Barack Obama, Best Republican President in the Last 30 Years?

I feel the need to apologize for the post I made back on 4 November, 2008.

Sorry, I was just giddy thinking that after eight years of George W. Bush the country was about to do a one eighty thanks to the fiery, young, go-getter we'd just elected as our President.  Is my face red!

I mean, the chance to be one of the really great ones was right there and if even an semi-literate country boy like me realized it, then surely the erudite, Harvard Lawyer would jump right on top of it.

Hell, all you had to do was to go after the Bush Administration to show the American People that shady goings-on, read that probable criminal activities/definite unethical actions, were not to be tolerated, even at the highest levels.  History backs this up, just look what happened because Tip O'Neill thought that the country didn't need an investigation into Iran/Contra, most of the crooks involved in that wound up in
W's administration, at least the ones that didn't have a job at Fox News.

OK, maybe Barack's just not as bloodthirsty as I am, maybe he just wants to show what a nice guy he is or maybe he just wants to show the Republicans that he is willing to work with the people who everyone knows have absolutely no intention of doing crap for him.  And to prove his good intentions he even waters down the Stimulus Package, the one thing that would create jobs and keep the economy ginning to get a little love from the Right.  Right.

But now it's time to finally catch America up with the rest of the civilized world and get universal health care.  Barack promptly sat on the sidelines and let conservative Democrats or Blue Dogs and Republicans draft the legislation while health industry financed "grassroots" Teabaggers to yell inanities and frame the argument.  So we got more of the same with minor improvements and major perks to the Health Insurance Industry.

Iraq and Afghanistan, the money hungry, unnecessary wars that should be history, ain't.  Guantanamo, yes, American justice for all, no.  Prisoner renditions and spying on American citizens still going on.

No doubt, except in Right Wing Fantasyland, Global Warming is the biggest problem facing the planet today, Barack talked the talk, however ...  Well, you know.

The biggest problem facing the country is the widening income gap between the incredibly wealthy and everybody else.  Honestly, you have to be Teabagger stupid not to understand that 1% of the population getting 24% of the income is a major economic problem, not for the 1%, of course.  Barack's solution? 
Keep shoveling the money to the top 2% like a Republican wet dream.

In his defense Obama knows where the real fault lies and he's not bashful about letting everyone know who's really at fault here.  Now think about this, it was the left that supported Obama, sent the money for his campaign and stood firm while the Right Wing Propaganda Machine lied about everything he was trying to do, the GOP and Blue Dogs on the Hill wouldn't lift a finger to pass good legislation, so naturally Obama rags on the left.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs scolded what he called "the professional left" for its vocal objections to President Barack Obama's record. "These people ought to be drug tested," Gibbs said. "They will be satisfied when we have Canadian health care and we've eliminated the Pentagon. That's not reality. They wouldn't be satisfied if Dennis Kucinich was president." Later, Gibbs said he had spoken "inartfully."

“This is the public-option debate all over again,” Mr. Obama complained, adding: “Now, if that’s the standard by which we are measuring success or core principles, then, let’s face it, we will never get anything done. People will have the satisfaction of having a purist position and no victories for the American people. And we will be able to feel good about ourselves and sanctimonious about how pure our intentions are and how tough we are, and in the meantime, the American people are still seeing themselves not able to get health insurance because of pre-existing condition, or not being able to pay their bills because their unemployment insurance ran out.”

Yeah, it kinda is the public-option debate all over again, I mean you pretty much whiffed on that one and we we're kinda hoping that you'd learned not to give up the farm for a crap piece of legislation and an illusional sense of accomplishment.

Actually, not getting anything done would be an improvement.  For those of us in the lower four quintiles going back to the pre-Bush tax cuts wouldn't be much of a stretch, hardly any of us noticed them and if it would help the deficit, then go for it.  But looking at the big picture here...

Sorry, 2005 was the best I could do, trust me those top lines have gone even higher in the last five years.

Take a look at how the lower four quintile's incomes have gone up maybe 20% and mostly less since 1980, while the top quintile went up close to 80%.  Now this top quintile was supposed to be creating jobs with those tax cuts and we all know how that worked out.

Now take a look at the top 1%, two freaking hundred percent increase in income and this has accomplished what?  An accumulation of this country's finite wealth in the hands of fewer people.  This is a policy that you want to continue, Mr. President?

I voted for change not lame and I the one who's supposed to be on top of this.  So I apologize for letting myself be fooled by another so-called Democrat who would seem to rather roll over than stand for principles.

BTW, unemployment benefits would have been extended regardless.  Hell, even the GOP knows what would happen to them if they put millions of Americans out on the street.

Later