12 ms·

Seriously, what would you expect from Obama at this point? All talk and platitudes and no backbone.

by dannyb 16y ago

drivebyacct2 16y ago
I'm sorry. I thought I was on HN. Apparently not if this senseless post was up-voted. Oh well, hypocrite time: http://whatthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/ http://whatthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/ (which probably doesn't include DADT). And considering that the President, you know, doesn't make telecom law. I have no problem complaining about a disconnected Congress and a corrupt FCC, but bashing Obama for this is silly and cheap.
- eof 16y ago
  Obama has to sign bills and can veto them. I agree though this is a pointless reason to bash Obama; but I also think Obama is completely worth bashing in general--given his dialogue and what he has actually delivered.
  - krakensden 16y ago
    FCC rulings aren't laws, he doesn't have direct control.
- splat 16y ago
  The obligatory counterpoint: http://whatinthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/ http://whatinthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/
  - drivebyacct2 16y ago
    Haha, I love that site and agree with many of the complaints there. I just hate the unsubstantiated "Obama hasn't done anything" stance when Congress screws stuff up. He's sold out on plenty, no doubt. 4th Amendment and Gitmo are enough to send me up a wall. Right now DADT is much more important to me though.
poet 16y ago
Right... 0.) Cut taxes for 95% of America (EDIT: not referring to the most recent tax legislation... these are tax cuts Obama passed a while ago: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/19/us/politics/19taxes.html http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/19/us/politics/19taxes.html. They truly are the tax cuts no one has heard of....). 1.) Reserved the policy of forbidding the media to photograph fallen soldiers and reversed Bush's torture policy. 2.) Signed legislation that provided health insurance to 4 million uninsured children. 3.) Prevented insurance companies from denying claims due to pre-existing conditions. 4.) Significantly expanded Pell grants. 5.) Expanded hate crime legislation to include sexual orientation and extended benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees. 6.) Created the largest and most significant nonproliferation treaty with Russia in our lifetime. 7.) Credit card reform to stop abusive practices. 8.) Ended don't ask, don't tell. Here's a fairly complete list with references: http://obamaachievements.org/list http://obamaachievements.org/list. Note: I'm not pleased with the mapping between Obama's rhetoric and reality either. But you too are guilty of unsubstantiated rhetoric.
- eof 16y ago
  Know what's not on your list? 1) Increased government accountability 2) Any reduction in the military industrial complex 3) A completely ironic nobel peace prize.
  - poet 16y ago
    Of all the things to pick, you picked accountability and the reduction of the MIC as points of criticism?! I wonder what you think about Obama's Secretary of Defense, who is one of the most fiscally conservative SoDs in recent history, pushing for reductions in spending across the board [1]. Hell, he nuked F-22 production which is like THE symbol of the MIC in the US. I'm also curious what you think about Obama ordering that all DoD interrogations be filmed [2], the voluntary (and unprecedented) disclosure of vistor records to the White House [3], the extensive anti-lobiest legislation created by Obama [4,5,6], and the creaton of a national Declassification Center to speed up the release of documents to the public [7]. Also, how is the Nobel Obama's fault? He knew he didn't deserve it (hint: read between the lines of his acceptance speech). The idiotic committee put him in that situation and I don't think you'll hear anyone arguing it was actually deserved. Do you really expect people to engage in a conversation with you when you demonstrate such a clear lack of preparation and knowledge of the issues in question? It's a drain for all those involved. Dijkstra had something to say about this.... [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Gates#Fiscal_restraint http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Gates#Fiscal_restraint [2] http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704314904575250882211122788.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870431490457525... [3] http://www.whitehouse.gov/VoluntaryDisclosure http://www.whitehouse.gov/VoluntaryDisclosure [4] http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-memorandum-lobbyists-agency-boards-and-commissions http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-memo... [5] http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/promise/427/ban-lobbyist-gifts-to-executive-employees/ http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/promise/427... [6] http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/blog/09/07/27/ClosingLobbyistLoopholes/ http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/blog/09/07/27/ClosingLobbyistL... [7] http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/promise/420/create-a-national-declassification-center/ http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/promise/420...
kenjackson 16y ago
His record is pretty good actually. See: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/ http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/ They've compiled a pretty good list of promises kept vs broken since he took office.

Seriously, what would you expect from Obama at this point? All talk and platitudes and no backbone.

by dannyb 16y ago

Seriously, what would you expect from Obama at this point? All talk and platitudes and no backbone.

I'm sorry. I thought I was on HN. Apparently not if this senseless post was up-voted. Oh well, hypocrite time: http://whatthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/ http://whatthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/ (which probably doesn't include DADT). And considering that the President, you know, doesn't make telecom law. I have no problem complaining about a disconnected Congress and a corrupt FCC, but bashing Obama for this is silly and cheap.

eof 16y ago
Obama has to sign bills and can veto them. I agree though this is a pointless reason to bash Obama; but I also think Obama is completely worth bashing in general--given his dialogue and what he has actually delivered.
- krakensden 16y ago
  FCC rulings aren't laws, he doesn't have direct control.
splat 16y ago
The obligatory counterpoint: http://whatinthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/ http://whatinthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/
- drivebyacct2 16y ago
  Haha, I love that site and agree with many of the complaints there. I just hate the unsubstantiated "Obama hasn't done anything" stance when Congress screws stuff up. He's sold out on plenty, no doubt. 4th Amendment and Gitmo are enough to send me up a wall. Right now DADT is much more important to me though.

poet 16y ago

Right... 0.) Cut taxes for 95% of America (EDIT: not referring to the most recent tax legislation... these are tax cuts Obama passed a while ago: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/19/us/politics/19taxes.html http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/19/us/politics/19taxes.html. They truly are the tax cuts no one has heard of....). 1.) Reserved the policy of forbidding the media to photograph fallen soldiers and reversed Bush's torture policy. 2.) Signed legislation that provided health insurance to 4 million uninsured children. 3.) Prevented insurance companies from denying claims due to pre-existing conditions. 4.) Significantly expanded Pell grants. 5.) Expanded hate crime legislation to include sexual orientation and extended benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees. 6.) Created the largest and most significant nonproliferation treaty with Russia in our lifetime. 7.) Credit card reform to stop abusive practices. 8.) Ended don't ask, don't tell. Here's a fairly complete list with references: http://obamaachievements.org/list http://obamaachievements.org/list. Note: I'm not pleased with the mapping between Obama's rhetoric and reality either. But you too are guilty of unsubstantiated rhetoric.

eof 16y ago
Know what's not on your list? 1) Increased government accountability 2) Any reduction in the military industrial complex 3) A completely ironic nobel peace prize.
- poet 16y ago
  Of all the things to pick, you picked accountability and the reduction of the MIC as points of criticism?! I wonder what you think about Obama's Secretary of Defense, who is one of the most fiscally conservative SoDs in recent history, pushing for reductions in spending across the board [1]. Hell, he nuked F-22 production which is like THE symbol of the MIC in the US. I'm also curious what you think about Obama ordering that all DoD interrogations be filmed [2], the voluntary (and unprecedented) disclosure of vistor records to the White House [3], the extensive anti-lobiest legislation created by Obama [4,5,6], and the creaton of a national Declassification Center to speed up the release of documents to the public [7]. Also, how is the Nobel Obama's fault? He knew he didn't deserve it (hint: read between the lines of his acceptance speech). The idiotic committee put him in that situation and I don't think you'll hear anyone arguing it was actually deserved. Do you really expect people to engage in a conversation with you when you demonstrate such a clear lack of preparation and knowledge of the issues in question? It's a drain for all those involved. Dijkstra had something to say about this.... [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Gates#Fiscal_restraint http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Gates#Fiscal_restraint [2] http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704314904575250882211122788.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405274870431490457525... [3] http://www.whitehouse.gov/VoluntaryDisclosure http://www.whitehouse.gov/VoluntaryDisclosure [4] http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-memorandum-lobbyists-agency-boards-and-commissions http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-memo... [5] http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/promise/427/ban-lobbyist-gifts-to-executive-employees/ http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/promise/427... [6] http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/blog/09/07/27/ClosingLobbyistLoopholes/ http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/blog/09/07/27/ClosingLobbyistL... [7] http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/promise/420/create-a-national-declassification-center/ http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/promise/420...

kenjackson 16y ago

His record is pretty good actually. See: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/ http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/ They've compiled a pretty good list of promises kept vs broken since he took office.