German Press Reports on the election

[DFW]

[IMG][/IMG]

The headline at the bottom reads: "The Dream Lives" and under it: "Why Barack Obama now has the chance to become a great president"

[wake.up.america]

1. The whole world watches what transpires in America.

Last edited Mon Nov 12, 2012, 06:04 AM - Edit history (1)

[UtahLib]

2. The chance to become a great President

He has already surpassed that benchmark.

[cui bono]

9. Not by a long shot. n/t

[Cha]

12. I disagree.. I think Pres Obama is a great president.. he has

a chance to become an even greater President.

[cui bono]

13. And I don't think that.

I think he has the chance to really do some great things this coming term but I'm not holding my breath. This last term he really blew it imho, and he really failed to go for any real reform of our financial situation. He needs to stop giving in to the right wing. The problem is he is center, not left, so it's unrealistic to think he will actually pursue progressive causes.

[Cha]

14. Nah, he's already gotten some great things done..

even with all the obstruction in the House after too many Dems stayed home in 2010 and turned the House Red.

32 million additional Americans will gain health insurance, instead of about 70 million losing it.

Health insurance companies won't be allowed to drop you because you get sick, or discriminate against you because you have a pre-existing condition.

Employers will not be allowed to inject their moral beliefs into the health care choices of their employees.

International family planning funding won't dry up just because the groups receiving the funding discuss abortion as an option (though not pay for it with US funding).

Federal student loans won't be handed over to banks with an extra subsidy.

The first federal agency focusing on consumer issues will not be killed in its infancy, and instead allowed to become the strong, pro-consumer regulatory agency it was meant to be.

Wall Street will not be given carte blanche to play Russian Roulette with your money.

We will not be giving tax breaks to the uber rich on the backs of the middle class, the working class, students, the poor, and everyone else.

"Never again will we tell some soldiers that they cannot serve the country they love because of who they love."

http://www.thepeoplesview.net/2012/11/because-president-won-re-election.html#.UJ3Pmta2_th.twitter

"The President's Done a Lot! Here Are More Than 200 Obama First Term Accomplishments, With Citations!"

http://pleasecutthecrap.typepad.com/main/what-has-obama-done-since-january-20-2009.html

[narnian60]

15. How soon we forget. Thank you, Cha.

[cui bono]

18. I didn't forget anything. n/t

[cui bono]

17. Getting some things done doesn't make him great.

He needs to forcefully come out with progressive policy and actually fight for it to be great. He caved before negotiations every time before even starting the negotiations with the Republicans. He never took to the bully pulpit when he had the people on fire and at a time when they would have been out there fighting with him. What happened with Wall Street? No investigations, no indictments. The health care plan was a Republican plan and he never really fought for the public option let alone single payer. He allowed SS and Medicare to be put on the table!

Come on, that is not greatness. He has the chance for it now, we need to push him to do it.

ETA: Listening to Mike Papantonio filling in for Ed right now and he said (paraphrasing) "We can't have a kumbata moment now like we did last time which almost cost him the presidency this time. We can't sit back and think everything is going to be okay because he got elected." And that's what happens when people think he's got everything under control by himself and refuse to accept any criticism of him. Criticism is exactly what he needs, he needs us demanding greatness of him. When he hears our voices and knows we mean it and that we are behind him when he fights for it, that's when it will get done and he can achieve greatness. But he's simply not there so far, and by settling for what he's done so far and not pushing him I fear he'll never get there.

[Cha]

23. Obama is a Great President and I appreciate everything that's been Accomplisheld.

He knew what he could get done with Health Care considering whom he had to work with in Congress.. And, we have a Good Foundation for getting an even Better Health Care System down the road when we have a strong majority in the House and Senate. hey, maybe after 2014? In the mean time ObamaCare is saving lives and making lives Easier.

And, yes, many of us are here to help him.. to be part of the solution, an Active Part of the Process.. like getting out and voting during the Mid Terms for leaders we want in Congress to support him with Legisature.. not staying home and whining because someone didn't get everything they wanted yet. It's a long process. A solid infrastructure is being built whether some people realize it or not.

[cui bono]

24. Who's staying home and whining?

And btw... getting out and voting isn't enough. Getting our guy elected is just the beginning.

Clearly we both want the same end result. I just disagree with him having been a great president and always will. I hope I will think he is a great president after this term.

[Cha]

25. During the 2010 MidTerms.. I kept reading about

Dems staying home, not voting.. and there was a lot of whining going on..and the House Turned RED.

We have different ways of looking at what's been accomplished and no one is going to change anyone's mind here..wasn't trying to.. it's subjective.

To Democratic Greatness when and wherever it manifests

[Ikonoklast]

30. The whiny Left was 'teaching Mr. Obama a lesson', and ended up screwing the rest of us.

They didn't listen to one thing he said that he'd do, saw 'Black Man' and thought 'Socialist'.

[Cha]

32. It screwed everybody who cares about moving our Country Forward..and

as far away from the bush cheney years, of Pillaging and Maurading our Blood and Treasure, as humanly possible.

Those who didn't vote had no vision..they were cutting off their own noses to spite their collective face. Shame on those who advocated it.

I think in 2014 We Can Get A Democratic House. It seems there will be two more years of Obstruction from boner, cantor, ryan, and the ayn randers. They will only be shooting themselves in the foot Again. In Virginia, Wayne Powell might be waiting in the wings to beat cantor this time.. Ron Zerban could be doing the same in ryan's District.

In the meantime.. I think we can be more active holding Congress accountable and Backing up this Mandate of PBO's!

[Kath1]

19. Not to mention

getting U.S. out of Iraq and defending women's rights.

[Whisp]

26. thanks, Cha. Those are indeed great things, done by a great President under

great obstruction.

[Cha]

28. Yeah, Whisp.. Ain't WE

LUCKY!



http://theobamadiary.com/

[LukeFL]

34. [phone]!

Agree 1000%.. let's not forget the instruction he found and the "one term president" mantra by pukes.

[Pachamama]

35. The headline actually says that its chance to become a greater President, not great President.

It wasnt translated correctly...

[Cha]

37. Cool! Good to know, Pachamama!

[Pachamama]

38. I'm excited - Pachapapa is returning this week from Germany with the usual stash of German magazines

Told him I wanted everyone with a picture of the President on it....

Amazing too was the morning after his victory, I was inundated with lots of emails from friends and family in Europe....They were all so happy....

[Cha]

39. Sounds like a Wonderful Fam, Pachamama~

[UtahLib]

20. I suppose my statement can perceived as naive

I was not inferring that the President has accomplished everything we expect or hope for. I am simply saying he has been able to achieve more than the repugs planned on allowing with their rabid obstructionist agenda. This fact is clearly evidenced by their obsession with trying to walk back everything he has been able to accomplish in spite of them. Allowing for this perspective, I think he has been a great President.

[dimbear]

3. Or one might translate that "The chance to become a greater president"

Also notice the middle article on the left. Be careful who you buy a used car from. Pretty much the reason Romney lost.

[DFW]

5. Well, actually, no

After "ein" came the full singular declined form of the adjective "groß." "Greater" would have used some form of "grossartig."

"Greater" may represent our wishes, but it's not what the headline said.

I saw a great comment by Maureen Dowd on Romney and the election--he won the election campaign he was conducting. He went after the white male vote, and he won it. Apparently, no one told him that white males aren't the only people who live in America.

[wake.up.america]

11. Ich würde sagen dass Sie recht haben.

I'm sure you noticed the translation relative to the purchase of the car was not entirely correct either.

But, we all get the picture.

[DFW]

21. That we do

I live in Germany with my German wife of 30+ years and we speak German at home. She complains that I speak Russian when I talk in my sleep, but when awake, we speak German together, always have.

[dimbear]

31. Thanks, always good to hear from the experts.

Most of my German comes from old detective novels, looks like I'm behind the curve.

[Pachamama]

36. As a native German speaker (Bayerische eigentlich) I would never refer to the word "grossartig"

... as reference for President.....I think of it as an adjective to describe something you eat or in describing an event....the feeling left for something, but the word "grosser" (oder mit umlaut) is refering to him being larger and grander than before....

It could be debated between Hoch Deutsch speakers and us Bavarians, but as a speaker of both dialects and having grown up in Germany and lived there over half my life, I have to say that the "Grosser" was very clear in meaning a bigger/greater President....but "grossartig" is how I would describe the result of the election.

[wake.up.america]

40. I agree with you. Host mi?

[AllyCat]

4. Love in the dead zone? Last article...

I must have translated that incorrectly. Love the cover though! The rest of the world got it 4 years ago. Now Americans are starting to understand.

[DFW]

6. Love in the death zone

It's about a couple who the article say is "inseparable" at sea level, but makes their own decisions when climbing K2 or Everest, or whatever peak they are scaling at any given time.

[kickysnana]

7. Coz sure challenged him to become one. I hope he does.

[DFW]

8. Amen to that!!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[cui bono]

10. Let's hope he does. n/t

[careyfamily]

16. Obama honors his wife and daughters

For the half of the world who only values male heirs, this is a powerful message.

[DFW]

22. I really identify with him for that, I must admit

As a guy with a wife and two daughters, it's not much of a stretch for me!

[EmeraldCityGrl]

27. Where is Sununu?

the POS that said the rest of the world wanted to see Obama lose?

People all over the world celebrated with us on Obama's second term.

Maybe Andrea Mitchell who gave him so much airtime before the election
would care to have him on her show now. Come on Andrea so sure rmoney
would win, let her neocon core be exposed in those weeks leading up to the election.

Sorry for the off topic response, but this cover just reminded me of the lie that
Obama was disliked around the world repeated so often on her show by her neo-con
guests.

[Myrina]

29. Grosser = bigger, not "great(er)" ...

n/t

[DFW]

41. Not in this case

Bigger: "grösser"

After "ein" comes the declined form: ein grosser

Example: Friedrich der Große (Frederick the Great), the Prussian emperor

Like elections, context matters.

My wife has been correcting me for over 30 years now. I don't make those mistakes any more

[adigal]

33. I like Obama a lot, but don't think he has been a great president

He gave up single payer before negotiations even started, and for what? No Repubs voted for,his plan! He wants to be liked, I hope he learned that the Repubs will NEVER like him or speak well of him. He needs to refuse to compromise and make the Repubs look extreme, because they are. He needs to push for real change.

My friend just heard on NPR this morning that many think he will now allow,that pipeline, compromise on that, so he can get "important" things done. She is furious, and says if he is that shortsighted, she will never vote again. This is how we lost in 2010- his middle of the road, lets play nice attitude pissed off a lot of Dems,and she is a lifelong democrat.

[DFW]

42. The headline didn't indicate that the mag thought he had been great up to now

It said he could yet become one. I agree. He does have the chance.