Why Do You Think People Criticize Obama?

[Bavin]

But do we need to spend so much? Tell me what country poses a legitimate Soviet-style long term threat to the US.

I don't know, I'm not particularly well-versed with the exacting details of every level of military spending, you seem to be, however, what departments would you suggest the US Military cuts back on? In a nuclear age, we have several long-term threats, yes.

The main threat to the US in future seems to come more from terrorists and smaller countries like Iran and N. Korea. I am not well versed in Military spending, but I don't think we need the forces to fight another WWII. We made the mistake of training to repeat the last war before. After a while of thinking, I came up with: the Army. I think we will both agree that all major threats to the US will come from overseas, and not from Mexico or Canada. I'm not saying that we should simply cut the entire army, but maybe we should switch to a smaller, more efficient Army. After all, all the major land conflicts of the 21st century were over in a matter of hours.

[Hairless Kitten II]

He's black, black, black and black. He's also a democrat. He’s black. And he's trying to change the healthcare system. Uneducated people call him a communist for that one. And he’s black.

[Der Teutoniker]

so in other words you said i am correct... congratulations on pointing that out... because had you read what i said i said he couldnt do the major things, which are mostly the only things the general populace really notices

Incorrect, not surprisingly. I am claiming that I corrected your post stating that Obama can't do anything without Congress.

[The Sapian Empire]

Tell ya what.... If Obama can put the majority of our funds on space to get a colony ship to explore the Galaxy for life.... Then i'dd just get on that ship, and all this Earth bull crap can just melt away... . Then i can make Sapian and start up on a new planet without so many socialists on it. Oh one can only wish....

[Rosenkov Haliat]

Because I disagree with his policies.

I dislike nationalized healthcare, I don't like the stealth taxing and economy-hurting cap and trade, I don't like the Chicago system and all the money going to his friends and special interest supporters, and most of all I dislike the knee-jerk reactions to an economic recession that somehow require us to spend hundreds of billions of dollars (and to be fair, Bush did both of those last two - one of the reasons he lost my support towards the end of last year).

And, of course, I dislike the idea that we must copy European-style government exactly. They've been hammered just as hard as we were, so I also fail to see the supposed pros of heavy government intervention and regulation.

But hey, I guess it's just easier to classify me as a dumb fascist redneck Texan rather than actually come up with a well thought-out and supported response to fair criticism (and again, to be fair, there are people I've met that will take the time to do that).

EDIT: Fuck...this is Kiregpanzer. Was accidentally logged onto an alt.

[Der Teutoniker]

After all, all the major land conflicts of the 21st century were over in a matter of hours.

They were? Can you cite some examples of major conflicts that lasted mere hours?

[Moreau Catholic High]

Tell ya what.... If Obama can put the majority of our funds on space to get a colony ship to explore the Galaxy for life.... Then i'dd just get on that ship, and all this Earth bull crap can just melt away... . Then i can make Sapian and start up on a new planet without so many socialists on it. Oh one can only wish....

And we would celebrate the departure of one more free market fairy worshiper.

[Cameroi]

just because he's president. it really doesn't matter anything else about him or whoever might happen to be in the oval office. there's never been and never will be anyone in that position, who people haven't started criticizing after their first hundred days.

criticism, if it is rational and constructive, is of course, actually a good thing.
i think one contrast between obama and what he replaced is that he actually expects,
appreciates, even requests and asks, openly and literally, perceiving this as an intrinsic part,
of the democratic process.

you know if we ever get a republican who's actually and honestly willing to do that,
it would raise my perception of them immensely.
and i have seen a few good ones in some of the states,
as governors and state assembly persons.

but in my life time only the democrates have been close to decent presidents,
and not all of them either.

you know, of all the ones i've seen come and go,
i still think he's doing as good a job as any of them.

i don't like everything he's done,
but there's never been one about whom i have.

you know part of the trouble with ALL politicians,
aside from having to kiss the ass of economic interests to even get their voices heard,
to run for office, is even simpler then that,
it's they're having to be flawed imperfect human beings.

[Zergbosha]

so in other words you said i am correct... congratulations on pointing that out... because had you read what i said i said he couldnt do the major things, which are mostly the only things the general populace really notices

Incorrect, not surprisingly. I am claiming that I corrected your post stating that Obama can't do anything without Congress.

so you dont understand a generalization does not actually imply that he cannot do anything? congratulations, you've officially lost life.. he can't do anything that has an impact on the country, its just a fact, get over it, and i haven't actually ben wrong yet, you just ignore what i actually bring up and say that i was wrong with a generalized statement, which, while true they are normally something to steer clear of, this one was at least true enough that no one who doesnt follow politics to the T will understand. so thank you very much for explaining to everyone that there are things like what food he can have without talking to congress... all bills go through congress.. he can approve what has been drafted, he doesn't have complete power over the government, there is only so much just the president can do, and especially without even a year of office time...

[The Sapian Empire]

Tell ya what.... If Obama can put the majority of our funds on space to get a colony ship to explore the Galaxy for life.... Then i'dd just get on that ship, and all this Earth bull crap can just melt away... . Then i can make Sapian and start up on a new planet without so many socialists on it. Oh one can only wish....

And we would celebrate the departure of one more free market fairy worshiper.

You can celebrate, it touches me that a busy commy like you would take the time
And i guess by Fairy woshiper you mean Christian... Do you dicks ever stop?

[Der Teutoniker]

so you dont understand a generalization does not actually imply that he cannot do anything? congratulations, you've officially lost life.. he can't do anything that has an impact on the country, its just a fact, get over it, and i haven't actually ben wrong yet, you just ignore what i actually bring up and say that i was wrong with a generalized statement, which, while true they are normally something to steer clear of, this one was at least true enough that no one who doesnt follow politics to the T will understand. so thank you very much for explaining to everyone that there are things like what food he can have without talking to congress... all bills go through congress.. he can approve what has been drafted, he doesn't have complete power over the government, there is only so much just the president can do, and especially without even a year of office time...

You made a very concrete 'generalization' and nothing in your context indicated that it was to be taken as a generalization. Additionally, I believe I have addressed every single one of your posts appropriately.

Also, I do not believe I have lost life, other than standard aging, and my ability to type lends credence to my still being alive.

There is a level between having supreme power, and having no power, he has made several decisions (as I have stated) without needing congressional approval.

[Moreau Catholic High]

Tell ya what.... If Obama can put the majority of our funds on space to get a colony ship to explore the Galaxy for life.... Then i'dd just get on that ship, and all this Earth bull crap can just melt away... . Then i can make Sapian and start up on a new planet without so many socialists on it. Oh one can only wish....

And we would celebrate the departure of one more free market fairy worshiper.

You can celebrate, it touches me that a busy commy like you would take the time
And i guess by Fairy woshiper you mean Christian... Do you dicks ever stop?

Free market fairy. Google it.

And read my nation name please, thanks.

You seem to hold onto a cold war notion that anything even remotely related to communism is bad. Any government is bad. Any regulation is bad. The free market fixes everything.

These notions, especially the last one, are incredibly destructive to society.

[Valipac]

He's black, black, black and black. He's also a democrat. He’s black. And he's trying to change the healthcare system. Uneducated people call him a communist for that one. And he’s black.

Except race has nothing to do with it. His policies, on the other hand, do.

[Intangelon]

I laugh (no offense...) at the insinuation that there aren't valid reasons to ridicule Comrade Obama.

- He is already showing a lack of spine in putting his foot down in what for him may seem critically important international disputes. (Bush, right or wrong, was decisive...)

How is it an insinuation of any kind? The OP asked a simple question. And it was not "how DARE they", it was just "why", with an added comparison to the Previous Occupant, who did a MUCH worse job. "Decisive" is complete crap if the decisions are made without enough information, and the majority of Bush's "decisions" were ill-conceived, and a few were just plain wrong.

Your faux-derisive use of "comrade" suggests you know absolutely nothing about communism. Obama, with his upbringing, could only have become President in America, so you can bet your ass he's not a communist. I find it chronically disappointing that anyone to the left of Rush Limbaugh gets called a communist in this country. This despite the fact that cold, calculating capitalism has fucked over a lot of people who are Limbaugh fans, most notably small businesses and those without enough money for healthcare if they've got anything more serious than a cold.

So how about you dispense with the labels and try making an actual argument instead of hurling epithets. I can tell you why I thought what I did about any of Bush's decisions you'd care to ask me about. If you can tell me what makes Obama a communist without resorting to cop-outs, talking points, and utter misinformation, I'd be pleasantly surprised.

- He is moving us farther down the track of Socialism, which is unAmerican. Greedy as I may seem, if I don't want my money going to subsidise some lazy-ass person whose work boots are stuck in the back corner of his closet, I should have the right to decline... that is what "economic liberty" means.

Bullshit. How is socialism un-American? Do you drive on freeways or ride public transportation? Socialist. Do you have health insurance from a private company? Your healthy ass pays for those who get sick (hate to break that to you). How about unemployment insurance, Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security retirement/disability/survivor's benefits, the armed forces, and hundreds of other things you take for granted because they get done, and done well?

It's so easy to forget everything you don't have to do for yourself. Unless you've paved your own roads lately.

- Bush didn't cause this "crisis" -- ordinary Americans did. We've been living outside our means since Clinton was in office and (Bush's bad luck...) 9/11, Katrina and the housing debacle put us where we are now. Again, Socialism is NOT the answer.

Horseshit. It was Bush who's response to 9/11 was to urge America to...sacrifice? No. Volunteer? Not really. Take up some slack in taxes to fund TWO wars (instead of placing those wars outside of the rest of the federal budget)? HELL no.

He told America to shop ("otherwise the terrorists win"). And they did...even when, from the standpoint of fiscal responsibility, they shouldn't have. So I'm sorry, but no. And it's interesting that you mention Katrina, when the Army Corps of Engineers knew those levees wouldn't stand up to anything more intense than a category three hurricane, and even that was pushing their luck. The housing debacle was your vaunted free-market capitalism, unregulated, unbound, and inflating the living daylights out of housing prices to the point where people weren't buying them as homes, but as investment vehicles to paint, re-carpet and "flip" (there was even a show on The Discovery Channel called "Flip That House") -- causing prices to artificially inflate even more, tempting even more people to leverage themselves to banks who should have known how risky that was, but gave out loans like candy anyway. "Too big to fail" is a Bush idea, as were the first round of bailouts. So no, nice try.

IN THE END, however, BLAME DOES NOT MATTER.

What DOES matter is that when someone, a duly and fairly elected President, decides to try and fix things instead of telling the country that things are going to be fine when they clearly aren't, he is going to get boatloads of criticism.

So perhaps the question OUGHT to be: why don't we let him do his job and see what his ideas bring before we judge? Who knows -- some of them might just work. They can't be worse than what got us here, and yes, that involves spending a hell of a lot of money, and yes, that even involves ending the tax holiday enjoyed by the richest Americans from 2001-2009. Hell, if we restored those brackets back to where they were when Reagan was in office, it'd help a lot.

But no. I don't see it happening. The system that allowed a few to get very wealthy isn't going to get paid back by those people for whom more than enough is never enough. The boom went bust, as they always do, but those trying to ride that wave seemed to forget that, and now they'd just as soon not pay for that little escapade and have developed a sense of entitlement to all that government does for them (even to the point of forgetting much of it), and almost demonically savage toward anything the government does for others that they do not use or of which they do not approve -- regardless of the benefit.

I'm sick to the teeth of those with the mouthful of "much obliged" and a handful of "gimme", and no, that isn't the majority of those on welfare, contrary to popular punditry. Check-ups, screenings and inoculations shouldn't be something we see as "gifts to the lazy". Nobody can "get off their ass and get a job" -- even if that job is raising a family -- when they are sick or at risk of more catastrophic illnesses.

I'm even more tired of any politician who is too scared of public opinion and losing re-election to state what's really on their mind...

...but that's another rant.

[East Luisa]

I've read a whole bunch of this, but right now it's just bickering.

I'd like to point out that I did not notice one source mentioned to back up ANY facts WHATSOEVER, with the exception of Bush actually having a high I.Q. Not condemning anyone personally here, but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take a minute to find a fact to back up your statement? That way you may advance at least a little...

[Intangelon]

No. But I'm sick of people saying government healthcare is communist. SO WHAT IF IT IS???? I think it will be a good thing all the same.

We have it here in Canada. The wait times are in the hours for a bed.

What did you go in for?

Did you need immediate care?

Were you in any danger?

Can you give us actual examples of your experience, or are you just talking out of your ass?

[Moreau Catholic High]

No. But I'm sick of people saying government healthcare is communist. SO WHAT IF IT IS???? I think it will be a good thing all the same.

We have it here in Canada. The wait times are in the hours for a bed.

But you can get a bed, eventually. Here, an insurance company will deny you and you might not even get care at all.

[Der Teutoniker]

But you can get a bed, eventually. Here, an insurance company will deny you and you might not even get care at all.

I believe it is standard that, regardless, you will get care in the meantime, even if you have to, later, spend months arguing with your insurance company about it.

[Moreau Catholic High]

But you can get a bed, eventually. Here, an insurance company will deny you and you might not even get care at all.

I believe it is standard that, regardless, you will get care in the meantime, even if you have to, later, spend months arguing with your insurance company about it.

I'd rather wait a few hours than spend months arguing with an insurance company. Hell, I can't stand arguing with tech support for ten minutes, let alone fight a months long battle that may decide if I go bankrupt.

[Hairless Kitten II]

He's black, black, black and black. He's also a democrat. He’s black. And he's trying to change the healthcare system. Uneducated people call him a communist for that one. And he’s black.

Except race has nothing to do with it. His policies, on the other hand, do.

I don't believe you. In my perception Bush was extraordinary terrible and far worse than Obama.

But according our news, Obama is receiving 6 x more threats as Bush.

[Eternal Mysteries]

Because he decided he wanted to be President. It comes with the job.

[Leistung]

No. But I'm sick of people saying government healthcare is communist. SO WHAT IF IT IS???? I think it will be a good thing all the same.

We have it here in Canada. The wait times are in the hours for a bed.

But you can get a bed, eventually. Here, an insurance company will deny you and you might not even get care at all.

For the record, you can receive emergency care no matter what. It really depends on what sort of procedure you're looking for.

[The Sapian Empire]

No. But I'm sick of people saying government healthcare is communist. SO WHAT IF IT IS???? I think it will be a good thing all the same.

We have it here in Canada. The wait times are in the hours for a bed.[/quote]

I would rather wait hours for a bed than if I'm not insured have to pay an astronomical premium for it.[/quote][/quote]

Then work and make money to insure yourself like everyone else. How come i can get insured? i work, and i pay for it... If some slacker get's free healthcare from the government, and hard workers like me are paying for it, then all those healthcare companies are gonna go out of business. Loss of jobs. And it's not free, it's payed for by tax payers. And considering that EVERYONE get's free healthcare, then someone who doesn't pay taxes can get free healthcare without a price, and us workers are forced to pay for THEIR health? i don't think so.
And i just thought i would tackle another topic... "Rich". They get rich because they're successful in their working. Apart from some artists, and musicians, the wealthy earned their lifestyle. Yeah sure they have more money so they should pay a little bit more taxes, but not a crap load, then when anyone makes 200k a year they suddenly get taxed to hell. And eventually the Government could tax them so much that nobody would be rich, and therefor nobody could stand up to the Power-House Mega-government. Eh, that's just one of my superstitions.

[Der Teutoniker]

I'd rather wait a few hours than spend months arguing with an insurance company. Hell, I can't stand arguing with tech support for ten minutes, let alone fight a months long battle that may decide if I go bankrupt.

I don't know, I've personally never had a problem with my insurance companies, on those rare situations where it was coverage I was paying for. Nor do I know anyone who has had much of a problem with it.

[Der Teutoniker]

But according our news, Obama is receiving 6 x more threats as Bush.

And incredibly less criticism.

And, surely you are about to cite your source for that claim, right?