Complaining or Critizing, here we go, Again.

[Coolest Ranger]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Cha (a host of the Barack Obama group).

Today on talk radio from Ed's show to Randi Rhodes, all I kept hearing from callers was we need to hold the President's feet to the fire.

Ed Schultz had several calls from people wanting to criticize the President. I have to give Ed props for setting most if not all of the callers straight on the limitations the President has available now.

But what frustrated me was on Randi's show when Nicole Sandler and I love her most of the time started going on a rant and agreeing with many callers that they want to be critical so they can make the President do a better job.

Do these folks know that the President can only propose laws and that it's up to congress to carry out his proposals? This is what frustrates me about our party. We are so quick to complain about what the President IS NOT doing or why he is not displaying leadership.

I can not be the only one frustrated at this am I? I even see a lot of it here at Democratic Underground. Most of the time when I spot them, I ignore them or I trash their treads, but I am tired of the complaining they are doing.

[onpatrol98]

1. About as good as he can...

I think the President is doing about as good as he can under the circumstances. I don't have a lot of grief over many of his actions. But, no two people will ever agree 100% of the time, unless one of them does not have a mind of their own. So, I am not surprised that some people want a different direction or more focus in one area or another. I think it's healthy. A place where everyone agreed all the time would feel a bit Stepford wives to me.

The President can't please everyone at the same time. No president can. When he does something someone doesn't like, I expect to hear them complain or disagree. I have the choice of agreeing or disagreeing with them. But, no, I don't want them to shut up. I was creeped out when so many were at adoration level. I thought expectations were too high and unfair. Put anyone on a pedastal that high, and there's no where to go but down. It's better to be realistic. I appreciate the good and hope for even better. When he ticks me off, I complain. When he does something I like...I mention that I like it. To me that's just healthy.

[dtom67]

2. no sacred cows....

Its the things he proposes and the policies he follows that draw the criticism.

If he would stop offering to cut social security every 5 minutes, there would be less criticism.

If he would stop persecuting whistleblowers as if this was a totalitarian dictatorship, there might be less criticism.

If he would stop killing women and children in other countries with his total unethical and morally unjustifiable drone strikes, there would be less criticism.

If he would agree that he does not have the right to assassinate American citizens without due process, there would be less criticism.

If he would actually come out in support of the labor movement that helped elect him, there would be less criticism.

If he didn't brag that he was actually a moderate republican ( by Reagan standard ), there would be less criticism.

If he had given us Single payer health insurance, instead of " Romneycare ", there would be less criticism.

Don't just sit back and say " the election is over, we won ".

It certainly seems like we have not won a damned thing....

[malokvale77]

3. ^^^this^^^

[Coolest Ranger]

5. Look at what you wrote

it's what he Proposes. he can't dictate and make something happen. He has to grow through congress to get the ideas he wants.

Something tells me that many of the folks are going to complain no matter what he does and hide behind the guise of being critical.

Let me remind you all of what we have gotten done despite a do nothing CONGRESS.

Obama has overhauled the food safety system
Advanced women's rights in the work place
Ended Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) in our military
Stopped defending DOMA in court.
Passed the Hate Crimes bill.
Appointed two pro-choice women to the Supreme Court.
Expanded access to medical care and provided subsidies for people who can't afford it.
Expanded the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
Fixed the preexisting conditions travesty [and rescissions] in health insurance.
Invested in clean energy.
Overhauled the credit card industry, making it much more consumer-friendly.
While Dodd-Frank bill was weak in many respects, it was still an extremely worthwhile start at re-regulating the financial sector.
He created a Elizabeth Warren's dream agency: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
He's done a lot for veterans
He got help for people whose health was injured during the clean-up after the 9/11 attacks

In addition to that he's also



He's killed Osama Bin Laden
Eliminated several other Al-Qaeda leaders
Ended the War in Iraq
Begun the drawdown of forces from Afghanistan
End-run Republican obstructionism by recess-appointing Richard Cordray to run the Consumer Financial Protection Board.



So again, you going to still complain about what he couldn't have gotten done with this do nothing CONGRESS

[dtom67]

10. to be pefectly frank...

Yeah.

again, this isn't a game.

victories on social issues for specific groups verses protecting constitutional rights for us all is an easy choice for me.( constitution)


If my choice is between killing bin Laden or preventing US drones from blowing some poor pakistani kids legs off, that's easy. Let Osama hide in his cave.

The social security thing alone is a flat-out betrayal.


Pundits are already saying that the sequester isn't a big deal.

Probably because they will not be affected by it.

Is it smarter to wait until after you get screwed by a politicians policies to complain?

The congress is terrible; yes.

but the problem is deeper than that.

but ultimately, people have to check out things for themselves.

And what better way to start, than to listen to dissenting opinions?

[Coolest Ranger]

4. So how many of you are going to stay home in 2014

[dtom67]

6. I cannot stay home...

as a UAW member here in Michigan, I still have hope that local politicians might be more responsive to voters. There are GOP swine here that must be gotten rid of....

[John2]

7. I don't think

the President or his cabinet are helping their cause when they keep bringing up cutting Social Security or Medicare by saying those programs are the problem. My sense politically, is the Republicans are cutting their own throats, by admitting they want to cut those programs. The President needs to stick with what he campaigned on to cut the Deficit and not listen to these so called experts in the media.

My position is they were not elected to give advice or set any Policies for this country. I'm referring to pundits like Tom Brokaw and Candy Crowley. They are journalists and commentators, and no smarter than anybodyelse in this country. I think they cross the line when they show a political bias.

The majority of the country knows what they want and that is why they elected him. They agreed with his arguments in the Election. They don't need Pundits such as Ed Rendell or Simpson\Bowles to tell them what they want. The country decided that taxes and revenues should be raised via a specific venue. They decided the Wars needed to end and not continue new additions. Their decision was not to leave any troops in Afghanistan period via the Vice Presidential debate. The President ran a National platform and the Republicans ran a National campaign through Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. The majority of the country rejected the Republican platform. Sure they won in certain districts but they lossed. And as soon as they loss, the media pundits began harping on compromise. They wanted President Obama to lose.
When Romney loss, they loss.

And the reason I believe that is because most if not all of the media is controled by corporations and Wall Street. The very same interests that wanted Romney in the Whitehouse. So Ann Romney is full of it. What they did not anticipate, was the power of the minority votes and they would actually come to the Polls. That was enough to help white Liberal voters win the Election. And Hispanic are no longer fooled by the extremists in the Republican Party. That is their problem because you notice they keep excluding Blacks. Asians are probably catching on too. Especially to a party that had a constituent attend a Romney rally with a sign saying put the "white back in the Whitehouse," and nobody at that rally had a problem.

[GeorgeGist]

8. Pertinent details are ...

Sorely lacking from your whine.

[Coolest Ranger]

9. I am not focusing on race

I happen to be black, gay , and proud myself. The President is trying to simply get them to open up a dialogue but what many of you are not seeing is that this congress specifically the house will not work with them.

He has gone out on many occasions and pleaded with us to help him by calling our elected officials and have we done that? We must sit down and take a cold hard look at the house and the Republicans in the Senate but instead we rather sit here and complain because it makes it easier for us to complain rather than get this man the help we need.

The House should be in democratic hands, we all know that, but because of Gerrymandering, those darn Repukes have guaranteed themselves safe districts and they know it.

If anyone else can't see it then I got to ask myself why are you on here? For that matter, why am I on this board? Under my other screen name, I been on here for years coming here interacting with everyone. But lately it seems I just keep running into people who want to criticize more than offer solutions. It's making this place not cool to be around.