Great Expectations: the Obama Era is about to begin!

[stratoplayer]

I like the FDR analogy... both have a, not to say handicap, but a disadvantage compared to WASP standards, have the most fucked up economy to handle and were generally well liked...

Though I seriously hope people get over the fact that he is half black and he is not a messiah. Cuz those two labels are going to haunt his administration in case he makes a mistake.

[icecab21]

I think what really helped the Bush presidency was the fact that Bush is a messiah. It’s going to be tough for Obama because he is not a messiah, genie, or leprechaun but maybe he can get people asking themselves what JFK asked “Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country".

[browneyedgirl]

http://refreshingnews.blogspot.com/2009 ... obama.html

Bringing this great link forward. :bigok:

[stratoplayer]

Hot damn that was fast

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7845585.stm

No more Guantanamo bay and an executive order on military interrogation techniques. At least no can accuse Obama for not making a change. Now if only Abu Ghraib followed suit...

[browneyedgirl]

Hot damn that was fast

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7845585.stm

No more Guantanamo bay and an executive order on military interrogation techniques. At least no can accuse Obama for not making a change. Now if only Abu Ghraib followed suit...

But, those people are still prisoners and the government has to figure out where to place them.

[NeonVomit]

Ok this eight year old article from satirical website The Onion is SO creepily accurate

Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over'
January 17, 2001 | Issue 37•01

WASHINGTON, DC–Mere days from assuming the presidency and closing the door on eight years of Bill Clinton, president-elect George W. Bush assured the nation in a televised address Tuesday that "our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over."

"My fellow Americans," Bush said, "at long last, we have reached the end of the dark period in American history that will come to be known as the Clinton Era, eight long years characterized by unprecedented economic expansion, a sharp decrease in crime, and sustained peace overseas. The time has come to put all of that behind us."

Bush swore to do "everything in [his] power" to undo the damage wrought by Clinton's two terms in office, including selling off the national parks to developers, going into massive debt to develop expensive and impractical weapons technologies, and passing sweeping budget cuts that drive the mentally ill out of hospitals and onto the street.

During the 40-minute speech, Bush also promised to bring an end to the severe war drought that plagued the nation under Clinton, assuring citizens that the U.S. will engage in at least one Gulf War-level armed conflict in the next four years.

"You better believe we're going to mix it up with somebody at some point during my administration," said Bush, who plans a 250 percent boost in military spending. "Unlike my predecessor, I am fully committed to putting soldiers in battle situations. Otherwise, what is the point of even having a military?"

On the economic side, Bush vowed to bring back economic stagnation by implementing substantial tax cuts, which would lead to a recession, which would necessitate a tax hike, which would lead to a drop in consumer spending, which would lead to layoffs, which would deepen the recession even further.

Wall Street responded strongly to the Bush speech, with the Dow Jones industrial fluctuating wildly before closing at an 18-month low. The NASDAQ composite index, rattled by a gloomy outlook for tech stocks in 2001, also fell sharply, losing 4.4 percent of its total value between 3 p.m. and the closing bell.

Asked for comment about the cooling technology sector, Bush said: "That's hardly my area of expertise."

Turning to the subject of the environment, Bush said he will do whatever it takes to undo the tremendous damage not done by the Clinton Administration to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He assured citizens that he will follow through on his campaign promise to open the 1.5 million acre refuge's coastal plain to oil drilling. As a sign of his commitment to bringing about a change in the environment, he pointed to his choice of Gale Norton for Secretary of the Interior. Norton, Bush noted, has "extensive experience" fighting environmental causes, working as a lobbyist for lead-paint manufacturers and as an attorney for loggers and miners, in addition to suing the EPA to overturn clean-air standards.

Bush had equally high praise for Attorney General nominee John Ashcroft, whom he praised as "a tireless champion in the battle to protect a woman's right to give birth."

"Soon, with John Ashcroft's help, we will move out of the Dark Ages and into a more enlightened time when a woman will be free to think long and hard before trying to fight her way past throngs of protesters blocking her entrance to an abortion clinic," Bush said. "We as a nation can look forward to lots and lots of babies."

Continued Bush: "John Ashcroft will be invaluable in healing the terrible wedge President Clinton drove between church and state."

The speech was met with overwhelming approval from Republican leaders.

"Finally, the horrific misrule of the Democrats has been brought to a close," House Majority Leader Dennis Hastert (R-IL) told reporters. "Under Bush, we can all look forward to military aggression, deregulation of dangerous, greedy industries, and the defunding of vital domestic social-service programs upon which millions depend. Mercifully, we can now say goodbye to the awful nightmare that was Clinton's America."

"For years, I tirelessly preached the message that Clinton must be stopped," conservative talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh said. "And yet, in 1996, the American public failed to heed my urgent warnings, re-electing Clinton despite the fact that the nation was prosperous and at peace under his regime. But now, thank God, that's all done with. Once again, we will enjoy mounting debt, jingoism, nuclear paranoia, mass deficit, and a massive military build-up."

An overwhelming 49.9 percent of Americans responded enthusiastically to the Bush speech.

"After eight years of relatively sane fiscal policy under the Democrats, we have reached a point where, just a few weeks ago, President Clinton said that the national debt could be paid off by as early as 2012," Rahway, NJ, machinist and father of three Bud Crandall said. "That's not the kind of world I want my children to grow up in."

"You have no idea what it's like to be black and enfranchised," said Marlon Hastings, one of thousands of Miami-Dade County residents whose votes were not counted in the 2000 presidential election. "George W. Bush understands the pain of enfranchisement, and ever since Election Day, he has fought tirelessly to make sure it never happens to my people again."

Bush concluded his speech on a note of healing and redemption.

"We as a people must stand united, banding together to tear this nation in two," Bush said. "Much work lies ahead of us: The gap between the rich and the poor may be wide, be there's much more widening left to do. We must squander our nation's hard-won budget surplus on tax breaks for the wealthiest 15 percent. And, on the foreign front, we must find an enemy and defeat it."

"The insanity is over," Bush said. "After a long, dark night of peace and stability, the sun is finally rising again over America. We look forward to a bright new dawn not seen since the glory days of my dad."

[stratoplayer]

Where\d you get that? It IS spooky how it was published in 2001 O_o


@BEG: I dont doubt that they will be moved and remain prisoners, but wherever they are theres no way in hell it will be as guarded from outside eyes as Guantanamo. Obama just flipped Dubya the bird by overruling the 13233 order just now...

[NeonVomit]

Where\d you get that? It IS spooky how it was published in 2001 O_o

Something that washed up on to the beach of my pc on the from the ocean of the internet...

[browneyedgirl]

Obama is already trying to get the tax cuts passed so that most Americans will get an extra $500 refund! That start should help the economy a bit. He is on the right track so far!

[NeverendingAbyss]

He is trying to do everything right now since a large amount of the population strongly support him.

[browneyedgirl]

A few months ago Michelle, in an interview, said she and Barack were trying to have another baby. If she did not get pregnant in a year they would adopt a baby.
Man, this couple has the Midas touch! :bigok: I hope they do have a baby, they deserve it!
Michelle is very photogenic, she has been on the cover of many magazines, but so has her husband.

Another move Obama is making now is to reverse alot of the environmental rulings Bush made.I think Obama might sign the Koyoto agreement this year.

[NeonVomit]

He is trying to do everything right now since a large amount of the population strongly support him.

Yup. Smart move. Plus he'll have everyone saying 'he's actually doing something!' And, you know, actually fulfilling campaign promises is a good thing.

[AAAAAAAAAA]

In times of crisis, someone new steps up. A skilled orator, he immediately claims the helm of his political party, and at a young age achieves an unprecedented amount of political power due to his spectacular charisma.

His sketchy associations and unclear motives are overlooked in lieu of his promises for radical change. Well funded and faced with an ineffective opposition party, he quickly becomes one of the most powerful men in the world.

His name is...




Adolf Hitler

This is why i'm skeptical of someone who comes out of nowhere and starts making big promises, supported by fanatic youth who don't even understand what's at stake.

[NeonVomit]

True, but Obama didn't deconstruct his own country's constitution and laws... I'd say George Bush was closer to Hitler.

[browneyedgirl]

True, but Obama didn't deconstruct his own country's constitution and laws...

.......He hasn't been in long enough---thats why I say we must give him a couple years before we judge him, pro or con.
But, he does have some great plans if only he can follow through on them, or should I say, if Congress lets the bills and laws pass.....

[NeonVomit]

True, but Obama didn't deconstruct his own country's constitution and laws...

.......He hasn't been in long enough---thats why I say we must give him a couple years before we judge him, pro or con.
But, he does have some great plans if only he can follow through on them, or should I say, if Congress lets the bills and laws pass.....

They will, isn't there a Democrat majority? Also, they wouldn't want to be seen as blocking a popular new president's plans, especially in these difficult times.

Now of course, if Obama IS indeed the next Hitler we are indeed all screwed, but I don't see that happening

[icecab21]

He is a president; therefore he does not have so much power. That’s why Bush said it would be easier to be a dictator. There is no Hitler when there are no citizens to follow commands. I don’t think the people that enforced Hitler’s plans were just blind followers. It takes a combination of force from those that believe and coercion of those that don’t to create such environments.

Obama has had policy on his website for years and full disclosure of his every vote in state and federal office.

Hitler has books with his intentions before office as well

[JensJohansson]

The economy consists of nothing but imaginary figures for the stupid consumer and the stupid producer to randomly fear or blow their wads over. Everything can be simplified down to “perception” (with no further need to analyze the process and variables) and “people are idiots” and all problems are solved once they are forgotten and the purple unicorns dance through the air as their horns sodomize flying pigs.

In fact, all of physical reality is just a giant mesh of probability fields and solid objects are not really solid, etc. Still we deal with and care about higher levels of abstraction and information patterns than that, because everything alive relies heavily on physical order and patterns.

And especially we people, being steeped in symbolic language, are patternoholics.

Statistics, and especially economic statistics, are some of the most beautiful lies there are.

I saw the 1st Obama weekly address. I wonder how long it will take me to get used to there being a US president who can speak full sentences without you having this constant fear of him stumbling.

I though this was great by the way:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Presiden ... 901&page=1

Why didn't the republicans think of stuff like that?!

Hitler .... I think he was one of a kind and was able to exploit a very peculiar situation. He also believed heavily in fate, and when things went well for him he had no sense of things ever stopping to go well. Eventually luck runs out. It did also for Hitler. Anyway he wrote a book outlining his plans before he was elected. Obama wrote a book too (didn't read it), but if anyone is curious maybe he reveals his evil plans to plunge the whole world into the abyss, in there.

All politics aside, I think most importantly Obama marks a generation shift. The scariest guy in the Bush administration to me was Rumsfeld, and I thought so since January 2001 -- he reminded me of those old Soviet "Andropov era" style politruks. Guess he was so bad that he had to go even when Bush was still in power..

Purple unicorn horns hurt the best in my bung hole. Oink!

[miditek]

Hot damn that was fast

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7845585.stm

No more Guantanamo bay and an executive order on military interrogation techniques. At least no can accuse Obama for not making a change. Now if only Abu Ghraib followed suit...

Whoopdee fucking doo! No more Gitmo, courtesy of the Dhimmi-in-Chief, or should I say Quisling? So what to do with animals such as KSM (Khalid Sheikh Mohammed) and others of his ilk?

I say send them to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., in addition to the Senate and Congressional office buildings - let them sleep under Nancy Pelosi's or Harry Reid's desk!
If the US was somehow 'less than humane', then our forces would not have captured them to begin with.

Does anyone recall what happened to what happened to the Chechen terrorists during the Moscow theater seige in 2002? After the building was secured, the ranking FSB colonel on the scene removed the C4 detenators from the hands of each of the twenty unconscious female suicide bombers, and then promptly shot each one of them in the head.

In other words, this is the appropriate way- preventative executions of terrorist thugs- to deal with people who's very mission is to destroy our way of life, and popularity contests with weak willed Milquetoast diplomats be damned!

[AAAAAAAAAA]

In other words, this is the appropriate way- preventative executions of terrorist thugs- to deal with people who's very mission is to destroy our way of life, and popularity contests with weak willed Milquetoast diplomats be damned!

+e^[log((64 - ((16)^(1/2))*(2^4)) + 1]

Anyway...of course Obama is no Hitler. He has some good ideas and I think freezing the salaries of the senior staff sends the right message. I was hoping more for layoffs but regardless . I also like the idea of more transparency and less corporate influence in politics.

I'm just afraid that the voters eventually will elect a Hitler...if not this election, then the next. If not a Democrat, then a Republican. I think America is a great place but we are way too influenced by the media and this mob mentality must stop.

[icecab21]

I have yet to read about a theory on stopping mob mentality that has worked.

miditek points out obama does not have military goals that a hitler would have. he also talks like obama will destroy the usa and there will not be a next election so no worries there.

[NeonVomit]

Hot damn that was fast

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7845585.stm

No more Guantanamo bay and an executive order on military interrogation techniques. At least no can accuse Obama for not making a change. Now if only Abu Ghraib followed suit...

Whoopdee fucking doo! No more Gitmo, courtesy of the Dhimmi-in-Chief, or should I say Quisling? So what to do with animals such as KSM (Khalid Sheikh Mohammed) and others of his ilk?

I say send them to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., in addition to the Senate and Congressional office buildings - let them sleep under Nancy Pelosi's or Harry Reid's desk!
If the US was somehow 'less than humane', then our forces would not have captured them to begin with.

Does anyone recall what happened to what happened to the Chechen terrorists during the Moscow theater seige in 2002? After the building was secured, the ranking FSB colonel on the scene removed the C4 detenators from the hands of each of the twenty unconscious female suicide bombers, and then promptly shot each one of them in the head.

In other words, this is the appropriate way- preventative executions of terrorist thugs- to deal with people who's very mission is to destroy our way of life, and popularity contests with weak willed Milquetoast diplomats be damned!

Human rights, rule of law, etc. That is what seperates the civilised world from those who seek to destroy it.

[browneyedgirl]

Hot damn that was fast

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7845585.stm

No more Guantanamo bay and an executive order on military interrogation techniques. At least no can accuse Obama for not making a change. Now if only Abu Ghraib followed suit...

Whoopdee fucking doo! No more Gitmo, courtesy of the Dhimmi-in-Chief, or should I say Quisling? So what to do with animals such as KSM (Khalid Sheikh Mohammed) and others of his ilk?

Do some research and send them to the countries whose citizenry or leaders complained the most about Gitmo and let them take care of those criminals.
However, Gitmo was draining tax dollars which could be put to better use to help USA citizens themselves.

[Shurik]

I think this thread is long lost to the Godwin's law ...

Human rights, rule of law, etc. That is what seperates the civilised world from those who seek to destroy it.

So, fighting Al-Quaeda and such by their means and winning is worse than fighting according to all the western laws and losing? Weird tactic, I'd say ...

[browneyedgirl]

Here is reality:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/americas/7850433.stm

Yes, Dems hold the majority in both house&senate, but the right can fight Obama tooth and nail on everything he proposes.....And, greatly delay much needed improvements, and laws.
Just for spite? Maybe.
The point is, the right is going to make Obama earn his keep as commander-in-chief. And there's not a damn thing he can do about it.

[NeonVomit]

I think this thread is long lost to the Godwin's law ...

Human rights, rule of law, etc. That is what seperates the civilised world from those who seek to destroy it.

So, fighting Al-Quaeda and such by their means and winning is worse than fighting according to all the western laws and losing? Weird tactic, I'd say ...

Yes. If we break our own laws to fight them, then they win, in a sense.

[Carcass]

I think this thread is long lost to the Godwin's law ...

Human rights, rule of law, etc. That is what seperates the civilised world from those who seek to destroy it.

So, fighting Al-Quaeda and such by their means and winning is worse than fighting according to all the western laws and losing? Weird tactic, I'd say ...

To begin with, I would like to know what 'losing' and 'winning' mean in this case.

Like the British Foreign Secretary put it some time ago, the label of War on Terrorism is massively misleading.

[browneyedgirl]

I think this thread is long lost to the Godwin's law ...

Human rights, rule of law, etc. That is what seperates the civilised world from those who seek to destroy it.

So, fighting Al-Quaeda and such by their means and winning is worse than fighting according to all the western laws and losing? Weird tactic, I'd say ...

Yes. If we break our own laws to fight them, then they win, in a sense.

Yeah, in a sense---especially when the whole world gleefully rubs our face in it. And if I hear the words "Geneva Convention" one more time...........

[Noxica]

And if I hear the words "Geneva Convention" one more time...........

Geneva Convention!


*runs*

[Shurik]

I think this thread is long lost to the Godwin's law ...

Human rights, rule of law, etc. That is what seperates the civilised world from those who seek to destroy it.

So, fighting Al-Quaeda and such by their means and winning is worse than fighting according to all the western laws and losing? Weird tactic, I'd say ...

To begin with, I would like to know what 'losing' and 'winning' mean in this case.

Like the British Foreign Secretary put it some time ago, the label of War on Terrorism is massively misleading.

Quite simple ... Win - you get to live in peace and quiet, you can ride buses, go to clubs and restaurants etc without a danger of being blown up.
Lose - live in constant fear or die, depends on your luck.

BTW, Geneva Convention doesn't forbid attacking civilian target in any case. If an enemy surrounds himself with human shield, it's perfectly OK to blow him up with the shield. Same goes to enemy holed up in any civilian installation, after a warning has been issued and was ignored:

http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/geneva07.asp

Art. 19. The protection to which civilian hospitals are entitled shall not cease unless they are used to commit, outside their humanitarian duties, acts harmful to the enemy. Protection may, however, cease only after due warning has been given, naming, in all appropriate cases, a reasonable time limit and after such warning has remained unheeded. The fact that sick or wounded members of the armed forces are nursed in these hospitals, or the presence of small arms and ammunition taken from such combatants which have not yet been handed to the proper service, shall not be considered to be acts harmful to the enemy.