Detroit - what's your opinion of Barack Obama?

[night-timer]

I do not feel like tip-toeing through a mine-field of opposing opinions, but I'd like to ask Detroiters their opinion of the [[their) President.

Let's face it, "no man is an island" and no-one can do the job single-handedly, but tell me what you think of Barack's years in power.

Would he have done better if he was from 'The D'?

Okay, send the incendiary devices in my direction... not looking for trouble or arguments, just opinions... thanks.

[gnome]

Nice guy. Bad President.

[Dan Wesson]

I would stop this thread dead in it's tracks for reasons that are going to become apparent.

[rb336]

He's a corporatist. End of story

[oladub]

O's corporatist policies are too much like W's although I appreciate that, unlike W, O can lie using coherent sentences.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Nice guy. Bad President.

Perfect description.

[compn]

sadly obama is another hypocrite who smoked marijuana in his younger days but now that hes in power does nothing to fix the injustice that is the drug war.

if he legalizes weed on his last day of office i'll take this back. still 8 years of drug war has not been pretty. especially for the 10000+ people who died in mexico during this time.

also his views on the law and constitution have been terrible. especially declaring bradley manning guilty before manning ever went to trial.

if i had to choose between obama saving automakers and romney letting them go bankrupt. i'd choose saving the automakers.

[Detroit Stylin]

You all are aware that there are three branches of government and that Obama cannot just simply unilaterally ram bills through. I guess people tend to forget that Congress has blocked every single Jobs bill and expansion of veterans benefits bills, while at the same time spent every waking moment of their lives trying to repeal the AHA right?

[noise]

sadly obama is another hypocrite who smoked marijuana in his younger days but now that hes in power does nothing to fix the injustice that is the drug war.

In most cases, quitting the dumb things you did when you were in college is considered growing up. Hypocrite is a pretty inaccurate word.

Fool may work, but not politically.

[Pam]

You all are aware that there are three branches of government and that Obama cannot just simply unilaterally ram bills through. I guess people tend to forget that Congress has blocked every single Jobs bill and expansion of veterans benefits bills, while at the same time spent every waking moment of their lives trying to repeal the AHA right?

I haven't forgotten that. Mid term elections this year folks. Get out and vote and get rid of some these useless Congress members.

[rb336]

Corporatist Obama at work

https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/03/28-6

[noise]

Corporatist Obama at work

https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/03/28-6

Horrifying. It's amazing to me how public health issues are so easily ignored by our apathetic citizenry. For that matter, the ridiculous "everything in moderation" mantra so many Americans believe and abuse.

[rb336]

Obama talks a good populist game but fills vacant positions with corporate shills. Hillary will do the same. I have pledged not to vote for a Democratic presidential candidate unless it is Elizabeth Warren. I have had enough of pandering to corporate interests.

[noise]

Obama talks a good populist game but fills vacant positions with corporate shills. Hillary will do the same. I have pledged not to vote for a Democratic presidential candidate unless it is Elizabeth Warren. I have had enough of pandering to corporate interests.

I've vowed not to vote for a Democrat or Republican candidate in ANY election, which really does nothing aside from providing me with smug satisfaction.

[rb336]

I've vowed not to vote for a Democrat or Republican candidate in ANY election, which really does nothing aside from providing me with smug satisfaction.

And the right to bitch no matter who wins

[noise]

And the right to bitch no matter who wins

Hey, we all make mistakes. We don't need to stand by proven losers, even if we helped them get there.

[Papasito]

Detroit - What's Your Opinion Of Barack Obama?

Politics as usual.
The powers that pulled the strings were under fire with Bush II and they put a minority face on the same movement to quell the masses. There has not been a President who made his own decisions since JFK and he paid for it.

[JBMcB]

You all are aware that there are three branches of government and that Obama cannot just simply unilaterally ram bills through.

Everyone seems to forget that the Democrats had control of both houses of congress for two years after Obama was elected. What did they manage to do? Just *barely* get a pork-laden monstrosity of a health care "reform" bill passed? Handouts for banks? A crappy finance reform bill that does everything but fix the hole that, primarily, caused the financial meltdown?

[old guy]

I think he did a few good things. I was dissapointed at a great number of things he never accomplished, but let's face it, he didn't have a chance with the total negative opposition he faced.
The Republicans didn't want the presidency knowing what was going to happen over the next 4 to 8 years. they needed someone that would look bad and they pursued it.
Come on.. running John McCain and Sarah Palin, they didn't want to be in office with the economy with no hope of turning things around after what had been done during the previous administration. That was smart politics on their part.
I do think Obama made some bad choices with corporate America and his embracing the advancement of the NSA. But he was doomed from day one. A horrible president, I don't think so. A great president, no. A president up against quite possibly the toughest odds to succeed, I'd have to go with that.

[jiminnm]

Jonathon Turley, a noted law professor and one time strong Obama supporter stated in an interview - Barack Obama has become the President that Richard Nixon always wanted to become.

[rb336]

Everyone seems to forget that the Democrats had control of both houses of congress for two years after Obama was elected. What did they manage to do? Just *barely* get a pork-laden monstrosity of a health care "reform" bill passed? Handouts for banks? A crappy finance reform bill that does everything but fix the hole that, primarily, caused the financial meltdown?

Everyone seems to forget that that isn't exactly true when the Repubs could filibuster anything the whole time, and a number of dems were blue dogs who sided with the repubs.

[oladub]

Everyone seems to forget that that isn't exactly true when the Repubs could filibuster anything the whole time, and a number of dems were blue dogs who sided with the repubs.

That seems within the norm. Many presidents have had adverse congresses. Obama just whines more. Clinton had to work out agreements with Gingrich running the House but managed to do so. Imagine if he had to deal with Newt instead of Boehner. Clinton and Newt were both smarter than their counterparts Obama and Boehner but they sort of balanced the budget and accomplished some welfare reform.

[poobert]

I do think Obama made some bad choices with corporate America and his embracing the advancement of the NSA. But he was doomed from day one. A horrible president, I don't think so. A great president, no. A president up against quite possibly the toughest odds to succeed, I'd have to go with that.

This is probably the most measured response from this whack-job thread.

I think he's done okay. We have slowly extricated ourselves from our two endless and unwinnable wars and managed to stay out of any new ones. His diplomacy at home and abroad is pretty surprisingly amateurish, but he's confronted with some pretty wild problems. Clinton had to work with Gingrich, but Gingrich is a moderate compared to today's wild-eyed tea partiers. A lot of the opposition to the President truly is because he's perceived as a black Muslim foreigner, and those people are really unwilling to ever have any fair dealings with him [[pretty close to treason, if you ask me).

That said, the NSA business is totally unacceptable. The economy is slowly rebounding, though. I remember the dark days of 2008 well - we're light years from that now.

I firmly believe that Healthcare will eventually be sorted out, for the better, and Rome wasn't built in a day. President Obama has much more of a domestic focus than Bush, who, until the very end, seemed content to play Risk with the planet while ignoring issues at home.

Elizabeth Warren has already announced that she's not opposing Hillary in the next election. So get over yourselves.

[gazhekwe]

Disappointed. Amazing campaigner, lukewarm follow through on the very basic premises. What happened to "Yes, we can" for pity's sake? All I've seen is No we can't and it's all their fault.

[Zacha341]

^^^ Too many people to repay on the 'yes we can' tip. Not that other politicians have NOT owed - they have to a great or lesser degree. But it's a mess when it starts to be a conflict, upon ones promises.