Godspeed President-Elect Obama

[Guest]

The time for celebration is short. The path of what's needed to fix the ills we currently face is long, steep and will have many twists and turns. The planning for a permanent government is apparently well underway and we'll learn more in the days ahead. Our new President will need support from all of us.

Our President-elect spoke to us almost without exultation, expressed the hope we all yearn for, and soberly asked for the help and support from all Americans.

I hope we can heal the political devisiveness of years past and of the recent campaign. I trust our new leaders will establish the proper priorities. I am encouraged that we may return to world leadership. And I pray for their good judgment.

Godspeed Barack Obama.

[Guest]

Historical night indeed. Lets just hope all get behind him. Was very nice for once to see McCain tell the poeple that were booing to stop at his speech. I was so gald to Obama win Floirda also. Alot of people showed their trust in the system and him as a person.

[Guest]

Moderate Republican Woman -- Me.

So furious with what had always been my party.

Yet, somewhere deep in my heart, still weighing all of it. Fiscally conservative me. Thinking about it all too hard. Weary of those robocalls, firing shots targeted at inducing paranoia. "Is that all ya' got?" I would ask and hang up before the robot did.

Finally, on Monday afternoon, I quite simply pictured how I would feel this morning. I pictured both scenarios.

I voted for the winner.

I went with hope.

Boomer

[Guest]

Boomer, although I too am a Moderate I voted for McCain. Neither would have been my choice. I didn't have strong feelings about the election, didn't stay up to see.

But I agree again Boomer. We will all hope for a better tomorrow.

[Guest]

I don't think most people grasp the consequence of last nights election. Believe me, they will.

[Guest]

dk, I am one of those who does realize what the consequences of yesterdays election are and I pray I am wrong.

Karen

[Guest]

Boomer, although I too am a Moderate I voted for McCain. Neither would have been my choice. I didn't have strong feelings about the election, didn't stay up to see.

But I agree again Boomer. We will all hope for a better tomorrow.

That's OK, GG. Mr. Boomer canceled my vote out. So I guess we were not responsible for Ohio.

This decision was so difficult. I considered not voting at all. I finally did all I could do.

Hope.

Prayers.

Hope.

Boomer

[Guest]

I don’t think God Speed is in order as much as asking for God’s forgiveness.

He is in favor of socialized medicine.
He is in favor of raising social security taxes
He is in favor of raising capitol gains taxes on business
He is favor of raising income taxes.
He is in favor of killing unborn children at will.
He is in favor of reducing our military by at least 25%
He is in favor of moving money from one segment of the population to another.
He is in favor of completely changing most of the core principles that have made this the most successful nation in the world.
He is not a capitalist.
He is not a supporter of Israel.
He is not pro-business.
He is not in favor of energy independence or drilling for our own oil.

I don’t see how any of this can be good for our county and it frightens me that some actually think it is. Change is what we wanted and change is what we are going to get.

I am truly depressed today.

[Guest]

DK..
You forgot to mention that the dems also will now control the house, the senate and Pres. Elect. BHO.

That is a scary scenario but there will be no one else to blame for failed programs AND on the other hand they should get all the credit for any successes.
:undecided:

[Guest]

dklassen and Karen, you are so right. It shows how much our country has changed. To top it off, Al Franken is only 571 votes behind Norm Coleman. Even though 100% of the vote is in I'm sure they will keep recounting until Franken gets the win. What a great night for George Soros, ACORN and the media.

[Guest]

I don’t think God Speed is in order as much as asking for God’s forgiveness.

He is in favor of socialized medicine.
He is in favor of raising social security taxes
He is in favor of raising capitol gains taxes on business
He is favor of raising income taxes.
He is in favor of killing unborn children at will.
He is in favor of reducing our military by at least 25%
He is in favor of moving money from one segment of the population to another.
He is in favor of completely changing most of the core principles that have made this the most successful nation in the world.
He is not a capitalist.
He is not a supporter of Israel.
He is not pro-business.
He is not in favor of energy independence or drilling for our own oil.

I don’t see how any of this can be good for our county and it frightens me that some actually think it is. Change is what we wanted and change is what we are going to get.

I am truly depressed today.
I had hoped that the misleading falsehoods and slandering would stop after the election, but I was wrong. Maybe a year from now all you conservatives will see things a little differently.

[Guest]

Falsehoods and slandering? Are you serious?

He himself has addressed all of these things during his campaign. I am just restating his platform.

[Guest]

I had hoped that the misleading falsehoods and slandering would stop after the election, but I was wrong. Maybe a year from now all you conservatives will see things a little differently.

I completely agree with you Rekop, although I think it will take more than one year to dig us out of the mess he's been left with.
:agree:

[Guest]

I completely agree with you Rekop, although I think it will take more than one year to dig us out of the mess he's been left with.
:agree:
I whole heartedly support the notion of the OP and really do hope that Obama proves me and the almost half of the country who voted against him wrong. However, I think it is a bit presumptuous to assume that all Republicans will just hop on the bandwagon and "get over it". Afterall, a huge part of the "mess" that Obama inherits is the political divisions that are still in this country. This mess is a direct result of the Dems who couldn't get over the 2000 election and have been making unfair allegations (yes, there were some fair ones as well) against Bush and Republicans for 8 long years. Those wounds will take time to heal and post like the above will not help that process.

[Guest]

That’s precisely the other phenomenon that will occur over the coming years. No matter how far BO runs us into the ditch, the media will always blame Bush. I can hear the quotes now. “Well, BO tried to fix it but Bush had things so screwed up there was no way it could be fixed. It was way worse than anyone ever told us.”

If you really take a hard honest look at the last 6 years, the economy was actually very strong even though we are fighting two wars. The FACT is, things started to turn when the Democrats took control of congress and we all know that congress are ones that control the purse strings not the president.

The second FACT is that the failure of Freddie and Fannie was the direct result of Democrats blocking regulation to fix the problem. You can’t ignore the facts; the Freddie and Fannie live congressional hearings are on YouTube for everyone to watch. During those, the Democrats even accused the Republicans of being on a witch hunt when they tried to fix Freddie and Fannie. What happened two years later? They both failed in a big way and the Republicans got blamed. How does that work?

BO made it abundantly clear every single night what he intends to do with our tax code. It WILL kill business and crush the economy. But it will somehow always be the Republicans fault no matter what he does.

I'll sign off now and stop commenting. We'll see where we end up.

[Guest]

That’s precisely the other phenomenon that will occur over the coming years. No matter how far BO runs us into the ditch, the media will always blame Bush. I can hear the quotes now. “Well, BO tried to fix it but Bush had things so screwed up there was no way it could be fixed. It was all way worse than anyone ever told us.”

If you really take a hard honest look at the last 6 years, the economy was actually very strong even though we are fighting two wars. The FACT is, things started to turn when the Democrats took control of congress and we all know that congress are ones that control the purse strings not the president.

The second FACT is that the failure of Freddie and Fannie were the direct result of Democrats blocking regulation to fix the problem. You can’t ignore the facts; the Freddie and Fannie live congressional hearings are on YouTube for everyone to watch. The Democrats even accused the Republicans of being on a witch hunt when they tried to fix Freddie and Fannie. What happened two years later? They both failed in a big way and the Republicans got blamed. How does that work?

BO made it abundantly clear every single night what he intends to do with our tax code. It WILL kill business and crush the economy. But it will somehow always be the Republicans fault.

I'll stop commenting now and move on. We'll see where we end up.

[Guest]

Historical night indeed. Lets just hope all get behind him. Was very nice for once to see McCain tell the poeple that were booing to stop at his speech. I was so gald to Obama win Floirda also. Alot of people showed their trust in the system and him as a person.

Thank you. Now we all have to work together to get the job done & restore our country. No more division, fear and/or racism. This is too serious.

Michael Moore (yes, that Michael Moore) has also summed up the feelings of many of us in this message:

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?id=240

[Guest]

I don't think most people grasp the consequence of last nights election. Believe me, they will.

always good to know almost 63 million people know something, heck even Ohio and Florida and Virginia got on the bus. I guess we could all be wrong, maybe we have already got it.

[Guest]

That’s precisely the other phenomenon that will occur over the coming years. No matter how far BO runs us into the ditch, the media will always blame Bush. I can hear the quotes now. “Well, BO tried to fix it but Bush had things so screwed up there was no way it could be fixed. It was all way worse than anyone ever told us.”

If you really take a hard honest look at the last 6 years, the economy was actually very strong even though we are fighting two wars. The FACT is, things started to turn when the Democrats took control of congress and we all know that congress are ones that control the purse strings not the president.

The second FACT is that the failure of Freddie and Fannie were the direct result of Democrats blocking regulation to fix the problem. You can’t ignore the facts; the Freddie and Fannie live congressional hearings are on YouTube for everyone to watch. The Democrats even accused the Republicans of being on a witch hunt when they tried to fix Freddie and Fannie. What happened two years later? They both failed in a big way and the Republicans got blamed. How does that work?

BO made it abundantly clear every single night what he intends to do with our tax code. It WILL kill business and crush the economy. But it will somehow always be the Republicans fault.

I'll stop commenting now and move on. We'll see where we end up.

DK, did you post this twice because you think we missed this too? :1rotfl:

[Guest]

I think it should be noted that my esteemed partner up there is now in the minority.
:laugh:

[Guest]

DKlassen, You are so right. The media has been brutal from the first day Bush took office. It's a joke that Dodd and Frank are in charge of fixing the mortgage crisis when they are one of the main causes of it. It's been the last two years that things have gone south, but you'll never hear it from the MSM. they wonder why their circulation is down. DUH!!!

[Guest]

That’s precisely the other phenomenon that will occur over the coming years. No matter how far BO runs us into the ditch, the media will always blame Bush. I can hear the quotes now. “Well, BO tried to fix it but Bush had things so screwed up there was no way it could be fixed. It was all way worse than anyone ever told us.”

If you really take a hard honest look at the last 6 years, the economy was actually very strong even though we are fighting two wars. The FACT is, things started to turn when the Democrats took control of congress and we all know that congress are ones that control the purse strings not the president.

The second FACT is that the failure of Freddie and Fannie were the direct result of Democrats blocking regulation to fix the problem. You can’t ignore the facts; the Freddie and Fannie live congressional hearings are on YouTube for everyone to watch. The Democrats even accused the Republicans of being on a witch hunt when they tried to fix Freddie and Fannie. What happened two years later? They both failed in a big way and the Republicans got blamed. How does that work?

BO made it abundantly clear every single night what he intends to do with our tax code. It WILL kill business and crush the economy. But it will somehow always be the Republicans fault.

I'll stop commenting now and move on. We'll see where we end up.

Here's another take on the economic crisis: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/who_caused_the_economic_crisis.html

It basically says the crisis was due to a collective effort, not just the Republicans, or Democrats. The information is non-partisan, from factcheck.org

But I think if the country is going to heal, we have to get past the "blame" stage, and fix what's wrong. One reason many people voted for Obama is that he comes across as an intelligent, charismatic leader, who can bridge the divides in this country to accomplish what needs to be done. Only time will tell.

[Guest]

DKlassen, You are so right. The media has been brutal from the first day Bush took office. It's a joke that Dodd and Frank are in charge of fixing the mortgage crisis when they are one of the main causes of it. It's been the last two years that things have gone south, but you'll never hear it from the MSM. they wonder why their circulation is down. DUH!!!

Yes the media has been brutal, not only to Bush but to Obama. He has taken a beating from the McCain Camp on everything that the media pushed on. From Ayers to being a Muslim. The election is over, and it seems the majority of the country thought that also. If McCain had ran his ralleys as he did his speech lastnight, he would have got more. Even his Joe The Plumber Ohio turned on him.
Lets all give it a break and see what happens, you never know.

[Guest]

The media was Obama's best friend. They are always bias to the left, but this election they where way over the top. Even some Democrats seemed embarrassed by the fawning. They did very little vetting. Sarah Palin was raked over the coals like nothing I've ever seen before.

[Guest]

My daughter Boomette, the longtime Democrat, just called. She said that supposedly the Democrats who got Republican seats are more moderate Democrats or know they have to be because they got Republican votes and they will want to keep their new jobs.

I don't know about all that, but Boomette makes a study of these things.

Boomette and I were hopeful together this morning. Ol' moderate Republican me and the daughter who tells me I brought her up to be a Democrat. Who knew???

Anyway, part of the hope I have is the hope that surely we as citizens will keep a much closer eye on our government than we have been. Congress has nearly slaughtered us in our sleep. We can't forget that.

Boomer

[Guest]

As a postscript to dklassen's claim that Obama is not pro Israel, according to CNN Obama got 78% of the Jewish vote. I think that pretty much speaks for itself.

[Guest]

BHO is no different than ALL other prospective candidates in that they will say whatever has to be said to get elected. Lest we forget....HE IS A POLITICIAN whose priority has always been to get elected....it's what they do.
I am willing to wait and see if he can deliver, because like it or not...none of us know whether he can or will be able to....all we can do is wait and see.
Those who are already clucking about what he will do are entitled to their opinion.
History has shown that politicians delivery after the win is not even close to the promises made before being elected.
In that regard, BHO is no different until HE PROVES OTHERWISE....
I for example past Presidents would have delivered there would be no energy crisis....how many promised to see that would not happen, both parties.
How many past Presidents were going to see to it there was adequate health care/ Most every one including the Clintons. How many past Presidents were going to be sure to fixx social security so future generations won't have the problem at hand (THEN)? Most of them.

I don't think I have to name any more than those three. They ALL promised change. How sad we can't even look to any one of the issues above and say yeah, but at least there was some improvement. In fact they are all SIGNIFICANTLY worse off than before or after any of them took office....and they were there before some of your favorite George W. Bush.

History has duly recorded there is rare connection between talking the talk and delivering the goods.

So history documents that no one party should be so critical of another when they have each had their turn at....FAILURE to deliver what is important to we the people.

The only realistic statement I have seen since the election is from those who say...he has a long hard road to haul all those promises. We'll see.
I view he has as much chance of making the changes promised as we the people have in getting the silent majority to demand our President, regardless who, do their :cus: job and deliver on that which got them the job in the first place. We all know how futile a reality that goal is!!!!!
So, we'll see.

BTK

[Guest]

The media was Obama's best friend. They are always bias to the left, but this election they where way over the top. Even some Democrats seemed embarrassed by the fawning. They did very little vetting. Sarah Palin was raked over the coals like nothing I've ever seen before.


When you accuse people like she did, has no clue as to what her job entailed let alone try to explain it. That is what happens. if you live in a glass house expect it. i wish i would of counted everytime i heard her say terrorist associations. i would be rich.

[Guest]

I certainly wish President-elct Obama Godspeed. I started a thread hoping God will give wisdom to our new President. I will support him but also maintian my viligence that he remembers this quote from Abraham Lincoln,,,,

"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away men's initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves. "

[Guest]

That’s precisely the other phenomenon that will occur over the coming years. No matter how far BO runs us into the ditch, the media will always blame Bush. I can hear the quotes now. “Well, BO tried to fix it but Bush had things so screwed up there was no way it could be fixed. It was way worse than anyone ever told us.”

If you really take a hard honest look at the last 6 years, the economy was actually very strong even though we are fighting two wars. The FACT is, things started to turn when the Democrats took control of congress and we all know that congress are ones that control the purse strings not the president.

The second FACT is that the failure of Freddie and Fannie was the direct result of Democrats blocking regulation to fix the problem. You can’t ignore the facts; the Freddie and Fannie live congressional hearings are on YouTube for everyone to watch. During those, the Democrats even accused the Republicans of being on a witch hunt when they tried to fix Freddie and Fannie. What happened two years later? They both failed in a big way and the Republicans got blamed. How does that work?

BO made it abundantly clear every single night what he intends to do with our tax code. It WILL kill business and crush the economy. But it will somehow always be the Republicans fault no matter what he does.

I'll sign off now and stop commenting. We'll see where we end up.For what it's worth... the Dow wasn't celebrating the results of the election as of noon today.

[Guest]

That’s precisely the other phenomenon that will occur over the coming years. No matter how far BO runs us into the ditch, the media will always blame Bush. I can hear the quotes now. “Well, BO tried to fix it but Bush had things so screwed up there was no way it could be fixed. It was way worse than anyone ever told us.”

If you really take a hard honest look at the last 6 years, the economy was actually very strong even though we are fighting two wars. The FACT is, things started to turn when the Democrats took control of congress and we all know that congress are ones that control the purse strings not the president.

The second FACT is that the failure of Freddie and Fannie was the direct result of Democrats blocking regulation to fix the problem. You can’t ignore the facts; the Freddie and Fannie live congressional hearings are on YouTube for everyone to watch. During those, the Democrats even accused the Republicans of being on a witch hunt when they tried to fix Freddie and Fannie. What happened two years later? They both failed in a big way and the Republicans got blamed. How does that work?

BO made it abundantly clear every single night what he intends to do with our tax code. It WILL kill business and crush the economy. But it will somehow always be the Republicans fault no matter what he does.

I'll sign off now and stop commenting. We'll see where we end up.


You may want to read this article from todays Wall Street Journal written by a man who worked with John Kerry in 2004.....

"The Treatment of Bush Has Been a Disgrace "

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122584386627599251.html

[Guest]

For what it's worth... the Dow wasn't celebrating the results of the election as of noon today.

No, according to the media the Dow was reacting to reports showing deep cuts in employment by private employers, possibly foreshadowing weakness in the government's employment report on Friday. Other data showed companies planned layoffs at the highest level in nearly five years.

[Guest]

I have a plan to fix the lay off issues.

Raise business capitol gains and corporate income taxes.

Oh wait... that's the plan of our new President. :coolsmiley:

[Guest]

I have a plan to fix the lay off issues.

Raise business capitol gains and corporate income taxes.

Oh wait... that's the plan of our new President. :coolsmiley: Dow now down almost 500 points. Maybe investors are connecting th dots.

[Guest]

Dow now down almost 500 points. Maybe investors are connecting th dots.

It's amazing to be this uninformed.

It's cloudy and cool in TV today. No doubt due to the election results.

[Guest]

:faint: I am trying to figure out why I have not seen some of the people hear running for office, they all got the right ideas and everyone else in office is wrong. Waiting for some of these name to appear next election.

[Guest]

The bottom line is, the country has spoken, and many of the posters in this forum are in the minority. Perhaps they should re-evaluate their thinking and admit that maybe they are WRONG.

[Guest]

The bottom line is, the country has spoken, and many of the posters in this forum are in the minority. Perhaps they should re-evaluate their thinking and admit that maybe they are WRONG.
Being in the majority is not necessarily being in the RIGHT, and the question is the obvious - wrong about what?

The rule of law applies, and the election results only identify who will fill what job. Right and wrong will ultimately be determined by performance, not rhetoric.

Here's hoping there will be more than pre-election rhetoric this time, as that what has happened in every election in my memory.

[Guest]

The bottom line is, the country has spoken, and many of the posters in this forum are in the minority. Perhaps they should re-evaluate their thinking and admit that maybe they are WRONG.


If I am reading this correctly, somewhere around 56 million americans are beinug called WRONG by you !!

I did not know this was a GAME....rather an election to the Presidency of the man/woman that the country thought would be be able to serve our interests in the country and around the world. NOT an inventory of RIGHT AND WRONG. That is the problem that exists in this country....ie., to look at these results in this manner.

If you honestly feel that those 56 million are WRONG and your side is right, you are just feeding the problem !

[Guest]

If I am reading this correctly, somewhere around 56 million americans are beinug called WRONG by you !!

I did not know this was a GAME....rather an election to the Presidency of the man/woman that the country thought would be be able to serve our interests in the country and around the world. NOT an inventory of RIGHT AND WRONG. That is the problem that exists in this country....ie., to look at these results in this manner.

If you honestly feel that those 56 million are WRONG and your side is right, you are just feeding the problem !

Well i gues you are saying that 64,249,045 people are wrong on the other hand. Cant win for loosing. Got to give them a chance before they can be wrong. ALways 2 sides to a argument.

[Guest]

Well i gues you are saying that 64,249,045 people are wrong on the other hand. Cant win for loosing. Got to give them a chance before they can be wrong. ALways 2 sides to a argument.


No sir...NEVER SAID THAT...NEVER EVEN IMPLIED THAT.

I simply responded to another poster. If I wanted to say the words you are putting in my mouth I would have said that. I have wished President Elect Obama well...offered my prayers all on here publicly.

I just responded to a post that, in my opinion, is the problem with the country......I am right and you are wrong mentality on both sides of the aisle.

Once again, if I wanted to say the words you try to attribute to me I would have said them myself without your help ! I suppose using your theory I could say....I guess you are saying there is a right and wrong and that is what it is about.....I do not attribute that to you because you didnt say it !

[Guest]

No sir...NEVER SAID THAT...NEVER EVEN IMPLIED THAT.

I simply responded to another poster. If I wanted to say the words you are putting in my mouth I would have said that. I have wished President Elect Obama well...offered my prayers all on here publicly.

I just responded to a post that, in my opinion, is the problem with the country......I am right and you are wrong mentality on both sides of the aisle.

Once again, if I wanted to say the words you try to attribute to me I would have said them myself without your help ! I suppose using your theory I could say....I guess you are saying there is a right and wrong and that is what it is about.....I do not attribute that to you because you didnt say it !

Point taken,

[Guest]

No rekop, I voted for McCain/Palin and I am not wrong. I voted for the two that are proud to be Americans and proud of America.

[Guest]

Just go back and read my original post and then the exchanges that have occurred since. Assertions of what the new President will do with no substantiation other than claims from the opposing campaign; I'm right; you're wrong; I'm depressed; you'll be sorry....and on and on.

This is the way the U.S. Congress has conducted itself for a decade or more, during which time many of the problems we're currently experiencing fomented. If they continue to harangue and politicize every situation, we'll make no more progress in coming years than we have in the past. But the Congress will act in just the ways that we want them to. If we, the American people, are unwilling to come together for our common good, then it's unreasonable to expect that our elected representatives will either.

As I've suggested several times before...our country will reap the seeds that we the people sow.

[Guest]

Perhaps I should have been more explicit. I was responding to dklassen among others who were spouting off misinformation about Obama's plans. And notice I said "maybe" they are wrong. They seem so ready to say Obama's going to fail before he's even begun. My suggestion is that a majority of Americans thought Obama had "something" worth trying. Let's give him a chance. I like to see the glass half full.

[Guest]

I certainly wish President-elct Obama Godspeed. I started a thread hoping God will give wisdom to our new President. I will support him but also maintian my viligence that he remembers this quote from Abraham Lincoln,,,,

"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away men's initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves. "

:agree::agree::agree: These truths are self evident regardless of who said them. Sounds very much like Milton Friedman also.

[Guest]

Perhaps I should have been more explicit. I was responding to dklassen among others who were spouting off misinformation about Obama's plans. And notice I said "maybe" they are wrong. They seem so ready to say Obama's going to fail before he's even begun. My suggestion is that a majority of Americans thought Obama had "something" worth trying. Let's give him a chance. I like to see the glass half full.
He is getting his chance, and so far his selection of White House Chief of Staff runs 180-degrees opposite the campaign rhetoric of "let's all come together," unless bipartisanship is now defined as "my way or the highway."

Rep. Pelosi and Sen. Reid spoke of civility and bipartisanship on the day they acquired their leadership positions, and we saw how long that lasted. It would be tragic if Pres-elect Obama follows the same path of bitterness and nastiness taken by his party's Congressional leadership.

[Guest]

Don't forget that the Democrats will probably strip Joe Lieberman of his committee leadership position for supporting JM.

So much for bipartisanship.

If anyone thinks that BO is going to be bipartition you are dreaming. His pick for Chief of Staff is known for being particularly ruthless in ripping apart anyone who doesn't fall in line with their positions.

[Guest]

Lots of sour grapes going on here today. :ohdear:

[Guest]

Really. Grow up you guys.

[Guest]

Hum... this is a political board and I don't really see how discussing the day's topics are sour grapes but that's just me.

It's been widely discussed in the media today about Joe Lieberman and Rahm Emanuel. In fact one of the quotes reported today from Rahm was "F the Republications."

It's been on the news, I didn't make it up.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/profiles/3392848/Profile-Rahm-Emanuel-Barack-Obamas-new-enforcer.html

[Guest]

Some context.....the quote from Rahm Emmanuel dates back at least 2 years. If he said that today, it would indeed be troubling. But, he is now in a new position with a new boss....I sincerely hope that his tone will not be so partisan in the future. Let's give them a fair chance to get their staff, government leaders, and programs in place.

Here's what 5 minutes of web research turns up:

Emanuel Told His Staff That Republicans Could "Go F--- Themselves!" "'I'll tell you this,' Emanuel shouted out to his staff. 'The Republicans may have the 72-hour program. But they have not seen the 22-month program! ... Since my kids are gone, I can say it: They can go ---- themselves!'" (Naftali Bendavid, "The House That Rahm Built," Chicago Tribune, 11/12/06)

[Guest]

Lots of sour grapes going on here today. :ohdear:
Really. Grow up you guys.
What is really surprising is that even now people still see Pres-elect Obama as some kind of saint and not a politician.

Pres. Bush has a lot of faults, and his administration has made a ton of mistakes, and every person who leans right-of-center has recognized that, especially during the last 3 years.

Sen. McCain also has human failings, and those who did vote for him knew of him as a flesh-and-blood human complete with faults. He lost the conservative vote because he wasn't conservative at all, and started to look and sound more like Bill Clinton than Ronald Reagan.

Pres-elect Obama is starting to sound and act like every other politician who has won the WH before him and has already started hedging on promises and commencing actions which are counter to the campaign speeches. That's an objective fact. Ignoring it doesn't change the fact.

The "grow up" part of all of this is to see the world, the politics, the campaign promises and all of the hoop-la for what it is. The polly-anna view is that the world is such a sunny and wonderful place, with birds singing and butterflies flittering everywhere because a particular candidate now has a 4-year government job.

If Sen. McCain had won the election, there would not have been much if any difference. That's the nature of politicians - reward the close faithful, shaft those who may be a downstream danger, and be thankful that P. T. Barnum was right! If the adorationists of the Pres-elect don't realize that their hero is a grizzled politician who first owes a lot of other politicians and must deliver to them NOW, and then if anything is left, the crumbs go to the rest of us, then the stock in companies which make rose-colored glasses is the only safe investment these days.l

I wish the Pres-elect well, and hope he will be nowhere near as harmful as many believe he can be. Time will be the ultimate test, but actions - especially during the patronage period of filling the Plum Book - will speak volumes.

However, he is no saint, he is no champion of freedom, he is no great healer, and he is no fool. He's a sharp politician who said the right things to get elected. He has the opportunity to succeed.

The question will be is if we will just sit back, with blinders on, and find ourselves having to sell ourselves explanations why what was said in the summer and autumn of 2008 doesn't match what actually is occuring in the summer and autumn of 2009 - or will our memories be intentionally faulty?

I have read many a comment on this board about how patriotic many were when they were slamming the current administration and making insulting remarks about Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin. It was "the thing to do" in the name of wanting a "changed" America, regardless of what those changes may bring. All of these folk "were watching" George Bush closely, scrutinizing every word, statement, action and inaction as their American duty and responsibility.

Guess what, folks - the same holds true with the new guy, except I don't expect that the personal slams and insults will happen. It would be a shame if that uncivilized behavior repeats itself.

Criticism of a President's performance can, shall, and will occur. When he does good, he gets the credit. When he BS's folk, or reneges on the sales pitch, or screws up, he will be taken to task. Anything less from the citizenry is just the type of subservient behavior one sees in dictatorships and inbred monarchies.

It there a problem with that?

BTW - now that the election is over, it's great to be back!

[Guest]

He does have a history.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/profiles/3392848/Profile-Rahm-Emanuel-Barack-Obamas-new-enforcer.html

[Guest]

Loved this article about Rahm Emanuel. Straight out of my hometown. He gets things done. Now, maybe we can sweep away the hayseed and and the laid back "wanna have a beer" good ole' boys and get this country going again! :a040:

[Guest]

So much for bipartisanship.

[Guest]

Loved this article about Rahm Emanuel. Straight out of my hometown. He gets things done. Now, maybe we can sweep away the hayseed and and the laid back "wanna have a beer" good ole' boys and get this country going again! :a040:

I see we are back to name-calling, insults and ridicule of others as sport.

It's nice to know that those of us "hayseeds" and "good ole boys," will be made better off by those who made Chicago Politics a shining beacon of ethical behavior and corruption-free public service.

Urban snobbery must be one of those new-wave methods of consensus-development employed by "community organizers" that us "hayseeds" and "good ole boys" don't understand......

[Guest]

Hey.. Sorry your candidate did not win...

What I see is a very smart man sorrounding himself with very smart people.... Hopefully we can get the country out of the ditch..and move forward.

GOD BLESS AMERICA and the right to vote.

[Guest]

....
GOD BLESS AMERICA and the right to vote.

Amen! We may agree to disagree on many things, but never this....

[Guest]

we'll soon find out how long his antics last in the shadow of a Presidency.
He may do well until such time as his methodology generates a negative backlash. He will soon find he is on a different caliber stage.

Maybe we can hope he will be assigned to get something done with the single digit approval rating, do nothing Congress (right!).

In my experience with bullies/intimidators is they are easy to manage...don't back up when they get in your face....treat them with equal portions of disrespect.

BTK

[Guest]

I see we are back to name-calling, insults and ridicule of others as sport.

It's nice to know that those of us "hayseeds" and "good ole boys," will be made better off by those who made Chicago Politics a shining beacon of ethical behavior and corruption-free public service.

Urban snobbery must be one of those new-wave methods of consensus-development employed by "community organizers" that us "hayseeds" and "good ole boys" don't understand......

SteveZ, I wasn't calling you names! I can't imagine what would make you think that I was! I was talking about Bush and the Crawford Clan. And I'm not going to hide how I feel. Never did. I think he was the dumbest, worst President we've ever had. Sorry if you don't agree, but I do have a right to my opinion too.

As far as urban snobbery, we all come from our roots and mine just happened to be urban. Nothing snobby about that. My grandmother had a farm and the grandkids spent the summers there and it was wonderful. Some of the best times of my life.

I'm from Chicago, "The City that Works" and I do take offense to anyone putting it down. It's a fabulous city and I think you are the one name calling here. Oh, and don't look now but a "community organizer" just became your President. (hmmm, wonder if Giuliani is laughing now?) :laugh:

[Guest]

SteveZ, I wasn't calling you names! I can't imagine what would make you think that I was! I was talking about Bush and the Crawford Clan. And I'm not going to hide how I feel. Never did. I think he was the dumbest, worst President we've ever had. Sorry if you don't agree, but I do have a right to my opinion too.

As far as urban snobbery, we all come from our roots and mine just happened to be urban. Nothing snobby about that. My grandmother had a farm and the grandkids spent the summers there and it was wonderful. Some of the best times of my life.

I'm from Chicago, "The City that Works" and I do take offense to anyone putting it down. It's a fabulous city and I think you are the one name calling here. Oh, and don't look now but a "community organizer" just became your President. (hmmm, wonder if Giuliani is laughing now?) :laugh:
Chels, you always have a right to your opinion. Never said otherwise. Will defend it to the death...

Have stated that I wish the Pres-elect nothing but the best, and it will be interesting to see how well he can deliver on his campaign promises.

However, I was hoping that generalized name-calling and insults were a thing of the past on this board, and that a trend of civility was going to try to be established here. That's the top string on this board, and again that was the hope.

You weren't calling me names. Those were insults regarding a way of life that many of us hold dear. It may seem "cute" and "fun" to throw around terms and employ them as put-downs, but it just isn't funny.

BTW Chicago is a fabulous city - good people, fine food and fairly decent baseball. I love the city, but view the political establishment with extreme caution. That is my opinion. However, Lake Shore Drive at night IS a view to behold and an American treasure sight.

Also, will be working with one of the transition teams during this changeover, and am looking forward to the experience. One of the real thrills of being an American is to participate up-close-and-personal in the peaceful changeover of an administration. It's a rarity on this planet, and many in the world view how we can do this peacefuly with awe. In other countries people argue and debate their political opinions up to balloting, and then exchange gunfire at each other when the tally comes up short. Here we just roll up our sleeves and make it all work regardless. Thank God for our way of life!

[Guest]

Well, actually SteveZ, you responded to Chelsea with an insult of your own, referring to "urban snobs". Democrats heard a lot of that from Republicans during the campaign - although then it was "intellectual" snobs.