Tag Archives: Barack Obama

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TGIF & end of 2010… hypocrisy or a change of mind


Featured picture is … Baby New Year 1905 chases old 1904 into the history books in this cartoon by John T. McCutcheon.

It is the end of 2010 and while it is snowing a bit all over the country, it is very cold. So, the voice of reason says everyone who is going to engage this New Year with something spiked to drink should stay put get cozy, watch movies, tv listen to some music; if the weather impacts you bundle up and or go to a bed/breakfast or hotel etc. and relax.

Hypocrisy and misinformation are two things of interest that should be beat back by those of us center and or left of center.

The only reliable product of an organized religion (replace w/Republican Tea Party) is a flock of hypocrites who feel that only *their* hypocrisy is divinely sanctioned. – Siddownshaddap

One of the biggest issues i hope the Democratic Party will jump on in 2011 is the overt Hypocrisy the Republican Tea Party has engaged in since electing President Obama into office.

My Urban Dictionary says a Hypocrite is…

(1) A person who engages in the same behaviors he condemns others for.

(2) A person who professes certain ideals, but fails to live up to them.

(3) A person who holds other people to higher standards than he holds himself.

The idea that what our President has engaged in anything that even resembles hypocrisy over the last two years compared to anything that most if not all Republicans and their comrades engage in without remorse is beyond me. I offer up as just one of hundreds of “pieces” of evidence Senator John McCain as one of the most well-known Hypocrisy Actor. I think most people at least respected McCain, the man who called himself a maverick but Senator McCain, having done a full 360 turn around on just about every piece of legislation that he was for while running for President. Senator McCain, the so-called maverick is now known to be a man of questionable choices by so many. In addition there are other Hypocrisy Actors like Mitt Romney who gets Government Health Care himself voted for TARP not only created but implemented Universal Health Care in his own State, voted NO on the floor of Congress that denied the rest of Americans from getting UHC or true government health-care like he gets paid for by you and me. The list of Hypocrisy Actors though long includes Republican Fox TV host Huckabee who not only spoke out against but ran on the pro-life campaign also had serious investments in embryonic stem cell research.

I have been a firm supporter of President Obama even when it looked as if legislation would sour or are voted down. It is slightly upsetting that given past histories of ”The People” or voters giving Presidents many chances some have gotten two terms and well you know where that got us. The next obvious thing one has to wonder and question is why so many would give previous Presidents so many opportunities even after a few years of seemingly falsehoods. Yet, turn on a new President so quickly, why would so many on the side of the issues have tantrums on such a regular basis and why make threats to take back your votes in what has been the worst economy since the depression? Those things on their own would be reason enough to give a new President time to find the correction let alone implement it. It is not lost on me why this President enlisted the like so of a larry summers, tim geithner and others … it is quite simple really -they know who what why where how when things got ugly, so far the fix is in though slow. In the hypocrisy or change of mind angle, it is obvious that for me every issue the President has talked about and or used during the pre-President election days are ones in which some information given underwent a change, which in turn changed Obama’s mind, his heart and warranted a change of direction. This for me is a change i welcome … for someone to have thought, selfless action, personal judgment and view for the many opposed to or for a select few right of center or even center think a change of mind is hypocrisy? Pish paw the very definition of hypocrisy since 2008 has the picture of Senator John McCain right by it –

This President has said right from the beginning that he had an open mind to solutions given by others from the Republican Party. However, they have spent two years obstructing, saying no, scaling down possible solutions, and hearing that Corporate America sent 1.4 Million jobs offshore in a time when it should be Country first – your own country. It makes me wonder just what will it take to see that those so-called people who hired folks or create jobs are doing so but outsourcing them to China and or Mexico etc. in the name of cost efficiency.

just sayin

Republican Hypocrite of the Week …by DCCC

There are so many outrageous Republican hypocrites that it’s hard to chose just one but this week – we think Rep-elect Joe Walsh of Illinois deserves a nomination!

New reports this weekend reveal that Representative-elect Joe Walsh (IL-08) believes government has done TOO MUCH for the middle class, YET he’s hired a financial services lobbyist to be his Chief of Staff and is welcoming contributions from Wall Street titan JP Morgan. Walsh ran as an anti-government outsider but is now embracing Wall Street’s agenda and argues that government takes “care of too many in the middle class.”

Voters are getting a crash course in how out-of-touch Representative-elect Joe Walsh really is after he hired a Wall Street lobbyist to run his office and said there are too many government programs, like Social Security and the Department of Education, that benefit the middle class. When Representative-elect Walsh says that government has done too much for the middle class it must warm the heart of his Wall Street staff and special interest donors – but it leaves Illinois families out in the cold. Hiring a Wall Street lobbyist as Chief of Staff is the best evidence yet that Walsh’s agenda will be driven by Wall Street’s needs, not the needs of the middle class.

Know another GOP Hypocrite?  Nominate them and let us know what you think the latest GOP hypocrite or outrage of the week should be!

below: hypocrisy over the stimulus bill

Other News …

Elizabeth Warren: Foreclosure Scams Show Need for New Consumer Agency

CSPAN …

Release of the 2011 Congressional calendar for the U.S. House of Representatives

Sen. John Kerry and (R) Sen. Richard Lugar remark on START treaty
December 21, 2010

The U.S. Senate has voted 67 to 28 to advance the nuclear arms treaty with Russia known as START.  That’s the exact number needed for ratification.  After this vote, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) said he has an informal agreement with Republican Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) on amendments to the treaty.  He’s joined by Foreign Relations Ranking Member Dick Lugar (R-IN), who has worked on nuclear non-proliferation for a number of years.

More Info »

Senate Republicans remarks on START treaty

December 21, 2010

The Senate’s number three Republican Lamar Alexander (R-TN) has said he will vote to ratify the nuclear arms treaty with Russia known as START.  Treaty opponents, Senators Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and others spoke with reporters at the Capitol about their concerns.

Senate Republicans Press Conference on START treaty

December 15, 2010

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ) along with several of his Republican colleagues spoke to reporters about the nuclear arms treaty with Russia known as START.  Senate Democrats want to pass the START treaty as it’s known before the end of the year. Sixty-seven votes are required for ratification.

House Speaker Pelosi signs Post 9/11Veterans Education Assistance

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was joined by other Democratic members and veterans activists in the Capitol for a ceremony that will send a 9/11 veterans bill to President Obama.  The measure builds on the the so-called new G-I bill, extending education assistance to soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Would you wear this t-shirt?


We’re working with some designers to create a new ColorOfChange t-shirt, and we wanted to get your feedback. Can you take a look at a design we’ve created and let us know what you think?

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/647?akid=1811.1174326.QBIe7B&t=2

Your feedback will help us decide whether to go with this design, and what changes to make to it.

Thanks and Peace,

— James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Natasha, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
December 23rd, 2010

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU — your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

https://secure.colorofchange.org/contribute/

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a message from President Obama … Progress



This time of year, Americans around the country are taking the time to exchange heartfelt messages with friends and loved ones, reflecting on the past year. They write of achievements and setbacks, of births, graduations, promotions, and moves.

These messages allow us to overcome the miles that separate us. And they allow us to continue one of the most basic American traditions that has held folks close for centuries — the simple sharing of stories.

And as families gather around holiday tables this season, we also have the opportunity to share the stories of the change this movement has achieved together.

It is a narrative woven by individuals across America — in big cities and small towns, hospitals and classrooms, in auto manufacturing plants and auto supply stores.

These are stories of rebuilding, and of innovation. Stories of communities breathing new life into old roads and bridges, of local plants harnessing alternative fuel into new energy. Stories of small businesses getting up, dusting themselves off, and beginning to grow again. Stories of soldiers who served multiple tours of duty in Iraq now coming home — and enjoying the holidays this year in the company of loved ones.

These are stories of progress.

They unite us, and they are ours to share.

We’ve pulled many of them together in one place, PROGRESS. You can see what our reforms have meant to Americans in every state — block by block, community by community.

Click here to read about stories of progress in your area — and share them with your friends and family.

The reforms that we fought long and hard for are not talking points.

And their effects don’t change based on the whims of politicians in Washington. They are achievements that have a real and meaningful impact on the lives of Americans around the country. They are achievements that would not have been possible without you. PROGRESS localizes them — and brings them to life.

It tells of how a green technology business in Phoenix, Arizona, is using a grant through the Recovery Act’s Transportation Electrification program to bring the first electric-drive vehicles and charging stations to cities around the country.

It tells how, thanks to closing the “donut hole” in prescription drug coverage, a diabetic woman in Burlington, Vermont will no longer have to choose between purchasing her monthly groceries or the insulin she needs to survive.

It tells about how 70,000 Washington residents’ jobs were saved or created by the Recovery Act.

And about how, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, 21,300 small businesses in Washington’s 7th Congressional District are now eligible for health care tax credits — and how 8,900 residents in Washington’s 7th with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied coverage.

There are thousands more stories like these.

In the coming days, as we gather with our loved ones at dinner tables around the nation, let’s pass them on. Let’s celebrate the spirit of service and responsibility that brought them to fruition. And let’s steady ourselves with the resolve to continue pressing forward.

Because the coming year will hold new challenges — battles that have yet to be fought, and stories of progress that have yet to be written.

Take a look at the progress we’ve made in your area — and share the stories you read with your friends and family:

http://progress.barackobama.com

Happy holidays, and God bless,

Barack

P.S. — Last week, seven OFA volunteers joined me at the White House for a special meeting — and they brought along your feedback from the Vote 2010 campaign. It was incredibly meaningful for me to be able to hear directly from supporters like you. And your input will be front and center as we plot our course moving forward into the new year. Please take a couple minutes to check out some photos and stories from the meeting.

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FCC


Progressive Change Campaign Committee

BREAKING: Minutes ago, the FCC passed new rules — written by corporations — that will end Net Neutrality. For the first time in history, the U.S. government approved corporate censorship of the Internet, putting the future of online free speech at risk. Unbelievably, the person leading the charge was Obama appointee Julius Genachowski.

This violates President Obama’s campaign promise to protect Net Neutrality, but some media are reporting the corporate spin that this is a “Net Neutrality compromise.” It’s not — there’s no such thing as half a First Amendment. We need to set the record straight.

If you’re on Twitter, please click to share this: NEWS: @FCC breaks Obama promise, allows corporate censorship – no Net Neutrality rules. 3 things to know: bit.ly/eVKyWH @WhiteHouse

If you’re on Facebook, click here to spread the word.

By sharing, you can help us spread the top 3 reasons the rules passed today are a giveaway to big corporations and break Obama’s promise:

  1. They enshrine different rules for wired and wireless Internet — allowing big corporations to censor on your mobile phone
  2. They allow corporations to set up tollbooths online, stifling new innovators like the next YouTube who can’t pay the fees the old, crusty corporations can pay
  3. For the first time, they embrace a “public Internet” for regular people vs. a “private Internet” with all the new innovations for corporations who pay more — ending the Internet as we know it

A more detailed explanation is here. Please pass this email to your friends so they know not to believe the corporate spin.

And click here to share on Twitter and here to share on Facebook.

Thanks for being a bold progressive,

Jason Rosenbaum, Adam Green, Stephanie Taylor, and the PCCC team

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AFGHANISTAN: Grading America’s Nine-Year War


One year after announcing its Afghanistan strategy, which involved sending approximately 30,000 new U.S. troops to implement a broad counterinsurgency strategy to reverse the Taliban‘s gains, the Obama administration released a new  review Thursday noting “some real military gains, but [which] acknowledges that they remain fragile and that NATO troops will need more time to achieve their goals.” Reviewing the strategy, Center for American Progress expert Caroline Wadhams wrote in Foreign Policy, “One year later, tactical successes on the battlefield do not add up to lasting strategic progress in the war in Afghanistan. Des pite a huge infusion of money and troops, we appear to be standing in place.”  Appearing on Meet the Press on Sunday, Vice President Biden spoke about plans to begin transferring security authority to the Afghans themselves next year: ” We’re starting it in July of 2011 and we’re going to be totally out of there, come hell or high water by 2014.” The same day, a member of the NATO-led force was killed, “taking the total number of foreign troops killed in 2010 to 700, by far the deadliest year of the war since the Taliban were toppled in 2001.”

IS THE SURGE WORKING? : The administration’s review states that Taliban “momentum has been arrested in much of the country” and “reversed in some key areas.” However, analyst Josh Foust wrote that the review “gives no indication of what to expect moving forward. … While the implied threat of al Qaeda is peppered throughout the review document, there is no indication of how the large military campaign under way there now actually contributes to the national security of the United States — there are no details of which threats are being undone in Afghanistan or Pakistan.” Wadhams writes that “without shifts in the current political structures in Afghanistan, it will be sim ply futile for the United States and its NATO allies to wage continued war on behalf of a government that cannot consolidate domestic political support without indefinite massive international assistance and troops.” Meanwhile, Wired Magazine reported that “the air war over Afghanistan has reached a post-invasion high,” and “Afghan anger over air strikes is soaring as well.” Noting the problem of insurgent safe havens in neighboring Pakistan, Wired’s Spencer Ackerman characterized the strategy review this way: “One year and 30,000 new troops later, Afghanistan is peripheral to the Afghanistan war,” adding that the administration’s review makes clear that “this is a U.S. drone war in Pakistan with a big, big U.S. troop component next door.”

PAKISTAN: According to a November report by the Center American for Progress, core U.S. security interests in the region “center on reducing the risk of terrorist attacks by Al Qaeda and its affiliated networks against the United States and its allies. They also include increasing the political stability of the Pakistani state, a country of 170 million people with nuclear weapons.” The report concluded that “current U.S. efforts in Afghanistan are fundamentally out of balance, and they are not advancing U.S. interests and stability in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the region.” A National Intelligence Estimate released earlier this month stated that “there is a limited chance of success unless Pakistan hunts down insurgents operating from h avens on its Afghan border.” Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, assured reporters that “[Pakistani military chief] General Kayani and others have been clear in recognizing that they need to do more for their security and indeed to carry out operations against those who threaten other countries’ security.” But Bruce Reidel, a former C.I.A. official  who led a White House review of Afghan strategy last year, said, “[W]e have to deal with the world we have, not the world we’d like. We can’t make Pakistan stop being naughty.”

AFTER HOLBROOKE: On December 13, Richard Holbrooke, “the Obama administration’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan since 2009 and a diplomatic troubleshooter who worked for every Democratic president since the late 1960s and oversaw the negotiations that ended the war in Bosnia,” died in a Washington, D.C. hospital due to complications from a torn aorta. President Obama paid tribute to Holbrooke as “atrue giant of American foreign policy who has made America stronger, safer, and more respected.” Responding to Petraeus’ remembrance of Holbrooke as “my diplomatic wingman,” Center for American Progress Action Fund’s Matthew Yglesias wrote, &quo t;The affection and respect Petraeus expressed were doubtlessly both genuine, but the sentiment is mistaken. It reverses the proper relationship between civilian and military authorities — generals and their troops are supposed to serve political objectives outlined by civilians, not view civilians as adjuncts to military campaigns.” As CAP’s November Afghanistan report asserted, “[m]ilitary operations drive our strategy while the political and diplomatic framework essential for long-term stability in Afghanistan remains undeveloped.” Reversing this dynamic is a key challenge for the Obama administration, one that reaches beyond Afghanistan.