I'll say it. I've been very disappointed in Obama.

[elehhhhna]

And don't want more of same.

No prosecutions of bankers. No opening up 911 investigation. No aggressive pursuit of offshore tax dodgers. Just lets the 1% crimes slide.

[Broward]

1. Obama is a Third Wayer just like Hillary. Very disappointing.

[uponit7771]

72. At least you have the courage to say it, Sanders is a bull shit artist and would never speak his

... mind about what he thinks of Obama


now

[Protalker]

2. I voted for him twice

He is a fine man. In the primary I was for Hillary because it was clear the Repugnant would do what they did. We needed a fighter who could win. Bernie fights but has no Allyson to win in congress. No money for down ticket people just a fund raising letter. Hillary has given 30 million

[hobbit709]

6. I did too but by 2012 I was nowhere near as enthusiastic about it as I was in 2008.

[merrily]

30. Perhaps you can point me to bills or amendments that Hillary wrote in 8 years in the Senate

that she fought Republicans for and managed to get passed that was more controversial than something like remembering the Revolution or re-naming a post office.

She didn't succeed in getting Billarycare passed--and that was "fighting" with a Democratic Congress and her husband as President and head of the Democratic Party.

I don't know what she fought and won when she was on the board of WalMart or as First Lady of Arkansas. If she fought her husband when he was about to sign Robert E. Lee day into law, she didn't win that one either. Or celebrating Confederate Heritage month or whatever the heck that mess was called.

[CorkySt.Clair]

3. Very pleased with Obama

He's accomplished many good things. Sorry you didn't get your unicorn sparklepony.

[Scuba]

10. Please name a couple of the "many good things" he's done.

And please explain how they outweigh the total capitulation on healthcare, drone attacks, lack of prosecutions, etc.

[Yavin4]

25. Passed the Affordable Care Act; Negotiated a Global Climate Change treaty;

Negotiated a nukes treaty with Iran; opened relations with Cuba; allowed the Bush tax cuts on the wealthy to expire and maintained them for everyone else. Passed a stimulus which pulled us out of the financial ditch in 2008.

[Scuba]

48. He wasn't President in 2008. That was Bush.

I agree on the Iran treaty and opening up Cuba. The Bush tax cuts for ony the very, very wealthiest expired as per the law that enacted them, not because of the President's doing. He allowed the rest of them to be made permanent.


The ACA, while better than no ACA, is a far cry short of Universal Healthcare or even the Public Option, both of which he ceded without putting up any fight at all.





None of the good he has done even begins to counter his coddling of banksters, drone program, TPP, etc.

[Yavin4]

53. He signed Dodd Frank which included the CFPB into law.

That's far from coddling bankers.

[Scuba]

60. The CFPB is a good thing. The lack of prosecutions for Wall Street fraud is inexcusable.

[Yavin4]

61. Prosecutions based on what law?

What laws were violated that warranted a criminal prosecution?

[Scuba]

69. Fraud. The fraud that has resulted in more that $200 Billion in fines, but no criminal prosecution.

[AgingAmerican]

12. So sequestration was fine with you?

[Cali_Democrat]

36. +1000

[MineralMan]

4. Thanks so much for letting us know.

[firebrand80]

5. So brave of you nt

[One of the 99]

7. Unfortunately

President Obama has total opposition from the GOP. If they had been reasonable, he might have gotten more accomplished.

[elehhhhna]

8. His DOJ was terrible. Just saying.

[One of the 99]

13. Again

The GOP didn't everything to oppose Eric Holder.

[Gothmog]

56. I strongly disagree-Holder rebuilt the Voting Rights Section and has defended voting rights

The bushies destroyed the civil rights and voting rights sections of the DOJ. Holder rebuild these sections and has been busy defending voting rights. In Texas, the DOJ played a key role in both the voter id and the redistricting cases.

[NV Whino]

17. He squandered two years of a Democratic Senate and House

He was, and is, politically naïve. Yes, he's done a few good things, but wasting the first two years playing nice, listening to bad advice, cost him (and us) dearly.

[brush]

43. WRONG! That is a repug talking point that too many dems repeat over and over.

There was never any two-year Democratic majority in Obama's first two years — except very briefly on paper. A super-majority, 60 votes in the Senate, was needed to overcome the repug filibusters. They did it an UNPRECECENTED 400 times

I'm posting the real deal history so that people who call themselves Democrats stop repeating repug talking points to minimize Obama's achievements despite the obstacle's thrown in his path from day one of his administration.

President Obama was sworn in on January 20, 2009 with just 58 Senators to support his agenda.

He should have had 59, but Republicans contested Al Franken’s election in Minnesota and he didn’t get seated for seven months.

The President’s cause was helped in April when Pennsylvania’s Republican Senator Arlen Specter switched parties.

That gave the President 59 votes - still a vote shy of the super majority.

But one month later, Democratic Senator Byrd of West Virginia was hospitalized and was basically out of commission.

So while the President’s number on paper was 59 Senators - he was really working with just 58 Senators.

Then in July, Minnesota Senator Al Franken was finally sworn in, giving President Obama the magic 60 - but only in theory because, Senator Byrd was still out.

In August, Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts died and the number went back down to 59 again until Paul Kirk temporarily filled Kennedy’s seat in September.

Any pretense of a super-majority ended on February 4, 2010 when Republican Scott Brown was sworn into the seat Senator Kennedy once held. Do you see a two-year super-majority? And there were also summer and holiday recesses during that time.

So no more "he squandered a two-year majority" bs posts please.

[One of the 99]

63. Thanks!

[NV Whino]

66. I don't believe I mentioned "super" majority

But, you are right about the 60 vote super majority, and I fault Harry Reid perhaps even more than Obama for the resulting gridlock.

[One of the 99]

62. He never had two years

The GOP was filibustering everything in the Senate.

[Ino]

65. He hit the ground compromising...

It was unforgivable how he courted the other side!

That being said, I believe he was a much better choice than Hillary. And I like him personally despite everything.

I just can't decide if he was as you said -- being naive, playing nice & listening to bad advice.

Or if he was really one of them and intended to prove it once elected. I hate to think that is the case.

[NV Whino]

68. I think he had good, if misguided, intentions

He accepted leftovers from the Clinton administration for his advisors, and tried to play nice, assuming the GOP knew how to, or even wanted to, do that. Political naïveté.

In better times, I think he would have been a great President. As it is, he will simply be remembered for being the first black President, not for anything he actually did accomplish.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

9. There are issues on which he's disappointed me but overall I'm happy with his performance.

[AgingAmerican]

11. It's the deals with the GOP

Where he gave them permanent things they had sought for decades, but they didn't dare push for, for a few temporary concessions in return.

Sequestration is a perfect example.

[My Good Babushka]

14. I agree

Bill Clinton's comment about Bernie supporters wanting "to line up and shoot Wall Street bankers" was a very revealing hyperbole, intended to reinforce the belief that doing anything about bank fraud and abuse would be ludicrous. It shouldn't even be considered. Clinton has no plans to reform the banking system or address inequality. There is a class war and I don't know how Hillary will convince anyone she is on the side of working people. This election isn't about incremental changes that might be possible if you just wait a while, it's about changing the whole meaning of what is politically possible. This is about redressing great crimes and inequalities.

[RepubliCON-Watch]

15. Obama was willing to sellout the working class...

with chained CPI/tax cut extensions/etc. That's when he lost me.

[geek tragedy]

16. about 15% of Democrats agree with you nt

[gollygee]

18. I am not disappointed in him

I am way to the left of most Democrats, including him. I don't expect the party to be as far left as I am. I'm thankful when a Democrat is able to do good, and I think Obama has done good. I don't agree with him about everything, but I am overall happy with him as President.

[EndElectoral]

19. When Obama announced his first cabinet I knew something was wrong. Geitner, Gates, HRC, Emmanuel

[Adrahil]

20. I'd vote for him a third time if I could.

I think he has been pretty masterful in advancing the ball in the face of enormous opposition.

[zappaman]

39. So would I.

[sufrommich]

41. I would too. nt

[LexVegas]

21. Now the Obama hate is coming out. Must be near the end of Bernie's young white male revolution. nt

[ecstatic]

57. Ya know? They never liked him!

And they don't give two shits about the social issues that Bernie was forced to add to his platform.

[betsuni]

22. So what?

[bjo59]

23. I agree.

I'll go even further and say that I figured that out before the first election. I had completely given up until Bernie came along.

[My Good Babushka]

24. Some democrats are tripping over each other

to get over here and let you know how little they care about corruption, inequality and labor. It's perverse.

[basselope]

26. The best republican president of my lifetime.

[zappaman]

40. Lol!

[basselope]

46. Credit to Michael Moore for his description of Bill Clinton

But I think Obama is better than Clinton, thus he earns the new title.

[Buzz Clik]

27. Obama has been fantastic on many, many issues.

I would change a couple of things, but I don't need a "revolution."

[DemocracyDirect]

28. I really feel that President Obama was read the riot act on day 1...

... or maybe even before he was nominated.

The last 8 years has aged him like someone who has enemies all around him.

[Contrary1]

49. I've often thought that too...

which makes me wonder why he signed on for the second act.

[DemocracyDirect]

54. Well perhaps he was told where the limits were.

And felt he could do enough good for the country otherwise that it was worth it.

I give him a lot of credit for leaving the Republicans in shambles.

I put all the blame on Hillary for what could happen to the Democratic party.

[jonno99]

55. Read the 'riot act' by whom? nt

[DemocracyDirect]

59. Maybe as a deal to go into the nomination convention without a delegate fight.

Or maybe by other powerful interests including but not limited to his own cabinet, his secretary of state, previous presidents, party leaders, industry captains, the 0.01% etc.

Like I said, someone who ages 20 years in 8 years might be surrounded with enemies.

[beachbumbob]

29. Obama kept the wolves out of the whitehouse...and those

Who wish to complain...well...America would be way different if McCain or Romney were elected...and not in a good way.... Btw I'm sure the wholesale obstruction by conservatives had little to do with what could have been done...

[hobbit709]

31. Which wolves would that be?

Certainly not the ones on Wall St.

[CrowCityDem]

32. Obama is the most liberal President in fifty years. [snark] Yeah, what a disappointment.[/snark]

[ibegurpard]

52. bullshit

Public subsidization of private insurance companies instead of actually paying for healthcare. Pushes for public education privatization. Agressive expansion of the Surveillance State. Agressive pursuit of pro-corporatte trade policy.
He's "liberal" around the edges.

[CrowCityDem]

58. So Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, etc. were more liberal? That's news.

[ibegurpard]

64. Oh I see we're playing "would you rather..."

Obama is no liberal.

[Peregrine Took]

34. And the deportations and endless drone strikes.

I'll be glad to see him go.

Big talker but, other than some of the good aspects of Obamacare, a pretty thin resume.

[NCTraveler]

35. I have been disappointed in many isntances as well.

I expect to be. I am overall extremely happy with him and think he has done very well fighting for me. I absolutely want to continue the Obama trend.

[Stallion]

37. Sanders (Sometimes) Democrats Lining Up to Take a Shot at Our President

Shocking

[polichick]

38. Yep - the people of the world stood with him and he sold us out...

right from the beginning when he stuffed his administration with the same corporate tools that HRC will choose.

Obama inspired me to quit the party after four decades of activism. Clinton is inspiring me to quit voting for whatever "Dem" lesser-of-evils they serve up.

[oldandhappy]

42. I am grateful for what he has done.

If we could have given him the House and kept the Senate things would have been different -- maybe -- change requires everyone being involved. Bernie and clinton will face the same problems.

[PufPuf23]

44. I am disapppointed in POTUS Obama too though he has done better during second term.

I was more excited by his success in 2008 than I have ever been by a politician but was sickened when he started to make appointments.

POTUS Obama started in a huge hole given the foreign policy blunders of GWB and the meltdown of the economy.

I remain proud of the face he puts on the USA and his eloquence but sad that he made so little use of the huge grass root support he squandered early.

POTUS Obama alas is a corporatist and as a nation we are still in great need of transformation.

[ecstatic]

45. All false.

Well maybe you can answer this question, since Bernie couldn't: Do you have a sense that there is a particular statute or statutes that a prosecutor could have or should have invoked to bring indictments?

Sanders doodled two strips of comic-book panels at Thursday’s debate with rival Hillary Clinton, whom he paints as a corrupted stooge of financiers for having accepted their contributions and opulent speaking fees.

Comic strip 1: Wall Street’s criminals would be hauled off in handcuffs, if only a President had the nerve to criminally convict and imprison them.

As one recent example, Sanders sees a conspiracy in a pending legal settlement between Goldman Sachs and the Justice Department and the New York and Illinois attorneys general. The investment bank will pay a hefty sum to close investigations into alleged misrepresentations in decade-old mortgage-securities dealings.

Except that the Justice Department already investigated and found insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/bernie-bad-accounting-article-1.2522119

http://www.businessinsider.com/bernie-sanders-wall-street-banks-daily-news-2016-4

Opening a 911 investigation requires Congress.

Obama's IRS is very aggressive. Where did that talking point come from? https://www.justice.gov/tax/offshore-compliance-initiative

There's perception, and then there's reality. At the very least, you should get your facts straight first.

[randome]

67. Facts? Phooey! Keeping an open mind is HARD WORK!

[hr][font color="blue"][center]The truth doesn’t always set you free.
Sometimes it builds a bigger cage around the one you’re already in.[/center][/font][hr]

[JoePhilly]

47. Bernie should definitely run against Obama then.

That will go well.

[ibegurpard]

50. So are many, many DEMOCRATS

[wendylaroux]

51. I am proud this country elected a black man for prez. Very proud of that.

[LostOne4Ever]

70. I like Obama and feel he will be one of the best Presidents of my lifetime (nt)

[delrem]

71. Thank the good lord above that we voted in Barack Obama and not Hillary Clinton!

Just count your fucking blessings!
Please!

And use the brain you were born with.
This primary doesn't pit Obama against ANYBODY, so why are you attacking Obama in GD: P?

WTF do you think is gained?