Why havn't many of the things the President and Democrats said were wrong still in effect

[dirty dog]

During the Bush years many laws and procedures were enacted that then Candidate Obama and many of the Dems were up in arms about with their viewpoint that these laws, procedures or situations were wrong and should be stopped, then why are they still in operation, this would include:::

The Patriot Act - extended by Obama
Quantanimo Bey - Still open
No child left behind - still being used
Iraq and Afganistan - Wars still going strong

I am sure there are more, but these are the only ones that come to mind right now.

[lacrew_2000]

This is why Obama is consistently getting low approval ratings...his base is not pleased. Most of the major anti-Bush rallying points are unchanged. Obama will try to remedy this in the very near future, by eliminating don't ask, don't tell.

The gay groups will love this of course...and other far left supporters will be able to rationalize: hey, he kept his healthcare promise and now his promises to the gays. He can't do everything at once, but he's getting something done.

His problem, however, is that his base has a very short attention span. He is at -21% in Rasmussen today, just a few weeks after passing healthcare. So, I do predict he will start working on more of his promises before 2012. For starters, I think he'll start prosecuting members of the Bush admin over torture. He'll blame Holder if it hurts our national security, but it will be pure rapture for his base.

[Cheaper2buyit]

OH NO MORE BITCHING ITS A YEAR & A HALF OR MORE & EVERYONE WANTS EVERY THING DONE. OBAMA HAS MORE BALLS THEN ALL THE OTHER PREZ HE SAID IF HE'S JUST A ONE TIME PREZ. EVERYONE KNOWS YOU GET A JOB FOR MONEY THINK OF THE MONEY HE WILL MAKE FOR TERM. HE WASN'T RICH LIKE MOST PREZ. HE WASN'T FULL WHITE. BUT HE WAS PICKED IN A LAND SLIDE YES A LAND SLIDE SO MORE PEOPLE LIKE THE PREZ. SEE IN ALL MY LIFE I HAVE NEVER HAD SOMEBODY CALL & POLL ME OR ANYBODY I KNOW SO POLLS ARE BULLSHIT ITS THE BOTTOM LINE OF WHO WINS. OBAMA CAN DO WHAT EVER HE WANTS & HE IS GOING TO COME OUT ON TOP. 1 TERM OR NOT HE HAS SET HIMSELF FOR LIFE & THAT ANY CAPITALIST SHOULD RESPECT.

[john_galt]

Cheaper, could you try to be coherent. Just slow down and think about what you want to say. Nobody is so important that they have to use all caps as well.

Anyway, Obama won against a poor candidate that a third of his own party didn't really want to vote for. You give Obama too much credit I think. Kind of like the Steelers bragging about beating the Chiefs. It's a win but not a bragging win. Here is the big question (pay attention) the White House is controlled by a democrat, the Senate is controlled by democrats, the House is controlled by democrats. According to my calculations based on the US Constitution they could do ANYTHING they want. So why is Gitmo still open? Why is the oil spill not cleaned up? Why is the economy still faltering? Why is Iran still building nuclear weapon potential? Like healthcare, the GOP has no game and no blame for the failures. If Obama has failed to do anything then it is something in the makeup of the either him or the democratic party to blame.

Another thing that candidate Obama was for was open debate on unknown judicial nominees like Harriet Miers but now he hid Sotomayor and now he is hiding Kagen. Obama also promised, PROMISED, that every bill that he signed would have a five day review on line by the American people. In fact, he was a co-sponsor of a bill with John McCain in 2006 that established legislative transparency. That bill became law, a law that he has been ignoring.
Now we hear that the Obama White House was offering a bribe to the candidate from Pennsylvania, Sestak, and that is a high crime. Obama is fast on his way to becoming another first in American history.

[dirty dog]

Cheaper your missing the point, for 8 years Bush was trashed for these policies, during the last election Obama trashed Bush for these policies, he trashed the Patriot act as unAmerican, he said he would close Gitmo, he trashed no child left behind and denounced the wars, and there was more, so my point is this, why if these things were so bad or misguided that he felt the need to trash them during the election are they still in effect. He extended the Patriot Act, he could have let it expire, but he extended it. He could repeal NCLB, yet he has not, we are still at Gitmo, he could end that this a stroke of a pen, same with the wars.

So its not picking on him to ask why these things that were so bad he trashed Bush about them during the election are still in effect and in some cases extended by him, did they all of a sudden become good ideas when he got elected. So it does not matter that he has only been in office a year an a half.

Oh and by the way, Obama is a very wealthy man, so your a little misguided in your reverence. Also anyone who would choose to be President for the money is an idiot that should not be re-elected. The pay is not that good. He made a lot more doing his other gig.

[catnipdipper]

Obama has been in office for about 17 months or 35% of his first term.
He has aggressively moved on multiple fronts and has made steady progress inspite of the actions of the party of no.

How many prisoners are left at Gitmo?? No many as the wheels of justice grind on. I am sure he is willing to take the remaining ones and put them up in your neighborhood. But then you would be a NIMBY and criticize him for that action too.

Is the economy starting to improve? I think that is a yes from my business experience. Is it widespread and broad and job creating? Not yet. Did the stimulus bill help. I think so as the projects are funded and move forward. Were the auto companies saved. Likely. Are they making money selling the warrants from the bailed out banks. Yes

Go read history about the Spartan stand at Thermopolaye and learn out the 'Gay Soldiers" that died there to a man in a special unit. Let's be real about this issue and take advantage of what benefits it presents.

I am willing to sell Arizona to another country and use the proceeds to pay the National Debt and remove a problem. I am willing to out bid the Taliban for the Poppy Crop and remove their source of revenue, gain the support of the farmers and control the world market in Heroin. Then I am certain it would be possible to find a beneficial use of the by products. The Taliban might try to kill the farmers but then who would grow the poppies. I am pretty sure the farmers would defend themselves quite nicely too.

We are actively working on Nuclear disarmament which also was a Ronald Reagan goal. We still have 5000+ and that should be enough?

Th U.S. alone cannot stop Iran and N Korea and so that requires some intense negotiation and coalition building among the more powerful nations and that takes time but is showing progress. I agree it is frustrating but I don't see any other action available as we have even admitted that with 180,000 troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan we don't have the money or the human resources to do it.

I like him and I give him a B+ to date.

[BiggestBest]

You could have saved time and just said "I like him and I give him a B+ to date" because several of the arguments offered don't hold water.

A) How is the "party of no" stopping him when the Dems have the White House, with representative and senate majorities?

B) Of course there are reasons to not close Gitmo. That's why he looks like an idiot for saying he would shut it down immediately.

C) Wall Street disagrees with your assessment of the economy. Look at the stock market. Or just watch an average American try to find a job.

D) The auto companies and banks were only saved if you believe that they would have actually failed without a bailout. We'll never know what would have happened without it. When government strings were attached to those loans, several paid back their loans very quickly.

E) If we solidly close the border AND get all of the illegals to move to Arizona, THEN the idea would have some merit.

On keeping campaign promises, I give Obama an F.

[dirty dog]

"
Obama has been in office for about 17 months or 35% of his first term.
He has aggressively moved on multiple fronts and has made steady progress inspite of the actions of the party of no.

How many prisoners are left at Gitmo?? No many as the wheels of justice grind on. I am sure he is willing to take the remaining ones and put them up in your neighborhood. But then you would be a NIMBY and criticize him for that action too.

Is the economy starting to improve? I think that is a yes from my business experience. Is it widespread and broad and job creating? Not yet. Did the stimulus bill help. I think so as the projects are funded and move forward. Were the auto companies saved. Likely. Are they making money selling the warrants from the bailed out banks. Yes

Go read history about the Spartan stand at Thermopolaye and learn out the 'Gay Soldiers" that died there to a man in a special unit. Let's be real about this issue and take advantage of what benefits it presents.

I am willing to sell Arizona to another country and use the proceeds to pay the National Debt and remove a problem. I am willing to out bid the Taliban for the Poppy Crop and remove their source of revenue, gain the support of the farmers and control the world market in Heroin. Then I am certain it would be possible to find a beneficial use of the by products. The Taliban might try to kill the farmers but then who would grow the poppies. I am pretty sure the farmers would defend themselves quite nicely too.

We are actively working on Nuclear disarmament which also was a Ronald Reagan goal. We still have 5000+ and that should be enough?

Th U.S. alone cannot stop Iran and N Korea and so that requires some intense negotiation and coalition building among the more powerful nations and that takes time but is showing progress. I agree it is frustrating but I don't see any other action available as we have even admitted that with 180,000 troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan we don't have the money or the human resources to do it.

I like him and I give him a B+ to date. "

ANd what does any of this have to do with the question I asked Catnip, I asked a very specific question and it was not what had Obama done. I am assuming you can read so you must be deflecting because you cant answer the question without making your hero look bad.

[dirty dog]

I swear Obama must be an escort, because I have never seen whiteknighters like he has, they coem to his defense without even knowing what they are defending.

[lacrew_2000]

Obama only has himself to blame for signing an executive order to close Gitmo...and then not doing it. Not anybody else's fault but his own.

BTW, since we are still chasing terrorists around the world....where are they being held, now that they aren't being sent to Gitmo? I've got a feeling these terrorists are being held in some unsavory places...that make Gitmo look like a country club.

...and that's the spirit of DD's question. Obama ran on a platform of : Bush bad, we will stop what he is doing...but many of the vilified Bush policies have been amplified. Patriot Act renewed. Recent administration legal victory in dealign with terrorists, increased drone strikes (and accompanying civilian casualties), Afghan war intensified. Gitmo open (and likely new prisoners being deprived of human rights in secret prisons scattered throughout the shit-holes of the world).

Slowly, the anger against Bush is falling off (have you seen his favorability ratings lately!), and leftists are getting upset at Obama. There was even a Drudge headline yesterday about the big three networks changing their coverage of Obama. Its happening. Anybody who honestly looks at the situation can see it.

Now what? DADT repealled, very soon...with some sort of caveat that makes it looks like the pentagon has the final say, but really boxes them in as homophobs if they say no. I think 'immigration reform' was also on his plate, before the mid-terms elections, but Arizona has torpedoed that idea. So, he'll have to find another issue to make one final push on, before the mid-terms (he will not have a large enough majority in congress after mid-terms). I think his last hurray, before going into full time campaign mode will be tax increases. These will be timed after the November elections, but before the new congress is sworn in, in early January. Congrsssmen and senators who have announced retirements and/or lost the election will work very late hours through the holidays, to institute a VAT, impose punative taxes on the very wealthy, remove the ceiling on social security, and increase the medicare contribution.

[Omahan]

Originally Posted by dirty dog

During the Bush years many laws and procedures were enacted that then Candidate Obama and many of the Dems were up in arms about with their viewpoint that these laws, procedures or situations were wrong and should be stopped, then why are they still in operation, this would include:::

The Patriot Act - extended by Obama
Quantanimo Bey - Still open
No child left behind - still being used
Iraq and Afganistan - Wars still going strong

I am sure there are more, but these are the only ones that come to mind right now.

Because governing happens in the real world while campaigning happens in magicland. IMO

[HeyMikie]

Originally Posted by lacrew_2000

...before the new congress is sworn in, in early January. Congrsssmen and senators who have announced retirements and/or lost the election will work very late hours through the holidays, to institute a VAT, impose punative taxes on the very wealthy, remove the ceiling on social security, and increase the medicare contribution.

This will be an interesting test. If the Tea Party movement really does impact (remove) a large number of incumbents (on both sides), will we see the above prediction come to pass?

[catnipdipper]

Some of you guys remind me of Herbert Hoover. Even Bush was quoted as saying "this sucker is going down' when referring to the economy. The hole is massive and not a quick fix but several aggessive steps have been taken to try to help people out.

Bush had no choice and neither does Obama.

7 Deferrment Cheney and National Guard AWOL Pilot Bush got us into the foreign policy mess. BTW I served when they did not. They had it right on Afghanistan and did not finish before a huge costly bloody misadventure. We are going to leave and the troops cheered the message. So the conclusion is that Obama has taken steps to 1 exit the stupid war and 2 to try to finish the unfinished war that was "justified" in response to 9/11.

I run a small business and I can tell you that the level of revenues have almost returned to precrash levels for 2010.

Read the other day that the Obama administrations efforts had recovered over 2 billion in Medicare fraud just like he said. Said he would repeal DADT and he will. Said he would offer universal healthcare and he did. Offered some relief to states in need, R&D, Green energy, and infrastructure improvements as he said he would through the stimulus.

Would GM or Chrysler gone down and created huge unemployment in a vital industry. You must be kidding bro to even ask or suggest that we will never know now. Who the hell would want to take that risk while all else was going on.

If the no party says no to immigration reform then what would you suggest. You do the logistics on locking up and deporting 12,000,000 people. Tell me how you would do that in a timely and cost efficient manner? offer something concrete other than NO.

The man does not make the times, the times make the man. What is happening is not all his agenda it is reaction to the events of the world and the administrations attempt at security and progress for all.

Even Ann Coulter said the other night that the Republican party better not count on the November elections. Tea Baggerz are knocking down electable Republican candidates and when offered to the public in total it will not be good. See Rand Paul and comments, Utah, and maybe Arizona where old Maverick himself might get shot down again. Obama gave 1200 troops to the border and he of course said not enough. Lots of law enforcement said they were grateful and that it was adequate.

Limbaugh, Beck, Palin, Oreilly and u guys are just great to listen to. Watch out for the C Street boys, Vitter, Ensign, Sanford, Foley, Craig and now Brownback in KS. Espouse one thing for the public and do another in private.

[dirty dog]

Again, Catnip please kept the thread on topic. if you want a thread singing the praises of Obama then start one. This thread as Lacrew noted is about "Obama ran on a platform of : Bush bad, we will stop what he is doing...but many of the vilified Bush policies have been amplified". If you wish to discuss that then continue if not then please refrain from posting and start your own thread please. I am not sure how much nicer I can ask for you to stay on topic.

[dirty dog]

"Because governing happens in the real world while campaigning happens in magicland. IMO "

I agree with you O, I think its funny that no one is holding him accountable for this.