the obsession with regulators and politicians being able to line their own pockets caused all of the others.

Economic growth is only ever a good thing.

Corruption is always bad.

There has been no effort what so ever to reign in corruption in our political system. That is the worst, and that starts with the President.

 

[Moonbeam]

I think it goes without saying that if you are brain dead you are going to feel leaderless.

 

[piasabird]

Time to downsize.

 

[Fenixgoon]

No, the obsession with regulators and politicians being able to line their own pockets caused all of the others.

Economic growth is only ever a good thing.

Corruption is always bad.

There has been no effort what so ever to reign in corruption in our political system. That is the worst, and that starts with the President.

really? do you think the environmental costs of china's economic growth are worth it? would it have been better to have slower, more sustained growth in order to avoid so badly polluting land and rivers?

 

[Doppel]

Agree with a lot of OP's points. The US has been in a decline really since Clinton left office. We had hoped that Obama could reverse what Bush had done, but he hasn't.

Snowden's revelations about the NSA run amok has now pissed off Brazil. Brazil you say, who cares, well, it's also pissed off France and Germany. Saudi is pissed, too, what new allies is the US making to fill the gap of these significant ones it's losing?

 

[michal1980]

Obama's Credibility Is Melting
Here and abroad, Obama's partners are concluding they cannot trust him.



LOL

Uno

I thought he was going to fix our international relationships after Bush. Is it possible he's actually making them worse?

 

[IronWing]

I thought he was going to fix our international relationships after Bush. Is it possible he's actually making them worse?

Yes, Obama continues those same bad policies that Bush initiated with similar results. The difference is that other governments no longer view the Bush/Obama policies as an aberration.