Obama: Promises Kept, Promises Broken

[NickCole]

I think Nick is being very negative, ....

Hey, I didn't make any of this happen; I only predicted it. I can see people for what they are and what their choices will lead to.

There's a lot at stake right now, which I recognized back during the Primaries. It would be hard to exaggerate how much trouble we're in.

Last spring and summer I predicted this economic crisis and Obama's/Pelosi's/Reid's inability to deal with it effectively. I was called negative and I'm still called negative. But what I am is right.

Our economy is melting and Obama, who is being defended and protected by Democrats behaving like cultists, is not leading with principled potent legislation that will address it. And Pelosi is the disaster I said she was during the Primaries, when people here accused me of criticizing her competence as a result of her backing Obama over Hillary -- even though I'd been criticizing Pelosi for at least a couple of years. I see it for what it is and I say it like I see it.

 

[NickCole]

A dehydrated man needs water, why make him wait 5 days before you give him a drink?

The Ledbetter Act and SCHIPS are not dehydrated men desperate for water.

Waiting five days would make absolutely no difference, except that Obama would have kept his pledge.

 

[smelter]

The Ledbetter Act and SCHIPS are not dehydrated men desperate for water.

I know Nick, it's even more cruel than that, they are women and children.

 

[NickCole]

I know Nick, it's even more cruel than that, they are women and children.

SCHIPS existed and was funded before Obama signed that legislation; no child got anything in those five days that they wouldn't have had access to anyway.

And any woman who wants to sue an employer can wait five more days.

Saying that's more cruel than a denying a deyhdrated man water for five days is as silly as your other defenses of Obama. Time you deyhdrated yourself of that Kool Aid.

 

[smelter]

^ You're a tough audience Nick. I thought my response was humorous, that's why I used the wink smiley . Wrong again!

 

[Kulindahr]

Nick, I'm not saying you made any of it happen. But all too often you come across as though you could put Mother Theresa on trial for not being kind to the poor, and damn her for not being perfect.

 

[NickCole]

Nick, I'm not saying you made any of it happen. But all too often you come across as though you could put Mother Theresa on trial for not being kind to the poor, and damn her for not being perfect.

If that's what you think you're not paying attention.

Mother Teresa was not an elected official crafting public policy and laws that determine the direction of our nation.

Am I a harsh critic of our elected officials? You bet I am. I view them as citizens who've asked to be, and have been entrusted with, handling our public affairs, and I hold them accountable.

This cultish love fest with Obama is not smart. I saw it for what it was, and called it, months ago. It's foolish and I'm glad that despite the pressure I was never taken in by it, and despite the attacks I remain steadfast.

I hold elected officials' feet to the fire and make no apologies for it.

 

[rowjimmy21]

With the passing of the stimulus bill Obama was able to keep a few more promises:

40: Extend and index the 2007 Alternative Minimum Tax patch
327: Support increased funding for the NEA

Obama did break another:
505: Create a $3,000 tax credit for companies that add jobs

This one seemed like a silly idea in the first place, I have no idea how this would have gave businesses any incentive to hire.

And finally, Obama compromised on 2 more:
32: Create a tax credit of $500 for workers
Tax credit was for only $400 and good through 2010.
257: Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit to offset college costs
The compromise was for $2500, not the $4000 Obama called for.

 

[fabulouslyghetto]

Good to see you didn't go anywhere.
So do we call you fg or just fabulous.

fg, effin' g, effigy, fab, ghetto, or fabulously ghetto.

Try a different tune Nick, cause your current pessimistic one is getting tiring.

It's hilarious that subjectivity knows no bounds, it can even creep in on a thread that's strictly about Obama's promises and followthrough (or lack of). I dunno how long we've been hearing this "We can't trust him" crap. We can't trust anyone, let alone a politician, but it's starting to sound like Nick thinks Obama has nukes in his back pocket or something.

 

[NickCole]

I dunno how long we've been hearing this "We can't trust him" crap. We can't trust anyone, let alone a politician, but it's starting to sound like Nick thinks Obama has nukes in his back pocket or something.

Very sad for you that you can't trust anyone.

It's true that a lot of people in America now can't be trusted, and that's at the core of a lot of interpersonal problems and public problems. But it is not true that nobody can be trusted. I trust some people, they've earned it, and I'm trustworthy. People who aren't trustworthy can't trust anyone, and they have a poorer life for it.

 

[rowjimmy21]

After a busy week and the passing of the stimulus there are many more promises kept:

134: Send two additional brigades to Afghanistan​

Even though Obama has sent two brigades he still hasn't outlined his endgame and what his strategy will be.

452: Weatherize 1 million homes per year
507: Extend unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits
307: Create a White House Office on Urban Policy

15: Create a foreclosure prevention fund for homeowners​

We saw how the markets and others have repsponed negativly to this when the money wasn't going to them.

458: Invest in all types of alternative energy​

A month into Obama's presidency he has: kept 15 promises, compromised on 3, broken 2, 20 still in the works, and 1 stalled.
In one month Obama has implemented about 3% of his campaign promises.

 

[Glafna]

The idea of 2 additional brigades to Afghanistan was originally planned by Bush administration through the fact that the Iraq Surge would free up some troops. Those 2 brigades' build up for Afghanistan were undergoing under Bush/Petreus. Ironically today, had the Democrats and liberals in Congress blocked the Bush Surge plan, today Obama would have a mess to deal with in Iraq and would not have resources to send to Afghanistan like he plans to.

As soon as it was discovered that there were no WMD's in Suddam Hussein's possession, Iraq became a mess, although I do partially agree with you.

 

[Kulindahr]

458: Invest in all types of alternative energy​

A month into Obama's presidency he has: kept 15 promises, compromised on 3, broken 2, 20 still in the works, and 1 stalled.
In one month Obama has implemented about 3% of his campaign promises.

I couldn't tell if there was anything in there for the "anything to oil" technology, which turns waste plastics, rubber (e.g. tires), and anything else made originally of petroleum, plus a lot of other stuff, back into oil. I really want to see that, because it would be very nice to know that by throwing away yet another pair of worn rubberized gloves (I go through them fast as a handyman), or a paint-covered worn-out shirt, or a lot of other things, that it isn't going to fill up a landfill, but will serve to reduce what we're paying [STRIKE]terrorists[/STRIKE] foreigners.

As soon as it was discovered that there were no WMD's in Suddam Hussein's possession, Iraq became a mess, although I do partially agree with you.

Iraq became a mess the moment the first Americans military personnel crossed the border.

 

[rowjimmy21]

The idea of 2 additional brigades to Afghanistan was originally planned by Bush administration through the fact that the Iraq Surge would free up some troops. Those 2 brigades' build up for Afghanistan were undergoing under Bush/Petreus. Ironically today, had the Democrats and liberals in Congress blocked the Bush Surge plan, today Obama would have a mess to deal with in Iraq and would not have resources to send to Afghanistan like he plans to.

The Democrats wanted an increased presence as far back as during the 2004 elections. Kerry and others were touting the line line that we took our eye off the "the real war" to invade Iraq. Obama had this idea long before Bush/Petreus stated to plan. They adopted a plan closer to what Obama was calling for as far back as Aug. 2007.

"Our troops have fought valiantly there, but Iraq has deprived them of the support they need — and deserve," Obama said. "As a result, parts of Afghanistan are falling into the hands of the Taliban, and a mix of terrorism, drugs and corruption threatens to overwhelm the country. As president, I would deploy at least two additional brigades to Afghanistan to re-enforce our counterterrorism operations and support NATO's efforts against the Taliban."

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2008/jul/22/obama-ballyhoos-afghan-stance/

I couldn't tell if there was anything in there for the "anything to oil" technology, which turns waste plastics, rubber (e.g. tires), and anything else made originally of petroleum, plus a lot of other stuff, back into oil. I really want to see that, because it would be very nice to know that by throwing away yet another pair of worn rubberized gloves (I go through them fast as a handyman), or a paint-covered worn-out shirt, or a lot of other things, that it isn't going to fill up a landfill, but will serve to reduce what we're paying [STRIKE]terrorists[/STRIKE] foreigners.

First I've heard of this. Sounds like a plausible alternative. I guess the main issue from the left would be what type of pollution or "carbon footprint"(I'm already tired of hearing this), it would leave behind.

As the Portland Business Journal points out, a key question could dog the process: “Is it clear that the technology removes more greenhouse gases from the environment than it creates?”

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/plastic-to-crude-oil-method-carbon-footprint-unknown-plas2fuel.php

 

[Kulindahr]

First I've heard of this. Sounds like a plausible alternative. I guess the main issue from the left would be what type of pollution or "carbon footprint"(I'm already tired of hearing this), it would leave behind.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/plastic-to-crude-oil-method-carbon-footprint-unknown-plas2fuel.php

Looks like a different process to me, one that's plastic-specific. The other takes in even animal carcasses; the first plant built in the U.S. sits near a poultry slaughterhouse, and takes in all the refuse from there. IIRC, the main output from there is heating/fuel oil; the process can be "tuned" to get what you want out the other end, though apparently it's easiest to make diesel or heating oil.

Found a more recent article than I'd seen:

http://discovermagazine.com/2006/apr/anything-oil


I don't see how the carbon footprint could be any worse than bringing oil from overseas -- and the advantages of being able to turn even sewage into oil look pretty immense to me (just think, there could be a chain of gas stations called "Shit Gas"...).
An advantage in another article I saw is for the agricultural sector: one huge problem has been disposing of animal carcasses when there are disease outbreaks; in cases like mad cow disease, the disposal costs are immense. But here's a technology that would make disposal a matter of shipping costs and nothing more: put diseased carcasses in one end, and even viruses have been cooked to short carbon chains by the other end.

Something not mentioned in that article is that if the U.S. didn't have such a horrid tangle of regulations, the profit would be substantial: last I read, in '05, the same process was expected to earn $30/barrel... in France! That's ten times what they were expecting in the U.S., and the process is just as clean and safe in either place.

It would be so nice to throw away my oily rags, worn gloves, ruined paint drop-cloths, frayed tarps, and the like, and know they'd be coming back to the economy as a benefit, not a detriment!