Obama, a President with Guts

I always support the man who can lead especially when the man who can lead has guts.

Click here to read about his debate with Republicans--at one of their conferences--and check out that it was Obama, not the Republicans who requested coverage by the press.

Obviously we have come a long way since the censorship days of former President Bush.

Comments on State of the Union

"The MSNBC commentator Chris Matthews said it was noteworthy to him that a black president was addressing a room of mostly white people and how it didn't seem to be an issue. He said he saw it in the context of growing up at a time racial divisions were ever-present.

"Says Matthews: "I went in the room tonight, you could feel it wasn't there tonight and that takes leadership on his part, to get us beyond those divisions."--Chris Matthews on Obama: 'I forgot he was black,' AP

"On Thursday, he turned emphatically toward Republicans and implored cooperation.

"'Our political dialogue in this country has always been messy and noisy," Obama told the crowd at the University of Tampa.

"'We're all Americans. We all should anticipate that the other person, even if they disagree with us, has the best of intentions. We don't have to call them names. We don't have to demonize them.'"--Obama urges nervous Dems to fight for his agenda By CHARLES BABINGTON, AP.

Newsweek's Howard Fineman:

"If one speech can replenish a presidency–and I'm not sure it can—Barack Obama's State of the Union address was just such a speech. In tone and content it was aimed squarely at the fickle voters he has lost since last year: the swing-voting independents in the middle of the spectrum."

State of the Union

Michael --

I just finished delivering my first State of the Union, and I wanted to send you a quick note.

We face big and difficult challenges. Change on the scale we seek does not come easily. But I will never accept second place for the United States of America.

That is why I called for a robust jobs bill without delay. It's why I proposed a small businesses tax credit, new investments in infrastructure, and pushed for climate legislation to create a clean energy economy.

It's why we're taking on big banks, reforming Wall Street, revitalizing our education system, increasing transparency -- and finishing the job on health insurance reform.

It's why I need your help -- because I am determined to fight to defend the middle class, and special interest lobbyists will go all out to fight us.

Help me show that the American people are ready to join this fight for the middle class -- add your name to a letter to Congress today:

http://my.barackobama.com/SOTU

We have finished a difficult year. We have come through a difficult decade. But we don't quit. I don't quit.

Let's seize this moment -- to start anew, to carry the dream forward, and to strengthen our union once more.

President Barack Obama

Obama and the Economy He Inherited

"The full effects of the crash of 2007-2008 on the lives of regular Americans has yet to be fully appreciated. For most members of the middle class, their sense of financial well-being was largely based on the size of their 401(k)s and their equity as homeowners. After the collapse of stock prices and with the steep drop in home prices, many may never feel the same way again, or spend their money as confidently."--7 Things About The Economy Everyone Should Be Worried About by Dan Froomkin – Sun Jan 24, The Huffington Post

In the above quote notice how everything crashed in 2007-2008. Bush was president. Not Obama.

Now we want instant results--but a bad economy takes time--and everyone is blaming Obama for Bush's errors (to put it mildly).

Always remember where this bad economy came from. Not the Democrats and definitely not a Democratic administration. In 2007 and 2008 Bush ran the nation.

Give Obama a chance.

An Interesting Link

Click here to read an interesting link.

Excerpts below (emphasis mine):

"In the fall of 2008, the government treated the stock markets like a hysterical child that needed to be calmed, no matter what. Several bailouts were hastily orchestrated over the weekend, to minimize the dreaded uncertainty by the time the Asian markets opened on Monday morning. It didn't work. The markets plunged anyway, leading to the dubious bank-bailout program and many other desperate moves meant to reassure investors and stop the panic.

"Obama came into office as stocks were sinking toward a 13-year low--and a depression still seemed possible.

"The markets finally bottomed out last March, and government measures finally helped. The Federal Reserve's "stress tests" on big banks provided some transparency about their condition, improving confidence. The government's capital injections into banks helped stabilize them. A smorgasbord of behind-the-scenes guarantee programs, asset purchases and other maneuvers may have been the most effective stabilizers. But all that government aid has also created an economy that's addicted to federal subsidies and terrified of failure, one reason that voters are more skeptical than ever.

"If the economy is really recovering, then the banks and other pillars of free enterprise need to prove they can walk without government crutches. Obama apparently believes they can. His bank bashing obviously has a populist tint, aimed at enraged voters, but it also signals an important shift: The government is no longer coddling Wall Street. That's good news, and the more tension there is between regulator and regulated, the stronger the signs that things are getting back to normal.

"If all goes well, this will be the year when the government retreats from its forays into capitalism. The Federal Reserve will reduce its support of the credit markets. The home-buyer tax credit will expire. Stimulus spending, enacted last year, will start to peter out. The government will reduce its guarantees of bank assets and maybe even get paid back by AIG, Citigroup, General Motors and Chrysler. And the government will start acting like the government again, not like a conflicted Sugar Daddy."--Why It's Good News When Obama Sinks the Market by Rick Newman – Fri Jan 22--U.S. News

Supreme Court Ruling

So now corporate greed--and union greed--rules the land.

Forget that our nation is built on individuals and the hard work of individuals. The Supreme Court ruled that the land is ruled by money--and it's that simple.

Click here for the link.

The winner as was shown in Massachusetts is always the winner because of huge donations to sway people who are Rush Limbaughs--true idiots who I'm not sure know how to read and actually believe what they hear even though most of the money that elected the Republican Senator came from other places--not Massachusetts.

Toxic Chemical BPA and Obama

Even though Canada has outlawed the toxic chemical BPA, under former President Bush, the FDA (Food and Drugs Administration) refused to ban it.

The FDA under Obama is now getting ready to ban its use in a number of items--baby bottles, for example.

Once again my leader has put the safety of his nation's people ahead of the greed that ran the Bush Administration.

This is why I support Obama--he has my best interests in heart and hand.

AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA ON THE HEALTH PLAN FROM AN ARDENT SUPPORTER

Dear President Obama,

We live in a nation where a woman can run for one of our highest office with little understanding of geography and can quit a governorship midstream and yet she can sell a million copies of her book and get a job with the FOX network;

where an actor acting as a commentator can garnish incredible publicity by stating that the people of an island devastated by an earthquake deserve no money from us at all ("We already give them aid. It's called taxes.");

where a former president can bring us to our knees and a year later what he did is no longer remembered.

Dear Mr. President,

I am an ardent supporter of you and I am an ardent supporter of a universal health plan. I support the health program because I have seen firsthand how our health system built on greed and a lack of compassion destroys the human spirit. I support it for personal reasons and reasons that have nothing to do with me. Nonetheless, I understand when enough is enough.

Last night when Republican Scott Brown won the Senate seat in Massachusetts--a state that has now turned its back on the great liberal legacy of Teddy Kennedy just a few months after his death--I believe the message is clear.

I wrote you this letter to include this speech:

My fellow Americans,I am honored to come before you this night and talk about universal health care. When I made the pledge to give every American a choice to be healthy, to have insurance even when they have preconditions or lack the financial means to purchase health insurance, to make sure each American was able to get the care they needed because we are a great country made even greater when we all have access to quality healthcare, I did not believe the power of money could misrepresent facts and issues as effectively as it did. I did not believe the lobbyists who fought against this bill would do so out of greed and a lack of compassion. I thought strongly that our country could get around its divisive ideologies and work for an issue that is in the best interest of all Americans--economically, emotionally and compassionately.

I've been in office a little over a year. During that time I have passed legislation on ninety-one promises out of about five hundred that I made on the campaign trail. There are many other issues before us. A lack of viable jobs. The misuse of TARP funds. Large bonuses for banks paid from government monies. A war in Afghanistan. A souring impatience that a job can be done overnight correctly when many good things and ideas need time. The health bill will have to be one promise I can't keep.

I have spent a lot of time on the health bill. I have spent a lot of energy and strength on what I believe in. Now its time to move on. If a health bill is to come, it will have to come from within the Congress--a Congress that cares more about the people of this country. I may not agree with the bill in its entirety, but I will sign it if it is a good bill.

As your president, I have said a great many things and I have tried to make this nation a greater force--a force for the good of the world--and a force to be contended with at home.

I have 407 more promises to keep. A few have already failed on the first attempt. I will not give up. I just hope when I walk away from this speech, all of us--me included--will take a look around and reflect on how our nation in the grips of a grave economic downturn can continue to allow medical debts and a lack of quality care for everyone to continue.

We did not win World War ll in a year. We did not cure polio in a year. We did not land the first man in space in a year. But we did win the war, we did find the cure and we did succeed at landing on the moon. We will succeed at making this a better nation--a nation where everyone who wants to work can and where everyone who needs access to quality care can get it.

Today I ask for your patience. Today I ask for your help. Today I ask that we put aside our differences and come together because we are more alike than we are different and that's because first and foremost we are Americans and proud to be Americans.

Thank you.

Dear Mr. President,

As one of your most ardent supporters, I want to thank you for trying.

Michael H. Brownstein

George Bush Gives A Lesson to Conservatives, Republicans and Rush Limbaughs

Click here to see the video of former President George Bush who is proud to work for President Obama.

Listen to what he has to say.

And. please, all of you Rush Limbaughs out there--please realize how whne we work together, we solve the problems before us.

Obama's First Year--Keeping Campaign Promises

Obama made five hundred campaign promises and 91 have come to pass successfully.

"LIASSON: Well, Barack Obama is a president who came into office facing a huge set of unprecedented problems - a collapsing financial system, the worst recession since the Great Depression, two wars. And on top of all the things he had to do, the crises and the emergencies, he also had an incredibly ambitious agenda of his own: health care, energy, financial re-regulation. And now that we're at the end of this year, he passed a lot of it."

"RAZ: Mara, recently, Congressional Quarterly, the nonpartisan publication, did a study looking at President Obama's first year. It concluded that he was more successful in getting more legislation passed in his first year than any other president since World War II. It seems pretty significant. "

The above quotes come from an NPR interview. Click here to read it.

And here is another article:

Tracking Obama's Campaign Promises: 91 Kept So Far by Jae C. Hong/AP--

"Since taking the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2009, President Obama has kept dozens of his campaign promises, but has delayed action on many others.

"While on the campaign trail, Barack Obama made hundreds of promises. And throughout the president's first year in office, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Web site PolitiFact has tracked each one of those commitments.

"Just before Obama took office, PolitiFact combed through campaign documents, speeches and debate transcripts to see what promises he had made. They found more than 500 individual promises and put each of them into a database to be monitored closely.

"They found 91 promises have been fulfilled, 33 compromised on, 87 stalled and 14 broken. The remaining promises are designated as being "in the works."

Obama--the hardest working president since--I don't know--ever.

More on Obama, Haiti and Rush Limbaugh

Isn't it curious that Obama has "...tasked Bush, along with fellow former President Bill Clinton, to lead the private fundraising efforts to help Haiti and its people recover."

Even though "George W. Bush paid a huge price when America watched, in horror, as New Orleans was drowning and governments at all levels were slow to respond."

Both of the above quotes come from BEN FELLER, Associated Press Writer, Analysis: Obama heeding lessons of Katrina.

And why Bush?

To quote more of the article: "'This is a time when the world looks to us,' Obama told House Democrats on Thursday. 'And they say, given our capacity, given our unique capacity to project power around the world, that we have to project that not just for our own interests but for the interests of the world.'"

And: "The world is watching because of the expectations that come with being a rich, powerful democracy that is supposed to look out for its neighbors.

"And because the stain of Katrina is not gone.

"'This is one of those moments that calls out for American leadership,' said Obama..."

But, Rush Limbaugh, I'm taken in by the fact that he asked for Bush's help and Bush offered to help.

Right now you have made the Republicans look like Katrina was just another example of what Republicans are--nothing but selfish individuals who care nothing for what happens to the people it affected.

And don't forget it was under your president that Haiti received major aid.

Obama, Haiti, and Rush Limbaugh.

I'm glad my government has a clue--when the terrible earthquake hit Haiti killing thousands and doing great damage, I thought back to Katrina--and how it took our president--Bush that is--to figure out anything was wrong. I thought about 9/11 and how Bush continued to speak to school children.

A terrorist is on a plane that took off from somewhere else and, yes, our intelligence let us down. Again. Just as it did in Iraq with Bush and parts of Africa under Bush and even in Katrina under Bush. Unlike Bush, Obama was able to take the blame--even though the man boarded a plane outside of our country and went through a number of security checks outside of our country.

Rush Limbaugh--you're an idiot.

Pat Robertson--you're an idiot.

Obama's response was not for the African-American, it was for all of us who have pride in how our nation can react quickly and smoothly to make this world a better place.

Obama, I'm proud of you.

Obama and Banks

Obama has proposed a tax on the richest banks--and why not.

Let's start by looking at the compensation of one of the bailed-out banks--Citicorp:

Citigroup Inc filed the compensation data below on 3/13/2008:

Sir Winfried Bischoff Chairman--373,734--base salary, 1,950,000--bonus salary, 6,130,390--total compensation

Vikram Pandit CEO 250,000--base salary, 573,813--total compensation

Gary Crittenden
Chief Financial Officer--403,410 base salary, 14,030,000 bonus salary, 19,369,506--total compensation

Sallie Krawcheck Chair and CEO—GWM--500,000 base salary, 5,820,000 bonus salary, 9,918,267 total compensation

Lewis Kaden Vice Chairman--500,000 base salary, 4,000,000 bonus salary, 6,771,307 total compensation

Michael Klein CEO—Global Banking--212,500 base salary, 5,500,000 bonus salary, 7,861,438 total compensation

*The above executive compensation data is an excerpt from the proxy statement filed for
Citigroup Inc on 3/13/2008

I can go on and on. One of the CEO's from Citicorp made 13,000,000 dollars. See the complete chart here.

So why should we not make the banks the Republicans bailed out with the TARP funds--including Citi Bank above--pay for the havoc they put America in. Their greed and their continued greed does not have our best interests in mind at all. Maybe now they will realize it's not always only about profit, but about doing the right thing.

Under the Republicans they used the money for large bonuses--not for lending money out to help businesses prosper during hard times.

If we stole even a thousand dollars from the federal government, we would be in jail. I feel the bonuses they gave themselves are the same as stealing--and yes, they continue to steal by granting themselves even bigger bonuses.

Why purchase a copy when you can have the original?

“'To a certain extent, he’s our version of Obama — the tall, lanky, good-looking, well-spoken senator' is how a former top {Republican} party official put it."--Jonathan Martin, Daschle-dashing Thune in 2012 mix – Wed Jan 13

I have only one question: If you need a version of Obama and you already have an Obama in office, then why do you need a copy?

That's about as silly as a vegetarian ordering a dish made of soy because it has the taste of turkey. If you want to eat turkey, eat turkey.

If you want the original, go for the original.

If you want a version of Obama, then go with Obama.

2009 Government Profits--and Obama was President

From The Associated Press: Fed Posts Record Profit Of $46.1B For Last Year:

"January 12, 2010 The Federal Reserve made a record profit of $46.1 billion last year, reflecting money made off its extraordinary efforts to rescue the country from the worst economic and financial crisis since the 1930s, the central bank announced Tuesday.

"The windfall gets turned over to the Treasury Department.

"It marks the biggest profit on record dating back to 1914 when the Fed was created...

"The Fed says the bigger profit was primarily due to increased income from the securities it held last year (2009--Obama's time as president--emphasis mine.)

"Such income went up as the Fed's holdings of securities mushroomed.

"The Fed launched several securities-buying programs last year to help revive the economy. Its goal is to drive down rates on mortgages and other consumer debt.

"Under one program that ended last year, the Fed snapped up $300 billion worth of government debt. Under another program, the Fed is on track to buy $1.25 trillion in mortgage securities from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and an additional $175 billion in debt issued by the mortgage giants. Those programs have boosted the value of securities held by the Fed.

"The Fed is funded from the interest earned on it vast portfolio of securities. It is not funded by Congress.

"After covering its expenses, the Fed gives what is left over to the Treasury Department."

So Obama, like the other Democratic president before him--Clinton--is on the way to balancing the budget.

Let's never forget Clinton gave Bush a balanced budeget that Bush immediately exploded into some of the largest deficits in our nation's history.

Bush's TARP Failure--How Obama is Fixing Another Bush Mistake

From NPR (Source: Obama Considers Levy For Rescued Firms
by The Associated Press)

"The 2008 law that created the Troubled Asset Relief Program requires the president to seek a way to recoup unrecovered TARP money from financial institutions, but five years after the law was enacted. It does not specify how the money should be recovered."

2008? Wasn't Bush the president then?

Notice how the law the way the Republicans wrote it under Bush does not "specify how the money should be recovered."

So Obama has to once again fix what the Bush presidency broke:

"Targeting an industry whose political deafness has vexed his administration, President Barack Obama is weighing a levy aimed at recovering tax dollars from government-rescued financial institutions.

"The proposed levy could put Obama on the popular side of public opinion that is decidedly against Wall Street and angry over shortfalls in a $700 billion bank bailout fund.

"A senior administration official said Monday that Obama would seek modifications to the law that sent billions in bailout money in 2008 and 2009 to a flailing Wall Street that was approaching collapse."
--from the article cited above.

Obama and Seniors--Health Care

So senior citizens who have a hard time paying for prescriptions are now getting a boost--a program is now in place to give them additional resources to pay for their prescriptions.

And this happened under Obama's watch--but where is the praise. Click here for the article and notice his name is not mentioned at all.

I would have thought that since he is president, he would also be in charge of the Social Security Medicare Administration.

When did the recession begin?

"The economy has lost more than 8 million jobs since the recession began in December 2007." This from AP CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER, AP Economics Writer.

Remember: George Bush was president then and Obama was running for nomination, but no one at that time seemed to take him seriously.

Obama won the 2008 election, but was not sworn in until January, 2009--a little over two years after the Bush regime did it's best with conservative assistance to destroy our country.

Obama Transparency

Say what you will about the Nigerian terrorist who came in on a flight from another nation with the intention of blowing up the plane he was on--at least Obama has the guts to put the report out there for all of us to see.

Bush and Cheney didn't have the guts to ever do this. We still have a great number of questions we want answered and they never gave us any answers--nor will they--because they are too chicken to do so. Conservatives have them scared to tell the truth and so they won't.

Haven't you wondered why we don't hear anything from Bush lately?

Obama and GM--Another Obama Success Story

Obama economics are working. Take the case of GM, for example. They are paying back what they owe the nation--even though they were in bankruptcy--and now they are even claiming a profit and jobs for dealers.

Click here for the whole story.

Now let's look at the conservative Republicans--they let too much fail under their regime and only a few have paid anything back--but under Obama: money is flowing in. Bank after bank has paid back what they borrowed.

Obama and Golfing

"I go to work a little before 7 a.m., and I expect everybody to show up on time when I have a meeting. I make time to run or exercise every day. There's never a question in my mind that I'll exercise. Even when I travel, there's always a treadmill in my room. I have a treadmill on Air Force One. On long trips-for example, when I went to Europe recently-I ran for 90 minutes on the flight over there. When I came back from China, I ran on the flight.

"Usually I run 6 days a week. When I don't run, I use an elliptical trainer, lift weights, and stretch. But when I run, I run hard. On Sundays, if I'm at Camp David, I'll go for a hard, morning run-these days about 20:30 to 20:45 for 3 miles on a tough course-and then I'll go walk 2 to 4 miles with Laura [the First Lady] afterward.

"I try to go for longer runs, but it's tough around here at the White House on the outdoor track. When I'm at my ranch in Crawford [Tex.], I can do longer runs. It's sad that I can't run longer. It's one of the saddest things about the presidency. There would be nothing better than to take off on a long run around the Mall, but I just can't. I really miss those long ones.

"I believe anyone can make the time. As a matter of fact, I don't believe it-I know it. If the President of the United States can make the time, anyone can.

"Exercise is so important that corporate America should help its employees make time. There should be flextime for families, and there should be flextime for exercise. A healthy work force is a more productive work force. We have got to do a better job of encouraging exercise in America."

This is not Obama--this is George Bush--who also played a lot of golf. Click here for the link to the entire article.

So Obama golfs. George Bush ran. Sometimes he ran for a long period of time. He golfed too. Do presidents not need downtime? Are we as Americans so selfish we can have our leisure time, but we can't give that same right to the president?

Bush played golf and he ran.

Obama plays golf and basketball.

I admire Bush for his running regimen--surprised, aren't you?--and I admire Obama for his skill at basketball.